What a puzzling development. Even the woman who was banned didn't know why? There was no way she was lying, so the Druid would have to ask her about it again later.
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So many questions. So much pain. Adam could hear it in her voice, even if MacKensie hadn't been blatantly asking him about it. He knew he would do his best to relieve her of those feelings.
“My heart is telling me a lot of things, including a reminder of some personal family history.” He glanced at Lucy; sure, she didn't seem like she was eavesdropping, but why risk anything? She seemed like a decent person, though for all he knew, the elf could have been subtly listening in on them the entire time. “We should discuss everything in a more private location.”
Guiding the Ranger to a bench in a quiet back alley near the Guild hall, the Druid motioned for her to sit down next to him. Once she did so, he looked into those beautiful blue eyes and spoke from the heart. “First, you are a wonderful person. You aren't killing for the fun of it, it's to help people. Hommas and Cherrad's citizens are alive in part because of that. And me personally, I'm not sure I would have made it this far without you. You mean a lot to me.” After the last part, Adam's cheeks turned a bright shade of red, as if he just realized that this might have been more forward than he intended. This isn't about you, tone it down, Adam.
“Anyway, that history.” The man sighed, then turned himself towards the front, staring into the distance as he told MacKensie everything. “My Uncle David was a great man. Honest, intelligent, could lighten up the mood anywhere. He wanted to serve his country, so he joined the army when he was 18.”
The sadness in Adam's voice was palpable. “He came back a completely different man. Just abrasive all around, to say the least. I'll spare you the gruesome imagery, but he saw atrocities overseas. Horrible things, caused major PTSD. And a year after he came home, he took his own life. Of course, this was all before I was born - my father was 13 at the time. I just can't imagine…”
The red-eyed man drifted off for a moment before resuming his focus, this time looking at his blond friend once more with conviction in his voice. “The point being, I think that this - our part in this war in Mytheria - isn't like that. Whatever the political stuff is that's going on here, we aren't bad people doing bad things. I don't enjoy killing people. And if the Emperor or whoever tries to get us to do evil things, we have the power to say no. This is going to sound super conceited, but we are special here, I think. The way Barracker spoke of us, and what Glee has told me, convince me of this. That means we have some latitude here. Whatever we were brought here for, we can choose our own path.”
Everything Adam said was true, yes. It was good to lead with that, because the next part might be tougher to accept. “That being said, I think the hacked letter is at least highly suspicious, and probably an attempt to kill us. Melina could have sent her own message with the source mail, or had Zigmund give us a letter instead of attacking us. Lillianna knew of the danger we were in and where it came from, and I trust her. Personally, I plan on defending this city, even if it kills me. I don't know everything here. I just know that if I do nothing, innocent people will die, and I couldn't live with myself that way. Then maybe I can go to Capital City and get some answers about all this. If the team feels differently, that's understandable. This is just what my heart is telling me to do.”
Adam smiled at MacKensie, then concluded with “and whatever does happen, I know you'll be okay.”