Berra — Wrestling With Emotion 01
????, Sea Season
Context
1626, Sea Season. Berra is terrible at meditation, and has too many strong passions. She asks the Blacksmith of Boldhome for advice. [[[s01:session-30|Session 30]]]
Events
He keeps hammering. “Temper yourself. Weakness is in denying the weak points. Strength in reacting to them.”
It takes a moment for Berra to process that, and naturally she has a follow-up question. “Can’t I cut them out? Sever them?”
He throws some lime ash over the glowing bar and folds it, seemingly effortlessly. “But some impurities add strength. Remove them and you are not as strong a blade.”
“Mm. Yeah. I… I think I know what you mean. Humakt has not told me to remove it, so who am I to do so? It’s more right to hold to the Truth than to make it easy to hold to the Truth.” Berra stares in fascination at the white powder and the red glow, and bites her lip to not ask questions. Already she seems easier in herself than when she came in.
And he simply mixes and batters and reheats and batters.
After a while, Berra asks, “What does ‘Temper yourself’ mean? I’ve never heard it used like that. I want to be sure I’m not wrong.”
“It is a secret of the cult. It means making iron less brittle.”
Berra pauses for some time, thinking things through. She is silent, and does not try to look at anything but the smoky air before her, as she thinks. Finally, she bows her head down to the floor. “Thank you, Iron Lord.”
Later, she talks to D’Val – the bow is not so low but her shoulders are less slumped. “Good news, Sword Lord. For me, anyhow. The Iron Lord has given me a path, although nobody can walk it but me. For you, will you teach me Protection?”
“Of courth. For the ushual donashion.”
There is only a slight wince, as Berra bows again. . o O ( Oh great Did I really just ask that? )
