deux: it must be done

[untamedantinous]

Enjolras has not held a musket since the barricades. However, there's no time like the present. Through trial and error and various annoyed thoughts directed to the closet in his rooms, he has found one that will suffice. It feels ...strange, to have one in his hands again, to know that not so long ago he had held one and killed more than once with it. But he is pushing aside any lingering apprehensions he may have and heading outside to the shooting range some helpful person had set up in the recent past. Perhaps no one will bother him here, he hopes, it is fairly far afield; and the whole purpose he has will make it difficult to have any conversations.

The slight tension in his shoulders may belie his earlier anxiety, but it has not affected his aim as of yet. Should anyone follow the sounds of gunfire, they will find Enjolras as well, loading, firing, and reloading his musket with some determination.

Comments

[protagonisthalo]

Enjolras' acceptance of his warning pleases Luo Binghe. For some reason, people have been all too eager to take Claudius' side in their conflict, but it looks like this man is more sensible.

A man who maintains his weaponry without any obvious dangers around is either a trained soldier or paranoid, and as a notoriously paranoid person himself, Luo Binghe is intrigued. "You had need of it where you came from, then?"

[untamedantinous]

Claudius is charming. Enjolras is charming, too, but capable of being terrible. Perhaps that is why.

"Well, I did come from a battle, so yes. This one is not mine, I only found it here, but I needed to get outside."

[protagonisthalo]

"You came directly from a battle? What was the conflict?"

[untamedantinous]

“From my death, in fact, yes.” He settles his musket on the ground beside him.

“My brothers and I were involved in a revolt against the monarchy.” He may as well say it plainly, he is not ashamed of it in the slightest.

[protagonisthalo]

Ha. A revolutionary who has no idea that he's speaking to an emperor. The irony amuses him. He's not remotely threatened by this; he has no objection to people rising up against power, as long as he is not the power. Luo Binghe himself has deposed a number of kings. "Unsuccessful, it seems."

[untamedantinous]

"Did the death give it away," drily. "It was at the time, yes, but in the end we did win out after all." Enjolras does not, in theory, have quarrels with emperors that are not of France, or that have no power in a place where power cannot be had. Should that change, of course, and should he find out Luo Binghe's status, that may also change.

[protagonisthalo]

"Indulge my curiosity. What were the king's faults, that made you rise against him?"

[untamedantinous]

"A number of things, but firstly: our revolution was stolen from us, we wanted a republic but got another king instead, who had the same faults as the last. He did nothing to change the status quo, people were dying of illness in the streets from bad water, and he sat and did nothing when our last hope for progress died."

[protagonisthalo]

"What is a republic?" His interest is piqued.

[untamedantinous]

"It is a system of government in which the head of state is elected by the people, not placed there by divine providence or a hostile takeover or anything like that. It is what my friends and I died for, and I have been told that France is a republic in whatever time it is that M. Magnus came from." He could go on for ages if Binghe would let him, but for now, he will keep it mostly succinct.

[protagonisthalo]

Luo Binghe laughs. "That seems unstable. Couldn't a powerful enough man simply defeat the elected leader, and establish himself as king?"

[untamedantinous]

Enjolras purses his lips at that. "Indeed. In an ideal world, one would not have factions within the republic tearing it apart from the inside, either; but one does learn from ones' mistakes, in theory." Not that he was even in existence for the first republic, but he's done his reading.

"And in any case, it is not like this hypothetical republic would be unguarded, armies exist whether or not there is a king in charge of a country. Men are more inclined to fight for their own glory and honor of their country, rather than a king's whom they have likely never seen and has never thought about them even once."

[protagonisthalo]

"A strong leader would unite the factions, and command the respect of the army. Perhaps no one in your world has the type of power I mean." If Enjolras is from one of those worlds without demons, this makes a little more sense. Luo Binghe could see humans allowing someone to take charge of them based on nothing more than an election and some ingrained sense of propriety, but no demon would respect a leader they didn't believe could kill them. "Tell me, what thinking species inhabit your world? Humans alone?"

[untamedantinous]

"One tried," Enjolras replies curtly. "He tried to name himself Emperor of all of Europe, but he was exiled and is long dead. He was a man who served in the military of my country during the First Republic." He does not really wish to go into the specifics of Buonaparte here with Luo Binghe, if Pontmercy were present, surely Marius could do so with abandon. But Enjolras is steadily growing more reserved, the longer this conversation goes on. "Yes, there are only humans, to my knowledge."

[protagonisthalo]

"If it were me, I would not be defeated," Luo Binghe says smugly. "In my own world, I united both the human and demon realms under my reign. Strength is the only true currency of value, because neither honor nor ideals can conquer it. I should like to see how your Emperor of all Europe could match with me in one-on-one combat."

[untamedantinous]

Enjolras bristles a little, and his tone is suddenly very cold and precise. "He is not my emperor. My home would do perfectly well without him, France does not need an emperor to make her great. She is great because she is France. You may have your fight with Buonaparte if you wish it, I do not care in the slightest."

[protagonisthalo]

"Obviously. You mentioned he was dead," Luo Binghe says, unbothered. "Let me know if he shows up here, then. I hear being dead is no obstacle."