Floor 5, Room 3

[leewards]

ITHAQUA

code

Comments

day or so after north return

[lighthaus]

[ true to his word, khun tracks down ithaqua sometime after the north returns from their excusion. it's in public too, just as he promised him it would be. ]

That was quite an entrance yesterday.

[leewards]

[With little regard for societal norms, Ithaqua is seated on one of the kitchen counters, ankles crossed and both hands cradling a glass of iced tea. His ensemble is far more casual, even if he still has a hood over his head. The whole of the manor may have seen his face, but he's still uncomfortable without something like a hood.]

Hmm. Was it that alarming? [He really doesn't get the fuss people made.]

[lighthaus]

I didn't say alarming, just that it was a way to make an entrance. [ the dragon mostly, the manastones don't make him feel anything in particular nor did solomon being almost dead. ]

How was it? [ he'll grab himself a coffee while they talk, presumably someone has a left a pot on because khun does not lift an actual finger in the kitchen. ]

[leewards]

Mm~ The mission, you mean?

[He takes a sip of the tea, before turning to open the cupboard behind him and dig through it for something to snack on.]

[lighthaus]

Yup. [ he'll settle in with his coffee at a nearby stool. don't mind him eyeing the snacks curiously. ]

[leewards]

I wonder~

[Look, Khun has to wait until he's popped a slice of bread into his mouth and finished it before speaking. It's not one of his buns, but it'll get the job done for now.]

We were suddenly taken from the manor by a spell, unlike the others previously who had been escorted out by the sage and mentor.

[lighthaus]

[ it's okay, he has his coffee to keep him company while he waits. ]

So you couldn't prepare. Is that why some of you came back as you did?

[leewards]

[He has to think about that question first before answering. Eventually, he shakes his head.]

No, I do not believe that preparation and more items would have helped us on this endeavour. You cannot prepare for what is sudden, after all.

[lighthaus]

Hmm... [ khun doesn't believe that, it's not possible to compare completely for the sudden and unknown but you can take some measure of precautions. he doesn't think it's worth debating though, because it's not what he's actually interested in. ]

Then are you simply stronger than the rest of the North?

[leewards]

You could say that~

If I were not, I would have had to ride Robin with the rest of them. [And he's quite pleased with that knowledge. The strongest of North? Why not.]

[lighthaus]

Hey, it's possible that you're allergic to dragons, but I'll take you at your word. [ the only north he's friendly with is malice, and he's not around to hear right now. ]

What happened with Solomon then? Or by that inference, is he the weakest of the Norths?

[leewards]

I've given Robin pats in the past, so allergies are not possible. [He's allergic to humans--

Noting his tea is almost drained, he pours himself more from a still-hot kettle he prepared earlier.]

Now as for the real meat of your commentary... You could say he's weak, physically. But he is also quite foolish, despite his weakness. He likes being the sacrificial lamb, you see, despite his body being the way it is. [And Ithaqua? He knows he's the strongest so he can weather all sorts of things, but unfortunately Solomon is stupid.] He also doesn't heed warnings.

[lighthaus]

Headstrong. He hasn't been around the manor recently, so I imagine that played into it too.

[ solomon does sound dumb ngl. ]

But at least it sounds like you didn't let him drag you down.

[leewards]

Oh no, he made hmself useful. He had spells at the ready, and we worked in tandem a number of times. [Even if describing so is still a bit beyond him at this point. How do you describe gut instinct? You don't.]

He's simply reckless, despite his body being the way it is.

[Never forget the beach scuffle, where Ithaqua just dragged him to the water so easily.

Then again, who can match Ithaqua's sheer physical strength? Not Solomon, clearly.]

[lighthaus]

[ he laughs lightly at that. ]

I've never understood why people would neglect their bodies. Sometimes it's all you have. [ are weapons and magic/shinsu better? yeah. but sometimes you really need to fisticuffs. ]

[leewards]

Well, wizards are historically quite soft, even if they look fit.

[Sips his tea.]

It's quite rare to find one who is powerful in both magic and body, but you are looking at one now. [Who's stronger than someone who wields an axe after all?]

[lighthaus]

We're not naturally wizards, are we? [ so that point is invalid.

he doesn't blink at the gloating. ]

[leewards]

Solomon has always been-- so of course, he must be held to a higher standard.

Myself? I am a witch's son, so of course I do the same for myself.

[lighthaus]

[ a light almost laugh. ]

I've never been either of those or anything analogous. But I still take care of both my skills and my body.

[leewards]

Which is to your advantage-- I believe not having grown up too reliant on magic helps people. If you can simply do everything you wish with magic, what is the point of rising from your seat?

[Ithaqua doesn't like to be complacent, is what he means.]

[lighthaus]

[ it's true, even if that's not the reason he was raised this way. ]

You seem to have everything figured out, Ithaqua.

[leewards]

I say it as I see it. [He dragged Solomon from the tent all the way to the beach while suffering from heat exhaustion. Him, with limbs the width of twigs. He may be a monster with a strength no one can imagine but still.]

And what I see here in this world is fairly simple to understand.

[lighthaus]

[ he takes another sip of his coffee, long, and drains it dry. ]

And next is the West's turn. Two successful missions: North, South. Two questionable returns: East, Central.

I think where we'll end up is simple too.

[leewards]

[Ithaqua's nose wrinkles when he's reminded that the Western wizards are the ones who have yet to undertake something dangerous. He'll need to find something to help Urianger, and quickly.]

Hmm. If the members are alive and their pieces of the moon have been dealt with, that's enough to be considered successes as well.

[But they can't all be so easy as the Northern mission.]

[lighthaus]

[ khun reconsiders briefly. he supposes east was just a mess in a different way, but as far as central goes- ]

I don't think Akira returning possessed can be counted in the same bracket as your return.