Lisbeth threw her head back and laughed. "You weren't trying to intimidate me? Do you hear yourself? A moment ago, you were yelling at me about how I'm going to get myself killed, then you decided to show me that power, but sure, you weren't trying to be scary at all. You're delusional."
"And I never said you were all evil," she added. "No, what I said is you're dangerous. It's not about whether you think you'd kill a child. It's about how willy nilly you are throwing your power about, flexing your magical muscles just to show off and not showing any respect for the power that you didn't earn and don't deserve. You know how an Attuned gets their powers, right? They have to earn them. They have to petition the Old Gods, prove themselves worthy. But you? You just happened on these powers by chance of birth. You didn't do anything to earn them, you didn't need to prove yourself worthy of them, you just have them. And the way you wield them so recklessly shows that you're dangerous."
She started stalking off, pulling out her bow and arrows again. She had a lot of pent up frustration now, and she needed something to take it all out on so she wouldn't end up trying to shoot Sah again.
She started taking aim at the crabs again, forcing herself to focus carefully on her aim. It helped start to calm her racing heart. Her breathing started to slow. She carefully raised an arrow, took aim, and released it with the smoothness of letting out a breath.
With her back to Sah, she said, "I wasn't born with the ability to wield a bow." She took aim at another crab, her hands no longer shaking, and sunk an arrow right into its shell. "I had to work for it, train hard, prove that I was capable. Do you train with your magic? Sure." She fired off another shot, then drew another arrow and nocked it to the bow. "But you didn't earn it."
She held the arrow drawn, the bow rigid and tense. She glanced over her shoulder at him. "You said anyone can be dangerous, right? I could be dangerous. I could lose it and start killing people in town." She turned back and fired off another arrow at the fleeing crabs. "But if a normal person does that, they can be stopped. The city guard, or any brave citizen with a blade, could stop a crazed attacker before things got too out of hand. And an Attuned? Certainly, they can be dangerous. But not only do they have to earn their powers, but most of them are no more dangerous than the animals they turn into."
She drew another arrow, still with her back to him. She tapped the arrow against her leg. "How is an Attuned any more dangerous than a lion that gets loose in the city? They still fall to arrows and blades. An Attuned can't block a flying arrow in midair, then throw it back at you. An Attuned can strike you with fang or claw, while you throw around lightning like it's nothing. Sure, there are those rare Attuned that can turn into something mightier, but I believe that the gods would not grant that level of power to someone hastily. They would make the Attuned prove themselves worthy of that gift."
She turned back towards him one final time. "You act like I'm not listening, but I hear your every word. You, on the other hand, need to look more closely at yourself. Who am I hurting, with my supposedly immature words. Myself?" She shrugged. "If I anger someone so much by speaking the truth that they would kill me, then so be it. But instead of telling me 'Don't speak such things lest an angry Abandoned kill you,' maybe you should be asking yourself why an abandoned should deserve such power that they could kill me so easily? If someone comes at me with bow or blade, I can defend myself." She held up her arrow, studying the tip. "Maybe not as well now as I will be able to when I'm more experienced, but that's why I train."
She looked at him again. "A normal person, with dedication and training, can grow strong enough to defend themselves from the dangers of the world. From brigands and thieves, from blades and beasts. A skilled man or woman can shoot down a lion with a bow, whether it is a natural beast or an Attuned."
She pointed the arrow at him. "But you? No arrow could fell you, no blade come near you, without you pushing it away with the wind and then striking someone down with a blast of lightning. No man or woman can train themselves to stop a bolt of lightning. It's a force of nature. Something meant to be feared and avoided, not wielded, especially not by someone who is using it just to prove a point."
"You're a hypocrite," she said. "Look at yourself in the mirror. See how your rage at me led you to throw around such reckless magic. Ask yourself, what would happen if one of your kind acted such a way inside the city? Could they be stopped? Could the city guard protect the citizens from fire and lightning? No. And you're blind to that."
"I don't think your race is evil. But you? You're dangerous. Anyone who would call lightning so casually is dangerous. Someone responsible, someone worthy of that power, would only use it in defense, of themselves or of those they care about. You throw it around like it's nothing, just to demonstrate your power. And if you can't see that..." She sighed, shaking her head. "Well, you just prove to me how dangerous and volatile you are. No one should have such unearned, uncontrolled power. No one but the gods."
She turned and walked away, heading across the sand to collect her spent arrows. She wiped the sand and crab guts off each, then gathered up the crabs. It wouldn't do to let them go to waste, and they would make a fine dinner.
"And I never said you were all evil," she added. "No, what I said is you're dangerous. It's not about whether you think you'd kill a child. It's about how willy nilly you are throwing your power about, flexing your magical muscles just to show off and not showing any respect for the power that you didn't earn and don't deserve. You know how an Attuned gets their powers, right? They have to earn them. They have to petition the Old Gods, prove themselves worthy. But you? You just happened on these powers by chance of birth. You didn't do anything to earn them, you didn't need to prove yourself worthy of them, you just have them. And the way you wield them so recklessly shows that you're dangerous."
She started stalking off, pulling out her bow and arrows again. She had a lot of pent up frustration now, and she needed something to take it all out on so she wouldn't end up trying to shoot Sah again.
She started taking aim at the crabs again, forcing herself to focus carefully on her aim. It helped start to calm her racing heart. Her breathing started to slow. She carefully raised an arrow, took aim, and released it with the smoothness of letting out a breath.
With her back to Sah, she said, "I wasn't born with the ability to wield a bow." She took aim at another crab, her hands no longer shaking, and sunk an arrow right into its shell. "I had to work for it, train hard, prove that I was capable. Do you train with your magic? Sure." She fired off another shot, then drew another arrow and nocked it to the bow. "But you didn't earn it."
She held the arrow drawn, the bow rigid and tense. She glanced over her shoulder at him. "You said anyone can be dangerous, right? I could be dangerous. I could lose it and start killing people in town." She turned back and fired off another arrow at the fleeing crabs. "But if a normal person does that, they can be stopped. The city guard, or any brave citizen with a blade, could stop a crazed attacker before things got too out of hand. And an Attuned? Certainly, they can be dangerous. But not only do they have to earn their powers, but most of them are no more dangerous than the animals they turn into."
She drew another arrow, still with her back to him. She tapped the arrow against her leg. "How is an Attuned any more dangerous than a lion that gets loose in the city? They still fall to arrows and blades. An Attuned can't block a flying arrow in midair, then throw it back at you. An Attuned can strike you with fang or claw, while you throw around lightning like it's nothing. Sure, there are those rare Attuned that can turn into something mightier, but I believe that the gods would not grant that level of power to someone hastily. They would make the Attuned prove themselves worthy of that gift."
She turned back towards him one final time. "You act like I'm not listening, but I hear your every word. You, on the other hand, need to look more closely at yourself. Who am I hurting, with my supposedly immature words. Myself?" She shrugged. "If I anger someone so much by speaking the truth that they would kill me, then so be it. But instead of telling me 'Don't speak such things lest an angry Abandoned kill you,' maybe you should be asking yourself why an abandoned should deserve such power that they could kill me so easily? If someone comes at me with bow or blade, I can defend myself." She held up her arrow, studying the tip. "Maybe not as well now as I will be able to when I'm more experienced, but that's why I train."
She looked at him again. "A normal person, with dedication and training, can grow strong enough to defend themselves from the dangers of the world. From brigands and thieves, from blades and beasts. A skilled man or woman can shoot down a lion with a bow, whether it is a natural beast or an Attuned."
She pointed the arrow at him. "But you? No arrow could fell you, no blade come near you, without you pushing it away with the wind and then striking someone down with a blast of lightning. No man or woman can train themselves to stop a bolt of lightning. It's a force of nature. Something meant to be feared and avoided, not wielded, especially not by someone who is using it just to prove a point."
"You're a hypocrite," she said. "Look at yourself in the mirror. See how your rage at me led you to throw around such reckless magic. Ask yourself, what would happen if one of your kind acted such a way inside the city? Could they be stopped? Could the city guard protect the citizens from fire and lightning? No. And you're blind to that."
"I don't think your race is evil. But you? You're dangerous. Anyone who would call lightning so casually is dangerous. Someone responsible, someone worthy of that power, would only use it in defense, of themselves or of those they care about. You throw it around like it's nothing, just to demonstrate your power. And if you can't see that..." She sighed, shaking her head. "Well, you just prove to me how dangerous and volatile you are. No one should have such unearned, uncontrolled power. No one but the gods."
She turned and walked away, heading across the sand to collect her spent arrows. She wiped the sand and crab guts off each, then gathered up the crabs. It wouldn't do to let them go to waste, and they would make a fine dinner.
