The Madness of Advisors [Zero | Closed]

[Kane Rafferty]

The Madness of Advisors

Being in Crystal Kingdom was a strange feeling, especially since it wasn't as cold as the Diamond kingdom was even though it was growing close to winter time. He didn't realize how different the two countries were. It had been almost eleven years since he had lived in Olivae and he had been living in the Diamond Kingdom long enough for him to get used to the chill. Not that it effected him. It was just a distracting annoyance. 

Anyway. They were in Crystal Kingdom for a special reason. Both King Narcisse and Queen Camellia were new rulers of the two most powerful kingdoms in the area. It was only right that they would greet each other and possibly make a treaty. The treaty was so important to Kane right now. It was part of his ticket for… well… anything really. If he wanted to continue with his overall plan, he would need to have a foot in the Crystal Kingdom as well.

Before the two royals could meet Kane had to make sure that Camellia would be safe in the Crystal Kingdom. He came before the carriage to prepare the way for her, leaving Odette at her side to protect her. He had gotten to the castle late the night before and was already up before the sun rose above the sky. He was prepared to meet the Crystal king's advisor to talk about conditions.

So, as he was instructed, he asked for directions to one of the many studies in the castle. When the door was opened he thanked the butler and walked in, ready to meet with his Crystal half. The room just happened to be empty as he stepped in the room. In his head, and following how he had been taught, it would be impolite to just sit in one of the chairs before him. So, he moved toward the window and stayed standing. The area around the castle was breathtaking. Um… Yes, Kane admired art and architecture, what was wrong with that?

As he watched the people below move about their day, Kane stood and thought about the list of subjects he would need to bring up while the two spoke.

The second Alice was a fragile man of the Diamond

credit Delusional, Tags, @zero1!

[Deleted]

you just didn't know me i'm the hunter Busy, busy, busy. No rest for the wicked, as the old saying went, though he would imagine that the Royal Adviser's days would be full no matter their moral alignment. After all, he wasn't just an adviser- he didn't just stand at the wise King's shoulder, giving advice and sage nods where needed. No, he wouldn't be so lucky, as it wasn't an old wise king he served. He was the personal assistant of nothing more that a newly whelped little boy, even by human standards. So really, calling him an adviser was a gross understatement. He was personal tutor, head of the castle, on the worse days even going so far as to practically be a butler, demeaning as that might be for a royal worldly or otherwise- because Lucifer, in all his infinite luck, was the sole guardian of the child-king of Crystal. And on days like this, with the castle buzzing around him and servant after servant vying for his ever valuable attention... well, even for him, it was a tad overwhelming. He liked to think that he had a remarkable sense of patience- though Lucifer the man was humble, Lucifer the demon was not- but if even his vast, immortal conscience was having problems with this, he didn't know how in Giratina's name a human was supposed to. It was getting more and more difficult to keep his irritability in check, as servants and guards and nobles and slaves of every walk of life fluttered in and out of his study. It had been his idea, of course, to gather the royals together- an alliance would further both Crystal's agenda and his personal one, a duality that made his deception all the more convincing.  If only he had known what a hassle it would turn out to be. Security, accommodations. The feast alone required more preparation than even he was willing to think about. But, luckily enough for the  child-king Narcisse, he was no ordinary adviser. Even while his mouth rattled off the answers to the myriad of questions assaulting him, his mind worked industrially away at other, more pressing matters, the least of which being the meeting itself. He'd heard... rumors, of this Camellia, little tidbits that sang to his otherworldly side. The circumstances of her rise to power were just short of incredible- especially the ever-convenient scapegoat provided to her in the form of her brother. There was something there, he could sense it, and if he was going to protect his king- a mental shudder- he was going to have to be alert. Which is why he'd summoned the other's adviser ahead of time, as a sort of scouting mission, an attempt to prepare for what was to come. A decidedly less formal occasion, certainly less public- and oh, by the Griseous Orb, if he wasn't late. Crystal's adviser rose from his desk, giving a brisk nod to the various humans attending to him. "Ladies. Gentlemen. I beg your pardon, but I have business to attend to." His tone was soft, and one daring young lord took that to mean he was, too. A tilt of his head and a flash of his ruby eyes was all it took, and Lucifer was sweeping out of the room, leaving the poor mortals lost and slightly stunned in his wake. He had many studies throughout the castle- well, they were others' to begin with, but they might as well all be his now- and he'd assigned one of them to be their meeting place. A bit more laid back than was probably strictly proper, but that was alright. An adversary at ease was an adversary that slipped, and besides, though Diamond had a formidable defense from his brethren's prying eyes, he had a feeling that this adviser would be one he could deal with. He paused just outside the room a few moments to calm his thoughts, gloved cold hand resting lightly on the doorknob, before slipping inside- and smirking ever-so-slightly at who he saw standing there. "I thank you for your patience, Rafferty. You may sit." Lucifer resettled his spectacles on his nose, using the moment to cover the remains of his fleeting smile, before ghosting over to one of the armchairs scattered throughout the room. He'd wait for the boy to be seated first- or, not a boy, but a man now, at least since the demon had last seen him.  "It has been some time. I trust life has been kind to you, Kane?" He hadn't quite planned for this particular instance, but there was no way the other had, either. He might as well enjoy the boy's reaction. *** muse! x tags! kane notes! they aren't usually this long, sorry DX

[Kane Rafferty]

The Madness of Advisors

"I thank you for your patience, Rafferty. You may sit."

That voice. How long had it been since the tone of voice he so often used was directed back at him. His heart skipped a few beats, his eyes dilated, and whatever part of his body that just happened to be relaxed tensed in surprise at some long forgotten memory. It took him several seconds to realize that he was even holding his breath. A minute passed before he could clear his mind and respond correctly, not even daring to speak in fear of what would come out of his mouth. He couldn't even remember why this man put him off so much. The five years of childhood that were taken from him by this man couldn't even be remembered by Kane.

This was his teacher, the one who taught him everything he knew. And now... Now he would be assessed. If this really was the Crystal Kingdom advisor, then there was no escaping it now, especially since he was already here with no quick or respectful way out. He would just have to get a grip with himself and show this man how worth all his teaching was to this former student.

A minute had passed since the door had opened. Too much time. That minute would definitely be noticed. But certainly this meeting was a surprise. But Kane knew him. Well, he knew the way the other man worked when he tutored Kane. This was no merciful man. Whether he appeared to be or not. He had ambition and he was incredibly smart. 

"It has been some time. I trust life has been kind to you, Kane?"

Kane needed to act now, so he cleared his thoughts, forced his body to relax and allowed his signature calm, political smile drift onto his face. Still looking out the window, he began to say, "Yes, It has been awhile hasn't it?" And with that he turned to greet his former mentor. Just seeing his face was a shock, one that he was not willing to share, but even so. His voice was one thing, but seeing him face to face was another. And there was no one else in the world, not even Queen Camellia, who could read Kane and his emotions as well as this man could.

His slipped his hands behind his back and bent his upper body forward slightly in a sign of respect before moving toward the seat opposite of the man. "I wouldn't say that life was kind. Perhaps generous is a more fitting word. And I can see that life has treated you in similar ways as I. Or at least with a similar job." 

Whatever happened now he had to be careful. They were now both advisors. Openly they were more or less equal despite the experience of the other man which would make him the elder advisor. Inwardly though, regardless of Kane's magic growth four years ago after visiting Palkia, the man before him would defeat him in any fight that may transpire between the two of them. No questions asked. 

"Lucifer..." He chuckled softly as he sat and spoke again after a short pause. "Before turning sixteen, I wouldn't have even dreamed of saying that word. Master... It is surprising to see you here." To be quite honest, Kane wasn't sure what was right to call him now that he wasn't the man's student, unless of course he had more to teach. Knowing a little of how Lucifer worked however, Kane was sure that was unlikely. This was a time for Master to see how Apprentice was using the wisdom that was given to him. 

The second Alice was a fragile man of the Diamond

credit Delusional, Tags, @zero1!

[Deleted]

you just didn't know me i'm the hunter The boy was surprised. That was good. The demon took some amount of pleasure in the fact that the child couldn't even seem to breathe properly, though of course it also had more practical affects. Infamous as the Diamond spies were, apparently they weren't enough to inform the other that his former mentor was here. It was rather comforting, though a part of him was also offended- was Narcisse such big news that his adviser, who'd, oh, maybe ran the kingdom for a while, was completely overlooked? He knew that anonymity was good for his plans, but his pride was rather wounded.  A large part of him wanted to launch into a lecture- really, going into a meeting without knowing your counterpart's name was just plain foolish- but those days were long passed. He was no longer Kane's mentor, but rather a rival, an opponent. And, luckily enough for him, he knew several of Kane's weaknesses, while remaining intimidating and unreadable to the other- er, well, he hoped. There was never any telling with humans. But that was the way Lucifer had conditioned the boy and, as Diamond's adviser turned around, he could see that the training was still in securely in place. The bow was good- a sign of respect among near-equals. He afforded the human a slight nod in return, the corner of his mouth twitching in an almost imperceptible smirk. "Cynical as always."He waited a few moments after the other, then gracefully took his own seat, his piercing gaze locked upon the other's face. "No, not Master. Not anymore. You have long since graduated from that, I believe." He appeared thoughtful for a moment. "We meet here as equals, now. Lucifer will do." Where others might have fidgeted, his hands remained still as death in his lap, but this was no reflection of his emotions. Lucifer was... intrigued. Fascinated, even. Downright curious, and he just had to know more. He had expected any pupil of his to do well, of course, but to come upon such a high position in such a short amount of time? He had not expected it of the boy. Perhaps he could use this casual conversation to his advantage, worm some information straight from the Rapidash's mouth, as it were. "Though I must agree with you, this meeting is rather... unexpected. I had not expected you to achieve such a rank so quickly." Any other teacher might have praised their honored student, but Lucifer was no ordinary teacher. "Might I inquire as to how this rise came about?" *** muse! x tags! Kane Rafferty notes! mmm, i love kane~ <3

[Kane Rafferty]

The Madness of Advisors

Cynical? Well… He was, of course right. And he would have commented about it, but there was no worth in that. .It would probably only win him a laugh or a scowl. No telling with Lucifer. Although if he had commented about it it would certainly have been about how he had learned everything he knew from Lucifer himself. If Kane was cynical, it was because Lucifer had taught him that or caused the trait in the first place. It was in this moment that he realized just how at mercy he really was to Lucifer. The only man on the entire earth that could make Kane shiver. 

"No, not Master. Not anymore. You have long since graduated from that, I believe... We meet here as equals, now. Lucifer will do."

Kane looked at the man, a sense of almost dread embraced his body. Yes. They were equals now. What a surprise. Lucifer was not only more experienced then him in the art of being an advisor, he also knew all of Kane's tricks and weaknesses, because he himself taught them and inflicted them upon them. What kind of sick joke is this fate? What have you against me? He kept himself calm. Nothing else to do. If he reacted he was screwed. If he felt these feelings and didn't react he was screwed. So he pushed the feelings away and smiled. "Alright Lucifer. We are as equals." There was a slight glint in his eyes. He wasn't going to allow himself to fall prey to the man. No. Not this time. He was no longer under his teaching. It has been five years since I last saw him and a lot has happened. I'm not the same naive boy he taught so long ago. 

"Though I must agree with you, this meeting is rather... unexpected. I had not expected you to achieve such a rank so quickly. Might I inquire as to how this rise came about?" 

And here was where Kane needed to be careful. Too much information to another Kingdom was very dangerous. Of course he would tell his former mentor how well his former student did on the teaching that was handed into his lap at the age of five. But even though they were once close, for Lucifer would be the only person Kane would have seen for days (even weeks) at a time, they were now on opposite sides of the fence. If too much information got to the king, or even just to Lucifer himself, Diamond could fall to Crystal in the matter of a few hours. 

"Of course you would want to know." He looked up at the book case on one of the walls. "If I said it was all my doing, I would be lying. It wasn't. After you left the day I became old enough to take over as head, my father stepped down from his 'thrown' and handed it to me. My sisters as you could imagine were not the happiest of people." He shrugged carelessly and moved on. "Course after awhile I didn't care much for the position myself. It was quite annoying having to deal with childish acts of my family and decided that I didn't even want to attempt to get any closer to them. So, as head, I gave the position to my eldest sister and moved out." He turned his eyes back on Lucifer. They were hard and almost blank. "I went to school to learn more, but quickly found that I knew everything already and left. It was then that I met Queen Camellia. In exchange for helping her dispose of a criminal, she awarded me the position of advisor. Though… That was only half a year ago. Kind of strange…" 

He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "There was plenty of middle ground, but most of it was planning and training myself a bit. You had taught me well of course, for that I am forever grateful. But I thought… If I could learn more, I could become more…" He was especially careful not to say something stupid like "For that I am forever in your debt" cause that would have been a very foolish thing to say. He was careful to leave out who the criminal was and his new special Palkia power. 

The second Alice was a fragile man of the Diamond

credit Delusional, Tags, @zero1!

[Deleted]

you just didn't know me i'm the hunter Was that a shiver he detected in the boy? His eyes glittered in something close to amusement, though the rest of his face stayed carefully neutral. The idea that the two of them were equals- it was completely, utterly laughable. Even if he was who he said he was, the difference in their experience was vast. But not a single soul upon this plane could be considered even close to his greatness, let alone some child adviser to a child queen. Really, what was with these humans and their young rulers? In time, they would grow, but the whole concept of an inherited leader seemed rather idiotic to him. What proof did they have of these children's abilities? Nothing, that's what. Even Kane had been deliberately appointed. And though in his mind's eye he saw the whining, weak creature he'd taught, the response that he got was far from it. An agreement; a smile; a steely glint in the human's eye. Now, now, what was this? Ohh, this might be an amusing endeavor after all.  The boy was even being careful about information. Something that the tutor had pounded into his head for years, but even so, there was a little shock of delight that had actually listened. Not that he enjoyed bettering humans- they'd all be his slaves someday, after all- but there was something to be said for the power to form someone's life-view, their very being. This was control, this was power, in a way that nothing else ever would be. He paid rapt attention as Kane started in on his story, though the words themselves weren't exactly something to be focused on. No, he was intent on the other's face- the wandering eyes, the careless gestures. Was this a forced calm...? He thought so, though he suspected that the boy's dismissive attitude toward his own family was genuine. Yes, that was rather satisfying. Though the hard look in the other's eyes caught him off guard. He'd never thought he'd gotten through that deeply; it filled him with a deep sense of pride, though it was also somewhat concerning. Who knew he'd be creating his own obstacle? He pondered the dilemma as the Adviser of Diamond finished his story, before humming thoughtfully and obviously turning over his reply in his mind. "The deliberate relinquish of power I find... surprising, especially since there were no other immediate prospects." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Not that I disagree with the decision, but really, what if you hadn't found work promptly enough? Do not rely on luck like that again." He'd fallen back into his old, scolding tone, though it was decidedly less harsh than the last time they'd spoken. It was almost teasing, if that were a practice the demon engaged in. "Though you are correct in your thought that knowledge is power." And with that, it was back to business. "Speaking of which... I suppose we should get to the point now." He settled back into his seat, adjusting his spectacles as he collected his thoughts. "We should probably get the logistics out of the way first. Do you wish to examine the defenses personally?" The slightest subdued smirk. "Or do you trust me on the matter of your Queen's safety?" *** muse! x tags! Kane Rafferty notes! arceus, sorry for the wait. DX it won't happen again, life's settling down now.

[Ginger]

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