A Scripta

Trip sat down across from Grim with her cup of coffee.  Grim absently stirred cream into his.  They were in Trip's apartment in New Corinth, overlooking the sea and across from the Architect Entertainment building. 

"So what you're saying, Grim, is that this LeBeau is a danger to the group, and you want me to get rid of him."

Grim nodded.  "He's brought trouble with him.  Him and his damn technomancers."

Trip looked him in the eye.  "Grim, you brought trouble with you, too.  You forget why we formed the group in the first place."

"But he won't let us help him!"

"Have you offered?"

"Hell no!  It's not my fight."

"It is now."

"Because he started it."

"Do you have any idea why?  Don't you think he was trying to escape the path he was heading down?  Like you, two years ago?"

Grim sullenly looked at his coffee.  He had first joined the group, finally escaping the clutches of the Circle of Thorns, and he had no where to go.  He had contacted Womby after meeting him in the magic store, who put him into contact with Havens.  Havens took him in and sheltered him from the initial searches of the Thorns.  Luckily, that only lasted a couple of weeks, as the Thorns always found new mages to fill their ranks.

"He might not have known it at the time.  He probably realized it later."

"Yeah, he fell in 'love' with another man's wife.  And another man's girlfriend.  And if he was bi, probably Kalius as well."

"Oh, I don't think it would be that easy."  She smiled in her mug as she sipped.

"But he'd try."

"This discussion isn't about that, Grim.  You've already chased one member out of the group because he pissed off Kalius and is a homophobe.  Now you want to chase another one out because he's a danger?  We're all in danger in some way, Grim, that's why we're there."  She sipped her coffee.  "You know, I think you're jealous."

"Jealous?!  Why?"

"Because another mage has stepped foot in your territory, and this mage knows things that you don't and can't know."

"He's not even a mage!"  Grim glared at her.  "He's an arrogant bastard with 'mysterious secrets', just like all the other mages that I've ever worked with."

"Why did you leave the Thorns?"

He realized that Trip had never asked that.  It was one of the past unsaid rules of the group - don't ask why.  "Because I wanted more than they could give me."

"Why?"

Grim looked steadily at her.  "I wanted to be the most powerful mage in the world."

"I think you still do."

Grim watched her sip her coffee, all kinds of thought running through his head, to resolve into one: She's right.  "He can do things I can't.  And boasts about them!"

"Boasters are insecure and want attention."  Trip looked kindly at Grim.  "You have your limits, and you know them.  He has his, and he doesn't.  You might not be able to do the things he can, but what you can do, you know how to do well.  He doesn't."  She sipped her coffee.  "Jack of all trades, master of none."

Grim remembered the duel they had, when LeBeau let loose with shadow bolts everywhere in the room, not caring if he hit the spectators.  Ignoring any injury to himself, Grim cast a protective circle first.  Grim could cast only one protective circle at a time, and saw Mark standing there.  He cast the protective circle around Mark, while Noctilucent dodged the bolts.  LeBeau had no control.

"Since it seems he doesn't want your help, or doesn't think he needs it, then leave him alone.  Walk away, Grim.  Do what you need to do for the sake of the team and no more."

"But Raina, and the babies, and all that technomancer shit--"

"You made your offer and it's been refused.  If they want you, they'll come find you."

He put aside the coffee mug, half empty.  Trip reached over and took his hand.  "Grim, you are a powerful mage.  We all know it, and we trust you."

"But I can't do--"

"Stop thinking about what you can't do and about what you can do."  She sat back.  "Besides, you can't compete with someone who's cheating."

Grim blinked.  She was right, without the tech, LeBeau was just another arrogant ass.  Human.  Powerless.  With guns and swords certainly, but powerless compared to him.

Trip picked up the cup, and brought both of them to the sink.  "So in answer to your question when you came in here, no, I won't evict LeBeau."  She turned around to him.  "I have yet to meet him."

"He's an ass."

"I can make that decision for myself," she said. 

Grim got up and picked up his coat.

"Grim..."

He turned around.

"Your father is in the hospital with pneumonia.  They don't think he'll last the week."

Only his father and sister remained in his family.  He had been paying for his father to stay in a nursing home - not necessarily a great one, but one nonetheless - entirely anonymously.  Trip took care of his accounting, so she knew.

"Pay for that, too, until he dies.  Then, I'm done with him."  He opened the door and walked out.