Peek: Something of Interest (Patreon)

Hanrie lets his eyes drift over the other teens in the courtyard, focusing more on not yawning than on actually seeing any of the others. His mind drifts even more than his eyes, and though he's not sure if he finds the memories pleasant, they're at least important to him.

He may technically be a noble, but the title has always felt hollow to him. His house is minor, and he's got a good half-dozen brothers before him in line, without counting the uncles and cousins in line before them. He's heard some of his family wish they could be like him, with no responsibilities, and he would happily trade them. It's not that he wants power, but he rather wants purpose.

And he may have found it on accident. Last month, his cousin was visiting, and she's the golden child of the branch of the family. She has an arranged marriage that will give the house quite a lot of standing, and as he understands it, she and her future husband get along as well as two eight-year-olds can.

She has a bit of a demanding streak to her, so when she demanded he take her out exploring, he shrugged, grabbed a random quarterstaff from the racks in the armory, and followed her around the sprawling estate, if only to have something to do. Bratty as Filaine can be, she's smart enough to know who to ask for something, at least.

Hanrie had expected to just follow her around the grounds, but she managed to find an old entrance to an abandoned cellar, and there was no way she was going to listen to him to explore somewhere else. Her tune changed once they got down there and felt the unmistakable twinge of having entered a dungeon.

Looking back on it, the beetles may have been big for beetles, but they weren't much bigger than rats. They still frightened Filaine half to death, even with him there to swat and crush them long enough for her to escape, and he right behind her. Maybe it'll be a lesson to help her learn to listen, instead of always doing whatever she wants.

But the purpose he found still lingers like sweetness on his tongue. Protecting her from the beetles, delivering her back safe to the others. House Airth stands to gain quite a bit from having a dungeon on, or rather beneath their lands, but he doesn't care. He's happy for them, it's not like he hates his family. There's just... when there's no expectations from them, he may not be able to disappoint them, but he also cannot make them proud. Better to abdicate what meager position he has and join a group known for protection: The Church of the Crystal Shield.

The paladin that greets him and the others is the very portrait of one, and her talk of a new paladin variety is intriguing. As is her speech about not everyone needing to be a shield. It makes sense, he supposes, but his burning need isn't in holding up the shield, but in taking the hits, in protecting others.

He follows the other three who want to be shields, and is as hungry as they are once the paladin gives them a brief taste of what a Legionnaire Paladin can do. He will not be a lone shield, but a part of a whole defensive front! The others with him don't look like paladins to him yet, but he can hardly talk in that regard himself.

Paladin Hellan dismisses them for now, to eat and get settled in, and they are all eager to do so. He's especially interested in getting to know the three others with him. Perhaps as they eat, he can get them to talk about themselves some? He's sure their lives must be more interesting than his. The idea of sharing his own origin has him fighting a yawn again, and the idea of hearing theirs makes it all the easier to suppress.

Things are finally getting interesting.