Act 2: Upheaval VI - Celebration and Departure

The old man gazes at Konrad, studying him. "Hmm. Well, go ahead."

"Alright. Where are you from, Avalon?" Konrad asks.

"Saltfield, a small town in the Enclave. Just south of Narrowfist." Master Avalon turns to face the red mage while keeping an arm on the table to support himself. "You?"

"Atak. It's a short trek down the southern peninsula."

"I see." He sips from his glass of wine and waits for Konrad to continue.

"They're mainly a fishing settlement with some farms outside of town. I always thought that was boring work. What's it like in Saltfied?"

"Still the same old I suspect. It's a mining town that subsist from the salt and minerals it digs up. I also thought it was boring work, back when I was young."

Konrad nods. "So did you want to fight, back then?"

Avalon chuckles. "I imagine I did, yes. Among other things."

This makes Konrad smile. "When did you learn?"

He begins to swirl his glass of wine with his left hand. "The Golden Legion taught me," he says. "They're always eager to take in new recruits."

"In my clan, we have trainers assigned to classes of students. It's not just one warrior teaching everything, or everyone. They also teach academic disciplines. We learn when we are young, and then we may do as we please."

"Yes, I'm familiar with the Myrzen schools."

"How long did you work for the Golden Legion?"

"Well, I joined as soon as I reached sixteen so..." He stops to do a mental count. "...Fifteen years."

"Was it one of theirs who taught you how to fight unarmed?"

"Oh no. I didn't learn to fight this way until I left the Legion."

Konrad nods. "Ah. Didn't seem likely to me, anyway. What made you leave?"

"Seeing my friends die," he explains matter-of-factly. "I realized too late what I really cared about. It's a mistake many people make."

For a few seconds, Konrad doesn't reply. "I see. What did you do then? Did you settle down?"

"I met an old Stoic fool who wanted to build an orphanage. I thought I was a bigger fool than him, so I decided to follow him around and help him out."

He shrugs and drinks some more wine.

Konrad raises an eyebrow. "An old fool"? Is he self-aware? "Then what?"

"Then I took my mentor's place when he passed away. Which led me here." He pauses. "I've skipped a few details, but I think you can guess what moral I've learned from my own story."

Konrad nods. So, you learned to fight from your mentor, and started teaching others and running your new monastery and orphanage when he passed away. The man's passions grew on you, as did your loyalty to his cause and his memory. "I can guess." Konrad looks around for another beer, uses telekinesis to grab it, and takes a drink from the glass. "Thank you for telling me your story."

The monk tilts his head, raises his glass and gazes at Konrad for a moment. "If you've learned anything from it, then I am glad I've shared it with you."

He then presents his glass to clink it with the red mage's tankard. Konrad's eyebrow goes up again, but he ultimately decides not to leave Avalon hanging.

Nadzieja is currently listening to her family members talk amongst each other about all of the Myrzen food they've tried so far.

Mihai walks over. "Hey. Think I could talk to you for a second?"

She looks up at him and says, "Uh, sure," before following him a few meters away from the table. "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing urgent. Just, you probably guessed but we learned a whole lot last time we slept. I'm hoping none of us will wake up someone else in the morning, but either way we'll have some interesting things to tell you before we set sail."

Nadieza ponders for an instant how to respond and then says, "Yeah, we can talk more about it tomorrow."

"Yeah well, I just..." He hesitates. "Steve is the outgoing one, and Konrad is... Konrad. I'm usually the one that ends up with things left unsaid, so... I just wanted to say it was really nice meeting you, and..." He searches for the right words. "I hope ten years of being a world leader is everything you hope it'll be."

The young woman is initially taken aback by Mihai's discomfort, but she confidently replies with, "Thank you, Mihai. I know it won't be easy, but that's what I've always wanted."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. Not many people are ever so certain about something so big, can't think of a better start. You have Dziki backing you, too."

"Hopefully, the others will too." She looks at all the people who are still celebrating and says with a smile, "We should go back soon; some of my clansmen are already thinking that you're propositioning to me."

Mihai can see a few of them whispering among each others.

He chuckles.  "Between Duma and Konrad, I think you've got your hands full. Besides, I gotta get Fedler back before I can proposition to anyone."

"And you won't be alone for that. Come on, you need a drink!" She puts her arm around his shoulder and drags him back to the table. She then says in a low voice, "Also, look out for Volwind. He's into your sister I think."

He lets himself be dragged, and lowers his tone to match. "I noticed. He seems like a good kid though, right?"

"Probably too good even." By now, they reached the table. "No need to worry though." She seems ready to go back to her seat, but waits for Mihai's response before she does.

He shrugs. "I'm not too worried. Well... guess you can never not worry at all, but..." He trails off a bit. "...gotta let them live a little, I suppose."

"You sound like Avalon." She chuckles and goes back to her seat.

"I do?"

He sits down, gets a glass and pours himself some single malt.

Konrad sees Nadzieja and Mihai speaking to each other a few meters away from the table. Their conversation lasts only for a few minutes, which ends with the First putting her arm around Mihai's shoulder to bring him back to the table. With a smile on her face, she says something to cheer up the ever brooding mercenary. After which they exchange a few words and go back to their seats. Nadzieja then engages into a conversation with Valor and Leon.

It breaks Konrad's heart to see her getting along so well with everyone but him. Nevertheless, he keeps it under the surface as best as he can, and a little later, when the other members of the adjunct start talking about being tired, he tries to get in a talk with Nadzieja before they go. "Excuse me, may I borrow you for a few minutes to talk? It's getting late, and this may be the last time before we have to go."

Nadzieja, having heard the others talk about leaving soon, nods at Konrad and stands up. "Of course," she says. "I'm still planning to see you off tomorrow though. We can speak then if you prefer?"

"Well, that may change, and I know we have time to spare at the present moment."

"Well, alright." She tells her family she'll be right back and leads Konrad to the same spot she and Mihai were speaking a few minutes ago. This should give them some privacy. "Yes?"

He looks disappointed when she starts off with the question about what he has on his mind. Now he has to go straight to business. "In the time you've been back in Myr, have you heard anything about my relatives?"

All traces of levity and lightheartedness disappear from Nadzieja's face. After a moment of hesitation, she sighs and gravely nods. "Yes, I have. Szef Makara told the other Szefowie about your family. I... I'm sorry for what happened to them."

"What?" He looks away, lest she think him angry with her, blinking in frustration. "That..." son of a bitch. How dare he.


"The moment Ms. Zawistowski told us you three wanted to help with the werewolf, we immediately investigated your past. And since you were from Atak..." She lets him fill in the blanks.

"Yes, yes," he waves it off. "I knew I couldn't keep it to myself, but it's still personal." Then he remembers that they had done the same with her, and winces, shutting his eyes like that for a second, before he meets her gaze again. "Anyway, I appreciate it."

She nods at Konrad and waits for him to continue.

When he does, there's a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Anyway, you've heard of them, then. Are they still in Atak?"

"From what Makara said, they still are."

"Honestly, I had no idea where they'd be, I didn't know Miro was married when I heard the news. Regretfully, I hadn't kept up with my family since, well, many years ago. I only just got it into my head that I should reconnect with them. Unfortunately, I won't have an opportunity for the foreseeable future."

She listens attentively to Konrad with the same serious expression. "So you want to find them?"

"I do. You have it narrowed down quite a bit already." He massages his five o'clock shadow. "The more I think about it, if I can't meet them in person, I can at least write a letter, no? Would you be willing to locate them for me?"

"I can certainly try," she says. "It might take some time though."

"Between fulfilling your new duties and your ambitions for your new position, and helping us find our friends, I would prefer that you pragmatically make this the third most important item next to those priorities. When you manage to locate them, will you inform me in a letter?"

"Of course. But I'll need an address to mail it to."

"Well, hopefully we won't be staying in Luxus overlong. I'll write to you so that you know where I'll be."

"Then I'll get right on that tomorrow. It shouldn't take too long before we learn where they are." Nadzieja's mood, which was previously joyful and festive, is now somber and wistful.

He clears his throat. "On a lighter, and related note: have you signed any autographs yet?" The question rides on a subtle, playful undertone.

The young woman isn't cheered up in the least. Still in low spirit, she says, "Can't say I have yet."

"Hey." He kindly puts a hand on her shoulder.

She briefly looks at Konrad's hand before meeting his eyes. He can tell she's feeling some reluctance to begin touched.

Seeing her reaction sends a bolt of worry through him, but he soldiers on, determined to cheer her up somehow, and looks her in the eye. "This is a good thing, okay? I'm glad that you're willing to do this for me." He offers her a smile.

Nadzieja appears to be thinking about something else and has to refocus her attention on the conversation at hand. "Yes, I'm sorry. This is the least I could do after you've helped me these last few days."

She seems to have other things on her mind, and would probably like to end this conversation soon.

Konrad's gesture has completely backfired, and he takes his hand away. He would address what must be on her mind if not for the fact that it would ruin her ability to ease back into cheerfully engaging with her family. "No, I meant..." He stops, and switches gears. "Nevermind. There's one more thing I'd like to ask you."

"Yes?" She waits for him to continue.

He hesitates, and adds, "Actually, promise you won't get mad?"

She raises an eyebrow. "...It sounds like it'll make me mad even if I do."

He purses his lips. "I guess that's fair, but it's kind of a 'maybe' thing. When I write my letter for them, I'm also sending a gift for each of the kids--the dolls I bought outside the arena, to be specific." He rubs the back of his neck. "It would be a huge favor to me if you would sign the one of your likeness. It's for the girl."

"Oh..." She stares at Konrad, unsure of what to say. "Never done that before, but sure."

"I have it on me. Would you mind signing it here?"

"Not a problem." She waits for Konrad to give her the doll and a pen. She then signs with an abbreviation of her name: Nadzieja Z. "Here you go."

Konrad looks at the autograph and smiles. "Wonderful! It beats having to copy your handwriting," he jokes.

"Glad I could help." She then moves to return to the table, expecting Konrad to do the same.

Konrad follows her to say, "Sorry, she'll love it, Nadzieja, I'm sure she will. Thank you."

She nods and forces a smile. "You're welcome."

Once she's back at her seat, she's noticeably less cheerful than before and also more quiet. Whether or not she gets better during the rest of the evening isn't clear since the adventurers decide to leave soon after that.

After talking to Nadia, Konrad sits back down and gets out his small mirror and a piece of parchment and pen, keeping them all underneath the table, and starts to write a message on the paper with assistance from telekinesis, using the mirror as a hard surface. It's a backup message in case Nadia or circumstances don't allow him to say something that he wants to say before he leaves. When he's finished, he looks in the mirror for a bit, looking at his scarred face. It starts working him up, and he unconsciously starts pushing at the mirror itself with telekinesis, against his grip. He pushes harder, and harder...

Finally, it cracks. He snaps out of it as a few people look at him, wondering what he's doing. He looks around briefly, then clears his throat and puts the mirror in his empty sack. He continues to sit and listen to people talk as though nothing happened.

Once the party members are ready to leave, Nadzieja takes the time to say goodbye to each one of them. When it's Konrad's turn, he says "congratulations" and when he shakes her hand, he adds softly in Myrzen, "To nie był odpowiedni czas i nie brałem wskazówkę. Proszę wybacz mi."
("It wasn't the right time and I didn't take the hint. Please forgive me.")

She's caught off-guard by this and she can't think of anything to say in response to that before Amber and Fluffle come to say goodnight.

He gives her a curt nod, and looks her way after he moves onward.

A serving each of...
- A rich pork stew
- baked potatoes
- broccoli casserole

The remainders of...
- a once-whole strawberry pie
- a bottle of dessert wine