He listened attentively as Adam called his name, but of course, something interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. Watching Mackenzie direct a glare at him was a novel experience, she usually reserved those for Zell, which could only mean one thing.
"Shit"Judging by Zell's expression the taller man was thinking the same. Okay let's think rationally, what was the fallout of this situation? She wouldn't leave the party over this he trusted her bond with all of them was too strong for that, in the best case scenario she would get annoyed at them and ask them to do something for her which was fair,
worse case? she felt betrayed and a grudge would form. His scowl deepened. He didn't want that, setting aside his personal feelings, they couldn't afford a rift forming right before the siege, he should have informed her as soon as he could but he had forgotten in the preparations for the Temple Quest.
Ahhh he had almost forgotten how stressful it could be to manage interpersonal relationships at work, he was nearly tempted to go for a strong drink but he still remembered what got him in this mess to start with.
And of course, Zell didn't share his reservations.
"Hey man, I dunno this Sillagy gal," he said, feigning to leave his friend to hang out to dry alone. "Nowt to do with me."
He let his head fall to the empty table, a long and pitiful groan leaving his throat. It didn't stop him from answering in kind however.
"Heard of her, cool gal, think she gets into too much trouble though" At least he was still able to find the humor in the situation if they stopped joking then that meant all hope was lost.
“Huh, MacKensie seems upset. Would either of you know why?”
Well there goes the hope that nobody else noticed, just as he was about to explain he caught the look that Zell was sending him, he... he was planning something stupid, wasn't he? As Zell tried to deflect he surmised that yes, the Swordman was indeed just trying to sweep the thing under the rug, he let out another sigh, as much he was tempted to do the same it was better to nip this little flower from the bud before it bloomed into another mess.
He massaged his temples
"Let's just say that Zell and I made some stupid mistakes, don't worry, we will solve things soon, if you want more details ask Mackenzie, by now she should be aware of enough to share" And that was if she wanted to share
"What were you talking about before you were interrupted?"-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-++-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Using one of his spells for physical training felt like cheating as he knew he wouldn't really gain any musculature using it, but this was not about condition, this was about learning to hold a weapon properly.
Seeing Zell in teacher mode was bizarre, the guy was focused and nonsense, offering advice and correcting every mistake he unknowingly made, it was reassuring in a sense, knowing that his teanmate was someone he could trust to guide him in a proper path, and when he also revealed exactly
how his blessing was progressing he could only feel awe at the other man.
By the time they were done he was sweating like a hog and struggling to catch his breath, fucking hell was he worked to the bone, the British man in contrast looked like he was about to go in his morning jog, was the difference between Caster and Martial classes really this big? Forget about the strength he wanted the stamina. Thankfully there was a tavern close to where they were training, despite not working his legs in particular all that fancy footwork had left them shaking, it was a miracle he was able to walk this far.
Hearing Zell talk about him was oddly heartwarming, he... well he couldn't say he was a good leader, frankly he felt anyone else would have been a better fit for the position, they either had the charisma, the initiative, or the wisdom to carry the party, things he lacked if he was being honest. Just as he was about to say something to Zell the other man, for a lack of a better word,
hestiated. That was uncharacteristic, worryingly so, unless the other man was about to declare his undying love for him -Unlikely given that he had seen the way he looked at Mackenzie- then there was something that he felt was both intimate enough to share but also problematic or embarrassing enough to not share it, and taking into account Zell general attitude embarrassment felt like the wrong answer.
That left a glaring culprit.
The sword,
that fucking sword, hate flowed from him, from a concerned friend and from a victim, of course, there was something happening with his best friend and it involved
that fucking sword!. He wanted to yell, to break something. but that was not needed not now. What he needed now was to extend trust so the trust could be returned, Zigmund was against it, afraid and skeptical but James didn't budge, this was something
they needed to do.
He grabbed his glass of water and downed it in a single go, he wished it was something stronger but he needed clarity of mind for this
"Hey, do you remember the Blessing James used against Zigmund?" He waited a couple seconds
"I never got to explain it did I? Not properly I mean" He gathered his courage
"It does not transfer memories, not really, instead it... it makes both entities understand each other, when James used it on Zigmund he didn't get his memories, instead he saw everything, his past, his ambitions, his regrets, his hopes, and he Understood. When the blessing ran its course, I found that I was as much James as I was Zigmund" He struggled to make eye contact, but held firm, the truth laid bare, there was no time for hesitation
"Those first hours were rough I admit, I did not- could not accept who I was when they still didn't reach a consensus but that is no longer a problem, it is in the past now and I was able to move on, I am James, I am Zigmund, and I am me" It was relieving in a sense, finally speaking his mind, but this confession was not done for his own satisfaction
"I am saying this to you because you have earned my trust and I hope you can trust in me the same way" He was guiltying him, he realized, forcing the confession out of him. But if that was what it took for the man to be safe then he was willing to dirty his own conscience
"So please Zell, talk to me"