Arthur could feel his face growing red as he listened to Abalista. Taking criticism wasn't exactly one of his strengths.. especially when his abilities were being called into question. He managed to stay what he thought was 'relatively composed' as she spoke, although it would've been obvious to anyone looking at his expression that he was entirely taken off guard by her remarks.
She completely had a point, of course. Even Arthur, buried somewhere underneath the indignation, knew this was a fair criticism - this expedition group was leagues below most standard groups in terms of organisation and resources. The Red Wings, they certainly were not. And, even if he really tried to stretch it, he knew he hadn't exactly shown anything that would demonstrate he was a good enough leader to not get everyone killed immediately. But still.. even knowing that.. even knowing it was a completely reasonable question.. he could feel that familiar anger start to flare up in his throat.
His chair scraped across the stone floor as he leaned in to address her - which seemed to be pointless, as her eyes were currently fixed up at the ceiling - and was about to interject, when she dropped her head, her gaze returning to Arthur's.
"Have you considered any of these things?"
"Of course I- huh?"
He snapped his head around at the mention of his name from behind, fixing the newcomers with an unintended glare. There were two of them: a young man, who was the source of the voice. Arthur recognised him, he was certain he'd seen him hanging around in the tavern for a while now. Behind him stood a tall woman, with an expression he couldn't quite read. Whatever it was, it was intimidating enough that the glare slipped right off his face.
"Oh, uh.." He mumbled, embarrassment at his near-outburst creeping into his voice, "That, uh, would be me. I'm Arthur Breines."
Gesturing for the two to join them around the table, Arthur glanced back at Abalista. The interruption had been enough to clear most of the indignation from his mind - now, he just felt anger at himself that he'd let himself get so riled up so quickly. Abalista's concerns were well-founded, no matter how much he didn't like hearing about it. Before he could respond to her questions, Lorelei interjected. They both had strong points: on the one hand, you were putting yourself in grave danger if you didn't do as much research into the tree and it's inhabitants as possible. On the other.. they were intending to go into uncharted territory. At that point, there was no guide, no textbook. Just intuition. But of course, you won't get to that point without getting past all the other trials Eobine has to offer, and Arthur was beginning to feel that self-doubt begin to creep in considering all of this..
He didn't expect such an impassioned response from Rokka, but it arrived at just the right time. Regardless of how prepared they were or not - it meant nothing if they ended up giving up at the first sign of trouble. They might not be as organised as other expedition groups.. but they were here now, and there was no point in him agonising over whether he knew enough to continue. Arthur nodded, taking in her words, paused a moment for consideration, then, decisively, got to his feet. Light dizziness washed over him, and he realised that maybe those two pints of ale had had a stronger effect on him than he'd initially thought, but it didn't stop him from clearing his throat as he addressed the whole group.
"Alright, everyone." His eyes swept around the table. It really was a bizarre mix, but he felt like, in that moment, he understood why they'd picked this expedition over all the more conventional ones - he understood why this journey needed to go ahead. This expedition was happening because there were people who needed this, needed to climb Eobine - and this was their only chance. Maybe they were blacklisted from other groups, maybe they didn't have the fees, maybe they just didn't have the time. He certainly felt like he didn't. So, he couldn't afford to worry over when he'd be fully ready - it needed to start now.
"These are all valid points. If we want to make it far, we need to know what's in store, and we also need to be physically prepared so we're not essentially walking around with targets on our backs.. that means adjusting our outfits - and volume," He looked directly at Samuel as he said this, "Accordingly. But, if we're gonna be going into uncharted territory, that information is all going to become useless at some point anyway. So what I'm really looking for, are people that are willing to take that risk."
Maybe it was the alcohol, but he could definitely feel his courage building as he spoke.
"I'm not gonna lie, this isn't the most prepared team. I don't have all the equipment and funding those Extractors do, or the experience. But, I mean - I'm looking at the people in this group, and I can tell for a fact that you guys can handle yourselves in a fight. Some of you already live on Eobine; you know what it's like. Hell, we even have someone from the ERU!" He nodded his head at Elias, then turned to look at Aba, "So I understand if you have concerns, or you don't want to continue with the expedition. I won't judge anyone if they want to leave. But I think.. as messy as this is, we really have a chance, here."
Suddenly aware of how long he'd been speaking, and the eyes on him - not just from the group, but the surrounding tavern patrons - Arthur finished with an awkward smile.
"So, uhh.. I hope I can, uh, prove myself as a leader to you guys, or something." He could feel himself turning red again. Public speaking was not his forte. Attempting to give moralising speeches, even less so.
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mentions: Gomenesigh , BluEndings
She completely had a point, of course. Even Arthur, buried somewhere underneath the indignation, knew this was a fair criticism - this expedition group was leagues below most standard groups in terms of organisation and resources. The Red Wings, they certainly were not. And, even if he really tried to stretch it, he knew he hadn't exactly shown anything that would demonstrate he was a good enough leader to not get everyone killed immediately. But still.. even knowing that.. even knowing it was a completely reasonable question.. he could feel that familiar anger start to flare up in his throat.
His chair scraped across the stone floor as he leaned in to address her - which seemed to be pointless, as her eyes were currently fixed up at the ceiling - and was about to interject, when she dropped her head, her gaze returning to Arthur's.
"Have you considered any of these things?"
"Of course I- huh?"
He snapped his head around at the mention of his name from behind, fixing the newcomers with an unintended glare. There were two of them: a young man, who was the source of the voice. Arthur recognised him, he was certain he'd seen him hanging around in the tavern for a while now. Behind him stood a tall woman, with an expression he couldn't quite read. Whatever it was, it was intimidating enough that the glare slipped right off his face.
"Oh, uh.." He mumbled, embarrassment at his near-outburst creeping into his voice, "That, uh, would be me. I'm Arthur Breines."
Gesturing for the two to join them around the table, Arthur glanced back at Abalista. The interruption had been enough to clear most of the indignation from his mind - now, he just felt anger at himself that he'd let himself get so riled up so quickly. Abalista's concerns were well-founded, no matter how much he didn't like hearing about it. Before he could respond to her questions, Lorelei interjected. They both had strong points: on the one hand, you were putting yourself in grave danger if you didn't do as much research into the tree and it's inhabitants as possible. On the other.. they were intending to go into uncharted territory. At that point, there was no guide, no textbook. Just intuition. But of course, you won't get to that point without getting past all the other trials Eobine has to offer, and Arthur was beginning to feel that self-doubt begin to creep in considering all of this..
He didn't expect such an impassioned response from Rokka, but it arrived at just the right time. Regardless of how prepared they were or not - it meant nothing if they ended up giving up at the first sign of trouble. They might not be as organised as other expedition groups.. but they were here now, and there was no point in him agonising over whether he knew enough to continue. Arthur nodded, taking in her words, paused a moment for consideration, then, decisively, got to his feet. Light dizziness washed over him, and he realised that maybe those two pints of ale had had a stronger effect on him than he'd initially thought, but it didn't stop him from clearing his throat as he addressed the whole group.
"Alright, everyone." His eyes swept around the table. It really was a bizarre mix, but he felt like, in that moment, he understood why they'd picked this expedition over all the more conventional ones - he understood why this journey needed to go ahead. This expedition was happening because there were people who needed this, needed to climb Eobine - and this was their only chance. Maybe they were blacklisted from other groups, maybe they didn't have the fees, maybe they just didn't have the time. He certainly felt like he didn't. So, he couldn't afford to worry over when he'd be fully ready - it needed to start now.
"These are all valid points. If we want to make it far, we need to know what's in store, and we also need to be physically prepared so we're not essentially walking around with targets on our backs.. that means adjusting our outfits - and volume," He looked directly at Samuel as he said this, "Accordingly. But, if we're gonna be going into uncharted territory, that information is all going to become useless at some point anyway. So what I'm really looking for, are people that are willing to take that risk."
Maybe it was the alcohol, but he could definitely feel his courage building as he spoke.
"I'm not gonna lie, this isn't the most prepared team. I don't have all the equipment and funding those Extractors do, or the experience. But, I mean - I'm looking at the people in this group, and I can tell for a fact that you guys can handle yourselves in a fight. Some of you already live on Eobine; you know what it's like. Hell, we even have someone from the ERU!" He nodded his head at Elias, then turned to look at Aba, "So I understand if you have concerns, or you don't want to continue with the expedition. I won't judge anyone if they want to leave. But I think.. as messy as this is, we really have a chance, here."
Suddenly aware of how long he'd been speaking, and the eyes on him - not just from the group, but the surrounding tavern patrons - Arthur finished with an awkward smile.
"So, uhh.. I hope I can, uh, prove myself as a leader to you guys, or something." He could feel himself turning red again. Public speaking was not his forte. Attempting to give moralising speeches, even less so.
interactions: everyone
mentions: Gomenesigh , BluEndings