[In Person]

[stalking_horse]

[On one of the upper walkways of the village, Saguru has found a place near one of the low tables with the feast spread; he's ... well, sort of trying to stay out of traffic and watch, holding a "mug" made out of some kind of hollowed out gourd or plant, giving the contents occasional odd looks.]

[He's occasionally wandering a little - still trying to avoid the main traffic of tiny fuzzy things, but looking around for other "residents" in between investigating the food and picking up a little bit of different things here and there; he's not entirely hesitant, though he does seem a little...well, lost.]

Strangest Thanksgiving she could've come up with.

[No, he is not that genre savvy on this one.]

Comments

[stalking_horse]

I'm a detective and I've woken up with my ability to string together lines of reasoning hamstrung. Would there be any reason for the stack of books you've been getting from me if that really was everything that you were?

[movingforces]

...I suppose not, but-

Imagine getting constant questions about why you're "wasting" something like magical ability, pursuing something else entirely.

A mage does mage-work... an ambient mage is similarly bound to follow whatever route their power takes them on. Or they become a religious dedicate.

[stalking_horse]

Are the people asking that the ones living your life and having to deal with what you've been through in the past, what you want, and what's important to you? Is it seriously going to somehow ruin their lives that you're not being a good little cogwheel and doing what they think you should do with your life?

[movingforces]

I'm not saying they'd be right. I'm saying the people who would ask that if I followed any other path other than the limited number of ones my magic presents me with, I would never hear the end of it. Do you know how obnoxious it would be to be constantly assaulted by that, day in, day out, for the rest of your life?

[stalking_horse]

.....

"What's this stupid foreigner even doing here, I don't care what his record is, he's an annoying kid, he's not even from here, he has no idea how things work here; what do you mean you're not actually going to join any agency, you're not being realistic, you have no jurisdiction, you shouldn't even be here, why should we listen to you, you can't do anything as a civilian, stop getting in our work"...

Sad part is, even if I wanted to deal with the red tape and getting tied-down that'd go with getting a badge, it'd probably be lethal, the Black Organization apparently has influence anywhere I might go.

[movingforces]

[She keeps forgetting her problems are stupid and petty compared to yours.

Congratulation, she's now staring off in the distance.]

[stalking_horse]

I've dealt with that; I'll be going right back to it when I go home, too - you're always going to have SOMEONE who thinks they know better than you what you're doing with your life.


...Tris?

[movingforces]

[She's just folding her hands in her lap.] I'm fine, Saguru. [Her voice is way too neutral and mild..]

[stalking_horse]

I ... just want you to talk to me; I didn't - mean there was anything wrong with you, just that ... I've been through the same thing, myself; I do know what it's like hearing that.

[movingforces]

All I'm doing is whining about how tragic my life is. [She's shaking her head.] And nobody wants to hear that.

[stalking_horse]

...If it's bothering you, then - it is important, and - I want to help, even if all I can do is talk and probably make an idiot of myself.

[movingforces]

[Tris is glancing over, briefly.] Why, so I can remind you that you're facing worse back home? No. I don't think so.

[stalking_horse]

You've already mentioned dealing with things that threatened your life; I'm working on dealing with my own problems back home myself, but ...

I'd rather at least have you talking to me than be here and know something is wrong but be shut out and left to know you're hurting, but not be able to do anything at all.

[movingforces]

Yes, well, unlike you, I am sort of a walking arsenal of things that can hurt people, if only I would come down from my ivory tower now and again.

[...That's... probably a little too telling about what she actually thinks of her magic.]

[stalking_horse]

It's not everything that you are... or everything it has to be. [Yes, he is ... well, kind of worried, now.]

And - honestly it would hurt more to lose you than anything else that could go wrong.

[movingforces]

[Tris is looking down at her hands. It still seems like the sort of thing--] It still hardly seems-- right that I'm given this much power only to essentially ignore it.

[Tris's head snaps up at that, and she just... looks at Saguru.]

[stalking_horse]

You do what you can with it, and if that means sometimes not using it where someone else would've abused it, that's still something.

[He's sitting with his drink and a faint shrug.] I don't find a lot of people where I can actually carry on a conversation without losing them, or ending up getting looked at like there's something wrong with my head; I didn't have much at all in the way of friends before I came here... not having a lot of people means the ones you have are important.

[movingforces]

[Tris narrows her eyes and nods a little.] ...Don't I know it.

[She's seeming less-- bothered, at least. Maybe not smiling, but it's a start.]