Meeting Alexander

[ishineon]

[Säde waits in the Club castle foyer, hands held behind her as she examines her surroundings, matching them with what she remembers of her last visit. She has caught a nearby Four, sending him to summon his King. No hurry. She came unannounced, after all.]

Comments

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

[That much is true- she did get through the ranks faster than usual, versus his languishing in one rank for years. She hadn't started paying attention to the other Suits 'til she was a Six.]

No? Your exploits must have made you many friends. [And enemies, but that goes without saying.]

[livebytheclub.livejournal.com]

"Oh I don't know about that. As you've risen from an unknown to an Ace in the time I've been away, I expect you know that accomplishment seldom gathers a retinue of smiling admirers. Often shining marks you as a threat to lesser specimens."

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

How one rises often determines the opinions of others, too. We cannot help a certain amount of jealousy, but how we perform our roles- and how we've acted before that- certainly would enable a greater respect.

[livebytheclub.livejournal.com]

[He sees this turning into an ideological fence. That doesn't bother him. He sips his drink]

"Ah, but that presumes upon the judgement of those who give or withhold that respect."

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

[a snort of amusement] Perhaps. But that depends on the temperament of the suit as well, and yours is none too forgiving, from what I've seen. [Tut, Säde. Getting a little personal there.]

[livebytheclub.livejournal.com]

[She thinks she's taking a swing at him, but her words hold a more complimentary truth to his ears, though her intent does not go unnoticed]

"Some see only honorable friends, others only intolerable foes. The wise man extends one hand with the other on the hilt. I have little interest in forgiveness; only in fair judgment and wise response.

Furthermore, one can expect only so much leniency in the hearts and minds of those who have just experienced the assassination of their beloved King."

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

Mmmh. Andrew was very much loved, for a King. [Compared to how all the Kings she'd seen during her time in the Deck were talked about, anyway...]

Of course, focusing too much on one area of governance has always been the downfall of any weak king. [Which one is she referring to?]

[livebytheclub.livejournal.com]

[He doesn't miss the double meaning. Her possible prod isn't totally unjustified, but he is learning. In a moment of inspiration, he lets her comment prompt him to defy its implication. Let her think him a one-trick brute

He waives his hand dismissively and pretends to only see what she could have meant about Andrew]

"Of course. Civilians often forget that a strong arm bearing a sword is the final word when it wants to be."

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

[Hmph. Violence is the answer for this man, clearly. Such pettiness does not become a king.

How this shows on her face is in the narrowing of her eyes, and the very slight tilting back of her head.]

Naturally, if one will not obey, one can be made to obey. It's a pity only we of the Deck understand this.

[livebytheclub.livejournal.com]

[He feigns surprise, raising his eyebrows]

"Do we? And here I thought I was the only one - well, the only one save for an as-yet undiscovered hatchetman."

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

[She shrugs.] I don't mean that we go so far as to execute the disloyal, but a firm hand is needed. Appearances must be maintained, of course. Constantly bandaged Numbers are unappealing.

[livebytheclub.livejournal.com]

[He grins]

"Oh I don't know. I've often held to the axiom that if you're not hurting, you haven't been practicing hard enough - or rather your partner hasn't."

[He follows this deep thought with a deeper draught from his glass - he really does keep meaning to have some proper drinking horns stocked. It would take a great deal of the drink to affect him, but of course she wouldn't know that. He wonders if he's over-doing this little sham of his. He is, after all, an amateur at court intrigue. Oh well, practice most when the outcome isn't critical...]

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

If everyone has wounds from their partner's superior fighting skills, they could hardly be ready for any surprise attacks, surely? [Joking now.]

[livebytheclub.livejournal.com]

"But harder to put off guard with simple pain"

[He counters, not taking the discussion seriously, but speaking his mind none the less]

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

If they must be inured to pain, surely there are better methods than continuously being outmatched in combat. [No, she's not suggesting torture. Goodness, the places a mind can go to.]

[livebytheclub.livejournal.com]

"When we learn to perform when outmatched in practice, we do not embarrass ourselves when it happens in reality."

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

True... but it isn't always possible to have an even mix of the excellent and the inexperienced, or even a full set of excellent fighters. And right now? The Deck is pretty lopsided with inexperienced fighters. [The Hearts, for one. A good third of the Diamonds, for another- though she won't mention that.]

[livebytheclub.livejournal.com]

[By noting one of his own points of contention she has effectively neutralized any attempt he would make at practicing intrigue - at least on this point]

"We agree on that matter. Do you see this as a problem?"

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

It's unlikely that we'd face any threats from the outside world. From within... it's one thing to have Suits tolerant of each other, and another to have warring Suits.

[livebytheclub.livejournal.com]

[Damned non-answers put him even further from a subtle mood, especially coming from this well-kept porcelain thing before him]

"I think you have not seen the same frontier I have - or perhaps you've only read about it in tabloids.

As to tolerance, it's all well and good until one runs out of cheeks to turn."

[ishineon.livejournal.com]

[Too bad she lives for non-answers.]

The only ones outside who know are the ones we leave to come here- or the ones who leave the Deck after growing up here. What could they possibly have against us?

[Silly question. Her dear brother despises the Deck, as she well knows.]

And there ought to be compromise. The Deck comprises four Suits, not one or two. We can't allow it to be decimated by petty things.