The Chance to Reminisce

Conrad was in a predicament. In order to keep Carmela from getting irritated, he would need to give her an answer quickly.

On one hand, if he told Carmela that he had never met Conrad Walters in his life, it would only lead to more suspicion. How did he acquire a perfect replica of his fighting style without any interaction with the man? It wasn't just the techniques that were a one-to-one match, it was also the patterns he used those techniques in. The only two other people that could have taught him to fight exactly like that were Cassandra and Carmela. Conrad's current body was that of a very young adult, and it had likely been years at this point since Cassandra passed away. And Carmela obviously would have recalled Jeremiah if she had trained him.

On the other hand, the thought of telling Carmela that Conrad HAD trained Jeremiah also presented problems. She would obviously want to get additional information out of him about Conrad's current whereabouts. He'd have to both lie to her and keep track of the things that he made up. If anything seemed off about Conrad's story, if Carmela somehow knew that something he told her didn't line up, she'd be able to ambush him anytime she pleased. She did have Jeremiah's home address now, after all.

But what other choice did he have, with the information he had in this moment?

"Yes, Captain. Master Walters trained me in swordsmanship over the course of approximately four to five months. He was wandering the land at the time, and decided to stay in my town for a few months during the cold season. Wasn't a good time for travelling."

"Oh. Very kind of him. I'm personally familiar with Conrad myself, actually. He stayed with my family and I for a time. Of course, nobody was referring to him as Master Walters back then. Not when he was just learning the fundamentals himself."

Conrad maintained his facade. "Captain, were you my teacher's teacher? If so, it's a pleasure to meet you. I owe him a great deal, and by, extension, you as well."

Carmela chuckled. "Well, I gave him some pointers. And sparred with him. But most of what he learned came from my mother."

"I see. Nevertheless, thank you for everything you helped him with, Captain."

"Of course. Well, this certainly explains why you fought so much like him. Now I'm even more curious, though. How did his decision to train you come about?"

"I'm sorry, Captain?"

"How'd it all happen? Did you just roll out of bed one day and decide you really wanted to learn the blade? Was it a dream you had for years beforehand? And how did you convince him to do it? I'm guessing your parents paid him?"

Conrad paused. Carmela's line of questioning did not seem to be veering towards hostile territory. She seemed genuinely enthused, perking up more as the conversation continued. However, he really didn't enjoy spinning an elaborate lie like this. Both because he didn't like to deceive Carmela, and also because Carmela could very possibly catch on if he contradicted himself by accident.

"Learning swordsmanship was something that mattered a great deal to me for years. I wanted to learn to be able to help protect my family and other good people. There are a lot of dangerous beasts and monsters in the world, Captain. If nobody volunteers to defend others from them, more people will become victims. Why should we sit back and allow that to happen, when we are fit enough to help?"

Carmela was quiet a moment. She stared at him, searching, sizing him up further. She punctuated the action with a nod after a few moments.

"You are entirely correct. All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. You seem to have developed wisdom beyond your years, lad."

"Thank you, Captain. And yes, it was my parents who paid Master Walters and introduced me to him. I told him how much I care about learning this, and he took me under his wing."

"Makes sense. How long ago did you meet him?"

"Oh, this was...two years ago, Captain. He taught me for a few months, gave me his blessing, and then continued on his way. Told me that he was quite pleased with how I was progressing, and that I should continue to practice on my own and seek out other teachers. I haven't seen him since."

"Oh, okay. Well, that does sound like him. He mentioned he was quite the globetrotter. He's probably still out there trying to figure out what his role in the world is. Who knows, though, maybe he's already found it as a teacher."

Conrad nodded. "I could vouch for that, Captain."

"I'm sure you could. Do you have any fun memories with him, Captain? I'd like to learn more about the man who trained me."

"Well...I don't know how many memories I have offhand of him that I'd call fun. I'd tease him a little from time to time, sure. And he was a very hard worker, which was appreciated. But most of the one-on-one time I had with him was focused on productivity, not goofing off."

"Sounds like he was a very decent guy to have around."

"For sure. I...admittedly felt a little conflicted about the time he chose to leave, though."

"...Why's that, Captain?"

"He chose to leave the farm I was living at shortly after a terrible accident happened. Part of me felt bothered by his decision. I was very vulnerable at that time, and I'm sure that he realized that. But it wasn't like he took off the very next day. He stuck around long enough for my father and I to hire a replacement for him. I suppose I just wanted him around at least a little longer for some emotional support."

Conrad was completely silent. This made sense. In fact, he had been concerned about this. If Nana hadn't been insistent about his departure, he would have stayed around for a bit longer. Conrad frowned, concerned that he and Nana had worsened things for Carmela when she was already vulnerable.

"Well, if I ever meet him again, Captain, I'll have to ask about it. Sounds like it would have meant a lot for him to stay."

"I mean, it's not like he did something terrible. I just would have preferred his company a bit longer while I sorted through my feelings. I don't hold a grudge over this. I still appreciate him tremendously."

Conrad nodded, relieved. "I'm very glad to hear that, Captain. Nobody wants bitter memories left over when we reminisce about the people we've met, right?"

Carmela stifled a laugh. "You talk like someone twice your age, you know?"

Conrad grumbled. Carmela had told him the same thing in his previous body. "That's what people say."

Carmela laughed freely, seemingly satisfied with the conversation. "Okay, okay. I'll stop teasing you...actually, I never got your name, come to think of it."

"Oh. My name's Jeremiah, Captain. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The feeling's mutual, Jeremiah. Very mutual. If you see me around again, feel free to say hello. In fact, I encourage it."

"I will. Thank you for the conversation, Captain. Have a good night."

"And the same to you, Jeremiah."

With that, Carmela walked off into the night, a small smile back on her face. It had been quite a while since she felt like this. It was nice.