kingdomtalks | one | "lament of a broken blade"

[ on the afternoon of the 24th, ink begins to appear on the network. first a dip, then a small blot of ink, and suddenly a title in black: ]

Lament of a Broken Blade

[ and then the words begin. they are endless, a single stream of thought from start to finish without any thought of editing or stopping. whoever this person is, they have an axe to grind. ]

Sing to me, O Muses, you daughters of Gaea,
Though I know not which will come.
Shall I call upon Calliope?
Or perhaps Clio?
Your words flow without voice,
Sung silently yet heard by many.

Sing, Muse, of tragedy and travesty,
Of a falsely-named champion and their touted glory.
The words, engraved in brass, weigh heavy on me.
A masterful screw, or so they have declared,
Not yet knowing what it means to gaze upon Venus,
Not yet having grasped the blushing buttocks of Bacchus,
Not yet laid down and held by the strong arms of Vulcan.

Would that only their idol were here,
Standing by this liar's plaque of brass.
Would that I had the strength to stand against them.
Would that my Master had summoned me into a war,
That I might reward such insolence as I saw fit.

But alas, this is no war,
And I am left with no mandate but to protect.
I will put down the pen with a sigh,
And retreat to my thoughts with regret.

[ the writing finally stops, the pen laid down against it. it seems its histrionic wielder has finished what it is they wished to say.

beneath it, an elegant and ornate signature appears in deep red: ]

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

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[The grin freezes on Yenh's face, feeling a wave of horror and bizarre arousal washing over her.]

Oh- the first one wasn't held in public...

Not to mention! [She holds a finger up and then sweeps her arms out.] Your competitors have lives they're presently living. I don't have them lurking in the rain barrel.

Ah- it wasn't?

[ she looks... surprised? disappointed? it's hard to tell between them. she sighs after a moment. ]

Of course. One must attend to one's duties, I suppose. [ she nods sagely. ] Still, I should hope they find time to participate soon. A life without distractions is one hardly worth living.

I- have heard tell that such events can take place in amphitheaters. But that is the more way of the locals... and your home, it seems?

[She's wearing a very awkward grin right now; not that Yenh is humiliated by any means, she's been here a few months and someone has almost undoubtedly suggested she take up competitive fucking.]

[It's more that this is the second person named Nero she's met who has proven to be an Extremely Interesting Person, and she's wondering if there's something to the name.]

Indeed, indeed! Rome's Bacchanalia were a sight to behold. Not quite the fuck fests you speak of, but certainly a beautiful in their own right.

[ she places both hands on her hips, still looking yenh in the eye - and then winks. ]

Who knows? Were I still Emperor, perhaps I would make them our way.

[The wink was disarming enough that she is walloped upside the head by the woman's rank. Yenh's jaw goes slack, but part of her settles comfortably into a better sense of understanding about this Nero.]

[Which immediately throws her into disarray. How do you talk to World Leaders again. Is this empress a shit-stack who Yenh will have to school, hero-style, much like she threatened to do with Kaphlar? Does she have to Warrior of Light her way around this whole situation now? Why can't she just have attractive women banging down the door without it turning into a Thing?]

[The most she can manage, amid all that, is a quick:]

There are sporting events!

[ how do you talk to world leaders...? well, however it is, it's probably not how you talk to nero. she's not particularly predisposed to the whole game of political presentations by now, after all; she is here to enjoy life, not squander it on political machinations. she is still an emperor, of course, but she is no longer the emperor of her people - and for her, that means this conversation has been more than pleasant enough.

or maybe it's just that she's a solipsistic idiot who doesn't quite realize that yenh's uncomfortable. her smirk only grows at yenh's response. ]

Is that so? Very well! Then I will have to take part, that I might be surrounded by the strength of this land!

[ god, nero, what are you even TALKING about ]

[What, indeed. She bites back her sarcastic I'll be rooting you on from the stands, then in favor of neither risking insult or encouragement. Yenh's mouth makes a respectable attempt at working and not just gawking or repeating herself or anything else.]

[Oh, hey, she never introduced herself.]

... my name is Yenh. Yenh Quryoja, a woman of many titles, yet known by most as the Warrior of Light. [No harm in putting a little bit of brag in there, was there? Yenh is pretty sure the little bit of extra pomp would be appreciated by present company. Plus it helped center her a bit, because yikes this royal human whirlwind has put her on the back foot.]

Yenh... Quryoja. [ it's not exactly a local name for her, and her mouth twists and curls around it before she shakes her head. ] The Warrior of Light... A beauty like light gracing the morning dew. [ she doesn't have trouble saying any of that, though. she smiles. ] Yes, yes, I see. It fits you well.

[ she looks her up and down again, hardly bothering to keep her gaze to herself. it's not empty praise, either - while this woman does not hold the sway of aphrodite, it is easy enough to see where she gets her title. from the way she holds herself to her voice, she certainly has a lure of her own.

nero looks back up to yenh's eyes, raising a hand to her chest and puffing up slightly. ]

Very well, then! I am Nero Claudius. The fifth great Emperor of Rome in the last world, and an artist in the next. I trust our meeting has been agreeable.

[This is 1) far from the first time a lady has ogled Yenh, 2) today, 3) but it has been a while since someone actually called her beautiful and she believed it, though she totally believed Kaph when he said it, but he was probably lying in retrospect. Not that she sees herself as ugly, but she sees beauty as the province of people like Nero and Aymeric. Plus, that wasn't what the title was meant to describe, but whatever, this is far from the first lunatic she's ever met.]

[Yenh manages to climb over the hill of confusion and is left looking down into the valley of dealing with an Emperor who is insulted that that another tyrant awarded her with empty platitudes. ...And a house. And powers. But it's mostly about the platitudes, isn't it? Politicans.]

[Giving the woman a nod, because it was something and that's worth agreeing with.]

Aye. Would you like to come in for tea before you continue?... [She is hoping Nero isn't planning on sitting out here writing for the next hour or three.]

Tea... [ her nose wrinkles a little at that - but only a little. there are far worse things to try than the fragrant brews of the east, after all. ] Indeed. I accept your invitation.

[ and with that she's going to stride right on in like she owns the place. do forgive her demeanor, yenh - she really is on a whole different level of sanity than most people.

emperors, am i right? ]

A humble home, but a well-loved one nonetheless. It will do. [ she seems to have already made herself at home, judging from the way she's standing by a window with her hands on her hips. and, well, the way she's freely offering commentary that wasn't asked for. ] I take it you dwell not under my Praetor's wing?

[Yenh has, at least, met a few emperors before. They were under far different and often supernatural circumstances, including the occasional spot of regicide when they wouldn't settle the hell down and stop summoning demons or whatever. This is exactly the kind of nonsense she expects, so she only makes note of it as she follows Nero into her own home.]

[At once, she starts preparing the tea, feeling a moment of silly regret that she can't put on a magic show to heat the water.]

[However, she does know how to entertain guests in other ways, and pulls out a bottle of liquor. There is a moment where Yenh stares at it, furrowing her eyebrows in mild dismay. Did she really drink that much of it already? Yikes. Swearing to lay off of getting drunk-drunk (and not realizing certain elezen had been dipping in), she sets it aside and focuses on portioning out the tea.]

[Making tea is a lot like alchemy, so she's a deft hand at portioning it out right, checking the leaves to make sure there's no imperfections (or bugs) lurking, waiting until the water is the right temperature... she isn't one to grovel or even bow in the presence of royalty or rulers, but she definitely doesn't mind trying to impress them.]

Oh- thank you. And yes, you are correct. I'm an adventurer by trade, and as such, submitting myself to the rule of another was... hm, repugnant.

one | "lament of a broken blade"

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