Roen was not sure why she came.
She had stewed, sitting alone at the airship landing bar, after Nero had unceremoniously dissolved their alliance. A part of her thought maybe this was for the best. Since the day they had first met, their course had been nothing but turbulent. Never had she felt such a swing of emotions--from annoyance, to relief, to rage, to empathy--and seemingly back again. The smuggler had a way of setting her nerves on edge, and Roen had to constantly remind herself to keep the end goal in focus. To serve the greater good.
Except now, Nero no longer thought her useful to his cause. Their difference in ideology had been too great. Her resistance to ‘make hard choices’ was more of a hinderance than he deemed worth the trouble.
The paladin had hoped that if she tugged the opposite way from his ruthlessness and willingness for violence, if she could anchor his ambitions just a little, that their course could stay out of the darker, more troubled waters. But in her efforts to try and make him understand her views, he had come to see her as nothing but a liability, and eagerly cut himself free.
But as Roen pondered on Nero’s possible future, the path he was headed down, she felt a sadness rise in her that robbed her breath. Her hope for him still remained deep down, that he choose the path of compassion and light, rather than descending into darkness. She wanted to see this through, for that reason as well. But it was clear he wanted nothing of her interference.
Roen had also believed that through him, she would find her own path. Not having returned to the Sultanate, she herself was wandering lost, searching for a new destination. She thought that helping the poor, reforming the Blades, and working against the corruption of the Monetarists, that that was her new path. And that she had found someone also walking that same path. And his fervent need to fix Ul’dah...it lit a fire in her as well, one that could not be extinguished now, alliance or no.
Roen refused to let herself become adrift again, wondering what path to take. Through his words and his eyes, she had become more intimate with the sufferings of the poor. It was not something she would ever be able to ever forget now. With or without him, she would continue on this path.
Perhaps that is why I came, she told herself as she regarded the smuggler’s cold demeanor. To just tell him that.
“Is there something you need, or am I free to carry on with my business?" Nero said coldly, his arms crossed in front of him.
His icy demeanor made her stumble over her words at first. "Yes. You are free to carry on. I was just here to--" she paused, drawing out an envelope from her satchel. She stepped forward and shoved it towards him. “Here. You wanted this.â€
Nero glanced at it curiously but did not take it. "The list, I assume? I am surprised you remembered."
"Do with it what you will." Roen held it out a moment longer, her eyes fixed on it. When he did not accept, she glanced at him. "Do you not want it?"
"No longer needed. The only reason I suggested a swapped forgery was to appease you. That's no longer a concern. Kejin Zinjin has some family in Costa del Sol. A direct application of force will make him turn. Although..." He flicked the envelope from her hand, shoving it into his belt. "This might come in handy later, so for what it's worth, thanks." His indifference did not waver. "Was that all?"
"No. That is not all." Roen narrowed her eyes, her voice growing steely. "You are not the only one that want this. But you shove whoever else away that does not fit into your plan. Fine. I was on this course before I met you. I will stay on it with or without your help."
Nero waved idly, glancing at the ship that began to depart the horizon. "I wish you luck, then. Say hello to Ser Crofte for me, if you see her."
Roen glanced to the waters to try and quell her frown. He did not care. Not one onz. Did she expect anything else? "My apologies if my ideals were so inconvenient to you.†She kept her voice even. “I will do what I can to get your first mate out of the gaols."
"They weren't as inconvenient to me as they seemed as inconvenient to yourself.†The smuggler shrugged it off. “And while I appreciate the thought, that will take far too long. Worry not about him. Daegsatz is no longer your burden." He returned his attention to the envelope, peeling it open and studying the sheet of parchment within.
Roen frowned, looking down at the wooden planks beneath her feet. Not one onz. She turned to leave, but something held her where she stood. She spun back around.
"What did you expect when you asked me for help?" Roen demanded.
The smuggler passed her an idle glance, his attentions seemingly elsewhere. "I was expecting you to understand. I wasn't expecting you to enjoy it or consider me a saint or any such nonsense, but I was expecting you to understand that what I was doing was absolutely necessary. I have thought through all of the alternatives, all of the less violent solutions, and none have seemed feasible."
"I have known you for only a few suns. How would I have known that?"
Nero did not seem interested in answering her. "You and I are locked on separate paths. Unfortunate, but it happens."
Roen sighed, her voice lowering. "I thought we knew we walked a different path, but in the same direction."
"Perhaps we do, but that never meant we were to walk together."
He may be right, Roen thought to herself. She was not even sure why she was arguing with him, only that she felt the need to with every fiber of her being. "This dream you have, is not an easy one. Nearly impossible one, alone.â€
Nero turned to her fully, his usual smirk emerging. "On the contrary, it is far easier than I initially projected. All it required was a different perspective."
"A different perspective." She echoed him, puzzled.
Nero sighed, rubbing his head. "You say we walk in the same direction. Without me, Roen, what is your plan? I wish to know." But before she could even drew a breath to respond, he raised a brow, that infuriating smirk still on his face. "Right, that's what I thought,†he said curtly, turning his attention back to the list.
Roen no longer knew what point she was trying to make. But her words kept coming. "I was investigating Taeros when I met you. I am going to resume that course."
"And? Did you have leads? Contacts? Resources? How were you going to coerce his associates? What would you do if--or rather, when--he disguised or destroyed the evidence and slipped through the fingers of the law?" Nero crossed his arms again. "Even if you did arrest Taeros, what then? Who will you pursue next? Why is he even important to the Monetarists? Now, if this was a quest for vengeance, I would understand, but you claim it to be something more noble than that, which means you are thinking of a larger scope."
Nero did not give her a chance to say even a word in response; he just kept going, his voice edged with disdain. "How will you eliminate the corrupt Brass Blades? How will you eliminate the bandit gangs? How will you redistribute the wealth of the Monetarists? How will you allow the Sultana and Raubahn to secure power?"
Roen stared at him in disbelief. "And you have a plan to do all that?"
Nero smiled. His look was one of absolute certainty, near arrogance in his ice-blue eyes.
"If I did not, I would not be here."
She had stewed, sitting alone at the airship landing bar, after Nero had unceremoniously dissolved their alliance. A part of her thought maybe this was for the best. Since the day they had first met, their course had been nothing but turbulent. Never had she felt such a swing of emotions--from annoyance, to relief, to rage, to empathy--and seemingly back again. The smuggler had a way of setting her nerves on edge, and Roen had to constantly remind herself to keep the end goal in focus. To serve the greater good.
Except now, Nero no longer thought her useful to his cause. Their difference in ideology had been too great. Her resistance to ‘make hard choices’ was more of a hinderance than he deemed worth the trouble.
The paladin had hoped that if she tugged the opposite way from his ruthlessness and willingness for violence, if she could anchor his ambitions just a little, that their course could stay out of the darker, more troubled waters. But in her efforts to try and make him understand her views, he had come to see her as nothing but a liability, and eagerly cut himself free.
But as Roen pondered on Nero’s possible future, the path he was headed down, she felt a sadness rise in her that robbed her breath. Her hope for him still remained deep down, that he choose the path of compassion and light, rather than descending into darkness. She wanted to see this through, for that reason as well. But it was clear he wanted nothing of her interference.
Roen had also believed that through him, she would find her own path. Not having returned to the Sultanate, she herself was wandering lost, searching for a new destination. She thought that helping the poor, reforming the Blades, and working against the corruption of the Monetarists, that that was her new path. And that she had found someone also walking that same path. And his fervent need to fix Ul’dah...it lit a fire in her as well, one that could not be extinguished now, alliance or no.
Roen refused to let herself become adrift again, wondering what path to take. Through his words and his eyes, she had become more intimate with the sufferings of the poor. It was not something she would ever be able to ever forget now. With or without him, she would continue on this path.
Perhaps that is why I came, she told herself as she regarded the smuggler’s cold demeanor. To just tell him that.
“Is there something you need, or am I free to carry on with my business?" Nero said coldly, his arms crossed in front of him.
His icy demeanor made her stumble over her words at first. "Yes. You are free to carry on. I was just here to--" she paused, drawing out an envelope from her satchel. She stepped forward and shoved it towards him. “Here. You wanted this.â€
Nero glanced at it curiously but did not take it. "The list, I assume? I am surprised you remembered."
"Do with it what you will." Roen held it out a moment longer, her eyes fixed on it. When he did not accept, she glanced at him. "Do you not want it?"
"No longer needed. The only reason I suggested a swapped forgery was to appease you. That's no longer a concern. Kejin Zinjin has some family in Costa del Sol. A direct application of force will make him turn. Although..." He flicked the envelope from her hand, shoving it into his belt. "This might come in handy later, so for what it's worth, thanks." His indifference did not waver. "Was that all?"
"No. That is not all." Roen narrowed her eyes, her voice growing steely. "You are not the only one that want this. But you shove whoever else away that does not fit into your plan. Fine. I was on this course before I met you. I will stay on it with or without your help."
Nero waved idly, glancing at the ship that began to depart the horizon. "I wish you luck, then. Say hello to Ser Crofte for me, if you see her."
Roen glanced to the waters to try and quell her frown. He did not care. Not one onz. Did she expect anything else? "My apologies if my ideals were so inconvenient to you.†She kept her voice even. “I will do what I can to get your first mate out of the gaols."
"They weren't as inconvenient to me as they seemed as inconvenient to yourself.†The smuggler shrugged it off. “And while I appreciate the thought, that will take far too long. Worry not about him. Daegsatz is no longer your burden." He returned his attention to the envelope, peeling it open and studying the sheet of parchment within.
Roen frowned, looking down at the wooden planks beneath her feet. Not one onz. She turned to leave, but something held her where she stood. She spun back around.
"What did you expect when you asked me for help?" Roen demanded.
The smuggler passed her an idle glance, his attentions seemingly elsewhere. "I was expecting you to understand. I wasn't expecting you to enjoy it or consider me a saint or any such nonsense, but I was expecting you to understand that what I was doing was absolutely necessary. I have thought through all of the alternatives, all of the less violent solutions, and none have seemed feasible."
"I have known you for only a few suns. How would I have known that?"
Nero did not seem interested in answering her. "You and I are locked on separate paths. Unfortunate, but it happens."
Roen sighed, her voice lowering. "I thought we knew we walked a different path, but in the same direction."
"Perhaps we do, but that never meant we were to walk together."
He may be right, Roen thought to herself. She was not even sure why she was arguing with him, only that she felt the need to with every fiber of her being. "This dream you have, is not an easy one. Nearly impossible one, alone.â€
Nero turned to her fully, his usual smirk emerging. "On the contrary, it is far easier than I initially projected. All it required was a different perspective."
"A different perspective." She echoed him, puzzled.
Nero sighed, rubbing his head. "You say we walk in the same direction. Without me, Roen, what is your plan? I wish to know." But before she could even drew a breath to respond, he raised a brow, that infuriating smirk still on his face. "Right, that's what I thought,†he said curtly, turning his attention back to the list.
Roen no longer knew what point she was trying to make. But her words kept coming. "I was investigating Taeros when I met you. I am going to resume that course."
"And? Did you have leads? Contacts? Resources? How were you going to coerce his associates? What would you do if--or rather, when--he disguised or destroyed the evidence and slipped through the fingers of the law?" Nero crossed his arms again. "Even if you did arrest Taeros, what then? Who will you pursue next? Why is he even important to the Monetarists? Now, if this was a quest for vengeance, I would understand, but you claim it to be something more noble than that, which means you are thinking of a larger scope."
Nero did not give her a chance to say even a word in response; he just kept going, his voice edged with disdain. "How will you eliminate the corrupt Brass Blades? How will you eliminate the bandit gangs? How will you redistribute the wealth of the Monetarists? How will you allow the Sultana and Raubahn to secure power?"
Roen stared at him in disbelief. "And you have a plan to do all that?"
Nero smiled. His look was one of absolute certainty, near arrogance in his ice-blue eyes.
"If I did not, I would not be here."
