Schezar blinked in surprise as the girl bowed low to him, faint color rising to his cheeks. "Clover, you don't have to--" He paused, glancing over again at Mr. Scruffington Woofpaws III. Rather unhelpfully, the puppy was busy chasing its own tail.
The highlander shook his head, before stepping close and offering his hand to the midlander lass, along with another friendly smile. "Those like me... we chose to fight of our own accord. Of our own free will." His fingers were rough and calloused from countless hours of martial arts. However, as Clover noted earlier, they were also gentle outside of the battlefield, in a place of peace like the temple garden.
Schezar gazed directly and evenly at her. "I'm not the only one. I have... associates, allies and friends similarly blessed by the crystal. We used to operate out of the desert, near Ul'dah... but we've been packing up shop and moving north of Thanalan, to Mor Dhona."
He didn't fully know the depths of the guilt she felt, but he could sense that the troubled girl had a lot on her mind. "We fight, so that free Eorzeans everywhere don't have to bow and live on their knees. Not to the Primals, not to the Garleans, not to anyone."
Schezar offered her another quiet, reassuring smile. "So stand tall. Continue living like your grandfather taught you - kindly, without bringing harm to others. That's something you can take pride in."
The highlander shook his head, before stepping close and offering his hand to the midlander lass, along with another friendly smile. "Those like me... we chose to fight of our own accord. Of our own free will." His fingers were rough and calloused from countless hours of martial arts. However, as Clover noted earlier, they were also gentle outside of the battlefield, in a place of peace like the temple garden.
Schezar gazed directly and evenly at her. "I'm not the only one. I have... associates, allies and friends similarly blessed by the crystal. We used to operate out of the desert, near Ul'dah... but we've been packing up shop and moving north of Thanalan, to Mor Dhona."
He didn't fully know the depths of the guilt she felt, but he could sense that the troubled girl had a lot on her mind. "We fight, so that free Eorzeans everywhere don't have to bow and live on their knees. Not to the Primals, not to the Garleans, not to anyone."
Schezar offered her another quiet, reassuring smile. "So stand tall. Continue living like your grandfather taught you - kindly, without bringing harm to others. That's something you can take pride in."
![[Image: Pi2KNMr.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/Pi2KNMr.jpg)
