Deimos almost never gave him easy answers. The General made him think, and while Tal could appreciate that on an abstract level there was still a part of him that was young enough to want those easy answers from time to time.
Today was not going to be one of those times, however, and his brows pulled together towards a scowl of fierce thought as the problem was adroitly spun around and handed back to him. "Umm... most importantly? Bein' able to hit from distance, so I'm not tempted to do somethin' as stupid as jumpin' on a landshark again," he admitted sheepishly. "I guess compared to that, elemental stuff is just extra flash." He began folding up the waxed paper wrapping of his pie with neat, crisp lines as it became smaller and smaller in his hands, echoing the narrowing in of his thoughts. "Somethin' easy t'carry, too. So I'm not tryin' t'fumble a big ol' polearm out of my Bag if I get jumped on the road." It was one thing to be prepared when he went looking for trouble; it was something else again to be ready for trouble when it came looking for him. He hadn't quite figured out the exact details, but narrowing down his desires seemed to ease some of the tension from his expression as he looked up at Deimos hopefully, seeking approval.
Tal was as oblivious to Belial's hiding place as the soldiers but at the sight of so many men fighting with the mechanism he gave his friend a cocky grin and a passable salute. "I'm on it, General Warden, sir!" Bounding over, Tal added his own strength to the mix - no longer the skinny little pup he'd been a year ago, but finally filling out with some muscle under Deimos's training regimens.
Today was not going to be one of those times, however, and his brows pulled together towards a scowl of fierce thought as the problem was adroitly spun around and handed back to him. "Umm... most importantly? Bein' able to hit from distance, so I'm not tempted to do somethin' as stupid as jumpin' on a landshark again," he admitted sheepishly. "I guess compared to that, elemental stuff is just extra flash." He began folding up the waxed paper wrapping of his pie with neat, crisp lines as it became smaller and smaller in his hands, echoing the narrowing in of his thoughts. "Somethin' easy t'carry, too. So I'm not tryin' t'fumble a big ol' polearm out of my Bag if I get jumped on the road." It was one thing to be prepared when he went looking for trouble; it was something else again to be ready for trouble when it came looking for him. He hadn't quite figured out the exact details, but narrowing down his desires seemed to ease some of the tension from his expression as he looked up at Deimos hopefully, seeking approval.
Tal was as oblivious to Belial's hiding place as the soldiers but at the sight of so many men fighting with the mechanism he gave his friend a cocky grin and a passable salute. "I'm on it, General Warden, sir!" Bounding over, Tal added his own strength to the mix - no longer the skinny little pup he'd been a year ago, but finally filling out with some muscle under Deimos's training regimens.
