003 Strike [Written/Action for Shepherds]

[curries]

[WRITTEN]
what does strength mean to you? and how does a person become stronger?

[ACTION]
[Asbel sits quietly on one of the crates abovedeck. It's not really clear if he's in some sort of "time out" or if he's here for his own reasons, but what's plain is he doesn't have any intention of moving. A few hours have passed, and he hasn't so much as gotten up to stretch or even gotten up to his usual antics. Instead, the eleven-year-old appears to be thinking hard about something.]

[He said he wanted to become a knight someday; he still does. But what does being a knight really mean? How can he serve a king and protect a whole country full of people when he can't even protect his friends or his own little brother from danger?]

Comments

voice;

[gokai_red]

It's not all about fighting, but that sure doesn't hurt.

You've gotta know where you stand, first of all. And if you know what's most important, that's a good place to start.

voice;

[curries]

So what else is it about besides just fighting? You make it sounds like there are other ways to protect people, too.

voice;

[gokai_red]

Fighting's important.

It's not the only way people can be hurt, is all.

voice;

[curries]

I suppose you have a point there. Words and stuff can hurt just as much as a punch can sometimes.

voice;

[gokai_red]

For some folks. For me, it doesn't matter what you say, I really don't give a crap.

But it's a bit more than that.

voice;

[curries]

[He usually doesn't give a crap what people say either, not that he won't try to prove himself well above their expectations. But coming from his only brother, it actually hurt. Maybe more than he expected it to.]

Still a bit more, huh?

voice;

[gokai_red]

Depends on the people. Depends on the situation. It might not make a whole lot of sense now, but you'll know the other ways people have to be protected when you see them.

Whether or not you can protect them depends on what sort of man you become.

voice;

[curries]

[So...different situations mean you need different types of protection. He won't be able to just try one way that'll work every time. He needs to figure out how to be prepared for anything!]

Putting it that way just makes it seem like I won't be able to protect anyone until I'm all grown up. I can't wait that long.

voice;

[gokai_red]

Nah, it's more a matter of what you experience.

voice;

[curries]

Meaning that I need to experience lots of different types of stuff, right?

[Some of the others have offered similar advice, so he's guessing it's an important step to manhood and becoming strong. Oh boy, better not hope it backfires.]