[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/240213/6a1af8e5082bd8470db334cb0cc5c1d1.png[/img][/center][right][sub]Collab with [@Hero][/sub][/right][hr]A year spent in cold silence, and still Renault felt pressed for time. As the train sped on towards Castle Lucania—terrible luck, being named after a castle—he found himself praying for a delay. An obstruction, a technical problem, hell, he would have settled for a minor derailment if it meant he could finish reading first. Who would have imagined so much could happen in one, itty bitty year? It was like missing the penultimate episode of a gripping drama; so much context, so little time.

But fate seemed determined to keep him punctual, so, he chose to focus. Nothing was truly inconsequential, but he eschewed the minor details lost in the broader strokes. Hikes on some of Lorenzia’s imports, Doumercene copyright battles, Rodion lieutenants maiming each other over parking spaces. Entertaining to be sure, and useful circumstantially, just not [i]this[/i] circumstance.

He'd spent the week since his release catching up on the Kaudian conflict, starting in Rodion and following the branches outward. National attentions shifted harshly after the incident at Giles’ Manor, and it brought him no small amount of satisfaction to know the truth of the matter. Giles was a moron, but pinning it on his tax policies? It was almost too bold.

That led him to finally reading up on his fellow Scions, as well as their Holy Hounds. Few of the names had changed since his incarceration; most notably, the Scion of Time had been murdered. Renault was surprised to see they’d rewarded the old Templar by sticking him to Theodore’s successor, although considering who it was, there was a chance the Church was hoping Sir Morris would fail a second time. Who knew, perhaps if Prince Lucas lived long enough, the High Cardinal’s shriveled old heart would give out. A win either way.

The rest was mostly refresher. Following his aunt’s career so closely had made him fairly aware of the other Scions. He had never met any of them of course, but there were plenty of people who worked for them, either directly or downstream, with whom he had grown quite…familiar. But insight into routines and traveling patterns was no substitute for conversation. In his career he’d come to prefer one-on-one meetings to impersonal dossiers—though he learned to make use of both.

The security check left only him and his Templar to proceed. Zacharie Chaudoir, a fellow countryman. Effectively blind, which Renault figured made him about as useful as Sir Morris had been to Duke Theodore. But, he was a mage, and evidently a good enough one to make up for his sight. He was also used goods. Not a bad thing, some of Renault’s favorite clothes were hand-me-downs. The Scion of Shadow had passed away of an illness, and though he was the last person to dismiss such a death so casually, he found himself wondering how Zacharie had taken it. Blaming himself would have been foolish, but preferable. Guilt was easy to work with.

He missed Duchess Bachmeier’s introduction, which was a shame. How did she feel, being the latest host to Incepta’s darlings? Surely she’d doubled the efforts of Duke Giles, but if something did happen, she must have known her head would be next on the block. Well, that was a worry for later. For now, he made his way into the meeting room to join the rest of his peers.

It was like he’d shown up late to a birthday party. There Prince Lucas sat, crowded by the heads of people who might have been acquaintances at best, looking as happy to host as he was to attend. In fact, the only people who seemed at all happy to be here were the templar with a mouthful of food, the effete Scion of Earth, and the toddler.

Well, it couldn’t hurt to throw another smile into the mix.

The conversation was palpably tense and covered in a thin coat of noble pretension. Nice to see things hadn’t changed. The topic, unsurprisingly, was war. He had wondered what Prince Lucas’ plan was, if he’d meant to lead the Scions on some holy, vengeful crusade and burn Kaudus to ash. However, it seemed quite the opposite. Good. Surprising, but good.

“[color=9e005d]The Prince has a point,[/color]” he chimed in. “[color=9e005d]Straining international relations when we’re on the verge of war seems unwise. Besides, it’s not as though the Kaudians are going to topple our borders. We were attacked from within. The knife is already [i]here[/i]—we shouldn’t turn our backs to it.[/color]”

At Renault’s words, Lucas felt pertinent to give him his attention, outright ignoring Belle’s look of disbelief. He was, however, glad to see he wasn’t alone in holding things off. Why the princess and apparently the Instagram star were suddenly so bloodhungry was beyond him. Rationale would win this fight, and he wasn’t interested in having to ward off sharp nails aimed towards him if he outright said he thought they were both stupid. 

That said, Justinian’s paltry attempt at steering the conversation irked him. [color=dodgerblue]“Bold of you to dismiss politics when that is how the world is run,”[/color] He didn’t let Justinian’s asinine comment slide. [color=dodgerblue]“If you truly think it isn’t prudent to at least discuss where everyone’s head lies, you’re more foolish than I thought you were. And don’t think I didn’t notice you completely sidestepping your own opinion on the topic. If you’re going to sit on the fence, butt out and let the adults speak.”[/color]

The high prince then stood from his seat, eyes leveled with the new Scion in mild disinterest, contrary to his current action. [color=dodgerblue]“Since High Cardinal Margaret didn’t see your holy sigil as a blessing on Gaia, I thought it prudent to introduce everyone to our newest holy associate,”[/color] He spoke, gesturing towards Renault. [color=dodgerblue]“For those unawares or unfamiliar, this is the Scion of Lightning, Renault Allard.”[/color]

Renault smiled and bowed politely to the table. “[color=9e005d]Thank you, Your Holiness. Charmed to meet you all. I hope I can be of service in these troubling times.[/color]”