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Post by Seren on Jun 14, 2018 14:52:29 GMT -6
"Look here, I want to order one of those cheese and pepperoni pizzas I keep on hearing everyone talk about."
"Yes, sir. May I get anything else for you today?"
"Whatever pasta you've got, make it cheesy I don't care just surprise me."
"Sir, we have a cheesy chicken alfredo..."
"Yea, yeah that's fine."
"What's the address, sir?"
"The Imperium."
"... The Imperium?"
"Yeah, kid. You know the big fucking floaty thing in the sky."
"Sir, we're not allowed to deliver up there."
"I don't care, you're allowed to do whatever you want just come up and if a guard tries to tell you to leave just tell him Arturius told his wife he's screwing a bear. That'll let you through."
Silence echoed through the room as their was a soft click of Arturius hanging up his n-disc - not even bothering to hear when his food might be arriving. Leaning back in his chair, Arturius took a deep breath as he stared toward the wall in front of him. The room around him was small in size, compared to the other members of The Imperium that boasted grandiose thought and design. It wasn't like he wasn't offered such a room, after all the mages were trying to act like they weren't a bunch of holier-than-thou ignorant fools.
With his desk centered in the room and pushed back slightly toward the back wall, Arturius was able to see the whole room from where he sat - although the only thing he really cared to see was whoever was coming the door as soon as they did. Everything else was just excessive, a few random decorations not picked by Arturius were placed on the walls and to his left there was a somewhat large window that allowed him to see a section of the city below him.
Sometimes, being so high up unnerved Arturius (he was a land-dweller after all). In the end though, Arturius knew he had no choice and instead treated the window as the mages from the Imperium trying to chase him away. Why else would they put him in a room that had windows toward the outside, but not toward the inside? Despite the fact that it had essentially been his choice, Arturius still choose to think it was apart of the mages ulterior plan to drive him away.
In front of his desk there were two chairs that seemed severely out of place compared to the rest of the room. The chairs in question were able to be folded up and set against the wall, a convenience thing that most lower and middle class persons preferred. Compared to the style of the computer chair and desk that he was provided with, it was obvious that Arturius was trying to make some sort of point.
Leaning back toward his desk, Arturius picked up some papers he was reading before he had decided to order food. The older man thumbed through the said papers slowly, absorbing the information that was provided to him and making notes as he went along. In the room, the only thing that seemed to even suggest that someone ever used the room was his desk that was constantly littered with papers - besides that the rest of the place was bare and minimalist (excluding the few decorations that had been in there before he occupied the space).
After some time, Arturius took a break from reading and glanced at the time on his n-disc. "Any fucking time, kid," Arturius mumbled under his breath as he glanced toward the door of his office.
sky
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Post by sky on Jun 14, 2018 16:58:06 GMT -6
Only on rare occasion was Clair able to find himself in the halls of The Imperium outside of meeting times, but today was an exception. He was a very busy man, after all- shuffled back and forth between advisors, researchers, temples, and government buildings indiscriminately, always surrounded by an overwhelming posse, ever-present guards sprinkled with advisors and heiruses and other officials. Though Clair had his own goals, separate but related to that of the Temple and the Imperium, it was rare he was given the opportunity to act on them, but after much coordination and planning, he had managed to find a sliver of the day where he could work toward his aspirations. After taking the escort up to New Rome's tallest island, flanked by both his own temple guards and Imperium details, he was obligated to visit his designated space within the Imperium to talk with advisors, a minor distraction from the true goal of his visitation.
While most Imperium members actually used their offices, Clair's was filled with the desks of his staff. The bright, airy room was lined with white desks and cushy chairs, bookshelves covering the walls flanking a massive window, nearly the entire height and width of the space. Potted plants were crammed in every corner, on shelves and desks, tiny trinkets and crystals coating the top layer of soil to create a space of colourful refracted light dotted by greenery. The only space that could rightfully be called Clair's was a long meeting table that stretched from the center of the room to the window, the head chair resting a few feet from the glass. It was a magnificent space, as if a room from the Temple had been transported miles over and up, the change in view the only real indication that these walls of white were a transplant of Meteora into the Imperium.
Though he was confident in his Temple duties, even after a year of meetings and votes Clair was still on unsteady footing in The Imperium and preferred to let his staff do what they needed to do without distraction. He conversed casually for a moment, passed on some blessings, then was let be. He was thankful for such a self-sustaining crew. He tried to shake his guards before he continued through the halls, but one from each Meteora and The Imperium insisted on staying by his side. What was the point, he considered, since this was restricted government grounds? The only people allowed up were high-end officials and advisors. He didn't question the guards' judgment aloud, however.
As he ambled through the halls the realization and accompanying anxiety of his goals were creeping up, a near memory of just how poorly every other discussion with Arturius went haunting him. He recited prayers under his breath, his mouth an imperceptible quiver to the guards who mostly ignored the muttering. As he passed by Imperium staff during his walk he offered them quick greetings, shooting his right hand to his chest with a short bow. When he finally found himself in front of Arturius' door he took a deep inhale through his nose before firmly tapping on it with his knuckles, knowing he was intruding on who knows what.
Clair cleared his throat and then said sternly, "Arturius Kostadin, I wish to speak with you." He retreated a step, the guards falling to either side of the doorframe, watching down each end of the hall. Clair crossed his hands at his waist and stood tall and dignified.
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Post by Seren on Jun 14, 2018 23:54:20 GMT -6
As if on cue, a loud knock came to Arturius's door and the older man stood up - ready to answer up until he heard the voice of who was knocking. His hearing wasn't necessarily as excelled as other shifters, but nevertheless he could recognize who was at the door and it definitely wasn't his food.
Thinking for a moment, Arthur rolled his eyes before he made his way to the door - opening it quite abruptly and pausing to look up toward the person at his door. Narrowing his eyes at Clair, about five seconds passed before Arturius promptly slammed the door in Clair's face and made his way back toward his desk.
He didn't have time for whatever Clair wanted when he was expecting food and not to mention, the guards that he toted around were an annoyance. Moving toward the window of his office, Arturius placed his hands behind his back - looking out toward the city once more.
Pizza had been around for quite some time and it seemed to be a popular food item around most people, he could recall trying it at least once when he was younger. It seemed like so long ago though that Arturius had truthfully forgotten what the food item tasted like.
notes: I'm probably going to have the pizza guy come in the next post or two x3
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Post by sky on Jun 15, 2018 0:40:28 GMT -6
Clair sighed and rolled his eyes as the door was slammed before him, an expected but massively irritating response. The challenge of getting Arturius to talk at all was one he knew he would have to bear. He stepped forward again, knocking solidly once more. "Mr. Kostadin, I'm not leaving after one aggression. I still must speak with you."
He looked at his guards, looked at his guards, unperturbed at the things going on. Arturius had a reputation, both in the Imperium and Meteora, and most of the shock of his volatility had come and gone long ago. Now all Clair felt was slight irritation at the wasted time. He waved an arm down the hall and nodded at the two, saying quietly, "Could the both of you move a few yards away? You know where I'll be." The Imperium guard squinted at the Temple one, and they both shrugged before moving a little farther away from the door.
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Post by Seren on Jun 15, 2018 1:03:13 GMT -6
Clair spoke to Arturius once more and the man inhaled deeply through his nostrils - posture relaxed as he took one more look outside the window before turning back toward his door. Throwing his shoulders back, Arthur had developed the habit of focusing on his posture since his first few weeks in the army - this was sometimes a benefit thanks to his small stature.
Opening the door once more, Arturius looked both ways down the hall that Clair and his guards were in. "Well, if it's so damn important come on then." Arturius signaled for Clair to come into his office - the motion exaggerated as he waved the man in. As he did so, Arturius looked back toward the guards - taking the time to glare at both of them.
Slamming the door behind him once more, Arturius moved over by his desk - not bothering to sit down. Instead he nodded toward his chairs, "Feel free to sit grand holy-ness of the sun, moon and stars." Arturius' tone was obviously meant to mock Clair more than anything else and as he stood by his desk, Arturius checked the time on his n-disc once more before looking back to Clair.
"Or don't sit down, you know. Just get on with it."
sky
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Post by sky on Jun 15, 2018 1:14:19 GMT -6
"I can stand, thanks," Clair nodded, not even glancing at the chairs. He had little hopes of civility. He knew how these interactions went, as necessary as they were. He made no motion to acknowledge Arturius' insult.
He took a few steps away from the door, crossing his arms behind his back and clearing his throat. While he would have normally taken a minute to bow and greet whoever he was speaking with, the formality was just more time wasted with Arturius. "I would like to rectify how poorly our last meeting went, Mr. Kostadin, but I still need to discuss education with you. Your platform rested on the integration of mage and shifter schools, didn't it?" He rolled his shoulders back, feeling himself tense in anticipation of Arturius lashing out. It was an inevitability at this point. "You are clearly passionate about this issue, and I wish to make it a passion as well. With that said, I'd like to attempt another discussion." Attempt was the key word.
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Post by Seren on Jun 15, 2018 1:43:18 GMT -6
Arturius watched Clair carefully as he spoke, his jaw hard-set and deep blue vein popping out of the side of his face. This must have been an insult of some kind, what else would it be? Some of the other mages probably asked Clair to try and get on his good side, as if that would ever fucking happen.
"You're a fucking joke, kid." Arturius really didn't know how old Clair was and he really didn't care, the man looked quite younger than him and that was all that really mattered. "Is it hard to get everything handed to you? The struggle must have been unbearable." Arturius walked around his desk then, glancing down at the said papers he had been looking over before.
He was a figurehead, a public assurance by mages that of course animal-shifters mattered. It hadn't taken that long for Arturius to find out it was all a lie and that he had to do something with the time he had here, after all he did care a little bit about some of the people that put their faith in him. Only a tiny bit though.
Fingering one of the papers he had on his desk, Arturius stopped as a quiet knock came to his office door. "Fucking finally!" With no consideration to Clair, Arthur went over to his door to welcome his other visitor - a scrawny youth with two pizzas and the look of absolute terror as two guards loomed over him. "Your pizza, sir." The youth mumbled out quickly and Arturius nodded, digging into the pants he was wearing to pull some money out of his wallet.
Arturius then handed the youth a significant amount of money, much more than the worth of the actual pizzas. "Keep the change."
With his pizzas in one hand, Arturius looked toward the guards once more, "No matter how much you stare at the kid I'm not giving either one of you my pizza, both of you need to go the fuck away."
Having received his money, the pizza delivery boy in question started to carefully make his way back down the hallway - obviously stunned by terror and awe at the same time. This was going to be a wild story for his girlfriend later.
Another loud slam of his door and Arthur turned back toward his desk to put his two pizzas down right on top of the official papers on his desk, opening the top box - Arturius pulled out a slice of steaming pepperoni and examined it carefully before taking a bite. With a mouth full of food, Arthur turned his attention back to Clair once more - "As yaa-ou wa-ere sa-haa-ying," Arturius didn't even bother to swallow his food before he spoke - obviously enjoying the taste of the pizza.
@taghere
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Post by sky on Jun 15, 2018 2:02:50 GMT -6
Clair squinted at Arturius incredulously as he received his pizza, so many questions buzzing through his mind. How did the poor kid even manage to get up here? Even if someone with the requisite rank had let him up, how had he managed passage through the halls? Then again, most people didn't want to upset Arturius, even though Clair knew that most of the mages saw him as an irritating insect at best, and a threat to the natural order of things at worst.
Clair adjusted his robes as he waited, the flowing white and gold glistening in the sunlight filtering through the window. He pressed a thumb into the waist of his skirt while Arturius looked away, pulling it higher up his midsection, taking a deep breath through his nose with mild irritation. His expressions were subtle but easy to read.
When Arturius sat, immediately munching away, Clair pressed his chin to his chest and waited for the signal to begin again. There were so many fundamental misconceptions almost everyone in the Imperium had about him that he dared not correct. "I have seen the state of your schools. I still struggle to understand how things got to that state. I want to collaborate to devise a solution. You are the best person I know to come to, despite our differences." He paused and then almost immediately began again, "and do not be mistaken that I was brought up in mage schools. I do not understand their state either. This concern has nothing to do with the mages." As much as Clair was often grouped up with the houses of magic, Clair was an outsider to them. He was in a strange limbo between mages and shifters that few were aware of. This gap only seemed to widen the longer he sat on the Imperium- would things have been different if he had been raised under Light Mages' care, he wondered? Either way, nothing would change Arturius' impression of Clair's mage privileges, whether he had them or not.
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Post by Seren on Jun 15, 2018 2:21:42 GMT -6
Arturius chewed away his pizza, consuming even the crust before he moved onto another slice. Despite being so rough before, Arturius had oddly calmed down enough to maintain a somewhat civil conversation with Clair - at least for the time being. Arthur glared toward Clair once more, assuming that Clair knew he had ordered pizza and intended to get on his good side by talking to him as he was eating.
"If you're so fucking curious -" Arturius paused, taking a large bite out of his second pizza slice this time. Chewing quite slowly, a few seconds of silence passed before Arthur continued on. "Then talk to your other mage buddies, plus did you actually go to the school or did you have one of your brainwashed minions go?" Arturius asked the man then, taking another bite of pizza - chewing and continuing on.
"Also, there are thousands of schools - have you even considered that each shifter is treated differently depending on their animal?" Arturius started to rant now - obviously upset by Clair having even approached him about shifter schools in the first place. "The only way I can see you making a difference is if you go to those schools yourself and give them money straight out of your pocket, otherwise it's a waste of fucking time."
Arturius was at his wits end with the constant obstacles that he was having to deal with from the other mages, anytime he had a chance to do something there was always some law and some rule suggesting that he couldn't. Not to mention the mages that intentionally went out of there way to make sure that he couldn't do a damn thing.
@taghere
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Post by sky on Jun 15, 2018 2:42:01 GMT -6
"I personally visited two schools, in fact. One downtown and another in the rural outskirts. Additionally, we collected data from every shifter school in greater New Rome, including attendance numbers, pass and fail rates, dropout rates... I won't continue. I was surprised to find that while the houses kept such information on their schools, there was no database of information for shifter schools. Comparing the two was.... troubling. As I'm sure you're aware." Clair looked out the window behind Arturius, squinting. He folded his hands at his waist again.
He listened closely to Arturius' rant- sure, the man loved to complain and insult, but it all had to come from somewhere, right? Clair definitely hadn't considered that shifters may be treated differently based on their animal. Those in the temple he knew with less desirable animals were all treated with immense respect- there was definitely a dissonance between how he grew up and the rest of the world, Clair was realizing more and more. He gave the air some space before starting up again. "I feel like you should be aware that religious institutions gain no funding from the Imperium. We are merely peacekeepers and tiebreakers, representatives of a greater people. Any money we get just subsidizes charity and research work we would have done otherwise, and beyond that, smaller religions recieve subsidies as well. You have more funding than I do to help your people." He looked back at Arturius, parsing his expression as he continued to shove food in his mouth. What a repulsive little man, Clair thought, then fought away. Did judging him really help anything? "So what is the barrier? You speak with non-Imperium shifter elects. Is money truly the only issue? I know the budget, you and the mages all receive equal funding." Clair didn't consider that half of the world's population was only receiving an eighth of its money.
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Post by Seren on Jun 17, 2018 0:18:56 GMT -6
As Clair talked, Arturius continued his meal - rolling his eyes quite dramatically as Clair brought up the topic of religious institutions. Pushing his pizza boxes to one side of his desk, the older man gathered up all the papers he had been going over before Clair had arrived - bunching them up in a quite unorganized pile. "Equal?" Arturius started off - shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he leaned against his desk.
Standing up straight, Arthur took the papers he had in one hand and shook them in the air as he spoke - "There are only two shifters in this whole entire fucking government and you want to talk about equal?!" Arthur took a breath then, his chest rising as the aggravation could be seen clearly on his face. "The difference between mages and animal-shifters is staggering and you want to come in here and tell me that we get equal funding? Someone had to set you up to this because there is no way that you don't understand all those fucking loons are only looking out for themselves and their own class. No one gives two shits about me and my people and for you to come in here and say otherwise makes you just as fucking holier-than-thou as the rest of them." Arturius tossed his papers out at Clair then with enough force that some of them fell at the mans feet, the contents of which were somewhat random but some stated details of Arthur's most recent proposals - all of them having been denied.
"If you don't get out of my office right now, I will make your guards come and get you." Arthur turned away from Clair, his voice having darkened considerably as his eyes fell toward the wall in front of him.
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Post by sky on Jun 17, 2018 1:02:42 GMT -6
Clair jumped, his glow quickly flashing in brightness as a clump of papers was thrown at him. His heart beat rapidly as a flash of anxiety overtook him, but he reminded himself to breathe and calmed down quickly. He watched the documents that drifted around him, landing almost gracefully near his feet. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, sighing. With a deep exhale, he lowered his chin to his chest. Taking a moment to hopefully let the other man calm down, he crouched and picked up what he could, straightening them out before offering them back to Arturius. Perhaps he needed to approach this another way. "I... apologise, Mr. Kostadin. Let me begin again. You say there are clear barriers between you and your goals. How do we cross them? Is funding truly the only way?" He took a few steps away from Arturius' desk cautiously. "I know you find Meteora reprehensible, but we have vast repositories of knowledge across the globe. Is there no way we can collaborate to bring that information to shifter children?"
His mind was filled with idealistic visions of postulants shuffling armfuls of books into shifter schools around the world, but he quickly washed the thoughts away. He had only been in power for a year, same as Arturius, and the two had an incredibly tense relationship. Why had he even come here? Out of some false hope that things could change at the snap of his fingers?
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Post by Seren on Jun 18, 2018 18:23:35 GMT -6
Despite having turned away, Clair still persisted. If he hadn't been so pissed, Arturius might have actually given him some props. Nonetheless, Arturius was naturally stubborn in nature. "First off," Arturius turned on his heel to face Clair - closing the distance between him and the taller man quite quickly. "You cannot help me, acquaint yourself with how our relationship is as mage and animal-shifter through the governments eyes. Not your happy dandy bullshit, actually look." Even if he felt the need to explain it to Clair, it would be difficult to even begin. How could you describe years of subtle misdeeds and injustice, years of smoke and mirrors and the simple fact that mages had a long held secret that they keep from the general animal-shifter populace.
Inhaling deeply through his nose, Arturius took one more long look at Clair before making his way toward the door of his office - "You cannot save my people with your religion if you cannot even begin to truly understand the lives they in every aspect of society."
Narrowing his eyes at Clair now, Arturius opened the door of his office with considerable care as opposed to his earlier shows of force. "Now, leave."
sky
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