June 14th 2013, 5:12 PM
“So the worst part is that I feel like a total idiot,” said Junia. By one of the Titanium Tyrant’s few indulgences in the pleasures of tyranny, the drink slowly cooling between her hands was a ‘large’ coffee, not the ‘vente’ it would have been in most other countries rich enough to have chain coffee shops.
The other person at the table raised a silver eyebrow. “That’s the worst part?”
Tribune Decimus Gallo (he’d been Henry Ndakala forty years ago) wasn’t wearing his uniform. This was unusual; he’d totaled over forty years in Livia’s army without retiring, and forty years in an army is usually enough to turn a man into a fundamentally uniform-wearing sort of man even without Livia’s powers to help him along.
“Well, yeah,” said Junia. “I figured he was in love with me, and I think he is in love with me, as much as he can be in love with anyone.” She sipped her coffee. “But he’s the sort of person who ranks everything he cares about on a list, where everything is ranked from top to bottom and he’ll sacrifice anything lower on the list for the sake of anything higher. I was pretty high on the list, sure. And all that meant was that he was a little sad when he sacrificed me.”
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He didn’t say anything. Just listened.
“See, that’s the thing. Everyone in the world is one of his priorities. They aren’t people, they aren’t other minds walking around, they’re things to be accounted for. Sometimes I think he’s just as much of a monster as Lizzy is. He’s at the center of the world.”
That’s not what fits your Ideal, thought Decimus.
“So you broke up with him.”
“And quit. Kinda loudly.” She scratched the back of her head. “He’s probably not going to have me killed, because it would be stupid, but I’m not exactly going to get any letters of recommendation from him.”
“So, what are you going to do now?”
Junia shrugged. “I’m going to go get another job.” She snickered. “I may not get a recommendation from Steelmind, but I doubt I’ll promote downwards after dicing some of those serum soldiers.”
“There aren’t very many jobs open for captains of the guard,” he said, “but I think there’s a countess who needs an heir.”
“When pigs fly.” Junia’s gaze turned flinty. “Livia’s not a who, she’s a what.”
“Livia is what she has to be to keep us together.” He sighed. “I know you hate her. I know you have good reason to.”
“To say the least.”
“I may not see the day,” he said. “I may well die first. But Livia is the only person in the world with the ability and the devotion to take the legion home to Italy, and she’ll save the country when she returns.” He sipped his tea. “That’s her Ideal. And she’ll break the world to make it so.”
“Yeah,” said Junia. “But she’s still the worst person you’ve ever met.”
“If she’s right, does it matter?”
“It’s the only thing that does.”