AN: This fic owes a debt of inspiration to Laryna6 and their fic 'The Bonded of Cadis Etrama Di Raizel' which was the first fic I'd read to suggest that the difference between Nobles and Humans was not merely one of culture but of brain chemistry. Some of the aspects of Noble Culture described in this fic were inspired by Laryna6's headcanons. Some are my own off-the-wall interpretations. Don't want to go into too much detail at the front AN, but I can certainly make a list at the end if people are curious.

This fic is a oneshot.

"I've lost all the time that I had in this world.

I spent it unwisely, unwisely you see.

And I can't get it back, and I can't move forward.

I'm broken and I'm empty. It's over for me.

If I could undo all the wrongs that I've caused,

I'd fall to my knees breathless, witless, and just.

For I'm just a fool, a fool driven to dust.

And the world ain't gonna change for me."

—"Bastards on Parade" by the Dropkick Murphys.

In the Lord's Audience Chamber, five figures stood facing their leader, awaiting orders.

Among these five was Claudia Tradio.

Normally, she never came to such meetings unless specifically invited, as she had been today. She was still getting the hang of being a Clan Leader, after all, and she didn't feel that she truly deserved to stand beside the others. Not after everything she'd done.

"Ludis," the Lord was saying, her dignified demeanor somehow seeming harsher than usual. "As the senior Clan Leader remaining, you shall watch over Lukedonia in my absence."

"Yes, Lord," said Ludis, with a bow.

"Claudia Tradio, you shall assist him."

"Yes, Lord," she replied, copying Ludis and bowing as well.

"And Gejutel," she said, causing the oldest of their number to freeze in expectation. "While you are no longer a Clan Leader, your experience remains invaluable. You shall give advice to the Mergas and Tradio Clan Leaders."

"Yes, Lord," answered Gejutel, bowing like the two who had spoken before him.

"Kei, Rozaria," said the Lord, "with me. We go to avenge Rajak."

"Yes, Lord," said the two of them, moving to flank the Lord as she rose from her throne.

The three of them left, so swiftly that a human would not have been able to mark their passage.

The three remaining Clan Leaders left the Audience Chamber at a much more leisurely pace, taking the opportunity to talk amongst themselves.

"If there's anything that I can do to assist you in your duties," Claudia said, to Gejutel and Ludis, doing her best to project what sincerity she could through a calm façade, "then please do not hesitate to ask."

Gejutel coughed awkwardly. "While I have yet to heal completely from my previous injuries," he began, "I will, of course, fulfill the duties of the Landegre Clan Leader…" here, his eyes began to sparkle with grandfatherly pride, "...since Regis is not here to do it, himself."

Ludis sighed, though the corners of his mouth quirked up into a fond smile. "I am still weakened from my use of the soul-fueled barrier defense," he admitted, "But I shall not let that keep me from performing the Mergas Clan Duties, and to keep things running smoothly in the Lord's absence."

Claudia felt something clench in her chest. "The Tradio Clan may have medicines to help recover from the effects of our poisons," she offered. "I shall search through my father's study for such a thing upon my return home."

Gejutel nodded. "I would be grateful."

Claudia turned to Ludis. "It's possible that there could be concoctions to speed recovery of your type of injury. I'll look to see what information is available." After what her father and the other Traitors had done to the ranks of the Central Order, it really was the least she could do, Claudia thought.

"Thank you, Claudia," said Ludis. "I would appreciate it."

After exchanging farewells, the three of them parted and went their separate ways.

When she was alone, Claudia allowed herself to relax, somewhat, as she no longer needed to play a role. Or at least, she wasn't going to, even if it might have been a good idea, what with the Central Order's habit of following her around everywhere. This had been the norm ever since five hundred years ago, when her father betrayed the Clan.

She usually ignored them, but today she felt a stab of hostility. They'd both lost people in the invasion. The Tradio Clan had been cut nearly in half. Claudia herself might have stumbled, but she'd done the right thing in the end. And it wasn't like she asked her father to invade.

The guilt was still there, of course, despite her rationalizations.

As was the indignation at the Central Order's continued suspicion. The Lord Herself had forgiven Claudia. Made her a Clan Leader, even. Who were they to judge?

…she still should have done better, though. Acted sooner, but…

Nevermind. She had more important things to do: cures to research, reports to read, and was that—was that a member of the Tradio Clan who'd just slammed into the ground several feet off the footpath?

It was, actually. Claudia recognized this particular Tradio as one who had ambitions of joining the Central Order, but had not yet attempted their Rites of Initiation. Must be training for them now, she decided.

In her peripheral vision, Claudia saw the man look around to see if anyone noticed his rather inelegant landing.

Pretending that she hadn't see anything, Claudia Tradio walked past. The Clan Member looked relieved.

At least, he did until the Central Order Agent who had been following her stopped to help, shooting Claudia a disgusted glance as she walked away.

Well, at least she definitely didn't need to stop now, Claudia decided, feeling somewhat resigned.

On her way back home, Claudia stopped to visit the graves of those killed by the Bloodstone. The number killed was less than the number who were injured, but that wasn't saying a whole lot.

Truly, Claudia thought, as a tear slipped from her eye, she needed to do better in the future.

Once back at Tradio Manor, Claudia stepped into her father's study, which had remained closed and locked in his long absence, and only reopened recently when her father returned to Lukedonia. She looked through his writings, horror coiling in her stomach at some of the poison recipes and their effects.

After several hours, however, Claudia succeeded in finding an antidote for the poisons most effective against Landegres (mostly because 'Poisons Most Effective Against Landegres' was actually its own category, a fact which shamed her). She also found a recipe for a tonic used to recover strength after dismemberment or other unusually severe injury. That might work for Ludis, she decided. Taking the needed books with her. Claudia headed to the kitchen to begin her work.

The first hour Claudia spent gathering and preparing ingredients. After that, it was mostly a matter of simmering and maintaining appropriate temperatures. At one point, she thought that she felt a presence, watching her. But, when she looked, there was no one there.

When her two batches of medicine were complete, Claudia poured them out into two labeled jugs. Then, she poured out a measure of the strength-restorative which she had made for Ludis and drank a glass of it, herself. Energy flowed into her, revitalizing her wearied soul. Claudia smiled at her success in brewing such a potion.

She waited several minutes, but there were no unforeseen side-effects.

After further consideration, she poured a flask of the strength-restorative for Gejutel as well.

Then, she glanced at the second of her concoctions, her face considerably more somber. She reached for the vial of poison which she'd taken earlier from her father's stores. According to the medical staff, this was the poison that had been used against Gejutel. They'd copied all her father's books already, but hadn't had much success in recreating the recipes, for obvious reasons.

Claudia uncorked the bottle and drained its contents in one swallow. Immediately, she felt herself growing weaker, more feeble. To affect a Landegre, it would have to be potent stuff, but she still hadn't expected…

Claudia took a glass of the antidote she'd just brewed and hastily gulped it down.

Immediately, she felt relief, as the medicine did its work.

Claudia shook her head to clear it, taking another swig of the restorative to replenish her strength.

After another few minutes to confirm no unwanted effects, she pronounced her creations successful.

The next morning, she, Gejutel, and Ludis met at the Landegre estates. Gejutel and Ludis, once the door to Gejutel's study had closed behind the three of them, looked utterly exhausted.

Just as Claudia handed over the medicine, however, a Central Order Agent entered the room in order to deliver a message. He blanched, upon seeing Claudia giving suspiciously-handmade drinks to Gejutel and Ludis, but he left without a word.

After they'd all finished their cups of tea and/or healing-aids, Ludis was the first to rise, "I believe I shall start the day with paperwork for a change, to give the medicine time to take effect."

Gejutel nodded. "An excellent idea, Ludis. I shall do the same."

Claudia looked between the two of them, anxious to do whatever she could to help. "If there are any more physical tasks on your agenda, I would certainly offer my aid. I was not injured to any great extent during the invasion."

"Ah," said Gejutel. "You don't need to trouble yourself, Claudia—"

"Please," she said, her eyes watering. "Gejutel-nim, you've always been so kind to us. And Ludis-hyung drove himself to this state protecting Lukedonia. This is the least I can do."

Touched by her offer, the two Clan Leaders reconsidered.

"Would you mind patrolling the perimeter of Lukedonia for me?" asked Ludis. "I like to make the rounds at least once a day."

"Consider it done," Claudia said, nodding in agreement.

"Would you be able to oversee those fixing the landscaping where the battle occurred?" asked Gejutel. "This would include the rebuilding of the Manor in the Forbidden Land, but it is necessary to restore Lukedonia's elegance."

"Of course, Gejutel-nim," said Claudia, before bidding them goodbye and setting off to accomplish her tasks.

Before she'd even gotten a fourth of the way around Lukedonia, Claudia noticed another Central Order Agent following her.

She shouldn't, Claudia knew.

She really, really shouldn't.

She knew that it might make more work for Ludis.

She worried that it might make things harder for the rest of her Clan.

But then again, Claudia reasoned, even if she was a model citizen, she was still fairly certain that more work would be made for Ludis, and that things would be made harder for the rest of her Clan, anyway, so Claudia might as well take what amusement she could from her duties.

And so, Claudia came to a stop and gazed out over the waves, as though searching for a signal that only she could see. Then, she knelt down and picked up a stone, examining its smooth, flat surface.

She carved two squares into it with a fingernail, then added 'X's connecting each square's opposite corners: a crude rendition of the octahedrons on either side of the Lord's throne.

After examining her handiwork for another moment, Claudia smiled as nastily as she could manage and gently laid the stone back onto the ground. She then straightened and continued making her circuit of Lukedonia's shoreline, making sure to stop every mile or so to carve nonsense doodles onto other rocks or sometimes shells. At each of the island's cardinal points, she made more elaborate drawings.

Around her, the wind stirred the water; above her, the sun inched its way across the sky; and softly, within her throat, Claudia Tradio snickered.

Later, going into the Forbidden Land, Claudia was stopped by two more suspicious Central Order Agents.

"I'm sorry Sir Claudia," one of them said, "but no one is allowed within the Forbidden Land."

Claudia met their gazes, squarely. "Gejutel asked me to do this," she said, deliberately not using an honorific. She and Gejutel-nim were the same rank, after all. One could technically even make a case for Claudia having the higher rank, since Regis Landegre's inheritance of Regasus.

Claudia's overly-familiar statement ruffled the Guards' feathers enough that she was able to brush past them, making her way to where the True Noblesse's Mansion had once stood.

However, rather than the barren grounds and razed foundation which she was expecting to see, Claudia instead found a number of high-ranking non-pureblood Nobles from the Landegre, Mergas, and Bluster Clans, all politely sniping at each other over a set of blueprints. To the side, piles of lumber, bundles of PVC piping, and other raw materials sat, all of which appeared untouched.

Claudia approached the group, and all bowed upon noticing her presence. Her status as a pureblood made her the highest-ranking member of the group.

Why being the product of a walking marriage rather than a traditional one made for higher social status, Claudia had never understood—perhaps having only one known parent was supposed to ensure undivided loyalty to the Clan?—but it was nonsense in her favor, so she wasn't about to question it.

"Sir Claudia," said a Landegre, "is Gejutel-nim well?"

She nodded in reassurance, "He asked me to oversee repairs of the True Noblesse's Mansion," she told them. "What has been done thus far?"

What they told her essentially amounted to 'nothing,' and Claudia began to lose patience.

"Has anyone in this group any experience with building construction, whatsoever?" asked Claudia, cutting across the current speaker in irritation.

Several of them exchanged tense glances or fidgeted nervously.

"No, Sir Claudia," said one of the Bluster Clan Members.

"Then why has no one been brought in?" asked Claudia, doing her utmost to keep annoyance out of her tone and suspecting that she was failing miserably.

"This is the Forbidden Land, Sir Claudia," the Bluster continued. "We thought it best to keep things as secretive as current circumstances allow."

Claudia paused. From talking with the other Clan Leaders, she'd gotten the impression that the Forbidden Land had only been 'forbidden' because the former Lord had hidden some artifact or other in the True Noblesse's Mansion. Now that said artifact had been recovered, there should have been no reason to restrict access to these lands.

"Secretive or not," said Claudia, "we do need someone with expertise on the matter. Who was responsible for construction when Lukedonia last needed buildings?"

"I believe that would be… Theor of the Elanor Clan," said one of the Mergas Clan Members.

"Have him brought here, if you would," said Claudia, before leaning forward to take a look at the blueprints, herself.

It wasn't really a 'mansion' in the traditional sense, she decided. Certainly, it had a gymnasium and a swimming pool, but nearly a third of the square footage was taken up by almost two-dozen bedrooms. The common areas were significantly larger than might have been expected, with a vast kitchen and a living room which would look out upon the forests through massive bay windows. The house would have indoor plumbing and be wired for electricity. The roof itself would be lined with solar panels. Clearly, this wasn't a house designed for Lukedonia. This was the home of someone who would frequently have human guests.

In the corner of the paper was a longhand note in an unfamiliar hand, reading, "House for Master."

'Master'? Claudia wasn't entirely sure what to make of that. She was aware that the True Noblesse had a Contractor who was extremely powerful, but she had left the fighting on her father's orders before he'd taken to the field and had never personally seen 'Frankenstein' in action. She was aware that Gejutel-nim thought highly of him, however, and that was good enough for Claudia.

Theor Elanor was a heavyset man, with more brown in his hair than was typical for his clan. He brought with him half a dozen subordinates and was surveying the site with interest.

"What do you think, Elanor?" said Claudia. "Are the blueprints feasible for a foundation this size?"

Theor Elanor nodded, "Construction will take at least three weeks, Sir Claudia."

Claudia considered the matter before answering. "You have six," she informed him. "There is no need to rush. Requisition whatever personnel and materials you need. Take the time to finish up your current projects, if need be. Send weekly reports on this project to myself and Gejutel-nim. Understood?"

"Understood, Sir Claudia."

After spending the rest of the afternoon on her own Clan Duties, Claudia dropped by Ludis' Office to give a report.

He wasn't there.

She tried Landegre Manor instead, hoping to catch Gejutel-nim.

He wasn't there, either.

Suppressing feelings of hurt, Claudia went back to Tradio Manor.

...and found Gejutel and Ludis sitting in her living room.

"Ah, Claudia," said Gejutel. "Welcome back."

Ludis nodded in greeting. "I hope you don't mind our visiting unannounced."

"Not at all," said Claudia. And if her returned smile was more wide than was befitting of a Clan Leader, well, it wasn't as though she were among enemies.

"How were your days?" asked Claudia, as she took a seat and poured herself a cup of tea.

The three of them talked idly until the sun set, at which point, Gejutel and Ludis were called away to attend to the Lord, who had just returned from the Werewolves' Homeland.

As there was no summons for Claudia, she assumed that she wasn't supposed to go. And that was fine, really. She wasn't trusted. She understood this. She accepted that she'd need to earn forgiveness.

That's why she was surprised to see a member of the Central Order arrive to escort her to the Lord, when the meeting couldn't possibly have been over yet.

Claudia went, and saw all the Clan Leaders still standing before the Lord, even Karias Bluster, Rael Kertia, Regis K. Landegre, and Seira J. Loyard, who Claudia thought had been attending to the True Noblesse in the human world. Perhaps they were back only briefly to give reports? The most notable part of the whole tableau however, was the Central Order Agent who knelt before the Lord's throne.

"Repeat your accusations," said Ludis to the Agent, once Claudia had joined the ranks of the Clan Leaders.

The Agent straightened. "You are traitorous scum, like your father," he said to Claudia. "You don't possess the Pride of a Noble, nor the Will to Protect. You were poisoning Sir Ludis and Sir Gejutel while the Lord was gone."

Ludis brought out the same flask that Claudia had given him this morning. She noted that it was now half-empty.

"Lord, this is medicine," said Ludis.

"For what?" asked the Lord.

"To, ah, help us recover strength after our recent injuries," said Gejutel, with a cough, bringing out a flask of his own.

The Lord frowned. "You weren't recovered?"

"It's nothing, Lord," Gejutel assured her, "Young Tradio kindly handled the more strenuous tasks for us, while we caught up on paperwork."

"It's poison, I tell you!" protested the Agent. "You can't trust her!"

"Agent, you overstep your bounds," said the Lord, "But if it will lay the matter to rest... Gejutel, may I have that?"

"Of course, Lord," he said, presenting the flask to her with both hands.

The Lord rose from her throne and took it.

"With me, if you please," she said, cloak billowing behind her as she strode towards the exit.

The Clan Leaders and the Central Order Agent all trailed after her, eventually ending up at the small hospital that Lukedonia used to treat shipwrecked humans.

"Doctor," said the Lord, as they entered the building and spotted one of the physicians. "Would you analyze this for us?"

"Of course, Lord!" said the obsequious Doctor currently on staff.

The results took nearly an hour to come back. The Lord, the Clan Leaders, and the Agent waited mostly in silence.

"Lord, is this from the Tradio's stores?" asked the Doctor, when he finally returned. "While this particular mixture appears to aid the body's natural healing factor, it would be safer to wait until we've mastered synthesis of such things ourselves. We have access to Lagus Tradio's notes, so it should only be a matter of months before—"

"Tradio?" said the Lord, cutting off the Doctor and turning to Claudia. "What is the meaning of this?

"My… my father unsealed his study when he… returned to Lukedonia," began Claudia. "Inside were his notes on poisons. The difference between poison and medicine is largely circumstantial. The ones which worked best on myself, I've been improving and sharing with my own Clan Members. And, yesterday, with Gejutel and Ludis. As for why the medical staff has difficulty following my father's notes… I don't suppose you have often cooked, Lord?"

"Not as such," said the Lord. "Seira?"

The Loyard leader stepped forward. "Yes, Lord?"

"Aid Claudia in her explanation," said the Lord, and Seira nodded.

"Seira has learned of cooking from the Noblesse's Bonded," the Lord informed Claudia.

Claudia's eyes lit up. "Ah, then you'll definitely understand! Cooking is—well you'd agree it's a skill that cannot be mastered immediately?"

"Yes," said Seira J. Loyard. "It requires much practice and patience."

"To successfully brew the recipes in the family archives," began Claudia, "requires a skill level greater than that of most professional human chefs. It's not something that can be picked up in the span of a few weeks, and especially not without help."

Seira J. Loyard nodded in understanding, before turning to the medical staff. "May I see the facilities you've been using to recreate the Tradio's poisons?"

"Certainly, Sir Seira," said the Doctor. "Right this way!"

They were shown to a laboratory, which Seira immediately set about examining.

"These knives are too dull," Seira observed, before moving to check a Bunsen burner. "This heat source is uneven," she continued. And finally, she turned to the ingredients cabinet, opening one of the containers and tasting the powder it contained. "And these minerals are contaminated," she finished.

Claudia moved forward to stand at her side, forgetting decorum in her excitement. "I am not trusted, due to the mistakes of my past, but you could teach them! They'd have to listen to you! Then I wouldn't be responsible for supplying all of Lukedonia's medicine!"

The Lord frowned. "You've been what?"

Claudia faltered. She probably shouldn't have said that. "Ah, it's nothing Lord. Only… with my father gone and his study sealed… there's been no one replenish the Clan's stores over these last five centuries. We were starting to run dangerously low on some of the essentials. I expect that's where virtually all of my free time will be going for the next decade. It's not like we'd actually need most of it, unless there was an emergency. But well," she winced, "emergencies happen more often than anyone would like."

The Lord was silent a long moment, before finally turning to the Central Order Agent. "I find Claudia Tradio innocent of all counts of poisoning," she told him. "Have you any other evidence to support your claims?"

"She has been carving suspicious runes into rocks around Lukedonia's border!" said the Agent, showing a bag filled with just such rocks to the Lord.

Claudia felt a twinge of secondhand embarrassment. Suddenly, winding up the Central Order Agents didn't seem like it had been such a fine idea, after all...

The Lord examined the carved rocks with all due solemnity. "I fail to see how an artistic hobby warrants suspicion. Agent, I am placing you on probation, and adding a reprimand to your service record for bringing false accusations against a Clan Leader."

At this, Claudia felt a pang of empathy. Sure, she didn't particularly like the Central Order, but she hadn't meant to take things that far.

"Lord," Claudia said, hastily, "before you finalize judgment… may I show you something?"

"You may," said the Lord.

Claudia turned to the Doctor. "Do you, by any chance, have a few polygraphs that we could use?"

"Certainly, Sir Claudia," said the Doctor, not wanting to draw the Lord's ire by being anything but polite. "Right this way."

There were three machines set up in the room to which they were shown.

"Will these be suitable?" asked the man.

"Of course," said Claudia. "Thank you, Doctor."

"Do you require assistance?" he asked.

"No, thank you," said Claudia. "But could you send someone else by in half an hour without telling them the specifics? I'd like an impartial party to aid in interpreting the results."

"Certainly, Sir Claudia."

The Doctor left. Claudia took the leftmost seat and hooked herself up to the equipment. "Anyone else want to try?"

"Try what, exactly?" asked Karias.

"It measures physiological responses," said Claudia. "The Central Order uses these machines to detect lies and other such things. They are not completely reliable, but can be useful, under certain circumstances."

The Agent took the seat furthest from Claudia.

The Lord moved to take the seat between them.

"Lord!" protested Gejutel, shocked that the Lord would indulge the whims of a Clan Leader.

"I wish to try," said the Lord, impassive as always.

"Right," said Claudia, trying not to think too hard about what she was about to do. "We're going to watch a series of images, and the machines will record our responses."

Over the next few minutes, all was silent as they watched the video clips play out on the screens.

Once the tests were completed, the machines printed out their readouts.

Claudia went to her printout and wrote a 1 on it.

Of the Lord's printouts, she wrote a 2.

Of the Agent's printouts she wrote a 3.

Then, she handed the printouts to the Lord, to peruse.

When the requested Scientist finally arrived, she glanced at the screen. "Ah, Sequence Eight?" she said. "That's the one we use to test for human infiltrators among the Central Order. We rarely catch anyone, but sometimes the Union tries to sneak people in. May I see?"

The Lord handed her the results. She flipped through them, comparing them to templates on the clipboard that she carried.

"Well, these two are certainly Noble," she said, giving the Lord her own results, as well as the Agent's. "But this one," she held up the results with 1 written on them, "has markers which might indicate a human trying to pass as a Noble. Lord, where did you get these? The Central Order should be informed."

"I'll issue the appropriate orders if it becomes important," said the Lord, "But for now, you need not worry about it."

The Scientist bowed. "Yes, Lord," she said, before leaving.

All eyes turned to Claudia Tradio.

"Tradio?" asked the Lord.

"Yes, Lord?" said Claudia.

"What does this mean?" she asked.

"If I were human," said Claudia, "I'd likely be called a sociopath."

When the Clan Leaders appeared discomfited, she hastened to clarify.

"Well, no, if I were human, I'd be normal," said Claudia. "My responses match those of a baseline human. I possess empathy. What I lack is the so-called 'Will to Protect.' That inherent inability to stand by while weaker beings are harmed." And, honestly, the only reason that Nobles weren't the unquestioned masters of the Earth, Claudia thought to herself.

"There is no word for a Noble without such a will," she went on, before thinking better of it. "Well, no words apart from 'scum' 'filth' and 'traitor,'" Claudia added.

"That's not exactly correct, though," said Claudia, and she paused. "Most of the Traitors who made illegal contracts certainly had the 'protect the weak' instincts, they'd simply learned to ignore them. Whereas I never possessed them in the first place."

Claudia shrugged. "As far as I know, I am a Noble…. However, my father had seen the devotion and dependence which human children exhibit towards their parents, and wished to recreate it. At a young age, he fed me various poisons designed to suppress my Noble instincts and alter my brain chemistry to be more like that of a human." Claudia looked away so that she wouldn't have to see any of their expressions.

"I make an effort to act more conventionally around those of higher rank," she clarified, "but not particularly around the Central Order. Our good Agent is not entirely wrong. I do not possess the Pride of a Noble. My father thought stoicism a useless trait in his offspring, and… discouraged such, in me. Hence my comfort with emotion and unconcern with dignity.

"Nor do I possess the will to protect," Claudia went on, "because humans do not possess such. At least, not innately. Naturally, I do not espouse cruelty for its own sake. But if I were, say, to see a non-pureblood injured by training, but trying to retain his own dignity so as not to lose face…" here she glanced at the Central Order Agent, "well my first instinct would be to empathize with his condition and ignore him, rather than feeling compelled help him, and thus ease the suffering of a weaker being."

"You've obviously gone to great lengths to keep this secret," said the Lord, looking equal parts curious and suspicious, "Why tell us now?"

Claudia paused. "People think that morality is mostly a matter of instinct," she began, glancing away to better gather her own thoughts before meeting the Lord's eyes. "But it isn't. There's no instinct possessed by any living being that can be indulged or followed blindly without disastrous consequences, be it the empathy or the herd instincts of the humans… or the will to protect and the pride of us Nobles. But people simply don't see it most of the time, because those instincts fit within societies which reinforce the positive aspects of those feelings while compensating for the negative ones.

"During childhood," she went on, "humans encourage socialization to strengthen herd instincts and reading to strengthen empathy, while also allowing for some amount of competition among peers and consideration of ethical dilemmas in order to make human children more aware of their own natural emotions: to teach them that not all people can be trusted, and that not all pain can be shared.

"We Nobles have the Coming of Age Ceremony, during which we travel the human world to develop an understanding of weaker beings, and of our own need to protect them. At the same time, Lukedonia exists as a society apart from the other sentient races, minimizing the temptation to harmfully interfere in the lives of other species."

Claudia shrugged. "For most people, this learning of how to manage their own instincts is unconscious, but for those with abnormal instincts, it is not. And society, be it Noble or human, invariably fails those who do not... 'feel' things correctly. Humans with low or nonexistent empathy are often not sufficiently taught to value other humans or themselves. 'So long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, what does it matter if it hurts me?' 'So long as no one knows, what's the harm?' And from Nobles lacking baseline instincts, you often hear questions such as … 'Why do we have to live on Lukedonia?', 'Why can't we use our powers as we like?'… and 'Why do we need to protect the humans when they're all so weak?'"

There was an uncomfortable stirring among the Clan Leaders.

"Claudia Tradio," said the Lord, her expression like a stormcloud threatening thunder, "are you saying that the Traitor Clan Leaders betrayed us because Lukedonia failed them?"

Claudia shook her head. "Not in such simplistic terms. Many of the Traitors possessed Noble instincts, they'd simply twisted or suppressed them, such as Roctis Kravei and his Will to Protect his daughter... to the exclusion of all other beings on the planet. But for some of the others…" Claudia shrugged, helplessly. "People are still responsible for their own actions, of course, but there is a difference between jumping off a cliff... and tripping off a poorly-lit ledge on a moonless night.

"And even if you do believe that the Traitors were completely at fault…" Claudia went on, because this was the true reason she'd come this far, said this much, and it would all be for naught if she didn't finish this last part, "...what of the children in Lukedonia today who face such struggles?"

The Lord blinked. "Children?"

Claudia nodded. "Variations in instinct, Lord... they're often genetic. Upbringing plays a role as well, but if children from Clans whose Leaders turned Traitor continue to be ostracized from Noble society and treated like they're one step away from mutiny... what nature began, nurture will finish."

Claudia sighed. "You ask me why I tell you this now, when I've gone to great lengths to hide it. It's because I'm trying, Lord. I'm trying to be a leader worthy of my Clan, and of the charge you laid on me when I received this position: 'To sacrifice myself for the good of all Nobles.' To me, the best way to do that seems to be... to stop hiding who I am, to pave the way for others like me, and to accustom the Clan Leaders and the Central Order to the fact that not all Nobles feel the exact same instincts... and that no one can be expected to control what they feel." And that was it. She was done. She had said what she needed to say.

"Claudia Tradio."

She tensed. "Yes, Lord?"

"Once Lukedonia lifts its veil of secrecy—and I suspect that the veil will be lifted soon—I would like you to take the post of Liaison with the humans."

"Yes, Lord," said Claudia Tradio, and her smile was like the dawn of a new era.

"So come all you losers, you bastards and cheats,

Vagrants and barflies down on the street.

On this path to salvation, vindication awaits.

We're marching on these broadway streets tonight."

—"Bastards on Parade" by the Dropkick Murphys.

AN:

Commentary time!

Right, so I love the Noblesse webcomic to death, but as anyone who's read my previous fics can attest, I have an incredibly hard time wrapping my head around the Nobles themselves and their motivations.

Maybe they're just otherworldly like the elves of high fantasy?

Maybe they're out of touch with reasonable thought because of their extreme isolation and power?

It wasn't until I read Laryna6's fics that I started thinking seriously about the fact that Nobles are a distinct species and not just humans with superpowers.

I'd thought that the Pride of a Noble and the Will to Protect were virtues cultivated by Nobles much the same way humans encourage industry and honesty as virtues in their own children.

But what if those phrases were just shorthand for instincts that most Nobles just naturally possess? If that was the case, what would humanity look like through such a lens? Because I'm honestly not certain that Nobles posses empathy. Will to Protect seems to serve much the same purpose. And most of their morality seems egocentric in the truest sense of the word.

And then there's Claudia Tradio. She's a fan favorite, of course, and hasn't been given much time in the spotlight yet, but the fact that she broke down and cried when Raskreia forgave her has always struck me as odd. Regis and Seira didn't cry when Gejutel was pardoned. I'm not sure we've ever seen a Noble become that overwhelmed unless they were literally dying. And even then usually not. So why Claudia? Was there something different about her?

At which point my brain combined the two concepts and ran with them. This fic was the result.

As I said, this fic is a oneshot, and my next Noblesse fic will likely be a Hero Academia fusion fic, and probably not cover the same ground as this one. So, if anyone wants to take this recursion train further, Laryna6 seems willing to let people borrow a headcanon or two, if properly cited, and I certainly have no objections if anyone wants to write Claudia Tradio with this particular characterization.

I have no idea what I'm talking about, and so can you!

(AKA Books/Concepts referenced in the fic)

"The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis

"Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis

"Confessions of a Sociopath" by M. E. Thomas.

"Look Me In The Eye" by John Elder Robinson.

"How We Decide" by Jonah Lehrer.

"Bruiser" by Neal Shusterman.

Mosuo 'Back and Forth' or 'Walking Marriage.' Heard about this in a college anthro class, then looked it up on Wikipedia.