"Huh. Eb must like you." Her tone is not kind.

...Shrug? Shrug. She has no real answer to that.

"Oh, did she not talk much about throwing herself away into a totally doomed attempt to oppose the way the world works?"

"She did, what, do you want to hear my rant on the nature of power? I agree with renowned scholar you've never heard of Nietzsche on the mechanics, just not the ultimate goal."

"Power. Oh, go ahead, it can't be worse than what I heard from the last dozen ambitious idiots I heard claim they were going to make something of themselves."

"Now, I think things are different in Kyros's Empire, compared to my homeland. The conditions are different, the resulting balance too. But power is the ability to affect the world. Kyros can call down Edits, Archons and great warriors all have personal might. But then there's political power- The power of ideas. Even Kyros needs to inspire loyalty- 'Kyros does not wish to rule over a blasted wasteland', and bluntly killing anyone who disagrees would create a blasted wasteland. We're too stupid to stop disagreeing, see. In my understanding leaders need subordinates just as much as subordinate need leaders. The reason I've sworn to Kohl is because it gives me things. Workspace, the chance to work with his allies," she gestures at the Forge-Bound around her, "Prestige. The reason Kohl supports the forge-bound is because they provide material, armor, weapons, loyalty. All of these are power.

So I suppose this rant isn't about power, per se, so much as politics, but needs must. 

It's not a good strategy to be nice. So I'm not going to be nice, even if in my ideal world everyone would get along and sing, arms linked, in a meadow each morning. I want power, because I want the world to be rich and kind and warm, I want to be responsible for that richness as a matter of pride, and that requires power, and being powerful inherently involves being willing to risk being hurt, and willing to hurt other people. So because I expect it to achieve more of my goals than wallowing in self-pity, I swore to Kohl and thus to Tunon and Kyros, and will follow orders, and if they order me to build weapons, I will."

"Not as stupid as I was expecting. But you're still wrong. Power is fear, and control. It doesn't matter how much you can affect the world if someone else can threaten you and you can't stop them. If you start getting real power... all that means is that we'll see what your bridle looks like." She gestures vaguely at her head.

"Control... Yes. But I disagree that it's only fear and control. Creation is power too."

"Only if it can't be taken. Or just destroyed. Even the Archons are still swept away by whatever current Kyros wants to flow; what chance do you, or any of them, have?"

"Enough to hope. Even if as you predict, that hope is later crushed. You might argue that hope is a poison, and you're not wrong. But I don't care."

"If you want to be stupid, I won't bother stopping you." She turns to look at some decorative glass still hanging around. "These are pretty good. I liked the ones in the Mistress and thought I might buy some. But actually, I think I'd rather not be associated with your work more than I have to." Then she turns to leave, moving imperiously.

What is she gonna do, stop her?

No. She watches Sirin go, and turns back to har chalkboard. And then stands there for a bit, amd sighs. Her focus is shot, thinking about all the misery out there and the terrible things that could happen.

The Forge-Bound start to relax once she's well out the door.

"Wish she'd just stay with her cult," one mutters. Another asks a question about glass color and impurities.

"Cult? -I need to take a break."

"She grabs minds, and some of them she's kept. At least she keeps to herself these days and doesn't grab more."

"Yes, I had been keeping that in mind. Fatebinder Kohl told me she can't, anymore, or I would have been a lot more- Something. Paranoid and confrontational. She's restricted, possibly by Kyros."

"She's not as powerful as she used to be, but she can still grab individuals if they're not too strong-willed. Fatebinder Kohl would come down hard on her if she did it to any of us, or probably anyone who didn't come to her. But she can."

Walta pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Great. Well. Like I said, this is why I am following Kohl."

Deeeep breath.

"So, about the glass colors, part of the reason I'm working with colors in glass for decorations, and making batches with a bit of every questionable rock I can get my hands on, is because I know some of the things that color glass are good for iron, though a lot of things affect the glass color so it's a hint, not a guarantee... I'm hoping for something that turns it purple or blue, nickel should be a common enough ore and it has useful magnetic properties..."

Back to work!

Everyone is much happier (and more distracted) once they're back to work.

Walta cautiously lets the Spark out over the next few days. It's much less intense outside the Spire, and she manages to get her previous work functional- four tall but narrow steel shields on articulated arms extending out of a large backpack, that she can control with finger motions from a special glove. She shows it off to the Forge-Bound, and starts sketching out a pair of long powered legs and some crossbows, since she has almost no idea what to do in a melee.

And that is when she realizes she's been neglecting martial training.

There's a training yard around here, right?

There is! Kohl's also hired some veteran soldiers, mostly as a light garrison but partially as trainers. So far they've mostly been working with him and his companions to find and break bad habits, but they're up to training someone with minimal experience. (Helps that she's been working in an old-fashioned forge and so probably getting some muscle built up.)

This guy (Telegenos) was a spearman, and they've all seen the lightning spear, so he's the one who comes over. He'd generally recommend she learn spear fighting and at least one of knife fighting and wrestling. The problem with a spear is that there's only so much you can do once someone's inside your guard.

Knife fighting, please, she trusts herself to make an amazing knife more than she trusts herself to wrestle. And she's going to make ranged weapons. But options are good.

And thank you, she emphasizes to Telegenos. She will be diligent and uncomplaining.

Then Telegenos will drill her on how to fight with a spear, with a knife, and on the basics she doesn't know like how to fall well, how to keep your footing, listening to your other senses, all that good stuff. It won't go quickly, this is hard, but she should be able to notice progress pretty quickly.

He's happy to have a good student! Honestly he'd be happy to have a bad student too, garrison duty is boring.

She trains hard. She tries to get to know more people than just the forge-bound. She hungrily seeks as much iron as she possibly can. She also extensively quizzes the garrison trainers on what, exactly, makes a really good spear, shield, armor... And if she's particularly frustrated by a lesson is visibly more manic in her forge, later. Might even make some weapons and shields and things, not that her work is better than the forge-bound's.

There aren't too many people to meet by Ascension Hall, but the rest of the garrison will happily talk and occasionally invite her along when they go do something together (though often that something is drinking over in Lethian's Mistress).