CaptainMcNoob
[Pending]
To say Godric wasn't paying much attention to the negotiations was an understatement, he was paying them no attention. Wasn't completely his fault, he had no interest in them as he held no power here. Nothing he said or did could benefit Astagorn or his daughter, only harm them, so he decided to do what he did best, Nothing. He did what he could to look attentive, looking at each person as they spoke, stroking the rough hair on his beard, but his mind.. his mind was adrift, sailing on nothing in particular. It was the voice of lust that cut through the haze, but it wasn't truly her voice, no, it was a name. Kharn.
Godric's eyes jumped to the figure that had joined, the man who killed his son. It was a curious feeling, as it was the first time it happened, the unfamiliar sensation of hate. A raw, primal feeling that threatened to overwhelm him. He wasn't used to such surges of emotion, even the love he held for his wife had been a soft-burning flame, one that never went out but never ignited his soul like this. For all the good it would do, Godric wanted to kill Kharn, and when he apologized, it only incised him more. What did he knew of it? Did he even understand what he was apologizing for? Had he ever loved someone like he loved his son? No... He did not know the love of a father. None of them did. Not pride in his ego, not greed who saw them as tools... They did not love their children. They did not watch them grow up, did not change their undergarments, kiss the scab on their knee when they fell.. they did not hold them when they cried after being rejected by their first love. Feel the rush of love and pride when their child surpassed them.
His jaw tightened until he was certain his teeth would shatter, a part of him understood that his son died in battle, a place where many sons had died. He knew that his son had killed other men's sons and that, out there, somewhere, there were fathers and mothers cursing his name and wanting to kill Godric for taking away their children. But it didn't matter. Only the pain did. Only the loss. Only the hate. Deep in his soul, Sloth knew one fact, he would always hate Kharn. He may be able to push it aside it, in a thousand years, he may even be able to ignore it or forget it, but it would always be there, his hate.
But what could he do? Kill Kharn.. and then what? Kharn would be back. The nations would plunge back into war, thousands of mothers and fathers would lose their children, but he wanted to. It would do no good. It would change nothing, he would feel just as empty after, Godric knew this, but still he wouldn't to see Kharn die, or better, to feel the same pain that Godric felt... But he never would, so Godric did what he did best. He did nothing.
Asha closed her eyes and took a moment to herself before speaking. She didn't know why she expected Greed and his Slave Empire to have been willing to give, the very idea of 'giving' was far to beyond Greed's capable to understand which is why it had struck her so much when he hadn't opposed that. Of course, she wasn't sure what the point of waiting till later to say he wasn't okay with it served, but she supposed it should have been assumed, "I'm sure they did," Asha said, her voice even and neutral, "I'm sure they weren't threatened or sent to one of your various camps, and, of course, that your.... records can be trusted and present unbiased information," she didn't need to say what those camps were, most people knew of them... nor their constant need of referring to themselves as 'second to none', if she was more... spiteful, she would infer they were compensating for something.
Envy.. surprised Asha, but unlike Greed, it wasn't false. It seemed he has preformed a complete turn of his earlier stance on her proposition. She wasn't sure if he would do it again, flip flop between supporting and fighting, but for now it was worth something, "Of course, my Lord," Asha said, inclining her head to the adviser of Aurus, "This discussion, if allowed to progress, could take.. awhile, but Astagorn is committed to returning prisoners and land regardless of what direction this goes," which was easy enough as it was something the High Council had settled on before she had come. Asha gave Seraphim a nod to his apology, but did not speak of it. It happened, it was addressed, it was apologized for, there was no need to draw more attention to it especially as Seraphim was a likely ally for her cause.
Of course, Greed's estimate of human life ruffled her as it always did, but she didn't expect much else from a man who used his children as he did. One of the few things she was happy with her own father for was he was a father... Even if she had not said as much lately. But despite Lust's insistence for her to continue, in which Asha had planned to underline why her idea of an organization did not work if land was not given back, the words died in her throat when Wrath arrived. Kharn, the man who killed her brother.
Emotions ran through her, but it did not surface on her face, no, not Asha did not allow herself to show such weakness, she was too trained, too disciplined, too used to life of hiding them. But it didn't stop. Wrath apologized. Here. Of all places. She was torn into different pieces, some of those wanted to throw herself at wrath.. for all the good it would not do, part of her wanted to scream, part to crumble onto the ground and cry, and another to throw herself at her father and cry in his arms like she did when she was a child.
"I... move for a brief recess, if that is fine with everyone?" Asha asked to give herself time to recover, to let the sins and virtues speak to each other if they desired and, well, to check on her father.