Words of Wisdom

I was sitting in my tent, minding my own business, taking some well deserved time to myself. It wasn't easy when you had to fight a bunch of ruthless enemies all while worrying about your best friend's wellbeing. I'm not saying I'm not up to it or anything... But hey, a guy needs his rest!

All the more reason why I wasn't all too pleased when I heard my name being called, as a silhouette appeared outside my tent. Whoever it was surely did not realize that I do not like to be disturbed while I rest. I'm outgoing enough when I'm out in the open, but this was me-time. I didn't want anyone screwing it up.

"Colm?..." Said a gentle voice. "Colm, are you in there?" This disembodied voice was far too soft to be a guy's voice... Yet it wasn't quite as tender as a woman's... Which can only mean one thing... The one standing outside my tent is none other than- "It's me... Artur..."

What does this guy want? I hardly ever speak to him. I mean, he's a nice enough guy, as you'd expect of a monk, but that doesn't mean I know the first thing about him. "Uh..." I muttered clumsily, "Yeah, I'm in here."

And I waited for him to enter the tent, but that did not happen. So instead, I coughed obviously to indicate he should enter, and as he slowly allowed himself in, he apologized. "Sorry, friend. I simply did not want to walk in without your permission."

Was this guy for real? No one is this nice! But nevertheless, I grunted, "Yeah, whatever. What can I do ya for?"

He seemed to be ignoring my question while he observed my tent from the inside. He looked around as if he was scared someone, or something, was going to scold him for even breathing the wrong way. I wanted to say something to try and ease the awkwardness of the brother, but everything I thought to say would only come across as rude and unnecessary.

I waited impatiently for several seconds before he scratched his curly, orange locks and responded, "I was merely hoping to speak to you on a... personal... matter."

Now I was curious. This guy, who I hardly know at all, had a personal question for me? I was confused, intrigued, and honestly somewhat disturbed by his statement. I stretched out my legs and kicked back into a more comfortable position "Well alright then, whadda ya got for me?"

"Oh!..." The man was clearly taken aback by my casual approach, which I assume means he's not messing around with me. "Well... I guess I should start with a bit of a general statement."

I wasn't sure what he was getting at, but I didn't want him to stop there so I laughed, "Alrighty then! Let's hear it!"

"Well, you know how we do not tend to appreciate those people and things that we exist with until they are out of our lives?"

"Definitely!" I chuckled back to him, "Like last night, I really didn't appreciate that rabbit we had for dinner until the meal was long over!"

Any normal person would have smacked their forehead and hung their head in shame. But Artur wasn't quite normal, as you may have guessed. So instead he simply smiled at me and laughed, "No, no, my friend. I mean things that we have the luxury of for an extended amount of time. A childhood toy, for example."

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Um... I'm not quite sure I follow, do explain, brother."

"Well..." He smiled, he fumbled with his hands for a moment, "As a child, I used to love reading books of knightly tales with heroism and mythical beasts. But it was not until I found them burnt in an accidental fire that I realized just how much I loved those books."

Still not really understanding where he was going with this, I shook my head, "I hear what you're saying... But what exactly-"

"What I am trying to say." He interjected, much to my surprise, "Is that we tend not to realize how much we truly care for something while we have it... And when we learn this painful lesson, we cannot help but preach to others in the hope that they will not squander those cherished parts of their own lives."

Now I was sitting all the way upright, listening to what the man had to say. What was he getting at here? Why did he chose to come preach this lesson to me? "I take it that you believe I'm squandering something in my life?"

The orange haired brother nodded and said, "I only wish to help you, my friend."

Frustration was starting to cumulate in my mind, the audacity of this man to just come in here and tell me I'm doing something wrong with my life! "Rest assured, brother Artur, I do not take anything in my life for granted! I appreciate everything, from the knife in my belt to the clothes on my back!"

But the monk simply shook his head and let out yet another harmless laugh, which was becoming more malicious with each reoccurrence. "What I speak of does not necessarily have to be an object, Colm."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes..." He whispered, "We take people in our lives for granted."

Wait a second... He didn't mean- "You're not saying that I don't appreciate-"

He gave me a stern look, without pursing his lips into a frown, somehow, "Neimi? Why yes, that was whom I was referring to."

That's it! How dare he get involved with my business with my friend! I was about to attack the monk for making such a rude and harmful accusation. "Listen, pal!" I shouted, "I don't care if you're a monk, a knight, or some sort of psychic, you can't sit here and tell me that I don't do a good enough job protecting Neimi!"

He raised a hand to attempt to silence me, so I threw a few more angry words at him before he replied, "That is not at all what I am trying to say, my friend."

"Well?" I demanded, cheeks red with fury, "What DO you mean then?"

Smiling again, Artur said gently, "When was the last time you hugged your friend?"

"I just did the other..." I began, but soon came to a realization, "I... I guess I haven't, in recent times... But this is a war! I don't have time for such-"

But I was cut off by the man again, "When was the last time you told her you cared?"

"She knows that I-... I was going to but I didn't have time-"

"When did you last ask her how she was?" Artur pressed, "Without insulting her?"

I knew I couldn't answer, so instead I did what I do best: act out. "Alright, buddy, I don't need to sit here and listen to you tell me how bad of a friend I am! This is my life, and I'll make my own decisions. Listening to you is a waste of my time!" I tried to take a breath but he added one more thing...

"Calm yourself, Colm. I am not accusing you of being a bad friend. I am not telling you that you are making mistakes. And I certainly did not intend to waste your time." He put a hand on my shoulder and said kindly, "I am only telling you so that you are aware. This war... It can be ruthless. You never do know when exactly it can tear you two apart from one another."

I looked the other way to avoid his gaze. I knew he had a point, and I was too embarrassed to admit it. "..."

"Colm." He said with a certain air of seriousness, "I have spoken to Neimi on several occasions. She truly cares about you, and in her eyes, you can do no wrong. Trust me, such words have come directly from your friend herself."

Now I evaded eye contact because I did not want Artur to notice that my cheeks were crimson. "Yeah... Well I suppose you have a point..." I mumbled under my breath. "I guess I can be a little bit more appreciative..." But I realized how weak and foolish I was sounding so I quickly amended my comment with: "SOMETIMES!"

But the monk simply laughed and shook his head, "I only want you to evaluate your behavior. I do not think that you should change completely. No one here would enjoy a Colm that is too nice. I can almost guarantee Neimi would not prefer that, either. What I am saying is that you should just take a step back from your life every once in a while and ask yourself, what is it that you truly care about?" And then he patted me on the leg quickly before finishing, "The answer, in your case, should be fairly obvious."

I blushed again, though not nearly as severely, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You would have tossed me out of your tent long ago if you did not care enough about your friend to listen long enough to get to this point, no?" Damn it! This guy was just right about everything! Stupid monk...

"Well... I guess..." I looked at him and managed a smirk. "You know... You're okay, Artur."

The man smiled and replied, "Why thank you, Colm. I enjoyed the opportunity to speak to you. Perhaps we can do this again at some point in the future and we can instead discuss other matters."

I nodded and reached my hand out to shake his, "I'd like that."

It had been a few hours since my conversation with Artur and I had done just as he suggested I do: Take a step away from my life and reflect. And also as he predicted, I knew exactly what mattered most to me. It was because of that conversation that instead of falling asleep tonight, I left my tent.

It was dark and no one was out of their tent, except for Seth, the nightwatch for tonight. So I did my best to not call attention to myself as I reached Neimi's tent. I slowly opened the flap and whispered in, "Neimi... Hey... Neimi!"

I saw the shadowy figure of my friend stir from her resting spot. She rose up slightly and rubbed an eye with one hand while she supported her weight with the other. "Colm? I-is that you?" She asked, her fatigue was obvious.

"Yeah, yeah... It's me." I grunted, "Can I come in for a minute?"

Still seemingly confused by my sudden appearance, she hesitated a moment before replying: "Of course, come right in." As I crawled over to her, she gave me a look and asked the question I knew she had since I first called out to her. "But Colm... What are you-"

I know I told her that I was the only one who could make her cry. And that I really cared for her. But I wanted to prove that I didn't just enjoy her company. I needed it. And at first, she responded to my lips crashing against hers with a muffled objection. But after a brief moment, she reciprocated the kiss. This was something I was not quite sure I wanted to do before today, but Artur's little speech made me realize that this girl was my life. She was all I had left, but at the same time, she was all I needed. So as the kiss continued, I put my hand behind her head and then slowly pulled my face away.

"Sorry..." I mumbled finally. I had come into her tent with this intention in mind, but I honestly thought that I would chicken out before I got to this point. As such, I was a little confused as to what to do next.

Neimi simply smiled at me and then yawned as she put rested her head on my chest. "Don't be." She whispered.

I knew that this was an inopportune time, so I laughed "Well, I guess I'll get out of your hair, Neimi."

But to my surprise she grabbed my shirt, "No, don't go." Her words were brief and meaningful, "I just want to sleep... But..." She grunted cutely, "You can stay here." I shrugged as she asked me to remain in her tent and settled down in a more comfortable position as she did the same. She sighed happily as we laid down for the night.

Amazing how I woke up today like it were any other day, planning to end up asleep in my own tent. Now look at where I am. All of this just because of one little talk with a guy I hardly knew...

I should probably thank Artur... Heh...

A/N Yeah, I just kinda rediscovered Sacred Stones. This was initially just me thinking about random supports between characters that did not have them in-game. So my train of thought with Colm and Artur's was just Artur being all calm and philosophical and Colm being... Well... Colm, of course. So then I just decided, 'Hey, why not just turn it into a story?' So this is what became of it, with the added interaction of Colm and Neimi at the end to act as closure. Also, keep in mind, I sorta implied it in the story, but in case you missed it: this was meant to take place AFTER the Colm/Neimi A Support, I would find it far too OOC to have them kiss before that conversation ever occured. I digress: so enjoy, I tried my best to keep the guys in character, so I apologize if I failed on that respect. With that said, read and review!