I'm already dealing with one emperor who wants to kill me, but I'll add you to the pile.
But I will say this: someone who does show their face, no matter how many enemies they have, and still manages to remain upright and breathing? That says a lot more about their competence and skill than any amount of posturing from the shadows. You seem to rely on not being found out; I don't need to. I've never needed to. And I'm still here.
Give that some thought, whether or not I see you again. And tell your associate sorry about the eyes.
[That last one is a shot in the dark, but not as much of one as it might seem. Claude's playing with more cards in his hand than he cared to let on any sooner. Dirk he's spoken to in person; he very much doubts this man is him, or that Dirk would really threaten to kill a friend of Jane's. (Especially a friend of Jane's who knows compromising information about Dirk.) The man who'd threatened to break Claude's wrist...well, by now, Claude's received a very obvious message from the Indeedees about him, where he'd claimed to like Claude and had been entirely grandstanding in his own threats. As far as Claude can tell, the notes from the Indeedees are honest thoughts skimmed unbidden from people's minds, so there's no need to fear deception there. And the woman Claude had run into...well, Claude eliminated her from consideration by subtly threading statements about speaking to a man into his remarks to this guy, and they'd passed without any remark or mockery as to Claude's barking up the wrong tree. Claude's not sure this guy could have passed up an opportunity to gloat, if Claude had come up with an openly wrong theory. Plus, of course, 'emperor' is traditionally a masculine title, even if Edelgard personally is bucking convention in that regard.
And this man obviously doesn't sound like the pink-haired guy Claude encountered, who's the fourth and final Rocket Claude encountered during the holiday raid. But the boy had talked to someone in Claude's presence about Claude, hadn't he? It's not too wild of a guess to think that this is the mystery man Doppio had been communicating with. Doppio may even have pointed Claude's pictures out to him.
And, of course, if he happens to be wrong - and assuming the man responds - Claude can assess how he reacts. He might get something revealing out of even a mistaken guess.]
no subject
But I will say this: someone who does show their face, no matter how many enemies they have, and still manages to remain upright and breathing? That says a lot more about their competence and skill than any amount of posturing from the shadows. You seem to rely on not being found out; I don't need to. I've never needed to. And I'm still here.
Give that some thought, whether or not I see you again. And tell your associate sorry about the eyes.
[That last one is a shot in the dark, but not as much of one as it might seem. Claude's playing with more cards in his hand than he cared to let on any sooner. Dirk he's spoken to in person; he very much doubts this man is him, or that Dirk would really threaten to kill a friend of Jane's. (Especially a friend of Jane's who knows compromising information about Dirk.) The man who'd threatened to break Claude's wrist...well, by now, Claude's received a very obvious message from the Indeedees about him, where he'd claimed to like Claude and had been entirely grandstanding in his own threats. As far as Claude can tell, the notes from the Indeedees are honest thoughts skimmed unbidden from people's minds, so there's no need to fear deception there. And the woman Claude had run into...well, Claude eliminated her from consideration by subtly threading statements about speaking to a man into his remarks to this guy, and they'd passed without any remark or mockery as to Claude's barking up the wrong tree. Claude's not sure this guy could have passed up an opportunity to gloat, if Claude had come up with an openly wrong theory. Plus, of course, 'emperor' is traditionally a masculine title, even if Edelgard personally is bucking convention in that regard.
And this man obviously doesn't sound like the pink-haired guy Claude encountered, who's the fourth and final Rocket Claude encountered during the holiday raid. But the boy had talked to someone in Claude's presence about Claude, hadn't he? It's not too wild of a guess to think that this is the mystery man Doppio had been communicating with. Doppio may even have pointed Claude's pictures out to him.
And, of course, if he happens to be wrong - and assuming the man responds - Claude can assess how he reacts. He might get something revealing out of even a mistaken guess.]