Laeris irked a smooth brow at the mention of his new name; which was apparently matches, though he paid no mind to anyways. Derek seemed to have a love of pestering the other members of the rag tag troupe. Not that Laeris was going to complain; he supposed to friendly banter lightened everyone else's spirits, but Laeris was used to the gloom of war camps. At war camps, joking around in such a friendly manner was dangerous business; especially with the stiffs Laeris had been set with. Probably where he got his own straight faced attitude from.
He looked to Jakob, his calm gaze taking in the other male's assurances before he went back to polishing his sword. Jakob was essentially right in his thoughts, though it wasn't like Laeris could read thoughts. And besides, as the members of the group probably already were aware of, Laeris wasn't exactly... in control of his element. Of course, he hadn't said a word as to why, whether or not they had pushed him to answer. It was just something he would not do for now. Sure, he had to
travel with them, for the good of some prophecy, or however it went. But that didn't mean he had to be all chummy-chummy-best-friends with any of them.
In fact, he quite preferred to keep to himself. Less people bothered him when they didn't know much about him. Though he wasn't about to deny; the other people did have a quaint friendliness to them. He'd give them that much, and for the most part, they
were compatible people... for the most part he decided as he held up his sword, tilting so its length glittered in the sun. He couldn't help but smile; a small twitch of the left side of his lips as he noticed the blade come out shining from his arduous task. Sighing, he knelt forward so he could sheathe the sword back at his hip before settling back down.
He noticed Jakob had started one of those delightful teas and his features seemed to relax. Truly, that man made an amazing tea. Much better than what he was used to. He'd give them credit for that much. His gaze then caught Casi with a rather unamused appearance. "You know, if you actually slept better, you'd perhaps be more than a walking zombie when you woke," he pointed out with a shrug.
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Valcenz entered the lone chamber he had reserved for his presence in the dungeons. The only room deprived of gore, and Valcenz preferred to keep it that way. Not that the gore bothered him. It held no deep effect in the least. He did indeed quite like the atmosphere it set; but because not all were so comforted by it as Kon was; this chamber meant for dealings was meant to stay clean. And by the gods, if it didn't; Valcenz would make the culprit lick every cubic millimeter of the room clean. That was a very likely possibility though, if the figure were feeling particularly humorous at the time.
He mused as he gazed steadily at the dank, featureless walls around him before turning rapidly so he faced his loyal butcher, his eyes glittering hard and unforgiving like the gems they had been fashioned to resemble; for this was hardly Valcenz' natural form. Of course, though none of his malice was currently directed at the drow; he decided not to point that out. Keep the figure guessing as to where Valcenz's hand or desires would fall. That was truly the fun part of ruling out of fear as opposed to that so called righteousness. They called him evil for his ways, his manipulations, and his deeds, but it took someone truly powerful like him to rule a world such as the one that rested at his fingertips. At least under his rule; he was the only one committing such heinous acts. Everyone else was too afraid too. No one saw the necessity of having people like dear Kon around. Valcenz did. Such cruelty was a necessity. A vital part of ruling. Leaders were not meant to be happy and cuddly. They were meant to be figure heads that people would pay attention to!
Valcenz tilted his head, raising a slim, long fingered hand to caress his chin thoughtfully as he mused on what to tell, and how much of it to tell. "There is talk of some prophecy coming about. Truly, it concerns me little; but I would rather not rush in uneducated. I give you command of a small army should you need it; but I want you to take in anyone spouting off the nonsense of this prophecy. I want to know what it is. Something to do with five elements... I trust you'll find what I want. Once you figure your information is accurate, by all means; do tell me
all that you discover, my loyal servant," he purred out, his tone hushed, yet inevitably drawing the attention of those listening.
"Perhaps, depending on how well you do your job; I'll let you follow up and dispose of whoever this prophecy involves." He seemed to forget that Kon was in the room as he muttered off like a tangent; focusing on his issues. "I have no time to pay attention to some young, stupid upstarts trying to dethrone me from what is rightfully mine. It is so bothersome to put up with such pests while ruling..." shaking his head, he turned his gaze back to Kon. "I realize I give you with little to start on, but I have confidence in your wit and abilities." He took on a musing stance again. "However, I regret that should you disappoint me in this... mayhap it will be you hanging on the meat hook; dear butcher"