restless soldier [c]

[kamille]

He wasn't the queen's bodyguard nor was she - the queen - his responsibility. When the queen handed him her crown to sneak away, Kamille passed it onto his subordinates, instructed them to leave it with her soldiers and then keep a watchful eye on her. From a distance, because Kamille didn't want his archers to be exposed to enemy archers, not because he cared about her space. He'd not interacted with the queen before but she was every bit of a child Kamille had not imagined a usurper to the throne to be. Could she be a puppet to one of the higher nobles?

Kamille did not curious himself in politics out of concern. He needed to know the status of the organization so he could be prepared for its shortcomings. It hadn't come to the level of mess Ylisse was in. The difference of having a ruler was great, great enough to counteract the civil war against the Grimleal, yet here was their queen, in a foreign state just like all her other siblings.

There was not a single royal child in Plegia right now.

Kamile resisted the urge to sigh and wipe his hand across his face. His arms remained crossed and his breath steady as he surveyed the area of the forest dimly lighted by the moon. He would think of this later. Kamille was not as trusting as the queen with their present company, the Knights of Cydonia. He could not berate the queen and forcefully drag her back to Plegia (or, more importantly, smack her) so he would have to fill again the shortcomings of the inept creatures that seemed to enjoy flocking around him. It would be too troublesome if something happened to the queen. But he couldn't stay here for too long either. It did not sit well with Kamille to be away doing a guard's work while his men back in Plegia were continuing the tireless battle of rebuilding in the navy.

-
(happens at the same time as "something about diplomatizing.")

[cassius]

“ GIMMIE THE BOOTY I WANT THE BOOTY ”

The sorry excuse for a window was enough to drive him crazy in his narrow room. He thought of it as a Babylonian crack in the wall. Despite its suffocating size, it focused on the one thing he held dear: home. The lands of Pyrathi stretched far and wide, hitting the wood before vanishing into the darkness of the night. The fields were dipped in moonlight and the trees bowed to its source. A gasp was stolen from his lips and while the beauty of this peaceful night had enthralled him, he wasn't sure if he was instead, yearning for oxygen. After all, he was an insect stuck in a six-year-old's container, charitably poked with one air hole.

And just like that, he was outside—or at least outside of his room. A familiar figure filled the center of his sight, silhouetted with white crescents of light. With a small confident smirk nestled into the corner of his cheek he stepped forward, almost brushing shoulders with the man, "Fancy seeing you here. Thought you left to become some sort of war hero, or at least something like that." He grinned a Cheshire's smile, the moon gliding over his teeth. "Then again, prodigies don't always become geniuses." 

Crossing his arms to shield them from the cold, he finally turned his head towards Kamille. He remembered the man clearly. Kamille had climbed the martial ladder as if he had been just running through the motions. Remembering the jealousy that had gripped his own ascent made his blood pump hard. Cassius was no prodigy. No, he was a commoner who had simply worked hard.

"Welcome back, Kamille." 

TAGGED kamille
NOTES KAMILLE PLS LOVE ME

MADE BY ★MEULK FOR SHIV <3

[kamille]

In the midst of his troubled thoughts, a presence had shamelessly revealed itself to Kamille. Having showed blatant disregard for caution have made Kamille more alert. He did not make a reach for his bow, however. He knew this one was no enemy. From the direction it came from, the person must be one of the Knights.

And Kamille's ears bring further news. Turning his head, he was met with the sight of a young man approaching. When Kamille expected his visitor to stay three feet away from him, he had stepped into the spot beside him, speaking with flutters of familiarity. This knight knew him. Personally? Kamille surreptitiously studied the man. Probably not... Someone from a long time ago? In his youth? The doubt kept Kamille's tongue subservient. Though his face was not an expression of open surprise, the effort to name the young man through his mist of overly friendly disposition that appeared to Kamille like a dark shadow was palpable in his eyes.

Light amber hair, a heart-shaped face; a knight with a strong build and a tattoo on his right arm... Then this flippant personality. Kamille wouldn't forget. The knowledge and skills he had acquired over the years were planted in his childhood and meticulously cared for in adulthood. The information was wired in his mind and the action a mere habit to his hand. The two young men that looked upon each other with their likened postures were frozen in their respective thoughts, one so confident and the other confused. Comprehension dawned in Kamille. He carefully crafted his face to be as neutral as they could be to this knight who confidently stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

"Who the hell are you?"

He did not know who this dumbass was.

cassius

[cassius]

“ GIMMIE THE BOOTY I WANT THE BOOTY ”

While the words might have been laced with the blades of a cold night wind, he barely flinched. It was an inquiry he had heard over and over again in his childhood and like the Daltrey song, the word "who" was percussive, a punctuating strike at the ends of noble tongues. There were many silent nights where he laid in bed with that word throbbing in the recesses of his mind. The quietude of his nights echoed the silence that had grabbed hold of his tongue when he tried to speak back.

"Would you even care if I told you?" 

Things were different now.

"On the off chance you do," He run a hand through his hair, a finger setting a part behind his ear, "My name's Cassius and if you care to hear a little more than that, I'm a captain of the Ylissean military, and if you are willing to bequeath some more pretended concern, I'm simply accompanying the Knights as they venture into Plegia."

Cassius exhaled dramatically, wiping off his dry brow, "Wow, that was a mouthful, wasn't it?" The Captain instead of wiping sweat however, wiped the smile off his face and adorned a more serious complexion. "So, how is the situation in Plegia, anyway? I've only heard reports, but I'd rather hear from a voice than a secondary source." 

Too bad it was the voice of a noble.

TAGGED kamille
NOTES WHAT IS LOVE BABY DON'T HURT ME 

MADE BY ★MEULK FOR SHIV <3

[kamille]

Kamille tried hard not to smirk. Someone was sensitive. But Kamille shouldn't laugh at the so-called captain's emotional heart now that ranks have been given out. Had this no-name been a random knight, Kamille would have demanded for his immediate absence.

Kamille showed no remorse or any intent to retract his statement, moving past the captain's teenage drama. He made a full turn to face Cassius so that they may speak as fellow military commanders. He deserved more respect being an admiral, but Kamille did not intend to make a fuss about his rank unlike a certain someone.

"You're misunderstanding something, Captain," Kamille dryly spoke. Whether Cassius smiled or not did not make Kamille any kinder. "Ylisse and Plegia are not sworn allies. Unless this were a very poor attempt at manipulating me to divulge enemy information then you are - equally - wasting your breath and time. I am not here either for a diplomatic mission. You may speak directly to the queen." He made a gesture toward the direction where Maeve was lurking. The fucks he give for her quiet time alone. "There is no better source than the ruler to compensate for your sorry information network."

Things weren't any different. Cassius or Captain Cassius were one of the same person: a nobody. Having been stuck in Ylisse's mossy military, he knew full-well how lacking they were in quality soldiers. Ylisse had much talent in her halidom but when left uncultivated, it would rot faster than a Risen. It was only a matter of time when Ylisse would become so desperate. It was a general assumption; whether this man was worth his position or not was up to debate though it didn't stop Kamille from making judgments along the way.

cassius

[cassius]

“ GIMMIE THE BOOTY I WANT THE BOOTY ”

As Kamille turned, Cassius turned also. He made sure to match his movement and despite being in the dark in regards to the man's rank, he was determined to stand on equal grounds regardless of the fact. After all, he was a guest in his country and while most cultures held the guest in esteem, Cassius was not a Grecian host.

He realized fairly quickly that Kamille was difficult to bend. The admiral appeared to be steadfast and collected: an intimidating concoction for some, but for Cassius it was a challenge. Although he predicted he wouldn't win the battle, he was adamant about winning the war and this encounter was simply a foot in the door. Strategic sacrifices were sometimes unavoidable.

"I thought I'd give it a shot." Cassius said with a hint of a laugh. "Forgive me. We all make mistakes right? Stumble and then move on." His tone remained amiable and a warmth like a kindled fire weighted each syllable. The captain had a fluid voice, one that danced and flitted but knew when to pave out into slabs. Kamille's no-nonsense expression collided with his, but Cassius was familiar with the art of talking to walls.

"I have no interest in talking to the Queen right now." He admitted, "Maybe I will later, but now, I want to talk to you." Maybe he had an ego. If he did, Cassius would hardly feign shock. Considering the man's meteoric rise in the past and affluent background, it was only natural for someone of his pedigree to possess a sort of arrogance. "You know, I respect people like you. Level-headed. Stable. Rational. It's a shame you left Ylisse. Seems like when you left, any ounce of rationality here went with you." He sighed, almost pouting, his right hand cupping his cheek, "Aside from mine, of course."

Cassius tapped his own head as if to say, "why yes, all my rationality is right here." 

"You should have seen some of the other high-ranking captains. They were ecstatic to see you gone." He said, "Idiotic, incapable, insufficient. Monkeys, all of them. Maybe I should follow suit and see what the Plegian military's all about, hm?"

He entertained the possibility, but he knew that it was in fact, wholly impossible.

TAGGED kamille
NOTES I WAS MEANT FOR LOVING YOU BABY YOU WERE MEANT FOR LOVING ME

MADE BY ★MEULK FOR SHIV <3

[kamille]

The captain's apology was breeze trying to tickle a brick wall. If Cassius serenaded with graceful embers that invited play with speech, then Kamille stomped them dispassionately with earth mounds in the least poetic method possible. He was not willing to engage in this game and Kamille made no effort to hide it. As Cassius explained his interest to speak with Kamille over the Queen, Kamlle almost did not sniff out the billows of flattery.

It had only been a year since he abandoned his homeland and left for Plegia. The rest of his life had been within Ylisse's traditional society that had forever danced to the strings of the wealthy and intellectual. He frequently participated in the politics of nobility in his youth only to avoid the consequence of becoming an outcast of the inner circle. His inability not to conform was a testament to the power Ylissean nobles had. When he trained for knighthood and joined the military, he no longer had to maintain relations. Being a knight was an asset nobles hoarded fondly.

Cassius' manner was similar to that of a noble. For Kamille not to recognize him, he must be someone minor, someone adopted, or someone who had simply been left ignored on a corner over his more talented siblings. Kamille wasn't going to pick up his most detestable hobby again. He kept his arms crossed as if to completely close off Cassius.

Kamille snorted. The only reaction Cassius elicited was thanks to the offhand statement he made about leaving to join Plegia's military. Only someone completely stupid would really believe that. Anyone else who wasn't in Kamille's league that is. Perhaps he was just making small talk, but if he seriously thought it would be “better” there because of the peers, then he was not a very far-sighted person. Most people sought to be in comfortable positions. Kamille was assuming Cassius was among them. If so, then leaving for Plegia would be his most hilarious mistake. Plegia had no sympathy for Ylisseans.

Kamille did not care for what the other knights said behind his back. He had no idea why Cassius felt like informing him the obvious and he had no interest to seek the answer. Whatever he wanted and whoever he was, Kamille could not care any less.

He looked away and continued to perform his task, closing his talk with the captain by not honouring him any response.

cassius

[cassius]

“ GIMMIE THE BOOTY I WANT THE BOOTY ”

A snort was all Cassius needed to ascertain that Kamille's daunting fortifications had a crack. If grand, prosperous civilizations had the potential to fall then Kamille's walls too had the possibility of failing. However, those civilizations did not fall in a day and Cassius had no intention of engaging in twenty-four hour siegecraft. 

Kamille was correct in his examination. Cassius had the airs of a noble. A touch performative, a deceiving smile, a grace to each movement. He had become accustomed to the gales of the higher nobility and although he detested each breath taken in the name of pretend, it had pushed him far in life. However, he did not know that the admiral also shared his hatred for the trivial winds of court life and if he had in fact been privy to this fact, Cassius would have had a higher opinion of the man. But Kamille's walls were too tall, too wide and whatever thoughts he had simply echoed from its stones.

"Not that I would." Cassius really was joking. "According to some of the things I've heard, unless I want to die a watery death, I'd rather stay on Ylissean soil." Shrugging with a slightly exaggerated pout, he followed Kamille's movements. If he had walked one step further, he was right behind. If he had turned away, Cassius was only a slight glance around. 

"You might've realized that I like the sound of my own voice," This was very true. "But since you're such a good listener, I'm open to any questions you might have." Cracking his neck, he let loose a relaxed sigh, "If you need anything for the Ylissean steward, about the Knights..." Cassius tapped the side of his head. "While you might be a tight-lipped jack... O'lantern," Good save, he thought. Seasonal too. "I'm more of a smooth-lipped squash."

TAGGED kamille
NOTES KAMILLE LOVE ME

MADE BY ★MEULK FOR SHIV <3

[kamille]

Kamille proceeded to explore the perimeter, this time taking his bow out and ready. The surrounding forest was spacious, spread with gangly trees with long, slender branches converging to the top like the head of a brocolli. The leave clusters were small, the leaves even less impressive, that the trees were hardly worth the shade and shelter from the sun and rain. It mattered a lot in nights like this when the moon was out, spying the creatures that lurked in the darkness.

Despite himself, Kamille was listening to Cassius' blabber. He listened just as much as he paid close attention to the surrounding, which turned out to be a completely dull task slowly killing Kamille's intelligence. He understood how important it was to stay vigilant but this work requiring no particular skill was too unproductive for a man his calibre. It was the same when Kamille was a squire, a lieutnant, or a captain in Ylisse. It was the worst when they put him as a seaman in Plegia. The universe constantly challenged Kamille's ability to not go insane.

Kamille was tempted to reply but he ultimately decided giving into boredom would be unbecoming of him. He did not need an inside source, especially one from a person whose identity he did not personally know. Kamille already knew plenty about the steward and the Knights from his connections. In the battle between nobles for the throne, it was still important for Kamille to keep track of the political war in Ylisse. If Cassius wanted to provide Kamille new and relevant news, it would have to be about his parents whose latest activity Kamille did not have a slightest guess on. He assumed they were doing the same. It didn't really matter.

cassius

[cassius]

“ GIMMIE THE BOOTY I WANT THE BOOTY ”

Upon seeing the man's bow, he was almost convinced that the man before him was about to kill him. He potentially had been annoying, or at least, what most people would say a "smarmy little shit," but he knew when to pull back and when to let go like the fingers of an archer as he draws on his string. Cassius decided to let the string fall loose for now. He had pieced together why the man had been looking at the dimly lit landscape all this time. 

"Out on watch for your Queen?" Cassius asked, "You shouldn't have to worry too much. Although, I did encounter some Baels around here before."

Something howled in the distance. It was almost sad, as if it was yearning for something, but he couldn't be too sure whether it was a call for family or a call for blood. The darkness changed things, able to metamorphose the familiar into the unknown. Things that were ally now seemed foe and despite how peaceful the forest was earlier in the day, the night brought new terrors--or were they old?

Cassius pointed to a section of the wood, his finger pointing to its concealed gnarls of twisted trunk and branch. "That section right there has the most reports, if you're taking this job seriously." A small sliver of silver had illuminated various pockets of fallen logs and thick boisterous trunks, "A lot of fallen trees where Mauthe Doogs like to sleep under. Ever seen one before? Absolutely vicious."

Another howl. Seemed like they were out tonight

TAGGED kamille
NOTES F IS FOR FRIENDS WHO DO STUFF TOGETHER

MADE BY ★MEULK FOR SHIV <3

[kamille]

He wasn't on a lookout for monsters.

Kamille's mouth opened, the sniding remark slithering out of his throat before he managed to clench his jaw shut and stop. With his back turned to Cassius, the slip went unnoticed but Kamille could no longer ignore the fact that he continued to linger incessantly. Why was he still here?

“Captain,” he emphasized with a tinge of scorn, “Since it had evaded your expert observation, allow me to graciously inform you that I am a top quality soldier. Had I stayed in your country for a few more years, I would have become its military's chief commander. Your...” Kamille stopped and turned around. “- 'hospitality' is unneeded. Actually, it has been bothering me. Go away.”

He already knew the monsters in the area after having scouted the terrain earlier. He hadn't made the research to know it to the extent that Cassius did, such as the reports of Baels in a particular nest, but Kamille had what was necessary. The monsters were easy to deal with when in small numbers. Their aim was poor and obviously, they lacked thought and sentienience. He was on a lookout for humans. Assassins, thieves, bandits, spies. The army was a bit bigger from the estimate given to Kamille. It would be too easy for anyone to sneak in and pretend to be part of it.

Maybe "Captain" Cassius was one. Kamille had not crossed out the possibility.

cassius

[cassius]

“ GIMMIE THE BOOTY I WANT THE BOOTY ”

Perhaps Kamille's bark was more vicious than a Mauthe Doog's bite.

However, he could only imagine the brutal crunch of a Doog's maw. Whatever pain those demon dogs could inflict was nothing in comparison to the fanged strike of an acrid Plegian. Cassius had dealt with such poisons before. Years and years of enduring through venomous superiors with their acidic strictures and jarring attitudes had injected into him an immunity of sorts. Yes, the pain held when their fangs struck, but the agony was only skin deep. His blood remained flowing, coursing with a fervid conviction to overcome ophidian obstacles.

"Well, it appears that your observations only stretch from the trees onward, because you're failing to realize that you're a guest here."

Cassius struck back, "The host doesn't leave, the guest does. These lands are my home, after all. The home you so graciously abandoned." He leaned forward, voice bordering stentorian, each sound set together tight like the cobblestones of a wall.

"Which reminds me, since you decided to ditch this country, do you really think that your claim holds any relevance right now?" The Captain growled, "Sure, you may be a top soldier and sure, you may have had the potential to become chief commander, however does that hold any bearing now when you are in fact, not?" Cassius sighed, crossing his arms.

"All bark and no bite." He said, "I respect you-let's get that straight-but realize that maybe, that maybe people like you, are the reason why wars are waged. If you want to protect your Queen, make sure you're not making enemies in the process."

Maybe he had the ideals of a Grecian host, after all.

TAGGED kamille
NOTES 

MADE BY ★MEULK FOR SHIV <3

[kamille]

It shouldn't have been a surprise; yet, when Kamille witnessed some of the binds from Cassius' mask come undone, it blew away his expectations. Respect between them was not mutual, an unsurprising detail since Kamille lacked knowledge of Cassius while Cassius was clearly familiar with him and his past. What lingered in the uncertainty was precaution, ideas that might be unlikely but possible. But Cassius had burst out and vaporized those thoughts away, revealing a single figure that was without a doubt that kind of person the Ylissean captain was. He had not been intending to bait him – Cassius had charged in and made a declaration.

It broke Kamille. His eyes lit up with glee and his lips curled into a sickening, saccirine smile that did not belong on his head. It was as disturbing as watching a wall that Kamille was grow a face. His teeth – a whole set gleaming immaculately at the moonlight - shamed Cassius' moment of passion while they smugly laughed from Kamille's loose grin. He was completely absorbed in his amusement. For a while, he did nothing but savour in the joke.

Kamille threw a hand on his head and had a time of his life laughing. A Mauthe Doog was howling again but it seemed to come miles away compared to Kamille's laugh.

“No need to be so sensitive, Captain!” Kamille said cheerfully. The difference in their smiles was geniuineness; Kamille had completely enjoyed Cassius' speech. “I didn't know you cared for a piece of dirt. I'll be mindful and not piss on it so I may give it the proper respect. As for your concern with my claim – well – you'd be surprised by how often I get questioned, but only dreamers would have the time to explain. You caught my attention on something else. These...'enemies' you mentioned I am making.” Kamille, too, leaned forward. “Captain Cassius...are you making a threat?”

cassius

[cassius]

“ GIMMIE THE BOOTY I WANT THE BOOTY ”

When he wished for Kamille to break, it wasn't for something like this.

He had missed the punchline and while the the self-satisfied smile of the Plegian admiral had brought the line again for another round, he decided to keep his fist to himself. After all, the man's laughter was almost unnatural. Bathed in an eerie moonlight, Kamille's smile took on characteristics of its own as if it had its own breath, its own sentience. Though, to Cassius, he wasn't sure if the man's jaws were mocking him or just trying to find an escape from its stoic husk of a body.

He didn't even know that the man was capable of laughter; people were able to laugh, not inhuman prodigies. 

Cassius remained straight-lipped as Kamille showered him with his bubbly dialogue. He hated the way "captain" sounded on the man's piercing tongue. He wanted to rip it off his name, to bury it under the ground and never see or hear it again.

"Better a piece of dirt than Plegian water," Cassius retorted. Although he was not aware of the admiral's naval misfortunes, the man had another fortification of superiority enclosed around him and its only weakness Cassius thought was his Plegian grounds.

He wouldn't dare challenge the man to a spar; no, not when they were supposed to be allies during their Cydonian campaign to Plegia—it wasn't as if it would have been a friendly one. 

Cassius was desperate to hold his position as the man leaned forward: a maneuver he, himself had done many times before. 

"And if I was?" The man entertained, matching the man's eyes. No matter how close they were, he was determined to hold. "What would you do about it?" Cassius couldn't back down.

TAGGED kamille
NOTES Sorry for the lateness!

MADE BY ★MEULK FOR SHIV <3

[kamille]

Kamille's smile stretched like plastic.

“'People like me'...are not the reason for wars.” Kamille chuckled, drawing backward with a satisfied look on his face. “If only it were that simple, but even I acknowledge that there are bigger, more meaningful existences than myself. I'm only interested in mastering my own. It's a lot more of a burden compared to yours, I'm sure,” Kamille said reassuringly to Cassius. Not everyone was born equal.

“War is a microscopic affair when put together with the rest of society's manifestations, and overlooking these miniaturized aspects high above our heads are the law-makers and politicians. Religious orders too if you want, it doesn't make a difference. They decide to war as a mean of achieving greater ends. As soldiers, you and I are but generic tools that are irrelevant to the grander scheme of things.”

For someone who was admitting he was just a small, disposable piece at the mercy of an omnipotent authority, Kamille was very proud. It was a fact, the reality. Did he despise his predestined position when he was born into this world? No. To feel cursed by one's birthright was a surrender to weakness, deserving of death from the unforgiving tides that continuously swept and consumed those lesser than them. It didn't matter whether he was born as a noble, as a king; as a peasant, as a woman, as a barbarian, or as a damn animal. Kamille saw through nature's logic and felt that the task it asked of him and every living creature was simple enough to accomplish spectacularly. It was comical how most people struggle to make things more complicated than they should be.

“Well, it seems you've indulged in other illusions. No matter. Once in a while, it's entertaining to see an ardent expression on a cute face.”

cassius