He marched through the corridors, dragging a screaming lowblood with him. A lime blood. A rather rare blood color as of late, due to all of the hunting and such. They had some sort of psychic power that let them hear your mind. Let them hear your secrets, and feel what you feel, and they would have been gone by now.
If it weren't for the council trying to preserve them and harness the ability like one would harness a helmsmen for their ship. Most would blame their current leader, but he had it on good authority that she rather disliked the bloods. He had brought it up at a meeting once, out of annoyance, and she had said that she was waiting for a different blood. This was not the one she wanted.
Then, of course, the girl had spent the rest of the meeting looking around with a well concealed terror that was hidden from all but him.
He threw the lifeblood into a cell, as the kid screamed and pleaded. He shot it an annoyed look, annoyed that he couldn't kill the brat.
That reminded him, he had a meeting within the next hour, with the empress herself. Perhaps he could convince the wayward megalomaniac to defy the council for once, though they had been around even longer than he.
Perhaps once they were out of the way, his influence would grow past the suffocating circus he and his followers were confined to other than when dealing in strict business.
He made his way to the meeting room. Guards were stationed at either side of the door, and shied back as he walked into the room. They wouldn't last long.
The main speakers and his generals were already there, of course, though the Condesce was late.
He studied her out of the corner of his eye once she finally arrived. The empress had crossed her legs, a slow and careful move that didn't disrupt her perfect posture. She somehow towered over his minions, though she was actually quite short.
Said minions were not to be intimidated by her, no matter what her status. They knew their place and they knew how to stay there. If not fear, then a healthy respect, and that was that. If they followed this, then perhaps they wouldn't meet the fate of the guards at the doors. One started to grovel, and was quickly taken out in a carefully concentrated motion. The other was to show off, and to send a message. She was the top wolf beast here.
Her actions were meant to be warnings. She knew she was in the center of clowns. Clowns that were insanely devoted, territorial, and some that were twice her size. It was amusing really, to see her fear even her subjects.
The meeting progressed as usual, topic after topic brought up about the area. He only occasionally piped up, though when he did, his voice boomed across the tent. Her condescension was relentless with questions, her tone thick with dislike of everything around her, and slow like she was focusing on each word more than usual. The sentences flowed steadily like a river, though they were clipped, careful. And proper.
She was still relatively early into her reign, and actively seemed to be ready for something to happen. Her actions both hid everything by showing nothing, and showed everything by how cautious and fearful she was being with each decision, as if it had been drilled into her.
The meeting began to close. She had been bored for the past while, though the only indication was her lowered eyelids. He, himself had grown quite bored right away, though he continued to pay at least half attention.
Then one of his posse mentioned Mind fang, and the empress snapped to attention.
"W)(at of )(er?"
"ShE has bEEn spottEd nEar the harbor, by thE cEntral station."
"Send somebody after )(er, at once."
"Right away EmprEss." The minion scurried away, and the rest packed up and left.
Her imperial condescension stood slowly, facing him, and trying not to stare suspiciously as she started towards the door.
"Why don't you wait a minute?" He asked.
She shook her head stiffly.
"I SAID WHY DON'T YOU WAIT A MINUTE?" He snapped. She sat back down with a blank expression.
"Now, onto business..."
"We )(ave already closed the meeting, Kurloz." She froze, eyes widening slightly.
He tossed back his head and laughed.
"THAT'S A NAME I HAVEN'T HEARD IN A WHILE. But you sure know it, don'tcha, Meenah?" His suspicions were confirmed when her eyes lit up the same as the girl before. Her fins tucked back slightly, as if she wasn't sure whether to be alarmed or relieved. He didn't know how she had even made it this far.
"I do." She nodded, her hair bouncing out of place.
"THEN YOU SHOULD ACT LIKE IT."
"I-w)(at?"
"You can't sit and follow whoever's ordering you around. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PUNS MEENAH? What happened to the no listening to authority?" He knew, of course, that this version of the girl was different, but as her expressions changed rapidly(anger relief fear trust), he knew she considered herself the same thus far. He, however, was completely different than the child before.
He understood the motivations Of Kurloz, And disregarded them. He was a different troll altogether, and the memories were not to mean anything to him. If it was the gods will that he would remember it, he would, but they needn't give any instructions, just the sights. They were to show him what could have been, not what was.
But the girl before him didn't know any of this. And she looked at him, excited and pink faced. Her hand twitched and she gripped her trident, almost buzzing with energy.
"I )(ave to listen to t)(em. As last empress did." She said, hurriedly.
"THE LAST EMPRESS IS DEAD," He smirked at her startled expression. "You should make your own rules now, shoal-dn't you empress?"
She lit up like a psionic in a mainframe, jumping up from her chair with an excited 'Y-ELP'. Then she glanced at him, unsure, and he nodded.
"YOU LIGHT UP THE SAME," he wondered if she bled the same. "You tell them what's what. YOU'RE IN CHARGE HERE, NOT THEM. And you can tell as many puns or whatever it was as you want. SO STOP BEING SUCH A DOWNER AND ENJOY THE PARADE WHILE ITS IN TOWN."
The empress nodded, before stopping.
"I'm doin' it 'cause I want to. NOT because you told me. I've )(addock up to )(ere wit)( them." She huffs, taking her trident, and stalking out with a sway to her hips, pausing slightly at the door before continuing on.
Now that the ruler had lightened up, he could have a lot more fun around here without any 'rules' stopping him. Starting with that lowblood from earlier...