wizardmanor | Floor 5, Room 3

[ 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?

[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.

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?

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.]

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?

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.

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.

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.]

[ 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. ]

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?]

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

he doesn't blink at the gloating. ]

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.

[ 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.

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.]

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

You seem to have everything figured out, Ithaqua.

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.

[ 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.

[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.]

[ 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.

That incident garners no sympathy from me. [Said primly, just before he takes a sip of his tea again.]

And now, given that we're all far more informed than before, avoiding similar problems will be far easier.

Sympathy? [ that's funny. ] I would have killed him if I had my way.

[ and he knows he's not the only one. ]

I don't expect us to have problems either way.

[Honestly, Ithaqua wasn't aware that that was what had happened at the time, he just knows the aftermath and learned the rest afterwards. But he definitely would have killed the boy himself if he'd known. Anyone who gets possessed doesn't have enough of a sense of their own self.]

You had better expect some combat, then, but I'm sure you haven't any complaints about that.

[ looks at persona protags. ]

Of course not, it's weirder not to be tested on it. [ this place has been so chill compared to exams in the tower... ]

I think all of us have experience in that besides one? [ he has no idea about leo but he assumes jing yuan will just scruff leo along so it's fine. ]

Well, you shall just have to make up for that lack.

[He says that without a lick of sympathy.]

Obviously. [ he doesn't sound bothered by it, it's same old same old as far as he goes. Nor is the type of person to feel like he needs to prove himself to anyone, his standards are high, but they're for himself. ]

Anyway, thanks for the bread. [ he stands up to leave, but he had to say that first. ]

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