{{Okay, this is set a few months after the last chapter. Dirandau and Folken have been working together on these studies a lot, and although he's not doing very well with them, he's doing alright. [It's not because he's not smart. It's because he's very bored with them.]}}
PART THREE
Folken: "Stop laughing. It's not that funny."
Oh, but it was! Dirandau couldn't even stop giggling long enough to make some snitty comment.
Folken: "I told you to stop laughing."
Cripes, what a foolish order to give someone like Dirandau!
And, what had befallen our dear Folken?
He had decided to give Dirandau a chemistry lesson. Dirandau had always held the belief that chemistry was boring, from the first lesson book that he had glanced through.
Folken decided it would be better to start at one of the more exciting lessons, to try and get him interested.
And, all little boys love to see explosions, right?
Dirandau hadn't ever done much with fire before. It was just something that was used in lamps, so that people didn't fall over things while they were trying to walk around the Vione. He didn't think it could possibly serve any purpose.
And then….eheheheh…
Folken was showing him how one could mix chemicals to get different coloured flames. Not exactly exciting…more like mildly amusing.
A rat had crawled across the floor, and Dirandau had turned to pay attention to it. This angered Folken, who was really starting to despise the fact that the sorcerers hadn't bothered to give Dirandau the capacity for patience.
"Oh, he doesn't need it. And, we're not giving him anything he doesn't need."
Those fools….
They had made him perfect for being in a war, but they didn't give a damn about how hard he would be to deal with when he wasn't fighting.
Folken didn't pay attention to what he was doing. He turned to whack Dirandau upside the head, and his cloak brushed against one of the burners.
It's amazing how flammable those things are.
The instant he saw Strategos all ablaze, Dirandau was hooked. Those flames…Words to describe their beauty eluded him.
Well….all words but one….
Moero!!!
And now they were walking down a hallway, to get an extra set of clothes for Folken. Half of the outfit he was wearing had been completely charred, along with most of his hair. He was quite a sight to see. Half-naked, with those big beautiful black wings, being followed by that insane, giggling little boy.
Dirandau calmed his laughing a little when they reached Folken's quarters.
Dirandau: "Oh, fuck off, Strategos….it wasn't that bad."
Folken: "…….."
That was another thing Folken intended to fix. He didn't know who was responsible, but Dirandau had such a vulgar dialect. If he were ever to represent Zaibach in any way, that kind of language wouldn't go over well with other countries.
His closet was out of order. It took him a moment to find all the pieces of his uniform.
As usual, Dirandau got bored waiting. And, there was a question annoying him.
Dirandau: "Why do you have those things?"
Folken: "What 'things'?"
Dirandau didn't know what they were called. He'd never seen anything like them.
Dirandau: "Those…black…things…on your back. What are they?"
Folken: "My wings? Well…they're for flying."
Dirandau: "Flying?"
Poor Dirandau. There was so much he hadn't learned yet.
And, they hadn't allowed him to step outside the ship. Ever. It had been deemed unnecessary for him to see the outside world yet. Not until he had to go out and fight in it. But…it left him so incomplete.
What goes on in the mind of one who has lived their whole life inside a cage?
To one who sees steel and concrete, instead of grass and trees?
He didn't even know what the clouds looked like.
And, because he hadn't ever seen it, he couldn't care about it. He couldn't think about those beautiful things when he was alone by himself. He had nothing to think about when he was alone, except steel.
Steel…..that's what a sword was made of. It shined, and made sparks when struck against other steel. And it sliced so wonderfully into other people. It got rid of problems for him. It was one of his best friends.
Folken: "Yes…flying. Soaring through the air."
Dirandau still didn't understand.
Folken: "Never mind. You'll understand it some day."
He wished that he could just show Dirandau now. But, he could never show anyone. A lesson he had learned well from his mother, Varie.
Still…he wanted to fly…
To feel wind on his face, to fly around, as if there weren't anything to care about. He could go with his brother. He remembered with a smile those times he and his brother would sneak off into the mountains, and take off.
To go where the hawks fly, and have the choice of never coming back down again. That was something he could never do again.
Why did people have to hate those wings? Wings are wondrous things, that allow people to touch the skies…to feel what it is like to be a part of the wind.
It felt like death sometimes, this desire to fly. It was like a part of himself was drowning.
He slowly covered his wings up. He remembered how he used to hate doing that.
"Mother…why do I have to do this?"
"Because, dear…they want to kill you."
It was a terribly blatant thing to say, but then Varie hadn't quite been feeling herself that day. Someone had made an attempt on her life that day, because she was draconian. Many were angry, because now the royal bloodline was impure. Gaou couldn't have done worse if he had married a beast-girl.
There was such hatred he endured that he would never care to see again.
The family had all tried to protect his brother, Van, from it. But, to no avail.
Those with wings to fly can not hide it, and it becomes like a curse when in the midst of fools who do not see what a gift flight is.
:: "Cursed are those that have wings to fly, and never are allowed to use them." ::
Dirandau: "What are we doing today?"
He smiled hopefully.
Dirandau: "Are we going to study more of that chemistry…stuff?"
Folken shook his head 'no'.
Folken: "We're never studying chemistry again."
Dirandau didn't exactly need to study it…and, well…Folken didn't want to risk anything like that happening again.
Dirandau: "But….but I like it!"
Folken: "I'm sorry."
Dirandau folded his arms, and stamped his foot.
Dirandau: "Well, I'm not studying anything else with you, either. So there!"
Folken smirked.
Folken: "Oh, we're not studying anymore today."
Dirandau: "What?!"
Folken: "You've caught up on just about everything. So, today you get to do something else…"
That wasn't exactly true. He hadn't finished catching up on everything, but the sorcerers were impatient. They wanted to know how he would fare in dealing with people now. They had tired of seeing how far his mind would go in areas of study. It was time for a different experiment.
Dirandau was quite happy. Anything was better than studying!
Dirandau: "Lovely! I'm going to go and practice this new technique I read about-"
Folken: "I didn't mean that you get to have the day free for yourself…just that we're doing something other than studying."
Dirandau rolled his eyes.
Dirandau: "We're not taking care of paperwork again, are we?"
Folken: "No. You're going to meet some people."
Dirandau raised an eyebrow at him.
Meet people? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Folken: "You haven't met any of the other soldiers, and I think it's about time you did."
Dirandau: "Why?"
Folken: "Because, if you are ever to be in charge of them some day, you'll have to get to know them."
Dirandau: "Why?"
Folken: "Because a good leader has to know his troops."
Dirandau: "Why?"
Folken: "Because that's the only way to be effective with people when working together."
Dirandau: "Why?"
Folken: "Because…it's just good policy. And, don't ask me why again."
Dirandau: "Why….not?"
Folken stared at him, eyes flat. Dirandau smirked. He just loved annoying people. And he was so good at it, too.
Folken: "That's enough. I think it's about the time when they all start their training. You'll probably want to see how well they fight."
He could see that Dirandau was going to ask that annoying question again, and so he beat him to it with the answer.
Folken: "Because, you'll be choosing the men who will be under your command, and you'll want to be sure and find the best."
Dirandau blinked.
Dirandau: "It doesn't matter which ones I choose."
He sounded quite surprised that Folken hadn't realized this.
Folken: "Oh? And why is that?"
Dirandau: "They're Zaibach soldiers. Any soldiers I get will be excellent, because they are in this army."
Folken: "Dirandau, if you follow that logic, you're going to get yourself hurt. While I agree that Zaibach is wonderful, sometimes it makes mistakes, and - "
Dirandau: "Shut up! That's the talk of a traitor!!"
He gave Folken a hateful glare. Loyalty was Dirandau's one unbending virtue.
But….maybe that doesn't really count as one of his personal virtues.. He couldn't help being loyal. He didn't know any better.
And, if he did know better, he would be brainwashed, and thus sent back to that state of complete loyalty.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons that it was so easy to look at him as something other than a person. Anything he thought or felt…how could it be anything other than what they meant him to felt?
Nothing he had was his own, not even his mind.
Folken knew that he couldn't argue about anything with Dirandau, when the question of loyalty was brought up. So, he decided to pull rank on him.
Folken: "I don't care. You have to do this because I said so. That's the end of it."
Dirandau stamped his feet.
Dirandau: "I won't do it, you @#$#@^##$^ traitor!"
Folken completely ignored this outburst. He found that if he ignored Dirandau, then he could get the boy to do just about anything in time.
Folken: "I think you'll be impressed by some of those soldiers. This group has been working especially hard."
'Especially hard' was an understatement. Anyone of the soldiers who wasn't doing more than his best in practice had obviously lost his mind.
They had all heard the news….an elite group of soldiers was to be formed. Chosen by Dirandau Albatou himself!
It wasn't that they respected Dirandau, or anything…but, they knew that it took skills of the highest caliber to match up to his expectations. They also knew that someone had to be perfect in order for him to give them anything other than an insult. Not only that, but they'd also be able to see him fight…to see the great prowess which Zaibach possessed.
Indeed, this was a fantastic honour, and those glory-starved young soldiers would have done anything to join.
They were not told when Dirandau came to the training-quarters. The higher-ups had wanted this to be a true testing. But, that didn't matter. Some saw him in the back, and the rumour spread quickly. Now everyone was showing off as much as they possibly could.
Dirandau was highly unimpressed by what he saw.
:: "What's the matter with them? They should be better than this…" ::
Dirandau: "Folken…are these really the soldiers you meant to show me?"
Folken nodded.
Dirandau: "This is absolutely pathetic…"
It took him twenty minutes before he finally saw a half-way decent fighter.
Dirandau moved closer to him.
The boy was relentless. One would have felt sorry for his sparring partner, who was trying his damndest to keep his footing.
The other was weak, but this boy didn't care. He knocked the other to the ground, then knocked him unconscious. Weakness wasn't acceptable anyway, so his partner deserved what he got.
:: "Good form, good footwork, very aggressive…more aggressive than necessary, but that's okay. It's better to be too aggressive than not aggressive enough. He has potential…" ::
Dirandau walked back over to Folken.
Dirandau: "What's the name of that one?"
Folken had someone look it up on a list for him.
Folken: "Lavariel, Miguel."
Dirandau made a mental note of that name.
Dirandau: "He's definitely going to be one of mine."
Folken: "You don't know anything else about him yet."
Dirandau: "I don't need to. Someone that can fight like that will definitely do well on a battlefield."
Folken: "Yes, but there is other criteria to consider as well. What if he's a coward?"
Dirandau: "Then I'll make him fear me more than the enemy."
Folken: "And, what if he's a traitor? Because, you know that you can't tell those types just by looking at them."
That was a low-blow to Dirandau's ability to judge people. He had braggingly told Folken that he could spot a traitor a mile off. Folken asked if he was what Dirandau would consider a traitor. Dirandau replied no…and then he had the pleasure of finding out that Folken had become a traitor to Fanelia. In Dirandau's way of thinking, a traitor was a traitor, no matter what country they had betrayed.
Dirandau: "Then I'll kill him, and replace him."
Folken: "You'd be so willing to kill one of your men?"
Dirandau: "If he did something wrong."
Some of the young men overheard this…and became immediately worried. They had heard that Albatou follows some very messed-up logic. It was nearly impossible to tell what he would thing was 'something wrong.' They'd be in danger of dying every single day.
Folken: "Then, you'll have a hard time keeping any soldiers at all."
Dirandau shrugged.
Dirandau: "It's not my fault that everyone else is so completely screwed-up."
Folken: "Regardless, you have to have more than just one reason for choosing your soldiers."
Dirandau: "DON'T TELL ME WHAT I HAVE TO DO!!!"
There was complete silence in the training hall. Dirandau was seething with so much anger that he didn't seem to notice everyone around him staring at him.
Dirandau: "You may have the authority to tell me to do certain things. But, these are going to be my soldiers. I will choose them based on my qualifications, and not yours!"
Folken sighed.
The young soldiers were in awe. This never ever happened in Zaibach. In order to be able to yell like that, a person had to go through years and years of hell. That's why all the generals were older men. It was supposed that an older person would be wiser by default, and therefore wouldn't go screaming his head off without reason.
No one their age was ever allowed to have any semblance of power. In fact, if any of them had ever dared to scream at someone like that, it was a fairly certain thing that they would be executed on the spot. [No one had ever dared to try something like that, so they weren't very certain of what the punishment would be.]
They watched, still awe-struck, as Dirandau raged out of the room.
Some began whispering to each other, about whether they had changed their minds or not. Nearly all had decided that, despite the problems they would have with him, what they would gain would make it all worthwhile.
They went back to practicing.
Folken soon followed Dirandau out of the room.
Folken: "You should learn to be a little quieter."
Dirandau: "It wouldn't matter if I did. You don't listen to me anyway."
His demeanor was far different from the two extremes he normally followed. He was either completely light and sarcastic, and doing his best to annoy someone he didn't like, or he was in a terrible rage, where all he wanted to do was to completely destroy someone.
But, this….he was serious, angry, and tired. He sounded as if he'd just lost his heart.
Folken: "What are you driving at?"
Dirandau shut his eyes.
Dirandau: "Why do you have to do that to me?"
Folken: " I'm only trying to help you."
Dirandau: "Don't help me."
He looked generally upset. It wasn't that overly-dramatic act that he put on sometimes when he couldn't get his way. This was straight from the depths of his feelings…perhaps the first time Folken had been given the chance to see what Dirandau was really like, on the inside.
Folken: "You need my help."
Dirandau: "You don't understand!"
Dirandau wanted to throw something at him, or hit him….but, he knew that would end badly.
Dirandau: "If they're going to be my soldiers….then I have to be the one to choose them. I know what I'm looking for. I really do know what I'm doing. You're just not listening to me."
Folken: "If you make a mistake with the people you choose, then you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
Dirandau: "If I make one of your mistakes with the people I choose, then I'll regret it."
Folken really did not understand what this meant to Dirandau. It was his life they were planning out here. He would have to depend on these soldier, or die with them. He knew what parameters he could deal with, and understand. He knew exactly the kind of people that he needed. Folken shouldn't be interfering with that.
Being a leader meant everything to Dirandau. It was all he wanted to do with his life. To go out there, to fight…that was all there was to life. Nothing else mattered.
Folken: "Very well. I can tell that you've thought much about this, and that you aren't just being flippant. I won't interfere with your choices. All I ask is that you at least give some of the other ways that I have come up with a chance."
That was a lie. Folken would never really let Dirandau do this on his own. Anyone he didn't approve of wouldn't make it. But, there was no reason to let Dirandau know that. There were ample excuses to give as to why a soldier couldn't join.
Especially medical excuses. Dirandau knew nothing about medical science, and wanted to know nothing….and so, any excuse in that area would be enough.
Dirandau: "Fine.
:: "I'll play along with his stupid little game…but, I'm not going to use anything he says." ::
It was a good thing the two couldn't read each other's thoughts.
Folken glanced at a clock.
Folken: "Hmm…it seems about time for lunch."
Dirandau: "I'm not eating anything. I just want some coffee."
Folken: "No, no, no! No coffee for you. We're not reliving that incident again."
Dirandau rolled his eyes.
Dirandau: "It wasn't that bad…."
Folken: "You ran all around the ship, screaming at the tops of your lungs."
Dirandau: "So?"
Folken: "And then you went and threw all your textbooks in the showers. They'll never be useable again."
Dirandau smirked. That wasn't due to the coffee…that was just because he knew he had an excuse to do it.
Folken: "It wouldn't be so bad if it was just coffee alone….but, do you have to pour a whole cup of sugar in it every time you drink it?"
Dirandau: "There's nothing wrong with sugar. I like sugar.."
Folken: "There is a problem if the wrong people eat it! You're already hard to deal with, without you getting yourself so hyper."
Dirandau: "Maybe you should eat some…maybe it'd help you get a personality."
Folken: "There's nothing wrong with me."
Dirandau: "Oh yeah? Do this."
He did one of those wonderful smiles that he was famous for.
Folken stared at him.
Folken: "Alright, now you're asking too much."
Dirandau cracked up laughing.
Dirandau: "Oh, it's not hard….."
He pushed the corners of Folken's cheeks up.
Dirandau: "There, just like…..ugh.."
Dirandau stared at him a moment, a little surprised.
Dirandau: "On second thought-"
He pushed them back down.
Dirandau: "You should stick with what you're doing.."
They continued on their way.
Folken looked….frightening when he smiled. It reminded him of something. Some half-remembered nightmare, perhaps. There was something about a person in a cloak, smiling at him like that. It was almost sinister.
Dirandau shuddered.
The more he thought about it, the more frightening it seemed.
So, he decided to stop thinking about it, for now, and concentrated on how he could possibly get some coffee.
{{::Grins:: Another chapter done! Weee!
Please, pardon me for not even trying with some of Dirandau's swearing. I don't swear all that often……and, I don't know any good statements. And, seeing as Dilly likes to be good in just about everything, I'm sure he'd be a lot better at it than me. So, it's just easier for me to use "comic strip swearing," and let y'all just pretend.
[::Giggles:: Yes! Fill-in-the-blank expletives!]
Um…and, I don't know the heights of the characters, either.
Feye Morgan: Oh, the Madoushi aren't that bad. They're just doing their job. [Although, granted, they should care about him more…]
::Giggles::
Aya!! Of course I'm going to use the marble game!
It's too cute to forget about!
[And it's been stuck in my mind too.^_^]
Etowato: Don't worry, Missy Etowato! ::Sends chibi-Dilly over to you with the cute little bunny of happiness….which happens to get charred before he reaches you.::
Er…uh…well, I just wanted to say that everything's fine.
I'm not about to go jump off any roofs, or anything.
And, I think the way this is going is similar to how Dilly's life goes. There are times of great fun, where it's just hilarious, and you really wish you could be there doing what he's doing….and then there are the bad times, where nothing is going his way, and he's basically getting tormented, and drugged-up, and brainwashed.
Like some little creature stumbling around in the black, that nobody really cares to help, except when it helps them.
I'm thinking that this story will neither have a happy nor sad ending. It'll simply have a good closed-off ending.
::Sighs:: Yes, poor Dilly-sama….I think pride is a crutch for him, when life is just really really screwed up..
La-ha! Yup, that's why I chose the title.
Eeegh! Yeah….Folken isn't exactly treating Dirandau like he says that people should be treated.
I guess it's just one of those things where he's looking the other way, because he knows it has to be done for the future.
That's what makes him like Dornkirk-Sama.
Aroura: Um…well, I've always been under the impression that not giving too much ideas on setting, clothing, and such is a good thing. You can have a good play with a blank stage, but if your story isn't up to par, then no one will care if you have the most beautiful set in the world.
I'm much more of a 'feelings' person. And I'm not all that great at describing objects, unless of course I'm using them to come to some great realization, or saying that they also have feelings too.
[And, if I were going to do that, I'd probably also work on getting rid of the 'script' format for dialogue.]
So…nope, sorry….you don't get much more description of clothing and settings by me, unless of course, it matters to the story.
But, thanks for the suggestion anyway.
Could you explain what you mean by "difficult"?
Yeah, I've got more characters coming. Namely the DSlayers and everybody's favourite guy, General Adelphus.
::Is glared at by Dilly::
Um….and, I also have to figure out what happened to Nariya and Eriya. Because, it sounds like they got sent somewhere for a long time, when they said, "Thinking of you was the only thing that kept us going."
And….I'm also going to talk about where the hell that tiara came from. [I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has wondered that.]
Aya…so, I've managed to let Dirandau and Folken look bad….and, I think I may manage to make the Dslayers look bad.
::Cringes::
I dunno what to say, except that I have to re-iterate that I like them all, even with the faults which I perceive that they have.}}
PART THREE
Folken: "Stop laughing. It's not that funny."
Oh, but it was! Dirandau couldn't even stop giggling long enough to make some snitty comment.
Folken: "I told you to stop laughing."
Cripes, what a foolish order to give someone like Dirandau!
And, what had befallen our dear Folken?
He had decided to give Dirandau a chemistry lesson. Dirandau had always held the belief that chemistry was boring, from the first lesson book that he had glanced through.
Folken decided it would be better to start at one of the more exciting lessons, to try and get him interested.
And, all little boys love to see explosions, right?
Dirandau hadn't ever done much with fire before. It was just something that was used in lamps, so that people didn't fall over things while they were trying to walk around the Vione. He didn't think it could possibly serve any purpose.
And then….eheheheh…
Folken was showing him how one could mix chemicals to get different coloured flames. Not exactly exciting…more like mildly amusing.
A rat had crawled across the floor, and Dirandau had turned to pay attention to it. This angered Folken, who was really starting to despise the fact that the sorcerers hadn't bothered to give Dirandau the capacity for patience.
"Oh, he doesn't need it. And, we're not giving him anything he doesn't need."
Those fools….
They had made him perfect for being in a war, but they didn't give a damn about how hard he would be to deal with when he wasn't fighting.
Folken didn't pay attention to what he was doing. He turned to whack Dirandau upside the head, and his cloak brushed against one of the burners.
It's amazing how flammable those things are.
The instant he saw Strategos all ablaze, Dirandau was hooked. Those flames…Words to describe their beauty eluded him.
Well….all words but one….
Moero!!!
And now they were walking down a hallway, to get an extra set of clothes for Folken. Half of the outfit he was wearing had been completely charred, along with most of his hair. He was quite a sight to see. Half-naked, with those big beautiful black wings, being followed by that insane, giggling little boy.
Dirandau calmed his laughing a little when they reached Folken's quarters.
Dirandau: "Oh, fuck off, Strategos….it wasn't that bad."
Folken: "…….."
That was another thing Folken intended to fix. He didn't know who was responsible, but Dirandau had such a vulgar dialect. If he were ever to represent Zaibach in any way, that kind of language wouldn't go over well with other countries.
His closet was out of order. It took him a moment to find all the pieces of his uniform.
As usual, Dirandau got bored waiting. And, there was a question annoying him.
Dirandau: "Why do you have those things?"
Folken: "What 'things'?"
Dirandau didn't know what they were called. He'd never seen anything like them.
Dirandau: "Those…black…things…on your back. What are they?"
Folken: "My wings? Well…they're for flying."
Dirandau: "Flying?"
Poor Dirandau. There was so much he hadn't learned yet.
And, they hadn't allowed him to step outside the ship. Ever. It had been deemed unnecessary for him to see the outside world yet. Not until he had to go out and fight in it. But…it left him so incomplete.
What goes on in the mind of one who has lived their whole life inside a cage?
To one who sees steel and concrete, instead of grass and trees?
He didn't even know what the clouds looked like.
And, because he hadn't ever seen it, he couldn't care about it. He couldn't think about those beautiful things when he was alone by himself. He had nothing to think about when he was alone, except steel.
Steel…..that's what a sword was made of. It shined, and made sparks when struck against other steel. And it sliced so wonderfully into other people. It got rid of problems for him. It was one of his best friends.
Folken: "Yes…flying. Soaring through the air."
Dirandau still didn't understand.
Folken: "Never mind. You'll understand it some day."
He wished that he could just show Dirandau now. But, he could never show anyone. A lesson he had learned well from his mother, Varie.
Still…he wanted to fly…
To feel wind on his face, to fly around, as if there weren't anything to care about. He could go with his brother. He remembered with a smile those times he and his brother would sneak off into the mountains, and take off.
To go where the hawks fly, and have the choice of never coming back down again. That was something he could never do again.
Why did people have to hate those wings? Wings are wondrous things, that allow people to touch the skies…to feel what it is like to be a part of the wind.
It felt like death sometimes, this desire to fly. It was like a part of himself was drowning.
He slowly covered his wings up. He remembered how he used to hate doing that.
"Mother…why do I have to do this?"
"Because, dear…they want to kill you."
It was a terribly blatant thing to say, but then Varie hadn't quite been feeling herself that day. Someone had made an attempt on her life that day, because she was draconian. Many were angry, because now the royal bloodline was impure. Gaou couldn't have done worse if he had married a beast-girl.
There was such hatred he endured that he would never care to see again.
The family had all tried to protect his brother, Van, from it. But, to no avail.
Those with wings to fly can not hide it, and it becomes like a curse when in the midst of fools who do not see what a gift flight is.
:: "Cursed are those that have wings to fly, and never are allowed to use them." ::
Dirandau: "What are we doing today?"
He smiled hopefully.
Dirandau: "Are we going to study more of that chemistry…stuff?"
Folken shook his head 'no'.
Folken: "We're never studying chemistry again."
Dirandau didn't exactly need to study it…and, well…Folken didn't want to risk anything like that happening again.
Dirandau: "But….but I like it!"
Folken: "I'm sorry."
Dirandau folded his arms, and stamped his foot.
Dirandau: "Well, I'm not studying anything else with you, either. So there!"
Folken smirked.
Folken: "Oh, we're not studying anymore today."
Dirandau: "What?!"
Folken: "You've caught up on just about everything. So, today you get to do something else…"
That wasn't exactly true. He hadn't finished catching up on everything, but the sorcerers were impatient. They wanted to know how he would fare in dealing with people now. They had tired of seeing how far his mind would go in areas of study. It was time for a different experiment.
Dirandau was quite happy. Anything was better than studying!
Dirandau: "Lovely! I'm going to go and practice this new technique I read about-"
Folken: "I didn't mean that you get to have the day free for yourself…just that we're doing something other than studying."
Dirandau rolled his eyes.
Dirandau: "We're not taking care of paperwork again, are we?"
Folken: "No. You're going to meet some people."
Dirandau raised an eyebrow at him.
Meet people? What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Folken: "You haven't met any of the other soldiers, and I think it's about time you did."
Dirandau: "Why?"
Folken: "Because, if you are ever to be in charge of them some day, you'll have to get to know them."
Dirandau: "Why?"
Folken: "Because a good leader has to know his troops."
Dirandau: "Why?"
Folken: "Because that's the only way to be effective with people when working together."
Dirandau: "Why?"
Folken: "Because…it's just good policy. And, don't ask me why again."
Dirandau: "Why….not?"
Folken stared at him, eyes flat. Dirandau smirked. He just loved annoying people. And he was so good at it, too.
Folken: "That's enough. I think it's about the time when they all start their training. You'll probably want to see how well they fight."
He could see that Dirandau was going to ask that annoying question again, and so he beat him to it with the answer.
Folken: "Because, you'll be choosing the men who will be under your command, and you'll want to be sure and find the best."
Dirandau blinked.
Dirandau: "It doesn't matter which ones I choose."
He sounded quite surprised that Folken hadn't realized this.
Folken: "Oh? And why is that?"
Dirandau: "They're Zaibach soldiers. Any soldiers I get will be excellent, because they are in this army."
Folken: "Dirandau, if you follow that logic, you're going to get yourself hurt. While I agree that Zaibach is wonderful, sometimes it makes mistakes, and - "
Dirandau: "Shut up! That's the talk of a traitor!!"
He gave Folken a hateful glare. Loyalty was Dirandau's one unbending virtue.
But….maybe that doesn't really count as one of his personal virtues.. He couldn't help being loyal. He didn't know any better.
And, if he did know better, he would be brainwashed, and thus sent back to that state of complete loyalty.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons that it was so easy to look at him as something other than a person. Anything he thought or felt…how could it be anything other than what they meant him to felt?
Nothing he had was his own, not even his mind.
Folken knew that he couldn't argue about anything with Dirandau, when the question of loyalty was brought up. So, he decided to pull rank on him.
Folken: "I don't care. You have to do this because I said so. That's the end of it."
Dirandau stamped his feet.
Dirandau: "I won't do it, you @#$#@^##$^ traitor!"
Folken completely ignored this outburst. He found that if he ignored Dirandau, then he could get the boy to do just about anything in time.
Folken: "I think you'll be impressed by some of those soldiers. This group has been working especially hard."
'Especially hard' was an understatement. Anyone of the soldiers who wasn't doing more than his best in practice had obviously lost his mind.
They had all heard the news….an elite group of soldiers was to be formed. Chosen by Dirandau Albatou himself!
It wasn't that they respected Dirandau, or anything…but, they knew that it took skills of the highest caliber to match up to his expectations. They also knew that someone had to be perfect in order for him to give them anything other than an insult. Not only that, but they'd also be able to see him fight…to see the great prowess which Zaibach possessed.
Indeed, this was a fantastic honour, and those glory-starved young soldiers would have done anything to join.
They were not told when Dirandau came to the training-quarters. The higher-ups had wanted this to be a true testing. But, that didn't matter. Some saw him in the back, and the rumour spread quickly. Now everyone was showing off as much as they possibly could.
Dirandau was highly unimpressed by what he saw.
:: "What's the matter with them? They should be better than this…" ::
Dirandau: "Folken…are these really the soldiers you meant to show me?"
Folken nodded.
Dirandau: "This is absolutely pathetic…"
It took him twenty minutes before he finally saw a half-way decent fighter.
Dirandau moved closer to him.
The boy was relentless. One would have felt sorry for his sparring partner, who was trying his damndest to keep his footing.
The other was weak, but this boy didn't care. He knocked the other to the ground, then knocked him unconscious. Weakness wasn't acceptable anyway, so his partner deserved what he got.
:: "Good form, good footwork, very aggressive…more aggressive than necessary, but that's okay. It's better to be too aggressive than not aggressive enough. He has potential…" ::
Dirandau walked back over to Folken.
Dirandau: "What's the name of that one?"
Folken had someone look it up on a list for him.
Folken: "Lavariel, Miguel."
Dirandau made a mental note of that name.
Dirandau: "He's definitely going to be one of mine."
Folken: "You don't know anything else about him yet."
Dirandau: "I don't need to. Someone that can fight like that will definitely do well on a battlefield."
Folken: "Yes, but there is other criteria to consider as well. What if he's a coward?"
Dirandau: "Then I'll make him fear me more than the enemy."
Folken: "And, what if he's a traitor? Because, you know that you can't tell those types just by looking at them."
That was a low-blow to Dirandau's ability to judge people. He had braggingly told Folken that he could spot a traitor a mile off. Folken asked if he was what Dirandau would consider a traitor. Dirandau replied no…and then he had the pleasure of finding out that Folken had become a traitor to Fanelia. In Dirandau's way of thinking, a traitor was a traitor, no matter what country they had betrayed.
Dirandau: "Then I'll kill him, and replace him."
Folken: "You'd be so willing to kill one of your men?"
Dirandau: "If he did something wrong."
Some of the young men overheard this…and became immediately worried. They had heard that Albatou follows some very messed-up logic. It was nearly impossible to tell what he would thing was 'something wrong.' They'd be in danger of dying every single day.
Folken: "Then, you'll have a hard time keeping any soldiers at all."
Dirandau shrugged.
Dirandau: "It's not my fault that everyone else is so completely screwed-up."
Folken: "Regardless, you have to have more than just one reason for choosing your soldiers."
Dirandau: "DON'T TELL ME WHAT I HAVE TO DO!!!"
There was complete silence in the training hall. Dirandau was seething with so much anger that he didn't seem to notice everyone around him staring at him.
Dirandau: "You may have the authority to tell me to do certain things. But, these are going to be my soldiers. I will choose them based on my qualifications, and not yours!"
Folken sighed.
The young soldiers were in awe. This never ever happened in Zaibach. In order to be able to yell like that, a person had to go through years and years of hell. That's why all the generals were older men. It was supposed that an older person would be wiser by default, and therefore wouldn't go screaming his head off without reason.
No one their age was ever allowed to have any semblance of power. In fact, if any of them had ever dared to scream at someone like that, it was a fairly certain thing that they would be executed on the spot. [No one had ever dared to try something like that, so they weren't very certain of what the punishment would be.]
They watched, still awe-struck, as Dirandau raged out of the room.
Some began whispering to each other, about whether they had changed their minds or not. Nearly all had decided that, despite the problems they would have with him, what they would gain would make it all worthwhile.
They went back to practicing.
Folken soon followed Dirandau out of the room.
Folken: "You should learn to be a little quieter."
Dirandau: "It wouldn't matter if I did. You don't listen to me anyway."
His demeanor was far different from the two extremes he normally followed. He was either completely light and sarcastic, and doing his best to annoy someone he didn't like, or he was in a terrible rage, where all he wanted to do was to completely destroy someone.
But, this….he was serious, angry, and tired. He sounded as if he'd just lost his heart.
Folken: "What are you driving at?"
Dirandau shut his eyes.
Dirandau: "Why do you have to do that to me?"
Folken: " I'm only trying to help you."
Dirandau: "Don't help me."
He looked generally upset. It wasn't that overly-dramatic act that he put on sometimes when he couldn't get his way. This was straight from the depths of his feelings…perhaps the first time Folken had been given the chance to see what Dirandau was really like, on the inside.
Folken: "You need my help."
Dirandau: "You don't understand!"
Dirandau wanted to throw something at him, or hit him….but, he knew that would end badly.
Dirandau: "If they're going to be my soldiers….then I have to be the one to choose them. I know what I'm looking for. I really do know what I'm doing. You're just not listening to me."
Folken: "If you make a mistake with the people you choose, then you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
Dirandau: "If I make one of your mistakes with the people I choose, then I'll regret it."
Folken really did not understand what this meant to Dirandau. It was his life they were planning out here. He would have to depend on these soldier, or die with them. He knew what parameters he could deal with, and understand. He knew exactly the kind of people that he needed. Folken shouldn't be interfering with that.
Being a leader meant everything to Dirandau. It was all he wanted to do with his life. To go out there, to fight…that was all there was to life. Nothing else mattered.
Folken: "Very well. I can tell that you've thought much about this, and that you aren't just being flippant. I won't interfere with your choices. All I ask is that you at least give some of the other ways that I have come up with a chance."
That was a lie. Folken would never really let Dirandau do this on his own. Anyone he didn't approve of wouldn't make it. But, there was no reason to let Dirandau know that. There were ample excuses to give as to why a soldier couldn't join.
Especially medical excuses. Dirandau knew nothing about medical science, and wanted to know nothing….and so, any excuse in that area would be enough.
Dirandau: "Fine.
:: "I'll play along with his stupid little game…but, I'm not going to use anything he says." ::
It was a good thing the two couldn't read each other's thoughts.
Folken glanced at a clock.
Folken: "Hmm…it seems about time for lunch."
Dirandau: "I'm not eating anything. I just want some coffee."
Folken: "No, no, no! No coffee for you. We're not reliving that incident again."
Dirandau rolled his eyes.
Dirandau: "It wasn't that bad…."
Folken: "You ran all around the ship, screaming at the tops of your lungs."
Dirandau: "So?"
Folken: "And then you went and threw all your textbooks in the showers. They'll never be useable again."
Dirandau smirked. That wasn't due to the coffee…that was just because he knew he had an excuse to do it.
Folken: "It wouldn't be so bad if it was just coffee alone….but, do you have to pour a whole cup of sugar in it every time you drink it?"
Dirandau: "There's nothing wrong with sugar. I like sugar.."
Folken: "There is a problem if the wrong people eat it! You're already hard to deal with, without you getting yourself so hyper."
Dirandau: "Maybe you should eat some…maybe it'd help you get a personality."
Folken: "There's nothing wrong with me."
Dirandau: "Oh yeah? Do this."
He did one of those wonderful smiles that he was famous for.
Folken stared at him.
Folken: "Alright, now you're asking too much."
Dirandau cracked up laughing.
Dirandau: "Oh, it's not hard….."
He pushed the corners of Folken's cheeks up.
Dirandau: "There, just like…..ugh.."
Dirandau stared at him a moment, a little surprised.
Dirandau: "On second thought-"
He pushed them back down.
Dirandau: "You should stick with what you're doing.."
They continued on their way.
Folken looked….frightening when he smiled. It reminded him of something. Some half-remembered nightmare, perhaps. There was something about a person in a cloak, smiling at him like that. It was almost sinister.
Dirandau shuddered.
The more he thought about it, the more frightening it seemed.
So, he decided to stop thinking about it, for now, and concentrated on how he could possibly get some coffee.
{{::Grins:: Another chapter done! Weee!
Please, pardon me for not even trying with some of Dirandau's swearing. I don't swear all that often……and, I don't know any good statements. And, seeing as Dilly likes to be good in just about everything, I'm sure he'd be a lot better at it than me. So, it's just easier for me to use "comic strip swearing," and let y'all just pretend.
[::Giggles:: Yes! Fill-in-the-blank expletives!]
Um…and, I don't know the heights of the characters, either.
Feye Morgan: Oh, the Madoushi aren't that bad. They're just doing their job. [Although, granted, they should care about him more…]
::Giggles::
Aya!! Of course I'm going to use the marble game!
It's too cute to forget about!
[And it's been stuck in my mind too.^_^]
Etowato: Don't worry, Missy Etowato! ::Sends chibi-Dilly over to you with the cute little bunny of happiness….which happens to get charred before he reaches you.::
Er…uh…well, I just wanted to say that everything's fine.
I'm not about to go jump off any roofs, or anything.
And, I think the way this is going is similar to how Dilly's life goes. There are times of great fun, where it's just hilarious, and you really wish you could be there doing what he's doing….and then there are the bad times, where nothing is going his way, and he's basically getting tormented, and drugged-up, and brainwashed.
Like some little creature stumbling around in the black, that nobody really cares to help, except when it helps them.
I'm thinking that this story will neither have a happy nor sad ending. It'll simply have a good closed-off ending.
::Sighs:: Yes, poor Dilly-sama….I think pride is a crutch for him, when life is just really really screwed up..
La-ha! Yup, that's why I chose the title.
Eeegh! Yeah….Folken isn't exactly treating Dirandau like he says that people should be treated.
I guess it's just one of those things where he's looking the other way, because he knows it has to be done for the future.
That's what makes him like Dornkirk-Sama.
Aroura: Um…well, I've always been under the impression that not giving too much ideas on setting, clothing, and such is a good thing. You can have a good play with a blank stage, but if your story isn't up to par, then no one will care if you have the most beautiful set in the world.
I'm much more of a 'feelings' person. And I'm not all that great at describing objects, unless of course I'm using them to come to some great realization, or saying that they also have feelings too.
[And, if I were going to do that, I'd probably also work on getting rid of the 'script' format for dialogue.]
So…nope, sorry….you don't get much more description of clothing and settings by me, unless of course, it matters to the story.
But, thanks for the suggestion anyway.
Could you explain what you mean by "difficult"?
Yeah, I've got more characters coming. Namely the DSlayers and everybody's favourite guy, General Adelphus.
::Is glared at by Dilly::
Um….and, I also have to figure out what happened to Nariya and Eriya. Because, it sounds like they got sent somewhere for a long time, when they said, "Thinking of you was the only thing that kept us going."
And….I'm also going to talk about where the hell that tiara came from. [I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has wondered that.]
Aya…so, I've managed to let Dirandau and Folken look bad….and, I think I may manage to make the Dslayers look bad.
::Cringes::
I dunno what to say, except that I have to re-iterate that I like them all, even with the faults which I perceive that they have.}}