Kiran is not cut out to be a grandmother

8:02 PM] SwaDM: ----------------------------------------------------
[8:04 PM] SwaDM: Kiran has, for...some reason, decided to briefly check on the kid that was supposedly rescued and brought towards the refugee camp hidden within the Sacred Valley. Well, one certainly could not blame him for worrying, at least. Shay directed him towards a red tent located a little past the eating area - and given that there aren't actually a lot of red tents around, especially not near where they were, he's able to locate it pretty easily.
[8:05 PM] SwaDM: It's a fairly large thing - likely meant more for two or three people, rather then just one. Kiran may briefly wonder why they need tents around when they're already underground, just beneath the mountains -  but. Oh, right. Privacy. People tend to like that.
[8:07 PM] SwaDM: There is an older looking man - already gray-haired, relatively short in stature,  wearing what seems to be a padded, grey coat sat just outside of where Kiran's objective resides. He's currently whittling away at a piece of wood with a knife.
[8:07 PM] Kiran: Is the grey coat part of a uniform?
[8:07 PM] SwaDM: No, not particularly. It just seems to be a simple padded coat -a very basic form of armor. Probably improvised.
[8:08 PM] SwaDM: It's doubtful people had the time to actually lug around clusters of platemail while running around in a panic.
[8:08 PM] Kiran: The fools
[8:09 PM] SwaDM: Most people CANNOT summon chests from the astral plane.
[8:09 PM] Kiran: FOOLS
[8:09 PM] Kiran: Anyway.
[8:09 PM] Kiran: takes a deep breath, and focuses himself.
[8:09 PM] Kiran: The gentleman is likely keeping watch.
[8:10 PM] Kiran: approaches the possible guard, keeping his expression fairly soft, and his footsteps similar.
[8:11 PM] SwaDM: He does stop whittling upon Kiran's approach, instead looking up towards them.
[8:11 PM] SwaDM: "Yes?"
[8:12 PM] Kiran: "I apologise for the intrusion. My name is Kiran. I was hoping I could speak with Johnathan, if he is awake."
[8:12 PM] SwaDM: "Joh- oh. Right. The kid that just came in."
[8:12 PM] SwaDM: "Why? I don't recognize you."
[8:13 PM] Kiran: nods.
[8:15 PM] Kiran: "I've just arrived, and unfortunately my group will be leaving soon, which is why."
[8:15 PM] Kiran: pauses before continuing.
[8:15 PM] Kiran: "The same thing that happened to Johnathan happened to me. I know how I felt afterwards, and I- I think that I may be able to help him."
[8:15 PM] SwaDM: "Well...Kiran? Right, Kiran. I think pretty much everyone here had that happen to them - sans a couple of lucky folk."
[8:17 PM] Kiran: nods, expression somber.
[8:17 PM] Kiran: "You're not wrong. But that doesn't mean he doesn't need it."
[8:18 PM] SwaDM: "I mean, you wouldn't be the first person to come over for that either. Truth be told, the kid's..."
[8:18 PM] SwaDM: "...Frankly, he's not doing half as bad as you'd expect him to."
[8:18 PM] SwaDM: "But, you don't look particularly fishy - and Shay let you in, from what I know, so. I'll go with her judgement on that one."
[8:19 PM] SwaDM: sets down the branch of wood he was whittling,  slipping his knive on his belt, peeking his head into the tent.
[8:20 PM] SwaDM: "Hey, Kiddo. Someone out here wants to talk to you. That okay?"
[8:20 PM] SwaDM: A somewhat tired "Okay." comes from within the tent after a few seconds.
[8:21 PM] Kiran: glances toward the tent, then back to the guard, then nods to him.
[8:22 PM] Kiran: enters the tent carefully.
[8:22 PM] SwaDM: They turn their head back towards Kiran, shrugging. "Go right ahead."
[8:23 PM] SwaDM: It's well-lit, at least. Likely because there's a lantern at the center of the tent - a magical one, Kiran can quickly identify. Which is good, because leaving a tent with a nonmagical lantern within it coupled with a child can lead to...disasters.
[8:25 PM] SwaDM: The tent itself has a fairly ample bedroll at it's side, with a large pillow set upon it, in addition to a fairly low wooden table - likely used for eating. A small, open bag is also resting a little further along the tent, seemingly stuffed with a combination of food, tools, and a couple of toys.
[8:26 PM] SwaDM: Shay herself might have (slightly) lowballed Johnathan's age, given that they seem tall enough to be more around the eleven to twelve year range, instead of nine.  Black, somewhat shaggy hair - brown eyes. They admittedly look well-kept, at least, currently sat cross legged upon the bedroll with a half-finished jigsaw puzzle set off to the side.
[8:27 PM] Kiran: bows his head slightly as he enters.
[8:28 PM] Kiran: "Hello Johnathan. My name is Kiran Bazal-Holt. I'm sorry to disturb you."
[8:28 PM] SwaDM: "...Okay."
[8:28 PM] SwaDM: They look about as confused as one would expect.
[8:30 PM] Kiran: "I came to express my condolences for your loss. Too many of us have experienced it."
[8:31 PM] SwaDM: The kid...just stares at Kiran for a couple of seconds, tilting their head and letting out another similarly confused "..Okay."
[8:31 PM] SwaDM: Godsdamnit, Linda makes this look so easy.
[8:32 PM] Kiran: "How many other people have come by saying the exact same shit?"
[8:33 PM] SwaDM: "...That's a swear word. You shouldn't say that."
[8:33 PM] SwaDM: "People say that a lot, though."
[8:33 PM] SwaDM: "The swear, too."
[8:33 PM] Kiran: "It's the end of the world. We can swear if we like. I promise I'll stop after we've saved it, though."
[8:33 PM] Kiran: smiles weakly.
[8:35 PM] Kiran: "I heard that you met a friend of mine."
[8:35 PM] SwaDM: "I did?"
[8:35 PM] Kiran: nods.
[8:35 PM] SwaDM: "I met a lot of people here."
[8:35 PM] Kiran: "Miss Shay mentioned you met a man named Reveno."
[8:35 PM] SwaDM: "...That name sounds dumb."
[8:36 PM] Kiran: smiles.
[8:36 PM] Kiran: "He might have gone by Leon."
[8:36 PM] SwaDM: "I haven't meant any Leons here."
[8:36 PM] SwaDM: "Who are you talking about?"
[8:36 PM] Kiran: shrugs. "A man with one arm and a big sword."
[8:36 PM] SwaDM: "Oh."
[8:36 PM] SwaDM: "Grumpy."
[8:37 PM] Kiran: "That does sound like him."
[8:37 PM] SwaDM: "You're his friend?"
[8:38 PM] Kiran: "We fight sometimes when we disagree. But friends can be like that."
[8:38 PM] SwaDM: "...Okay."
[8:39 PM] SwaDM: "Fighting is bad. Probably."
[8:39 PM] Kiran: nods.
[8:39 PM] Kiran: "It can be, when you're fighting for the wrong reason."
[8:40 PM] SwaDM: "Are you fighting the...uh..."
[8:40 PM] SwaDM: Johnathan furrows his brow a little.
[8:40 PM] SwaDM: "...Void....paw?"
[8:40 PM] Kiran: "The Voidspawn. Yes, I am."
[8:40 PM] SwaDM: "Right. Voidpaw."
[8:41 PM] Kiran: smiles, ever so slightly.
[8:41 PM] SwaDM: "Grumpy fights them. Dad did, too."
[8:41 PM] Kiran: nods again.
[8:42 PM] Kiran: "I saw the village that you lived in. It looks like he gave them Hell."
[8:42 PM] SwaDM: "I don't think you can give hell to anyone..."
[8:42 PM] SwaDM: "It's a really big, scary place."
[8:43 PM] Kiran: "I suppose not."
[8:45 PM] Kiran: "If I remember correctly, your father was a lieutenant."
[8:45 PM] SwaDM: "...Uhuh."
[8:46 PM] SwaDM: "He was."
[8:47 PM] Kiran: sighs quietly.
[8:47 PM] Kiran: "He must have been a good man."
[8:49 PM] Kiran: "Would you like to tell me about him?"
[8:50 PM] SwaDM: They blink a couple of times, tilting his head towards Kiran. "...Why?"
[8:52 PM] Kiran: "A very wise man once told me that as long as someone's memory is still alive, that they're never really gone."
[8:52 PM] SwaDM: "But they are, though."
[8:53 PM] Kiran: "You might not see them in person. The things you learned from them, and the things they said and did, still... resonate through the world. They leave an impact - an impression of themselves on the rest of us. And we keep them alive that way."
[8:54 PM] SwaDM: "Yeah, but."
[8:54 PM] SwaDM: "They're not here."
[8:54 PM] Kiran: replies, quieter-
[8:54 PM] Kiran: "I know."
[8:54 PM] SwaDM: "Oh."
[8:54 PM] SwaDM: They pause for a moment ,before nodding.
[8:55 PM] SwaDM: "Sorry."
[8:55 PM] Kiran: shrugs.
[8:55 PM] Kiran: "It's okay. I'm the one intruding."
[8:55 PM] SwaDM: "Yeah-  but I think you want to help, though. So that's good. Good people are good because they..."
[8:55 PM] SwaDM: "...Uh..."
[8:55 PM] SwaDM: "Do...good."
[8:55 PM] Kiran: smiles, chuckling quietly.
[8:56 PM] Kiran: "That's... about the gist of it. I think."
[8:56 PM] SwaDM: "...Hm."
[8:57 PM] SwaDM: "Dad  was nice. And the strongest. He took care of me after mom left. He worked really hard and let me in the guard station sometimes."
[8:58 PM] SwaDM: "People liked him and he helped with something...ah. It was...right - right. Bad people on the road. He helped against them, so they made him a leftanant and he was able to get a house out of the city."
[8:58 PM] SwaDM: "He said it was good because it was less noisy."
[8:58 PM] Kiran: "He's right. He picked a beautiful place."
[8:59 PM] SwaDM: "It was really pretty."
[8:59 PM] SwaDM: "He liked the Valley. We took trips here a whole lot."
[8:59 PM] SwaDM: "When thigns started getting scary, he said he heard people were coming here and we'd be safe. We waited until the Voidpaws looked like they weren't around and tried to move, but then they were."
[9:00 PM] Kiran: nods.
[9:01 PM] SwaDM: "He told me to hide in the house, and, um. I heard fighting. And then there wasn't anything. I kept waiting, and then something broke the wall, so I tried to run away."
[9:01 PM] SwaDM: "I think...um. Dad died when he told me to hide."
[9:02 PM] SwaDM: He blinks a few times. It's...odd. One would expect the kid to be in the verge of crying, but he...isn't. If anything, his face looks kind of blank.
[9:02 PM] Kiran: ... can I roll SM?
[9:02 PM] SwaDM: Yeah, actually.
[9:02 PM] SwaDM: Do it on the overture channel
[9:03 PM] SwaDM: The kid....honestly doesn't like he wants to cry. It's strange, he legimately seems rather distant regarding this.
[9:03 PM] SwaDM: Either he processed it all really quickly, someone else already talked him through it, or he is a world class actor.
[9:05 PM] Kiran: "It sounds like he was a brave man."
[9:05 PM] SwaDM: "Uhuh."
[9:06 PM] Kiran: "I think you're right about what happened. The Voidspawn are very strong, and it often takes many of us to beat them. Your father will have done everything he could. It sounds... like he lived his life doing everything he could."
[9:07 PM] SwaDM: "Yeah, but he's gone now."
[9:08 PM] SwaDM: "...Grumpy told me it was okay though, because he was going to beat up the paws for good, so that dad would be happy."
[9:09 PM] Kiran: "That sounds like him. We're going to be going to help him soon, and do everything we can to stop them hurting anybody else."
[9:10 PM] SwaDM: "...Okay. Thank you."
[9:10 PM] Kiran: That seems oddly curt.
[9:10 PM] SwaDM: It wasn't. From the tone that Kiran got, it was more of a tired "Okay", followed by a similarly quiet, but earnest "Thank you."
[9:11 PM] Kiran: inclines his head again.
[9:11 PM] SwaDM: From what Kiran can gather (With his newfound headband!) is more that Johnathan isn't entirely sure that'll even happen.
[9:11 PM] SwaDM: Not that he's being dismissed.
[9:12 PM] Kiran: looks tired as well.
[9:16 PM] Kiran: "I know it isn't much... I don't know whether you have anything with you, to remember your father by."
[9:16 PM] SwaDM: "Grumpy said we had time to take things from the house before we left."
[9:17 PM] SwaDM: "I, uh. Took a couple of...uhm."
[9:17 PM] SwaDM: "Magographs and...stuff."
[9:17 PM] Kiran: nods.
[9:17 PM] Kiran: "I should have an order that came into my workshop, one day in the past, for a lieutenant's sword - for Lieutenant Lucien Green."
[9:18 PM] Kiran: "It would have been to commemorate his advancement. The thing that he did, when he saw those bad people off."
[9:18 PM] SwaDM: "That sword he got?"
[9:19 PM] Kiran: "Yes. I made it for him."
[9:19 PM] SwaDM: "Oh."
[9:19 PM] SwaDM: "You're a sword-maker guy?"
[9:19 PM] SwaDM: "It was a really neat sword."
[9:19 PM] Kiran: smiles, and opens the astral storage chest.
[9:20 PM] Kiran: "It was. The order should tell us about it, too. I'll just look for it."
[9:20 PM] SwaDM: "Okay."
[9:20 PM] Kiran: [ROOTING AROUND]
[9:21 PM] Kiran: will shortly thereafter locate the order.
[9:21 PM] SwaDM: Kiran can indeed find it. It was about...give or take, a year, before the Void attacked?
[9:22 PM] Kiran: "Here we are. The order for an enchanted longsword for Lieutenant Lucien Green, promoted 889AB."
[9:22 PM] SwaDM: Johnathan scoots forward a little, sticking out his head to look at the order.
[9:24 PM] Kiran: holds it out to him to take - a diagram of the blade, a shot of the pommel and handle designs from each perspective - and a summary of the enchantment, written in neat, efficient handwriting.
[9:24 PM] SwaDM: "...Yeah! I think that was it, uhuh."
[9:25 PM] Kiran: nods.
[9:25 PM] Kiran: "Enchanted to hold its edge and stay sharp longer. To be more reliable for the user."
[9:25 PM] Kiran: "And to be a really cool enchanted sword."
[9:25 PM] SwaDM: "I really liked it."
[9:25 PM] SwaDM: "I wanted to play with it a couple times, but dad never let me."
[9:25 PM] SwaDM: "He said it was dangerous."
[9:26 PM] Kiran: "He was a very clever man. Swords can be very dangerous if you haven't learned how to use one yet."
[9:27 PM] Kiran: "Maybe someday you can learn how to use one. If you aren't off changing the world."
[9:28 PM] SwaDM: "I'd wanna learn."
[9:28 PM] Kiran: nods.
[9:29 PM] Kiran: "Miss Shay, the woman with the dark hair and the sword. She taught me to use one when I was younger."
[9:30 PM] Kiran: "When things are safer, I'm sure there will be lots of opportunities to learn how to use one."
[9:30 PM] SwaDM: Johnathan nods, once.
[9:30 PM] SwaDM: "Uhm. This thingy."
[9:30 PM] SwaDM: "It's like what you send to get a sword, right?"
[9:31 PM] Kiran: "It's part of it. Most of the time, the smith - the person that makes it - will talk to the customer, and they'll work together to design what they want."
[9:32 PM] SwaDM: "And you're a sword making guy, right?"
[9:32 PM] Kiran: "I am."
[9:32 PM] SwaDM: "Can you make like..."
[9:32 PM] SwaDM: "The biggest sword?"
[9:34 PM] Kiran: "I bet I could. I could make a sword as big as this tent!"
[9:34 PM] SwaDM: "Okay."
[9:34 PM] SwaDM: "So could you make a sword like dad's, but...liike..."
[9:34 PM] SwaDM: "..Fiive times the size? Because that way I can hit more people with it."
[9:35 PM] Kiran: "Hmmm. It might be a little too big for you to swing around. But I could make one that's maybe a little bigger."
[9:35 PM] SwaDM: "If I eat my vegetables I shoudl be able to swing it, because broccoli makes you strong."
[9:35 PM] Kiran: nods.
[9:35 PM] Kiran: "That's very true."
[9:35 PM] SwaDM: "...That's what Grumpy said, anyway."
[9:36 PM] Kiran: "He also trained with his sword, every day, for years and years and years. Do you think you could do that?"
[9:36 PM] SwaDM: "Duh. that's how you get strong - dad told me that."
[9:36 PM] SwaDM: "He practiced lots, too."
[9:36 PM] Kiran: "Good."
[9:37 PM] SwaDM: "...If you practiced with broccoli would you get even stronger?"
[9:37 PM] Kiran: "Maybe. You might want to eat the broccoli, and practice with something that looks more like a sword. Like a carrot, or a leek."
[9:37 PM] SwaDM: "That'd have to be a really big leek."
[9:38 PM] SwaDM: "Okay, though!"
[9:38 PM] Kiran: opens a new page in his notebook, and takes a pen out from his belt.
[9:39 PM] Kiran: writes "Order for enchanted longsword for Johnathan Green, 891AB." at the top of it.
[9:39 PM] SwaDM: "Awesome."
[9:40 PM] Kiran: "I'll fill in the schematics later, I promise. But to make sure that it's a binding agreement between both of us..."
[9:40 PM] Kiran: writes "Payment: Promised to practice every day with the sword like his dad told him.", with "Signature (customer):" below it, and "Signature (craftsman):" next to that.
[9:41 PM] Kiran: signs his name at the bottom, and then holds out the pen to Johnathan.
[9:41 PM] SwaDM: They take it, and then furrow their brow again, as if in deep thought.
[9:41 PM] SwaDM: ...Did they ever have to sign anything?
[9:42 PM] Kiran: whispers "You write your name here, if you're happy with the rest of the stuff written above it."
[9:42 PM] SwaDM: "No, no. I know that."
[9:42 PM] SwaDM: "I'm just trying to figure out how to...Oh! I know."
[9:42 PM] SwaDM: They quickly jot dow ntheir name in a scribble. It most certainly isn't neat handwriting.
[9:42 PM] SwaDM: ...Is...is the T of Johnathan shaped like a sword.
[9:42 PM] SwaDM: That. That's a signature.
[9:42 PM] SwaDM: Probably.
[9:42 PM] Kiran: "I like it."
[9:43 PM] SwaDM: "I made it up just now."
[9:43 PM] SwaDM: "I think it's okay."
[9:43 PM] Kiran: "It's excellent."
[9:43 PM] Kiran: turns to look back at Johnathan.
[9:44 PM] Kiran: "I can't promise that I'll finish it soon. I don't know how long I'm going to be fighting. But I promise that I will come back, and you'll get your sword."
[9:44 PM] Kiran: "We signed the contract and everything. It's official."
[9:44 PM] SwaDM: "Okay. I trust you."
[9:45 PM] SwaDM: "Dad said papers are good."
[9:45 PM] Kiran: nods, and holds out a hand to Johnathan.
[9:46 PM] Kiran: "I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave. I need to go help Grumpy."
[9:46 PM] SwaDM: They hold their own out, shaking it enthusiastically, coupled with a couple of rapid nods.
[9:46 PM] SwaDM: "Uhm. Okay."
[9:46 PM] SwaDM: "He was real strong, but there was a lot of paws..."
[9:47 PM] Kiran: sighs, and nods.
[9:47 PM] Kiran: "Yes. But we're good at what we do. And I'm not going to let Valveria down."
[9:48 PM] SwaDM: "Got it."
[9:48 PM] Kiran: holds up a hand in a wave.
[9:48 PM] Kiran: "It was good to meet you, Johnathan."
[9:48 PM] SwaDM: "Bye, Mr. Kiran!"
[9:48 PM] SwaDM: "Was nice to meet you too."
[9:49 PM] Kiran: ducks back out of the tent, looking slightly confused.
[9:49 PM] SwaDM: Did Kiran do it  right? Maybe? Probably. Linda really DOES make this look SO much easier.
[9:51 PM] Kiran: turns to the guard outside the tent.
[9:51 PM] SwaDM: They tilt their head towards Kiran.
[9:52 PM] Kiran: "Thank you for that. He seems... like a good kid." he pauses for a moment. "Stay safe."
[9:52 PM] SwaDM: "Told you, kid's doing better then you'd expect. You stay safe, too."
[9:52 PM] Kiran: inclines his head to the guard, and departs.