Knights in shining karma tend your flame

[panzersoldat]

Who: Reinhardt Wilhelm (panzersoldat) & YOU~!
What: Reinhardt's got 99 problems and his morals are 98 of them
When: though most of Janurary
Where: Wyver and the surrounding countryside
Warning(s): violence likely in sparring


1 - defending the weak
It's not right. It's just not right. Reinhardt can't stand to see this sort of injustice played out before his eyes. He can't stand there and say nothing. He can't turn a blind eye to what he sees and what he hears. It hurts his heart to see it when it happens and it makes him ill to think that so many are being treated so poorly.

It all comes to head with a young woman and her child. It's at a small fruit stand in the markets. The woman tries desperately to buy food only to be stiffly turned away. 'We don't sell to Olympian refuse. Go back where you came'. The child cries in hunger and Reinhardt's heart drops in his chest.

He has to do something. Someone...has to do something!! There is a focused look on his face and he turns to whoever is unlucky enough to be standing next to him. "You might want to act like you don't know me. This is about to get very loud and very ugly." Because this old knight is about to give that fruit seller a piece of his mind!

2 - helping the helpless
It's like clockwork. Early in the morning, a large man goes to the stables to saddle up an even larger horse. He is clad head to toe in a set of futuristic armor that has seen much much better days. The horse's armor is far newer and nicer. With him, he carries a massive hammer and a small pack. Food. Water. Medicine. Blankets. Clothing. Whatever he can put on the back of his horse. Sometimes a bedroll and a tarp for a tent as well as supplies for staring a fire in this freezing cold weather.

He doesn't know how long he'll be out. He never does. But he goes. He rides out of Wyver, searching for those who have decided to leave and go to places less war-hungry. He goes out into the wilderness to help never knowing if he'll actually make it back, certain that once he's led the latest group he found to neutral borders, he'll turn around and find an Olympian group to do the same with. No one left behind to suffer.

He pats Grani on the neck and sighs. The supplies are getting less and less easy to come by. "Pretty soon, it's just going to be me I can give them... Think it'll be enough?" He's talking to the horse because he's certain that others wouldn't be up this early. He's wrong.

3- fishing for the truth
[If there is one thing Reinhardt is good at, it's fishing. He doesn't count that one time with Fareeha. So he happily sits by one of the frozen over rivers. There is a hole in the ice where he's sawed his way through.

He sits on a stool that's barely anything at all. It puts his knees up where his chin is. In his hands is a pole. It might be normal sized for normal people. In Reinhardt's hands it looks like a toy. Still, this is the stillest and the quietest that Reinhardt has ever been.

He's so caught up in his catching dinner that he doesn't even notice anyone's approach. At least the ice is strong enough not to break at a very large, very heavy man jumping out of his skin!] AH! You scared me! You really shouldn't sneak up on a man like that!

4 - fighting for the right (tw: violence/sparring)
Between his do-gooding and his working, Reinhardt still dedicates time to physical training. Whether up on Thesa Station or down planet side, Reinhardt is no slouch. His workouts are more than just a little extreme, some might consider them actual torture with how hard they are and how much he pushes himself to accomplish feats that might even make a man half his age balk at.

At the moment, he's set up in the fighting arena well before hours. It's the best place to go when he just wants to let off some steam. His poor opponent today is a very large very heavy sand bag. A half an hour later and Reinhardt has his shirt off, sweat running down his body. There's blood dripping from raw knuckles and the bag is split and leaking sand.

Reinhardt curses, a sharp Germanic swear. The translator can't really catch it, but it gets the rest. "They need to make stronger bags for this."

5- the cost of morality (later in the month)
He's been too loud. Too obvious about where his loyalties lie. Reinhardt tells himself he doesn't care. He's doing what's right. But now, there is a price to pay. It started slowly. At first, some of the shops would jack their prices up for him. They seemed to know that those bandages and those dried foods weren't going to feed his huge self. It went downhill from there.

Places refused to serve him at all. He'd had doors slammed in his face. Chiding tones of "foolish old man" gave way to "Olympia sympathizer". He could endure that. Reinhardt could endure the derision. He could handle not being able to do jobs that weren't of the somewhat questionable mercenary type to earn what little silver he could. He can even handle days where the only thing he got to eat were those containers of food Ana had left him because so many taverns no longer welcomed him warmly.

What he can't handle is standing out in front of the Dragon's Nursery being denied entry. For the first time, Reinhardt feels a deep sorrow. There's a little baby dragon in there that he's become deeply attached to. Before all this, he would visit at least three times a week to help with that one (plus the others). And now, he stands at the gates and is told he is no longer welcome in such a hallowed place.

He bites down on his lower lip and tilts his body a little to catch a glimpse of the little silver he's grown to adore so much. "Are you sure? I promise I won't be long. I just wanted to tell her hello. Would it help if I had a friend vouch for me?" He casts around looking for the first person he sees. "You'll vouch for me, right? Tell them that I'm still a safe person to have around the babies?"

Comments

[panzersoldat]

It seems Jack has learned how Reinhardt's stubborn worked there. He would have insisted until they were both freezing their butts on the ice. He wonders a little if he can get Jack to fish as well. He shifts his pole to one hand to start preparing another line. Just in case that Jack wants to give it a shot.

He stops as he baits the hook and frowns. He knows it's awkward and he knows he has to prepare himself to get an earful from his old friend. Still, he's not going to hide the truth from Jack. "I have heard of them. But I'm no longer welcome in a lot of them. I've been too loud about how the ones who want peace are being treated." But it's wrong to Reinhardt and he can't sit silent. "Markets are changing me more too. Because of it." But he won't back down now. "Besides, I like fishing. And maybe I'll pick up a rifle at some point and hunt. I'll try to shoot in a way that doesn't embarrass you or Ana." Because he had been the one man with a hammer in a world of high powered guns.

[personalwar]

So that's how it is, huh? Really, Jack should have known it would come to something like this with Reinhardt. He's not one to keep his mouth shut when he believes that something is wrong, and he's always been ready to accept the consequences of his outspokenness. It's something Jack had admired about him back when he was younger. He'd envied Reinhardt for his ability to speak his mind, whereas Jack had always had to be more measured in social and diplomatic situations.

Now, he thinks that Reinhardt is pretty much just shooting himself in the foot.

Since there's no convincing Reinhardt that he would be better off biting his tongue on certain things, and since the damage is already done and no one is likely to forget a man as striking as Reinhardt any time soon, all Jack can do is offer some solutions.

"If you want to learn how to shoot, you're better off asking Ana." She'll give him the lecture that Jack doesn't have the energy for right now. He crosses his arms over his chest, mainly as a way to keep warm. "And if there's anything you need from the markets, I can buy it for you and you can pay me back." A simple enough fix to the problem, if a little annoying to deal with.

[panzersoldat]

He has indeed shot himself in the foot, but it is very true that Reinhardt has learned long ago to take responsibility for his actions. He brought this upon himself. He honestly doesn't want to drag his friends into this. They'd already had enough troubles from Olympia. They didn't need to be pariahs in yet another country. But he can't tell Jack a lie about being fine. He has to be honest.

He's still glad he doesn't get a lecture. It's part of why he's avoiding asking Ana for shooting lessons. He knows for a fact he wouldn't get out of that with his balls intact. So he's going to avoid it for as long as possible, even if it means eating a lot more fish. Not because he doesn't adore Ana, but because she's the scariest woman he knows when she's scolding him for charging off like an idiot, like he always does.

He notes the way his old commander seems to huddle a little. He immediately starts to undo his jacket. Jack is going to be swimming in a very very warm coat very soon. "If anything, what I need is for the people out there, hiding. Being mistreated. I don't need anything for myself. But I can't have you getting caught doing that for me. It'll just mean trouble for you. Instead, you can just help me fish, right? The refugees out there would be very glad for the fish and so would I."

[personalwar]

Jack knows what it's like to put off a lecture from Ana as long as possible. She tends toward quiet disappointment with him more often than all-out lecturing, which can sometimes be worse. There's still a shred of kindness in him, so he isn't going to out Reinhardt to her. Granted, she's bound to find out eventually, and then Reinhardt will have to accept the consequences of his actions, well-meaning though they might have been.

When Reinhardt starts to shrug off his coat, Jack quickly waves him off. "I'm fine," he insists. A little bit of cold never hurt anyone, and he doesn't want the embarrassment of having to wear a coat many sizes too big for him.

As usual, Reinhardt is thinking of others before himself. That's all well and good in theory, but he has to have enough to survive too, and Jack sighs to himself, already a little tired out at being saddled with this task of watching out for an old friend. "I don't think we can catch enough fish to feed that many people, Reinhardt," he says, his tone coming out surprisingly patient if only because he's had conversations like this with the other man many times before.

[panzersoldat]

He won't force Jack to take his jacket. But if the man continues to look cold, he might just leave it there between them, a small gesture that he can take it if he wants. But if Jack is cold, then should both be cold together. That's just how it goes. But for now, he'll keep it on and keep an eye on his line in the ice.

He knows that sigh and he's prepared to defend his stance. Remind Jack that he had made a promise to help others. It's not just hot air. He's supposed to live his life with honor and he's going to do it. But instead of being told off he's just being reminded that he has to keep his notions realistic. He has to look away. Sometimes it hurts to see how much the once idealistic Strike Commander has changed. Jack's definitely a realist.

"I know that. I know that there's no way. But even one or two extra mouths fed is two less hungry people than there was yesterday. It's not just adults. It's kids. They're ignoring hungry kids. Just because their parents are from the wrong side." Which is what upsets Reinhardt the most. To him, kids are innocents that should be fully off limits. "I just wish there was a way to help them but no one will listen to me."

[personalwar]

It would be hard not to become a realist after that life that Jack has led. It's true that when he was young he'd painted a different picture. He'd been bursting with ideas of how they could do good for the world, and while they had, it had also never felt like enough. Not to mention how so many Overwatch agents had been forced to pay for those good deeds with their lives, or their limbs. (Or their sanity.)

Reinhardt doesn't hesitate to remind Jack of the most personal aspect of this. They're in agreement that it's completely wrong to deny a child something because of their parents' beliefs or actions. Trying to save the world one person at a time never really seemed to work out for him, but he can't just turn his back on Reinhardt now either.

"They aren't going to care that much about what some refugee has to say. They're only barely tolerating our presence here." Jack's shoulders slump in resignation as he crouches down to begin stringing and baiting his own fishing line. Ice fishing isn't something he's as familiar with as something a little more traditional, but if they're going to stand here and talk, he may as well help.

[panzersoldat]

Reinhardt knows it's not fair to Jack to drag the children he saw into this. But he's always been a bleeding heart. He's actually worse now than before. He had always been an idealist, but once he'd become an "adventurer" after he buried Morrison and Reyes, he had really fallen off the idealist deep end.

So much so that he was indeed willing to try to save everyone. One person at a time, if he had to. He might never be able to save everyone, but every last person he did was one less person who was suffering. Even if that makes him suffer to do it, this was how he had chosen to live.

It still hurts to know that Jack is right. They won't ever listen to him. Even if he went to the palace and shook the king or stormed Olympia and hollered at the empress. All either of those would do is get him arrested. "I know...but I can't just sit here in silence and do nothing."

He sighs and then gives the smallest smile when Jack starts getting his line ready. Reinhardt will move over to make room at the hole in the ice he's made. He knows the fish are hungry. They'll catch many.

"I hope that I can get those out there in hiding to trust me enough that if everything goes badly, I can help lead them over some border to safety."

[personalwar]

If there's one thing that Jack and Reinhardt can agree on, it's this: neither of them are very good at sitting around doing nothing. They might have wildly different ways that they engage with the world, but being idle is not in their blood, plain and simple.

76 won't rest until he's really and truly dead, probably.

He drops his line into the hole and beneath the ice-cold water, curious to see how many fish they'll actually be able to tempt. For now, though, all they can do is chat while they wait.

"The question is where. You'd have to go pretty far out to find somewhere that isn't Wyver or Olympia territory." 76 is certain that such places must exist, but he hasn't had the chance to reach them yet. While he's been tempted to go looking for himself, he can't be sure of what's out there, and he'd need days worth of supplies to ensure that he'd be able to handle what could be a very long trip. Ultimately, he hasn't had the resources.

[panzersoldat]

"I noticed that. Even with Grani, it seems like a long trek. Even longer with women and children not used to doing long marches like we are." And if they did manage to get to the border of another nation, there was no telling if that nation would even welcome them. Both of these nations hadn't been too welcoming of newcomers in recent months.

He frowns and looks down at the ice, feeling a little dejected about the situation. He wants to do more, but he knows he's already at his limit for what he's capable of alone. He can't ask others to join him though. They don't need to be pariahs as well.

"I can't go out to look either. The people here need me." He's the one that brings food and medicine and other needed supplies to those in hiding. If he disappeared for weeks, who knew what might happen to those who relied on him. "At least for now, I can only go between the two places and do what I can. But I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do that. If they start really watching the borders, a knight on horseback is going to be easy to spot and stop."

He looks back up at Jack. He knows he can't really say that they need a network again. Too much like Overwatch and he knows how this man feels about that, but he thinks he can at least bring it up without that.

"I wish there was a way to have little outposts along the way. Hidden cashes of supplies for those out here and for us to travel quicker." He can wish that, but he also doesn't have the resources.

[personalwar]

Trying to relocate large groups of people across long distances is always going to be a difficult task, and so Jack has to agree that it's for the best for those who are displaced to remain where they are, at least for now. They'd need to be far more organized to give them the kind of help that Reinhardt is talking about.

There's a time when Jack would have been able to make it happen, to offer these people support and help them get settled in neutral territory. He could have made Reinhardt's hopes a reality, and he'd done so countless times over the years. But he doesn't have the resources or the backing either, and he can't carry that mantle anymore.

"You might need to try and be a little more cautious in how you move back and forth. Take less traveled roads, and do what you can not to be noticed." A giant man on a giant horse isn't going to manage that very easily, but it's the best advice that Jack can give at the moment.

The idea of creating outposts to help travel between Wyver and Olympia is a good one, but Jack already knows that it's not feasible for them. Maybe if enough of the refugees banded together, they could make it happen, but Jack isn't about to take point on something like that.

He falls quiet, not sure how to respond, and then a tug on his line serves as the perfect distraction. Jack stands up and begin to slowly reel the line in. In conditions like this, the fish isn't going to have the sort of energy to put up much of a fight, so it should be a simple enough task.

[panzersoldat]

It's a reluctant fact that Reinhardt has to still force himself to admit. Jack has changed. He's not that man anymore and it's unfair to expect more of him than he's willing to give. It's a hard thing to reconcile when Reinhardt himself has so stubbornly clung to everything that had made him him. He knows there will always be a dark voice inside of him that is angry that Jack just gave up. That he went and threw away all he believed in over a little minor inconvenience of being blown up and having a building dropped on him. Jack had run away, just like Ana had. He would have never run. Had he been given the choice and not thrown away, he would have gone down with the ship. But it's a voice he'll never listen to because he's already forgiven Jack that. He can't hold it against him. He can only try harder to remember that the years had not been kind to his friend. The years had been cruel and it's not right to lay everything on Jack's shoulders and expect him to carry it.

Reinhardt will carry it for him. He'll keep wishing and working at trying to make those wishes of his come true. Work hard and keep doing what he's doing. He can do it to show Jack that there's still a person out here that believes in what they stood for back then.

Still he finds himself laughing a little. "Jack, you know I'm terrible for stealth missions. If anything, I need to be even more obvious. Make myself a target. Let those who wish to hurt the innocent come at me. I will smash them all." It's not his usual boisterous crowing. His voice is grave, serious. "I'm a Crusader first and we stand strong." It's all he can do. If targeting him means the hidden ones are left alone, then he welcomes it. Just like he welcomes many more fish dinners. And it looks like Jack's gotten this dinner started.

He quiets to focus on his own lines. Like usual, it looks like someone was going to out-fish him.

[personalwar]

It's true that Reinhardt would not make a good stealth agent, and Jack can think of a few times when the man had blown their cover, back during the Crisis. Making a lot of noise and charging ahead, that's the Reinhardt way, though he at least had the shield to keep them all safe once the attacks started. Here on El Nysa, though, the attacks seem to come from all sides and Jack doesn't see how they win, given their position as refugees. It's all they can do to just keep scraping by.

Jack's aware of how much of a disappointment he must be to someone like Reinhardt, regardless of what the man might say. Having so many people looking up to him for guidance and leadership for so long has burned him out, though, and he appreciates that Reinhardt hasn't yet tried to push him back into that role.

He can't just say nothing in the face of what Reinhardt's suggesting he do, though. "You keep up that kind of thing, you'll just get locked up," he warns, but his tone is somewhat distracted as he focuses on reeling his line.

Soon enough he's managed to catch the fish, and it wriggles sluggishly on the line. Jack unhooks it, hesitating for only a moment before he bashes its skull against the hard ice to put it out of its misery.

He sets it in Reinhardt's bucket. "That's one."

[panzersoldat]

Reinhardt won't. He won't try to force Jack to be a leader again. He understands that much about the man. And while he enjoys himself an impossible quest, he also enjoying having his friend back, in whatever capacity that Jack allows. He's not going to ruin things by trying to see if they can't erect a Jack Morrison, Hero of the Crisis Statue here as well. This is just how it is and it's his turn to take the lead. And when he stumbles, he'll only have to ask himself what Balderich would do...what the Jack of Overwatch would do, and he would have his answer.

"Perhaps I may. Or perhaps I will start a movement. I might just be one pebble, but even the smallest rock can start a landslide." And Reinhardt is no tiny rock. "But I won't just sit and let these things happen. So they can lock me up as many times as they want. I'm not going to stop. You know that. So long as someone is suffering at the hands of evil I can't stop." He'll stop when he's dead. And it's a vow he had made well before he stepped off the transport instead of Balderich.

But fighting evil doesn't always mean fighting. It also means this. It means pulling up his own poor excuse for a fish. It's not even big enough to be bait. He sighs and lets it go. "That's...still one." He's sure that if he is patient, his luck with the fish will eventually change. If not, it just means that he'll have even more to thank Jack for.

[personalwar]

It's true that Reinhardt might actually be able to inspire others with his selfless actions, that people will see what he's doing and feel the need to make some kind of stand themselves, but that all remains to be seen. Jack can't help but wonder if he and Ana are going to be stuck trying to get him out of prison eventually, but it's something they're equipped to do. He doesn't voice that out loud, knowing that Reinhardt wouldn't expect that of them.

When you're old war buddies, though, there are some things you'll do for each other without a second thought. Just like how Reinhardt had championed for their innocence when they'd been the ones who were captured.

"I know," he replies, referring to the fact that Reinhardt will never ease up. He's an unstoppable force in that way, and Jack isn't going to make efforts to keep him in check beyond offering up warnings. This is what Reinhardt wants to do, and he has to respect that.

Reinhardt's struggling to find any fish, though, and Jack can't quite hold back a wry smile, covered though it may be. "Just be patient," he advises. "I know it's not your strong suit, but..." That's the only way you're going to catch a fish, Rein.