tushanshu | first decree [video]

[Logan taps his fingers agitatedly as the feed begins, but that's the only part of him that's anything but stoic. Even with his hair lank and greasy from the sea, his clothes stained and damp and that breastplate surely irritating him, he projects as much kingly composure and calm as he can muster.]

I suppose the first order of business would be to introduce myself. [His voice is deep and rich, a bit of a contrast with his thin, angular features.] My name is Logan. I am the king of a place called Albion, but unless any of my citizens have found their way here, I'm aware I have no authority and will not make any attempts to command.

[His left hand clenches into a fist, hard enough for his knuckles to go white, then relaxes. The movement is repeated rhythmically as he finishes.] The person who brought me here from the Shell's Edge seemed to believe he had told me everything of import, but is there any other knowledge I'm likely to be missing? The natives of a place often take for granted something a foreigner would like to know.

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[He considers for a moment, trying to think how to word this, rather than answer immediately and end up stumbling over his words or hesitating.]

Not precisely. Perhaps better to say preparing for war. [And the people are less than happy about it.]

Hn.

[Albel's face darkened; he understood the implications behind the expression. Everything down to his very core freely promised bloodshed, but war -- contrary to popular belief -- wasn't always the necessary prerequisite. He's dealt with warmongering bastards one too many times.]

How fortunate for them, that you've ended up here.

Not at all.

Struck a nerve, have I? No use for kings to heed the opinions of common fools.

[Aaannd that's as vague and cryptic as it sounds, folks! He bears no malice, but he'll seize on the opportunity to dig on the man for royalties sake.]

I was told time will stand still as long as I am here. But if that proves untrue, my kingdom now stands unknowing and unprotected of the greatest threat it has ever faced.

My absence is not fortunate for them.

Hah! You talk as if you were picking up the pommel. You have generals, do you not? Or were you actually planning on fighting this war of yours?

[He certainly didn't see his king forgo royal comforts out on the battlefield, among the common carnage. No, good wars were fought by good captains, a meticulous and impenetrable military — no more, no less.

...Unless, of course, a foreign body from a hyper-technological federation crashes down and complicates matters. Another story for another time.]

Hm. [He bristles with the pause.] If you believe the maggots. We have nothing to prove it.

I have generals, indeed, but I am no stranger to battle. I have fought the threat I speak of with my own sword. [There goes the hand again. Clench. Flex. Clench. Flex.] No one could understand it who hadn't.

That is... intriguing.

[Albel remained silent for a considerable amount of time. On no occasion would he be the one to hold any sort of reverence towards royalty, but that didn't mean he wouldn't take a resourceful king over his if he had the choice.]

Albel Nox.

[Silence is all right, he can deal with the silence. The Crawler is never silent. So he sits there and bears the scrutiny.]

A pleasure to meet you. [He gave his name in the original post and feels no need to reintroduce.]

[A scoff. That's a good one.]

I've no need for niceties.

[Utterly deadpan:] Should I spit and call you disgusting instead, then?

I've killed men for less. [For all intensive purposes, his tone is as casual as it can get.] But perhaps that would be too simple here, even for the likes of me.

I hear that I would only come back.

Heh — that does take some fun out of things, but I've learned to get creative yet. [No surprise Albel preferred the termless approach; what use is a threat if temporary? But there were exceptions, like always.]

Surely you know tortures worse than death.

[Logan looks away, and the hand sitting on the edge of the table clenches into a fist, tight enough for the knuckles to turn white, and doesn't let go. He doesn't speak, but it would seem that he does.]

first decree [video]

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