imperial_stage | [closed]

Who: Nero, Aspyrtus/Argon Coin, a bunch of assassins, and Taryn and some other Luna's Call members. We got a party goin' on!
What: The flight of an Emperor.
Where: Rome; starts in the Domus Aurea, then eventually heads to the streets and then the outskirts of Palatine
Warnings: I anticipate the violent deaths of some assassins!

To say things have been chaotic in Rome these past two weeks would have been a hilarious understatement. The riots, if anything, had become even more frequent as news that the Praetorian Guard were slaying people in the streets spread quickly outside of Palatine. Punishing those officers who had been responsible had done little to appease to the masses, and her beloved Senate wasn't really helping matters either. Her ongoing search for Eluseus and Medea has bore no fruit either, which only served to pile more stress onto Nero's already considerably strained shoulders.

The stress built day by day until it reached a point where she just wasn't functioning properly anymore. Insomnia was the main problem, and the - most of the time - barely noticeable side-effects of the poison her mother had fed her numerous times had begun resurfacing. It as close to becoming too much for the Emperor, so in an attempt to find somewhere she could possibly rest and tend to her piercing migraine, she had found the quietest, least frequented room in the Domus Aurea.

Medea's room.

And it was there that she had been holed away for quite some time now, just trying to rest her weary mind and soul. It had worked, for a short amount of time, until the hammering in her head became to much to bear, and she was forced to open her eyes again--

"Hm?"

Something had caught her eye. A glint in the dim light of the room, off in a corner.

If Nero had been in her right mind, she would have ignored it. She would have yelled at herself for even THINKING of prying through Medea's things. But the stress, the lack of sleep, and the pounding in her head lowered her judgement quite a bit, so she approached the chest the shining thing was sticking out of, and opened the lid. She didn't take the thing out, but she did take hold of it, running a thumb over the material.

"... Golden wool?" She chuckled, probably the first happy sound she had made in at least a week. "My my, whyever did you feel the need to hide such a beautiful thing from me, my dear..."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Finally. After so long locked inside the chest, his sister had finally seen fit to let him out again. Without any consideration for the setting or any witnesses, he manifests above the fleece.]

Took you long enough! My limbs was getting all cramped and sore after being locked up in there for so long. What were you doing? Why did you leave me in there! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it was? Wait a minute, you do know. I've told you before lots of times. Argh! You never listen to me! Meanie! You're gonna have to get me something good to--

[He stops when he notices the woman.]

...You're not Medea! Who are you? What did you do to her? Where is she? If you hurt her, I'll rip you from limb to limb, because I am the great and mighty guardian of the Golden Fleece, Argon Coin!

[He does his best to look frightening.]

... What.

The fuck.

It says a lot about her mental state that Nero is actually speechless for a few moments following the sudden appearance of this strange boy. But she was far from being in the mood to handle anyone yelling at her, so after the shock wore off, she... well.

Yelled right back.

"How dare you threaten an Emperor! I should have your tongue cut out for that, you insolent brat!" She paused. It was only just now that his words really sunk in.

"Tell me. What exactly are you, 'guardian of the Golden Fleece'?" Her eyes narrowed. This boy's features... "And what is your connection to Medea?"

"Eep!" The child visbly pales for a second before regaining his composure.

"Watch how you speak to a Guardian Spirit! Emperor or not, you are but a mortal woman!"

He winces again when she asks him about his connection to Medea.

"I am a great and mighty Guardian Spirit! And as for my relationship with Medea, I hold a contract with that woman and shall be severely displeased if she is threatened in anyway."

It is obvious that he is trying to hide something.

"Hmph, some guardian you are, then." Is that bitterness in Nero's voice? Why yes, yes it is.

"If you were truly as great and mighty as you say you are, you would have been able to prevent the kidnapping of your mistress by an unknown assailant."

"W-what? How? Big sister was--" He clears his throat. "I mean, had she allowed me to operate at my full power instead of sealing me away, I could easily have repelled those assailants."

"So you blame her for what has happened?" Nero practically hissed the words out. Had this been any other time, she would have focused more on the way the boy addressed Medea. But she wasn't in her normal mindset; she was irritated, tired, and incredibly stressed, so all she could hear was how he complained about his lack of power.

"But the blame should be on you, it seems. I did not even do a thing to call you forth! If you have enough awareness to respond to a mere touch, then you should have had enough to sense that your mistress was in danger!"

For a second, the boy's lip wibbles, almost as if he is going to cry. However, he again calms himself down before he begins speaking.

"If you truly are royalty, you would do well to remain calm! Act like an emperor and help me find big sister!"

"Calm?" Yeah, kid, you definitely said something wrong. "My citizens are revolting, my Senate is pushing for my forced removal from the throne, and the people important to me are disappearing one by one."

Her voice does sound calm as she speaks, but there's a very dangerous undertone to it. "Tell me, spirit, how exactly am I to remain calm in a situation such as this?"

"Remember your royal heritage and that no matter how rowdy the masses may get, they still look to you as a dignified, collected monarch. Even if they lower themselves to the level of beasts, you must always remain above them in behavior."

The words come out as if they were memorized. After all, he had said this all too many times to Medea.

"Oh? Now you think you can lecture me, child?" Nero actually laughs at that... but it's not as harsh as it could have been. Bitter, yes, and with a slight hint of annoyance... but it really goes to show how far she's fallen that a mere boy was telling her to keep her chin up. It's funny, in a sort of pathetic way.

"You do not back down, no matter what I have said to you until this point! I'm quite impressed."

"I too have royal blood in my veins. I will not give up easily. You too are impressive...for a mortal."

That's right. He's supposed to be a guardian spirit.

"You would do well not to underestimate mortals. We are capable of things that can surpass even the gods' expectations."

As Nero gloats, the boy might notice something over her shoulder. A shadow in the corner of the room is... shifting? No, something - someone - is moving, taking advantage of the two focused on their banter to edge closer to the Emperor. There's a glint of steel in the dim light of the room.

Just a little closer...

The boy freezes in place as he catches the glint of the knife.

"Duck!"

He calls out in his loudest voice. Without waiting for either the emperor or the one lurking in the shadows to react, he picks up the fleece that he resided in and hurls it in the direction of the shadow.

Nero doesn't even hesitate when he yells. Whether she was obeying the boy or just avoiding getting hit in the head with the heavy ram hide, it didn't matter she ducked down--

And noticed the frustrated yell of a man behind her. The assassin - who had been in mid-strike when the fleece smacked him in the face and temporarily blinded him - stumbled forward, swinging blindly and forcing Nero to unsteadily leap back to avoid the blade.

"Damn--!"

"I've got him! I've got him!"

Argon Coin is holding tightly onto the man's face. However, eventually, the fleece is pulled off the assassin's face and thrown to the side.

"...ow."

The assassin stumbled once more, too caught up in his momentum to right himself as the fleece was pulled off, and he tripped over the boy and fell. He let out a yell before falling still, and did not move again.

All this happened within the span of a few seconds, so understandably, Nero was somewhat shocked. When the man didn't move again, she stepped over to him, turning him onto his back with a foot.

"... Well then." She said, laughing darkly. She nudged the dagger sticking out of the man's chest with the tip of her armored boot. "Your methods may be a bit unorthodox, but you certainly seem capable."

It's hard to tell whether she's joking or not.

"All part of my ingenious master plan!" He flashes her a confident grin. "Uh...he's not really dead-dead, is he?"

[closed]

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