Mentiens: Frankly, if he starts harassing this other party, I don't care as long as he isn't caught.
Dirk: I-I'll never be as good as my brother D:
Mentiens: And?
Dirk: Well, you heard them... I'm just "deadweight."
Echo: I do not know your brother and as such cannot make a judgment of that sort
Echo: You do not appear to be "bad", though.
Mentiens: ... you're a better shot with a bow than I am. Does that make me "deadweight"?
Dirk: But-but my brother...
Dirk: He's famous!
Mentiens: He's your brother.
Mentiens: Leave it at that.
Dirk: You guys are so... level-headed.
Echo: Are heads normally askew?
Echo: Is this an attribute of your people?
Dirk: ...Huh?
Mentiens: ... don't ask.
Dirk: Well my father always said I wasn't right in the head...
Dirk: Is that what you mean?
Echo: You said that we had level heads, as though that was abnormal.
Dirk: Oh - it's just something you say, you know?
Echo: Okay.
Echo: What does it mean?
Dirk: Uh, that you're... level-headed
Norton: I surmise that this discussion has become rather circulative and pointless
Mentiens: Expression. Means that somebody thinks clearly, remains calm, etc.
Norton: As circles tend not to have points in them.
Echo: Oh.
Echo: That is odd. I shall store this information for further reference.
Mentiens: So is a walking and talking suit of armor, a lady with some rather serious parental issues, and a fox man having a chat after killing the local minotaur boss. Just don't think too hard about it.
Dirk: Wait - Echo, you said you haven't heard of my brother??
Mentiens: Who?
Echo: That is correct.
Dirk: How can you not have heard of Edric Ashton?
Dirk: He's famous - the shepherd knight!
Mentiens: Only been around here for a year or two, really.
Echo: There are many ways, actually.
Dirk: Saved the king's life in the middle of a battle
Echo: The King? What King.
Norton: His name is Stris. Stris Bodtaw. I knew the man well.
Echo: Stris is a King?
Mentiens: ... yes.
Echo: I did not know that! That is good for him. It is a very affluent position.
Mentiens: ... *facepalm*
Echo: I would not recommend hitting yourself in the face, Mentiens. It might injure you.
Norton: He enjoys hurting himself sometimes.
Echo: Why would he do that?
Norton: It's in his nature.
Echo: But he heals things? Why would he hurt himself?
Mentiens: ... Norton, I realize this is slightly amusing, but please don't try to push it.
Norton: Dear Mentiens, why else would you slap yourself in the face?
Echo: Else?
Norton: But of course, Echo, I'm only demonstrating another living creature tendency.
Echo: You are not speaking clearly. Mentiens is not a human.
Norton: Jokes.
Dirk: Norton, why are you trying to confuse everyone?
Echo: I have heard of "Jokes". Are you making Jokes at this moment?
Mentiens: *sigh* Am I going to need to provide explanations for every nonverbal gesture I make, or are you going to shut up?
(Echo starts making a strange grating noise that may or may not be an attempt at laughter)
Echo: JOKES!
Norton: What
Norton: Just
Norton: Happened
Echo: You made Jokes.
Mentiens: My ears!
(Dirk grabs Echo by the shoulder)
Dirk: Are you ok? That sounds like it hurts!
Echo: No! I am reacting to Jokes!
Mentiens: .... *covers ears*
Dirk: ...I'm so confused
Mentiens: Okay then.
Dirk: My brother was always the smarter one
Dirk: ...and the stronger one
Dirk: ...and the BETTER one
Norton: Why do you put yourself down so much? You certainly have talents.
Echo: By what observations did you make this judgement?
Dirk: Because at the Battle of Elfhame my brother Edric saved the King's life, and now he's a knight and I'm a stupid bastard nobody!! That's
why.
Mentiens: So?
Echo: It is possible that you have drawn flawed conclusions?
Norton: Fame is not necessarily a good thing. Those who have fame often wish to lose it. Do not busy about your life gathering regard. It is not a good way to live.
Dirk: My father says that knighthood is the best measure of a person's good character, and that by birth my character is poor
Echo: How does that work?
Mentiens: Half of the people here are the result of outsiders getting a little too friendly with humans. Frankly, if blood mattered, we'd be in deep trouble.
Echo: ...I have no blood.
Mentiens: Oh, and a robot over there, too.
Dirk: ...I'm sorry. I don't usually complain like this. I really am a happy person. It's just -- sometimes it's hard.
Echo: There there. (pat on head with flat of sword hand)
Mentiens: .... please, no stabbing him.
Echo: I was not stabbing. I was making him stop leaking.
Mentiens: *yawn*
Mentiens: ... no, I am not explaining that, Echo.
Echo: It is a sign that you require sleeping, am I correct?
Mentiens: Ah. Sort of. Close enough.
Echo: Hooray!
Norton: With Mentiens it can mean a number of things.
Echo: Like what?
Mentiens: No, it doesn't.
Norton: Most notably, however, that he is utilizing the sarcasm parameter.
Echo: What is that?
Norton: When everything he says is backwards.
Mentiens: Something which is not currently correct.
Echo: But you do not sound as though you are speaking backwards. I am hearing Common.
Mentiens: Don't ask me; Norton isn't all that bright sometimes.
Norton: No, but the implied meaning is inverted from what is stated
Dirk: Norton, I don't think anyone is talking backwards.
Mentiens: Norton, this isn't funny anymore.
Norton: No, I was merely mentioning that Mentiens has a penchant for sarcasm.
Echo: Oh! Jokes! (metal grating)
Mentiens: *covers ears*
Dirk: Jokes? No, I don't hear any jokes. Echo, I think you have something wrong with your throat. You should get it fixed.
Echo: I will check that, thank you.
Mentiens: ... In case you're wondering, we're like this all the time.
Dirk: You're certainly not what I expected Famous Heroes to be like.
Norton: Famous heroes are just like normal folk when it comes down to it
Echo: Are you implying that we are Famous Heroes?
Dirk: Of course you are! And you're not like normal folk at all
Mentiens: ... we are?
Dirk: Yeah, I've heard all about you.
Echo: From whom?
Dirk: You know -- around!
Mentiens: ... um.
Mentiens: I think the bards must have left some parts out.
Mentiens: And stretched the truth. And just made stuff up a lot.
Dirk: Yeah, they never mentioned... some of the.... unique. Aspects of you.
Dirk: But you're still sicknasty!
Echo: "Sicknasty"? That does not sound good.
Mentiens: Don't worry. This will seem normal soon enough.
Norton: I won't even attempt to explain that one
Echo: But...
Mentiens: Please.
Echo: Okay.
Dirk: Uh... it's a... joke?
Echo: I apologise.
Echo: JOKES!
Mentiens: *covers ears*
Echo: Are you all to sleep now?
Mentiens: Yeaaah, that would probably be a good idea. Anybody need a quick shower?
Mentiens: No?
Mentiens: I'll take that as a no, then. If you excuse me, I think I still have some mud in my hair from earlier.
Norton: I think at this point we should do our best to locate Grapsh'gor
Echo: I thought we were locating the Library? That is a more immediate concern.
Norton: Presumably after that
Echo: Ah.
Echo: That might be within our interests.
Norton: You see, Echo, living creatures often have a sense of necessity for justice and vengeance. With the death of Imsh, there are many who would call for a group such as ourselves to eliminate Grapsh'gor
Echo: I understand that. That is not a trait unique to living creatures. I believe it is an attribute of sentience? And certain types of personality.
Mentiens: (ehehehe)
Dirk: Wait... you used to have another person in your group? What happened?
Norton: (Silence)
Echo: He was slain.
Norton: Imsh... was the mightiest warrior I have ever known
Dirk: Wow! He must have been incredible!
Norton: My advice is... guard your tongue when talking about Imsh. Emotions run hot, especially when friendship and death are intertwined.
It's been quite an experience, working with these people. A bit frightening, actually; they all seem to be completely off-centered sometimes. The Warforged keeps making these comments. Half the time, I think it's malevolent; the other half, just clueless. The paladin seems just a little bit too happy sometimes, if you ask me. It's that breathy voice, makes me think she's hiding something. Norton... he zones out half the time, and when he's in battle... he just shows too much joy at inflicting pain. Stris is - well, was - the last one with his head screwed on straight, right up until Imsh died.
Oh, right, did I mention that? Well, Imsh always had no concept of protection (heh); he might as well have been wearing parchment, for all the good his armor did him. When it came to fighting, he was all rage, no rational thought. I suppose it was inevitable that the first time he got cut off from magical assistance, he would die. Didn't make watching Stris fall to pieces any easier, though.
Still, I've learned so much from fighting with these people, and watching them fight. And this is pretty much the last place people would expect the old me to be, the one who only ever harmed men with words. "Words are wind" is usually not meant literally, after all.
I think I'll stick around, maybe even find a new country here. Absolutely perfect, for my purposes. Time to wrap up, anyway; take a quick look around, get out of sight before Norton realizes we didn't give any of the loot to him.
