For Garrrr

[hybrid_prince]

They call it a gift when they bring it before the throne. Dorrek VIII, young emperor of the Skrull people, barely even bothered to pay any attention to the cloth covered box that was rolled up before the throne. These particular military leaders weren't much of ones that he cared for, and frankly while he was invested in the eventual journey to Earth and conquering it as was his lofty and prophesied fate from long since before he was born, that didn't mean he cared too much about the recon team he had sent. They annoyed him, and sending them to a planet protected by 'heroes' had been meant as a punishment.

The 'gift' to get back into his good graces didn't seem likely to amuse him in any way. There was nothing intriguing about Earth. So the Emperor had ignored their simpering and scrapping before him. It was unbecoming of a Skrull to be anything other than strong and dominating warriors. Still, he cut off their rambling dialog and waved to one of his royal guard. K'lrt, ever the devoted servant, stepped forward and whipped the cloth off.

And Dorrek considered what was presented to him with a raised eyebrow. This, of course, was not what he'd been expected. He hadn't expected a living being.

"Where did you find it?" he asked in Skrull, continuing the conversation in his native tongue.

"It attempted to attack us," one of the generals, who was kneeling out of reach of the cage spoke. "It is more than it seems. Like Skrull, but not."

Intriguing. Dorrek gestured for the clear tank on wheels (with air holes of course), to be rolled closer. Let him better see this prize.

Comments

[garrrr]

"Of course. I told you there were people that do that and you just dismissed it..." Gar frowns a little, the whole not being listened to and dismissed as naive is still sore with him.

"There are other people that are better than me. Maybe I'm tempted to stick around and see if you get any better at kissing..."

It's a really bad joke.

[hybrid_prince]

"Or perhaps you seek to kill me from embarrassment," he mumbles. Because wow, things he wasn't expecting to hear said. "And I cannot fathom myself finding more practice."

[garrrr]

"Well, I'll be around..."

Gar says because he's not going to go back to Earth. There's too much to fight for that he can only fight for here.

[hybrid_prince]

Was that an offer? What a strange thing to suggest. He even wants to ask what in the world Gar is thinking. But that isn't very smart. So he nods and rises from the couch, as if in anticipation of something happening. Which is fair, because there is a knock at the door.

"I believe that is our dinner."

[garrrr]

It is. And Gar wouldn’t have had a good answer really. He doesn’t know what he’s thinking.

“Good,” Gar exhaled ready to eat and he may be feeling a little unsure and off kilter with the whirlwind of the past 10-15 minutes.

[hybrid_prince]

Yeah, it's been pretty intense, hasn't it? Dorrek opens the door and helps someone bring in a cart of food, which he unloads on a table. The two speak together very briefly in Skrull, and there it is. The guy is leaving and that's good enough.

"Join me here?"

[garrrr]

Gar takes the moment that Dorrek is dealing with the food to push his hands through his hair and just take a few deep breaths. Had he done completely insane? He guessed so.

Gar let out a heavy breath before he got up with a smile to join the emperor at the table.

[hybrid_prince]

Completely insane? No. Not yet. But he could. He would. GIve them time and they both might.

But he didn't expect a smile. He didn't need it. He just waits for Gar to join him, holding the seat out for the other man.

[garrrr]

It's a definite possibility.

Dorrek gets a smile anyway and settles down into the seat the other held out for him.

"So, let's make a deal. No arguing about anything over dinner?"

And it'd almost be like a date.

[hybrid_prince]

"What, we're not doing a diplomatic dinner? Alright then, no arguing. But... I don't know what to talk about?"

It wouldn't be like a date. Dorrek's never had a date. Emperors don't date.

[garrrr]

Almost, though.

“You don’t do anything else, really? No games, reading? Movies... plays...”

[hybrid_prince]

Almost is more than he's ever had before. But he sits himself and starts filling his plate. No reason to stand on formality here.

"I read reports and evaluations, does that count? And sometimes plays, when they are presented specifically for the enjoyment of the Emperor..."

His life is constant work. And he hates it.

[garrrr]

"No, none of that counts," Gar shakes his head and he's quietly setting about getting food otherwise. He feels a little lost. What do they talk about when they're not arguing? It's really most of what they had ever done even when Dorrek was being kind to him.

[hybrid_prince]

“Tell me about movies in your world then?”

He definitely wants to learn something less... combative.

[garrrr]

Gar looks up at Dorrek, raising a brow at the question. He laughs then as he shovels some food into his mouth.

"Have you seen any before?" he asks first.

[hybrid_prince]

“Never,” Dorrek admits, and he eats a bit more daintily. “The Skrull have forgotten the arts.”

[garrrr]

"That's unfortunate... the arts are important," Gar says and he really believes that. He did swallow his food before he talked, though.

[hybrid_prince]

"Once... my people were peaceful. We created art, we made peace, we helped other races find truth in the stars," Dorrek admits, and he looks ashamed to say that. Or, perhaps, ashamed that the time has passed.

[garrrr]

He wonders why Dorrek looks that way but he doesn't ask because he's not sure he wants to know the answer.

"Why can't they still?

[hybrid_prince]

"That was... millenia ago. We've forgotten it all. What the Kree haven't destroyed that is."

[garrrr]

"So start again..." Gar furrows his brow as he keeps eating.

[hybrid_prince]

"That... isn't just something you can dictate, Gar. Many, many generations ago, we used to go to other races who had achieved space flight. We offered them our technology and knowledge, we offered to help lift them up. On Hala, the homeworld of my father, they didn't like that it was the other sentient species of their planet that our knowledge would be gifted to. They killed the Skrull delegation, stole our tech, and killed the other race on their planet. And we didn't know. The diplomats were gone for long periods quite regularly. We didn't know until they started attacking our colony worlds. And so a war of millenia began."

And they lost so much in hte process.

[garrrr]

Gar sighs.

"So you're not willing to try and think of ways to? It is something you can help guide to happen. You're the super powerful great emperor and whatever so you choose what's important."

[hybrid_prince]

"I... don't even know what art would look like. I wouldn't know how to guide it. I don't know. The culture is so forgotten."

And it hurts. to think of all they lost.

[garrrr]

Gar sighs. "Don't you think it's worth trying to figure it out...?"