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]

[curries]

So, uh, how exactly do you do that?

Force yourself past your limits, I mean. Isn't that why they're called "limits"?

[Voice]

[yourotherleft]

Limits are blocks you put before yourself. Your own mind and body can lie to you, you can make yourself think you can't do any more, but it's not true. You can always go one more step.

[Voice]

[curries]

Then the only person stopping me, is me?

[Asbel thinks on this for a second.]

Does that mean I should keep practicing, even when it feels like my arms are gonna fall right off? And eat another plate of curry at dinner, even when I'm full already?

[Voice]

[yourotherleft]

Now you're gettin' it.

If you want to be the world's strongest, you keep getting up and moving forward. It's not easy, but if it were easy, then everybody would be strong.

[Voice]

[curries]

So you keep pushing yourself a little more and a little more in everything you do. Yeah, okay, I think I can do that!

[Asbel stares down at his hand, clenching it into a fist.]

But, I dunno if I have to be the strongest in the entire world. I just want... No, I need to be strong enough to protect my friends, no matter what happens.

[Voice]

[yourotherleft]

That's a good reason. Sounds like you're the right kind of guy to do it.

[welcome to being a shounen hero, kid!]

[Voice]

[curries]

Yeah... And if I'm not now, I'll just have to push past my limits until I am for sure.

[Whether he is or isn't, he'll become that kind of guy. He won't let his friends or his little brother be hurt ever again.]

Thanks, mister. I think you've helped me figure out a few things.

[Voice]

[yourotherleft]

No sweat, kid.

[best (worst?) mentor ever]