It was specifically the use of the word "unlawful" that struck me as odd
Noblesse Oblige [Znt/SI]
"All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies, and whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you ...."― Richard Adams, Watership Down
Mockingly-Tricky
Ketchup Enthusiast
- Location
- Happy Funtime Candyland
- Location
- Elsewhere
I kind of wonder how Karin will react if she learns about Henry's work as an author.
On the one hand, any time he's writing, he isn't training to be a Manticore Knight like he's obviously destined to be.
On the other hand, she will finally be able to read the stories he was telling Cattleya and stopped when she arrived!
On the one hand, any time he's writing, he isn't training to be a Manticore Knight like he's obviously destined to be.
On the other hand, she will finally be able to read the stories he was telling Cattleya and stopped when she arrived!
SlugSLinger
Seeker of Originality
- Location
- Somewhere in the Jungles of S.E.A
...Still waiting for the other shoe to drop...
Still, fluff! Glorious fluff!
Still, fluff! Glorious fluff!
PseudoSim
Intentionally Obfuscating
- Location
- Beating my muse with a bat for being a pain
Suspiscions absolutely confirmed. Raven knows exactly what she is doing, I mean what daughter in law likes her mother in law. None of course. Not even a bird one.
Omake - The Crows Knows and Quoths "No Porn For You!"
Tabi
Expert Jissou Abuser
Had her son been paying attention, and thank the Founder he hadn't, Henry would have noticed the tiniest variation in her expression of anger.
Fear.
Did this... feathered fowl know? Karin raised her wand to ensure her secret would forever be safe, but the Founder saw fit to intervene as Cattleya came out in her wheeled chair, her face joyful at the sight of her twin brother. As Henry shamelessly hid behind his innocent sister, Karin quickly matched glares with that evil little familiar.
It was an intelligent creature, that was clear enough. It's rudimentary grasp of the human tongue was simple, but the words it had chosen were clear.
Behind her mask of steel, Karin felt uneasy.
Henry took the chance to head inside.
"Henry." Karin reminded her son. "This isn't over."
"Valhalla awaits, but it will not claim me today, mother!" Called back her son, the wildly unconventional outburst shocking her. Perfectly timed as well, as that horrible little feathered gremlin took the chance to fly into her home without so much as a by have you! The termerity of that... that... thing!
Left alone to her own devices as Henry's pompous voice and the tinking laughter of dear Cattleya faded, Karin quickly rebuilt her expression of indifference as panic began to brew inside. Keen to get to her private study without appearing to be rushed, she moved swiftly and surely into the manse.
The servants knew well to stay out of her way and Karin was grateful for that as she quietly hoped against the worst as the words her son's damnable familiar crowed at her.
"No porn for you!"
The faintest sheen of sweat appeared on her face as she reached her study. Shutting the doors behind her, Karin practically forced herself not to dive at the hidden section of the bookcases. Cradled behind a false line of thick tomes were thin slivers of manuscripts covered with lurid bright colors. She quickly counted them and let herself breathe a sigh of relief.
She was wrong, and thankfully so. Karin paused as she fingered the worn copy of the 'Maudlin Maid', feeling something different. The weight was off.
Flipping through the pages, the Heavy Wind felt her insides turn to ice.
Nestled between the lewd words of the naughtiest and raunchiest center of the 'Maudlin Maid' was a black feather.
Karin swallowed audibly as she processed the implications.
That dirty damned fowl knows!
Which meant... no... did... Henry know? Shame filled her as she internally wailed, imagining the disgust and horror of her son's face as he realized just how shameful his own mother was behind the Rule of Steel. Karin forced herself to calm down. Henry didn't know, alas it was his evil horrible familiar that was trying to blackmail her! Yes... that clever little monster... It'll hold this over her head so long as it felt it's master was slighted... even against herself, it's master's mother; Karin the Heavy Wind.
There was the tiniest twitch of her lips. That crow truly was loyal to it's master.
Carefully, she hid the 'Maudlin Maiden' and put the false cover back.
First blood goes to the Raven, Karin decided. Next time however, she would be the victor and the feathery abomination would regret ever trying to blackmail the Heavy Wind.
- Location
- hell
Ok, I can ignore a lot, but someone who can stand while their back is on the ground is outside my limit. Unless spatial alteration is on the table.
CrabMonarchy
Allegedly Dutch
- Location
- the Netherlands, apparently
Technically, he only said his back was on the soft grass. Maybe it's a green wall?
But yeah, that's probably a typo.
Or maybe Shade is actually an Elder God, which probably isn't too far off the mark
.
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
I honestly wish that this was canon. It'd make more sense than the SI's current actions and circumstances.
If it isnt canon i'll wat my shirt! We all know what she was up to in her youth.
At the least my new head canon is now locked and loaded.
Drinking responsibly does not mean staying sober. Its about knowing how alcohol effects you, the appropriate amount to drink in the context of your surroundings, and being able to control yourself even after your judgement has been impaired. It is unreasonable to expect Shade to pretend he is an incontinent child. Henry constantly gets in trouble about alcohol because his parents do not believe a minor does not have the judgement required to drink responsibly. The conflict arises because Henry does have the required judgement.
I think several users are biased by their own experience. Maybe some of you limit yourself to a couple beers in a social context, but not everyone does the same. There is nothing inherently wrong with alcohol, despite how often it is used as a moral scapegoat.
Shade/Henry chafing under the weight of responsibility because of his modern sensibilities is a reoccurring theme. He handles it reasonably well, but taking every opportunity at freedom is a core personality trait. In that context its no surprise that Henry would drink like the rational, forward thinking adult that he is.
Also, regarding Karin's "punishments," Shade has said multiple times that Karin uses it as an excuse to enforce mandatory training. As the only child with a wind affinity Karin would demand excellence Henry regardless of whether or not he has earned a punishment. Furthermore, Henry has repeatedly demonstrated a desire to improve as a mage. Wardes might be a formidable training partner, but he is a gnat compared to the Heavy Wind. Henry would willingly put himself through Karin's tutelage even if she had not required it.
I think several users are biased by their own experience. Maybe some of you limit yourself to a couple beers in a social context, but not everyone does the same. There is nothing inherently wrong with alcohol, despite how often it is used as a moral scapegoat.
Shade/Henry chafing under the weight of responsibility because of his modern sensibilities is a reoccurring theme. He handles it reasonably well, but taking every opportunity at freedom is a core personality trait. In that context its no surprise that Henry would drink like the rational, forward thinking adult that he is.
Also, regarding Karin's "punishments," Shade has said multiple times that Karin uses it as an excuse to enforce mandatory training. As the only child with a wind affinity Karin would demand excellence Henry regardless of whether or not he has earned a punishment. Furthermore, Henry has repeatedly demonstrated a desire to improve as a mage. Wardes might be a formidable training partner, but he is a gnat compared to the Heavy Wind. Henry would willingly put himself through Karin's tutelage even if she had not required it.
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chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
No, the conflict arises from everybody assuming that he has it, including himself, and then him repeatedly demonstrating that in point of fact his capacity for self-control is irrelevant because he's not ever going to use it. After a certain point, "I only got rip-roaring drunk to do political things" stops being a legitimate response to the scorn induced by his hilariously terrible behavior and starts being what we really all knew it to be in the first place; an excuse, pure and simple.
Henry is a drunkard. With all of the evidence provided to us, you can't say he isn't.
Tabi
Expert Jissou Abuser
I'll write another omake on this tomorrow.I kind of wonder how Karin will react if she learns about Henry's work as an author.
On the one hand, any time he's writing, he isn't training to be a Manticore Knight like he's obviously destined to be.
On the other hand, she will finally be able to read the stories he was telling Cattleya and stopped when she arrived!
One can be blind stinking drunk and still retain restraint. Im a good example of this, i can have a bottle of whisky in my system and still retain the synapses nessersery to say "fuck off i aint driving." Admittedly it takes a wile to convay this message
- Location
- home
If you drink to the point where you black out, then I don't think that you can reasonably control yourself at that point.
Plus, people have pointed out on multiple occasions that his heavy drinking does have ramifications, impacting how his peers, schoolmates, teachers, and pretty much everyone else sees him. The fact that he continues drinking heavily despite being asked, and ordered, to stop also has an impact, as no matter his reasons, it shows him to be both disrespectful of authority, and uncaring of the impact of his actions. You can argue that he is showing respect and companionship to the one person who matters, Joseph, but that rings more as an excuse than anything else, and even that is a hollow one. A king, or queen, is not absolute, and they rely on the willingness of their nobles to respect and obey them to be able to rule. In Shade's other story, the Steep Path, this is pointed out multiple times, with that story's Karin going against the express orders of the king, something that pretty much destroyed his authority.
Point is, even if he becomes prince-consort and the de-facto authority of Gallia, if he is known (rightly or wrongly) to the Gallian nobles as something who doesn't give a shit what they think of him, gets drunk at every opportunity, and doesn't follow the advice of his advisors, then there is a very good chance that they will stop respecting him, and even stop respecting the monarchy.
Also, there is more to alcohol consumption than just the social aspects of it. In addition to the damage it does to your liver and other organs, studies have shown that heavy drinking during adolescence can also cause developmental and other issues with the brain, such as impairing development of the pre-frontal cortex, which is the risk assessment center, or damaging the ability of the drinker to retain memories. You can argue that he has an adult 'soul' or whatever, but the point is that he is in a developing body with a developing brain, and these sort of things will have an impact on him physiologically as well.
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CaesriusPolybius
Worldgate Mechanic
- Location
- United States. Ish.
As was pointed out before, Henry was fully conscious straight out of the womb, and is an SI atop that. There's no guarantee that his brain's running on the wetware that the alcohol's possibly damaging.
Water to wine is so passe. Now, water to coffee?? That!! That''s the ticket!!
Nervos Belli
Don't think this means you've won!
- Location
- Murica
I believe that's called "making coffee".
Deep down I think a part of Karin likes the bold brashness of her son. Troublesome though it might be.
- Location
- home
I don't really understand this reasoning. The fact that he has displayed judgment impairments and even blackouts due to alcohol consumption shows that, wherever his 'soul' is located, there is a link between his mental condition and the physiological condition of his brain, such as his brain increasing production of dopamine in response to the consumption of alcohol. Clearly these neurotransmitters are having an affect on him, so clearly the activity occurring in his brain affects his mindset, judgment, and mental processing power. Saying that there can be a short-term impact on all of these things, but not a long-term impact as a result of them seems rather arbitrary to me.
Then again, I am probably overthinking things and should probably shut up and enjoy the ride.
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You would have a point, if Henry's drinking had ever once caused a problem. The only time Henry's drinking affected his ability to act was in the recent chapter where he blacked out during a private drinking game. Getting drunk off your ass is the entire point of a drinking game. You may not approve, but that does not mean Henry was being irresponsible. Your rights begin and end with you, and that goes both ways. Henry has the responsibility of making sure his actions do not harm others, and others should not interfere with his decisions so long as they do not cause harm.
There is no evidence that Henry is anything more than a man who enjoys his drink. He has a thriving social environment, a strong connection with his family, high academic achievement, and success in an assortment of extracurricular activities. I'm well aware of the biochemistry behind alcohol and its effects on the human body. None of that is relevant because Henry shows none of the signs you would expect from an addict. All I see here is a difference of moral opinions, both in story and in the comments. Karin does not believe that it is appropriate to ever drink heavily, while Henry/Shade believes that it is appropriate in the right context. I suspect the attention being drawn to Henry's drinking habits has more to do with Karin's unusually high standards than how much Henry actually drinks.
- Location
- home
I am not sure that you understand what I was trying to say.
When I say that Shade's drinking is causing issues, I am not suggesting that Shade is an alcoholic. I am not saying that he is becoming a shut-in or that it is affecting his schooling or that he suddenly hates extracurricular activities. And, while I did point out that the fact that he drinks heavily will affect how others see him, that is based more on Shade's observations (and conversations) that many different individuals disapproved of his drinking rather than anything else. What I was pointing out as a potential issue was the fact that Shade is aware that there are those who disapprove, something that has been brought up with Karin, Joseph, and a few others, and gives the appearance that he doesn't care, or at least dismisses it. I was pointing out that the fact that he ignores the advice that he is being given ("stop drinking so much in front of other nobles because it makes them think you don't respect them") without being able to fully address their concerns (not like he can say, "hey the guy I am drinking with is a Void mage who will kill his brother and become even more emotionally crippled if I don't get through to him, which is a bit more important than these nobles being offended") makes him seem dismissive of others' advice, disrespectful towards authority (namely, his mother), and uncaring of the legitimate concerns that they have.
This was a lead up to the point I was trying to make, which is that this dismissive attitude is going to cause him issues. If he tries to get nobles to listen to him, they may instead think back to the teenage brat who drank to excess, who rumor has it was yelled at by his mother, the Heavy Wind, about his drinking at his engagement celebration, and didn't care. Etc. etc. etc. He has done this in front of the Tristainian nobility, which complicates things for the Valliere family as they now have to deal with fallout from those nobles he offended, and he has done this in front of Gallian servants (which will get back to the Gallian royalty and nobility), which will impact his relationship with those same nobility when he is granted lands in Gallia and has to work with these nobles, and later, assuming Isabella ever becomes queen, when he becomes prince-consort and has to rule them. So, when I refer to 'problems' that his drinking is causing, it is the negative impressions that he is leaving with the powerful people that he will have to work with.
Also, the point about biochemistry was aimed more towards your comment about responsible drinking than any signs of alcoholism that Shade/Henry is/is not showing. I was merely pointing out that responsible drinking is a bit different for a teenage (I think he is in his mid-teens?) kid than it is for a grown-up, as a teenager also has to contend with the fact that their brain is still developing, and that heavy drinking, while less impactful on an adult, can lead to slowed or impaired development in a teenager. Granted, as has been pointed out, this may be a moot point for Shade as an SI, but your comment about responsible drinking seemed to be more of an 'in general' comment rather than one aimed specifically at Shade.
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Chapter Fifty
- Location
- https://discord.gg/z9tBvbh
Chapter Fifty
I had my back against the wall of my father's office, the cracks that had spread through it the year before now fully gone. There was a painting of the whole family on the wall now, father and mother standing on the background and looking forward, while Cattleya sat on her wheelchair with her hands folded on her lap in front of them. I was on my father's right side -mother being on the left- and Eleonore was on the left of mother's. Louise stood by Cattleya's side, and she did indeed look happy.
Well, everyone there looked happy, myself included, except for Karin's steel-like expression on the painting. If I had a black marker, I'd draw a pair of mustaches on her face and give her a nice smiley face. Of course, I'd do this by pinning the blade on a foreign agent, but considering how swiftly she had found out about my sorties-there was a spy. Not only was there a spy, but said spy knew all about my movements.
"So," I said as I looked at the water pitcher by my side with a look of barely restrained disgust, seated on one of father's plush armchairs while my parents were both on a sofa in front of me, "What do we need to discuss?"
Pierre chuckled softly, and then twirled one side of his mustache, "It's simply a matter of-"
"Your behavior is unacceptable, Henry," Karin said firmly, her eyes centered on Raven, who carelessly stood on my shoulder with his eyes narrowed. "I thought I had made it clear that your familiar would not be allowed inside the house."
"Then I'll leave outside an arm of mine too," I answered, extending the arm in question. "After all, if a familiar is an extension of the mage, it would be like having me leave a part of myself outside."
Karin's lips thinned, but she said nothing. Point for Henry, ball in the court once more.
"Perhaps your time at the Academy ruined you," Karin said firmly, before glancing at Pierre, who looked away slightly ashamed. "It is clear that they cannot control you any better than Wardes can." She glanced once more at Pierre, who once more looked away. "Pierre."
"What your mother-" a stare, "What she-" another glare, "What we decided," he said in the end, although it was clear he was battling with himself, "Is that you will not spend your third year at the academy."
I stared. I stared as I clenched my knuckles tightly.
"You will spend it here, getting taught everything you have apparently either forgotten, or refused to learn," Karin said firmly. "Crass behavior will not be tolerated, and rest assured that anything the academy could have taught you, private tutors will teach you better." My heart skipped a few beats. I looked down at the pavement of my father's office, thinking about whether I could just spite the man off by revealing his porn collection, or go on a binge of revealing Karin's past in the hopes of getting a lighter sentence.
Yet, what would that achieve if I didn't have someone to use as an information source? Someone who had told me that?
"It won't be that bad," Pierre said kindly, "You will be allowed to write, and I am sure we can find a few days you can spend visiting your friends-"
"Only if his behavior becomes exemplary," Karin said firmly, her voice brokering no further argument.
My heart burned. My fingers clenched together. Fuck no. My heart drummed as my eyes narrowed. Fuck no. I licked my lips. I really wanted to say that. I really wanted to-
"I'll fight it," I said in the end, staring right back at my mother. "If that's your decision, then I'll fight it."
"After a few nights without dinner, I am sure you will change your mind," Karin said. "You are in no position to refuse, Henry. Cooperating and improving your behavior will-"
"No, mother, you misunderstand," I said firmly. "The ways of old nobility are to solve everything with the wand," I clenched my hands, "So-I'll fight you for my freedom."
Pierre nearly choked on his saliva, as Karin's eyebrows both rose. She was probably wondering if she had heard me correctly. "So you wish to duel me with your freedom on the line, Henry? Is that what you are saying?"
"No, mother," I replied. "I will fight you for my freedom. A duel happen once, but I am not so foolish as to think I'd defeat you at first," I swallowed. "So-I'll fight you until you surrender."
Karin's eyes turned to steel, "Are you sure about that, Henry? This basically amounts to rebellion. I won't show you any mercy. Even if you start crying-until you surrender, I'll keep on going."
"Please, there's no need to do this sort of thing-" Pierre said suddenly, "I am sure we can find a compromise, like-once a month, a trip to the capital? Wouldn't that be fine? I'll oversee things personally-" but he balked as Karin's glare made him quiet down. "Please dear, don't be too harsh on our son," he mumbled awkwardly as he looked away.
"Precisely because he is our son, I need to be harsh," she turned her stare towards me, perhaps expecting me to fold if she looked at me with enough of a murderous glare, but I did not fold. If anything, I clenched my hands tighter and stood up, my chin held high in pride.
"I am not going to cry."
I'd eat those words, together with enough dirt to make for a mud cake, only ten minutes later. I had been pretty much sure I wouldn't have won at first, but I thought that perhaps, somehow, I might be capable of winging something eerily similar to a victory. Instead all I had gotten was mud, dirt and dust. Mostly due to air hammers slamming me on the ground and air pressure spells holding me down, weighing like iron blocks over my back.
My fingers clutched the ground even as the pressure on my back increased.
"Are you going to surrender, Henry?" Karin said flatly, "Nobody likes a sore loser," she added, her voice firm. "Surrender now, and at most, your scraps will be healed by tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll draw blood."
"Then draw it," I hissed as I tried, unsuccessfully, to lift myself back up on my feet. "Unless I'm unconscious, I'm not going to stop-"
"Please dear, don't kill him," Pierre yelled from the sidelines, "Think about Cattleya! And Louise! And the King and Queen!"
"It's precisely because I'm thinking about them, that I need to rectify my troublesome son's behavior!" Karin yelled back, the pressure on my back increasing tenfold, yet for all of the lack of air that it did to me, I still did not surrender.
I had tears in the corners of my eyes though, but I was not going to surrender, no matter what.
"I love you!" Raven yelled from the sidelines, as if encouraging me. Yet, all of the encouragement in the world could do nothing against overwhelming power.
This day was my loss, but I refused to admit it. Even in pain, I refused to admit it.
"I can keep this pressure on until tonight, Henry," Karin said. "I can take all the time in the world, Founder be my witness, so you would do best to surrender. You are simply making the work pile up by acting like this."
The pressure intensified yet again, and I gasped in pain as my lungs burned. In the end, I began to scream.
The pressure did not drop.
"Henry, instead of showing this undignified form of yours-surrender," Karin's voice was still firm, and unwavering, "I won't warn you again."
My wand clutched into my hand, I stared firmly at the ground below me.
This was a matter of principle. Headstrong as she was, I would not lose to her on principles!
...
The Gramont family escape technique.
I'm truly a dumb idiot.
Why didn't I think about using it earlier!?
I had my back against the wall of my father's office, the cracks that had spread through it the year before now fully gone. There was a painting of the whole family on the wall now, father and mother standing on the background and looking forward, while Cattleya sat on her wheelchair with her hands folded on her lap in front of them. I was on my father's right side -mother being on the left- and Eleonore was on the left of mother's. Louise stood by Cattleya's side, and she did indeed look happy.
Well, everyone there looked happy, myself included, except for Karin's steel-like expression on the painting. If I had a black marker, I'd draw a pair of mustaches on her face and give her a nice smiley face. Of course, I'd do this by pinning the blade on a foreign agent, but considering how swiftly she had found out about my sorties-there was a spy. Not only was there a spy, but said spy knew all about my movements.
"So," I said as I looked at the water pitcher by my side with a look of barely restrained disgust, seated on one of father's plush armchairs while my parents were both on a sofa in front of me, "What do we need to discuss?"
Pierre chuckled softly, and then twirled one side of his mustache, "It's simply a matter of-"
"Your behavior is unacceptable, Henry," Karin said firmly, her eyes centered on Raven, who carelessly stood on my shoulder with his eyes narrowed. "I thought I had made it clear that your familiar would not be allowed inside the house."
"Then I'll leave outside an arm of mine too," I answered, extending the arm in question. "After all, if a familiar is an extension of the mage, it would be like having me leave a part of myself outside."
Karin's lips thinned, but she said nothing. Point for Henry, ball in the court once more.
"Perhaps your time at the Academy ruined you," Karin said firmly, before glancing at Pierre, who looked away slightly ashamed. "It is clear that they cannot control you any better than Wardes can." She glanced once more at Pierre, who once more looked away. "Pierre."
"What your mother-" a stare, "What she-" another glare, "What we decided," he said in the end, although it was clear he was battling with himself, "Is that you will not spend your third year at the academy."
I stared. I stared as I clenched my knuckles tightly.
"You will spend it here, getting taught everything you have apparently either forgotten, or refused to learn," Karin said firmly. "Crass behavior will not be tolerated, and rest assured that anything the academy could have taught you, private tutors will teach you better." My heart skipped a few beats. I looked down at the pavement of my father's office, thinking about whether I could just spite the man off by revealing his porn collection, or go on a binge of revealing Karin's past in the hopes of getting a lighter sentence.
Yet, what would that achieve if I didn't have someone to use as an information source? Someone who had told me that?
"It won't be that bad," Pierre said kindly, "You will be allowed to write, and I am sure we can find a few days you can spend visiting your friends-"
"Only if his behavior becomes exemplary," Karin said firmly, her voice brokering no further argument.
My heart burned. My fingers clenched together. Fuck no. My heart drummed as my eyes narrowed. Fuck no. I licked my lips. I really wanted to say that. I really wanted to-
"I'll fight it," I said in the end, staring right back at my mother. "If that's your decision, then I'll fight it."
"After a few nights without dinner, I am sure you will change your mind," Karin said. "You are in no position to refuse, Henry. Cooperating and improving your behavior will-"
"No, mother, you misunderstand," I said firmly. "The ways of old nobility are to solve everything with the wand," I clenched my hands, "So-I'll fight you for my freedom."
Pierre nearly choked on his saliva, as Karin's eyebrows both rose. She was probably wondering if she had heard me correctly. "So you wish to duel me with your freedom on the line, Henry? Is that what you are saying?"
"No, mother," I replied. "I will fight you for my freedom. A duel happen once, but I am not so foolish as to think I'd defeat you at first," I swallowed. "So-I'll fight you until you surrender."
Karin's eyes turned to steel, "Are you sure about that, Henry? This basically amounts to rebellion. I won't show you any mercy. Even if you start crying-until you surrender, I'll keep on going."
"Please, there's no need to do this sort of thing-" Pierre said suddenly, "I am sure we can find a compromise, like-once a month, a trip to the capital? Wouldn't that be fine? I'll oversee things personally-" but he balked as Karin's glare made him quiet down. "Please dear, don't be too harsh on our son," he mumbled awkwardly as he looked away.
"Precisely because he is our son, I need to be harsh," she turned her stare towards me, perhaps expecting me to fold if she looked at me with enough of a murderous glare, but I did not fold. If anything, I clenched my hands tighter and stood up, my chin held high in pride.
"I am not going to cry."
I'd eat those words, together with enough dirt to make for a mud cake, only ten minutes later. I had been pretty much sure I wouldn't have won at first, but I thought that perhaps, somehow, I might be capable of winging something eerily similar to a victory. Instead all I had gotten was mud, dirt and dust. Mostly due to air hammers slamming me on the ground and air pressure spells holding me down, weighing like iron blocks over my back.
My fingers clutched the ground even as the pressure on my back increased.
"Are you going to surrender, Henry?" Karin said flatly, "Nobody likes a sore loser," she added, her voice firm. "Surrender now, and at most, your scraps will be healed by tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll draw blood."
"Then draw it," I hissed as I tried, unsuccessfully, to lift myself back up on my feet. "Unless I'm unconscious, I'm not going to stop-"
"Please dear, don't kill him," Pierre yelled from the sidelines, "Think about Cattleya! And Louise! And the King and Queen!"
"It's precisely because I'm thinking about them, that I need to rectify my troublesome son's behavior!" Karin yelled back, the pressure on my back increasing tenfold, yet for all of the lack of air that it did to me, I still did not surrender.
I had tears in the corners of my eyes though, but I was not going to surrender, no matter what.
"I love you!" Raven yelled from the sidelines, as if encouraging me. Yet, all of the encouragement in the world could do nothing against overwhelming power.
This day was my loss, but I refused to admit it. Even in pain, I refused to admit it.
"I can keep this pressure on until tonight, Henry," Karin said. "I can take all the time in the world, Founder be my witness, so you would do best to surrender. You are simply making the work pile up by acting like this."
The pressure intensified yet again, and I gasped in pain as my lungs burned. In the end, I began to scream.
The pressure did not drop.
"Henry, instead of showing this undignified form of yours-surrender," Karin's voice was still firm, and unwavering, "I won't warn you again."
My wand clutched into my hand, I stared firmly at the ground below me.
This was a matter of principle. Headstrong as she was, I would not lose to her on principles!
...
The Gramont family escape technique.
I'm truly a dumb idiot.
Why didn't I think about using it earlier!?
Am I the only one who see Henry and Joseph relationship more as friends/drinking buddies/philosophic speaker than soon to be father/son in law?
Edit: Of course Shade will post as soon as I did.
And the war everyone was expecting has started. -rise the Henry flag- For freedom, for fluff, FOR COFFEE
Edit: Of course Shade will post as soon as I did.
And the war everyone was expecting has started. -rise the Henry flag- For freedom, for fluff, FOR COFFEE
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