[ Her ploy is pitiful, but he doesn't show it. His face is starched into deliberate neutrality; he regards her steadily over the steaming rim of his cup. Ordinarily he'd prefer to dispense with the small-talk, and ask her straight-out what's bothering her. Except she looks so tired -- beyond tired; dissembled at the seams. He feels the old pang of obligation -- protector and care -- so he doesn't prod. There is already too much piled between them: problems to solve, arguments that fester, pending compromises -- so the silence is like a tenuous grace period. Well-earned stasis. ]
[ This is their usual pattern. The irony doesn't escape him that it was the same with Amber. ]
[ Quietly, ]
I'm making arrangements to send special teams [ the equivalent of highly-trained mercs ] to handle rebel factions in the Earth Kingdom.
[ Since Wu abdicated the throne -- a well-meaning but colossally stupid decision, in his opinion -- the earth empire has dissolved into chaos. With no centralized authority and the decline of a century-old monarchy virtually in an eyeblink, the place resembles the brittle feuding domains of Sengoku Jidai in Japan. The rich states grow richer, while the poor ones crumble into dissolution, and are eventually swallowed up in hostile conglomerations. ]
[ Worst case scenario: they'll fall prey to anarchists and other radicalized movements. Best case (which is closer to worst-of-the-worst case): they'll end up electing another tyrant like Kuvira. ]
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Date: 2015-07-11 07:07 pm (UTC)[ This is their usual pattern. The irony doesn't escape him that it was the same with Amber. ]
[ Quietly, ]
I'm making arrangements to send special teams [ the equivalent of highly-trained mercs ] to handle rebel factions in the Earth Kingdom.
[ Since Wu abdicated the throne -- a well-meaning but colossally stupid decision, in his opinion -- the earth empire has dissolved into chaos. With no centralized authority and the decline of a century-old monarchy virtually in an eyeblink, the place resembles the brittle feuding domains of Sengoku Jidai in Japan. The rich states grow richer, while the poor ones crumble into dissolution, and are eventually swallowed up in hostile conglomerations. ]
[ Worst case scenario: they'll fall prey to anarchists and other radicalized movements. Best case (which is closer to worst-of-the-worst case): they'll end up electing another tyrant like Kuvira. ]