The Lion and The Snake

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:37 pm

Atoro ground his teeth together at Andyr’s words, these beliefs that he spouted and seemed to believe in so strongly, that he thought himself immortal. Atoro himself was not a fearful man, but sometimes that extra little push that was spurred by a fright of what might come about, what restraints were held on a man by mortality, could mean the difference between failure and success.

“You and I see ‘equals’ as very different things,” he snarled. For one, equals did not hold one another to the ground and rid them of their weapons. Atoro fumed inwardly, clenching his hands into tight fists at his sides, but he knew better than to attack Andyr- he would only end up face down in the ground again, indubitably more hurt than just his pride. That didn’t stop him wanting to launch himself at the big man and try and pummel him into the ground, however. He would just have to wait for a better moment than right now.
“I possess the right to take my sword back from you then,” he said through gritted teeth, trying to remain calm. He was not going to lose it- and he had already had his sword stolen from him once before, he had no wish to lose a second. And neither was he going to lose his temper. “Structures are not meant to be shook, because there is a reason that they had been built,” he said tersely, annoyed at how relaxed the barbarian was, just leaning aside like they were having a normal conversation. Atoro’s brows drew together at his casual remark- slapped! Gah! There were no words for it.

Knowing that snapping out at Andyr would do no favours for him, Atoro tried to keep his tone a little more neutral, but it was difficult, and his words still came out rigid and clipped; “Give me my sword back, Andyr.”

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Sun Jul 08, 2012 2:36 pm

"You speak well," he commented. "Barely butchered my name. I give leeway to our King, because he is our King. However, you all will never get it right. Though, I do like that you roll the R in my name... I think I might adopt that into the pronunciation. At least, I like it when the women do it close to my ear."

He was getting to the part about letting the man have his swords. He shifted, drawing the swords down into his hands and pushed up from where he was leaning.

"If you ever draw your sword on me again, Atoro, I will kill you."

He said it with such nonchalance that it could have been mistaken as an empty threat, but his eyes were cold, and his smile had diminished considerably.

"You may not like me, but we are working for the same Army, for the same King, for the same Agenda... keep your personal feelings to yourself."

He tossed him his sword belt. "I am the SwordMaster, Atoro. You are the Tactician. Think about who is better with what and adhere to what you are better at. Tactics."

He leaned back on the pole, watching him with those cold eyes. "We are going to have dinner later, the men have brought back a boar. You are invited to eat with us." He did not necessarily dislike Atoro, but where a man was so concerned with disliking him, he was concerned about making sure this man did not think he'd be an easy target. If Atoro wanted to hate, Andyr could easily reflect his attitude.

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Mon Jul 16, 2012 12:35 pm

Atoro did not care for how to pronounce Andyr’s name properly, but he supposed that in the long run, it would probably make him come across as a little less hostile if he put a little effort into the more trivial matters. Those, any person would pick up on, and that was rather against the point. He did have to stop himself from commenting on the man’s little side note about women, saving it for himself. Now now, he did not need to find himself face-down in the mud again.

His gaze transferred to his sword belt as Andyr took it up in both his hands, heeding the man’s warning. He would have to be careful, in the future. Although he didn’t want to, he fixed the recent events firmly in his mind, making sure he would not forget them- and with them, his drive. He would get one up on Andyr, someday; but he would have to bide his time for now. Wryly he thought, social tactics, as well as battle tactics, would be required from now on. Well, the game had to be upped in some way every now and then. He caught his sword belt as it was thrown to him, holding it down by his side for the time being.

Nodding as Andyr invited him to dinner, Atoro managed to squeeze out some words without snapping. “I will be at dinner, I accept.” That done, he left, reattaching his sword belt, thankful for the heavy weight on his hip again.

Cleaned of mud and back to his former self-assured nature, Atoro found himself with the other men by the fire, waiting for the boar that they had slaughtered to finish cooking. It was dark now, ciders flickering from the fire up into the air like little glowing fireflies. There were a few logs around to sit on, slightly damp from lying on the ground, and the mouths of the nearest tents, which also provided a dry place to sit. Not really wanting to talk to people, Atoro had retrieved his map out of his saddlebags, trying to figure out the best direction for them to head in to find ME the next day, but so far he was hitting dead ends. A mass of drawn-in trees was not very useful.

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Sat Aug 11, 2012 6:26 pm

Andyr found the man seated in the mouth of a tent, not wanting the dampness from the ground to creep into his bones. He sympathized, but had been near the fire, and his skin was still warm from it. He offered the man a hand to help him up. "Walk with me Atoro... the boar is almost done and I was hoping we could talk." What happened a few hours ago was not conducive to their relationship. That is, if they were to be working toward the same goal, and see a lot of each other, and have to deal with one another, they had to somehow learn to get along. He was the swordmaster, Atoro's tactics affected him greatly, and the man could easily botch them to have him removed. He figured, though, that Atoro's ego would prevent him from intentionally devising tactics that would fail. Still, the two of them had to be in agreement, they had to be a force against others on the war council. Others like Cato and Siofra, both of whom Andyr did not think fit. One of them kept imbibing from a small vial, so needy that he could not stay his hand even in a meeting, and the other was a woman. A non Surahnian woman, and Andyr knew from experience that those kinds of women were dangerous in their own right. Granted, Andyr was native to this island... but he called nothing but the Ice Plains home. He had no loyalty to it and had freely given his loyalty to Zartear. He wondered what loyalties Siofra had abandoned. There were others he didn't trust, and he wanted nothing if not the strongest and most loyal council under Zartear. Ever the loyal tool.

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:58 pm

Atoro folded up his map and put it possessively in his pocket as Andyr came over to him from the fireside, saving it to look at a little later in the evening. He really would have to plot some sort of course that was less vague than ‘let’s head north’ before the next day, otherwise there would just be no end to the big man’s mocking. There had to be Maledictus Eice dragons around somewhere, it wasn’t like they were a small group- or at least, so he had heard. Having never come across one before, he didn’t really know what to expect, so his ideas of the group had been swinging from a huge collection of massive dragons, to a much smaller group that was a lot less intimidating, and a little more just pathetic. He couldn’t quite decide which he wanted more. The threat of being eaten by some wild tribal battle blood, or being swiped at by some wild shade runner, which was better?

“I have been thinking on which direction we should head tomorrow,” Atoro said, not even thinking of earlier. He didn’t know if that was what Andyr wanted to talk about, and as much as he… well, enjoyed provoking him, it probably wasn’t wise, so close to their previous spat. “Perhaps circle around the wood to the edge, by the Great Rift, then travel across back towards Quinsilla.” There was a Surahnian stronghold there, and if nothing else good came of this trip of theirs, at least they would be able to familiarise themselves with it. And it would be neutral ground; ha, since when did Atoro pick those sorts of things?

Oh yes, since Andyr had lifted him off the ground as easily as he would a pair of half-empty saddlebags.

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Thu Aug 23, 2012 4:35 pm

"I was thinking that if we do not find a dragon to make an example of, then we'd rest and head back... by the time we reach Quinsilla I mean." Though this was not what he wished to talk about, it was a good opening. He supposed he'd been rather physical with him, and it would not make the man respect him. Though he was sure Atoro would never come to respect him, at least the man could pretend and he hoped this talk would provoke him to pretend. "But that is not what I wished to speak with you about." He waited until they were out of earshot of the men and stopped walking.

"I do not like some of the members on the council. I do not trust them."

Granted, he didn't like Atoro, but he didn't figure him to be so foolish as to be undeserving of Zartear's trust.

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Sat Sep 01, 2012 2:55 pm

Atoro hated to keep up the fake civility between himself and Andyr, but he knew that he was anything but wanting to. However, that would not go down well, and he didn’t really want to find himself face-down in the mud a second time. So he would have to play along.
At least there was an eventual end to this trip, back in Quinsilla.

The unsubtle (and abrupt, very abrupt) change in conversation that Andyr made interested Atoro greatly, especially when it concerned their other “equals” in the Rebels, back in Racksom. He turned to face him as they stopped, raising one eyebrow in curiosity. Didn’t trust the other members of the council? Well, then Andyr was not a complete fool. The best way to claw your way to the top of a system had always been the most underhand, as well; cheat.
“You are telling me this?” He didn’t want to put Andyr off, but the very fact he was the one being confided to amused him greatly. Folding his arms across his chest, he leaned back on one foot.
“I assume, apart from me, that you allude to the bowmaster, or his second?” He thought back to the pair; the woman seemed smart, but the bowmaster himself had definite flaws, the bottle of liquid he insisted on sipping from constantly. A man with a flaw like that should not be in such a high position, but there was little say he had in the matter. As for any others, he had not taken much notice, and he knew little about those swordsmen under Andyr.

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Sat Sep 01, 2012 6:22 pm

"You are one on the council whom I am quite sure will not risk his position with such stupidity and silliness as intrigue against the King." At least not yet, but Andyr would not voice that suspicion. Let the tactician think he was too trusting. The smaller man was willing to believe that he was a smarter than average dullard, but a dullard still. "I have given my loyalty to your King. Before, my loyalty was to my tribe. I have left them to pursue my purpose, and that purpose is fighting in your King's army. I like Zartear very much." He was a young King, charismatic, and when they were alone, he and Andyr had more in common than either had previously thought. It was their chatting that had somehow led to his being the Swordmaster (that and the aptitude the Testers had espoused to him).

"I don't trust the woman, Siofra, more than I don't trust Cato." Cato was an addict, they both knew, and he had a weakness that could be exploited and he was sure that Atoro knew the woman could exploit it to make Cato her little dog. "Women are not to be underestimated, they can do things without being visible and their loyalty is never ever freely given. Unlike me, she comes from the land Zartear is invading, and her superior is an addict. Wherever her loyalty was before, I am sure she has not forgotten it."

And he was sure she would remember that loyalty should they invade. This he did not need to say aloud. In fact, he didn't even accuse any of the council members he didn't trust, he just highlighted his reasons, but he was sure Atoro could read between the lines. "How did a woman of this land climb the ranks to be the Bowmaster's Second? Surely there was a worthier Surahnian woman for that task? Or a man?" Andyr had gotten his rank easily. He was strong, he was large, fearsome and willing to go into battle with a cadre of men. He had no fighting fear, and his strength with swords was unmatched. That and he and the King got along well.

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Tue Sep 04, 2012 5:53 pm

Atoro nodded, a faint hint of a smile on his lips, but hardly from pleasure. Good, so the tactician’s loyalty was obvious enough that he wouldn’t be immediately accused of being the source of the first rumours that would no doubt spring up about their king in the future. He had little doubt that none would, and then the blame would fall first on those who looked most unloyal. He did not want to be in that position. If Andyr could pick up on that, why, then anyone could.
“It is true, Cato does not seem to have much power over his second. She surely is a wild card, to have advanced to such a position, and to be held in such a position by Cato to be more of his equal, than his second.” There should be cohesion between a leader and his lower allies, but there also had to be a firm hierarchy, otherwise the whole thing would fall into chaos as soon as one deputy thought he could lead the unit better than their current was. That hadn’t happened yet, but the way Cato so easily succumbed to his flaws leant little doubt to the way things probably would head.
“Her loyalty needs to be more firmly cemented in the rebels, without doubt.” But how to do that, that was the task. Obviously they could not be seen to manipulate her directly, that would only end in disaster, and everything would backfire completely. Frustrating. Once they got back to New Racksom, he would have to double check his tactics and make sure that too much did not rest on the archery units, in case their pyramid of leaders collapsed.

“I do not know how she came to be the second, she was before I became the tactician,” admitted Atoro. He had given her a little thought, but until now, her precarious advantage had not been fully displayed to him. Now he had seen that she definitely needed a little more researching. “Perhaps Cato himself picked her, which would explain why not a Surahnian woman, but I cannot see the king allowing such freedom with an important position such as hers. As for men, few Surahnians focus on archery as a primary weapon. We are men of steel.” Something Andyr should know.

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Sat Nov 03, 2012 5:44 pm

Andyr nodded. "That I know, I hear it often." He brushed his hand over his mouth feeling the sandpapery stubble and knowing he needed to shave soon. "Cato needs to be removed, but I believe we can keep the woman there, at least until we are sure of her loyalties. She will make a fine scapegoat if things are to go south, not that they will, but no plan is ever foolproof." He smirked. "Let's just keep the useless old man where he is until a better candidate presents himself. After all, there's no need to fill a fool's spot with a younger fool, younger fools hardly listen." He folded his thick arms over his chest. "Now this matter between you and I... this dislike we have for each other... it must not be visible to our men or to our people. I want us to be a solid front, the Tactician and the Swordsmaster. You are the hand that guides the army and I am the sword that leads it." He'd given this some thought and turned to face Atoro. "I will be the first to apologize." He extended a hand to shake. "Truce, at least until peaceful times."

Subject: Re: The Lion and The Snake Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:59 pm

Andyr’s reasoning was sound, sound enough for Atoro not to have to dispute it on the topic of Cato. The bowman was a fool indeed, useless, arrogant too; but the man who said such qualities were not useful for manipulating another was wrong. Cato was easy to deal with, moreso than a man of his standing should have been.

Such a shame.

He looked sharply at the other man at this new change of topic however, not expecting him to address it quite so directly. But, he was Andyr; what was there that was not direct about him? In one way, he did expect such things; what were social graces to him? Things, apparently, worked differently in the wastelands of the north.

Again, good arguments, he would have to… agree. As much as he disliked the swordsmaster, as much as he did not want to have to get along with him. Well, it would be more toleration of him. That did not mean that he had to change his innate opinions of him, however. As much as he would put up with him. He hesitantly took his hand, quietly concerned that he might take such a gesture as an opportunity to crush his hand to pulp.
“Until peaceful times, then. May they come quickly, for the good of the Rebels.” He smiled tightly. And the quicker peace was found, the quicker he could remove himself from such pretenses.