In Lieu of Formalities

Zariah had been patient. Oh, so very, very patient. Far more patient than she had been with pretty much anyone in this world called Caido. And now here Neron sat, on his little throne of manly pride, a whole nation now bowing to his whim, and he had the audacity to mistake her patience for weakness. Her love for complacency. Oh no, no, no. This would simply not do. ”Oh, I have forgotten, have I? You are mistaken, my dear.” she said, the tone of her voice taking on a biting edge despite her lack of volume. Slowly she slid off the bed, eyes locked on him like a lioness on the prowl. ”I remember the man from Northwind. Talented. Charming. Capable. And lazy. So lazy in fact that his untalented, unremarkable, incapable twin brother surpassed him. So lazy it took me nearly drowning him to get him off his sorry ass and live up to his potential and stop being an embarrassment to our family name.” She took a step forward and as she did, lightning danced across the floor then up the legs of the chair upon which Neron sat, causing them to explode from the force of the energy, sending the Warden to the floor. But he wouldn’t be there for long. Zariah grabbed his face, hand under his chin while her pointed nails dug in along his jawline. The Archmage tugged him foreword so their faces were side by side, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered harshly. ”You sit on your throne above Halo, patting your own back, pretending you did this all on your own. You forget that the only reason you have it is because some half-goddess saved you through your own enslavement, and the only reason you were awake long enough to realize you weren’t in Northwind anymore was because of me.” Zariah shoved him back again, electricity sparking and nails dragging along his skin, straightening up to look down on him, fire raging behind her eyes as she glared. ”The only disgraceful act in this family is the way in which you boys seem to have forgotten your place.” zariah If it is danger you seek, come on over. I covet tranquility but beget the tempest storm.