A short story written by the scriptwriter for Tales of the Abyss. It's time for Peony one break of the day, which means its vent all his frustrations to his rappigs.
The waterclock in the office chimed for 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Peony flew out of his chair and ran for the door, ignoring the disapproving glares from his secretary and chamberlain. Just then, various knocks echoed through Peony’s cheek, which was pressed up against the door.
“Hold tight, I’m going as fast as I can!”
As he spoke, he burst open the door. Beyond those double doors were four rappigs, snorting away without a care.
“Nephry! Aslan! Jade! Saphir! Come here!”
Peony welcomed them with arms wide open. They all charged towards him, tiny legs flailing about. He’s tackled to the floor, all while cradling his babies in his arms.
“Whoa-ho-ho! Aren’t we lively today? Aww, were you lonely without me? Papa’s here now!”
As the emperor gave each and every rappig a kiss on their little heads, the secretary and chamberlain simply slumped over in defeat. Peony turned and glared at them with disdain.
“What are you still doing here? This is my one and only break and I’ve only got 15 minutes. Everyone clear out!”
Had you only heard the voice, it would have sounded like an absolute order from a dignified ruler, but pair that with the visuals of him rolling around the floor covered in rappigs and it loses some of its impact… However, his subordinates understood that this was just par for the course and gave a respectful nod as they took their leave.
“Yeesh...”
Peony picked himself up, rappig still in his arms as he nuzzled his face into its fur.
“Papa’s sooo tired…”
The two rappigs he currently had held in a headlock let out displeased squeals.
“Hey, what’s the matter? Oh, it’s just Jade and Saphir at it again.”
Peony let them go free, and they started sniffing around the office. By the chair he just so carelessly knocked over, he spied a lovely little rappig.
“Nephry! There you are!”
Peony picked up the little piggy, skillfully put the chair back with just his foot, and took a seat. Nephry laid quietly upon Peony’s lap, belly facing up. Even rappigs will expose their tummies to trusted humans and ask for scritches. Peony gently stroked his beloved rappig’s tummy, following the grain of her coat just as requested, of course.
“Hey, Nephry? Being an emperor's tough work. I hardly have time to spend with my little darling, and there’s always a mountain of work to do…”
Peony turned his gaze to the pile of documents littering his desk. Just the thought of having to sign so many was enough to make you want to cry.
“See, look at this! They expect me to read the whole thing and sign off on it by the end of the day. Are they devils or what?! Well, not so much as Jade, at least.”
Just then, the rappig Jade who’d been sniffing around the chair let out a panicked snort. Peony's expression softened as he petted Jade on the head.
“Ah! No, not you! Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I meant the not-so-cute Jade. It must be kinda confusing, so let’s just call him “that four-eyed creep.”
Jade let out an oink, seemingly in agreement.
That four-eyed creep still hasn’t contacted me! How long has it been since he took off to Kimlasca with my letter? Everyone’s saying he went and died... Pfft, yeah right. You couldn’t kill him even if you tried. Isn’t that right, Jade?”
“Oink!”
“Exactly! So basically, my workload keeps piling up because he’s always taking his sweet time to report back. All the while I’m being pressured by parliament, not to mention my best friend has up and vanished and I’m so worried sick I don’t even feel like working! Well, those are the excuses I have to make so I actually have the time to get anything done…
“Oink…”
“I know, it’s all that four-eyed creep’s fault, isn’t it? My ever increasing workload, getting hungry, heck, even why the sky is blue–it’s all his fault!”
As he sat there petting Nephry and complaining away, he noticed her collar had gotten dirty. He froze mid-pat and gazed intently at her collar. It was crafted from the finest leather and encrusted in jewels. Nephry’s in particular is adorned with a 15 carat topaz, and it was exactly that gem that had a black smear on it.
“Oink?”
Nephry looked up at Peony, puzzled, as he gently placed his fingers upon the topaz.
“You really are the sweetest little thing, aren’t you Nephry?”
Mumbling to himself, with a dour expression he grabbed the topaz and flipped it over. With a small clicking sound, the locket popped open, revealing a small piece of paper hidden inside. He took out the paper, nonchalantly humming all the while.
“There’s a traitor among your staff. Please remain vigilant while the investigation is underway.” The hastily written note was from Frings, who Peony had great trust in.
“Seriously… It ain't easy being emperor…”
With a grumble he scrunched up the paper and tossed it to Saphir, who swiftly gobbled up the paper with delight. Peony set Nephry down as he stood up. He walked over to the rappig seemingly guarding the door and kneeled down beside it. Incidentally, that one just so happened to be named after Frings himself.
“Hey, Aslan. On guard duty again today? What a clever little boy.”
As he pet him, he reached for the turquoise on his collar, turning in exactly 180 degrees. This was his secret way of communicating with his most trusted subordinates. Ever since taking the throne, he’s made many enemies trying to achieve peace with the kingdom of Kimlasca. He was never truly safe, not even within his own palace’s walls.
“But you don’t want to be too clever for your own good. Take me for example, I’m smart, well-versed in martial arts and handsome to boot, but that only makes other's jealous.”
“Oink!”
“Heh, I knew you’d get me, Aslan.”
As he scooped the rappig up in his arms, there was another knock at the door.
“What now?! I’m busy spending time with my precious babies!”
“Your Majesty, your break is almost over. You have a meeting with the National Defense Committee in 30 minutes.”
“Yeah yeah, I hear you.”
Peony gave each rappig one last kiss and cuddle before walking out the door. Just outside the office, the secretary and chamberlain stood with solemn looks on their faces. They must have heard every word, but still have the gall to pretend they didn’t. Don’t they ever question their beliefs of what qualities truly make for a fine emperor?
“...Nah, I'm probably just working them too hard.”
The two looked shocked at the words that just left his mouth.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking the palace must be a tough place to work.”
Peony placed a hand on the chamberlain's shoulder as he walked by, only to receive an awkward “Umm…” From his perspective, there was no way the chamberlain would ever dare to try something like betraying the emperor. But still, there was always a chance. He may appear to be nothing more than a kind old man, but you never know. He could be the one plotting the rebellion. Noticing Peony’s gaze upon him, the chamberlain spoke with great trepidation.
“I-Is there something on my face, Your Majesty?”
“Hmm… nope. I was just thinking about getting another rappig soon, but I haven’t decided on the name yet. Say, let’s hear yours, why don’t we?”
“S-Surely you jest, Your Majesty! Such an honor would be wasted on someone such as myself…”
“Not into the idea?”
“N-No, I’d never say such a thing…”
“Relax. I’m not mad or anything. I know you’ve had it rough, too.”
Even if he may be innocent, should a traitor among his ranks be uncovered, they will surely face severe punishment.
“But of course, no one’s got it worse than me. I’m putting in an order that starting tomorrow, my rappig break is extended to 20 minutes!”
With this parting gift, Peony strolled with a smug grin on his face.
