A Matter of Protocol

[Cinnabar]

They'd each had a chance to speak their minds candidly; though it was apparent that the knight had gladly leapt upon this opportunity to berate the Governor for his perceived inadequacies, clearly he has not finished. As Calomel listens patiently it become apparent that while the Grand Master has plenty more to say, very little of it seems particularly productive. Or even accurate. Pale brows lower into a deeper frown, verging on the incredulous as it becomes more obvious quite how disjointed from reality the Councillor's perceptions have become, how his recollections of the past have become warped by his own bitterness and resentment.

"By your leave, sir, I fear that you perhaps misremember matters." Polite, striving for some more diplomatic way of correcting the man; one which did not involve calling him a bare-faced liar. "As I recall, the Shepherd Knights and the Constabulary initially maintained a quite agreeable relationship. Our forces cooperated well at Snowstill, at Foggy Bottom, and during the hunt for the Ashfiend." Perplexed by these accusations, this talk of demands and disregard. Indeed, there is a mounting alarm as the knight's carefully-spoken words give some hint of the true depths of the seething paranoia beneath his facade of righteous indignation.

"We have disagreed on a number of issues, certainly. If it seemed at any point during those disagreements that I accused you of being a fool - or worse - then I apologise, as that was certainly not my intent. Name-calling is singularly counterproductive, I find." Name-calling and misrepresentation both. Still, there is some thought for those terms, those demands; time spent mulling them over before he speaks again, his tone even and considered as he offers his own counter-proposals.

"You would be expected to make regular reports on your work with Myrken's military, in order that I might keep track of how matters are progressing. I ask for similar from the other Councillors, as if I am to govern then it is important that I have accurate and current information on the Council's activities. If I query any part of your work it is because I am unsure of the reasoning behind it, and would like assistance in understanding. Again, understanding is important to my role as Governor." This, hopefully, is not unreasonable.

"As Governor, a large part of my responsibilities involve deciding government policy, determining the best way to approach the difficulties and troubles that afflict Myrken Wood. Thus I reserve the right to veto a given course of action if it conflicts with that. If I initially disagree with something you are welcome to try to change my mind by helping me understand how it is in fact the best way to go about things. As a general rule, calm and reasoned explanations are likely to be considerably more effective in this than exasperated eye-rolling or repeatedly pointing out how little I know. In return, if I decide to veto your proposal I will - if possible - explain my own reasoning." A finger briefly raised to forestall the inevitable accusations of hypocrisy, double-standards or whatever.

"In the instance of your request for Captain Kaczmarek's file, my refusal of that request is due to the nature of the case. The welfare of a number of innocent parties rests on certain of the case's details remaining confidential, and as such I am not willing to risk compromising that." Quite firm on that point, though also contemplating how he might offer enough information to set the Councillor's mind at ease without breaching the trust placed in him.

"I am not sure what rumours you may have heard regarding the Captain's involvement in the investigation. However, I honestly do not believe that her part in the matter renders her unsuitable for her post. In many ways it affirms her strength of character and her dedication to the protection of those who need it, both of which you will hopefully agree are desirable traits in a Captain of the Militia." A pause as he considers whether he might elaborate further, but discretion wins out and so he turns back to the issue of Deucalios' demands.

"As far as your authority is concerned, your proposals sound generally reasonable. I would suggest, however, that just as you desire the freedom to fulfil your role, the military commanders under your auspice would similarly benefit from being permitted to do their jobs in turn. As previously noted, your role as Councillor is one of determining military policy, rather than leading directly. Matters such as promotions, field command and the organisation of day-to-day duties would probably be best left to the officers on the ground, leaving you free to attend to the broader issues."

[Malaroth]

Silence is golden. It is in silence he waits, while standing, for the Governor to reproach him once again for disrespect while offering the same thing in return.

"I seem to recall there being an elongated conflict between us regarding your ignoring the role my squire plays in the knighthood, and you requesting her use as if she were a piece of heavy artillery just waiting, willing and able, to obey your command while shirking her knightly duties. You expected my squire to jump at your request and to hell with the order, and even grew quite angry when I pointed out your flagrant disrespect towards me, towards her and towards the order. I also recall there being a distinct lack of communication between us concerning the latter assaults upon the Ashfiend following the battle of Snowstill."

That is enough to be said, for sure. There is in his thoughts the desire to continue, asking if Calomel no longer found the knighthood useful once knights had willingly been burned alive to hold the liens at Snowstill.

"Yes, it would be my role to determine militaristic and security policy. Just as it is yours to determine governmental policy, both of us leaving decisions to those in the field while we keep our focus upon the larger picture."

There is a heavy, lengthy pause for the Governor.

"Except, that while I am expected to do just such, you say you do these things but are inevitably leading in the ranks,s word flashing, barking out orders for your men to follow. This is nothing other than staunch hypocrisy, Governor," his voice waxing tired, strained, as he slowly shakes his head.

"You have, and would continue, to place yourself in the militaristic front lines while saying that both our rules are policy-minded. You would summarily punish me for doing so while thinking that you were, indeed, doing all of Myrken a service. From my perspective, Governor, you don't want to be Councilor of Defense. You want to be a hero, the one hero who does and decrees all, who rules from the rear and leads from the front. I'm not interested in serving heroes, I'm interested in serving men who want to be good stewards of what has been entrusted to them."

"It is evidently only given to councilors to advise and sit and talk, and the same is true for governors - except they are also encouraged to throw themselves into every battle, and drag their constables into it regardless of whether or not it is a matter for constables to handle. You treat them like your own personal army, Governor."

A last, long shake of his head and a protracted sigh. The Governor had already assumed he would be stepping on the toes of field officers, seasoned Myrken veterans, and decried him for it - when he insisted on doing the exact same thing but refused to acknowledge it.

"Last time I checked, there was only one king."

His parting words, for with them he has resigned his position and has strode from the office, the sharp steel of his spurs jangling in sympathetic dissonance to their inability to cooperate. No further departing words, and the only thing between them, beside ever growing distance, was sharpened metal.

[Cinnabar]

Were the Governor as given to name-calling as the knight's paranoia fancies, his conduct at this meeting might have inclined him to add further to the man's growing list of sobriquets. Malaroth the Mulish. Malaroth the Melodramatic. The Mudslinger. The Muddled. The Mistaken. The possibilities go on and on. Fortunately this is not the case, and so he remains quiet in spite of the man's insistence on continuing to spout accusations, predictions and assumptions based on nothing more substantial than his own twisted perceptions of others' motives.

"When I have led in the field, sir, it has most often been for want of alternatives. Myrken's army is a new institution, and before that the options were either the Constabulary or the Shepherd Knights. Since you have made it abundantly clear that you resent even the merest hint of a challenge to your absolute control over the lives of your knights, that left the Constabulary. Had I sent my men out to fight and die while I remained safe and secure in my office, perhaps you would now be calling me a soft-bellied coward instead." A light shrug at that, no longer particularly interested in attempting to comprehend the convoluted tangle of the knight's peculiar mode of thinking.

In truth, Deucalios' manner grows tiresome in the extreme; the constant belligerence, the strident claims of how ill-treated he is, the rampant mistrust and disrespect - for all his harping on that point, it is clear that he will hold no respect for any who might possibly question his actions rather than accepting the manifest brilliance that he imagines for himself, the overall unavoidable impression of a spoilt and puling child denied his own way. The clear desire to paint himself as a virtuous man sorely wronged is particularly grating, given how this meeting has instead demonstrated him to be little more than an arrogant and deceitful bully, a petty tyrant who expects to command every aspect of his subordinates' activities - on duty or not. It's quite startling, in fact, how closely the knight's accusations against the Governor match his own behaviour, as if Deucalios projects his own increasingly-apparent flaws, failings and inadequacies onto Calomel.

So it is that there comes no further challenge to the knight's ranting, no reply for all those sighs and shakes of his head, no response to that petulant, sarcastic comment thrown across his desk as some sort of parting barb. There is only quiet from the Governor as the Grand Master stalks from the office, and a slow sigh of something similar to relief as the jingling of his spurs finally fades into the distance.

Calomel moves to stand after a time, rounding his desk and closing the office door before moving to tend to the business of lighting the spirit burner to boil water for tea. Kettle set over the flame, pot prepared with a generous scoop of fragrant leaves, this little ritual is calming, balance found in the familiar motions. Time is taken while the kettle boils to set a fresh sheet of paper upon his blotter, to sharpen the end of a fresh quill to a usable nib, to light a candle-stub at the spirit burner and return it to its holder on his desk.

The kettle whistles after a time, and boiling water transferred to the teapot to brew. Finally the preparations are ready, his thoughts more focused, and he settles into his seat with an air of determination. A pen is taken up, the paper is drawn towards him, and the Governor writes.

[indent]To Sir Malaroth Deucalios of Zachea, Grand Master of the Shepherd Knights:

Sir Malaroth

My thanks for the enlightening candour with which you made your feelings known at our recent meeting. Your concerns have indeed been noted, and will be taken under consideration where appropriate. While the outcome was not as positive as I had hoped, I feel that the discussion was still productive in clarifying points that might not otherwise have become apparent until later.

As such, I regret that the personal dislike you hold for me and my methods means that you do not feel able to work within the structure of Myrken Wood's government or under my authority, but hope that this conflict of expectations will not hinder future cooperation between the Judiciary Council and the Shepherd Knights.

Please do not doubt that I very much appreciate the spirit in which you initially made your application, and have both respect and gratitude for the aid which you and your knights have rendered to Myrken Wood. I wish you good fortune in recovering from the harm inflicted upon your knights and Chapterhouse, and success in the continuation of your Order's valiant work on behalf of Myrken's people.

Cinnabar Calomel
Governor[/indent]

His teacup has been drained and refilled several times over by the time the letter is finished, blotted, signed and folded with the Grand Master's name on the outside. It remains only to melt a blob of wax where the paper overlaps, and to seal it with the mark of his office. The letter is then set in a tray of similarly neatly-written missives, to be collected in a short while by one of the Constabulary's runners, and thence dispatched to the part-rebuilt chapterhouse of the Shepherd Knights.

That done, he pours himself another cup of tea and reaches for the top sheet of the stack of reports awaiting his attention. With that singularly frustrating waste of time out of the way, perhaps now he'll be able to do something useful with his day.