If Stupid Was a Crime
Log Info
- Title: If Stupid Was a Crime
- Emitter: Dolan
- Place: A10 - Temple of Daeus
- Summary: Dolan's recovering from yet another werewolf attack at the Temple of Daeus when he runs into Andelena on his way out. The two Dauesites chat as they walk back to Dolan's apartment, discussing the werewolves Dolan's had to deal with and the much more bizarre jobs Andelena has taken on lately. Finally, the pair agree: they need to get their guard schedule fixed so they're both on the same shifts. They can't stand to see each other getting hurt when the other half isn't there to do anything about it.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=<* A10: Temple of Daeus *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
The temple of the Sun Lord glitters golden beneath the same. Rather than walls, the majority of the temple is composed of what appears at first blush to be a raised round platform made of one of the largest slabs of marble likely in existence. Columns rise into the air as if to hold some massive ceiling, though instead of a normal ceiling, one finds the deep blue sky, studded by a disconcertingly close canopy of bright stars. One should not worry, however, as the rain never falls, and the wind never blows on this particular temple, but for a gentle breeze, whatever the weather outside may be.
Despite the austerity of the columns, warmth suffuses the grounds. A grand, marble statue of the Shining Knight stands a the center, a hand outstretched in benediction. Beside Him, the statue of Althea, their hands clasped in love. The central position of the temple to the others gives view to all of their children, and the two look upon one another with the solemnity of love that has been the center of so many tales and legends.
Masterfully designed mana lamps provide further soft, golden lightning where needed, their pedestals carved in the form of the Dragons of Light, over which Daeus is said to have dominion in His form of Draco Solis. Majesty, justice, and welcome suffuse the temple grounds. Around the central temple are a series of smaller buildings, each with a simple function and form. One houses the sacred book depicting some of the earliest known translations of the Laws of Light, which pilgrims from near and far come to visit. Another houses the well-appointed quarters of the Sunguards, and among all the ground bristle the Sunblades.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Dramatis Personae =--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Andelena 6'0" 180 Lb Human Female Redhead with steel-grey eyes and powerful build. Dolan 5'10" 174 Lb Human Male Brown-haired human with scars down his face. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
The temple of Daeus is quiet at this hour, with relatively few around. A good many of the clergy have retired for the night already, leaving those who stand guard and those who tend the place to their vigil. These few are all that is usually needed at this hour, and a peace and a hush has descended over the temple grounds.
Brydion still hasn't come back to the apartment they share, but he's not all that difficult to find. In fact, he appears to be preparing to leave, although notable for their absence is his armor. His left arm is in a sling, bulges beneath the loose linen shirt clearly suggesting bandages. The greatsword in its harness is across his back, although that is more likely for ease of transport than any intent to wield. He whistles a cheerful tune, his cloak pulled around his shoulders as he makes his way towards the exit.
And in that scary way that Andelena is capable of doing, she walks right out from behind a pillar to intercept Brydion. Her years of hunting down low-level crime and errant nobility are long past, but Andelena's always had a slight preference for the dramatic and sudden reveal.
Which she's done before, and is fully willing to do again. Her arms are crossed as she walks out, her chin a little high in the air as her steel-grey gaze fixes onto Brydion.
"Alright. Who am I killing?" Andelena asks, almost dead-pan.
GAME: Dolan rolls perception: (12)+7: 19
Dolan stops short, having caught the flash of movement just in time to avoid having Andie's sudden appearance scare him out of his skin. He still holds up his good hand, though, then lowers it immediately on recognizing the interloper. The crinkle and misshapenness of bandages covering his right forearm beneath the shirt sleeve are visible. "Should have known you'd come looking for me. I asked them to send a message, did they?" He flashes one of those cheeky grins that is nonetheless more than a little feral, the kind that says he was victorious. "Sorry, Andie, nobody to kill. They're all dead or fled, and the last one died hanging out a window by his trousers." He leans up, clearly looking to kiss her on the cheek if she will let him. "I was finally on my way back. They didn't get what they wanted, either." Yes, he sounds quite ferally pleased.
Andelena lets him give her the kiss--rarely does she ever deny his shows of affection--and she carefully wraps a muscular arm around him, not daring to break her man anymore than he already is, although the little growl she gives as he informs her that there is no one to kill certainly suggests she'd be firmer in that grip if she could. "Damn it, Bry--how come you keep getting the dangerous shit while I'm not there?" she asks.
Her eyes wander down to the bandages. "I'm redoing those when you get home. Wish I could offer you a homecooked meal or some shit, but you know I was never a 'homemaker'. Most I can do is to make sure you're all right."
Even the gentle hug is enough for a hiss to escape Brydion's teeth, although he tries his best to squelch it as quickly as possible. "I wish you'd been there, Andie," he says more seriously. "I've already eaten, never mind the food. Let's just go home." He at least gives her a wan smile that holds appreciation and affection both. "Maybe next time I take a job for the Temple of Eluna, you'll come with me," he goes on, turning his steps towards the door and back towards the tiny flat they share. e
"Yeah, I'm not letting you go alone on another mission for them," Andelena replies with a small huff. She lets go of him and opts instead for holding his good arm. "They'll have to pull me off of you like a dog gone feral first."
She looks at Brydion with a side-eye for a moment. "I mean, they'd have to anyway if we're not on duty, but--you get what I mean." A little smirk finds her face. She thinks she's so clever.
She walks with him, not minding the late hour. Gods know that they've walked plenty of streets together at the oddest of hours, and her copper-blonde hair takes on the moonlight in a different way from the light of Eluna's noble father, but there's still something to be said for the Sunguard at night. After some time, she sighs. "Seriously, though. I fucking hate when you get hurt and I'm not there to do a damn thing about it."
Dolan's answering chuckle says that he at least finds her amusing, and a note hides within his answer that says that he ddin't miss the implication. "You getting tied up in this werewolf stuff worries me, Andie. I don't want to see you get bitten, and no, I'm not going to turn into a werewolf, the temple checked already." His hand is just fine, and holding his good hand puts her on the side with the artificial eye anyway, and he seems more than content to hold her hand, if gently.
"I want you by my side, Andie, never doubt it," he goes on. He sounds uncertain of something, but not that. "But ... this is so crazy. We're doing some good, but - the cost is pretty bad. These motherfuckers are serious, and I wish I knew what they wanted."
"If you'd told me I'd be dealing with werewolves a year ago, I'd have laughed at you."
"Bry, if I told you anything about what we'd be dealing with now, you'd have gotten upset at me and asked if I'd been drinking in my cups. You know how they say, 'out of the frying pan, into the fire'? Well, we skipped the pan, and we went from fire to a fucking pyre." Andelena snorts. "Werewolves. Were-fucking-wolves. I never thought in my damn life we'd be dealing with those. Or demons. Or almost unending nightmares."
But the rant concludes as she looks down at him holding her hand. She sighs. "Honestly, though--I feel better about it all as long as you're here. I'd just feel better about it if I was dealing with it with you on the field. I don't give a shit about getting bitten--okay, I do, but I don't if it means protecting you in the process. We talked about this, Bry--no more running away, no more being separate. We do shit as a team. So I'm not leaving you alone."
She looks away for a moment. "Gods know that you probably felt all alone without me." It's a surprisingly tender statement.
"I wasn't alone. Not this time." Brydion walks along, still holding her hand, the green gem in its bronze and steel ring glinting in the light of the manalamps, a light that casts harsh shadows across the twisted parts of his face. "But ... I realized how much I want you there. Damn it, what do we have to do to get you a guard schedule that isn't the complete opposite of mine? Because damn it, Andie, I don't want to take this on alone. I'm just a farmer's kid. But ... when you're around I feel like I could take on anything and come out the other side. You and the Knight."
Andelena looks at Brydion. She doesn't ever stare much at just his green gem eye and his scarred face. All of him lives in the light, after all. "You graduated from being 'just a farm boy' years ago, Bry," she says with a smirk. "You're my man. Have been since the day you were a scrawny little thing and poured your damn heart out to me. Of course I want to protect you--I still look at you and I see him. No damage they do to you could change that."
She huffs a little. "You know what? I'll yell at whoever I need to. I'll get my schedule changed. We need to do this together. All of this. They don't know what they're missing out on by keeping us apart."
"And you're my woman. I wouldn't have it any other way." Brydion looks over and up at Andelena, turning his whole head to see her better. "Maybe I'll get to protect you a little in the process. And maybe together we can still raise a little hell, yeah?" Some of the cheeky grin returns, holding a note of a more mature and even bad-boyish challenge. "You get your schedule changed. I'm not doing anything rough for a few days. I've put in a request to the Dreamer's temple to talk to the child we rescued from those wolves, but that's it. There's more to that one than meets the eye. They wanted her, and they wanted her bad."
Andelena grins widely at him. "I've always liked raising hell with you. Remember how much trouble we used to get in when we were young? I don't regret sneaking off to go make out in the hay. Maybe that's why they never could get me to stop cussing."
She looks more thoughtful at the mention of the child. "You know how I feel about kids, Bry. Let me go with you to that one. Poor thing's probably seen some shit and I can talk to her the way she needs to be talked to. Gods know that they'll probably stick some asshat with a pole up his ass in there to talk to her if we don't."
"You cuss because you like tweaking the noses of people with poles up their ass, Andie, and you know it." Brydion leans his shoulder gently into hers as they approach the stairs that lead to their own door, such that it is. "I'll tell you, though, she might have the body of a child, but that's an old soul in there. Come with me and you'll see what I mean." He gestures her to precede him up the stairs.
Andelena's nose wrinkles at the description, taking the stairs as he directed in the meantime. "So you mean she's like... I dunno, some sort of weird holy incarnation? Blessed by one of the gods? I mean, you hear about things like that, but... Hell, I guess anything's on the table. There's werewolves and shit."
She goes to unlock the door to Brydion's apartment before he can. "Part of me just wants to say, 'Fuck it, forget about it all for the night and just pretend the world's a sane place,' and part of me wants to keep badgering you with questions. Honestly--leaning towards the first one. Preferably with a drink."
"I'll not say no to a drink or three, especially if you've got something good. They knocked me out last night, and it didn't even taste good." The plaintive note in Brydion's tone is meant to be mildly amusing. "Tell you what, I'll tell you more in the morning. Let's just say fuck it and have a drink like the world makes sense or something." He doesn't object to her opening the door, and releases her hand to let her do so.
Once inside, he releases the harness that holds his sword over his back, but sets it down gently without unsheathing it, leaning it up against the wall to put it away where he belongs without the use of the left arm. He sets it aside. His armor is notable for its absence, but given the injuries, chances are good the armor wants repairs. "What did you do with your last two days?"
Andelena's already in the middle of casting off her armor as soon as she can when Brydion asks the question. The white cloak gets gently draped over all of it. The Sunguard may not act in a manner 'befitting' of a holy woman, but she still treats the symbols of her station with reverence.
"Weird shit. And I fucking mean weird," Andelena says with a sigh. "Guess the chicken fucker incident wasn't the last. I'm dealing with people driven to do crazy things by lack of sleep. Had to explain to a guy today that no, you can't just take off your breeches and show your pork and beans to the world because you want to feel the breeze tickle your taint in the middle of the markets."
Brydion listens with interest, looking up at her occasionally even as he sits down and unlaces his boots with his good hand and uses the heel of each boot to coax the other one off. These get thrown casually into the corner where he keeps his own gear, followed by the cloak and then hose. "Great and holy gods, how do you end up dealing with stuff like that? Have the guards him in jail for a night and let him think about that. I'm tired too, but there's only one person I show that to." His answering grin crinkles his eyes.
Andelena stands only in the protective undergarments she wears underneath her armor--for only a moment. Then she just pulls it off and helps herself to some of Brydion's comfortable clothes. She doesn't even bother asking anymore, and honestly, she looks pretty good in some of his tunics.
"Honestly, makes me have a greater appreciation for Tarienites," Andelena replies. "I just kind of have to bottle in all of my exasperation for later. Although I sure let the chicken fucker know what I thought of the whole situation while I was there. Bastard was so fucking drunk. And so fucking smelly!"
She shakes her head as she tosses herself onto a couch. "But I keep telling myself--the Knight doesn't give us this shit because He hates us. We're here because He trusts us to do the right thing. To help people. Even if they're drunk and are buck-naked as the day they were made, writhing on the ground and covered in bacon grease."
He certainly doesn't mind, and watching her change is certainly something Brydion will never object to. He settles down in an overstuffed chair, much more gently, his human eye - and probably the artificial one, too - watching her every move. "Exactly. I tell myself the same thing with this werewolf shit. Someone's got to do it, and I wouldn't be here if the Knight wasn't looking for me to do something about it. So I'll do what I can, yeah? Sometimes I think you've got it worse, with the weird and smelly drunks. Did you toss him in a river or something? Sober him up at least."
"Just tossed him to his employer at the farm and told him it was his problem. I wasn't exactly going to bring his greasy ass to a cell to clap his wrists with iron. Only crime he'd really committed was an atrocity to my nose." Andelena still looks a little green at the mention of it. "Really, you can't get mad at the drunks. Most of them aren't doing harmful crimes to people. They're just being idiots at best and somewhat dangerous inconveniences to people at most. Booze turns some people into monsters and knuckle-dragging idiots, it's true, but most people? Just get them someplace safe to sober up if they've had too much and out of the public's hair."
Andelena just sprawls across the couch like she owns it and it's not Brydion's furniture. Typical. She closes her eyes. "Compassion's part of the thing, you know? Just trying my hardest for all the people. Who else will if I won't?"
Brydion shakes his head, marveling at Andelena as she speaks. "If stupid was a crime, we'd all be in jail," he agrees after a bit of consideration. "Bless you for doing what you can for them. I don't know that I'd have the patience."
"That's why I'm supposed to be with you, and that's why the shift captain's getting an earful all about it later." Andelena sits up from her spot on the couch and looks over at Brydion. She smiles a little at him.
"...Normally, I'd say something about you having an awful lot of patience for me in bed, but you got all fucked up. Let's go cuddle under the covers." Andelena's little smile blossoms into a warm grin. "Promise I won't squeeze."
Brydion's grin answers hers, filled to the brim with warm affection. "It's not patience when I'm loving every minute of it." Carefully, gently, he gets up from where he;d just sat down, and offers his good hand to pull her to her feet. "I'll hold you to that. The arm's fine, the shoulder hurts like seven kinds of hell."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you keep off that shoulder when I spoon you," Andelena replies with a snicker as she takes his hand.
The two Daeusites go off to bed for comfort and for sleep--although how long it takes them to actually sleep is anyone's guess. Only the Redeemer and the Sunguard know the truth.