Tenzin gives Krandel a friendly, respectful smile.
"Duke Krandel, let us put this matter to rest and move on. It's clear that Elmesia can't be dealt with right now...such are our limitations. I'm sure your brother would agree, wouldn't he?" (General Tenzin)
Kree Severus...Krandel's younger brother. Charming beyond reason, prodigious in magic, mind, and sword, and respected by everyone who meets him. In other words, Krandel's better in just about every way, and unsurprisingly, the favorite of their parents. So much so, in fact, that the Severus family nearly overturned their steadfast tradition of passing Dukedom to the eldest son.
Naturally, this has led to a bit of an...inferiority complex for Krandel. It's why he constantly treats others like they're beneath him, grasping whatever power he can find to validate himself, as though it will prove he's not his little brother's lesser. Of course, Tenzin's fully aware of all this.
The effect of his words is immediate, and Krandel stiffens. The Duke slowly turns to meet his gaze, eyes far colder than normal. Yet, Krandel doesn't respond right away, something far more calculated flashing behind his eyes. After a brief moment in tense silence, the others watching nervously, Krandel gives him a tight smile, his voice the epitome of unnervingly calm.
"Indeed, mentioning my limitations sounds exactly like Little Brother. Perhaps you're right, General...further discussion of the matter is pointless." (Krandel)
The others blink, stunned by the seemingly amiable response from Krandel, and the room descends into a brief, awkward silence. Eventually, Nemo clears his throat nervously.
"Ehem...uhm, well, great? If we're all on the same page, then..." (Nemo)
A short while later, they revert to discussing succession and other pressing matters of the Empire, Elmesia and Krandel's discontent seemingly forgotten. However, Tenzin can't help but cast the occasional glance at Krandel, struggling to keep his lips from twisting into a small, knowing smile.
He's sure he said all he needed to.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Hours later, after the meeting has been temporarily disbanded, Krandel walks through the palace hallways, his steps light and his demeanor composed. Eventually, he finds himself in front of the door leading to his temporary quarters, and enters it without ceremony.
The second the door clicks shut behind him, however, he freezes. For a moment, everything around him seems to still, before his expression twists into one of absolute fury.
BANG!
CRASH!
His foot lashes out without warning, kicking a small, nearby table into the wall, and he screams indignantly into empty space.
"ARGGHH! Who does that inbred commoner think he is!? Giving me orders, talking about my limitations! He's a tool, him and that fucking Admiral, to be wielded as the Emperor and the nobility see fit! It is his place to be beneath us, to obey, not spout insolence about his supposed authority!" (Krandel)
He plans to continue his tirade, but is interrupted by the sound of another door within his quarters being thrown open. A young man emerges, distinctly flustered...his servant boy.
"D-D-Duke Krandel, what is the matter!?" (servant boy)
He snaps his gaze towards the boy, his irritation rising.
"Nothing's the matter, you dunce!" (Krandel)
The boy blinks, glancing at the shattered table nearby, then back at him, his expression dumbfounded. Krandel's eye twitches at the silent accusation.
"Quit standing there like a dote and fetch paper and quill for an avian message." (Krandel)
His servant nods hurriedly and disappears from the room, returning shortly after with the requested items. The boy looks at him, confused but expectant.
"Uhm...who will I be preparing a message to, Duke Krandel?" (servant boy)
Krandel composes himself, suppressing the irritation the boy elicited. He considers his words carefully, wondering how exactly he wants to proceed. Eventually, he comes to a decision, his eyes gleaming dangerously.
"Prepare three messages, one each to the leaders of the major southwestern mercenary groups. Tell them...I have a job for them." (Krandel)
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Meanwhile, outside Krandel's room...
A patrolling guard walks down the hallway, bored out of his skull. He passes Krandel's door, and...keeps going. But as he passes, a pair of striking, violet eyes follow him, glimmering with amusement. Inexplicably, the guard does not react to this, does not notice the strange, adolescent boy leaned casually against Krandel's door with a mischievous smirk. It's as though the strange youth, skin a sickly pale color and hair as black as night, is completely invisible.
As the guard disappears down the hallway, the boy's gaze drifts lazily back to Krandel's door, his thoughts elsewhere. On the conversation taking place just behind him, and on the hours-long meeting he was secretly present for earlier.
"So, the pathetic one seeks to attack that human settlement anyway. I confess, I was not expecting the War Master to manipulate him so expertly. Guiding him to this ploy with the mention of mercenaries and the settlement's lax security, goading him into acting alone...it's truly cunning." (odd boy)
The boy's lips twist into a smirk.
"Of course, that is far outweighed by the stupidity of angering Him, even if it's done in ignorance. I wonder, should I warn Him of their plans, or watch the resulting carnage unfold? Hmm..." (odd boy)
After a moment, he chuckles maniacally.
"Fufufufu...oh, I simply can't help myself. I'm just too tempted..." (odd boy)
A bloodthirsty grin blossoms on his face.
"...who could resist witnessing a god's wrath?" (odd boy)
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
Present day, Mizuki's room, early morning...
"I mean...can't say I'm mad about this..." (Mizuki)
I glance at Nina clinging to my left side, before my eyes slowly move to my right side, where Ilina is pressed against me just as tightly. Of course, Ilina being possessive as she is, and Nina loving to tease her as she does, this is far from the first time they've treated me like one of my Reversi boards, waging veritable war for territory. However, them doing it in the nude? Totally unprecedented.
One may wonder...how did fortune smile upon me so?
Well, it all started last night, when the two of them were discussing...err, intimacy schedules? And by discussing, I mean an irritated Ilina telling the 'horny dragon' that she considers nighttime sleepovers her time and that Nina should 'get fucked on her own time'. Naturally, an amused Nina said that was 'fine' and she'd 'just watch quietly', which Ilina did not take well.
Anyway, somewhere along the way, Nina thought it'd be funny to strip completely naked to screw with Ilina. Alas, rather than flee from the sheer awkwardness of it as Nina no doubt intended, Ilina surprised us both by...following suit. Or rather, following birthday suit. Apparently, she thought it'd be some way to, like, rebel and assert dominance? Not sure where her head was at, honestly...
A soft groan pulls me from my reminiscence.
I glance down at Ilina, slowly stirring. Her eyelids flutter, storm-grey eyes gradually focusing on me. Then, she grins, flashing a smile radiant enough to make my heart flutter. She hums contentedly.
"Hmm...good morning." (Ilina)
I return a wry grin.
"Oh yes, very good morning." (Mizuki)
I glance down pointedly, and she follows my gaze. Seeing her bare form peeking out from under the blankets, she looks back at me and rolls her eyes.
"Ogling me like that won't beat those degenerate allegations of yours, you know?" (Ilina)
I give her a wide, shameless smile, leaning forward to whisper so Nina doesn't wake.
"If admiring my beautiful wife is that damning, feel free to let everyone know...Mizuki Ophelle is a proud degenerate." (Mizuki)
Ilina's expression freezes, her mouth parting slightly in shock. I smirk.
"What? I promised you I'd take your name, didn't I?" (Mizuki)
She puts on a faintly irritated expression, but I don't miss the blush creeping up her ears. Her eyes dart away from mine, her voice softening.
"You called me wife...not fiancé..." (Ilina)
I blink. Haven't we been using them both already? I could have sworn I've heard her call me her husband before. In any case...
"I guess so, but...it's not like some ceremony really changes things between us, right?" (Mizuki)
She pales, giving me a deadpan look.
"Please never repeat that idiotic sentiment to my mother...for both our sakes." (Ilina)
I raise my hands defensively.
"I'm just saying...I already consider you my wife, hence the name." (Mizuki)
A small, playful smile graces her face.
"Oh? In that case, Husband, I know what I'd like to do for our next night out together." (Ilina)
A cold chill crawls up my spine, but I give her my best strained smile.
"O-Oh, right, uhm...I'm all ears." (Mizuki)
For a moment, I'm briefly distracted by the irony of telling an elf that I'm 'all ears', but my bandwidth for such trivial contemplation doesn't last long. Ilina's eyes sharpen, her tone becoming dangerously casual.
"Let's go out like last time, but as ourselves, without the disguises." (Ilina)
I freeze, then after a moment in shock, slowly look down at Ilina. She merely meets my gaze, blinking innocently, a calm, expectant expression on her face.
She can't seriously expect me to make that happen, right? Like, I know I said she could bring whatever requests she wants to me, but there have to be limits!
I respond hesitantly, my voice slow, measured.
"Well...obviously, that sounds lovely to me. It's just, clearly we can't do that in the Elven Kingdom yet, nor would it be wise in Elmesia or the Empire. Even in the eastern human countries, where my adventuring party may be less notorious, I'm sure that a beautiful high elf showing up is going to immediately cause issues for us." (Mizuki)
Contrary to my expectations, Ilina doesn't press the issue, she just lets out an exaggerated sigh, shrugging as though in disappointment.
"I guess you're right...that's too bad..." (Ilina)
I blink, completely flabbergasted. Since when has she ever let me off that easy with something like this?
Almost as soon as the thought crosses my mind, though, Ilina perks up slightly, her eyes widening with realization. She turns to me once more, her expression earnest, her voice light, flippant, as though her words are a mere a afterthought.
"Oh, I know! Why don't we go spend a night in that fox-kin city you visited? From what you described, it sounds beautiful, entertaining. Plus, they're isolated, and you already told them the truth about you and me, right? It's perfect! You can just have their leader arrange everything for us...what was her name again?" (Ilina)
While the casual suggestion hangs between us, Ilina's voice and expression innocent, alarm bells sound in my head. A little paranoid voice screams at me internally, saying this suggestion of Ilina's was anything but spontaneous.
"Uhm...Teyla? You want to visit Central Tail, and...have her arrange a date for us?" (Mizuki)
Though Ilina's appearance doesn't overtly change following my response, there's a sudden tension in her posture, a strain in her smile, a mildly unsettling intensity in those storm-grey eyes as they gaze up at me.
"Yes...Teyla. There shouldn't be any problem with your new friend helping you set up a nice date with your wife, right? That is, unless...there's something I don't know. Is there something I don't know, Husband?" (Ilina)
I stiffen. I thought my retelling of the fox-kin visit yesterday went far too smoothly. Since when has she ever just let me off the hook like that with matters involving another woman, especially one she doesn't know?
I quickly give her a nervous smile.
"No, no...everything's good. I'm just...you know, you're not going to, like, kill anyone, right?" (Mizuki)
She tilts her head slightly, her voice almost performatively confused.
"Kill? I would never kill a friend of yours. Why would you think that? Do you expect something to upset me?" (Ilina)
I blink, dumbfounded, but she just keeps staring at me calmly. I mean...it's probably fine, right? She wouldn't actually cause an international incident over Teyla being too friendly.
Letting the matter drop, I shake my head dismissively.
"Uhm, no...you're right, I'm sure it'll be fine. Let's do it!" (Mizuki)
Ilina's smile widens chillingly.
"Great, I'm looking forward to it. And Mizuki..." (Ilina)
I raise my eyebrows.
"Yeah?" (Mizuki)
She smirks.
"Don't visit there again without me, even to ask her to set this up. It would be unbecoming of me not to be present for such a selfish request, after all. Plus, I want the city to remain as novel of an experience for both of us as possible before our date." (Ilina)
I stare back at her in silence for a moment, trying not to let my skepticism show. She must know that I can't pinpoint Teyla's signature for remote telepathy, so...she's basically preventing me from warning Teyla about meeting her, right? That feels kind of...dangerous.
I glance down at Ilina again, who's staring at me intently, expectantly. Hmm...I guess refusing her would be more dangerous.
I nod at her hesitantly.
"O-Of course...makes total sense." (Mizuki)
Her lips twist into a genuine, satisfied smile. She leans forward, pecking me on the lips in a way that feels both affectionate and threatening.
"Thanks, I new you'd understand." (Ilina)
I return a nervous smile. Then, I frantically begin scanning for Xian's magic signature.