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[latkje]

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[trueltning_fury]

[oh hell no...his ego is not down for that conclusion]

I'm a pragmatist. A coward removes his Rune and runs from his responsibilities.

[WELP thanks Nash there's the raw wound rubbed all over again.]

[latkje]

Who said anything about removing your Rune? [ He quirks an eyebrow. That's an interesting place to go with this. ] I mean, you have people who care about you, who'd die for you, and you want my help ditching them.

[ Help he's perfectly willing to offer, to be fair. ]

[trueltning_fury]

That's different. It's not what I was talking about.

[grouchily; the talk of matchmaking has him centered entirely on the fates of his two best friends and their associations with lifelong commitments. His unit? Yeah sure they're people he cares about but it's not the same. To cover the awkwardness, Geddoe sinks into his tankard for a bit, making a good dent in the volume]

[latkje]

It's what I was talking about. [ He drinks and shrugs a shoulder at the same time. It's an advanced technique. ]

But we can keep talking about ancient history if you want. I do find it interesting. [ Maybe this conversation would be different if Geddoe knew more about Nash's marriage. ]

[trueltning_fury]

[damn Nash, he doesn't want to know how your brain went from matchmaking to the 12th. That's a leap he can't take.]

Ancient history is all I've got, really. So if you're going to poke the bear, that's what you're going to get.

[it's surprisingly not a 'leave it alone.' Against his better judgment, maybe.]

[latkje]

[ Few minds can anticipate the twists and turns that lurk in Nash's. For example: ]

You think Wyatt ever realized he'd made a mistake?

[trueltning_fury]

[that sure is a turn, but at least it keeps Geddoe from talking about himself. Enough time has gone by that even if losing Wyatt is still painful, it's a pain he can soldier through without showing a trace of it on his face.]

Yeah, he did. We spoke of it, just once, after I'd tracked his move to Karaya. He tried to claim that it would have been no different if he'd really been killed in battle instead of simply faking his death to escape, but I could tell he couldn't convince himself of that.

[latkje]

Have you told Chris this story? [ But as soon as the question is out of him, Nash shakes his head. Would she even want to hear it? ]

I abandoned my family once. It was the worst thing I've ever done, probably.

[ Geddoe is free to imagine whatever list of "worst things Nash has ever done" he'd like. ]

[trueltning_fury]

[oho? Geddoe raises an eyebrow in interest]

Was it worth it?

[no judging, he's just really curious about any real flaws arising in this guy who always likes to look like he's got it all together]

[latkje]

No. What did I even get out of it? Not immortality, vast wealth, or a chance to save the world.

[ Was it better than his alternative options? Well, he used to think so. It's taken him a while to come around. ]

[trueltning_fury]

Mm. Shame. Did you at least think, at the time, that it would be worth it?

[how interesting, though, that of all people Nash and Wyatt would have something in common.]

...for the record, immortality is highly overrated. But if you didn't even get to save the world, well, that's a damned shame.

[latkje]

I was eighteen. I wasn't thinking very much at all.

[ Certainly not about what he'd get out of it. ]

[trueltning_fury]

[what a coincidence, that was the same age when he fled his homeland...]

Nobody is capable of thinking much at that age. Not even me.

[latkje]

I would never mistake you for nobody, Geddoe. [ He flashes a brief grin. ] Yeah, I was young and stupid. But I was the head of my house, even then. [ Not the same as abandoning a small child, but nonetheless an abdication of expected responsibilities. ] It still took me the better part of a decade to make it right.

[ To the extent that he could. ]

[trueltning_fury]

[har har, Nash]

Oh? I wouldn't have expected that. It's a lot to throw on the shoulders of the young and stupid.

[and he's aware that most people don't have the luxury of time to work their way back from that. A decade is a blink to him but an eternity to most]

That's rather magnanimous of you. To atone.

[latkje]

Especially on shoulders that belong to someone of such dubious moral fiber.

[ He hadn't planned any of it. Maybe it was more accurate to say that none of it had gone to plan. But a decade an eternity to everyone at eighteen. ]

I didn't atone, anyway. I just showed up.

[trueltning_fury]

[such statements make Geddoe snort, again, but in true amusement. What turns this chat has taken, and it's all fascinating]

Who would have ever thought you and I would have so much in common, deep down beneath the wear and tear? That is, if any of it is true. I wouldn't blame you for carefully gloss over some details.

[latkje]

[ It's true that Nash's family is the one thing he will lie about. Mostly because he doesn't want them to suffer for his mistakes the way they already have. It's why he started using aliases on missions, and one of the reasons he still prefers to work on the outskirts of the Holy Kingdom, far away from Crystal Valley. ]

C'mon. Would that really make us more different?

[trueltning_fury]

[that actually brings a stronger smirk to his lips]

No, that would probably just do the opposite.

[he's lived by secrecy so long it's hard to remember what it's like to just. Talk.]

[latkje]

Well, I could act more like a proper Harmonian bureaucrat. I imagine that will be helpful if you have to kill me.

[ This is a joke. ]

[trueltning_fury]

[he's going to use up his quota of deadpan looks before they even get on the road. Granted, the eyepatch helps.]

It would at least hasten your death, to be sure. Can you really keep up that level of annoying long enough?

[latkje]

Sure. [ It's the role he was born to play. ] It's just another act. For them too, you know. There are people underneath it. [ He immediately thinks of a few exceptions. ]

Most of the time.

[trueltning_fury]

Color me surprised. [not] I'm fairly certain I've never seen the real Nash Lat...you're not still using that alias, are you?

[checking before he accidentally outs you in the middle of a mostly-empty bar, bro]

[latkje]

[ He replies smoothly. ]

Clovis is fine. [ He usually takes a different alias for every mission, but this is a continuation of the last one. But he used his real name when he was with the SFDF. A rookie mistake, but he can't say he's surprised to hear it come up. ] Anyway, is the person people know any less real than the one you keep to yourself?

[trueltning_fury]

[Geddoe makes that mental note with a little hum under his breath. Sure, he can stick with Clovis.]

I suppose that depends on how much effort it takes to be that person. I can't imagine living for so long behind a facade, it has to be exhausting. [a sniff, as he raises his mug to his lips] It's much easier to just not say anything.