[Maketh wakes up slowly, taking inventory of her surroundings and herself before she attempts to move. A neat room, perfectly clean. Her head is pounding. There's pain between her eyes, bruises rising.
Piece by piece, she remembers.
She breathes. Sits up slowly. Puts her boots back on. The painkillers she ignores.
Rome is working in the kitchen. Maketh stands in the doorway, watching him.
[He can hear the movement, but he lets her get up on her own time, come into consciousness in her own terms. He keeps working, stirring at the pot for a few more moments until her voice rings out across the room.
The food can simmer for a moment. He turns toward her, neutral as ever, even under her accusation.]
No ma'am.
[Of course not. There's no sense beating around the bush here.]
I don't have the power to undo what was done, but it isn't my place to question your judgement.
[He could be lying, though there wouldn't be much point in it. Maketh thins her mouth, nodding just once. Rome is straightforward to the extreme. One day, she will teach him to lie.]
The others have moved against me.
[It's said quite calmly. No use in arguing against the truth.]
[He acknowledges- there's no use in sugarcoating it or lying about it. Rey told him that Maketh was removed from her position, that Henry and Nick would back up the statement. It's a tough pill to swallow, but she can't hide from it.]
Henry hasn't made an official statement. When Rey brought you here, she said that Henry and Nick were in agreement about it- so the three of them, at least.
[Though he wishes he had a better answer for her. It's clear that she disagrees with what was done- Rome just doesn't know what that entails for the rest of them.]
I wasn't told what would happen from here. [He hesitates, not wanting to overstep his bounds.]
But- I'm sure you'll be reinstated. You're an extremely competent leader.
[Rome doesn't know enough about Maketh's methods, and even if he did, he wouldn't disagree. The idea of disagreeing is just not built into him, and besides- he's intimately familiar with 'the ends justify the means' as a mentality. He functions just fine within that framework; it's all he's ever known.]
Miss Rey is under the impression that you know where it is.
[So they haven't tracked it down yet. There's still time. Maketh thins her mouth, watching Rome. He's been straightforward to the extreme thus far, a good soldier. Probably one of her best. And now she must trust him with something that matters.]
I do. You're not going to betray me now, are you?
[It's asked softly. Maketh already knows the answer. But she wants him to say it.]
Maketh has become akin to his handler, whether she intended to or not. She's been responsible for him, offered him the structure he desperately needed to keep from falling apart, dealt with him with a firm hand and has been, more or less, resolute and agreeable ever since his arrival here. He's interacted with her more than any other member of the guard, trusts her more than anyone else in the city.
But she's been relieved of her position. She exists now, outside of the structure that he needs, and he has promised his loyalty to the Guard. Granted, the promise was through her, so- where does that leave him?
He'd told Rey that he would do as she asked and report anything he learned from Maketh to her, but Rey wasn't his handler. Rey technically did not have a position of superiority over him in the guard- though now, neither does Maketh.
The choice for him isn't a moral one in the slightest, but rather one of loyalty. He doesn't have any sort of opinion about the weapon or the gods or the Null or any of it- it all boils down to his duty and his obligation to his superiors. He's a good soldier. He always has been.
So when he finally speaks, he elects for complete honesty.]
Rey instructed me to glean the location of the weapon from you and report it to her.
[A difficult choice. Rome has never been good at making decisions- most of the time, they're made for him and he goes along with them. Orders, he understands. They're clear, taking responsibility from him and allowing him to operate in a very rigid framework. He's more comfortable that way.
Deciding for himself isn't a skill he's ever needed to refine, and now that he's faced with the choice, it's harder than he could have thought. He'd meant to do as Rey asked, fully intended on remaining loyal to the Guard when they spoke, but now that Maketh is in front of him and asking for his loyalty, he finds himself faltering.
Loyalty has always been his defining trait, as it is for most others of his kind. His superiors had abused that and crafted it into a loyalty to a system, a military, a government, but it has instinctively always been stronger when attached to people. His handler, whether or not they deserve it. His pack, what little interaction they may have had.
[Assuming that Rey hasn't asked someone to watch him as well. But the guard is stretched thin as it is- and besides, he'd be able to smell someone in the shadows long before they follow him anywhere.]
What should I tell miss Rey?
[Those lying lessons might have to come sooner rather than later.]
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mismanagement) wrote2016-01-25 02:02 pm
no subject
Piece by piece, she remembers.
She breathes. Sits up slowly. Puts her boots back on. The painkillers she ignores.
Rome is working in the kitchen. Maketh stands in the doorway, watching him.
Her expression is cold.]
Am I to assume you have betrayed me as well?
no subject
The food can simmer for a moment. He turns toward her, neutral as ever, even under her accusation.]
No ma'am.
[Of course not. There's no sense beating around the bush here.]
I don't have the power to undo what was done, but it isn't my place to question your judgement.
no subject
The others have moved against me.
[It's said quite calmly. No use in arguing against the truth.]
Does the rest of the Guard know?
no subject
[He acknowledges- there's no use in sugarcoating it or lying about it. Rey told him that Maketh was removed from her position, that Henry and Nick would back up the statement. It's a tough pill to swallow, but she can't hide from it.]
Henry hasn't made an official statement. When Rey brought you here, she said that Henry and Nick were in agreement about it- so the three of them, at least.
no subject
Maketh crosses her arms, watching him.]
When will they announce it?
no subject
[Though he wishes he had a better answer for her. It's clear that she disagrees with what was done- Rome just doesn't know what that entails for the rest of them.]
I wasn't told what would happen from here. [He hesitates, not wanting to overstep his bounds.]
But- I'm sure you'll be reinstated. You're an extremely competent leader.
no subject
[There's no use in wallowing. They have work to do. Maketh thins her mouth.]
Who has the weapon now?
no subject
They don't know. I don't either.
[Rome doesn't know enough about Maketh's methods, and even if he did, he wouldn't disagree. The idea of disagreeing is just not built into him, and besides- he's intimately familiar with 'the ends justify the means' as a mentality. He functions just fine within that framework; it's all he's ever known.]
Miss Rey is under the impression that you know where it is.
no subject
I do. You're not going to betray me now, are you?
[It's asked softly. Maketh already knows the answer. But she wants him to say it.]
no subject
Maketh has become akin to his handler, whether she intended to or not. She's been responsible for him, offered him the structure he desperately needed to keep from falling apart, dealt with him with a firm hand and has been, more or less, resolute and agreeable ever since his arrival here. He's interacted with her more than any other member of the guard, trusts her more than anyone else in the city.
But she's been relieved of her position. She exists now, outside of the structure that he needs, and he has promised his loyalty to the Guard. Granted, the promise was through her, so- where does that leave him?
He'd told Rey that he would do as she asked and report anything he learned from Maketh to her, but Rey wasn't his handler. Rey technically did not have a position of superiority over him in the guard- though now, neither does Maketh.
The choice for him isn't a moral one in the slightest, but rather one of loyalty. He doesn't have any sort of opinion about the weapon or the gods or the Null or any of it- it all boils down to his duty and his obligation to his superiors. He's a good soldier. He always has been.
So when he finally speaks, he elects for complete honesty.]
Rey instructed me to glean the location of the weapon from you and report it to her.
no subject
That gives you a choice, then. You can be loyal to her, or you can follow where I lead.
no subject
Deciding for himself isn't a skill he's ever needed to refine, and now that he's faced with the choice, it's harder than he could have thought. He'd meant to do as Rey asked, fully intended on remaining loyal to the Guard when they spoke, but now that Maketh is in front of him and asking for his loyalty, he finds himself faltering.
Loyalty has always been his defining trait, as it is for most others of his kind. His superiors had abused that and crafted it into a loyalty to a system, a military, a government, but it has instinctively always been stronger when attached to people. His handler, whether or not they deserve it. His pack, what little interaction they may have had.
Maketh.
He nods once, slowly. It feels heavy in the air.]
...I'm yours.
no subject
Maketh nods just once.]
There is a lab in Spire 1. The door is trapped. You'll find the weapon inside. Rey intends to destroy it, and I cannot have that.
no subject
[He doesn't do anything by half-measures. He's all-in now, for better or worse.]
What needs to be done?
no subject
[Her voice is perfectly cool.]
I don't particularly care where you put it, so long as it remains intact.
no subject
[Assuming that Rey hasn't asked someone to watch him as well. But the guard is stretched thin as it is- and besides, he'd be able to smell someone in the shadows long before they follow him anywhere.]
What should I tell miss Rey?
[Those lying lessons might have to come sooner rather than later.]