apologies warranted

*Malalia* · 06-02-2020, 07:32 PM

Malalia Fatalis

To be determined, he'd said. A nice, vague sentiment. Malalia was under no delusions that Azure would be satisfied, losing out to his brother. At least behind it all, though, lay the ambition of elevating their status. His emphasis on their shared background did not fly by unnoticed. And even so, Mal was beginning to believe him, if only a little bit. They might not see eye to eye, but the goal of uplifting their family and the Empire? She could get behind that, if even in the most general sense. The Armada was her home now.

"And?" The snort she gave was a touch incredulous, though not derisive. For one thing, all manner of things could happen between now and the end of the competition. Her own blood-brother had been heir. Now he wasn't.

For another... "If being firstborn mattered that much, you wouldn't be an adversary heir to begin with. You've clearly got merit." It was less of a compliment and more of an observation. Of course, the boy probably knew this himself, and his words veered a touch too much on the side of humble for her to think he really believed it himself. Thinking back to their encounter, she frowned inwardly. The utter entitlement, the condescension... that didn't go away in a couple of weeks. Perhaps they did have one shared vision, but Mal soon remembered whom she was dealing with.

She was not surprised, then, that the conversation shifted to Mortis. "He's been a good friend to me. He's empathetic. Determined. Works hard." She shrugged. "Nothing you don't already know, I'd guess. You've known him longer," she pointed out. If he was asking after what she thought of him as a potential leader, she didn't have an answer for him. She believed in and supported Mortis, but he was still pretty young. Time would tell.

"Speech"

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