Let's Add More Regrets He Can Lament Over Later [Job/Kallias]

   
   
   ARIEL GLANCED TO THE SIDE WHEN A NEW VOICE JOINED THE CONVERSATION. A YOUNG MAN WITH A FEW YEARS ON ARIEL SPOKE POLITELY YET CURTLY TOWARD THE BLACK MAGICIAN. DESPITE HIS ALMOST RUDE MANNER OF ADDRESSING THE TESTY MAGICIAN - OR PERHAPS BECAUSE HE SPOKE SO SHARPLY TO ARIEL - HIS VOICE PAINFULLY REMINDED ARIEL OF HIS OLDER BROTHER, MATTIYAHU. BUT JUST AS THE THOUGHT SUGGESTED ITSELF TO ARIEL, HE WAVED IT AWAY. IT WOULD NEVER DO TO ADMIT HE ACTUALLY MISSED MATTI. THAT WOULD REQUIRE HIM TO RELENT THAT MATTI SPOKE CORRECTLY WHEN HE REBUKED ARIEL FOR HIS EMOTIONAL DEPENDENCY ON OTHERS. EMOTIONAL DEPENDENCY - COULD MATTIYAHU INSULT HIM ANY FURTHER? HE BUILT A STONE WALL AROUND HIS HEART FOR THE VERY REASON TO AVOID TURNING OTHERS INTO HIS EMOTIONAL CRUTCH. WHO WAS MATTIYAHU TO SAY THE WALL FAILED ITS JOB? WHAT DID HIS STUPID BROTHER KNOW ANYWAY? HE DID NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO PRY INTO THE MIND OF OTHERS [ thank god ] SO HOW COULD THAT PEACOCK SPEAK SO CONFIDENTLY ABOUT THE WORKINGS OF ANOTHER PERSON'S MIND? THEN AGAIN, CONSIDERING THE PEACOCK'S INHERENT ARROGANCE PERHAPS THE SUDDEN SURPRISE OUGHT TO HAVE NOT COME AS SUCH A SURPRISE. IF ANYONE COULD PULL OFF SUCH IMPERTINENT ARROGANCE IT WAS MATTIYAHU. ACCOMPANIED WITH THE WORST OF FLAMBOYANT MOTIONS OF COURSE. ALTHOUGH, HE CERTAINLY COULD IMAGINE THE OWNER OF THE ANNOYINGLY MATTIYAHU-LIKE VOICE WOULD ALSO HAVE THE ABILITY TO PULL OFF SUCH AUDACIOUS INSOLENCE. ANYTHING AND ANYONE WHO REMINDED ARIEL OF MATTIYAHU PROBABLY COULD. AFTER ALL, ONLY ARROGANCE DEFINED MATTIYAHU. THEREFORE, LOGICALLY, WHOEVER RESEMBLED MATTIYAHU IN SOME SORT OF STRANGE AND TWISTED FASHION IMMEDIATELY ONE MAY ASSUME ALSO POSSESSED THE SAME ARROGANCE WHICH MATTIYAHU ENJOYED FLAUNTING WITHOUT RESERVE. AND CONSIDERING HOW MUCH ARIEL DESPISED MATTIYAHU IT ONLY MADE SENSE FOR HIM TO HATE THOSE WHO SHARED A SEMBLANCE OF HIS BROTHER. LIKE THIS KALLIAS ALTHAUS FOR EXAMPLE. ONLY FITTING, HE SUPPOSED, THAT THE BLOND TREATED ARIEL DISDAINFULLY BEFORE WINNING THE GRACE OF THEIR TEMPORARY EMPLOYER WITH APOLOGETIC WORDS.

   BUT NO MATTER HOW FITTING IT ALL WAS, IT STILL PISSED HIM OFF. OBVIOUSLY HE WAS GOING TO VOICE HIS COMPLAINTS. WHAT, DID YOU REALLY EXPECT ANYTHING BETTER FROM A HAREL? FOR GOD'S SAKE, HIS REPETITIVE HABIT OF PISSING OTHERS OFF WITH HIS BLUNT AND UNCENSORED MANNER OF SPEECH EARNED HIM AT LEAST HALF OF HIS REPUTATION - SURELY NO ONE ACTUALLY HOPED ANY BETTER MIGHT COME OUT HIM.

   HE PLACED A HAND ON THE EXPENSIVE LOOKING RED COAT [ only the best for the little althaus prince no doubt ] AND CLEARED HIS THROAT. MATCHING THE BLOND MAN IN COLD TONE HE SAID, "WHO THE HELL GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO SPEAK FOR ME ANYWAY? YOU MAY HAVE A PRETTY FACE, BUT THAT'S NOT MUCH OF AN EXCUSE TO TREAT ME LIKE I'M SOME SORT OF RESPONSIBILITY YOU HAVE TO BEAR." IF ANYTHING, THAT SHOULD BE HOW HE ACTS!

   

   HE ROSE A BROW AT THE BLOND'S FALSELY POLITE WORDS. WHAT A PATHETIC ATTEMPT TO COUNTER ARIEL'S OWN WORDS. KALLIAS'S OWN WORDS BETRAYED HIM AND THOUGH YOUNG RICH BOYS WERE OFTEN TAUGHT THE SKILL OF TALKING ONE'S WAY OUT OF EVERYTHING, ALTHAUS'S PROCLIVITY TO RESPOND WITHOUT THOUGHT OF THE  CONSEQUENCES - AS WELL AS SPEAKING WITHOUT THINKING IN GENERAL - WOULD SURELY BRING ABOUT HIS DOWNFALL. BUT IF PLACED ON THE STAND SURELY THE JUDGE WOULD FIND ARIEL JUST AS GUILTY OF THE SAME CRIME WHICH HE REBUKED KALLIAS FOR COMMITTING. THOUGH MAYBE NOT SO PRONE TO FISH DESPERATELY FOR CUTTING RESPONSES, HE REFUSED TO RID HIMSELF OF THE TERRIBLY DESTRUCTIVE HABIT OF ALWAYS HAVING THE LAST SAY IN EVERYTHING. HE BLAMED HIS UPBRINGING IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHICH IMPLEMENTED THE ‘KILL OR BE KILLED’ PHILOSOPHY. SURELY A DUBIOUS MORAL CODE ROSE FROM SUCH A TOXIC OTHER WORLD BUT THE LIKELIHOOD OF ARIEL CHANGING HIS QUESTIONABLE MORALS ONLY PLUMMETED AT THE MENTION OF SUCH A LIFE ALTERING DECISION - MOSTLY BECAUSE TO HIM IT WAS ‘SUCKING UP TO FUCKING ASSHOLES WHO DESERVE MORE SHIT THAN RESPECT’.

   HIS EYES FLICKERED MOMENTARILY TO THE SIDE BEFORE RETURNING TO WHATEVER BULLSHIT ALTHAUS CONJURED TO TURN THEIR TEMPORARY EMPLOYER AGAINST HIM. HE ROLLED HIS EYES AND YAWNED. COULD THIS MAN BE ANY MORE PREDICTABLE? THE ART OF WIT INVOLVED PRESENTING ARGUMENTS IN A SURPRISING MANNER TO RENDER THE OTHER SPEECHLESS AND MOMENTARILY CAPACITATED. TRULY THE MOMENT WHERE A DEBATER EXPOSED HIMSELF TO THE MOST DANGER - WHEN HIS MIND DREW BLANKS AND HIS WORDS RAN DRY. IN SUCH A VULNERABLE POSITION, THE DEBATER WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY FIND HIMSELF AT THE END OF A METAPHORICAL SWORD. WHETHER SHARP OR DULL MATTERED LITTLE AS EVEN A DULL SWORD COULD KNOCK OUT A MAN OVER THE HEAD WHILE HIS ATTENTION FALTERED FOR JUST A PAUSE AND MOMENT. HOW RATHER FRUSTRATING THIS DISTASTEFUL PRINCE WOULD MOCK THE ART OF EXCHANGING WITTY WORDS WITH HIS FLAWED ARGUMENT. THOUGH HIS PRESENTATION SKILLS WEREN'T HALF BAD, HIS ACTUAL ARGUMENTS BORDERLINE RANDOM STRINGS OF WORDS PIECED TOGETHER ONLY TO SOUND THOUGHTFULLY AND ELOQUENTLY CREATED.

   EITHER WAY, THOUGH INCLINED TO HAVE THE LAST LAUGH OF EVERYTHING, HE RARELY SUBJECTED HIMSELF TO A SPECIFIC TIME LIMIT. THOUGH HATRED DID NOT APTLY FIT HIS IRRATIONAL GRUDGES, SOMETHING OF A STUBBORNLY PERSISTENT VOICE INSIDE HIS HEAD REFUSED TO ALLOW HIM TO ADMIT DEFEAT. FOR REASONS HE WOULD NEVER COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND [ a fact which endlessly annoyed him ], IT CONSIDERED EVERYTHING AS A GAME - A GAME ONE MUST WIN, NO MATTER THE COST. HE POINTED TO THE STRANGELY OBSESSIVE ASPECT OF HIS PERSONALITY AS THE CULPRIT TO ALL THE RIDICULOUS TROUBLE HE OFTEN BARELY AVOIDED - OR FOUND HIMSELF HEAVILY INVOLVED IN. IT CLENCHED HIM TIGHTLY AND CHASED HIM ENDLESSLY UNTIL HE PURSUED ITS RECKLESS AGENDA. JUST LIKE SCHWARTZ, WHO CONSTANTLY PESTERED HIM UNTIL HE RELENTED. A TRULY ANNOYING AND BOTHERSOME BASTARD.

   "EVEN NOW, AS YOU BELITTLE MY OWN INCOMPETENCE, A THIEF APPROACHES THE DOOR OF THE GEM. DO BE HELPFUL AND GET RID OF IT, OH GREAT AND MIGHTY PRINCE. I MUST APOLOGIZE FOR BEING UNABLE TO ATTEND TO THE THIEF, HOWEVER. FOR MY LACK OF CAPABILITIES WOULD SURELY ONLY HINDER SUCH A SKILLED FIGHTER AS YOURSELF," HE PLAYFULLY REPLIED WITH UNCHARACTERISTIC MISCHIEF IN HIS VOICE. HE TOOK TO GLANCING OVER TO THE DIRECTION OF THE TENT HOUSING THE GEM - SOME MANY METERS AWAY FROM THEM AND ALMOST OUT OF SIGHT - BEFORE HIS GAZE RETURNED TO KALLIAS, AN AMUSED SMILE ON HIS FACE.

   
   
   For the briefest moment Ariel swears he spots an all too familiar expression on the other's face. No, such a sentence implies he only thought he noticed something. But nay, his conviction rang clearly. Indeed, upon Kallias's face something of resignation, weariness, and tire warped the man's expression into a pity trap. He frowns slightly at that emotion known as indignation bubbling beneath his surface. Who the hell gave a grown man - a noble grown man no less - the right to look defeated and tired? Should Kallias have been any less than an Althaus he would have surely assumed life had cursed the blond man. But he doubts an Althaus would know of a damned life - one full of true hardships. What a weak man to lose himself to his 'grief'. How pitiful. Such a display of patheticness disgusts him. Pretty face or not, he wouldn't mind punching this man's face if only to give him the reality call he so needs and deserves.

He purposely ignores whatever bullcrap Kallias blabs because it has become painfully obvious to him that nothing the man says is worthwhile of Ariel’s time or attention. His attention turns elsewhere - namely to ponder the possibility of simply leaving. After all, given the fact Schwartz fraudulently signed him up (an act which could easily land Schwartz a sentencing), no strings or obligations ties him to the job at hand. Though true, he does benefits from the job, the idea of surrounding himself with annoying noblemen leaves a sour taste in his mouth. Yet all the same a small part of him digs their heels into the ground in a strong refusal.

It reasons annoyingly, "Are you truly leaving this poor man to his own devices? Do you truly wish to suffer the guilt should he die and you weren't there to save him?" The excruciating argument causes the magician to turn his attention to the aforementioned 'poor man' and immediately he gains the frustration to smash the voice.

It is the gait that turns Ariel away this time. It seems normal enough - but no. The movements - they are dead. Plainly dead despite the steady pace so typical of nobleman. His lips twitched. He turned his gaze away from the frustratingly pitiful sight. Though not on purpose, his multicolor eyes land on the owner of the gem. He frowns, displeased by the stare. He barks at the man, demanding an explanation to the age old question: why cast your eyes upon me with such accusatory fixation?

"That professor assured me you would be perfect for the job - such is the reason I chose you out of all the other candidates. So please. Live up to the praise of your professor." He folds his arms.

The black magician sneers. "No thanks - this job has pissed me off too much." He brushes past the man without a single guilty thought about his offensive behavior.