[The Quiet One]

It had not been a surprise to see the Lord of the Underworld attend the coronation. Given the undead king's position it was almost a given that such an event would draw him to the mortal realm. Perhaps the beast would even consider it a disappointment if he hadn’t seen the horned and winged creature. It was with a degree of well masked mild interest that the beast observed Xerxes approach the striped behemoth that was the fake King. For a moment, the Lord of the Underworld regards him with a slight curl of a smirk upon his kissers before they part. The beast from his position is too far to determine what exactly is sad, and the stoic facade of Xerxes does little to help. A congratulations of sorts seemed the most likely option, but then again with the powers Xerxes had who knew. Perhaps the undead King was already aware of the deception the newly crowned Dark King was attempting to pull off. It would not be surprising. Perhaps such a possibility was the reason why the beast allowed his gaze to track Xerxes as he drifted away from the false King. Whether it be a coincidence, or by design on Xerxes’s part, the obsidian and ivory hued behoneth comes to settle close by.

For a moment the beast makes no movement, his gaze instead drifting back to those gathered. There were a few others he would approach as the evening drew on, however none quite held the same potential as Xerxes himself. Especially if he already knew. So it was the beast allowed his feet to shift, his large frame approaching the other male silently. “Lord Xerxes.” The greeting slips free easily the velvety tones lowered enough to keep the conversation private between the two of themselves. Coming to a standstill a respectful distance beside the Lord of the Underworld, the beast allows his cranium to swing towards Xerxes. There’s the briefest pause before his crown inclining slightly and his kissers part once more. “I would say it is a surprise to see you here but that would be a poor lie. I am sure the Queen and our new King are pleased to see you here.” It was unlikely Xerxes would not notice the more respectful way the beast chose to address him compared to their last meeting. How he took the beast's second comment was another matter. It was a comment that was both true, and yet despite the innocence it seemed to present for a creature as clever as Xerxes it could be taken as the probe it was. With his crown turning once more from Xerxes, the beast allows his gaze to drift across the assembled crowd. The winged individuals of Rasa and her presumed counterpart are not hard to pick out. “I am sure there’s some company that you would choose to avoid if you could. I’m not too sure whether to consider their attendance brazen or foolish in all honesty.”

OOC: A z z y

[A z z y]

The towering dreadlord had settled in amongst the throng of equines who had come to bestow well wishes upon the newly crowned regent, and those who had simply come to pry. There was an air of suspicion from many it would seem, likely due to the now reigning monarch being a stag who none had heard of. None had heard of Joker, or several of those who came between his loss of throne and the one who sat upon it now. Xerxes allowed his gaze to linger upon Damocles, his hellfire optics burning into the supposed regent with meagre curiosity. He held himself with all the strength and prowess of a King, his aura commanded respect and attention, his very demeanour was intimidating, so why was there so much doubt? Xerxes kept his musings to himself, watching curiously as he interacted with his subjects in general. It was in this moment, he could sense the weight of another set of eyes upon him, one the hue of the sun, the other of the ocean, hidden behind a bone facade. Xerxes dropped Damocles from his attention and met the eyes that focused upon him so intently. Belial. The mortal had met with him once before, his approach less than favourable and the meeting left at an open end.

Xerxes relinquished Belial from his scrutiny, if only for a moment, yet when that weight of eyes upon his skin was accompanied by the shuffling of hooves over grass, he twisted his eyes back upon him. It hadn't really occurred to Xerxes that something was amiss, aside from Thomasin seeming different, he had no reason to doubt the facade he was presented with. Yet as Belial drew closer, his mass now positioned beside him, the devil used the powers bestowed upon him to reach into the grey matter of the multicoloured virile. Delving deep into the thoughts of the mortal, without detection, he crawled around the skull of the stag until the answers he sought were given. Damocles was a decoy, the true king stood beside him. Xerxes did not change his demeanour, there was nothing about his presentation that gave away that he knew the truth of the situation. “Lord Xerxes,” he began, Belial's tones low, for his ears alone. A single ivory tower flicked upon his own crown to face Belial, ensnaring the words as he turned his marrow covered face to look at Xerxes entirely. Only then, did Xerxes reciprocate, his mug angled slightly towards Belial, but not as much as the mortal did to he.

“I would say it is a surprise to see you here but that would be a poor lie. I am sure the Queen and our new King are pleased to see you here.” Xerxes looked at Belial, reading what little features he could before a thoughtful hum left his mug, vibrating from deep within his chest, yet no words followed in its wake. One poor lie after another, it was not wise to try to deceive the King of Deceit himself, however let the mortal regent dig himself a hole. The towering behemoth readjusted his weight upon the tipped rear dagger it now rested upon, his haunches levelling then dipping as he swapped sides. Belial turned his gaze from the devil then to his enemies at the opposite side of the gathering, his own thoughts soon leaving his lips. “I am sure there’s some company that you would choose to avoid if you could. I’m not too sure whether to consider their attendance brazen or foolish in all honesty.” Xerxes peeled his gaze from Belial to Rasa and Cadence, briefly glancing at Xovad before the usual stoicism returned. One could argue that it is both brazen and foolish to invite one's enemies to begin with, he stated evenly, his nordic tones tumbling into the small gulf between them. I suppose though, what with you being just a guard dog, your opinion on the matter is irrelevant? If Belial believed the way in which he had addressed Xerxes before, coupled with the web of falsehoods he now weaved before him, would stand him in good stead, he was about to be sorely mistaken…

[Words: 698]
[Tagged: The Quiet One]
[Notes: 👀]

[The Quiet One]

BELIAL

Come Feed The Beast

The weight of the beasts gaze does not go unnoticed by the hell king. It has Xerxes swiftly turning his attention from the false Dark King to the beast himself, who does not cower beneath the weight of it. Perhaps he should. Before the beast can do anything Xerxes is turning his attention away once more however. As the beast crosses the distance between them it once more draws the attention of Xerxes back to him. As the beast comes to stand next to Xerxes his consciousness wanders briefly, the beast recalling his prior conversation with the demon King. The admittance from the winged creature that his position came with certain powers crawling to the forefront of the beast’s consciousness. Had Xerxes already decided to have a little peek already perhaps? When the beast addresses him, there is a slight turning of Xerxes’s crown. It is by no means as much as the beast had offered, but enough to indicate that the obsidian and ivory hued male was paying attention. It was enough, for given their previous encounter the beast could not blame Xerxes for not wishing to offer more.

As the beast presses on he receives a thoughtful hum from his companion whos gaze watches carefully. While the beast had been truthful in his sentiment it would seem Xerxes was doubtful. Perhaps it was simply because of the fact that the beast had gone about it in a roundabout way. Surely the undead King could understand that in a setting such as this the beast had to tread carefully however? Perhaps not. As the beast turns his attention to the Utopian representatives so too sure Xerxes, although the beast's remark has it switching back to the Dark King himself briefly. The weight is fleeting before it is lifted from the beast's pelt. From the corner of his eye, the beast observes his companion before following Xerxes’s line of sight. Doing so has his mismatched orbs falling upon a golden and ivory hued male. Before the beast can think much of it Xerxes is allowing is voice to fill the space between them. “One could argue that it is both brazen and foolish to invite one's enemies to begin with,” The nordic tones have the slightest hum of acknowledgment rumbling in the beast’s chest, although it is brief for Xerxes is swift to press on. “I suppose though, what with you being just a guard dog, your opinion on the matter is irrelevant?”

The question has the beast returning his gaze back to the heathen King, the corners of his kissers twitching upwards into a humourless smile. "If I was staying true to my part this evening I would agree, however we both know the true nature of my position." Even as the velvety tones slip past his kissers the beast is careful to keep the tones low not wishing for them to be heard by anyone other then Xerxes himself. "Leaving the invitations as open as we have is certainly a gamble. Whether it pays off remains to be seen, as does how long it takes our enemies to realise the deception. If it all goes well then hopefully it will be long enough for us to gain some advantages." There’s no boasting, nor justification in the evenly spoken tones when they slip free. The beast simply offers an explanation to his companion acknowledging the pitfalls of the plan. For a moment the beast allows silence to settle his gaze once more returning to observing the gathered crowd. Eventually it is broken, however in favour of lowered tones laced with sincerity. "I was not lying regarding my sentiments earlier. Your attendance is truly appreciated and I hope we can continue to work together as allies."

"He Speaks"

Words: 600+
OOC: Belial trying to be a good polite boi for Xerxes this time A z z y

Image by [e-mail]

[A z z y]

Belial was a being that roused the Devil's interest, perhaps for all the wrong reasons. There was an air of over confidence, of self-importance, of ego. Traits he bore himself, that much he was aware of, yet he felt some justification in the arrogance that oozed form his own pores. He was after all, immortal. Untouchable. The power that coursed through his being was something Belial could only dream of wielding. Yet he tried to, tried his best to exert a level of control over beasts and situations where control was unlikely to work. At least, in his favour. The devil had challenged the King, knowing who he was, what he was, whilst those in attendance remained oblivious to the ruse, seemingly knowing nothing of the charade played out before them. "If I was staying true to my part this evening I would agree, however we both know the true nature of my position." Xerxes turned his crown a fraction upon it's axis, his hellish optics devouring the mortal with ease. Oh, Xerxes knew the truth, but in the grand scheme of it all, it didn't matter to him. Who now sat upon the throne he had done so long ago was of no concern to him but to those who the King ruled over, who he would need to get on side... was Belial as clever as he thought? How well would his reign go if built on lies and deceit? That we do... Xerxes confirmed, his scandianvain tones dry as they left his inky lips.

"Leaving the invitations as open as we have is certainly a gamble. Whether it pays off remains to be seen, as does how long it takes our enemies to realise the deception. If it all goes well then hopefully it will be long enough for us to gain some advantages." A single lobe twisted upon his crown to ensnare the words of the regent, listening intently to the reasoning behind why he had chosen to hide behind another, why he had chosen to have Damocles be the one with a target upon his back. The devil pondered this reasoning for a moment, seeing both the merit and fault within. To deceive your enemies is one thing - they expect it, he lowered his own tones now, offering some candid advice, from one King to another. But your allies, and more importantly, leaders of dark lands... he trailed off for a moment, recalling his own time upon the very throne Belial now claimed. If you want them on your side, if you want their loyalty, they need your honesty and your transparency... you are a leader now, Belial, not a spy, not a sleuth, not a serpent. You know where you stand with your enemies already - do not turn the kingdom against you before the crown is not yet warm upon your head.

His hellish pools relinquished Belial for a moment to view the queen, watching as she stood so stiffly beside Damocles. She has the potential to be your strongest asset or your worst enemy, she is her mother's daughter and should she deem you unfit, I doubt she would hesitate in removing you from power. Was it a jab at Akroma and all she had taken from him? Absolutely not for he knew she did what she had to do - to protect herself, her kingdom and him. The work Thomasin had put in to gaining the trust of her subjects, in gaining their loyalty may well come undone if Belial continued down the path he had chosen. A silence fell between them then, Xerxes briefly deliberating upon the similarities between Akroma and Thomasin before Belial spoke once again, causing Xerxes to turn his attention upon him once more. "I was not lying regarding my sentiments earlier. Your attendance is truly appreciated and I hope we can continue to work together as allies." A small chuckle rumbled from within his chest then, Oh I know you weren't lying then... he uttered in jest before he pressed on. What does being allies look like to you? he asked, curious as to what Belial thought their allegiance would like...


[Words: 696]
[Tagged: The Quiet One]
[Notes: 👀]