Chapter 5 - Callisto in Illusia: Scene 5


                                                   Callisto in Illusia
                                                       by Volpone

                                                         Scene 5:


          Sometime later, Fionn excused himself for a moment, leaving the two women alone. Taking the
opportunity, Gabrielle asked her friend, "Xena, why is it you don't seem to like Fionn much?"
          "He's a warlord. For all his charm, he's still concerned with what he can conquer. I've heard tales
of how good he is in combat. Don't let him fool you."
          "But how do you know the stories are true? How do you know he's a conqueror? You know how
things get blown out of proportion."
          Xena snorted with contempt. "Things like Caesar? Like Crassus? Like Ming Tien? In some
cases, the stories don't go far enough."
          Gabrielle was silent for a moment as she digested this. It just didn't seem possible that Fionn was
like the others Xena had mentioned. He seemed so... human. The others all had the same coldness about
them.
          "What have you heard about him... specifically? And if he's just interested in conquest, why is he
here? And why would Lao Ma teach him if she didn't think he was good inside?"
          Xena didn't have a good answer to any of Gabrielle's questions. "He's a warlord. We'll find out
soon enough."
          "He says he's here because his debt demands it, right? A point of honor." Xena grunted non-commitally
in response. "Did any of the others you mentioned have a sense of honor like that?"
          "If it suited them." But Xena had to admit to herself that she couldn't see any advantage to his
being here instead of his home. Gabrielle remained silent for a moment, and Xena was forced to give in
to a certain degree. "All right. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Until he proves otherwise, I'll take
him at his word."
          "If he proves otherwise..."
          Xena saw Fionn returning from his side trip. "Whatever..."
