Claire appreciated Gabriel's actions, seeing him mediate between his boss and herself. She felt so relieved knowing that there was someone on her side seeing the ridiculousness of the situation, even if he was Maltese. However, that relief didn't last very long as Enma was in her face once again, sliding the ring back on her finger.
She tried to remain neutral in expression in order to avoid showing her state, although being battered with emotional abuse coupled with the exhaustion made it so much harder. The Roi would never agree to getting married off to this Maltese psychopath, she thought. She just had to play pretend until she heard this officially, but every fibre of her being wanted to take the ring and throw it away. It took all of the willpower she had left to stop herself from overreacting. It was hard to avoid noticing the resentment in her voice.
— I'll.. consider it.
No matter how much she wanted to refuse, the Outcast was right. She would probably be dead without Enma, and someone would strap a collar on her and sell her off if she abandoned her now. But she wasn't going to agree to her demands. Not fully, at least.
— I'll try to eat, but please don't bring a lot. And I'd like privacy, so I would like a single bedroom arranged.
She was very courteous about it, drawing from her experience of dealing with all sorts of diplomats and politicians in Orleanais.
He had a reputation to look after and Enma seemed completely ignorant of that crucial aspect. Her self serving proposal, though a clever ploy for power, only served to compromise the smoothness of his current assignment. Which was to ensure that Claire's relocation occurred successfully. And as a native of Malta, his pride and delusions of superiority would not be so easily stepped upon.
— Your exact instructions were to protect Her Highness as if she were you. I'm therefore required to treat her like you, and that includes protecting you from yourself. Your persistence in this proposal despite your former wife having left you, for reasons that I most certainly cannot hope to understand, is admirable. But your timing runs the risk of complications. Common sense dictates that you remain patient until after the relocation is a success. Please modify those orders if you feel they are presently inconvenient.
He was being sarcastic when he spoke about Eliza's sudden disappearance, it was subtle enough that all the alcohol would make it seem like he was trying to kiss ass rather than insult his employer. But to all the other sober occupants in the room, he had indirectly stated that the reason for such a thing was obvious. He quietly hoped that Claire accepted the proposal and then found a means through which to extort a divorce settlement, that way she could take half of everything Loyola had, and his contract. Of course shooting her with a stun round was also a tempting prospect, with all she had to drink, she would make for a spectacular puddle of urine.
The last thing she wanted to was talking to Gabriel. If she wanted to listen to somebody talking about the 'pure race' she'd kidnap a Xeno. If anything, she viewed the tin man as more of a liability sometimes.
— My god you are dense Gabriel. Shouldn't you be on your way to the yellow brick road, find some wizard and grab yourself a heart? You could take some creative liberties when it comes to orders as such. But whatever, it's up to En to regulate your 'tendencies'.
Keiko slowly walks into the room, finding a distant enough armchair for herself to sit on. She still tried to make some sense out of this whole situation. Something about global politics? Or just En trying to slip herself into a noble family? It was nothing more than a headache. Thus, her focus eventually wandered off to the screen, watching whatever cartoon was displayed on screen. Even so, she listened into the conversation, and kept an eye on the local bodyguard.
Zoe had barely managed to start fulfilling Enma's demands unwillingly when Enma already went to create even more chaos. Slightly confused by her sudden closeness to the gaul noble, she stepped back and away from them. Now she truly felt out of place. What was going on? Could she stay out of harms way here? She cursed herself for getting involved with Enma again and wished she could just leave the room.
Enma got more and more hands on and it ended in her... proposing?! Zoe just stared in disbelief. She knew how crazy Enma could be, especially under the influence of alcohol. But proposing to some gaul noblewoman and mentioning that she'd be a replacement essentially shocked her. That was something absolutely insane even for Enma.
Now the two other people Enma had dragged into it were fighting even though Gabriel's words, while cold, were probably the most helpful here. Stopping Enma was probably one of the best ideas. But no way in hell would she be the one to get between Enma and her current desire.
— What did I get into...
Was all she mumbled very quietly, nervously standing there. This wasn't the kind of fighting she was used to or hired by Enma.
Outcast smiles at the princess, who's not been refusing her anymore. She could not hide her happiness, yes it's maybe achieved through very questionable tactics. But doesn't end justify the means? Loyola says yeah. She could feel the disapproval of her people behind her back. It was, to some degree expected, but it feels awful. The majority seem to turn against her just over some Gallic girl.
— I guess you are right, we are both tired and spending night together requires some energy as I see it. You will have to tell me how you like it.
With a wide grin Enma approached Claire, placing a short, but forceful kiss at her lips. At this point, she will just make everything how she wants. She's getting on rhythm, literally crushing beats, and there's no way stopping her. With that, she turns around at LG members behind her back.
Standing up she reaches for Gabriel, she is angry with him, until she remembers what kind of a person he is. He always does what he was told and she's usually just to blame herself for not wording it properly, just like now. She would get a little bit too close to lower her tone.
— A little update Gab, protect her against anyone, but me.
She would pat his shoulders, completely ignoring the words of wisdom and cold analysis he tried to deliver, next heading to Keiko, who is watching Kusarian animations, not minding anyone.
— Damn, I am completely missing that episode now... It's the third one, right? Also Keiko, you look great, I'm still wondering what are you doing at the mercenary squad when you could have a model or cosplay career.
Then uh, she's noticing that Zoe came back. Enma comes closer.
— I did tell you to do something, but I forgot what exactly. I mean... oh right, massage, sorry not needed anymore. I think there was something else... whatever. I suppose you can just watch animations, maybe you could make friends or something, she's kind and open usually. Also cute as hell. Or do whatever, the day is coming to an end anyway.
Enma then picking food for Claire by herself. That would be a french hotdog and a cup of warm tea. Getting them on a tent she would approach Claire's table, landing it right there. Falling on the sofa next to the princess, casually taking her pocket device to check the news or new messages. A good time killer before finally going to sleep, what a long day that was.
Protect her against anyone, but me. That sentence kept ringing in Claire's mind as she looked at the food arriving. A hot dog. Really? Well, she agreed to this, so she might try and go through with it. She ate while the rest of them enjoyed themselves, but she was clearly unused to commoner food. Even when she was deployed on the military vessel, they had special rations for VIPs delivered frequently as they were close to the supply lines.
A while later, they started a small conversation about sleep. Claire was adamant about staying in a single bedroom with no one else present, and eventually got what she asked for. Having received the confirmation of availability, she excused herself and was led towards the room. It was unsurprisingly modest, nothing that you wouldn't expect in a small outpost space station. As soon as she entered and the door closed behind her, everything she's kept suppressed flew out. She took the ring off her hand and nearly slammed it on the bedside table. She wanted to cry, but her breakdown in the Sabre left her eyes completely dry.
Claire fell on the bed and closed her eyes, letting the exhaustion take over. She passed out nearly instantly as the journey so far has sapped all of her energy to the very last drop.
The following morning, she woke up naturally. She lied in bed, thinking on how long she slept. It felt wrong, like she overslept, but there's no way the Outcasts wouldn't have interrupted her by now. She lied in bed until she found the motivation to slowly get up, scanning for a clock in the room. There was none there. Having no way to tell the time, she decided to just go out and navigate back to the lounge room. Maybe someone was there - and hopefully not Enma.
Claire took some time to tidy herself and her hair before she opened the door and stepped out. It was actually surprisingly dark until she stepped further, and only then did the motion-detected lights kick in. The metal floor pronounced every step that the noble took as she stepped through the hallway leading towards the lounge room.
Near the centre of the room, around the large table, she saw the armoured man once again. Without looking around, she walked up to him and sat on the nearby sofa.
— Bonjour.
She paused, trying to fight off the reluctance. She thought she was alone in the room with him, so this was the only time she could say something to the man. She wanted to hug him instead, but this was not the environment for being loose.
— Regarding yesterday, merci. I really appreciate that you stood up for me. It didn't seem like anyone else would, even those whom I considered friends.
Gabriel was actually taking a break when Claire entered the room he was in, and upon detecting her approach, sat up to show respect. He was confident he'd made a confident impression, it was rather important for your prospective clients to be able to tolerate you otherwise they would most likely not consider taking your contract. The profession of murder was appropriately competitive, one could say that the competition was cutthroat. Literally.
— The organization I work for is quite traditional. We emphasize on discipline and obedience. When I was ordered to ensure your protection, and to regard you on the same level as my employer, it entitles you to all the respect of a native. I typically do not seek to protect our lesser.. peers in the sector. I often see employment to pacify them in the wake of ambition. Your case is quite different, and I've never worked with royalty before. The closest I've come to nobility is the woman you've already met. But the difference in attitude between nobility and a pretender is quite jarring. Nevertheless, the hussy holds my contract. So I have to do as I'm told, no questions, no deviations. I encourage you to find a way to take my contract from her. It's quite disappointing though, I feel like I'm one of the few Outcasts who actually understands our superiority over the rest and acts like it. While the rest lower themselves into the gutter.
Wrapped around his right hand was an amulet, he seemed to sway it idly and it might have even had religious significance. The design of it seemed to depict a three-headed dog, and set just above it was a spectacular green sun denoted by an emerald. Something was inscribed around the edges, but it was a language she wouldn't be able to recognize, let alone understand. The trinket itself seemed ancient, so it was likely this alleged organization was founded long, long ago. He had a natural charm about him, despite the equal aura that one would associate with a predator. But oddly enough that was the exact reason for the charm. Without any visible clicking of buttons, his helmet quickly clicked open and then folded into various gaps around his neck and shoulders, as if it were never there to begin with. He looked like what you'd expect from someone advocating for racial purity and superiority, a blonde with sharp facial features and hollow eyes that were a deep brown. Something about him, like everyone else from Malta, was undeniably uncanny.
Claire listened intently to the man, although she couldn't help but think that his views were strange, at best. Gabriel's sudden proposal to retrieve his contract surprised her, though she could understand why anyone would want to get away from that woman. Keeping Sirians as servants would work for Claire, but she would need to secure her own funds. Perhaps she still had access to her NeuralNet account.
— I have no guarantee that I'll be able to retrieve your contract, but I'll keep that in mind in case an opportunity arises. I'm surprised to have found a competent Sirian like you, although I wish the circumstances were different... Please keep doing what you've done, and I'll make sure you'll be rewarded appropriately when everything returns to normal.
In any other situation she would comment on his belief of superiority and how that's already proven wrong by how barbaric the Outcasts behaved, but she knew that would cause more tension.
Zoe had been keeping light watch on the entrance to Enma's little area here when she heard people move inside the room. Guarding with Gabriel around was probably unnecessary but then again he surely needed breaks too. When she got inside she heard Claire and Gabriel talk though she'd not yet hear what. She remembered that Enma cared about Claire but also how miserable she looked.
She knew how it felt to be alone without any familiar people to support her. And she knew how it was to be around Enma. So while they talked she made some coffee. This was a chance to talk to the people working with Enma that also seemed to try to just deal with her. Not knowing if there was any protocol to follow she brought three cups and got around the corner.
Considering Claire just woke up she decided to greet with a "Good morning". Then gasped quietly, panicking if she's have to add some title or disrespect Emma's... Maybe fiancée?
Coffee, the undeniable smell of something so pleasing as caffeine. Rivaled only by cardamine. Putting both together was often quite nice. He would have smiled in response, but her accent was a dead giveaway that Zoe wasn't one of them, so a blank stare was what she'd get in response as he accepted the cup prepared for him and Claire's, which he would promptly pass to her in a gentlemanly fashion. It hadn't been made to his liking, but it would do.
— Who are you?
He presumed she was either a slave or a mercenary on Loyola's payroll. Though if the latter was true, he had to wonder why she wasn't subjugated regardless and made entirely submissive through the use of their drug. Absolute loyalty was hell of a luxury, and it made no sense to him for its use to be neglected. The way he examined her was uncomfortable to say the least, like he was an animal lurking behind tall grass observing oblivious prey. What's worse was perhaps the fact that this was normal for him. And it all seemed so precise and calculated, like human nature. But to mislabel the Outcasts as human was perhaps the grandest act of ignorance.
![[Image: Ramkerawr.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Ramkerawr.gif)
![[Image: Greed.gif]](http://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Greed.gif)
![[Image: loyolabully.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/loyolabully.gif)
![[Image: Q5rd5YU.png]](https://i.imgur.com/Q5rd5YU.png)