[Meta-Inspired RP] Drinks and a Chat (Regina + Kursha)

[amicableAggressor]

“So, all that crap you mentioned before—just necessary stepping stones to the next big thing then? And by big thing I mean, if you're so keen on 'building up the world' like you say, I'm gonna assume that you've got some kind of plan in the works.”

Of course Regina had plans. She had sneered inwardly at that. Did people really think she was just some lazy slug, poured into the crown in order to sit there and look threatening? Gl would have sooner culled Regina herself than let a failure like that take to the throne, and she had been raising purpleblood after purpleblood longer than anyone could remember. It was another little needling jab into her ego. Her adult retinue of royal advisers, thinking it nessecary to separate her from the public, thinking she was dumb enough to walk into situations she couldn't handle. The public itself, thinking that if it screamed at her and blew up enough of her property, she'd abdicate and then everything would suddenly work. The mutantblood, thinking that Regina could be beat in one on one combat, that the queen didn't know how to handle herself in a fight. This greenblood, surprised that she had any sort of higher brain functions at all. All of it made her exoskeleton itch.

Since when had the definition of Queen changed from 'deadly, brilliant, all powerful warlord' to 'waste of space'? She was being too soft on them, she knew it. Parties and festivals and public works all gifted on her population in an attempt to reach out were pushed aside by ungrateful hands. What did it matter that they were in the most peaceful and calm period in recent history? No one cared, they just thought of how they had to walk too far each day to work, and that people didn't give them the respect they believed they deserved, and that it wasn't fair. Anything she'd do for people would be overlooked. All they remembered was fear and discipline, so it became necessary. Trolls would never respond to kindness. Sure there were ones who wailed for it, but when they got what they wanted, they'd see it as the weakness it was and turn on you. Her smile was calm and relaxed on her face as thoughts flickered behind her eyes, passing by even faster than the queen herself could register.

"I'm surprised you didn't come into this conversation already aware of that. You think the crown's just for laughs? I'm the troll who's job it is to make our future."

The words slid up her throat, but stopped at her teeth. Would he understand? Probably not. He didn't get why she wasn't just burning the world to the ground for laughs, not a troll who thought about the bigger picture. Regina wouldn't have been either, if it hadn't been for her lusus's teachings, but that showed the difference in the responsibilities of their castes. (Another thing no one understood or cared about anymore.) It was a waste of words to go any farther. No one understood. Anything.

"Oh, well, y'know, I'd say more, but then I'd have to cull you. Ahahaha!"

The laugh was loud and genuine, though it was from a place of resigned disappointment rather than any genuine amusement. Leaning back, she slapped her hands down on the table and tossed her hair. This was enough socialization for the day, any more and she'd get too wound up, too frustrated with how stupid everyone was. Already she was now itching to scream and hit something. Thinking she could potentially find an outlet in one of the more violent booth games, Regina reached down and pulled up her awful lifesized dummy. Turning pointedly away from Kursha, she started to set it up in her chair. The initial excitement of being approached had soured, but she still felt she owed the greenblood something for trying. Not many trolls did. Turning slightly, she turned to look over her shoulder at Kursha, and gave a small shrug accompanied by a faintly apologetic grin.

"Maybe some other time."

---

Bloodfest was over. It had been over - long enough for the beaches to be cleaned, and made a mess of again by Civisect residents. No one important cared though, because no one important was in Civisect. It was a city for the useless highbloods, the ones who wasted their time on culture and aesthetics, despite the attempted fledgling tech and research facilities. No, everyone important was in Chittentown. The city where the real work happened, and despite most lowbloods thinking otherwise, plenty of important highbloods gathered regularly. Highbloods like the queen, who, as a matter of fact, was gently lowering herself down out of a second floor window, to drop soundlessly (if you ignored the grunt) to the dusty road below. She could, she knew, just walk out the front or the back, but it was always easier to just .... slip away like this.

Pausing, she half closed her eyes for a moment to remember the letter she had gotten. Who wrote to the queen? No one wrote to the queen. No one was mad enough to write to the queen. Someone wrote to the queen. With a meeting requested, and a location given. She had burned it immediately. Her advisers would have said it a trap, and sent drones to follow her. Obviously it was a trap - everything was. If it was a trap intended to kill, then there would be death, though she'd be sure to reverse the intended target. If it was a trap of some other sort, perhaps some devious political manoeuvring, she'd see what was being offered and possibly have fun 'falling into it'. She hoped it would be interesting - otherwise she'd have organized this dull 'barracks inspection tour' for nothing but sand and disappointment.

Spitting out some of the aforementioned disappointment (and sand), Regina shook out her hair, pulled her hood up, and set off at a quick trot down the empty side-street towards the memorized destination.

The Good Ship SS Katanari

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

In a small club on the backstreets of Chittentown, Kursha lounged in one of the private rooms. He drummed his fingers against the arm of the sofa, waiting with his feet kicked up on the cocktail table. Music throbbed through the walls from the neighbouring dance floor. Occasionally they buzzed with the bass line, and the vibrations made the surface of his water skip. He had not touched it since arriving.

Though Kursha seemed at ease, his nerves were shot. He could not ignore the painful hammering of his pumpbiscuit in his chest, or the sweat that beaded on the back of his neck. He was about to attempt something likely very stupid, and extremely dangerous. Whether either of those proved to be true however depended on if his guest decided to show up. Kursha had arrived early of course. Besides common courtesy (which to be frank, in most situations he could not give two shits about), it was vital that he had some extra time to make additional preparations... just in case things went wrong. No matter what the outcome, he intended to walk out of this encounter with his exoskeleton intact. His eyes drifted to the waste-basket. That was only a last resort though. He preferred not to resort to such drastic measures; it seemed like a bad idea to cross the queen.

There was a brief pause in the music, and Kursha became aware of the soft tapping of his fingers against the sofa. He stopped, clasped his hands and folded them back behind his head. He could not afford to show the slightest hint of fear. His opponent was deadly, and if he left even the smallest opening he would lose.

... Providing she decided to come at all.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a waste of time. He had called her out to Chittentown to avoid a risky confrontation in her home territory, but there was no guarantee she would come. Hell, there was no guarantee she had even gotten his letter. To be fair, it was pretty shady. No return address, just the location of the club, the room number, and a date and time. He could hardly blame her if she decided against it on the grounds of looking like a trap. He would have been suspicious in the same circumstances. But... even so...

Kursha stifled an anxious yawn. He settled further into the couch and allowed his thoughts to fall in sync with the music. Gradually his tension faded tension faded. He kept his gaze on the door. As nervous as he was, he hoped she would come.

Waiting was the worst part.

amicableAggressor

Wasn't sure if you wanted me to include Regina entering. If you want, let me know and I'll edit it in.

 

[amicableAggressor]

She hadn't been stopped at the entrance. In other cities, most definitely, a thick set bouncer would have stepped forward, demanding a show of colour, or at least proof that she wasn't two kids sitting on top of each other under the coat. This was some trashy lowblood place though, and when the trolls at the door turned to look at her, all she had to do was meet their gaze and smile. They both turned away quickly - highbloods were highbloods, even when covered up, the arrogance and confidence showed through. No one was about to say no. Stepping past, she seriously considered dropping the cover and striding through the place as herself. Maybe that'd empty the place out a bit, give a little more privacy. On the other hand, it might send her mystery contact fleeing in a panic as well, and turn this night into nothing more than 'Regina's Trip to Several Subpar Locations', rather than anything more potentially interesting. Then again, if this person was gonna run away just because of a little thing like that, what was the point in bothering with them? You'd think anytroll who had the guts to call her out so directly could stand a little attention. But she had been wrong - and disappointed - before.

As the queen approached the back of the club, the lights were dark enough for her to throw back her hood without having to think of causing a scene, and the conundrum resolved itself. Pulling her hair out, she adjusted the cloak so that her weapon was visible, strapped, as always to her hip. It was less of a threat and more preemptive defence. Don't bother trying to start something, because I'm waiting for you to try it, kind of thing. She also adjusted her face, trading out the sharp, aggressive stare for her more usual warm, jovial, and laid back smile. This was to counter the previous message. No fight? No problem. Lets be palls and talk things out. Knocking on the wall beside the booth's entrance, she spoke up in a voice loud enough to be heard inside. "Hey hey! Can I come in or are you gonna try and lop my head off?" If the answer was a strangled strings of yes, no, yes, wait, and ums, then she'd probably walk away without even looking inside. Or maybe just do a mercy culling. Regina was aware of the huge cloud of pessimism that was colouring her thoughts, it was what she had simply come to expect.

Katanari

whoops forgot i was on the mule

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

At the sound of Regina's voice, Kursha's fears suddenly dissipated. He was in the thick of it now, and there was no time to think or second guess himself. He could only act. Excitement bubbled up in his stomach. The wan smile he wore before spread into a sincere grin. His breath hitched in his throat. Jumping to his feet, he hurried to the door and reached for the handle. As soon as his fingers brushed the metal though though, he paused.

Composure. No fear, no hesitation, but control. That was vital.

Forcing himself to take a breath, Kursha ruffled his hair. He straightened his posture and relaxed his shoulders. The effect it had was immediate. He was no less excited than before, but there was a muted quality to his energy, one that he could focus. It was important not to come across as over-eager after all. Satisfied, Kursha pulled open the door.

The diminutive figure before him was unmistakeable, even in the low light, from the silhouette of her horns to the expression she wore. Grinning down at Regina, Kursha leaned against the door to prop it open. He registered the sabre on her hip but spared it no more than a periphery glance.

“Sure thing,” he said. “Decapitation isn't really my style and anyway, I don't have a death wish.” He gestured her inside. Eyeing her cloak, he added, “Nice disguise. I kind of miss the glasses though.”

amicableAggressor

SORRY BLARGHALARMPH

 

[amicableAggressor]

Hm. Point for the reply, she supposed. No stuttering or confusion from the troll on the other side of the door. "Ugh, don't talk to me about disguises." There was honest bitterness in her voice there. Half the time they were jokes, and still trolls never saw through them. It was most likely them not wanting to, rather interacting with a mysterious stranger than having to deal with the reality of the queen. Stepping in, she looked at the green troll, tilting her head to the side. "I know you from somewhere, right?" It was obvious enough from his remark - and looking the other troll up and down did stir chimes of recognition. Sweeping past him, she sat down heavily in a seat, unpinning her cloak and shrugging it off. Leaning back, she stretched out, folding her arms and looking expectantly at Kursha.

"Was it uh - " She snapped her fingers, trying to figure out where the memory of his face fit in. It was a slightly exaggerated show she was putting on - she had already managed to place him as the chatty greenblood from the booth. Had she mistaken insolence for daring? That might explain why he had written, the same casual nonchalance that had allowed her to calmly insult her to her face. " - my last trip to New Hemisect? Civisect? Bloodfest maybe?" He wasn't going to get the satisfaction of thinking he made a lasting impact on her, not quite yet. Maybe she'd give it to him later.

Katanari

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

Kursha kept a careful eye on Regina as she strode past him and settled onto the couch. Her obvious contempt surprised him. He had only seen her a couple times in public before, and most times wearing something ridiculous. He had assumed it was a quirk of hers but perhaps there was something more there. Mentally he tucked that information away for later use.

Casting a quick glance outside for any escorts, Kursha closed and locked the door. For now they were only trading mild banter, but when the time came he did not want the wrong ears listening in. “Bloodfest,” he affirmed, turning back towards her. He made his way to the couch and perched on the arm opposite Regina. “Kursha Vidari. We chatted briefly.”

It had been a brief encounter. Considering her position and the number of trolls she met in a day, it should have come as no surprise that she did not remember. Still... With a shrug, Kursha leaned back. He swung one arm up over the back of the couch and crossed his legs. He was uncertain whether her inability to recall was genuine or an attempt to rile him. Either way, she would not find him that easy to manipulate.

Maintaining a lazy smile, he gauged her for a reaction.

amicableAggressor

 

[amicableAggressor]

The greenblood's name had been the one thing Regina was unable to recall. She wasn't sure if he had just not given it before, or if she had simply just discarded the information as unimportant since then. She pointed a finger at the troll across from her and repeated his name, to make sure it stayed this time. "Kursha Vidari! Right, right. Ahh, I remember you. The one who had a bone to pick with my dart board - didn't like the face." She shot him an amused look "Don't tell me you've been working on a replacement! You're a couple perigees too late for it to be of any use." The tsk of disappointment and slow headshake that accompanied this were part of the joke. She was certain that whatever this troll wanted her for wasn't to show off his artistic side.

"Hey - " Not giving Kursha a chance to reply, she snapped her fingers and looked over the room, sneering openly at the shabbyness. "- they have anything decent to drink in this place? I'm glubbing thirsty in this dry shitheap of a town." Public speaker, friend of the downtrodden, Great Queen Regina would have given a speech about how great this place was, but this troll seemed to be able to handle, and even expect, her less polished reality. She wondered if he'd be equally up to being seen publicly with her by a waiter. And if he did - if the waiter would survive the rest of the night. Your move, buddy. Despite all her inherent pessimism, Regina was enjoying herself.

Katanari

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

Kursha studied Regina as she spoke. Her gestures, her expressions, even her words: while she presented as nonchalant, there was a stiffness to her mannerisms. No, not stiffness. That would imply her to be fumbling or awkward, when she was nothing so incompetent. There was however a sense that she was not being entirely genuine. A blend of natural and unnatural, so subtle that he might not have noticed had he not been looking for it. The exaggerated body language, the snappy dialogue... it reminded him of a performance.

The impression he had back at Bloodfest returned in full strength. His skin itched with excitement. How much of this troll was real, and how much was fake?

Regina may have acted simple, but she was smarter than she let on, a real predator. If she had not already, she would very soon figure out his game. Not that it mattered. He had planned for a high calibre opponent and recognising the game was only half the battle. The real challenge lie in playing along. Winning in this case was determined by who could break who first.

At the moment she had the upper-hand.

Kursha hesitated after her question, but only for a second. “Depends on how expansive your definition of 'decent' is,” he said, choosing his wording carefully. “Otherwise there's always water. Won't leave a bad taste in your mouth at least.” He waved a hand towards the glass on the table. While not an outright refusal, it was as close as he could get without being coming across as rude, or worse losing ground. She had posed a difficult scenario after all. Either he relented and had to deal with a third party for the remainder of the evening, or he catered to her personally. His pride would never allow him to stoop so low though.

“To be honest, I wasn't exactly prioritising the menu,” he admitted, with a note of sincerity. “I kinda figured Chittentown fare would disappoint regardless.” He was perhaps bolder than he should have been, but how she chose to take that remark was entirely up to her. He flashed an innocent smile—innocent by Kursha standards anyway.

amicableAggressor

Sorry this is so late!

 

[amicableAggressor]

Well, that worked as a reply. The queen couldn't straight out say he was being discourteous - he was simply agreeing that anything drinkable in this place would be as crappy as the blood colour of whoever served it.

"Eh - I never did get the hang of drinking water. I keep wanting to inhale whenever I try."

And there was no chance that she'd be drinking something out of an un-sealed container. Who knew what kind of stuff could have been slipped in before she arrived? Paranoid or cautious - it didn't matter. Safe was safe either way, and the actual notion of eating or drinking something had never actually crossed her mind as a serious consideration. Dismissing that little game of words and favourably marking it as a tie, Regina leaned in towards the greenblood, rubbing her hands together. On another troll it might have been a nervous tick, but for her it was simply a gesture of anticipation.

"So if you didn't choose this place for the drinks, why're we here?"

The hook at the end of that sentence dangled clearly, not covered by a wiggling bait of a distracting anecdote, or little joke that Kursha could reply to instead, dodging the question. No charming little 'you don't own this place do you?' or 'if you're shopping around for quadrants, you might need to aim lower or spend higher' - though she had considered both. Regina didn't particularly want to rush, as she still wanted to test the waters, play around a little, and savour this experience. The main problem, she realized, was that she wasn't entirely sure what kind of things trolls talked about in a casual environment. How much they hated highbloods? How life sucked? Neither one really seemed a viable, or remotely interesting option to her. Maybe more topics would open up on his reply.

Katanari

i see a late reply and raise you ... an even later reply

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

There it was. He had piqued her interest; even if only momentarily, enough that she had come at him with a direct question. While not enough to count as a point in his favour, it was certainly a start. And with that, the first half of their verbal spar had come to a tidy conclusion. It was time to quit playing around, and end the games.

Aw, who was he kidding? They were just getting started.

“Relevance,” Kursha replied with a shrug, pretending not to notice Regina's change in body language. He on the other hand continued to pose as relaxed and nonchalant. There was no way he could show how much he relied on her driving the conversation. He feigned at picking at one of his nails. “That, and I figured you and me might have one or two things in common.” Letting that thought sit a moment, he stole a sidelong glance at the empress. Even as he did a thought occurred to him.

Playing as aloof was all good and well, but again, this was the empress. If he played his part too convincingly and came across as rude, he risked losing her. And if he lost her... then he would have to come back crawling. He could still pull her strings without getting on her bad side. He needed her as an ally. Not an enemy.

Swivelling, Kursha turned to face her in full. “Back at Bloodfest,” he said, “You talked about building society up?” As he spoke, he flicked his index finger upward and lifted his eyebrows. It was less of a question and more of an affirmation.

amicableAggressor

Gold medal for late posts goes to...!

 

[amicableAggressor]

"One or two things in common?" Regina gave a small slightly patronizing laugh, tilting her head to the side. Whatever this Kursha troll lacked, it wasn't confidence. A reality check, maybe. The queen was confident enough that whatever he thought they had in common was something shallow and petty, or based on some imaginary trait he had placed over her head. We both don't mess around! Both fine upstanding specimens of our species. Yeah, whatever. The only troll she had ever been able to relate to was someone she'd last seen lying on the ground, bleeding bright pink all over.

"Sorry Vidari - but that's a bold statement and I don't see nothing much - yet - to back it up. Yeah, I was. I don't like pointless destruction, whatever the trashbloods latest gripe is." Rubbing her index finger and thumb together thoughtfully, she gave a sidelong glance at the greenblood. He would most likely have read between her phrasing, so there wasn't much use hiding the flip-side of her philosophy. "Destruction with a reason though, that's fine. Sometimes you gotta burn the old wood out to let the new growth in. Or are you one of them rebel anarchists who just want to smash everything up and take a dump on it all?" His vague answer at her previous question had needled her slightly, so she threw another one at him. Relevance? He would never be relevant. Just another green drop in the bucket. Troll history was always being torn down and re-written, the heroes of today the blacklisted forbidden names of tomorrow. If he was looking for fame by riding on her coat-tails, he'd be better off spending the rest of his life carving his name into the mountains. It would last longer that way, for sure. She grinned at the thought.

Katanari

adjusts the crown on your head. you did it. you are the winner

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

The queen certainly had a way with words, that was for sure. Colourful yet on-point. Amused at her outburst, the corners of Kursha's mouth twitched. He forced down a smile. Even considering her deliberate slight, he found it difficult to be annoyed. After all, in doing so she had backed herself into a corner. The time to spring the trap was now. He just had to not kill himself in the process.

“Funny you should bring that up. If I was?” The response came automatically. He locked eyes with Regina, expression cool despite the painful hammering of his pump biscuit in his throat. Suddenly he broke into a wide grin. He held his hands up by his head, palms towards Regina. Something metallic gleamed between his middle and fourth finger. “Consider this my voluntary surrender. Congratulations! You just bagged yourself a member of the Phoenix Initiative.”

With little ceremony, Kursha tossed the piece of metal onto the table where Regina could see it. It was a small, silver pin in the shape of a bird. He returned his hand to beside his face, and gauged her reaction. At any moment, he was prepared to take flight. He was counting that he would not need to though.

amicableAggressor

<gently places the crown on Regina's noble brow>

 

[amicableAggressor]

"Huh?" Regina stared across at Kursha for a moment, eyes not following the flash of metal as it tumbled through the air. Then, curiously, she looked down at the silver pin. Reaching to pick it up, she held it up to the light and turned it around in her hands. Since the unfortunate - yet expected - demise of her eyes inside the initiative, she hadn't been able to get updates on them that were quite as in depth and on time. The pin was just that to her, a shiny little trinket, nothing more. Although, she ruminated, most trolls weren't in the position to toss the secret society's name around lightly. Maybe Kursha just assumed she would know what this little toy meant - that it was supposed to be a new identifier for the members of that group. Mentally thanking him, she filed it under 'potentially reliable information'.

This couldn't be one of her plans, could it? Nah - the mutantblood's stuff was never planned out more than one or two steps ahead, and she certainly wasn't at the level of playing any triple-agents. That's why it was always easy to dance around on top of them. Then this crazy troll was acting on their own - or on behalf of another group. Whatever Kursha planned to say next was irrelevant to Regina - right now she wanted to understand where the other troll was coming from, and get a better read on him. Tossing the metal bird back to Kursha, she leaned back and crossed her arms. Quirking an eyebrow at the greenblood, she gave a bemused smile. "That's a nice little hunk of scrap metal you got there. What dead troll did you lift if offa? Were they a bird fancier? And sorry, am I supposed to know what you're talking about? The phoenix something?"

Katanari

the crown is accepted, and merges into her flesh. she levels up. +5 queen points.

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

Catching the pin, Kursha lowered his hands and leaned back. He rolled the pin over his knuckles, trying hard to keep from smirking. Bingo. His gamble had paid off. He had guessed right about Regina after all. She was not a troll to jump to hasty conclusions. She recognised him as a potential asset, and now he had to simply maximise his worth.

Simply. As if it would be that easy.

“That doesn't ring any bells, huh?” Kursha replied, playing along. If she wanted to play dumb, so could he. Leaning forward, he rested his head on his knuckles. “I guess maybe your intelligence might be a little behind since the extermination fiasco... Oh!”

He feigned a sudden look of realisation. Raising his index finger, he tapped it against his chin. “That might be a name you're familiar with. What was it again? Err... Errane? Etturi? Ah! Right! Errade Etturi.” He grinned at Regina, expression innocent. For now, he would give her only what she already knew.

amicableAggressor

<applauds>