"Yes, you're putting words in my mouth," Nathaniel replied monotonously. "It's like speaking to a brick wall sometimes, I swear. It's a good thing you're pretty, Calen." The slave chastised Nathaniel on smoking, and the vampire chuckled. "It's hardly a habit. I'm not even certain if vampires can form addictions." And regardless, Nathaniel had never been addicted to anything but violence. He arched a brow at Calen when he continued to argue. "Sometimes I wonder," Nathaniel said, "if you really think you're good at ... whatever it is you're doing." He snuffed out the cigarette. "I'm not certain. Arguing for the sake of arguing, I'd assume. Spouting nonsense about me telling you one thing then requesting you do the other. No, Calen. Rethink your level of comprehension. To put it in words you may understand -- you aren't as smart about situations at hand as you think you are. Pick up a fucking dictionary for once, you piece of shit." Ah, there went that anger. Always unpredictable. Calm one moment, and the next he was bursting at the seams. Nathaniel ran his fingers through his hair, but the effort to calm himself down didn't go through. Within moments, he had left his position behind the desk, approaching Calen.
"What I don't understand is how I'm gone for not even a year, and suddenly everyone's up your ass, thinking they can do my job better than me," he said. "And here you are, after taking it like a bitch, sitting in my office like you want to come running back home. The fuck is this, Calen? Some fucking game you want to rub in my face? Like I was never FUCKING good enough!" Normally, Nathaniel wouldn't have thought twice about striking the slave, but in a moment of clarity, he remembered that Calen was no longer his -- and so instead he upturned the desk, letting all of his belongings and equipment crash to the floor. Nathaniel took a moment to compose himself. He pushed his hair back over his head, inhaled deeply, and tried to still his shaking hands. In the aftermath of destruction, silence reigned. He found no peace there, but he would pretend to in order to fit in. "Since you're too stupid to figure it out on your own, I'll spell it out for you," he said, quieter now. "The moment you're back in the Chateau, your fate as an example will be sealed. I will destroy every little piece of what you are, and no goddamn King can save you from it this time. So here, Calen, we reach the ultimatum." Nathaniel spread his arms out, grinning from ear to ear. "You stay safe and sound with Erebus, or you come home where I can't guarantee the longevity of your life. So when I say to rethink your attachment, I mean it. You think long and hard. Because my passion for taking back my throne may very well lead to your death. I hope we're clear this time."
