TO DAZZLING DARKNESS, scraps

06 | Intrigue

Author's note:

The following are a series of drabbles and oneshots that concern Leo Whitefang and Daryl from Guilty Gear.

Writing disjointed drabbles between them has been a good source of practice- especially since I've been out of it for a while.
There is an implied timeskip between 6.2 and 6.3 of a few days.

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06.1 | A thought - Peace of the Lion and the Scholar

"Don't you think that's a bit much?"

"What's a bit much? I see nothing wrong with it... if anything, this is what I do on a daily basis."

"I knew you would say that," the second king said as he studied the hastily filled in agenda. "I have not the slightest idea how you enjoy doing this, let alone on a daily basis."

"Enjoy?" Daryl stifled a laugh, noting Leo's serious tone. "No one enjoys this kind of work. Trust me, if I could, I'd leave this for someone else to take care of. It just so happens that this 'someone else' is us. Let's not waste any more time, now- this stack here isn't shrinking anytime soon."

06.2 | In the dark - Confrontation between the Lion and the Scholar

In the dim silence of the castle's halls, Daryl found himself drawn to the faint light of the second king's office. And despite Leo's protests for him to leave, he found himself inside the large, opulent room long enough to finally get a word out.

"I didn't expect you to be here so late, Whitefang. Still have paperwork to finish, I presume?"

"...I just finished."

Daryl continued on, displeased with Leo's answer. "Finished? Well, you haven't submitted it yet." His eyes scanned the stack of papers on the desk. "Or even started, to say the least."

"What do you actually want, Daryl?" With a scowl, Leo stood up, preparing himself in case the need to get confrontational arose. "If you don't need anything of importance, then leave-"

"Something is bothering you," the third king replied, unwavering. "Am I wrong about that?"

Leo tensed up, processing his fellow king's words. "Yes. Yes you are."

"It doesn't sound like it, but perhaps your idea of 'wrong' is different." Daryl replied as he shifted to block the doorway. "Tell me, Leo- are you willing to-"

"What does it matter to you?" Leo said through gritted teeth as he pushed Daryl aside and stormed out of the room.

The third king let out a sigh as he trailed behind his equal in an attempt to prolong the conversation. "Do you expect us as a collective to get anything done without proper communication?" Leo stopped in his tracks, now seeming to listen. "You're forgetting that there's three of us leading this kingdom. None of us can truly prosper in isolation... the High King himself included. Which is why I'm asking you this directly: what is bothering you?"

"It's... regarding the-" Leo hesitated, but eventually recovered, returning to his defensive state. "Actually, I don't want to concern you with-"

"Your 'survivor's guilt', perhaps?"

Leo did not respond, instead continuing through the moon-illuminated corridor. That was all the third king needed to see.

"Oh, that's it. The one thing neither of us can control." Daryl said, his tone softening as the distance between them increased. "I'm only making it worse if I keep at it... however, if I may-"

"Make it quick."

"Even if you were to die and your men were to live, does it really matter who dies in the end if they are united for the same cause?"

06.3 | Camaraderie - Downtime of the Lion and the Scholar

"I'm starting to understand you a bit more, Leo."

The second king leaned forward, overcome with intrigue. "Go on."

"When we first met," Daryl paused for a moment, lost in thought as he shifted around in his seat. "I found you... pretentious, to say the least. I condemned most of your actions in private." He motioned to the almost-empty bottle of wine between them. "Are you going to finish that?"

"You take it."

With a coy laugh, the third king poured the remaining wine into his glass and took a sip. "Anyways, I suppose the whole ordeal at G4 has given me a change of heart. You don't really know someone until you see them under pressure."

"...Right," Leo said under his breath. His eyes scanned Daryl, who- either through letting his guard down or through intoxication, and at this point, the second king couldn't tell- seemed to be much more relaxed than usual. Too relaxed. Trying to mask his discomfort, he straightened up and tried to avoid eye contact. "It's getting quite late, isn't it?"

"It wouldn't hurt to retire for the night," Daryl stood up, his face flushing red in a brief moment of disorientation. "This was certainly an enlightening experience. Thank you, Leo."