Clash of Wills

[Dreyfus]

♅ 4th of Glade, Year 121, A.o.S ♅
Company: Dornkirk| Thoughts: Quite the interesting man| Mood: Intrigued

♅ "It was more so a challenge of trajectory. If I angled the shot slightly ahead of the target, a hit was guaranteed. I've seen this many times when shooting fleeing mages." he said with an unenthused sigh. He did however nod in approval of Sir Dornkirk's praise.

Moving from the firing spot Dreyfus loaded two more bullets into his pistol, his eyes meeting the air commander as he spoke his thoughts on the arcane. The wolf was disappointed, but not surprised in his views, as it was the view of the city as a whole. He nodded as the commander finished his statement.

Dreyfus however didn't see magic that way. He held a sentiment that magic while corrupting, was good for society. The problem is when it's wielded by the morally weak or weak-willed individuals. Dreyfus felt and wholeheartedly believed that magic should only be possessed by the worthy, those that can handle the burden, individuals like himself.

When the air commander asked for the recanting of the retribution he exacted on those responsible, that made him chuckle a bit more, seeing another facet of the man before him. It seemed that he relished the death of mages. "I haven't killed them yet. I simply know that of all the ones responsible, three remain at large, one in particular who gave me an affliction I live with today."

It became silent for a moment, but it was broken with Dreyfus's next words. "However, If I could, I would subject them to a fate worse than death itself......ripping their magic from them, shutting them off from ever being able to wield another rune of magic again." ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

Brenner took note of the silence that answered his statements on magic and he arched his brow toward Dreyfus as he handed his rifle off to the cadet. The Air Commander wasn't acquainted with an abundance of state mages, but those he knew tended to be the most outspoken and strident in their opinions on other mages. He'd always taken it for an overcompensation thing- They became radical in projecting their self-loathing onto others of their ilk in an effort to prove their loyalty to the cause of regular people. It didn't really work, in Brenner's opinion, but he did appreciate that effort and note that it was lacking in this particular state mage. He took a seat on the nearby bench.

"As you can imagine that kind of shooting is important shooting moving targets from one moving vessel to another..." He said, as he tugged the fingers of his left glove to loosen them, before pulling the whole thing off and laying it over his knee.

"Ah..." Brenner clucked his tongue and shook his head, "Well, I'm sorry to hear that you have yet to avenge your mum. If anyone were to harm my mother, I would fall like an ocean upon them. I would have such revenges... What they are, I know not yet, but they would be the very terrors of the earth." Brenner snarled through his smirk. He was paraphrasing an old Gelerian play to which he'd been taken as a teen. He often found that the most extreme emotions were best relayed through the words of more adept creative minds than his own.

"What of you, Dreyfus?" Brenner didn't look up from his right hand as his left went about the business of freeing it from its leather raiment. "What do you make of magic and mages?" If the man wouldn't volunteer the information of his own accord, Brenner would inquire pointedly.

"And how did you acquire your... abilities?"

[Dreyfus]

♅ 4th of Glade, Year 121, A.o.S ♅
Company: Dornkirk| Thoughts: Quite the interesting man| Mood: Intrigued

♅ He smiled and nodded when Dornnkirk offered his condolences at not having unleashed vengeance on his mother's killers. He then turned his attention to answering his inquiries. The first question was not one he expected to be turned back on him. Dreyfus was in a rather precarious position, that being if he were to tell the truth, he could have the entirety of the order on his head for it. So he decided to omit the truth. "My view of magic is a rather unorthodox one, as I don't see magic as an abhorrent evil. I see it as most in my line of work see it, a tool, a means to an end." he began.

He was inspecting his gun as he continued. "Magic in the right hands can be a boon to any civilization if said people know how to handle it. It can progress many things for one's life if they have the focus and discipline to stay true and not let it corrupt them." he explained, though his true view was something totally different, something extreme.

"As for my fellow mages I both love and hate them all at once. Mages when shown that they can be dedicated to using magic as a tool, can achieve great things. They can move armies, plow land, save lives if need be. But as much as I love them and their dedication, I despise those who are weak. By weak I mean the ones that cant handle the weight of magic, and fall to its temptations. I believe that the weak of will are unworthy of magic." he explained, taking a moment to clear his throat, and then looking to the Air Commander.

"As for how I obtained my magic, I gained two of my runes from my father, after being relentlessly persistent. The other rune, I gained from the order. All together I hold three, Summoning, Kinetics, & Negation." he added, then taking another step towards the Air Commander to pose a question of his own. "Allow me to ask you this, with how we regulate mages and magic, what do you think will happen when the mages have had enough of our regulations?"

His eyes scanned over the shorter male, looking to see how he handled such a question, certain that the man has probably never even wondered this. "I know this may not be an appropriate question to ask, but given losing my mother from rogue and angry mages, I tend to think these things, not out loud of course, as I am a fan of keeping my head." he chuckled. ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

As Dreyfus expounded upon his views on magicks and mages, Brenner's eyes were upon the gloves he was folding in half to rest upon his knee. His expression remained stoic, as he extended hands imprinted with pink where the seams of the gloves had left their mark upon pale skin. They might have been talking about the weather for how flat his expression remained, but his visage was being consciously managed by a practised, diplomatic mind. Behind those indifferent eyes, he hid away the concern and disgust that Dreyfus' answer elicited.

"Mm." He glanced up- his gaze briefly meeting the mage's, "I've heard that case made before..." He pursed his lips, "...met those who've posited that 'Magic is naught but a tool', 'Magic doesn't kill people, people kill people'..." He trailed off and returned his gaze to his hands, now resting on his lap. "I've encountered them who believe that those of us who oppose magic do so out of envy, and I'm certain that's true in some instances, but it is not my position nor that of the glorious State." A point upon which he elected not to expound upon any further, for the nonce.

His eyes darted up at the line, 'I believe that the weak of will are unworthy of magic'. There was a potent danger in a man of this ilk holding that line of thought. More so insofar as he felt comfortable enough to share such aberrant views openly with a man he'd just met. A man whom he knew served the State and dedicated his life to standing athwart the exact sort of hypotheticals being tossed about in their exchange.

"What do I think?" He stalled by repeating the question, and his icy eyes glinted with blue flame.

"I think that, if the regulations do not evolve to the point that the mages' sense of umbrage is wholly irrelevant, then they will incite a war." He shrugged one shoulder, cavalier.

"I would prefer we avoid this path, though I fear it is one toward which we are hurdling at breakneck pace. Still and all, whether we evolve through a triumph of the Zaichaeri will or through mortal necessity borne of war, I believe we will find ourselves arriving at the same final solution..." He paused, for a moment and then his glare softened and he adopted a smile,

"Where has your father gotten to? Still admiring the airships outside?" He mused, "Shall we go find him? I think young Aalneck has learnt quite enough at the shooting range for today."

[Dreyfus]

♅ 4th of Glade, Year 121, A.o.S ♅
Company: Dornkirk| Thoughts: Quite the interesting man| Mood: Intrigued

♅ For the moment, Dreyfus was rather intrigued by the man and his opinion. Most would have scolded him for even questioning the balance between the powers that be, and for he knew, Sir Dornkirk could very well turn him in or at least try to. Intrigued eyes looked over the man with interest for a brief moment, before adverting back to the pistol in his hand.

On the other hand, Dreyfus could come to appreciate the man's openness on the subject. Not many were like him, which made the shorter male interesting. Most people he met gave him one of two interactions. One being that of the patriotic zeal or that of the disgust for him being a mage, and sometimes even both. This Dornkirk fellow however was rather different and Dreyfus like that about him. He like that this man wasn't like the others at least on a surface level at least.

When he mentioned looking for where Drey's father had gone he had almost forgotten that he was supposed to be keeping the good commander busy while his father attended to business. It seemed that he wasn't as absent-minded as the wolf first thought and smiled. "I'm sure he is around here somewhere." he alluded to, as he motioned to follow the man as they searched the airfield for his father.

For a moment there was silence but Dreyfus wiped it away with his next inquiry. "I'm curious Sir Dornkirk, is this the extent of your ambition, or do you aspire to do more than run drills in a time with no war? What mark do you wish to leave on this world, and what do you want the people to remember you by."

Now that he knew the man's views on magic, he was curious to know the man as an individual, what he aspired to achieve. ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

Brenner's surveying sweep of the room ended without catching sight of the elder Monteliyet, so his gaze returned to the younger. He seemed none too concerned with the location of his father, and Brenner had no reason to press the matter. His curiosity was set aside, as another pointed question was posed. He smirked slightly and looked to Aalneck,

"Cadet, why don't you go get lunch and head back to the academy." The Air Commander produced a bit of coin and placed it into the adolescent's palm. He nodded to the boy as he darted off, then looked to Dreyfus.

"Figured I'd spare the kid having to sit through the rest of our little pissing contest." He offered with a playful sneer. "My personal ambitions take a back seat to my ambitions for the Fatherland." Brenner replied, contemplatively. "All of use who serve the State are arrows in a quiver. A single arrow is a deadly thing, but withal a fragile one. Easy to break. When you bundle the arrows together, they become an unbreakable monolith... as long as they're all facing the same direction. I hope that you, me everyone in this compound is facing in the right direction- ready to be fired into the fray or held firm to maintain the integrity of our glorious nation. If my commitment to the State affords me further advancement in rank or status, that is merely a dividend. There is a reason we call military work 'service'." He noted, rolling his neck.

"And what of you, Reconciliator? Are we arrows in the same quiver, or are your aims of a more... divergent variety?"

[Dreyfus]

♅ 4th of Glade, Year 121, A.o.S ♅
Company: Dornkirk| Thoughts: Quite the interesting man| Mood: Intrigued

♅ "I would hardly call this a pissing contest, more so an inquiry at best." he chuckled lightly as they continued to walk. Dreyfus listened intently as the air commander divulged his answer after sending his subordinate away. This Dornkirk raised some interesting points, but Dreyfus felt his blind loyalty was a crutch. Soldier or not no one should just follow orders and through their lives away so readily in his opinion.

That is where the two of them were different, as Dreyfus was always questioning. He knew better than to do it out loud but he was always questioning the motives of those around him and the state as a whole. When Dreyfus was asked if was an arrow pointing in the same direction, he could only smirk. "As of now yes, I assume you can say I am pointing in the same direction but things have a tendency to change."

He began, combing his fingers through his hair. "However for the time being I am content with the direction the bowman has me pointed in." he finished his eyes searching the area for his father who could have been anywhere on this compound at this point. He wasn't sure if he had been left here by his father, but he soon felt the grasp of his father's hand on his shoulder from behind.

"Forgive me, I got sidetracked catching up with an old friend who happened to be here as well. I hope you two got along well enough." His eyes looked from Dreyfus to Brenner. If you are up to it Sir Dornkirk, we would love to have you over for dinner sometime. I'm quite interested in hearing some of your exploits in person. The look in his eyes was discerning, as Dreymund was reading into Brenner for himself, trying to gauge the young officer.

Dreyfus stood at his side as he watched, as not many could withstand his father's gaze before becoming a ball of nerves. It was an interesting thing to watch that was for certain. ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"If you prefer..." Brenner replied, answering Dreyfus' chuckle with a corresponding snicker of his own. The Air Commander didn't get the sense that the competition between them had ended at the conclusion of their shooting contest. There were challenges buried in Dreyfus' lines of inquiry, and any true-hearted Zaichaeri knew that there was no such thing as a casual conversation with a member of the Order. This may well have been a test, and it would be an exchange that he would log and submit to a superior officer just to be safe. Especially because of the little comments that Dreyfus let slip like the one about things having a tendency to change.

"Our environs may alter, but our hearts should be ever steadfast in service of the State. I know that members of the Order takes oaths just as we of the ZADC do. I hope that you are not insinuating that some shift in your fortunes might lead you to forswear your duties..." In point of fact, Brenner wasn't as much of a sycophant as Dreyfus seemed to believe. He believed in the hierarchies of the armed forces, but he recognised that sometimes an officer who held rank on him did as Dreyfus suggested and changed. Their intentions became compromised and their orders invalid. Perhaps their child acquired magical ability and they suddenly found themselves unwilling to make the necessary sacrifices demanded of them, or perhaps they'd been plied from their proper path by the promise of wealth or power. His attention to such details made him a better soldier, in his opinion.

"Nothing to forgive." Brenner said, shifting his attention to the approaching elder Montilyet. "So we did." He offered a polite smile, "That's very kind of you to offer. Perhaps we could schedule it at a time when my brother might join, as well. He's Zaichaer's foremost airship designer and he's actually the architect of the very vessel of which I serve as first mate."

[Dreyfus]

♅ 4th of Glade, Year 121, A.o.S ♅
Company: Dornkirk| Thoughts: Quite the interesting man| Mood: Intrigued

♅ It was clear that the Dornkirk boy held far more resolve than he original thought, impressed if only for a little bit. It wasn't every day that someone didn't shrink in the face of his father's crushing discernment. His father invited Brenner over for dinner which was code to the young wolf. He knew very well what that meant as he wanted to see whether the Dornkirk boy would become useful in the long run.

He obliged, only agreeing if his brother could join. His father had no problem with that, nodding in agreeance. "Then it's settled, I look forward to it. I'll have my office send over the details at a later date." he said with a smile, looking over briefly to Dreyfus before turning his gaze back to the air commander. If Dreyfus had learned anything from this engagement, it was that Brenner was a rather well-composed man.

"I do believe we have taken up more than enough of your time, so let us be off. I'm rather interested to see how far you will go, being a former soldier myself." With a polite boy Dreymund turned and began to make his way back to the carriage. Dreyfus watched for a moment, then looked to Brenner.

"I will say this was quite the learning experience for me. Like arrows in the proverbial quiver as you put it, I do hope we both remain pointed towards the same goal. Until next time." He gave the air commander and turned to leave as well, a smirk on his face as he approached the carriage.

Once inside Dreymund gave a tap on the roof and the carraige began to move. "Well?" his father began, removing some papers from his suit jacket. They were folded and seemed to have important information that captivated his eyes though he was clearly listening.

"He is a man of stern resolve, though he is no fool. I can see he isn't as oblivious to the tension of the mages of our glorious city, but is weak-willed and follows the sheep mentality that it should be feared. In any case, I fully expect him to report me given our conversation." those last words caught the eyes of his father.

"That questioning and unorthodox natures of yours will get you killed, haven't I told you not to do anything foolish?." he chastised, only for the wolf cub to chuckle. Leaning against the carriage door, he smirked.

"You should know by now....my whole existence is nothing but foolish." ♅

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Mint!" The enthusiasm in Brenner's reply to the elder Montilyet did not translate from his voice to his face, which donned only the faintest of smiles as his suspicious gaze remained upon Dreyfus. Brenner didn't bother to conceal the nature of his stare. If this was, indeed, some sort of a test and this old veteran was its supervisor, it would best be known that Brenner did not blithely accept dangerously heterodox thinking from fellow soldiers.

His eyebrows raised as the man he'd been eying imparted his final thoughts and perfunctory farewell. In response, the Air Commander only locked his steely eyes with Dreyfus', lifted his arm in a sharp salute punctuated by a click of his bootheels and barked:

"Hail Zaichaer!" He remained in that pose for a few moments, even as the pair started to walk away. Only melting out of the rigid posture and letting his arm lower to his side when they'd turned completely away from him. He stood and watched for another moment, before turning on his heel and collecting his belongings from the shooting stall.

The Montilyets were on odd pair, he thought as he crouched down to fill his pack. The father hadn't let aught untoward slip, whereas the son had been shocking open with toxic views that, in Brenner's opinion, verged on Mage Supremacy. Dreyfus would be one to watch. Of that Brenner Dornkirk was certain. But whether he would use his unusual mind to advance the glorious cause of the State of Zaichaer, or to plot towards her undoing? That was still anybody's guess.

Brenner shouldered his pack, and headed out of the shooting range with a scowl on his damnably delicate features. He really detested filling out paperwork, and it was confounding when, what might have been a simple exchange between two proud men of Zaichaer, turned into such a task.