...Just how little did she eat? [Mikasa's pale, pupils shrinking as she thinks. Swallowing. Because Leslie was a lot smaller than Mikasa was at that age. And Mikasa had only gotten bread every few days for years. And she'd still been larger.]
...She looked too well dressed to be unable to eat.
[Because that and the food shortages had always been why Mikasa and the others had gone without.]
I'm not sure. But she wasn't healthy when she arrived.
[Back in the dream...well, she had clothes but, that seemed more a matter of keeping up appearances for her "parents" than actually caring for her well being.]
Either way, I've seen to her food, and to her clothing. The poor dear deserves that much.
[Mikasa just glanced down, frowning, unsure what to make of it. Because why? If they could afford clothing like what she'd had, but didn't feed her... It didn't make sense.]
That's...good. And she does... [The words are slow hesitant. More careful, with a lot more thought that she'd normally put into it, because words are hard, but this is important.]
...Could you tell me more about that? I was told they only went for monsters, the parts...
[She'd heard the large stuff, seen the trail but.. All the mirrorbound she'd spoken to about it had been directly affected. They'd not wanted to talk about it.]
A group of people kidnapped a couple of dozen mirrorbound. They set fires and grabbed people in the confusion. Many of them were tortured. It was...barbaric. I saw firsthand just how brutal the locals can be.
All of the conspirators were hanged shortly after they were discovered and a raid was conducted.
I'm used to not being unarmed. Though I'm not sure how much use I'll be, magic is still difficult for me to understand. [So many little things and types.] I've also had problems with not being able to use my normal blades. The metal... [She huffs. That was in a pack in her room. She'd been told she might be able to get it coated in another metal, one that didn't burn, but that would cost a lot more than she had.]
[Edelgard asks. She understands, she's dealt with fae and werewolves both.]
I can help you get duplicates made out of silver that should be fine. That's no trouble. I've been working with a blacksmith locally, and he's been more than accommodating.
[Silver has the added benefit of cutting werewolves hard.]
You mistake me. I'm happy to front that cost, as it's not beyond my means in the slightest.
[Edelgard settles herself, looking Mikasa right in the eye.]
I run a trading company, here. I sell alcohol imported from Dorchacht, and make more money than I need. Outfitting Mirrorbound to defend themselves is something that I do. Be it arms and armor, or information.
...And? [The look was returned with narrowed black eyes. Suspicious.] Why? [Because even if a few people had offered, she wasn't used to that level of generosity. It was way too much that there was no way it wouldn't bite her in the ass later.]
[Mikasa hesitates, thinking of how to respond to that. Because, it was still strange to her. But she doesn't outright reject it, not like she had when people first offered. Instead it got a noise, that might of been a short half-chuckle.]
People here sure are generous...You do know that because of what I am, I'm not able to do much in Wilde because of the risks? [The harsher checks fae and dragons got, and how it was easier to get infected. That Edelgard's investment might not payoff.]
You don't have to operate in the Wilde to have value. What if there is another attack? What if Dorchacht dissidents begin starting a riot to stoke anti-Mirrorbound sentiment? Maybe it's not as likely as it was a few months ago, but I still think having Mirrorbound able to defend themselves would be wise.
{It may not pay off. It could save a life simply by having a weapon for show to act as a deterrent. It could also save many, many lives, if it's need to be. Edelgard isn't a gambler, but she'd bet money that a weapon would be better than none at all.]
I have a sword, it's just... [Not a great one. One more suited for defending again a simple animal than anything magical or infected. But she couldn't argue against the onslaught of reasons.
Okay then.] I'm used to being a scout. One sent in first. [The girl as good as a hundred soldiers. Supposedly, a dumb title like Levi's one of humanities' greatest. But she was used to being up front. ]
[Scouts she understands. She's not one, she can't be one, could never be one. But...]
I understand the value of scouts. I lead the vanguard of my own army. The head of the Imperial shock troops is also the emperor. But...sometimes we all do things that are different in war. And this is just a war of a different sort, in a way.
Your situation and my own means we'll be sitting back, but the home guard is important too.
I suppose. It's been changing recently. But where I was from there was three units, scouts for...scouting, [words hard] the garrison for defense and making sure the civilians are well and able to evacuate and the military police. [If Edelgard thought about that she might notice, that the police was slightly redundant given the garrison's role.]
[She thinks for a moment.] There's the council that some people joined a while back after the Rathmore stuff. They might know something. And the Bracer guild... [It was worth asking the next time she had a chance. Not that she was volunteering for anything important. Mikasa would much prefer taking orders, thanks.
But speaking of being on guard.]
Have you been teaching Leslie to defend herself if she needs to? [Mikasa hadn't tried actually teaching. But there'd been the awkward encouragement to keep going when she was tired. But she'd been told she had too much energy to really train anyone.]
The guild I don't know. However, I am on that council, actually. It's something to think about, though I doubt that Parliament would like a militarized organization in the city.
[She was one of the first.
But, Mikasa brings up something more immediate.]
And I have not. I fight with...[She points towards a weapon mounted over the fireplace. An enormous battle-axe.] A weapon larger than her.
My companion, Hubert, however...has been teaching her subtle arts of self defense.
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unyieldingmarch) wrote2015-09-30 10:14 pm
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[Basically, Edelgard is fattening her up.]
She should be larger, at her age. She's twelve, and looks like she's perhaps eight.
Just talking bout Leslie behind her back ;-;
...She looked too well dressed to be unable to eat.
[Because that and the food shortages had always been why Mikasa and the others had gone without.]
womp womp
[Back in the dream...well, she had clothes but, that seemed more a matter of keeping up appearances for her "parents" than actually caring for her well being.]
Either way, I've seen to her food, and to her clothing. The poor dear deserves that much.
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That's...good. And she does... [The words are slow hesitant. More careful, with a lot more thought that she'd normally put into it, because words are hard, but this is important.]
Is there anything else? [She help?]
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[Edelgard considers...]
Keep an eye on her during the day? I obviously can't go out in sunlight. If you'd be willing...
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I can do that. I'm more active at night, but I can stay up for a long time...
[Enough to be able to wait out Leslie. Even if she takes her into the wilde on a school trip.]
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[Edelgard knows that if that incident repeats, and Leslie was involved, she would murder the kidnappers.]
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[She'd heard the large stuff, seen the trail but.. All the mirrorbound she'd spoken to about it had been directly affected. They'd not wanted to talk about it.]
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All of the conspirators were hanged shortly after they were discovered and a raid was conducted.
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That doesn't mean they found all of them. Some followers stay silent when they've not got the advantage...
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[She has all sorts of nasty tools in her pockets.]
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I'm used to not being unarmed. Though I'm not sure how much use I'll be, magic is still difficult for me to understand. [So many little things and types.] I've also had problems with not being able to use my normal blades. The metal... [She huffs. That was in a pack in her room. She'd been told she might be able to get it coated in another metal, one that didn't burn, but that would cost a lot more than she had.]
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[Edelgard asks. She understands, she's dealt with fae and werewolves both.]
I can help you get duplicates made out of silver that should be fine. That's no trouble. I've been working with a blacksmith locally, and he's been more than accommodating.
[Silver has the added benefit of cutting werewolves hard.]
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Unless this place is a lot different that where I'm from, that'd be beyond my means. I was thinking of enchantments as well. [Because the cywd.]
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[Edelgard settles herself, looking Mikasa right in the eye.]
I run a trading company, here. I sell alcohol imported from Dorchacht, and make more money than I need. Outfitting Mirrorbound to defend themselves is something that I do. Be it arms and armor, or information.
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[Edelgard shrugs, ambivalent about Mikasa's suspicion.]
Use it, do something productive. It's more important that Mirrorbound can fight and defend themselves than I have extra funds in a bank.
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People here sure are generous...You do know that because of what I am, I'm not able to do much in Wilde because of the risks? [The harsher checks fae and dragons got, and how it was easier to get infected. That Edelgard's investment might not payoff.]
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{It may not pay off. It could save a life simply by having a weapon for show to act as a deterrent. It could also save many, many lives, if it's need to be. Edelgard isn't a gambler, but she'd bet money that a weapon would be better than none at all.]
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Okay then.] I'm used to being a scout. One sent in first. [The girl as good as a hundred soldiers. Supposedly, a dumb title like Levi's one of humanities' greatest. But she was used to being up front. ]
...It'd be nice to stay in one place for awhile.
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I understand the value of scouts. I lead the vanguard of my own army. The head of the Imperial shock troops is also the emperor. But...sometimes we all do things that are different in war. And this is just a war of a different sort, in a way.
Your situation and my own means we'll be sitting back, but the home guard is important too.
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Is there a group or is just be ready?
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Just be ready. Though now that you say something, perhaps some sort of Mirrorbound response unit wouldn't be amiss. A topic for discussion at least.
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But speaking of being on guard.]
Have you been teaching Leslie to defend herself if she needs to? [Mikasa hadn't tried actually teaching. But there'd been the awkward encouragement to keep going when she was tired. But she'd been told she had too much energy to really train anyone.]
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[She was one of the first.
But, Mikasa brings up something more immediate.]
And I have not. I fight with...[She points towards a weapon mounted over the fireplace. An enormous battle-axe.] A weapon larger than her.
My companion, Hubert, however...has been teaching her subtle arts of self defense.
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