Chapter Text
It’s nice to finally get a break for once, even if it’s small , Guy contemplated as the group broke up at the Sheridan Inn for their free time. As usual, the boys took one room and the girls in another, leaving Guy to relative safety in the comfort of their room. No girls, no armies to fight off, just him, Luke, and Jade, -who was admittedly scary, -but at least in a different way than the women of the party.
Luke was already conked out on his bed, hardly having bothered to take off his outer jacket and shoes before he did. That was good. Even with the numerous nightmares that woke him throughout the night, he should be able to get some more sleep with the earlier bedtime. Honestly, he might have to see if he could convince Luke to have an earlier bedtime in general. However, Guy would probably need help to actually convince Luke to do it, so he probably needed to gather forces on the sly for that one before making his case to Luke.
Regardless of the inevitable nightmares to come, at least in the moment he was sleeping peacefully and tranquil enough that Guy didn’t wish to risk disturbing him by moving around their room and making noise. Even though he wasn’t keen on reentering general society where women were everywhere, it was a necessary evil to try and help Luke get as much sleep as possible. Sighing, he doubled back out of the room, gently closing the door behind him, before heading to the lobby of the inn.
Tear and Jade were there, discussing something over beverages at a table. Knowing some of Jade’s tendencies, it was likely alcoholic, but for Tear it looked to be a simple cup of tea. He waved to them before approaching and asking, “Mind if I join you? “
“Well, I don’t see why we couldn’t entertain one more, no, Tear? “Jade responded wryly. Tear nodded her approval as well, so Guy formally pulled out a chair and sat down.
“We were just discussing the role of emotions of soldiers on the battlefield. We both agree it’s best to minimize the impact of them in order to stay logical, but beyond that…” Tear introduced him to the conversation.
“I do believe at times emotions can make the opponent a greater threat. ‘No creature more dangerous than a man cornered’, and all that. Though Kimlascans seem to prefer using ‘animal’ in place of ‘man’, but I suppose they are all the same in the end, “Jade added, “Tear, however, maintains that absolutely no emotion is the ideal state of a soldier. A gald for your thoughts? “
A bit of an odd debate for them, then. To hear Jade of all people arguing for any emotional expression was quite an experience, given just how little the man seemed to express any that weren’t carefully cultivated and pruned beforehand.
“Hm… in general, I tend towards Tear’s ideas that a calm and composed army is more capable at carrying out orders effectively. But like Jade says, if an army is on defense and defending something dear, it can be the opposite. The willpower to not die and protect what’s dear makes the defending army all the more dangerous than the attackers in those cases. “
“But a soldier might make more mistakes if they get too worked up. Wouldn’t a composed force be more cohesive than a unit comprised of soldiers more likely to go off and do their own thing regardless of orders? “ Tear countered.
“Ah, but hardship breeds ingenuity, you’ll find. Men and women pressed to their limits tend to break out everything they can, and put all their effort into pulling it off. To that end, I would rather have a troop of fervent and impassioned soldiers defending a city, because they are that much less likely to give up or give in. They fight to their last without hesitation. “ Jade responded, ”For commanders, it may be another story. A clear head to issue decisive commands and rally troops is essential, but for the average foot soldier? Passion is key.“
“How would you go about reigning in that passion though as soldiers move up in the ranks, though, Jade? I’d think it’d be difficult for the average person to suddenly stop feeling quite so much if they assume command to better give directions.“ Guy inquired. It was intriguing to hear the two soldiers debate the matter, especially when they seemed to have the same idea of emotional repression put into practice. Who knew if Jade was just playing devil’s advocate for the sake of it, though. It was all too easy to see that.
“A fair point, but that conundrum is addressed by the fact that the ones who do move up tend to be the more level-headed and collected from the start. They have less to learn in those cases. For those who can’t collect themselves, there still is a role for them: a highly charismatic and impassioned face of the army that rallies the troops.“
“Colonel, do you perhaps have any anecdotes to share of these ideas put into practice? I find myself skeptical that an impassioned soldier is more effective than a calculating one. In fact, you seem to demonstrate my points perfectly, as a matter of fact. “ Tear requested, a curious eyebrow raised.
“Well, let’s examine our miniature fighting force. Standing army we are not, but certain principles can be applied for both. In this case, Luke is a prime example for my points. He was very much untrained and unprepared to enter combat, let alone against other intelligent humans. And yet his desire to live outweighs his lack of technical skill and hesitations about killing, allowing him to keep up with the rest of us as he slowly develops true skills behind the passion. “ Jade quirked an eyebrow at Tear in turn, though his seemed more a product of mischief instead of curiosity.
“Y-yes, well… “ Tear took a moment to get her thoughts in line, “I would argue that Luke’s emotions can prove to be just a hindrance in battle and out all the same. Guy should know better than anyone how quick he can swing from one emotion to another. That inconsistency is dangerous. Anything can rattle him.“
He had to chuckle at that. Luke certainly hadn’t learned a whole lot of emotional regulation back at the manor, that’s for sure. Stuck in there as he was, boredom usually was the forefront of his emotions and made all the little ups and downs of life that much bigger deals to him. To him in his mini world, those little changes were his world, be it Van showing up to teach him or his food being mismade. Since leaving, he’d started to get a better grasp on what actually constituted a ‘big deal’ and not for most people, but the propensity to change emotions at the drop of a hat still was there.
“Somehow I think we’ve stumbled upon the actual reason for your inquiry to me, Tear. You’re concerned about Luke, especially in battle, “ Jade guessed, leaning back in his chair, “A nice attempt at framing it in a different context to divert me, however. “
“He’s- he just… makes me worried with how easy it is for him to bounce back and forth between emotions. I worry it will endanger us sometime or later. I wish he would learn to regulate his emotions better so they aren’t all-encompassing to how he acts. “ She turned away from them both, a faint blush gracing her cheeks.
“I get what you’re saying, Tear, but as much as they might dig him into trenches sometimes, Luke’s feelings drag him out just as often. He wears his heart on his sleeve, true, but I for one can appreciate a person so honest with how everybody seems to lie and manipulate in this world all the time. Then again, seven year olds aren’t exactly renowned for their emotional maturity…” He quipped.
“As interesting as a conversation this may have been, I do wish to ask some questions of the Classes one last time before we set out in the morning for the core, “ Jade said before Tear could formulate a response, “Do make sure to round up all the other young folk before you go to bed, Guy. I’d hate to be tried for neglecting a child for leaving them to wander strange towns on their lonesome, after all. “
Guy could only roll his eyes at that one. “Luke’s already in bed, and I thought I saw Asch lurking about somewhere in town again earlier, and it’s not like Asch would let anything hurt a hair on Natalia's head while he was around. Anise is repairing Tokunaga in her room. Besides, Sheridan’s relatively safe right now, I’d wager. “
“Any evidence for the other redhead being in town aside from you think you saw him? For all we know you could have developed double vision and were simply looking at Luke. “
Back to trying to annoy everyone again, huh, Jade? “Well, I wasn’t looking at Luke at the moment, the man was in black, sulking, his arms crossed, and still had noticeably bright red hair despite his attempts to hide in the shadows of an alley, so I’d think so. Why don’t you go try to find Natalia, then, if you’re so unconvinced?”
The only response was Jade’s quieting footfalls exiting the inn as he evidently chose to ignore Guy’s protests or suggestion. He turned back to Tear, “I’ll do one last round around the town as well, see the sights and make sure Natalia is fine just in case, but after that I’ll head to bed. I’m glad you’re concerned about Luke, but you just gotta trust me on some things. And just remember, he’s got plenty of time to learn all these lessons later. “
“That is true. Thank you for your perspective. While I still think Luke could learn some emotional regulation, I understand better why it might help him in the moment.“ Tear admitted, “I suppose I might like to make sure we are appropriately well-stocked with gels. While Luke’s been getting better at remembering items we need to buy, occasionally something strays from his mind. “
“Well, then, I don’t suppose I could help see you to the item shop before parting ways, huh?“ Guy offered, before a loud thunk and a shout distinctly Luke-like came from upstairs. He could only sigh at that; he’d hoped Luke would be asleep for longer before the boy had his first nightmare of the night.
Still, though, at this stage Luke wasn’t exactly the most pleased if Guy tried to comfort him as he stubbornly tried to pretend nothing was wrong. Tear and the innkeeper trying to shuffle out from behind the counter didn’t know that, however, so he had to assuage them before Luke was inevitably mortified.
“He’s just having a nightmare. Unfortunately it happens a lot, and I’m sorry if he disturbs any other guests. But yeah, you don’t need to check up on him; he’d probably be even more embarrassed at the attention right now. “ He hurriedly interjected before they could start up the stairs.
“Poor boy, if the nightmares are that bad he falls off the bed. You sure there’s nothing I can get him? Tea, perhaps?“ The kindly innkeeper, an older lady, asked, still hesitating.
“Nah. Most of the time he can eventually fall asleep for the night. Thank you for the offer, though, ma’am “ he responded, shooting a thankful smile to her, “Tear, should we head to the item shop? “
“Yes, I suppose…” She said, still staring back to the stairs.
“Like I said, he’ll be fine. We just need to give him some space to calm down on his own. Let’s go. “
With that, they set off on their trek.
It was easy enough to get to the item shop, thankfully, with crowds starting to die down from the afternoon rush. The prices, however, were just as steep. Kimlasca had never really been an economic paradise for anything but fontech and Sheridan was no exception. He stood around for a while as Tear started to count and inspect their items, but eventually decided to break away to get a good look at the fontech everywhere in the city before the sun went completely down.
Fontech’s amazing. I don’t get why nobody else really seems to understand just how important and impressive it is, he thought, staring at the Rocket Tower and trying to imagine all the engineering going into the project, I mean, they’re figuring out how to make flying accessible here with the Albiores, and Belkend’s improving medicine all the time. It might be possible for the average person to travel across the world, or survive previously fatal injuries soon. Everything about life is becoming easier, and everybody just seems to take it for granted! How do they do it?
…In truth, he didn’t know how long he spent dissecting the impressive tower panel by panel with his eyes and imagining what systems lay beneath, but by the time he could bear to look away from it, the sun was long past set. The only fontech he could really see in detail now were the high-tech fonlamps the city used. He probably should head back. But first, he was technically assigned a task by Jade, and while he wasn’t fond of the man’s tendency to dump work onto him, the prospect of Jade mocking him forever for not watching the younger members would be a greater annoyance.
Guy walked over to the spot he’d last seen Natalia near the weapons shop. There was no sign of her there, so with Natalia as dutifully straightforward in her path as she was, she was likely back at the inn. Anise and Luke were already accounted for, so that only left Tear as the sole person he needed to check up on. Making his way to the item shop, there was no sign of Tear. He asked the clerk if he remembered where she had gone, and he had pointed in the direction towards the inn. That solved that potential issue, then.
As he approached the inn, however, there seemed to be a minor state of chaos. People were chatting with each other, so engrossed in a way that suggested it was more than just simple gossip. Just as he was about to start for the stairs to see if Anise or Luke knew what was going on, Jade snagged him by the shoulder out of nowhere.
“Finally, you’re here. There’s been an incident.“ He stated, vaguely. Would it kill him to be clear for once in his life?
“Incident? Just say what’s going on, Jade. What happened? “
Jade took a deep breath at that, no doubt gathering his thoughts, before responding, “ …Luke’s gone, by all appearances."