Chapter 2: Out of the Frying Pan

So close to home now, Yelnar keeps moving faster than the group, realising he has opened up a gap, and falling back to a more normal pace to allow them to catch up. He looks tired, like he didn’t achieve much sleep last night.

Ember tries to catch up.

Hey, Big Guy. Are you going to be okay?

Yelnar lets out a breath "We'll see soon I guess."

Krav is comforted hearing Athisa chuckling and speaking more comfortably. His attention is now turned to the journey, and he heads down the road after Yelnar. His boots are still strapped to his pack, but being barefoot does not seem to be hindering his gait.

Every once in a while he nudges Ephwrath and points to a particular species of plant or animal they encounter. Although he doesnt necessarily approve of Ephwrath collecting samples, he is happy to have someone to share in the excitement.

With a moment to speak freely Elora carefully maneuvers herself next to Viani with a concerned face. "Hey Viani, maybe you shouldn't....talk about Ember like that." She taps her fingers together incessantly, afraid she might face some form of retaliation.

Viani replies, still whispering: "I wasn't saying anything bad. I just wanted to warn Froak about how dangerous magic is."

Ember is glad to see Yelnar's trying to keep his wits about him, but she overhears Viani, and glares at her.Muttering under her breath, Ember cooly points at Viani. The voice Elora, Viani, and Froak hear is nothing more than a whisper.

Yeah, magic is dangerous. Accidents happen. But CARELESS people are dangerous no matter what they use.

Viani immediately spins around to face Ember.
"I... I wasn't saying anything bad about you!", she stammers. "It's just... You have the scars... And you said something about using your blood to make the dead walk. I... I like you, Ember, I was just trying to tell Froak not to be careless."

She stops walking to let the others catch up, speaking quietly.

It is like playing with fire, Froak. It's very useful, but very dangerous. Like your sharp-and-brown. I didn't use my blood. A very bad person stole it from me. But the fire was my fault. I was too little, and I didn't know how it worked. Probably like when you got Words for the first time. And it took away someone very important.

She doesn't look at anyone and grits her teeth.

But if you live your life afraid of it, you'll never be brave enough to control it. That's why I don't hide my burns. They look bad. And they make people talk. But I can't let the bad parts win.

Viani looks to the ground as Ember explains these things to Froak. She's embarrassed about the whole situation and tries to quietly move away from Ember, Froak and Elora to end this situation

Yelnar looks back over his shoulder at Viani, shakes his head while not breaking stride, and continues walking.

But...it's why I'm here, too. A lot more people would have gotten hurt if a wizard didn't help.

This isn't working...

Verrian watches the conflict playing out between Viani and Ember, with supporting roles by Froak and Elora. Part of her is exasperated - can't these girls understand the danger of their situation? Can't they see how little room there is for petty squabbling?

But it's not a petty squabble. It's the fundamental schism Athisa just talked about, writ small. This is exactly the philosophical battle that Garand Disos has launched, already threatening to divide the party.

She quickens her pace to move up closer to Viani and the others. "Magic is a tool, remember. It has no emotions, no motivations. It's like a knife. It just cuts and pierces. It's the person wielding it who decides whether it's cutting a piece of rope or stabbing an enemy."

She smiles at Viani. She's concerned that the girl might feel she's being chastised instead of invited to consider an alternative viewpoint. "Would you support a ban on knives because they can be used to harm people in addition to their many constructive uses?"

"Of course I wouldn't want to ban all knives!" Despite Verrian's calm and friendly demeanor, Viani feels the need to justify herself. "But that's a completely different matter. Magic can choose people who wield it, it can manifest itself in strange places, it can run through the Earth by itself. I believe that magic has a will of its own, motivations, maybe even emotions. It's dangerous, even to the one wielding it."
She looks around at Ember, Elora, Krav, Ephwrath. They all wield magic, even Viani herself does. She sighs. "And I'm not saying magic should be banned either. I don't know if that would be bad or good. I just..." Her voice trails off as she doesn't know how to form her thoughts into a sentence. She looks to the ground, avoiding eye contact with her companions.

Verrian is visibly impressed by the depth of Viani's line of reasoning. "I don't know whether magic is sentient, which is what you seem to be arguing. Maybe it is; I'm not a magic user, so I have no firsthand insight into that. But I still think the tool analogy is relevant.

"Magic is dangerous primarily because of what it can be used to do by people. The motivations of its users are the threat, not the magic itself. Just as it is with knives, swords, crossbows... anything that can be used as a weapon. To my mind, people are the real problem, not the magic."

"All I know is that if the Mage Kings had fought their war with knives instead of magic, the world would not be in the state it is in right now and my sister would still be with my family."

Where is she? Ember asks dryly.