by Glenn » Wed May 09, 2012 3:16 pm
"Oh, Stefan." A little laugh, perhaps the sharpest sheer emotion the magician had seen out of the Governor. He went so far as to rub at his eyes, the smile still upon his cheeks. "Oh, Stefan. Let me put it this way, to begin. There is no one else I think I would rather speak about this than you. I don't think anyone else would understand. You do not, as of yet, but I am confident you will."
Another little swish of the wine in the glass, a little swish and then a larger one, quicker and more dangerous, the liquid rising perilously to the top, but always just missing spilling over. "Humanity. In this land of monsters and downtrodden, of desperate men and the truly unthinkable, no one is more human than I." The smile remained but his tone was steady now. "Polish. That is a very good word, Stefan, very good, for that is what I am, polished. Precise, exact. One cannot govern Myrken without control, over them, over myself, over eventualities far and wide and horrific. So, I have... excesses and urges, and I control them."
He spoke on, his teeth strikingly white as he smiled. "I am a student, ultimately, of human nature, of monsters, of Myrken. This is my life's work, and I know what our dear province needs better than anyone. It is my life to know just that, and my calling to make sure it comes to be, but occasionally, occasionally I am stricken by that same fever as all the others here. Oh, we have been through so very much. It is as you said. The tarnish under the polish. And I hold it back, the beast inside, the Wood. I control it, and sometimes, Stefan, sometimes, it builds up and MUST be respected, must be... catered to." For such strong words, he was the definition of calm, hardly feral at all. This was simply matter-of-fact. "What makes me stand out is that unlike Bromn or Helstone, when I have such urges, I direct them towards the good of Myrken, the good of MY Myrken." Again, nothing wild. Instead just focused, Firm.
"And Stefan," The swishing ended now, and he took a very long sip of that wine. "This has built up so much. Now, now I must do something for myself, and for My Myrken. Shall you hear it?" A lapse, but one that he would control as best he could, that he would minimize the damage of and maximize the benefit. "Tell me, Councilor. What do you know of Golben?"