[Her lip curves up just the slightest bit. Whether it's as a response to the aversion he seems to have to these "certain elements", or to the question he's just asked her, it's the smile of a cat with the rodent caught under her claw.]
A knight... you could say. In a certain manner of speaking. Though as you can see, I've no love for a shield the way a paladin does. Any paladin worth the title would take up arms to protect others, no matter who they are and what they've done, and often with no reward other than the knowledge of having done something good. But what happens when they decide the reward might be worth more than the blood, sweat, and tears poured into their duty? When they start throwing others under the wagon to accomplish it, and end up desiring personal gratification over selflessness?
The only difference between a paladin and a dark knight is in the moral code they follow. The paladin values the sanctity of life and typically adheres to a stricter set of "common sense" rules; but the dark knight uses her own moral compass, even if it points her to the least desirable course of action. If I swear an oath to protect someone, I see it through, even if it means I have to cut down the highly decorated knight beside me if he has betrayed his cause.
[Irhya crosses her arms and shifts her weight, restless. Dropping the words "dark knight" into a conversation casually isn't taken all that well in Ishgard, and though their backgrounds may be completely different, it may not be too far from the truth here, either. Explaining her case might be the better option... but even so, it's never easy explaining why she chose this way over another, more highly-regarded path. It is a path of sinners with stained hands and chains upon their wrists, no mistake, but only those who own that weight and turn it into their power for the greater good can ever really hope to walk it.]
...So, that. [A cheeky grin.] Forgive me for going on at length, but I'm trying to skip the part where someone else acts aghast over the whole concept. As if they've never played a part in someone else's misery before. But, well, I guess the short answer would be that I let enemies take whacks at me so others don't have to. Doesn't hurt that much.
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A knight... you could say. In a certain manner of speaking. Though as you can see, I've no love for a shield the way a paladin does. Any paladin worth the title would take up arms to protect others, no matter who they are and what they've done, and often with no reward other than the knowledge of having done something good. But what happens when they decide the reward might be worth more than the blood, sweat, and tears poured into their duty? When they start throwing others under the wagon to accomplish it, and end up desiring personal gratification over selflessness?
The only difference between a paladin and a dark knight is in the moral code they follow. The paladin values the sanctity of life and typically adheres to a stricter set of "common sense" rules; but the dark knight uses her own moral compass, even if it points her to the least desirable course of action. If I swear an oath to protect someone, I see it through, even if it means I have to cut down the highly decorated knight beside me if he has betrayed his cause.
[Irhya crosses her arms and shifts her weight, restless. Dropping the words "dark knight" into a conversation casually isn't taken all that well in Ishgard, and though their backgrounds may be completely different, it may not be too far from the truth here, either. Explaining her case might be the better option... but even so, it's never easy explaining why she chose this way over another, more highly-regarded path. It is a path of sinners with stained hands and chains upon their wrists, no mistake, but only those who own that weight and turn it into their power for the greater good can ever really hope to walk it.]
...So, that. [A cheeky grin.] Forgive me for going on at length, but I'm trying to skip the part where someone else acts aghast over the whole concept. As if they've never played a part in someone else's misery before. But, well, I guess the short answer would be that I let enemies take whacks at me so others don't have to. Doesn't hurt that much.