He slipped the knife away into its hidden sheath beneath his tabard. This wasn't unexpected. If Roen had actually possessed the courage to run him through, then that would have been that. It would have been unfortunate for him, but Nero might have accepted it. He might have accepted that someone in her position--someone in the twilight, who could see both the day and the night--would have the power to change things. But her virtue would not be so easily broken. The smuggler had claimed that he did not want to see her idealism broken--and that was partially true--but if Roen truly shared his goal, sooner or later she would have to come around to his way of thinking. It would not be a pleasant transition, but the sooner it happened, the more she would benefit from it.
What was the purpose of all of this? The question he asked himself echoed in his mind. Nero felt that he had to push her. He had to force her to choose, and with this refusal to kill him--indeed, with her attempt to arrest him, with no evidence, no witnesses, nothing that would hold up in Ul'dah's shallow excuse for a justice system--she had chosen. Roen would never willingly walk the same path that Nero did. Despite his insistence that there are some enemies virtue cannot win against, she was determined beyond reason to walk her righteous path.
And yet, what was this feeling of bitterness, of regret? He felt that he had failed. He felt that in some way, failing to push her over the edge was...a misstep. Sooner or later, she will see, came the forlorn thought in his head. In failing to break her idealism early, Nero felt, perhaps egotistically, that he had damned Roen to an immeasurable despair.
Let her have her delusions, then. Let her believe that she could "turn" him from this path. Nero would tell himself that he had done everything he could--as was usual--and that would be that.
The paladin averted her gaze, her brows drawn in thought. "Taeros was going to be my lead. Just the first. He has a large sphere of influence and many contacts. If I can make him turn somehow..." Roen glanced at him. "If he can be convinced to...work for our cause, for his own sake, rather than against us..." she trailed off.
"I already have grounds to put a few Brass Blades under his influence under arrest," the paladin shifted the topic. "It is a slow start...but Broken Nose and I...we were speaking of some kind of reform. From within."
A reform from within the Brass Blades. Ordinarily, Nero would have thought of that was the least amusing joke Roen's ever told, but considering his plans called for something similar, he kept silent.
"This...we need not bring about a bloodbath on the streets, Nero." Roen's voice lowered. A quiet plea to his humanity. "We need not tell the girl in your story that her father has been drowned. We need not tell her that she was going to be caught in a crossfire between Blades and bandits."
Nero clicked his tongue. Her plan wasn't terrible, but it was sorely lacking in the bigger picture. Perhaps it was arrogant to think that she would never succeed without him...but that he could carry out his plans without her. The smuggler recalled her question. What did he expect from her? Why had he agreed to an alliance with her in the first place? Did he truly need someone on the side of the law to aid him? What was preventing him from simply circumventing or dodging the law as he had usually always done?
On a practical level, Nero didn't need her. She had her occasional uses--the list he had jammed in his belt was proof of that--but Roen had naught else to offer him, and yet here he was proposing--even hypothetically--that they join forces again.
Was it merely attraction? That was a possibility, however doubtful. The paladin had a fair, unblemished face. Any noble would be intrigued by her presence in their court. The smuggler briefly tilted his head, trying to imagine Roen wearing a ponytail, an endeavour that was difficult given her fairly close cut. Yet, Nero knew himself well enough to know that he was (probably) not that shallow. There had to be another reason. Roen had no significant coin to speak of. She was not willing to break her virtue. Her conjury might be useful in a pinch, but as a resource she did not hold much value. Not economically, not tactically, and not strategically.
So then...?
Nero clicked his tongue, bringing his attention back to the conversation and shelving away those thoughts from his mind. "Ever the warrior for justice," the smuggler commented. "I am doubtful of your plan, but I will not rule it out completely." He ruled it out completely. Taeros might have his contacts but it didn't change the fact that the noble was just a lapdog to his betters. The Monetarists were like a hydra; simply cutting off one head wouldn't do. To destroy his enemies, he would have to collapse their power base. Ordinarily the smuggler would have pointed these facts out, but Nero was surprisingly no longer interested in prolonging the argument.
"As for my plans...they can be put on hold." Easy to do when one was simply lying about them to begin with. "But like I said..." Nero placed his left hand under her chin, tilting her face up to look directly at him. "Persuade me."
Roen looked him square in the eyes, relief clearly washing over her features. She blinked.
"What reason do I have to stay the course? I can simply take to the sidelines and watch. If you are so confident in yourself, I no longer have a reason to participate. So persuade me." Nero's tone had a daring edge to it.
She blinked thrice more.
"You believe your plans will work out that smoothly. That you can condemn Taeros and his associates within the confines of the system. You believe Broken Nose will be able to reform the Blades from within. As of now, I have no reason to be here in Thanalan. Persuade me," he challenged her again.
Roen inhaled sharply, her eyes narrowing. "I do not need to persuade you. The fact that you are listening, that you know there is a possibility that it can work is enough. Which means you do not have to do what you do not want to do." Her voice became firm. "You want that chance. You want that hope. I know it." The certainty was clear in her affirmation.
Did he? He wasn't sure anymore. When they had first met, Nero had made the claim that he would not begrudge it if justice prevailed in the end, but now he was not so sure. Daegsatz was still in the gaol. Nero himself had sacrificed so much, far more than he would ever tell anyone about, for this. To simply let it be, to abandon those plans, those arrangements...would he be able to do that?
The smuggler felt his advantage in the conversation begin to slip, and that was something he never liked. Instinctively he went to his backup plan.
Nero caressed the paladin's face with his hand. "Miss Deneith, have you ever considered the possibility that it is not hope I desire, but you?" His tone was audacious yet sultry, as if he were attempting to seduce a dragon.
He saw the heat rise in her cheeks and her throat contract in a swallow. Her unpreparedness was obvious in her stiffened stance and wide eyes. "Mister...Lazarov..I.." she stammered. "I do not think you do. I think you are trying to catch me off guard." She lifted her chin defiantly, though she did not pull away from his hand. "You do that...quite well, I am afraid. But I see what you are doing."
"Yet, even when I told you I would not be convinced, I am still here, conversing with you. I'd be long gone if it were anyone else." Nero smirked. "Perhaps I am easier to persuade than you think. The reason you sought me out...is because you don't believe anyone else believes as you do, is that not right?" Nero switched hands, dropping his right only to place his left on the side of her face.
"And the reason I am entertaining this idea is because...I would not do this alone, if I could help it. Change Ul'dah."
Did he really believe in her methods? This tactic was just that: a tactic. It was a way to shift the paladin off balance. Yet now he was claiming to court her--her ideas, to be precise. His plan was flexible to a degree, but did not have room for many allowances.
Roen searched his eyes, seeming conflicted. Her breaths became more shallow but she did not flinch. "No," she replied quietly. "You need not...do this alone. Like...like I said, it is difficult to walk..by yourself."
Nero's gaze softened, the edge in his tone growing more gentle. "And you, Miss Deneith...have you been walking by yourself all this time?"
The paladin blinked, averting her gaze to the wooden planks, a frown creasing her face. She nodded, barely, before turning her attention back to him, narrowing her eyes. "But that is neither here nor there. I have been perfectly fine and capable of...of taking care of myself. Doing what I needed to do."
Nero raised an eyebrow. "I am not suggesting that you are incapable, Roen." It felt odd, using her first name so suddenly. He removed his hand off her face but brought his own face closer. "But..that does not mean you need to be alone in this...nor I."
"That was...what I meant was..." she stammered in response, unable to find the words.
"Persuade me," was all Nero said. His face was now close enough that he could feel her breath, and presumably she could feel his.
Roen exhaled, looking distraught. "Are you just...toying with me, Mister Lazarov...? Because...that is no way to build trust or..."Â
Her discomfort grew apparent enough that Nero merely grinned, and pulled away from her face. "You are right. If I want your trust...then perhaps I shall explain my plan to you. Rest assured that it is not nearly as grim and bloody as I made it out to be."Â
What exactly was his intention in that little episode? He had been toying with her...to an extent, but Nero recognised a part of him that had wanted to push further. The reasonable side of him had pulled back his flirtations, but the fact that some fragment of his mind was even considering something like that was...disconcerting.
The paladin frowned as he pulled away, pressing her lips tightly together. "Fine," she said, her tone flat. "I am glad to hear it." A passing glance was sent towards some nearby barrels as Roen averted her gaze.
Now Nero wondered about her. Where exactly did he stand with her? It was evident that Roen was not used to receiving affection, even if it was facetious, but from her reaction, the smuggler would have called her disappointed. Was he merely projecting? His own emotions were under control, but confused.
He folded his arms, glancing past Roen's head. "Well, as I said, my plan was to hit the Monetarists directly in their power base. Their influence is centralised around the value of gil." There were some awkward pauses between his words, as if he struggled to recall them. "To make a long story short, I was going to strangle Ul'dah through its dependency in imports."
He began to choose his words carefully; explain the goals, not the methods. Explain the effects, but not the cause.Â
Nero's tone became business-like. "Thanalan does not grow a sustainable number of crops or have land for enough ranching animals to feed its population. Much of Ul'dah's essentials come from other city states. I was not planning to starve out the city, per se...but I would force the Monetarists to focus their funds elsewhere. The pirates will choke Ul'dah's sea trade and allow certain companies from Limsa Lominsa to muscle into Thanalan. In addition, I have some plans to force some..pressure onto the luxury goods. Force the nobles to draw so much of their fortune onto themselves and their wealth, enough to take out the knees of their companies, so to speak. Subsequently, conditions will deteriorate to the point where the public will rally against them."
"Thus, the Monetarists will be stuck between a rock and a hard place. The people will demand reform due to shortages and the economic imbalance, and the Monetarists will not be able to buy their way out of the situation if their gil does not reach any of the prospective clients. If it does, the prices given--the prices we give--will be exorbitant enough to drain them dry."
"That would allow myself and my compatriots in turn to arrive under the auspices of the Sultana. We will resupply the city. Discredit the Monetarists, and place the people in firm support of Nanamo ul Namo. Demonstrate that it was not the Monetarist's coin that saved the city, but the Sultana's sovereignty." He noted the paladin's absentminded nod.
Nero waved his hands idly. "We will spout some meaningless nonsense about how the Sultana paid us not with coin but pleaded on behalf of the people, blah blah. She is not the strongest politician, but she will make an excellent figurehead. With the Monetarists sufficiently weakened, Raubahn and the Sultana will have ample grounds to depose the Syndicate, for they will no longer be dependent on the Syndicate's gil. Ul'dah's economy will suffer, undoubtedly, but with time, it can be rebuilt. With time, connections, and many, many favours, Ul'dah can be rebuilt."
The smuggler frowned. "It will not be a peaceful transition. The Sworns will have to take command in the city. This is where your friend Broken Nose comes in. With the Brass Blades no longer having the Syndicate's backing, their authority will crumble. It is my hope that Broken Nose will begin to reform, while the Sworns and the Flames keep order in the city. Once the Blades have been re-organized--hopefully under your friend's authority--then they can be employed as a proper peacekeeping force."
"There will be violence. The bandit gangs are used to dirty gil flowing into their pockets. They will resist...and will need to be taken care of." Nero flexed his fist in the air. "But with the Sworns and the Flames and certain other..cooperative elements, that will be the easiest part. Any damage Ul'dah suffers will serve our cause."
Nero now placed a hand at his hip, the other dangling at his side. "Using funds appropriated from the Monetarist, the Sultana--with some financial advice--can begin to employ the refugees in public works projects and reconstruction. This will grant some reprieve to the people and stabilise the crime rate as these poor souls finally have a source of income. In addition, such funds can be used for things like education. Deposing all of the Monetarist's cronies necessitates having replacements--accountants, merchants, foremen, Brass Blades, and so on. From there, we can say that Ul'dah has a reasonably brighter future."
"There are many details I have left out, but that is a brief scope of the plan," he concluded.
Nowhere did he mention his intentions for Scythe or the Lominsan weapons, but hopefully this would appease her for now.
What was the purpose of all of this? The question he asked himself echoed in his mind. Nero felt that he had to push her. He had to force her to choose, and with this refusal to kill him--indeed, with her attempt to arrest him, with no evidence, no witnesses, nothing that would hold up in Ul'dah's shallow excuse for a justice system--she had chosen. Roen would never willingly walk the same path that Nero did. Despite his insistence that there are some enemies virtue cannot win against, she was determined beyond reason to walk her righteous path.
And yet, what was this feeling of bitterness, of regret? He felt that he had failed. He felt that in some way, failing to push her over the edge was...a misstep. Sooner or later, she will see, came the forlorn thought in his head. In failing to break her idealism early, Nero felt, perhaps egotistically, that he had damned Roen to an immeasurable despair.
Let her have her delusions, then. Let her believe that she could "turn" him from this path. Nero would tell himself that he had done everything he could--as was usual--and that would be that.
The paladin averted her gaze, her brows drawn in thought. "Taeros was going to be my lead. Just the first. He has a large sphere of influence and many contacts. If I can make him turn somehow..." Roen glanced at him. "If he can be convinced to...work for our cause, for his own sake, rather than against us..." she trailed off.
"I already have grounds to put a few Brass Blades under his influence under arrest," the paladin shifted the topic. "It is a slow start...but Broken Nose and I...we were speaking of some kind of reform. From within."
A reform from within the Brass Blades. Ordinarily, Nero would have thought of that was the least amusing joke Roen's ever told, but considering his plans called for something similar, he kept silent.
"This...we need not bring about a bloodbath on the streets, Nero." Roen's voice lowered. A quiet plea to his humanity. "We need not tell the girl in your story that her father has been drowned. We need not tell her that she was going to be caught in a crossfire between Blades and bandits."
Nero clicked his tongue. Her plan wasn't terrible, but it was sorely lacking in the bigger picture. Perhaps it was arrogant to think that she would never succeed without him...but that he could carry out his plans without her. The smuggler recalled her question. What did he expect from her? Why had he agreed to an alliance with her in the first place? Did he truly need someone on the side of the law to aid him? What was preventing him from simply circumventing or dodging the law as he had usually always done?
On a practical level, Nero didn't need her. She had her occasional uses--the list he had jammed in his belt was proof of that--but Roen had naught else to offer him, and yet here he was proposing--even hypothetically--that they join forces again.
Was it merely attraction? That was a possibility, however doubtful. The paladin had a fair, unblemished face. Any noble would be intrigued by her presence in their court. The smuggler briefly tilted his head, trying to imagine Roen wearing a ponytail, an endeavour that was difficult given her fairly close cut. Yet, Nero knew himself well enough to know that he was (probably) not that shallow. There had to be another reason. Roen had no significant coin to speak of. She was not willing to break her virtue. Her conjury might be useful in a pinch, but as a resource she did not hold much value. Not economically, not tactically, and not strategically.
So then...?
Nero clicked his tongue, bringing his attention back to the conversation and shelving away those thoughts from his mind. "Ever the warrior for justice," the smuggler commented. "I am doubtful of your plan, but I will not rule it out completely." He ruled it out completely. Taeros might have his contacts but it didn't change the fact that the noble was just a lapdog to his betters. The Monetarists were like a hydra; simply cutting off one head wouldn't do. To destroy his enemies, he would have to collapse their power base. Ordinarily the smuggler would have pointed these facts out, but Nero was surprisingly no longer interested in prolonging the argument.
"As for my plans...they can be put on hold." Easy to do when one was simply lying about them to begin with. "But like I said..." Nero placed his left hand under her chin, tilting her face up to look directly at him. "Persuade me."
Roen looked him square in the eyes, relief clearly washing over her features. She blinked.
"What reason do I have to stay the course? I can simply take to the sidelines and watch. If you are so confident in yourself, I no longer have a reason to participate. So persuade me." Nero's tone had a daring edge to it.
She blinked thrice more.
"You believe your plans will work out that smoothly. That you can condemn Taeros and his associates within the confines of the system. You believe Broken Nose will be able to reform the Blades from within. As of now, I have no reason to be here in Thanalan. Persuade me," he challenged her again.
Roen inhaled sharply, her eyes narrowing. "I do not need to persuade you. The fact that you are listening, that you know there is a possibility that it can work is enough. Which means you do not have to do what you do not want to do." Her voice became firm. "You want that chance. You want that hope. I know it." The certainty was clear in her affirmation.
Did he? He wasn't sure anymore. When they had first met, Nero had made the claim that he would not begrudge it if justice prevailed in the end, but now he was not so sure. Daegsatz was still in the gaol. Nero himself had sacrificed so much, far more than he would ever tell anyone about, for this. To simply let it be, to abandon those plans, those arrangements...would he be able to do that?
The smuggler felt his advantage in the conversation begin to slip, and that was something he never liked. Instinctively he went to his backup plan.
Nero caressed the paladin's face with his hand. "Miss Deneith, have you ever considered the possibility that it is not hope I desire, but you?" His tone was audacious yet sultry, as if he were attempting to seduce a dragon.
He saw the heat rise in her cheeks and her throat contract in a swallow. Her unpreparedness was obvious in her stiffened stance and wide eyes. "Mister...Lazarov..I.." she stammered. "I do not think you do. I think you are trying to catch me off guard." She lifted her chin defiantly, though she did not pull away from his hand. "You do that...quite well, I am afraid. But I see what you are doing."
"Yet, even when I told you I would not be convinced, I am still here, conversing with you. I'd be long gone if it were anyone else." Nero smirked. "Perhaps I am easier to persuade than you think. The reason you sought me out...is because you don't believe anyone else believes as you do, is that not right?" Nero switched hands, dropping his right only to place his left on the side of her face.
"And the reason I am entertaining this idea is because...I would not do this alone, if I could help it. Change Ul'dah."
Did he really believe in her methods? This tactic was just that: a tactic. It was a way to shift the paladin off balance. Yet now he was claiming to court her--her ideas, to be precise. His plan was flexible to a degree, but did not have room for many allowances.
Roen searched his eyes, seeming conflicted. Her breaths became more shallow but she did not flinch. "No," she replied quietly. "You need not...do this alone. Like...like I said, it is difficult to walk..by yourself."
Nero's gaze softened, the edge in his tone growing more gentle. "And you, Miss Deneith...have you been walking by yourself all this time?"
The paladin blinked, averting her gaze to the wooden planks, a frown creasing her face. She nodded, barely, before turning her attention back to him, narrowing her eyes. "But that is neither here nor there. I have been perfectly fine and capable of...of taking care of myself. Doing what I needed to do."
Nero raised an eyebrow. "I am not suggesting that you are incapable, Roen." It felt odd, using her first name so suddenly. He removed his hand off her face but brought his own face closer. "But..that does not mean you need to be alone in this...nor I."
"That was...what I meant was..." she stammered in response, unable to find the words.
"Persuade me," was all Nero said. His face was now close enough that he could feel her breath, and presumably she could feel his.
Roen exhaled, looking distraught. "Are you just...toying with me, Mister Lazarov...? Because...that is no way to build trust or..."Â
Her discomfort grew apparent enough that Nero merely grinned, and pulled away from her face. "You are right. If I want your trust...then perhaps I shall explain my plan to you. Rest assured that it is not nearly as grim and bloody as I made it out to be."Â
What exactly was his intention in that little episode? He had been toying with her...to an extent, but Nero recognised a part of him that had wanted to push further. The reasonable side of him had pulled back his flirtations, but the fact that some fragment of his mind was even considering something like that was...disconcerting.
The paladin frowned as he pulled away, pressing her lips tightly together. "Fine," she said, her tone flat. "I am glad to hear it." A passing glance was sent towards some nearby barrels as Roen averted her gaze.
Now Nero wondered about her. Where exactly did he stand with her? It was evident that Roen was not used to receiving affection, even if it was facetious, but from her reaction, the smuggler would have called her disappointed. Was he merely projecting? His own emotions were under control, but confused.
He folded his arms, glancing past Roen's head. "Well, as I said, my plan was to hit the Monetarists directly in their power base. Their influence is centralised around the value of gil." There were some awkward pauses between his words, as if he struggled to recall them. "To make a long story short, I was going to strangle Ul'dah through its dependency in imports."
He began to choose his words carefully; explain the goals, not the methods. Explain the effects, but not the cause.Â
Nero's tone became business-like. "Thanalan does not grow a sustainable number of crops or have land for enough ranching animals to feed its population. Much of Ul'dah's essentials come from other city states. I was not planning to starve out the city, per se...but I would force the Monetarists to focus their funds elsewhere. The pirates will choke Ul'dah's sea trade and allow certain companies from Limsa Lominsa to muscle into Thanalan. In addition, I have some plans to force some..pressure onto the luxury goods. Force the nobles to draw so much of their fortune onto themselves and their wealth, enough to take out the knees of their companies, so to speak. Subsequently, conditions will deteriorate to the point where the public will rally against them."
"Thus, the Monetarists will be stuck between a rock and a hard place. The people will demand reform due to shortages and the economic imbalance, and the Monetarists will not be able to buy their way out of the situation if their gil does not reach any of the prospective clients. If it does, the prices given--the prices we give--will be exorbitant enough to drain them dry."
"That would allow myself and my compatriots in turn to arrive under the auspices of the Sultana. We will resupply the city. Discredit the Monetarists, and place the people in firm support of Nanamo ul Namo. Demonstrate that it was not the Monetarist's coin that saved the city, but the Sultana's sovereignty." He noted the paladin's absentminded nod.
Nero waved his hands idly. "We will spout some meaningless nonsense about how the Sultana paid us not with coin but pleaded on behalf of the people, blah blah. She is not the strongest politician, but she will make an excellent figurehead. With the Monetarists sufficiently weakened, Raubahn and the Sultana will have ample grounds to depose the Syndicate, for they will no longer be dependent on the Syndicate's gil. Ul'dah's economy will suffer, undoubtedly, but with time, it can be rebuilt. With time, connections, and many, many favours, Ul'dah can be rebuilt."
The smuggler frowned. "It will not be a peaceful transition. The Sworns will have to take command in the city. This is where your friend Broken Nose comes in. With the Brass Blades no longer having the Syndicate's backing, their authority will crumble. It is my hope that Broken Nose will begin to reform, while the Sworns and the Flames keep order in the city. Once the Blades have been re-organized--hopefully under your friend's authority--then they can be employed as a proper peacekeeping force."
"There will be violence. The bandit gangs are used to dirty gil flowing into their pockets. They will resist...and will need to be taken care of." Nero flexed his fist in the air. "But with the Sworns and the Flames and certain other..cooperative elements, that will be the easiest part. Any damage Ul'dah suffers will serve our cause."
Nero now placed a hand at his hip, the other dangling at his side. "Using funds appropriated from the Monetarist, the Sultana--with some financial advice--can begin to employ the refugees in public works projects and reconstruction. This will grant some reprieve to the people and stabilise the crime rate as these poor souls finally have a source of income. In addition, such funds can be used for things like education. Deposing all of the Monetarist's cronies necessitates having replacements--accountants, merchants, foremen, Brass Blades, and so on. From there, we can say that Ul'dah has a reasonably brighter future."
"There are many details I have left out, but that is a brief scope of the plan," he concluded.
Nowhere did he mention his intentions for Scythe or the Lominsan weapons, but hopefully this would appease her for now.
