[video] BACKDATED TO JAN. 19TH | un: newt

[groupiedrifter]

[Ah, yes, it's the half-dragon birthday boy!

He wastes no time in playing out the likely anticipated song of celebration.

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This lute is getting some mileage.

It ends on a smug, contented:]

Haaaappy biiiirthday to meeeee!

That's the second birthday in a row that we're stuck on a mission. Man. But at least this birthday wasn't me stuck on a western-themed planet where we literally ran out of food to eat. That was a real freakin' bummer. [... well, it was the worst part until the townspeople turned into ash, but we don't talk about our traumas, new bloods] You guys better tell me happy birthday by the end of the day, or I'll cast a spell on you.

.... Mmmmnah, that would be too easy.

I'll just follow you around playing nothing but the happy birthday theme.


But the point of this wasn't just to shout at the rooftops that I'm 37-years-old! I spoke with the barkeep, Fribbington? What a queen, guys; I'm so jealous of her beard. Do you know how hard it is for me to get one of those? It's borderline impossible.

Ah — Right. Like, I spoke with her, and she really does not like Jun Shortaxe. Something about being sure you and him are on the same side, because it's not always that clear. But she had a lot of good things to say about Dweyre — that he was smart as a tack, helped a lot of people while in their party, best in his group at the Knights of the Seven Sisters... that after he died, nothing was ever really the same for them. I wish I could say anything else about the conversation jumped out at me... but...

Oh!

She mentioned the heirloom was some kind of scepter.

Round and royal-like, passed down through the kings. So valuable to King Zaros that he was willing to send parties after it and into deadly situations. Apparently this kind of gig, it would have set up Fribbington and the Brigade for the rest of their days as adventurers.

Unfortunately, things went really sideways. You know.

But uh! Yeah, that's all I got. I gotta admit, I've never been very good at finding the little details when it comes to things like this — maybe that's the ADHD talking. Either way, I'm almost done with the Ballard of Dweyre, so make sure you stop by the tavern and give a listen.

... Also, like. Cake. I want cake this birthday.

Someone around here has to have cake.

And I've also got an important questionnaire for everyone, by the way; no rush to finish it, it's just a little something to pass the time. Especially you new people. New people are required to fill this out.

[Anyone who knows him knows he's full of shit. But the text file comes through:]


NAME:
DATE OF BIRTH:
FAVORITE MOVIES:
FAVORITE FOODS:
FAVORITE MUSIC:

What’s your claim to fame?

How do you like to spend your free time?

What skill would you like to master? 

What is your proudest accomplishment? 

What is your biggest pet peeve?

What is the most useless talent you have? 

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

Are you a cat or a dog person?

Do you sing in the shower?

If you only had 5 minutes in a grocery store, what would you buy?

Which body part do you wish you could detach and why?

If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?

If police arrested you with no explanation, what would your friends assume you had done?

Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

Comments

[heroooic]

Nah. But it's cute, like I said. Cuteness is really important when you pick nicknames.

[Finn grins, tossing the nettles over his shoulder before settling back against the tree. Natasha may have been fun to poke at -- especially because she was always so ready to give back as good as she gave -- but there was something deeper to the nickname for Finn, even if just subconsciously. Something that made him feel strange and sad the in nearly the same way Natasha's words had.

For a moment, it seems like the teenager would simply resume his lunch and shift the conversation to something else entirely. Maybe even continue the Natasha v. Nettle debate. Instead, his expression takes a turn for the thoughtful.]

What did you mean earlier by 'complicated'?

[deaddrop]

[The nickname conversation had been a better one. She'd sort of hoped it'd divert him.

No such luck though.

Natasha shrugs a little. It's not a question that's easy to answer, but she'll do her best.]

Let's say you rescued someone. Saved them from something awful. Let's say their town got attacked by a dragon and they were kidnapped, but you outsmarted the dragon and rescued them, safe and sound. That's something to be proud of, right?

But you only had the opportunity because something bad happened, and the person you saved might rightly point out that while their town is still flattened. Not exactly the kind of thing they'd like to hear someone crowing about.

You follow me?

[heroooic]

[For a moment, Finn could've sworn he was listening to Billy speak. The old hero of legend he'd grown up idolizing had become similarly disillusioned over the years, walling himself into his home and allowing the empty hole inside him to grow day by day. Finn was so much younger then, pushing back against the thought with every fiber of his being.

Saving someone was always worth it, that's what he'd always believed. What he still believed. But...

Complicated. That's what she'd meant, wasn't it? He chews his sandwich thoughtfully, watching her for a moment of quiet.]

But you still saved them. Without you, they'd be dragon chow.

[deaddrop]

And glad I did. It's not exactly that I'm not proud of things I've accomplished, but the things I'm most proud of tend to leave the biggest flattened villages.

[It's not exactly a perfect analogy, but the whole point of not answering the question to start with is avoiding getting into the weeds with specifics.]

A lot of my best work is damage control. Or generously, making the best of a bad situation.

[heroooic]

[Finn takes another bite of his sandwich, more to give himself time to chew her words over than anything. He was aware enough to know this was an abstracted conversation, probably ghosting up against the truth rather than fully depicting it.

He fixes her with a thoughtful look, nibbling on a bit of crust.]

I think I get it. [Or at least a version of it.] But I also think it's worth being proud of making something bad a little better for someone, even if it's just one person. Maybe you don't have to post about it in front of everybody, but... I bet you've probably still got a lot to be proud of, y'know?

public > private

[deaddrop]

[There's a brief pause as Natasha considers and eventually opts to take the conversation private.

Some things don't need to be available to everyone.]

If you're worried about it, I promise, there are things I'm proud of. Just the things that are the most worth being proud of are also the most tied up with other things.

We're all here because we have things we regret, right?

[heroooic]

Aw c'mon, I'm not worried. [Except he certainly was, even if something about that felt just a touch lame, or maybe childish, to admit? Perhaps that was just the natural hovering insecurity of his age.] It just feels like maybe you don't think you're a good person sometimes. Which is, like, total bunk. If you do think that, I mean.

'Cuz, like, I know you're a good person, Nettle. Bad people don't care about whether they hurt people or not.

[That's what he'd been telling himself, anyway. Granted, it didn't always feel true, but that's when you tell yourself even harder, right?]

[deaddrop]

That's kind of you to say.

[Which is both true, and an easier response than either confirming or denying her goodness.

That is something that's also complicated, at least to Natasha's mind. It's not something that's likely to get uncomplicated any time soon.

And she's not about to admit to a teenager that maybe she needs to hear that sometimes. She can barely admit it to herself.]

It's a good thing you're not worried then, because I am fine. And I don't intend to stop trying to help people anytime soon.

[heroooic]

[For whatever reason, that answer seems to get through to Finn fully. It's funny, he didn't realize just how tense his shoulders had been until now that they'd relaxed. Leaning back against the tree, he crooks a half smile in her direction.]

Well. Good. 'Cuz if you're ever not fine, we're gonna have words, Nettle.

[Nice words. About feelings. Maybe. Finn still wasn't sure how to do that for himself, but he knew it was important. And, in some abstract and very new kind of way, Natasha was starting to feel pretty important too.]

[deaddrop]

[Natasha nods at that, eyes lowered as she accepts the sentiment. It's a lie, of course—that she's fine. But Finn gives her one more reason to put on a strong face and keep it together even if she's not.

Fine is a relative term anyway, and she's as fine as anyone can be expected to be under the circumstances.]

I will remember that.