In The Hall of the Mountain King (MK)

[Nemesis]

December 27th
Libson, Portugal
Bahbem Estate
5:55 PM

It had been a most troubling Christmas for Louise Zi Britannia and her (now self-appointed) firm right hand. The loss of Lemuel to the foul Mulians was being kept tightly under wraps - but for how long, none could say in the age of instant transmit of information. Nevertheless, with Rose's firm guiding grip on her shoulder, the Princess had been practically wheeled onto a plane towards the only lead the two had:

That of the man called "Methuselah". When the call had been placed - without much hope, at that - there had been only the slightest of delays on the other end of the line before a voice had responded, pleasantly:

"He's been expecting you."

---

"Princess."

The door of the limousine creaked open, the enormous, European style manor nestled away on the edges of Lisbon towering overhead, as a gloved hand was offered to her, helping her out into the dim evening light.

Rose gave her a reassuring squeeze, and a faint smile. Since her arrival, she'd shed much of her previous almost tomboyish demeanor, dressing in the finery of a Britannian uniform, and carrying herself with the grace and dignity one might expect of her office. And yet, in those steely eyes glimmered the same blazing fire as ever, undimmed, shackled, but in no way tamed - a side that made itself known whenever the subject of retaliation came to mind.

"How are you feeling?" Asked the former Reclaimer, glancing at the surroundings.

To say it was markedly different from the pastel buildings that dotted the town was an understatement. Yet here, the streets were clean, the air fresh, the people happy - all due to the contributions of the Foundation and its deep, deep coffers. To say they were out of their element was a slight understatement, and yet...

There was doubtlessly something familiar about the place.

 

[MKR]

Louise peered out of the shaded window of the limousine, everything about her prettied up as if nothing had happened. As if it hadn't been her fault that Lemuel was missing, her gaze was not aimed at anything in specific just.. going elsewhere the horizon, the sea, home, where he was. Her stomach swirled at the thought, reflexively she flipped open the storage in the middle of the wall before her.

It would keep her going, just a little longer... just a little longer. After the pills within were on a downwards tract through her throat the door opened, the little cabinet closed as Louise li Britannia took the hand of the one who had been her pillar these past two days. A shore on which she could anchor herself.
Meekly the princess exited the vehicle, in contrast to the blazing inferno with which Dahlia, no Rose, looked out on the world hers were meek. It was unlike the glance given by the young royal glad to arrive to a new prospective territory, unlike that of the inexperienced warrior who had fought alongside her.

It veritably took the worst of all Louise's sides and beamed them out to the world, like the warrior she looked for guidance and like the royal she had only those with her. With the disaster at Orphan her father was of no help, having seen this coming from a mile away or at least claiming to while the one she would usually turn to in her hours of need, her childhood friend and nephew was missing. Like a meek lamb being herded.

"Just fine Rose, thank you for asking." She blatantly lied with a forced smile, she could not bear Rose thinking less of her. Not when she was all she had left. "We shouldn't leave our host waiting, kindly lead the way." She followed. Her focus returning to her as the medication kicked in, she would need it in the hours to come she figured after all they were expected, not merely allowed to arrive and visit.

 

[Nemesis]

Rose's eyes flicked to the storage compartment... but, she said nothing. An unfortunate necessity, a temporary crutch. She knew in her heart that Louise Zi Britannia would rise to the occasion. The blood in her veins was not one of a coward or a weakling. Before her was a diamond in the rough. It merely needed time, attention... polish.

She bowed her head slightly, and accordingly, led them up the long pathway to the manor's entrance. As they did, Magnolia's head peered up over Rose's collar, watching Louise with those small, beady eyes full of far more intelligence than any ordinary mammal - though what emotion it seemed to have was uncertain. The ex-Reclaimer jogged up the last set of stairs to the large doors, inlaid with gold, and reached for the handle, saying as she did:

"After you, my l-"

However-

The door suddenly swung out, wide and fast, almost knocking Rose free as it slammed back on its hinges. A young man with tanned skin, and an irritable scowl on his features stepped through the doorway, glaring in fiery contempt at the two of them as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Watch where you're going, whore." Growled Gavriel as he sauntered out. He reeked of smoke, and the bags under his eyes indicated an even greater level of irritation than usual, as a foul mood drove him from the Bahbem estate like an exorcised spirit.

Rose leered at his back, causing him to pause as she rounded angrily upon him.

"Excuse me?" She said, anger rising in her voice:

"How dare you address-"

A derisive laugh interrupted her, as Gavriel shrugged his shoulders.

"Did I stutter?" He asked, before turning his attention fully to Louise.

He looked her up and down... and gave a sigh of disappointment. Not even worth his time. Even so, he could feel Rose's glare on his head as he stopped, leaning over to the Princess' shoulder, saying casually:

"Hey blondie, you look like the top here: Keep your bitch there on a leash. I don't want to get whatever fleas she's got. Know what I mean?"

There was a callous chuckle behind his words, as he slapped a hand onto her shoulder and a gave a wide grin that looked for all in the world like a bear-trap's teeth.

 

[MKR]

As the door swung open Louise gasped audibly, what came after left her borderline speechless as she blinked at this boy? man? as he first fired back at Rose and then got uncomfortably close. The princess for her part began making some distance between the two, not eager to be in close company to the rude individual who reeked of smoke.

The look of displeasure on her features was apparent as the rude boy kept rattling on, adding insult after insult. Whore? Bitch? Flees? She took a step past him as he grinned, this man made her uncomfortable. In the same way that finding an old magazine filled with content that was okay at the time but now would never pass did. The sleeze and insults flowed off of him as much as the stench did.

"What? You are?" She responded at first interrupting herself, looking at Rose and despite her mentality full well knowing that things could come to blows if she did not step in. Given they were here as guests and she had no idea who this was, some employee or perhaps test by Bahbem she took caution. Not eager to see them kicked out or worse, so instead she moved past him.
"Let's go Rose, we have better things to do." She simply said instead denying this man her attention, not eager to leave his insults unaddressed but with people like that the best way she had found to deal with them is let them know they were not even worth your time. Let alone your breath. Many a drunk count or baron had exuded similar presences at social gatherings and she would not begin giving attention to this one either.

Worst case would be that he would start something. But in that case they were not the aggressor.

 

[Nemesis]

As Louise brushed past him, Gavriel raised his eyebrows, letting out a low whistle as he withdrew his hand in an exaggerated fashion, grinning like a Jack-O' lantern. There was a cruel sparkle in his eyes as he called out to her, her footsteps incapable of drowning out his jeering voice.

"Oh, I get it! You're just the... what do they call it? The backup child?"

A peal of raucous laughter ripped through the air like a saw, one that seemed aimed expertly - specifically - for her. Even Rose seemed taken aback by the sharpness of his tone, her fingers gripping the door so tightly she felt the handle would rip clean off. Gavriel gave a sarcastic two-fingered salute to the two of them as he turned on his heel.

"Sorry - I thought I was dealing with someone important! My mistake! Ah-hahahahahaha!"

The sound of the door slamming behind them finally stopped the mocking laughter from echoing about them. Rose stared at its surface, as if waiting to see if he would follow them, before turning back to Louise and exhaling, offering her arm to her once more.

"...what a foul man." She breathed, shaking her head.

"Do you think this is the kind of company Bahbem keeps?"

 

[MKR]

Whatever reaction Rose may have expected likely was not coming from the princess as after the door was closed there was a delay before she accepted the offered hand, a more than noticeable one as instead Louise covered her eyes. The gentle trickle of tears flowing down her face and arms words flung like knives and struck like darts embedding themselves within her offering neither reprieve nor rest as the mere phrase backup child meant so much more now, so much more in a terrible way.

She was the stand in, in the stead of Lemuel who had found this and was undoubtedly preparing for an encounter with Bahbem here she stood. The backup, the one to blame. Someone unimportant. A mere pretender. That was what she had told herself before and had beaten aside as she was dragged from place to place, yet now that confrontation had happened at the worst possible time.

The strength she had gathered in herself in preparation had come and gone now. Because to her, that rude man was right. As such there was no reply to the question, as the only response was tears. Her composure had lasted only for as long as long as his presence did. Now in this moment of reprieve it all crashed down. She wanted to ask Rose, get verification from her he was wrong but she never got that far. Words never got out of her throat to protest.
Only after a solemn moment did her features stop hiding behind her hands to look at her solitary anchor amidst all this in shame.

 

[Nemesis]

"Princess..."

Together alone, they stood in the entryway. Rose moved no further, watching instead as the tears trickled in silence down Louise's face. The moments ticked by, recorded by the grandfather clock nearby, every second punctured by a mechanical tick, tock. In spite of this, perhaps through the haze, Louise would have felt a sudden, unexpected sensation.

Rose pulled the royal forward gently into an embrace, her arms wrapping protectively about her waist. Not in a hundred thousand years would she have dared to do such a thing in the presence of others. Perhaps it was having been disconnected from Orphan, the sudden flush of emotions that had filled her since - but it felt like the right thing to do. To hold her charge, until her burden was lessened, for no matter how long it took. The appointment be damned.

When the shaking subsided, she brushed Louise's face with a gloved hand, gent;y pushing away the tears.

"Your makeup's running, your Highness." She said, quietly as she gave what amounted to a warm smile and a gentle sigh.

"...And after it took so long to get done."

And it had. Over an hour's worth of fidgety, jet-lagged preparation that left both of them tired and irritable. She'd only ever learned the barest of the essentials - but at that time, the expression her mother had once said: "A woman's face is her armor" came to mind - both then, and now. There couldn't afford to be any cracks in their exterior - not yet. Not until there was time.

"Though... I never would have learned, were it not for you." She added wistfully, as Magnolia darted from Rose's shoulder to Louise's, scurrying up atop the Britannian's hair, where it remained, seemingly content to enjoy the shared warmth.

 

[MKR]

As the moment continued, Louise began to calm. Second after second passing as her irregular breaths returned to normalcy. It had been a long few days and the emotional toll had been immense for her. "Sorry..." She finally spoke up, as she embraced Rose back "I didn't mean to undo your work."
With that Louise let go, using a stored napkin to remove the stained makeup. It was better to go in natural rather than ruined in this case. Much as it hurt to do so. In these moments she steadied herself, inhaling deeply. Hoping to God that no such remarks would be made in the near future for the sake of their interaction with Bahbem, and her mental state.

This had been one of the few times Magnolia had willingly moved over to her instead of Rose, the peculiar creature's presence also a comfort in these times. Still, she knew it well enough to keep an easy bridge for it back to Rose now that she had calmed. She worried about a lot of things currently, what would be said and what wouldn't be said. What he knew and what he didn't.
She also hoped he would be unaware of what had transpired here but somehow she had a feeling he would know just fine. A feeling she put aside for the time being as the sure things in life already gave her enough stress at this very second.

Now, mostly cleaned up Louise looked to Rose once more.
"We.. should get going." She spoke, not entirely willing to go forward but it was no option to go back here. Which left but one thing to do, meet the man himself.

 

[Nemesis]

Rose nodded her assent, Magnolia daintily hopping from one head to another once more, as the ex-Reclaimer handed the little creature a sunflower seed to much on. Hopefully it would be kept occupied for the duration of the meeting... and she wouldn't have to clean any shells out of her uniform later. Cleaning Louise up as best as the could, she took a deep breath... and they walked together, deeper into the atrium, the ticking of the clock behind them seeming to boom all through the silence.

Eventually, the hallways opened up into a spectacular sight. Warm light from lamps lit a massive room that spilled out before them, full of shapes beyond imagination.



Rose stepped in, and couldn't help but crane her neck back in wonderment at the ceiling, which had been mostly replaced with glass, through which the stars were plainly visible, twinkling away despite the early evening hours. Portraits - some conventional, some bizarre, hung in neat, orderly rows in a full circle. The steely gaze of one was instantly recognizeable - that of the present Emperor, albeit in his younger years, fair-haired and tight-lipped.

Various artifacts rested in glass cases nestled amongst the furniture, and works of statuary adorned the corners of the room, the light casting strange shadows across their Greco-Roman inspired bodies of marble. An office desk and a pair of chairs were set neatly close to one wall, also wholly replaced with windows, displaying a full view of the city below.

Rose paused as she moved amongst the works of art in wonderment, brow furrowing. On an eve, placed so surreptitiously it seemed little more than an afterthought... was a small clay model of a brilliant red Gran Cher. Her fingers reached out to touch it, but before she could, a voice rang out towards the two of them, baritone and wizened, as though welcoming old friends.

"How long has it been since a Britannian heir graced these halls? It feels, to me..."



"Almost like an eternity."

The resemblance to a certain young man who had recently met and instigated catastrophe in their midst was striking. Far from a decrepit old man, the one before them, who emerged from beneath the eaves into the light with a polite smile on his features, was tall, broad shouldered, and couldn't have been older than sixty - the first signs of grayness fraying at the edges of his hair, but otherwise the picture of a Fijian gentleman.

"Terach Bahbem, I presume?" Said Rose uncertainly, evidently taken aback.

Bahbem gave a bow of his head, and chuckled. In his hands, he carried an unusual looking cane - one wrought of silver with an ornate-double winged head, yet too short to be a walking stick.

"You presume correctly. The latest to inherit the name of our humble Founder... a tradition that has dated back as long as we have existed."

The Fijian walked over with slow, unhurried steps... and extended his hand to Louise, saying warmly:

"How may I be of assistance, Princess Louise Li Britannia?"

 

[MKR]

Louise looked through the collection of art, her gaze lingering on the portrait of her father for a moment. She barely remembered him like this, the last bit of color vanished from his hair shortly after she was born. Age had robbed him of that, age and the job he dedicated his life to. As such paintings were the only window into how the man had been, paintings and video.

Still she moved on, now was no time to get hung up on such a thing. Easy as it was to do so, instead her focus went on the man. The curmudgeonly young man began to make more sense in his presence, she measured his presence in the company of Bahbem not unlike her eldest brother and her father. Family remained family even if one gorged themselves on women and booze.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mister Bahbem." She responded, accepting the hand and shaking it calmly. Worries about messing this up began to bubble like a pot on a fire, for now they lay beneath but Louise could feel them as she continued. Still politeness was key if they were to get answers even if in her head the statement of a heir made her want to disregard from that position, she was the fifth princess nowhere near the top of those who had a hope at her father's chair.
"Thank you for seeing us on so short a notice. There has been an incident recently, both Areas 12 and 10 were attacked by gigantic creatures in the wake of these attacks at least two people were abducted as well as a machine called 'RahXephon'."

He possibly knew already that one of the people missing was Lemuel, but if he didn't then he wouldn't have to be informed. That was how Lemuel would approach this she reasoned. Same with mentioning Raldon's machine the giant Angel.
"Allusions of which we found in records preserved by your organization with your, or your predecessor's name mentioned as well, and so we hoped you could enlighten us about these attackers and their seeming target." A poor guard, the one stationed outside Raldon's room had told them about some strange woman that threatened him but came after Raldon. This, was why she felt the blame was on her for she had been the one to invite him.

She tried as well, to maintain a neutral front but it didn't come out quite as she intended, worries about saying things the right way and what to reveal. It was not like she was stumbling over her words but the tone was more cautionary than she intended.

 

[Nemesis]

Rose said nothing, stiffly taking Bahbem's hand when offered - and as he shook it, his expression lit up. There was something about her face - the way her lips were thin and tight, in sharp contrast to the kindness that had been across it only minutes ago, that was as if a particularly loathsome slug was making its way up her shoe.

"Rose Elwren. Why, the last time I saw you... you were about this tall. How time flies!" Bahbem laughed, and gestured to around his knee.

"Never would I have imagined you in the uniform of a Britannian soldier."

The ex-Reclaimer merely nodded. Keeping her mouth shut. The way her body was positioned, slightly between Bahbem and Louise, as if slightly blocking his access to her, did not seem to go unnoticed by the older man, who casually withdrew a step as he continued.

"It feels like just yesterday, that Alexandros and Sebastian both walked through that very same door. Each went on to achieve greatness in his own way. So too shall you.

That is, of course, why my council is commonly sought... and so rarely given."

He stopped at a glass case, and placed the silver staff within its recesses, on a velvet bed. There was a faint flicker of blue light as he closed it, no visible lock on its surface - but a placard in small, cursive script listed it as "The Cane of Solomon". As he stowed away the Relic, he listened to Louise's concerns, nodding along amicably.

"Grave times." He sighed. "The Mu have finally decided to return to the world stage. And they're making quite a racket. Unfortunate that it should fall upon the shoulders of the new generation, to correct the faults of those that came before them."

The Foundation man folded his hands behind his back, every bit the picture of humility, underneath a portrait of a man with a face that had melted off. Whether it was intentional, or perhaps some sort of accident, was uncertain.



"I am a mere custodian of the arts. A man of peace, who desires nothing more for this world than to see its continued development."

Here he paused, as if thinking, as his eyes went to a statue - one that bore a sharp resemblance to the angelic titan that had, however briefly, rested its wings in Britannia's hands.



"Evolution is a cruel, unrefined process, fraught with unnecessary suffering. It is the fate, the struggle, of all sentient beings to temper the brutality of the galaxy with the grace and refinement of culture. That is, and has always been, my creed, my purest belief.

But, the Mu's culture has been twisted by greed. Desperation. Isolation. Mastery of the material was purchased through the sacrifice of the spiritual, and with the cease of their struggle came the end of their civilization.

They have forgotten their roots. Their "divine truth". Embraced delusion, and comforting falsehoods to the point the Xephon no longer heeds their song. Such malcontents must be brought to heel, or we shall all suffer the bitter fruits of their unremitting hatred."

Rose listened, but not for a moment seemed to drop her guard. She'd seen it for herself. The kind of damage this man's words could do. The kinds of ideas he could put in others' heads, that led them off a cliff, chasing some phantom ideal so far removed from reality, yet to them which always seemed so tantalizingly close - always, always just one more body to be stepped over away.

"That is the position of both myself, and my... associates, shall we say, in the Foundation."

Bahbem moved to a smaller table. Upon which were several scale models, at least one immediately recognizable as the looming, golden form of Orphan... but instead, his eyes moved to a different one - a pearlescent dome, a whirl of color wrought from some metal not of this earth, and tapped its surface with his finger.

"You will be pleased to hear, no doubt, that they have devised a method to pierce the dome that shields the Mu from retribution. One we are fully prepared to part with. What follows will be remembered for all time as your greatest hour...

Or, as the exact moment the Britannian Empire fell."

The custodian let the weight of the question hang in the air for a moment, allowing the repercussions to sink in before returning to Louise. Despite his tone, the relaxed look upon his face had never once left. It was every bit as if one was having a comfortable afternoon chat with their kindly grandfather... except, of course, that the subject of the matter was anything but.

"Are you prepared to shoulder that burden?"

 

[MKR]

While it didn't surprise her that her father had talked to this man or the one that came before him the attention of the Britannian princess was elsewhere, on what followed in the words that assailed her. Not the claims of grandeur, those she disregarded as backwards. Father was always destined for the throne, only sickness or calamity could rob it from him while Sebastian, Rose's father, was someone she had never heard of before meeting Rose herself.
Instead her mind focused on the Mu, an almost sort of boogieman that existed in bedside fables to scare children in behaving. The looming cloud that had ended the world so so long ago allegedly and now she could see how such a honor could be theirs to claim. With a mere two machines they had been able to accomplish so much and so a brick formed in her throat, the knowledge that her childhood fears were overshadowed by reality instead of the reverse.

His knowledge was beyond what she had expected, and it caught her off guard as he explained not only full awareness of RahXephon but also his perception on the society of the Mu. Beyond that they even had a plan to attack the Mu, perhaps that was what terrified her most that they were so far ahead. Did her Father also have one? How much did he know of the Mu, or didn't.

These questions were pushed aside as she felt the weight fall upon her shoulders, the fate of the empire. The realization that if he spoke the truth her actions could cause the Mu to begin a full on war against Britannia. The beings which destroyed the world. Her eyes fell on the pearl of color as fear sank in, a tale told by the Greeks ages before she was born and carried to the modern age, here on repeat.
And it was her role to play Pandora looking at the box containing all the evils in the world, but also hope.

Was she prepared for that burden? Could she even bear its weight?
She didn't know...

"I..." She paused for a moment "Cannot guarantee much in the way of a fighting force unfortunately." It was her and Rose left, some soldiers may be willing to put their lives on the line but Father's stance was clear, and though she wanted to trust Lemuel could make his way out of this himself the more she heard the more she doubted that.

Yet with words like these, having the collapse of the empire be the consequence of her actions...

"Would this necessitate such a force?"

It was better to pry, err on the side of caution. See if Bahbem was willing to detail some of his plan before she accepted it.

 

[Nemesis]

Bahbem nodded along, registering the girl quaking under the weight of the decision. Good. That meant she understood. That she did not take for granted the foundations upon which her country, and its fortunes, rested. The steely gaze of Rose was, for the moment, avoided, as the older man fished about in his pocket, producing a small set of rings, which he slipped over his fingers.

"Of course. We can hardly expect the Mu to remain complacent while their fortress is assailed. The fighters of Britannia are ill equipped to challenge the might of the Mulian Dolems, as you have well seen - dozens of which remain at their beck and call."

The strange device now equipped, he tapped absent-minded at the air, small panels on the adjoining wall now coming to life - windows of light that slipped off the distant star-studded screen, and which floated closer to them. A mixture of artisanship and technology that was as seamless as it was impressive to behold.

"We knew full well the Mu would re-emerge some day. To that extent, my associates have prepared... an adequate response."

A screen switched on. Displayed on its surface was a towering, angular figure of dark red, hovering against a cloud-scattered sky. In its right hand, it hefted a boxy looking weapon, which snapped open, crackling with energy. The weapon was angled down, towards a distant target set up - and a bolt of white lashed through the blue.

Seconds passed - and then, finally, an eruption of power blossomed into existence. A mushroom cloud of unspeakable proportions, not unlike that the Dolems had unleashed on Britannia not so long ago, before the video paused.



"The Vermillion. The world's premiere Mass-Produced anti-Dolem weapon. I believe you are already acquainted with the first - the Xephon itself." Said Bahbem, proudly. Even Rose seemed somewhat taken aback by the display, her features finally showing something akin to awe at the demonstration of its ordinance.

"Your forces would have the full backing of the Foundation, and all thirty-odd Vermillions that have currently been produced. We are even willing to provide pilots, although the cockpits provided can be easily modified for those more familiar with, say, a Knightmare Frame."

To say that what the man was offering was unprecedented would have been an understatement. The Foundation, much maligned for its warmongering ways, had never once in its history offered the full backing of its military might to an individual, let alone a group such as Britannia. Yet there was not a trace of joviality, nor sarcasm in Bahbem's voice as he continued, mildly:

"The threat of the Mu is something which concerns all who value peace in the world. There is no room for division, for they are a people with whom there can be no reasoning - only the language of power, which they covet above all else, will force them to abandon the path they have chosen."

He gave a weary sigh, as though the entire situation, in all its unfortunate nature, was tiring for him to even speak of.

"You may be asking why, then, we had not acted until now." He asked - causing Rose to suddenly cough, as if the question had died in her throat.

"That is quite simple. We do not seek to lead, to inspire. That is not the way of my associates. What was needed, of course... was someone to rally behind, who could lead the charge, and bring a final end to the war which devastated this planet so many years ago.

It is our hope that could be you, dear Princess Louise."

 

[MKR]

Louise's jaw went wide at the display of power. An explosion like that, it was only once she had seen anything like that.

Australia.

She had not seen it herself merely footage, presented as neither good nor evil, merely a necessity. Something to not repeat if anything else was the option, a harsh lesson that the might of an empire can be brought down to bear but only if the situation calls for it. And the Foundation had thirty of these things prepared, she could agree the Mu were a problem of incomprehensible scale if they held a dozen of those monsters but these...

What terrible weapons did this man have at his disposal, to offer these so freely.
"Dear God..." she muttered quietly, were these the evils or hope? She couldn't even tell.

But now all the trails leading back to here, to Bahbem, made sense. They were searching for a candidate to lead their war, a face to pin both success and failure on. Maintain their 'neutrality' and have her become hero or villain, hence the glory or fall of Britannia and once more she felt herself in the shoes Lemuel was meant to fill, it was his research which got them here as they followed the path he had planned.

Yet she could not know what he would do with this decision, how could anyone know what the right answer was.
"R-right a knightmare cockpit." She stammered out after a moment, she couldn't leave the silence hanging for eternity "Sorry- this is a lot to take in." She looked away from the screen as she took a glance around the room. Glance going from painting to painting in a moment as she steadied herself.

"So what exactly is it that you would have me do?" This war, this conflict, they could have waged it without anyone knowing. That had sunk in already, if they won they would have removed the Mu from all but memory but instead they were waiting for a figurehead. It was not that they lacked people capable of using these monstrous weapons, the statement was part of it.

"Because I fear the mere fact I am royalty will dissuade some." She wasn't putting up excuses, her tone was not one of denial. But instead a concern, albeit not one exactly like how she phrased it "Even if only acting as a figurehead."
Refusing meant leaving her nephew to his fate, to struggle against it alone. Accepting meant inviting the wrath of the Mu once more, the might that could end the world. What could she possibly do?
How could she accept or refuse.

 

[Nemesis]

Bahbem chuckled at Louise's waffling. Once more, she demonstrated she understood the stakes better than she believed. Even her bodyguard, who was known for her quick temper, was holding her tongue, letting the Princess think through her decision. Her hand subtly went to the Princess's lower back, steadying her at her waist without drawing attention to the movement. It would do them no good were she to topple over now.

"We have time... Perhaps."

The old man tapped his watch - an intricate, gold and silver affair of uncertain make on his left wrist, knowingly.

"Every second that passes out here, one-sixth passes inside Fiji Jupiter. That is what has enabled us to be so thorough in our preparations - they are committed to moving much slower than we are. If our plan succeeds, however, we shall no longer hold that advantage. That is why it is important to commit to a decisive strike, one that ensures there can be no future retaliation from the Mu.

You need not make your decision right away. Explore alternatives. That is what a regent ought to do, before committing to what would amount to be a war, yes?"

 

[MKR]

Perhaps understanding was one of the things to name it, but some could understand without the fear that came with. Others could understand but surpass the fear to rise to the occasion, for her this was akin to a wish from a Monkey's paw. That her desire to be more than another royal that went to minor celebrations in the stead of her father, shook hands with some people that were important but not important enough to meet her father or any of the heirs in the totem pole above her.

Yet here she was, the curse of importance laid before her.
At least, as Bahbem attested they had time. Yet that implied that he knew the exact workings of the inside of this... Fiji Jupiter.

"I would appreciate some time to think this over yes." What other avenues were there even? She couldn't know without looking into them on this she knew Bahbem was a biased source, and she could guess what Rose would have to say given her stance on Orphan as well. This was something she needed either someone more neutral on or to contemplate by herself.

Yet his wording stood out all the while, her, a regent? She could barely call herself a viceroy still and her father was very much still in charge. So she would not deceive herself with such a station.
"I will try to give you a definitive answer as quickly as I can, but I would first rest." She promised.