Ferdinand & Caspar B

Ferdinand
Caspar. I have been waiting.

Caspar
Ferdinand. Waiting for what?

Ferdinand
I am going to give you a lesson on the righteous path of the noble.

Caspar
Righteous path—what? You have a problem with my "path" now? You think you're more "righteous" than me?

Ferdinand
That remains to be seen. I heard you stopped a robbery in town the other day.

Ferdinand
Some despicable thief who was robbing an elderly shopkeeper. Rumor has it you didn't wreak as much havoc as usual.

Caspar
Hey, now. I think you're underestimating me here.

Caspar
When the thief showed up, the old shopkeeper was so scared that he could barely stand.

Caspar
I didn't want the guy to pass out, so I had to stay calm while handling the situation.

Caspar
Rather than fighting, I gave my own money to the thief and told him to get out of there. Or else.

Ferdinand
How, uh, magnanimous of you.

Caspar
The thief fell for it and left the shop. That's when I chased him down.

Caspar
I got my money back and gave that thief a good beating. He won't be back here anytime soon.

Ferdinand
Ah, so you walloped the scoundrel. That does sound like you. I am finding this story more plausible. Nevertheless, I think—

Caspar
Hold on! Now it's your turn. I heard a very interesting story about you recently.

Ferdinand
My turn, eh? Let's hear this story, then.

Caspar
The way I heard it, you punched a foreign soldier. Right in the middle of town.

Ferdinand
Stop, stop. I know what you are getting at, but you have the wrong idea.

Caspar
Let's hear your version, then.

Ferdinand
I had been browsing for weapons at a run-down stall.

Ferdinand
Suddenly, a man seized the stall's owner and started dragging him away!

Ferdinand
Someone with a less generous spirit might say the peddler had it coming. His wares were quite inferior, after all.

Ferdinand
But without a moment's hesitation, I leapt to his aid and soundly defeated the goon!

Caspar
Well done. Sounds exciting.

Ferdinand
It was nothing, really. Anyway, the old shopkeeper let me in on the details.

Ferdinand
He said that he was a novice trader, tricked by a noble into selling low-quality goods.

Ferdinand
That ruse was about to come to light. So the noble had sent a mercenary to keep the shopkeeper silent.

Caspar
So, that's what really happened.

Caspar
I just heard you snapped and attacked some noble's servant. I figured it was worth asking about.

Ferdinand
Well, I won't deny it. I forgot my rank for a moment and let my instincts take over.

Caspar
Is there something wrong with that? It sounds a little like something I would do.

Ferdinand
And your, uh, gentle approach to handling that robbery... That sounds like something I might do.

Ferdinand
You were not overcome by your impulses. You kept a cool head. For the most part.

Caspar
I think we're starting to rub off on each other.

Caspar
Always looking for a way to defend justice, and to lift each other up!

Ferdinand
Partners in justice, eh? Well now. That I can agree to.