@Blueeyeswhitemajesty
To a military man, nudity was practically the status quo and the nudity of your sworn enemy did little to skew it. So follow Timaeus did, his eye darting over the other man in that perfunctory sweep which checked for weapons and assessed strengths and weaknesses, though the usual boredom with which Timaeus carried it out was sorely missing. Now his eye burned with a fire it hadnât held for eons, looking ready to spark out and set the very world ablaze. What had Kisara been thinking, allowing this man a place in the castle? Dartz remained a slippery bastard, that had not changed. Timaeusâ working eye narrowed again, two slightly elongated fangs protruding from a firmly set bottom lip. His agitation had reached a serious point if his dragon form encroached on his human one. He rolled his⊠eye, which was woefully less impressive. âHaving my soul lent to a card has led me to question the fabrics of things, sir.â The title carried less respect than if he had called Dartz the bastard son of a three headed goat. Timaeus would not recognise this oneâs royalty. âMultiple versions of ourselves or nae⊠each of us carries the core of his own being. I remain certain you acted as much a scoundrel as the knave who commanded my Atlantis.â Pleasantly indeed. âAccidental.â The flat tone and the twitching of his eyebrow ever higher showed exactly what Timaeus thought of that. âPray, share your accident with me in further detail. I am no stranger to the magical workings of this kingdom. You must have some insight into why you graced us with your auspicious presence.â Provide said insight or be proven a blithering fool, said Timaeusâ stare, as clear as day.
kkkkk
Tunic on, hose on, boots⊠he checked himself over one more. He seemed presentable enough for this place. Now he could get back to the business at hand; escaping. Alright, so, how to do that exactly? He hated to buck the hospitality but the sooner he left this place the better. Theyâd been kind thus far but he knew his head was never far from a platter. He certainly didnât fail to notice the sharp introduction of the fangs to Timaeusâ face either. He was sure that wasnât a good sign.
âI should hope so.â Dartz really didnât give a ratâs if the knight recognized his title or not. Let him stew, let him simpered, Dartz had enough pride in himself to stand tall and endure the meandering loathing rolling off the other. The other who seemed to be struggling to control himself. âI wonât pretend to speak on the nature of souls or cores of being but in an infinite number of universes I should think not all versions of myself are scoundrels.â He countered. âI can only really speak for myself, in the end, and I did do some dark things, itâs true. That said there were circumstances beyond anyoneâs control- let alone my own- and I would happily acknowledge here, today, that I made mistakes and poor judgements. You can take that how you will.â
âAccidental.â He repeated stubbornly, back straight, eyes sharp. âAnd while, perhaps, I do have an insight into this accident I preserve the right to share it only with your Queen.â
âI have not yet met a version of you that wasnât,â he snapped in response, one of his fangs catching the very edge of his lip. He needed to calm down. He knew that. Timaeus struggled to pull in a calming breath, find his centre again. Think of the trees... âSome.â His voice was flat and no less angry. Timaeus blew that breath out between his teeth. âI believe âpoorâ is an inadequate descriptor for the decisions you made. Acknowledgement does little for crimes, Dartz. I know such rather intimately. If one is truly sorry, one will endeavor to make reparations and apologies.â That was better. Far more in control. That was, of course, until Dartz spoke again. Timaeusâ eye flashed with a spark of fire and he hissed again. Visible anger was not such an issue where Timaeus was concerned. True, it was not the best of signs when his carefully controlled temper began to slip, but in this stage it was little more than a short-range explosion. It happened with the troops occasionally, when they were incompetent enough to earn such wrath. In the short term, nothing much happened. But when he first grew enraged, then grew quiet. Now that, that was dangerous. Another breath and Timaeus straightened to his full height once again, every muscle tensed and ready to see battle. He did not, however, reach for his sword. He smiled instead, a dangerously languid smirk that spread across his face. The fangs had retreated, leaving only the sharpness of Timaeusâ expression to warn of the danger roiling beneath the surface. âI advise you to reconsider that stance, friend.â His voice was soft, saturated with confidence born from thousands of years at the sword. âYou stand before me only by her Majestyâs grace. Were she to rescind but a single word of her edict, your head would lay by my feet. You are required to speak to me.â












