[Pine]
Wearily, Pine moved a little further into the cave, trying to find a place to settle down to rest, to recuperate after the numerous battles, but also to give himself space and time to try and contact the Three. But he paused a moment, as out of the corner of his eye he could see the sudden slant of Idris' shoulders, the change in his facial expression that he had been around the paladin enough to note that some decision had been made.
No matter that they were allies, he knew Idris, and historically over 50% of Idris's decisions, ones that Pine knew of at least, had not gone well. Especially after the events in Thalivar's tower, Idris's decision-making had been based more on impulse than clear thought, and so Pine stepped away from the cave enough that he could keep an eye on the man. After all, even in the Astral Plane, he'd had to grab the man in order to stop him leaping off the edge of the small island they were on.
His worries proved true moments later when Idris knelt, driving the spear into the sand, and then calling on Talos.
Pine could only stare in something akin to horror and incredulity as the paladin tried to make another deal of sorts with the very God they were fighting against.
It had gone too far.
Pine had largely left Idris to do what he felt was right, so long as things progressed generally according to plan, but this was so far beyond reason, so far beyond logic and good sense that when Idris stood once more, the spear long gone, now back in the hands of their enemies, Pine stepped forward, his tail swishing agitatedly behind him.
"What do you think you are DOING?!" Pine snarled at the paladin, red eyes glaring at the man. "Have you forgotten that we are fighting against Talos? That his very actions are causing the spiral of the material realm into utter destruction? And you wanted to make an ALLIANCE with him?!"
Pine was angry, and in a way that was rare for him. Idris had been on the receiving end of that anger only once before, when Pine had thought the paladin's actions had put the group, and their mission, in major jeopardy.
[Idris Doryu]
Idris blinks, clearly taken aback by the intensity of Pine’s anger, but he doesn't quite grasp why his friend is so upset. He frowns, his voice earnest but carrying a hint of defensiveness.
"Whoa, Pine, why are you so mad? I don’t get it. I wasn’t trying to make things worse- I thought I was helping! Talos is a problem, yeah, but I figured if I could get him to listen or even just confuse him for a second, maybe it would give us an edge."
He spreads his hands, his expression caught between confusion and sincerity.
"Look, I know we’re fighting him, but I wasn’t joining him! You really think I’d side with that guy? I thought it was worth the risk. Sure, it didn’t go great, but… I don’t understand why this is such a big deal. I was just trying to turn his own power against him!"
Idris scratches his head, still not fully picking up on the gravity of the situation, but clearly trying to explain himself.
"I thought you’d see the sense in it. Talking to him doesn’t mean I’m throwing in the towel! I mean… why not take a shot? Worst case, he gets mad- which, well, he did- but at least we’re still standing. Right?"
He pauses, then adds, a bit more sheepishly.
"I didn’t think it’d upset you this much, though. I was just trying to help give us an edge."
[Arya]
Hearing the thunder Arya would come to see what's going on. Seeing Idris with the spear and the storm in the sky she prepares for the worst but then relaxes as Talos disappear. She see Pine walking up to Idris and the rage and stays in the back watching what will happen. As Idris try to explain his actions she starts laughing. "I really like him" looking at Idris not really talking to anyone but assuming the others also has heard the commotion. "He just do, comes up with an idea and act. No fear." Her voice is filled with amusement and she ads: "For giving the impression to know so much he really isn't very clever though is he?"
[Pine]
'Why are you so mad?' The words only fed fuel to his anger by the sheer unthinking stupidity of what the Paladin had done. It was only the chuckle and the words from the Arya that gave him enough pause, enough distraction, to keep ahold of some of the rage that was begging to be let loose. She, at least, seemed to grasp how utterly stupid Idris had just been. How thoughtlessly he had endangered all of their lives.
The action itself, but also his response to being questioned, forced Pine to re-evaluate the paladin. It was well intentioned, but so utterly foolish, and he seemed not to grasp at all what the problem was.
Pine had seen it, in big ways and small ways, especially since the tower, but never so blatant as it was now as he stared down at the man. He could no longer think of Idris as a clear-thinking man, one who was able to make sound and reasonable judgement. He was a liability now, in terms of that, and much as he might be forced to make allowances for age and experience, so he had to temper his words to fit with the more simple mindset Idris clearly had.
With a couple of slightly shaky breaths, he tried to simmer his temper down, to press it deep enough that he could explain it to the paladin in a way that even a cub should be able to grasp. Nevertheless his voice came out with an almost subvocal growl to it, the whispers of the dead that always now heard when he echoed through his words becoming more audible.
"First of all, you cannot offer an alliance to a God, and expect to just sidestep it afterwards. In offering an alliance or a deal, no matter your reasoning, you would be forced to comply with that alliance. Word are binding, Idris, you of all people should know that considering the deals you made with lesser creatures."
He didn't even really understand how Idris, who had stated clearly that he had no intention of ever trying to break a deal with a demon, would think that he could somehow get away with breaking one with a God. In some ways Idris's logic in this state was beyond him in the way it slipped past reason like that.
"Second of all, we are not ready for battle. We just finished fighting a hydra, forty-six cultists, the ships, Emberlost and his minions, and the cult's leader. We are exhausted, weary, and lacking resources. We have not had a proper rest for days! And immediately upon getting to this beach, before we have even sat down properly, you are bringing the attention of the very same cult's God upon us?!
"What if one of those bolts had hit one of us? Any one of us could have been killed by those bolts easily, you included! And that is saying nothing of the fact that you drew the God's attention to us directly, and he could now intervene, sending more our way when we so desperately need to recover!"
He had to take another breath, another moment to try and calm himself. His fur was bristling under his armour, his claws flexing, tail thrashing, as he struggled to contain the anger at the sheer thoughtless naivety of Idris's actions.
"Your actions do not just affect you, Idris. We are a group, and you need to consult the group before you make decisions that could affect the rest of us."
There, that was reasonable, he thought. He had barely hissed.
[Idris Doryu]
Idris's expression falters a little as he registers the depth of Pine’s anger, and he takes a small step back, hands raised slightly in a gesture of apology. There's a flicker of confusion in his eyes, but he takes a steady breath.
"Pine, I understand you’re mad," he starts, his voice steady but softer than before. "I didn’t mean to put anyone at risk—really. I thought if I could get through to Talos, maybe turn his own weapon against him and his followers, it’d give us a chance to shake things up, you know? In my head, it felt like a long shot but worth trying. I didn’t realize things would spiral like that. I just thought… well, I thought the storm would be more like a message than a real threat. Like.. Symbolic you know."
As he speaks, he catches Arya’s half-smile and looks back at Pine’s bristling figure, his own expression shifting to something more thoughtful, as he runs a hand through his hair.
"Alright, maybe I was reckless,” he admits, letting out a slow breath."I can see that now." He glances away for a moment, hands resting at his sides, before looking back up at Pine, sincerity in his eyes.
"I was trying to help, trying to make something happen that would protect us in the long run. But you’re right—I didn’t stop to think how close that could come to hurting all of you, not just me. I’ll be more careful about… consulting everyone before I make those calls again. I promise."
And that promise held weight, as Idris was unable to forget anything he had witnessed recently. Bowing to each of them, he adds with a genuine softness, "I’m sorry to you all. I won’t forget this."
[Pine]
Pine would stand there, and he was indeed bristling, quite literally, trying to keep his anger at the utter thoughtless recklessness contained enough not to overshadow what he was trying to say.
At first when Idris replied, he could see the confusion, could see how his convictions were forefront of his thoughts, at least until Pine relayed the possible repercussions, ones he would have thought were obvious, but possibly not to Idris any more. But as the paladin backed up a bit more, softened, and became genuinely apologetic, so Pine's anger banked as his words had at least partially got through.
It was a relief, for he hadn't been sure the man would truly grasp what he was saying. Intelligent he might be, but common sense seemed to be lacking these days.
"So be it. Let's hope it has no further repercussions other than losing the weapon," he would say, nodding a little to Idris to acknowledge the apology and dedication to thinking a bit more of the practical considerations of his actions. They couldn't afford another attack right now, and he truly wished to just get the ship fixed and be on their way as soon as they could. He'd had enough of Talos's cultists to last a lifetime.