02: Visitor

The queen's abode is relatively humble in comparison to most people who hold authority. The closest things she had in her room that would be considered wealthy would be rugs that cheaply imitated a dead culture of a splintered civilization and a few bookcases - unlike some collectors though, Madotsuki actually reads some of her books and they weren't for show. Even the television in her room was cheap in quality: it didn't even get basic cable!

Though, Madotsuki wishes that she could rid herself of the dress; alas, she was meeting somebody, and she had to look dignified, even if the surroundings weren't. So, in her dress, she sat down and waited...

The foreign visitor didn't waste much time in arriving. The guards stationed outside of her quarters opened the door, allowing a frowning man in.

The first observation: the man is entirely monochrome, somebody she would mistake to be from her own Monochrome Desert region if she weren't told otherwise.

The second observation: He is dressed up as a baseball player, for whatever godforsaken reason.

"Hello, Mr...?"

"Batter. I am The Batter."

Madotsuki only knew the man as a vagabond, formerly from the kingdom of Vader Eloha. The country there was a seed that didn't start growing until after a few years after Madotsuki's own ascension to the throne - it was relatively a sapling of a nation. As for the man... not many knew him; no one at all knew his true name, if he even had one.

"Excuse the accommodations, Batter. We don't have a true meeting room." she stated.

"It's okay." he said indifferently, crouching on the floor (as he did so, Madotsuki noticed that his eyes seem to be constantly shadowed by his hat...).

"...Excuse me for asking, but why are you dressed as a baseball player?"

"It is my holy garb."

"...ah... er, does this mean that baseball is a sacred tradition where you come fro-"

"Not important." He interrupted.

Other forms of authority would get angry if they were interrupted - she however, was lenient, yet annoyed. "Let's get to the point here: why are you here, sir Batter?"

The man gazed at the ground. Then he calmly said, "I wish for help in my insurrection against my kingdom."

"What."

"You must understand, your highness... have you seen the state of my lands?"

Madotsuki had never actually been to the kingdom. The queen, Vader Eloha, is fairly elusive; other leaders she's met claimed that the woman is just a puppet leader, but there's no definite proof. "Please explain..."

The pale man visibly gritted his teeth: a bit sharp looking. "The Queen's failed in her services for the land. The main citizenry are nervous wrecks that threaten societal collapse within the next few years, the Guardians, the regional rulers, are ineffective in dealing with their civic duties or are corrupt to some extent... and most importantly, there's the damn specters. They're overtaking our lands and are threatening to quicken the inevitable collapse - they must be purified."

A story of corruption and societal turmoil: interesting. Madotsuki thought over it. Helping the Batter seems like a righteous cause on paper... yet, he had no proof on any of this. Perhaps she could collaborate with others for information. Additionally, it's not as if she's the Rift's police, even if it's for a moral cause... Plus, besides trading, she had no real interest in the young nation, and she only chooses to fight wars defensively...

Regardless, Madotsuki is curious on his wants, so the young queen asked, "So... you wish for my troops to help your war?"

"No. I'll be the only fighter."

"What." The queen is starting to feel that it was a bad idea giving audience to the ever strange man in front of her.

"With my holy bat, I will purify the world of malignance. My only concern is that the Queen will reach out for allies to maintain her flimsy control over the kingdom; I merely wish for a blockade to keep anything from leaking out to her allies."

"..." the young ruler sighed. "So, you wish for me to keep any help from getting into the country for no real reason except for a moral one that you may have made up, while you single-handedly start a rebellion?"

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

From her balcony, Queen Madotsuki watched as the Batter was escorted out of the tower by her jellyfish guards, the man remaining stoic in this humiliation.

She wasn't the first country that the Batter approached for assistance. She heard stories from other leaders, who dismissed him, claiming that he is insane; Madotsuki had wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and given him audience. Unfortunately, the man really does seem to be crazy. Who would believe such claims?

Really, only a crazy person would take him up.

Or, somebody who had a lot to gain.

At the very least, the Queen gave him a prescription to see a therapist.