(1106) Summer Festival

[Fu]

Fu rises to look at Rust as the Lion walks to the buffet. The f'ing buffet. "We are Summer, we are Wrath. Playing Russian roulette on a table will not prove anything." An arm sweeps to bring attention to the gathered Lost. "Winter has left, Spring and Dawn voice dissent, Autumn has joined the crowd. Even Summer disagrees."

And you Rust are becoming a threat to Summer and the Freehold.

Fu turns and pulls the armored one to his feet. "Brother if you wish to be Summer's Champion then prove it with not my blood but your own. Prove to everyone here that you are what you seek. But prove it out there." Fu points towards the doors and the Freehold at large. "We have business to take care of, let us take care of it as Brothers and then decide who gets to have a fancy title."

I am a Hound, I have bigger concerns.

[ParanoidAndroid]

"F-", she starts, then remembers current company. "Nah, I'm staying out of those today. Else people are gonna start thinking I'm gonna make it a f- habit." Her hand makes a dismissive wave over her shoulder. "You guys go on ahead, I'll heckle from the sidelines or some shit."

It's only then that all of Al's words register. "Wait... I'm cool?" She found that a little hard to believe. Then again, the monkey was a weird enough that he might have forgotten last time. "Well, shit...", she says, and punctuates the statement with a mock pat to Al's shoulder. "Thanks Monkey, you're not too shabby yourself."

[Nightfall]

Nightfall shook his head slightly in disgust as Rust floundered like a tin-foil kitten on a frozen lake.

O paper lion, you inspire pity, not anger.

"I think I'm done here," he said softly, turning to Alice. "Meet you back at the house?"

[Lesingnon]

And now he was just changing his mind. Not even trying to explain himself. Claiming that a position he'd at first claimed demanded so much honor to require a fight to the death should now be decided by seeing who was the first to slip with a blade? A clumsy, transparent, maneuver obviously designed to try to appease the Freehold and avoid the deserved backlash that he had inspired.

His fingers flash angrily through their replay to Terri; all terse, sudden movements. And not really caring that Nightfall could probably see the reply to, close as he was to Terri at the moment. 'He seems to be going insane.' There was a brief pause before he added, 'I think Katrin had the right idea, leaving this mockery of a celebration.'

[Al-Adin]

Al-Adin grins at the compliment. "I don't want to compete if its not a race. Fighting isn't fun for me, so I'll let nightfall do all the awesome by himself."

[Rust Mane]

Rust studies Spartan's eyes. His own worn, angry, hurt. "You think you can take this burden. You think you can withstand this?"
Rust looks back out from his vantage point at the buffet."These cowards. It's easy for them to judge. They have no one to answer to. Not even themselves.”
Rust lays the carving knife on the table. He then hops up to sit there himself. His posture facing the Throne. The chain tail roils and slaps despite Rust’s calm demeanor.

“What has happened to bring this reaction?
I heard you, The price I gave this Title was too steep. To steep for what it is now. So I adjusted the price to what it really is worth. And now you are disgusted at how a King could be so... Careful? So... Gracious? So.. Forgiving?”

Rust catches his tail and holds it still as he turns to the Queen of Spring. “Alice. You know the weight of this Crown. You know what it is to stand here before them. How easy it is for them to forget just who it is they are judging.”

Rust pulls the blade of his tail up and across his lap. With a heavy sigh he sits quietly to consider his words. After a few moments he looks back out to the Freehold.
To those who decided to stay and ogle at the dancing foil lion.

“It is easy to talk about Wrath. To parse words with thick dictionaries. I have made wrath my life. I walk that balance every day. If I say that you must Hate weakness then trust me that I speak from experience. Weakness will make you falter. Compassion will make you falter. Spartan knows this. Spartan loves me enough to know that if I ever become a liability that he must not hold back to protect you all. Even from me.” Rust shrugs knowing the emotion coming from Castor. Knowing without seeing.

“I trust him with my life to the point he holds it in his hands and I do the same for him.”
Rust stands then and walks a steady gait back to the Throne. The Crown seems thicker, heavier as he turns round to meet the Freehold’s eyes. His tail flicking freely int he shower of his Mantle
“As you stand here with your noble assumptions you all underestimate the danger your in. Compassion is dangerous and we must hold each other to the highest of standards. If a man can not stand up to the level of his own power then he should be removed from power. It is here Compassion will blind reality.
It is these reasons we of Summer fight to the death. If Spartan can not overcome what I am then he is not worthy to be your King.”

Rust sits back into the Throne carefully knowing the action held more significance then it did just three minutes before.
“I feel the highest honor in our Court should be held to this same standard. Maybe I put too much value in being named a Champion. If that is the slight I committed that will unseat my power, then I am the least of your problems. Spartan. Name my Crime.”