Masa con Papas: Proxy's Memory

[ThreadLurkingComorant]

Bucket: What are our terms here? I desire to see them pinpointed precisely.

Ali: I fund the job and a little more for your resistance effort. All the loot will be added to my library. You’re allowed access to any information discovered that may be beneficial to you.

Ali: Especially of the god killing variety.

Bucket: And how do I know I can trust you on this?

Ali: Because I personally enjoy having a contact for everything.

Ali: And I know you’re long away from being out of the woods.

Ali: It’s a 50/50 anyway. You might get out of all this with your freedom best case scenario.

Ali: And if you don’t? Well… I can arrange something more.

Ali: You’re family after all.

Bucket: Don’t want to hear that from you.

Ali: I got you out of that shithole, nothing town. Could get you way more.

Ali: I’ve seen your work since, you’re a bit of a master of your craft.

Ali: Not fair that you’re stuck on the run.

Bucket: Let’s see how that job goes first.

Bucket: I do wonder why you seek this.

Ali: Seek what?

Bucket: Immortality has been on the mind forever for you.

Ali: It’s a gift you’ve got.

Bucket: Gift is a strong word…

Bucket: And it’s conditional at most.

Ali: An opportunity nonetheless. Surprised that bastard hasn’t cut you off.

Bucket: It has its reasons, vile ones.

Ali: Never would’ve read it that way but.. The obsessions of gods aren’t relevant to me.

Bucket: You think you’re beyond that?

Ali: Beyond anyone, given the right tool in hand.

Ali: Can you say that for yourself?

Bucket: A knight shouldn’t see themselves as above anyone frankly. Disconnecting yourself from your humanity is a betrayal of our origins.

Ali: If you cling onto the old way, sure.

Ali: But our kind is dying. The knights, the guilds, the very family name we’ve had so long.

Ali: So much of this world is run by monarchs and the people are useless in the face of them.

Ali: Community guilds shattered, witch circles forced into basements and hidden taverns.

Ali: The power of the average person has dwindled.

Bucket: Then it’s only natural to empower them, no?

Bucket: We build archives and libraries, armories for the average person to revolt against the oppressor..

Bucket: Our kind take care of the community’s needs and are taken care of in return.

Ali: Tell me this, when’s the last time a town has resupplied you to compensate for the favors you’ve done for them?

Ali: Or offered you a job in exchange for bed and essentials?

Bucket: There’s been plenty of individuals willing to step up-

Ali: Has it been consistent?

Bucket: No.

Ali: They’re not reliable. People are too inherently selfish and cowardly to be reliable to make big changes.

Ali: Empowering them only does so much when all it takes is one little display to send them hiding and begging for their lives.

Ali: The Gallows Effect. Are you familiar?

Bucket: Mm.. The practice of rounding up knights and executing them in the public eye to discourage any political opponents in regions where gods and government are particularly hands on….

Ali: You know it’s still *very* legal in most regions? It may not come up, and certain gods may not practice it but..

Ali: It’s still very much a tool many gods keep in their pocket, just in case.

Bucket: And what do you plan to do then?

Ali: Become greater than any god on this mortal plane. True immortality, a champion who cannot die.

Ali: I can’t trust anyone else in this world to get it done right, so I’ll oversea it myself to the end of time.

Ali: You’d be more than welcome to join. Be a waste of talent.

Bucket: Then consider it wasted.

Bucket: I’ll take the job but I’ve had more than my fair share of eternal youth to be quite sick of it.

Ali: I’ll go talk to my legal worker to start working on forms. We’ll oversee them together.

Ali gets up from her seat.

Ali: If you have time, I’d like to spar some and perhaps dinner after too.

Bucket: On the condition that I can take my comrade.

Ali:Really now?

Bucket: Bern is essentially for me to operate at my fullest. She’s a loyal comrade and part of the negotiation with full pay and compensation.

Ali: To think you’d rely on such feeble magic…

Bucket: She’s my proxy, adopted or otherwise.

Ali: I see.

Ali: In that case, do understand that I will not tolerate underperformance on the job.

Ali: If she causes issues, you’re the one responsible.

Bucket: You’ve vouched for me before, don’t see why it’s different.

Ali: It is.

Ali: You’re the only one who understands, whether you know it or not.

She marches out of the tent.

Ali: I’ll return shortly. Grab your reading glasses if you need them.

You wait until she’s fully out of view. You look over at Bern who’s been in the background this whole time.

Bucket: Hey-

Bern:  You didn’t have to stand up for me like that-

Bucket: I do, not for you. For her sake.

Bucket: I want to make sure everyone knows that she bleeds.

Bern: Wow uh..

Bern: Huh.

Bern: Still.. Should be the one speaking up more.

Bucket: She dismisses anyone who hasn’t impressed her. You’re not missing anything.

Bern: Then I’ll have to do my best on this job, right?

Bucket: Do it for yourself first. She’ll learn overtime. She’ll hate it but…

Bern: But she’ll have to admit I get the job done, yeah?

Bucket: Exactly.

Bern: Mm…

Bern: Thanks. Sorry I didn’t get much in.

Bucket: You’ll have your time, I’ll make sure. Until then, do your usual.

Bern:  Mm.. I actually caught a few things while you two were talking. Something about her posture is really off…

Bucket: Not surprising. Can you write it down for now? I don’t think we’ll have much time to share.

Bern: Sure thing. You doing okay yourself? All that looked intense.

Bucket: Me? I’m fine so far. After dinner.. We will see. Would you like to come to that?

Bern: Maybe… think she’ll go for some big ticket place?

Bucket:  Absolutely.

Bern: Strongly considered.

Bucket: Mm…

Bern: You going to be okay though, for real? Not just toughing it out?

Bucket: Always is with her. I’m just a professional at this point.

Bucket: But for now, consider us employed…