[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/231117/4397e947d9496e89a02a516a94d678c6.png[/img][/center][right]Collab with [@webboysurf][/right][hr]Maya had dunked her head under the water when she thought she heard thumping and clicking nearby. Heart in her throat, she surfaced quickly, holding her breath as she waited for the sloshing of the tub to quiet down so she could listen. She heard the door close, and someone plodding around in the apartment beyond the wall. 

She willed herself to calm down, but it was futile; she knew, logically, that it could be the butler, another servant come to fulfill some order (although she didn’t remember any left to fulfill) or even Edmund, finally back from his long hiatus. But none of those very reasonable conclusions did anything to slow her heart, and she was stuck for a long while, fear gripping her as she listened to whoever was out there. 

Two sharp knocks on the bathroom door made her jump, unable to hold in her gasp and the splashing that followed. [color=fff79a]“I'm back. I'll be in the other room if you need me, Maya.”[/color]

[color=7041A5]“Edmund!”[/color] Maya blurted out, heart fluttering as she swooned with the wash of relief his voice brought her. But she wasn’t disarmed long; soon renewed anger chased away her fear, and the whole host of grievances she’d spent the evening contemplating rushed back to the forefront of her mind. [color=7041A5]“Where have you been?! Get in here!”[/color]

Edmund sighed, taking a sip of his coffee. He questioned Maya’s judgement in letting him into the bathroom, but figured rather foolishly that she must be in some state of dress… certainly removing the makeup from the evening or going through her usual skincare routine. He tried the door, and was disappointed to see it open with ease. He instinctively took a step into the bathroom before his eyes adjusted to the scene in front of him. It took him a moment to register Maya was in the tub, and he froze upon that realization. His eyes screwed shut and he quickly turned around, facing the mirrored closet doors. By the time he registered that Maya’s reflection was still clear as day, he had been able to notice that she was clearly submerged in the water enough that he couldn’t see anything indecent. He shook his head as he turned back towards Maya, but refused to make eye contact as he looked off to the side. [color=fff79a]“Please show some modesty, Your Holiness.”[/color]

Maya rolled her eyes at Edmund’s discomfort. Didn’t he have better things to worry about right now? She certainly did. [color=7041A5]“Double the security team. If you go over budget, I don’t care,”[/color] she demanded, [color=7041A5]“and start making arrangements for a change of venue. We’re moving.”[/color]

She reclined back against the tub, settling back into the spot she’d been in before Edmund came back. Somehow, though, she managed to look no more relaxed. [color=7041A5]“First thing tomorrow I’m seeking an audience with the Prince. I am [i]not[/i] going back to my penthouse anytime soon. Once I get his blessing, you’ll need to coordinate with the palace guard to bring in my security. Figure it out.”[/color]

[color=7041A5]“Oh, and if you get the chance, I also want Duke Giles’ [i]head[/i] on a [i]spike[/i],”[/color] Maya added abruptly, her simmering anger suddenly and forcefully bubbling up in her voice. Her eyes burned into the opposite wall, and her fingers curled out before her, grasping an invisible neck. [color=7041A5]“And after that, I want an audience with every general who hates Kaudians so I can sponsor a war to [i]exterminate their entire miserable kind.”[/i][/color]

[color=7041A5]“Starting with that half-breed bitch, Sara,”[/color] she continued venomously, her searing glare turning on Edmund. [color=7041A5]“[i]Never[/i] leave me alone with that [i]savage[/i] again.”[/color]

Edmund made a mental note of the tasks Maya had given him. He could make some calls, but would need thorough background checks on any additions to the security team. They could easily get most of her stuff packed in the interim. As for getting the security team in, that was certainly going to be a fun conversation. He would have to pull on some strings, and hope his station had more pull than he thought. Duke Giles’ head was unrealistic… but Edmund's blood ran cold when Maya’s nationalistic fervor took hold. He held his tongue, figuring he could wait for Maya to calm down before lightly guiding her expectations away from Kaudus.

Then she went too far. Edmund's grip on the plastic coffee cup tightened, spilling hot coffee onto the tile floor. He hissed out in a loud, guttural tone, [color=fff79a]“Don't you ever speak about a Templar like that, you pompous punk. Especially when you do not know what in the Goddess’ name you are talking about. ”[/color]

Maya raised a judgmental eyebrow at Edmund’s spill, but didn’t get the chance to wonder about it before he [i]insulted[/i] her. She gasped loudly, jolting upright in the tub. [color=7041A5]“How dare you!”[/color] she yelped reflexively, briefly caught between absolute shock and indignation that Edmund would say such a thing. But she wasn’t stuck for long. 

[color=7041A5][i]“I[/i] don’t know what I’m talking about? I’m sorry, how long did [i]you[/i] live side-by-side with those godless freaks?”[/color] Maya growled, the animus in her voice far outstripping Edmund’s. He had inadvertently tapped into a very deep well of hate. [color=7041A5]“When did [i]your[/i] town install sirens so [i]you[/i] could hide in your basement while they set shit on fire? How many armed Kaudians stormed [i]your[/i] cargo ship? I’m sorry, I didn’t realize we were neighbours!”[/color]

She laughed cruelly, but it was cut short by a dark glare. [color=7041A5]“I know [i]all about[/i] Kaudians,”[/color] she spat the word like a slur, [color=7041A5]“I know all the little tricks they pull, and I know what they’re after. I will not hide in basements anymore, Edmund. I will [i]not[/i] cower under piers. And I will [i]NOT[/i] be crawling around [i]ceilings[/i] anymore to satisfy whatever bullshit affirmative action Fyodor is trying to pull.”[/color]

Unbeknownst to her, Maya was slowly rising in the tub as if to advance on Edmund, gripping the edge of the tub with white knuckles. [color=7041A5]“Do not tell me what I don’t know,”[/color] she spat, [color=7041A5]“I know quite enough.”[/color]

Edmund's eyes were rooted on Maya's, remaining unflinching despite her rising anger and rising form. All the emotion and shit over the years in service as her Templar simmered inside him. His tone and volume were pulled back into a calmer mood, though the sting of his words was filled with the same venom slung his way. [Color=fff79a]“I never ran nor cowered, waiting for others to save me. I never had that luxury. And I am telling you now, the Kaudians did not attack you tonight. Blaming them only plays into the hands of others.”[/color] He kept his tone firm, holding his ground.

[color=7041A5]“Well, aren't you fucking special,”[/color] Maya snapped, finally realizing her position and sinking back into the tub. She really wasn't sure what Edmund expected a 22-year-old woman to do in the face of half a dozen armed thugs, but that was his problem. 

[color=7041A5]“And what makes you think Kaudus wasn't behind tonight? Is that what your mutt friend told you?”[/color] She scoffed. [color=7041A5]“Who the hell else would be going after Scions?”[/color]

[color=fff79a]“I know who is responsible first-hand. But that information is classified.”[/color] His words were terse and simple, Edmund reverting back to his typical manner of speaking. He let go of the coffee cup, letting it splatter on the ground as he moved both hands behind his back in a sort of attentive stance. His left hand was balled into a tight fist, away from Maya's direct eyesight and only visible in the mirrored reflection of the closets behind him.

[color=7041A5]“Classified!”[/color] Maya almost laughed, throwing her head back as she settled back down into the water. Unfortunately, her bubbles were starting to pop. [color=7041A5]“I bet. Whatever; I don’t really care who it was. The Kaudians will be setting off fireworks when they get the news regardless. Make no mistake: they want to see all of us wiped off the face of the earth.”[/color]

She sighed, growing rapidly bored of this bickering. She was no less angry, but the heat of the moment was gone, and she had no interest in debating geopolitics; the tedious details only bogged her down. She wondered if Edmund shared the same outlook as that naive fool Theodore, who had more than once tried to dissuade her enmity toward Kaudus with insistences that “we mustn’t assume the worst in people,” and “the many shouldn’t be held responsible for the actions of a few,” but they never landed. Kaudians never seemed too concerned about individual blameworthiness when they came looking for a fight, and neither was she. It wasn’t worth discussing. 

Ugh, and now she was more tired than anything. Her bath was starting to get cold, and she was ready for whatever semblance of sleep she could get tonight. The little glimpse she got of Edmund making a fist in the mirror was tempting, but not tempting enough; her mood for fighting was dwindling. He could fuck as many Kaudians as he wanted as long as he still did his job. 

[color=7041A5]“Whatever,”[/color] she repeated, heaving a long, tired sigh. She waved dismissively. [color=7041A5]“Get out before you’re subjected to more [i]indecency[/i]; I’m going to bed.”[/color] She didn’t wait for his response before pulling the plug on the tub and reaching for her bathrobe. [color=7041A5]“And get a maid in here to clean up your mess.”[/color]

Edmund took a deep breath, released the tension built up in his hand, and turned around to walk out of the bathroom. He stopped briefly in the doorway, his gaze turning towards the ground to avoid catching a sinful glance in the mirror’s reflection. He opened his mouth as if to speak, before simply shaking his head. [color=fff79a]“I’ll clean it myself, when you’re done here. No more servants unless I’m present.”[/color] His voice trembled for the briefest of moments at that, the most open sign of fear he had displayed all night. But he marched out of the bedroom, fetching himself another cup of coffee.
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