"…do try not to disappoint them, hm?" @aidcneus's voice hums at his side. the exarch does not answer at first. only the slight tightening of his grip upon his staff marks acknowledgment. then, from beneath the cowl, his gaze turns. a foreign presence hangs in the air—- a mingling of smoke and dark florals, warm, spiced, and wholly out of place.
"if disappointment is your concern, you've been its most reliable source for some time," he says with thinly-veiled irritation. for better or worse, the ascian has a way of drawing it out of him; an emotion he is hard-pressed to keep in check as of late. he fully faces him. "...tell me, emet-selch—- when exactly did you decide that becoming the cause of disappointment made you qualified to warn others against it?" his head inclines. "you speak as though it is a warning. as though i ought to take counsel from the one who has made disappointment his constant companion."
"i do not doubt your experience in the matter. on the contrary... i find it rather extensive. however," his hand, still of spoken blood, rises in a brief, almost theatrical gesture, "experience alone does not grant understanding." he looks once more to the crystal glass, away from that gilded stare of his. "you have had millennia to become accustomed to the consequences of your choices. i have had only enough time to ensure i do not repeat them."
