“So what’s your story, huh?” Andrill tosses Kira a strip of jerky.
Kira catches it. “...I am a wanderer.”
“Nonspecific and vague, I like it,” Andrill replies. “You’ve got a sword, but you’re clearly not a mercenary given that you not only refused to kill the guys from earlier, but also refused payment when we tried to hire you. And it also doesn’t explain the magic and the clothes, which would imply a studied mage of some kind.”
“...I am not a mage,” Kira says. “Or at the very least not a trained one.”
“Theif on the run, then?”
Kira scowls at him. “I am not a brigand!”
“Hey, no judgement here, I used to live that life.” Andrill takes a big bite of his strip of jerky. “I get wanting to get out and start over. The life is brutal.”
Kira stares at the fire intently, refusing to answer him.
“...you should actually eat something,” Andrill points out. “Ex-brigand or no, you’re clearly better to us alive right now, and anyone doing swordplay on an empty stomach is an idiot.” He points to the jerky in her hand. “Eat. Please.”
Kira takes a bite of the jerky.
It is mildly spiced, to her surprise.
“So why didn’t you kill the raiders from earlier?” Andrill asks.
“I…” Kira pauses, searching for the reasoning herself. “...I have a code.”
“Oh, like a set of ideals?” Andrill asks. “Or are you like the lionfolk monks, where you follow a set of warrior's precepts?”
“...I don’t know,” Kira says.
“Ah, you’re still figuring it out.” Andrill grins. “Fun fun, that’s always an interesting time during the transition period.”
“I am not a brigand!” Kira snaps.
“No, but you clearly are fleeing an old life.” Andrill takes another bite of jerky. “And going from one life to another always comes with a transition period. I’m in my second one right now, what with being attached to Her Royal Highness and all that, now.”
“...is she really the Lost Empress?” Kira asks.
Andrill nods. “Saw her use her powers myself. She’s the genuine article.”
“...I’ve heard conflicting stories about why she fled all those centuries ago,” Kira says. “Are you certain about what you’ve done, attaching yourself to such a being?”
Andrill straightens up, sitting forward slightly, and stares at Kira.
“I met her on a really rough night,” Andrill says. “She saved my life. So, frankly, yes. I owe it to her anyways.”
Kira squints at him suspiciously. “...I thought you said you were a thief.”
“I was a thief,” Andrill corrects her. “I left Gladespire, and started over. I’ve got my one ideal, and I’ve been living by it ever since.”
“...Ideal?” Kira cocks her head at him quizzically. “Singular?”
“What lone ideal would drive you out of a life of crime?” Kira asks.
Andrill grins. “‘Do better.’”
