Mairèad & Chadley: April 22

Mairèad says: Sorreh about earlier. Mr. Lius is kind of inc-- yes.

Chadley says: I'm well aware that Mr. Lius is an asshole.

Mairèad sighs with annoyance, drumming her fingers on the spine of the book she's carrying. "Dickhead," she corrects. "And he got his...one of our commandin' officers showed up and made him feel like an arse."
Mairèad says: But I am sorreh.

Chadley sighs. "I should have expected it, after last night."

Mairèad says: What happened last night? Di-- you know. We should get outta the street so Emma doesn't run us over.

Chadley says: I've changed my mind; Stehl's still a jerk. And Emma can walk around.
Chadley walks anyway.
Chadley says: Where are we going.

Mairèad says: Light, what -happened-? And we kin go sit somewhere quiet... mebbe by one 'a the lakes?

Chadley shrugs and keeps walking. "Whatever. And Light, last night. So I'd spent the night practicing and stopped by the Blue Recluse for some water. Turns out, so had Stehl and a few of his... friends."

Mairèad says: Uh oh. Probably Lius, then, and Toos.

Chadley says: Lius, Liotuse, some woman, and some dwarf.
Chadley says: The woman is the one that started it.
Chadley frowns at the fish smell.

Mairèad says: ...not th'Gundorf, I hope. And th'woman...I ent met any women with them before, except Lius' student, and she's stupid and wouldn't know how to start somethin' if you taught her fer twenty years.
Mairèad sets her shield to the side, rolling her shoulders painfully. "So what'd they say? What were they doin'?"

Chadley says: This dwarf didn't have a gun. In fact, he appeared to be wearing similar armor to Stehl's, so I assume he was a paladin. I think the woman may have been, too, or maybe a squire. I don't know. I wasn't paying attention. I just wanted to leave.
Chadley says: I tried leaving, but Stehl called me back.

Mairèad makes a sound not unlike "fffff" and says, "Th'dorf was our commander, then. Colonel Hardcheese. No, I'm not kiddin'."

Chadley says: Hardcheese...? Well, he was only there briefly. Didn't say much to me.

Mairèad says: He humiliated Lius today, so you kin rest assured that he ent a horrible person.

Chadley says: Oh, good, I like him.

Mairèad nudges Chadley lightly and chuckles. "I figured y'would. Do you want a shoulder rub, Chad? I need to practice me healin' magic and with all th'work Stehlfire's been havin' you do, you could probably use one."

Chadley 's brows press together. "Is there no other way you could practice?"

Mairèad wrinkles her nose. "I know y'don't like bein' touched. I jest thought I'd offer, since I know I could use one. But if you'd rather not, it's okay."

Chadley slouches. "Fine. Do it. Just don't make us look like a couple."

Mairèad snorts and shakes her head. "Errybody around here knows I'm Shep's girl," she points out. "Take off yer breastplate. I promise, platonic shoulder rubs onleh. So what'd Stehlfire and his friends do in specific?"

Chadley pulls off his tabard and undoes the various straps and buckles holding the breastplate to his chest. He takes the time to fold the tabard and set both items out neatly on the grass.
Chadley says: If you say so. But if anyone says a -word-...

Mairèad says: If anyone says a word, I'll punch them in the teeth.

Chadley says: Uh- please don't...
Chadley says: And- they didn't really do much, I guess. Just spent about an hour humiliating me for laughs.
Chadley says: Which I'm used to.
Chadley says: I also learned that almost all of them know my father, I guess proving the old saying that people are always more famous after their death.
Chadley begins to groan.

Mairèad shifts around behind Chadley, murmuring a word of blessing. Her fingertips begin to glow, and although the sensation burns a bit at first, it soon becomes the whole soothing Light thing Chadley's likely used to.
Mairèad says: From what I hear, he's had a lotta influence in this city. I guess around this time last year, someone kidnapped him and tortured him and wanted to publically execute him.
Mairèad keeps her voice carefully neutral, as if discussing climate changes in the past year.

Chadley winces and then stiffens in reaction to the burning, but eventually relaxes. "And people stopped that from happening?"

Mairèad says: Yahar. I guess that, at the time, he was one of th'onleh deaders what knew his place and didn't try to cause hell in Stormwind. And he tried to keep the other ones in line, too.
Mairèad works her fingers gently against a particularly nasty knot. "Plus it was part of a riot... lots of innocent people were hurt and killed. His death would've jest said that tearin' the city apart 'cause yer cranky is okay."

Chadley doesn't allow himself to relax fully, remaining slouched forward with a sober expression. "Did it happen because of what he is? Or was it just... random?"

Mairèad says: Depends who you ask. Some people think it was 'cause he's a deader. Some people think he was jest random. I haven't asked him about it meself...figure if I'd almost died and been tortured, I wouldn't wanna tell me about it either.

Chadley says: What would he even care? He's dead.
Chadley says: Probably didn't even hurt to be tortured.

Mairèad rolls a shoulder, making a weird spider pattern with her fingers. "I heard th'person what tortured him wielded the Light, but not like you and me...he used it like a Blood Knight. It didn't come to him 'cause he was faithful, it was 'cause he stole it."

Chadley continuously slouches more and more forward, the pressure of her fingers on his back probably not helping this at all. His eyes are wide now. "He used the Light as torture...? That's disgusting. That's more disgusting than..." He shakes his head.
Chadley says: Than a Death Knight.

Mairèad tries to pull Chadley into a more upright position so she can actually loosen the knots in his shoulders. "I agree," she says, barely audibly. "Anyway. That's probably why so many people know him. I guess he's been tryin'a lay low more recently."
Mairèad says: Cultists kidnapped his wife so she could marry a giant tauren and give birth to their snake god, so he wants to keep thin's quiet.

Chadley slowly looks over his shoulder. "-What-?"

Mairèad says: It's jest what I heard. I guess she's some sort of...I don't even know. Somethin' powerful.

Chadley says: Something- I don't even want to know. I don't even -know- what I want to know. I can't keep ignoring this fucking corpse, Mairead.

Mairèad sits back and rests her hands in her lap. "What are y'gunna do?"

Chadley leans back forward, holding his head between his arms, "I don't -know-. I don't want anything to do with it and yet everything about me already has -everything- to do with it!"

Mairèad says: ...mebbe Shep could help you.

Chadley says: How?

Mairèad says: Well. He invents things. Usually things what make yer dad hurt or itchy...I don't laugh 'cause I try to be nice to him, but I do on the inside.
Mairèad says: But what if he could make you somethin' so that you could be near yer dad without feelin' sick? Then you could talk to him and get closure.

Chadley says: Can he really create something capable of suppressing spiritual energy?

Mairèad says: If anyone could, Shep could. Whaddya mean, spiritual energy? I thought y'jest felt sick 'cause he's an abomination.
Mairèad is so nice to Mr. MacGlynn, really.

Chadley says: I- I do. But, you know, the Light reacting to it? They're all animated by that disgraceful magic, after all...

Mairèad says: So you think th'Light's jest makin' you feel sick 'cause of all th'necromancy in yer dad?

Chadley scoots away from Mairead, removing his gloves and setting them beside his breastplate. He pulls his tabard back on.
Chadley says: I don't know. Something like that, I guess.

Mairèad says: Well. If Shep knew about what was goin' on with you, I bet he'd be able to help. Mebbe he could make you a pill or somethin'.

Chadley says: I've been practicing meditation to stop it from happening. I don't think pills would help.
Chadley says: It's a spiritual flaw, not a physical one.

Mairèad says: You'd be surprised how many things pills kin help. At least let Shep take a look and give it a try... it'd be worth it if you could go through Stormwind and not get sick errytime yer near a deader. And th'Light itself is spiritual, right?
Mairèad says: But it manifests in the physicaly. Mebbe this is the same.

Chadley says: I really, really don't think it'll do any good, Mairead.

Mairèad says: It wouldn't hurt to try at least.

Chadley says: Also, no offense to your boyfriend or whatever he is now, but I'm not going to be popping medication just invented on the fly.

Mairèad says: I could try it first, if y'like. Jest to make sure it works alright. But you -need- to get this closure, Chad. Y'won't be able to move on with yer life unless you do.

Chadley says: I KNOW I need to get this done! I don't need anybody reminding me of something I remind myself every Lightdamned minute! I just don't think you- It's not going to work. I'll humor you. But it won't work.

Mairèad seems taken aback at this sudden outburst, though she simply nods. "Alright. You know I'll try and help you any way I know how, Chad. Y'know that, right?"

Chadley looks at her, looking a little taken aback about it himself. "I- I know. Thank you. I'm sorry."

Mairèad says: ...Chad, you know there's nothin' you kin do that'll evarrr make me stop lovin' you. We're family. That ent gunna change, no matter what happens. I jest wanna make sure yer alright.

Chadley says: I'm... glad to hear you say that, though usually when people say things like that it's because they're trying to persuade someone of something.
Chadley says: What do you want me to do, then?
Chadley says: You personally.

Mairèad says: Me personally? I... I want you to be able to talk t'yer dad. Even jest once. He's actually not a jackass, and...
Mairèad sighs and looks away, shaking her head. "It ent me place."

Chadley says: It is your place if I ask.

Mairèad shrugs a shoulder, still looking away. "I jest want you to be happy, Chad. Yer content sometimes, but it feels like yer nevarrr happy. And I want you to be happy."

Chadley lies back on the grass and looks up at the branches overhead. "I know I'm not."

Mairèad flops down on her stomach, studying Chadley. "It hurts t'see someone y'love not be happy. You jest wanna fix it, but y'don't know how."

Chadley says: My mom is dead. So is Thomas. Any place that holds any value to me has been destroyed. Everything I do seems to lead me back to some fucking thing with my father's face and I don't even know if I can pass my training.

Mairèad shakes her head, reaching over to squeeze Chadley's hand in a gesture of reassurance. She lets go quickly. "You'll pass yer trainin'. It might take a while, you'll get there. Jest... y'gotta lotta stuff t'work out between now and then, and I kin't do that fer you." She gives him a sad smile. "Wish I could, but..."

Chadley says: Is all of this getting in my way?
Chadley says: Do you think that's why?

Mairèad hesitates and then nods. "I'm no mind fixer, but if I had to guess what's standin' in yer way, I'd say yer dad's a good place to start."

Chadley says: If there was such a thing as a mind fixer, I'd not be here on the grass crying like an idiot.
Chadley sits up.
Chadley says: I'll need to meditate a lot more, if I'm to be near that.

Mairèad doesn't sit up; she still just lies there, looking up at Chadley with a concerned frown. "What kin I do to help?"

Chadley says: ... Or try your damned uninvented pills.
Chadley says: I... don't know what you can do. I have a lot of thinking to do.

Mairèad nods, finally sitting up. She looks very much like she would like to latch onto Chadley much the way she usually does Shepard, but instead she simply reaches out her hand, murmuring a word of blessing.

Chadley pulls his friend into a hug, not saying a word.

Mairèad looks completely surprised at this, not reacting for a moment, but eventually wrapping her arms around Chadley and holding him close. She doesn't say anything either.

Chadley lets go abruptly. "I'm going home now." He stands, picking up his things as he does so.

Mairèad nods, standing as well. She reaches up and kisses the corner of Chadley's mouth. "Light bless you and keep you, Light shine upon you and grant you peace."

Chadley tries to shrug her away when she does this. "Yeah, I ask it for that, too. Goodnight. Light bless."

Mairèad steps back and lets Chadley walk way. "You too."