[u][b]"The King" - New Vegas[/b][/u]

The King nodded toward the western Elder in response to the man's request for diplomacy. "Once today's meeting concludes and everyone finds a chance to rest, we will be in touch." He paused. "If the need to converse is more urgent, another envoy can be sent." 

After a few moments of sparsely staring at the different envoys, The King then fixated on Christine of the Ghost Traders, an odd and distinct-looking girl. He gazed into her eyes for a moment, trying to gauge the woman's motives. He knew better than to have a staring match with her companion. [i]Nothing[/i]. The woman looked to be as much of an enigma as Graham. "The trade of energy weapons in the city of Las Vegas will be a futile goal; the Van Graffs dominate the market and will continue to do so for as long as they share a prosperous relationship with Mr. House. However, any other goods you might be looking to sell?..." He paused. "Sure. I am sure that there is a derelict building in Westside that you could use. I'll give you the rundown that House gives any of his new businesses -- he will leave you well enough alone and you can do business as you please, unless you give him a reason to take back that promise. Understood?"

The King's diplomatic interactions were suddenly halted as the television showed President Kimball's speech. His jaw dropped. One might have interpreted his overwhelming facial expression as pure awe or terror, but it was something else entirely. He simply could not believe it. 

[i]You have got to be fucking KIDDING me.[/i]

After letting his bodyweight sag into his chair, The King let his face be held up by the palms of his hands. "You must be joking." He narrowly avoided the impulse to smack his glass of scotch off the table. "You're telling me that the NCR is so ambivalent to the plights of its neighbors that they not only failed to send their real president, but then screwed us around with this fucking crony of theirs?" He sighed. "I'm not surprised. I only saw a sample size of your people in Freeside, but I learned enough. You are phony, insincere, and completely ignorant."

The King paused, took a deep breath, and downed a swig of his scotch. "Nevertheless... We are in no position to put an end to NCR's extremist expansionism; Mr. House will not interfere with the coming war, in exchange for a refusal to place an embargo on the F.Z.M...But if NCR troops mobilize anywhere near New Vegas, we will know damn well what you're after, and we will act accordingly. Tread cautiously. You won't make any friends if you continue down this road."

After the room was met with silence, The King sighed. Robert hadn't stopped him, which meant only that Mr. House trusted The King's judgment on backing off from the threatening rant he was ordered to give earlier. [i]Good.[/i] This meant that they could avoid bloodshed for the time being. But someone had to do something. Waiting for the NCR and Legion to take thousands of lives from each other would be un-fucking-bearable for the King. There was more to this than cash, and he wondered if Robert truly understood. He supposed he'd find out.