Policeman and the cat

65 - Stronger ones

Guess there was a bit too much love in the coffee, because the witch three and Mario, the last people still short of legendary rank at their skills were left panting.

"I think I get it how he got most of you motivated," Grisham said as he was sipping his cappuccino. "Was Wei the first one?" He asked with a smile.

Wei turned a bit red. 

And at the end of the breakfast, Ian learned that Grisham knew his platinum ranks really well-- and also that the witch three were not as motivated as the rest, others ground their skills all night and used haste potions just the same way how Ian did, but witches only did it during the day and in their free moments between digging. Of course, they'd have no issue with taking and rotating watch duty when most of them were awake anyhow. And Mario-- had no idea others did that at night, being a very fresh platinum rank, he did not yet have the know-how. He did wake up early and went to sleep late, but he trained pretty 'normally' and slept normally as well.

Mario asked if any of them had plenty of spare ones, he'd rather buy from them not Purple, to which Valerie said - "I might as well teach Ian how to brew them after dinner, because you four are missing out on fully enjoying what he's making for you with love," she said with an almost scolding tone, not towards Mario, who didn't know, but the three witches, who gained floaty looks.

And after Grisham left and they cleaned up to go and dig, Wei said - "The goal of this trip is to let Lorenz and Lil bro bond, the rest of us are background gallery, meaning unless it looks bad we let Lorenz show off his skills so Lil Bro is impressed and realizes how awesome his brother is."

Sloane continued - "We also try to divert all conversations to be about Lorenz and how he heroically fought things, we try to downplay the importance of everyone else--"

"Damnit, guys!" Bro snapped.

"What, do you feel bonded enough?" Sloane asked. "Do you want Bermont to carry Ian around next?"

Bermont tilted his head looking at Ian.

"In girl shape, would be awkward as a guy--" Ian said.

"It's just size-wise," bro corrected. "If you can become smaller that works as well if you want to be carried around." He added that it was a comfortable talking distance issue, not weight either.

Carrying princess style would be awkward, but he said he's been carrying his little siblings with them sitting on his arm just the same how Ian had in girl shape any time he went to Rembrandt house.

"Kids like to be carried around, you likely crave it because no one did that to you," bro said.

That was not a detail Ian had mentioned, but-- it seemed like bro had read between the lines far more than Ian realized. Ian smiled - bro might just be really great at being a big brother. "Did someone carry you around when you were small?" Ian asked.

"All the time," Bro replied. "I have a lot of elder siblings, aunts, uncles, when we weren't training and they weren't out on missions we had them carry us around and tell us about the missions and what they did and stuff like that."

Ian had been wondering so he asked - "If you are all so close, wasn't it impossible to stay and--" Not convince them maybe, but overlook some things? Because other than the story about Elsie's case and some mentions, it sounded like Lorenz really loved and liked the Rembrandt house and family and agreed with a lot of things they did. His values were also traditional in most ways. 

He was also a priest of the God of the Promised Land, even if he said he certainly did not pray as intimately as Ian did. If any of them prayed to their god in the way Ian did, they'd be scolded. He was a god they respected and they were aware their prayers shaped him, so they paid attention to how they prayed.