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Returns
Sept 12, 2012 10:23:57 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Sept 12, 2012 10:23:57 GMT -5
Sciurus was correct in his thoughts on the two-thirds clause. The Convention was experiencing a one-third death and a two-thirds resurrection. This would ensure that the current leaders of the country kept their majority seats in both houses, and that their work could be continued. While not entirely democratic (it most certainly excluded the royalists from office), it was deemed as necessary in this stage of the Republic in order to preserve things.
As it stood, many felt the way Sciurus did; either fully in favor of it, or feeling the benefits outweighed the negatives. When the final chairs and benches were filled and the scraping clamor came to a halt, Tallien could see that it was clearly one sided with the vote. Very few voted against the constitution that they had been striving so hard to create over the summer.
"Well... the yeas have it!" the mongoose President exclaimed, and the Tuileries erupted with the cheers and adulation of the largest body to have run Rosferia in its revolutionary history. "Very well then!" Tallien exclaimed, waiting for order to be restored in the hall before he attempted to speak again. "It's official! We shall be submitting this constitution for the local assemblies for the vote in the provinces throughout the land! If the yeas have it, the Directory will go into effect by early October, according to the estimates. September will be used for the general elections, and October will be used in drafting up the list of potential Directors. I expect the new government to be in full swing by November at the latest. Congratulations everyone! Our long, hard road finally seems to be coming to its end, at least in terms of getting this constitution written! You should all feel very proud in having played such a momentuous role in shaping Rosferia's future!"
The mongoose's words were by and large only half listened to. Hardly anyone took Tallien seriously anymore, and they were looking forward to him becoming just one of 500 faces in the Council of 500. NO ONE expected Tallien to even be on the list of 50 for potential Directors when the Council of 500 put together the names. Rather, names like Lazare Carnot and Paul Barras were already considered as strong front runners, with a few others circulating around for good measure.
"We'll continue meeting in regular session until October, and we'll then declare the National Convention dissolved the day before the Directory takes its place. Most of you I will see in the Directory, and those of you that I won't... good luck in the coming elections!" he declared, taking a swig of water and finishing it off.
The rest of the day was mostly spent in discussions on the upcoming fall offensives planned against Kostritz, and the continuing battle against inflation and economic recession that Rosferia was currently experiencing. Ultimately though, it was decided to NOT interfere with controlling and putting maximums on prices, as that had been disastrous under Dragonis's reign last year. The overall military situation appeared promising however. Mordenz, Ferlusan, and Gradvar had all made peace. Only Kostritz and Calgary remained on the continent to defeat, and Rosferia's united efforts could now be directed against those two nations. There still remained Welkin of course, but Welkin was like a pesky fly buzzing around Rosferia at this point. Their troops had been driven from the continent earlier in the year, and aside from their naval blockades, they were contributing very little to the overall defeat of Rosferia. The one offensive they HAD launched had ended disastrously on the Quiberon Peninsula when Lazare Hoche had crushed the royalist expedition there.
Something that WAS decided upon however was the shifting of six ships from the Mediterranean Fleet back to the Atlantic Fleet. Earlier in the year, six ships had been sent from Brest to Toulon as reinforcements for the ailing Mediterranean Fleet, but due to the recent capture of three Rosferian ships in the Battle of Groix in June, the Atlantic Fleet was deemed as needing those six ships back now. Further details were added when it was suggested that those six ships first cross the Atlantic, raid the Welkinite fisheries along the Salamandastron shore, and then return to reinforce the ships at Brest.
By the end of the day the Convention was adjourned until tomorrow, and the deputies began filtering out of the Tuileries Palace. Boneparte was standing patiently on the steps leading out to the gardens. He had gone back to his hotel to work on his novella for a chunk of the day after introducing himself to the Bureau of Topography, and then had swung by Barras's place to thank him (where he'd also ran into the enchanting Rose de Beauharnais) before heading to the Tuileries Palace to see Sciurus back home.
He stood with his paws in his pockets, and smiled widely when he saw the squirrel descending the steps. "So! How did it go?" he asked eagerly. "Do we have a new government?"
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Returns
Sept 17, 2012 16:10:54 GMT -5
Post by Carrow on Sept 17, 2012 16:10:54 GMT -5
Sciurus was quite pleased with the overwhelming majority in favour of establishing a new form of government. He had of course known that, having worked so hard to hammer things out over the last while, not very many would openly revolt and decide to side against the new Constitution. The rodent was well aware that political allegiances could change quite quickly, however, and as he waited for the vote to be called, he wondered how his meerkat friend was getting on. Boneparte wasn't far from his thoughts these days, and even though he knew they wouldn't be able to see each other as much anymore, he was still thinking of him. His companion had helped him to see the light as regarded a few things, important ones that he was quite grateful for having received guidance about.
Regardless of where he ended up next month - whether he decided to run and was victorious, decided to run and lost, or didn't run at all - he was going to try and stick by his companion for as long as he could. There were things that bothered him that he hadn't found the courage to open up to Boneparte about yet, though, and such things were holding him back from fully committing to having a shot at election to the Council of 500. One of them was his greatest fear. He was going to let all this come out when the time was right, but he knew that he would have to make a decision within the next fortnight, at the absolute most, because his and Boneparte's paths would diverge for the next while, and depending on what he decided to do, those divergences might become long-lasting.
Tallien finally called the vote, which was emphatically in favour of the new model of government, and the Tuileries was filled with raucous cheers, which Sciurus joined in with. Even if this was to be the last impact he would have on affairs of state, he knew that he had done himself proud. Cosnair was on its way to being a true democracy - via not entirely democratic means, yes (the red squirrel liked that piece of irony), but it was better to avoid a Royalist uprising than leave themselves open to the alternative. Even if the contentious two-thirds rule was now in place, he still supported it. The mongoose went on, but the rodent's mind was already elsewhere. All that currently concerned him was getting through the rest of the day and getting time to think, or talk things out with his best friend, thereafter.
He was informed that he now had two months or so left as a member of the National Convention. Those two months could yet be the sum total of his remaining time in public office, but even if his plans went awry - or took a different direction to their current incarnation - he would be certain that had been a fitting way for him to leave his mark. The session moved on to other matters; the planned military assaults on Kostritz, and the economic war on inflation and the ongoing recession. Sciurus had a taxing time of it; his first day back on the job had started quite well, but by the time the Convention was adjourned, he was struggling to keep up. He'd been out of practice for a while, but nonetheless, areas like these were not his strong point.
He headed for the exit, feeling satisfied that he had at least managed not to feel overwhelmed, but today had had some other, more exciting aspects, and it was mostly these that he was thinking about. They brought a smile to his face, and he saw that smile matched by Boneparte when he descended the steps to see his meerkat friend standing there. He embraced him warmly, giving him a pat on the back, very glad to see him in such a good mood. It looked like his day had gone well. The rodent was planning to get to that, but Boneparte got there first. His question received an enthusiastic nod as its primary response, the squirrel's tail rising and waving about like a celebratory flag as he cleared his throat before speaking.
"We do indeed! I may find myself out of political office the day before the new regime is put in place, but I will see about running again. It's a very important decision, and I'm not weighing it lightly, but regardless of whether I'm in there or not in October, this is the sort of setup that shall be put in place: the new government shall be called the Directory, and shall consist of two legislative houses. The lower house is called the Council of 500 - that's the one I may yet be elected to. I can't shoot for the other house - that's going to be called the Council of the Ancients and contain only creatures over 40 years of age," he explained. "The lower house will deal with the the drafting of bills, and the upper house - which, by the way, will have 250 members - will vote on those bills. There is also another area of government planned, called the Directory. There will be five of those Directors, and they will pawdle the general running of the country, as well as command the military and enforce laws.
"They will be creatures over 40 years of age, and will..." He paused to take a breath. "Only be allowed to serve five-year terms. The Council of 500 will draft up a list of 50 candidates; the Council of the Ancients will, in turn, whittle this down to our first five Directors. I'm summarising," he said in an almost apologetic tone, "but something else you need to know about is that they've retained the two-thirds clause, meaning that two-thirds of the new government will be composed of creatures already present in the Convention. I'm not among them, so I'm still eligible to run next month. It's not the most democratic manner to deal with this issue, of course, but there are steps that must be taken to prevent the Royalists getting back into power, as you know," he reminded his friend. "Now," he said, smiling again, "how was your day?"
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Returns
Sept 17, 2012 22:45:21 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Sept 17, 2012 22:45:21 GMT -5
Boneparte nodded and took some mental notes, though most of this he already knew from Barras. The binturong had been keeping a very close tab on things, and knew full well what the new constitution said. Said binturong was very much expecting to be elected to the Directory, and as far as Boneparte could see, that was most likely going to be played out at this rate. His influence was such that to NOT elect him would be a complete shock.
"Oh... it went well enough I think." Boneparte replied. "I met the other three generals I'll be working with. All older males of course, getting close to retiring age and all... which is exactly why they have those jobs in the first place. Have to pay our veterans somehow I suppose... though they're partly the 'excess staff' that I was referring to earlier. In all honesty, I don't really feel like the army commanders NEED advisers back in Cosnair but... whatever. I'll be doing my utmost to draft up plans for the invasion of Calgary now that Kellermann is out and Schérer is in." the meerkat explained.
"I then went back home, did some writing, headed over to Barras's to speak with him and Rose, and finally came here. They're having another get together tonight, and I think I'll be attending. Have to at least partly thank Barras for getting me this position." the meerkat stated, shoving his paws into his pockets and beginning to walk down the steps now. "Well all the same... whether it's democratic or not... I think at this point the royalists are experiencing a resurgence, and in these dangerous times it's best to keep them out rather than risk them getting in. I can see the Convention mostly wants to perpetuate itself though. I suppose I can understand that. They don't trust anyone but themselves to continue their own work so... yeah I guess I can understand that. At least there's SOME new members coming in, and that the old members will eventually be cycled out."
He wouldn't have it any other way. He knew right now that this was better than the alternative, and that by and large, the new constitution seemed good. He doubted that it would fail to pass the local assemblies. It would soon be law, of that he was most certain.
Tallien was being shuffled out of things as well, but that suited Boneparte fine too. Tallien's loss was Barras's gain after all, and Barras's gain was also Boneparte's gain at this rate. There was a direct correlation that needed to be maintained for the time being.
And so it was. The next three and a half weeks were mostly a blur for Boneparte Lantzer. He applied himself heavily to his work, drafting up plans for the invasion of Calgary and the eventual defeat of the Kostritzer forces in the region. He envisioned a bold scheme, one in which Schérer would launch a lightning strike to first break the blockade of steel that the Calgarians and Kostritzers had set up around his army. Using mountain roads that Boneparte had discovered could pawdle artillery during his time down there, the Rosferians would drive a wedge between the Calgarians and Kostritzers, and then occupy Dego, the key crossroads town that linked the coast to the mountains and the road to Turin.
Once Dego was secured, a force would hold it while the majority of the Rosferians turned and smashed Piedmont-Sardinia before Kostritz could react. Once Calgary had been forced to sue for peace, full attention could be devoted to driving the Kostritzers back toward the Po River. Once the Po had been forced, a drive could be made against Mantua, the main Kostritzer fortress in Calgary. It was ambitious, aggressive, and far reaching, and unfortunately, it was also far more than Schérer seemed willing to take on. Schérer instead wanted to move his army ponderously forward and lay siege to the Calgarian fortress of Cuneo, which was reminiscent of the slow, long marches and sieges of the War of the Kostritzer Succession and the Seven Years' War. In other words, it was outdated and not enough in Boneparte's eyes.
He was working on drafting up orders for Schérer when all of a sudden and without warning, Boneparte Lantzer was struck off the list of active generals on September 15th. The reason given in the mail was his refusal to serve int the Vendée under Hoche, but the illogical words in this immediately became apparent to Boneparte. If these words WERE true, why had they allowed him into the Bureau in the first place? It didn't make sense, and Boneparte suspected the real reason was that they could no longer afford to pay for four generals on staff now that the Ferlusanian theater was all but moot. As it happened, Carnot had jumped at the opportunity to once again put the meerkat under the axe, and that's how it fell.
Boneparte was now jobless, relieved of his position, and with little career prospects in his future. Barras, rather enraged at the turn of events, promised he'd look into further routes for his meerkat protege, but right now, things looked slim. The binturong also vowed to make Carnot's position in the new Directory (as it looked like he'd probably be making the cut as well) extremely difficult, and that he would live to regret being such a hardliner.
And so it was that Boneparte showed up on Sciurus's doorstep after the 15th, but unlike the countless other times he'd been there, he now had his bags with him, and though he still had his uniform too, it was clear things were not "all quiet" on the meerkat's front. Knocking upon the squirrel's door, the meerkat sighed, and shifted the weight on his paws back and forth as he waited patiently for the rodent to come to the front. When he did, the meerkat gave him an embarrassed look.
"Uh... hello there, Sciurus. I uh... well..." He looked off to the side, avoiding the squirrel's gaze for a moment or so, and then looked back over at him with a sigh. "I've been essentially fired. Things were going great and then, all of a sudden, surprise! Here I am; unemployed and without any financial income whatsoever. I was uh... Bourrienne suggested this... but I was wondering if I could perhaps... move in with you for the time being. I HATE to be a freeloader but... I DO at least have SOME money saved up from my time at the Bureau. I CAN pay you a small amount of rent... though the rest is going to have to be rationed for food at this rate, I'm afraid."
The meerkat grimaced here, and shook his head. "I'm really sorry to burden you like this... and I don't know how long I'll need to stay here... Barras is looking at other options for me at present... but... I just... I can't give you any definite answers right now." he said sorrowfully. "I'm sorry once again... if you don't have room for me or don't want me here... that's perfectly fine; I'll just find a really cheap hotel and bed there until I can get SOMETHING else out of this. I've written to my fiancee... I'm hoping she may come up here within the next month or two and we can be married and well... as much as I DON'T want to rely on a wife to support me... she's certainly well off enough that her dowry alone would support me for the rest of my life, much as that pains me to admit."
He grimaced again, and scratched the back of his neck. Boneparte wanted to of course make himself a self-made 'kat, and relying on Desirée was distasteful to him, as it implied he couldn't support himself, or wasn't good enough to do such a thing. It was a last resort of course, and he'd only suggested it to Desirée, not outright told her to come up to Cosnair. They would need to work out details, and he needed to wait for her response... that alone would take about a month anyway, as he'd just mailed his letter today.
He said nothing further, and silently awaited his friend's response, feeling terribly guilty about this turn of events all the same.
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Returns
Sept 20, 2012 13:33:12 GMT -5
Post by Carrow on Sept 20, 2012 13:33:12 GMT -5
Sciurus took a little while to answer the door. The rodent hadn't had the best night of things, and the stress relief techniques that he knew could only take him so far from the stressful time he had been having recently. The squirrel hadn't slept very well at all, as he had been agonising over a very important decision that he himself had to make that day. He had to decide once and for all whether he would be running in the upcoming elections, or stepping away from that side of things to pursue other interests. He was quite unsure what to do, and had been twisting himself in knots numerous times over the previous two weeks. It had been a month since the Convention had passed the new Constitution, and the elections would be soon. He had devoted hours to thinking things over last night, and hadn't fallen asleep until 2am as a result.
He wasn't due to start working for another hour or two, so he knew that no client would come calling outside of office hours unless they had very good reason for doing so. He reached the door, opening it to find a rather ashamed-looking meerkat standing on his doorstep. It was Boneparte Lantzer. Wait a second, Sciurus thought, inwardly panicking, what had happened to that secure job that Barras had given him? He opened his mouth to speak, but he was genuinely at a loss for words, and a rather sorrowful expression crossed his own features as his companion explained his situation. He had been fired all of a sudden?! But what... how? 'How' was probably more appropriate, as Sciurus couldn't fathom this at all.
Disblief was written all over the rodent's face at this point. He couldn't even begin to think about why his friend had been let go, but as it turned out, that was the only thing he had any trouble responding to. The meerkat then went on to suggest to Sciurus that the squirrel let him stay at his place for a while, and the squirrel found himself nodding even before his friend had finished relating his woes to him. This was a most unexpected turn of events, but the red squirrel started shaking his head as Boneparte told him he'd do something else if he didn't have room or even didn't want him there. He was about to emphatically interrupt Boneparte right there, as thoughts were racing through his mind, and he already knew what he was going to say.
He did however let his friend finish, as he was informed that Desirée's dowry would be enough to support him for the rest of his life, and it had to be said that the rodent looked absolutely crestfallen, seeing his best friend standing there, looking absolutely mortified. Finally, when it was all said, Sciurus took a moment to pull his companion in close for a hug, squeezing him slightly. He wanted to show him that he could be there for him. He then led Boneparte inside, not yet saying a word. It was then that Sciurus finally spoke, his voice soft and caring. He could see that his companion was in a rather distressed state, and wanted to do something to soothe him. He moved outside to pick up his friend's bags, and brought them in with him, responding as he did so.
"As soon as I saw these outside my door, I had a good idea of what you were going to ask me. I could have stopped you in mid-sentence there a little while back, just to prove a point, but I let you finish. Now, if you've even considered for a moment that I might not take you in now that you've inexplicably fallen on hard times again, then you clearly don't know me very well at all" the squirrel teased his friend, winking at him. "It wouldn't burden me at all. If anything, I'd only encourage you if you were unsure about it. I'd appreciate the company, too. You say that you don't want to be a freeloader, but do you hear me complaining?" he quipped, grinning, patting his friend on the back, tail-tip curled behind his head.
"I'll put you up as long as you need someplace to stay. I would request that you not pay rent, though - it really is no trouble. I'm just trying to help you out, and I don't expect a single thing in return; your company is all I want out of this" he told the meerkat, still smiling widely. "Oh, and if you find yourself becoming overly stressed due to your situation, well, I can help with that too. I've been wanting to coax you back in for another session for a while, so if you feel the need to ask for one, then it's on me" the rodent told his companion.
"I know how hard it can be to live like this, mate" he said sympathetically, leading the meerkat into his front room and sitting him down in a chair opposite him. "You thought you were finished back in June, right? Well, I've had to deal with thoughts like that quite a lot myself, on and off. You're still standing, though. The trouble with bad times like these is that you can fall into the trap of thinking they won't end. They will. I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't thought that. I had to get back up and pull myself together. It took a long time, but it happened. You had that job for a little while; it's just unfortunate that it's turned out like this, but you'll get over it. I'm sure of that. Now, I'm going to tell you about a decision that I'm on the verge of making - I lost a lot of sleep to thinking about it last night, but I'm almost there. First, though, why exactly were you fired, if you don't mind my asking? I can't wrap my tail around that at all" he said, frowning, but a soft smile returning to his features soon after.
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Sept 21, 2012 10:41:05 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Sept 21, 2012 10:41:05 GMT -5
"Thank you, my friend!" Boneparte exclaimed gratefully, though it was little better than a relieved sigh at this point. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you for this... but if I'm ever in the position to return the favor, you know I will." the meerkat promised, taking a seat as he was led into the front room by Sciurus.
Otto Kurtz's old house... so this was the estate the otter had been living in. Boneparte was used to it by now of course, having visited Sciurus several times in the past few months, but each time he viewed it he couldn't help but feel a twinge for the have nots in this world; there were plenty of them to go around. Still though... at least ONE of them had nice living quarters; that was better than none of them having a nice place to go home to at the end of the day.
He looked up with mournful eyes, and shook his head. "I know... the key is to not give up... and hell... I've had plenty of low points in my life... but never anything quite like this. I was always able to worm my out of these types of situations before... so it just comes as a bit of a blow to know that all my efforts have been unsuccessful so far." he said, sighing and lowering his eyes again.
"Barras said he's going to try and find me further employment but... it seems the War Ministry is really overloaded as is with extraneous employees." the meerkat commented wistfully. "I'll do my best though... even though..." He trailed off, starting to murmur this last bit. "I wrote to Joseph that I wouldn't throw myself out of the way of a carriage if I found myself in front of one." That had been true. He'd sent a letter to his brother detailing his deeper, depressed emotions. His inner anguish and confusion were only serving to muddle his brain and turn everything every which way, until he wasn't sure which direction was the correct one anymore.
There was of course a hitch too in the Desiree plan. She was only 17... a minor, and not legally allowed to marry a 26 year old. She WOULD be 18 in November... but November was two months off, and Boneparte knew that Desiree's mother was opposed to the match until her daughter became a legal adult. That might prove to be a serious hitch to things if her mother refused her leave to travel to Cosnair to meet her fiance. Could he hold out until November?
Things were certainly looking rough for the meerkat for the forseeable future, all the same. "So how did you do it? I admit I at least still have my friends with me... but you didn't have much, did you?" he asked, wringing his paws together now as he shifted his gaze back up to the squirrel.
He shrugged now. "I have no idea. The official reason was my insubordination and refusal to serve in the Vendee. I KNOW that can't be true though... if that were the case, why give me the job at the Bureau at all?" he asked, confused. "It doesn't really make any sense if grounds for my termination was my insubordination. My insubordination was just as big back when I got the job as it is now so... why IS it an issue NOW and was not brought up THEN?" he asked pointedly.
"I suspect it's because of Ferlusan." the meerkat added. "Ferlusan is out of the war now... which means of the four generals on staff..." He held up four claws to demonstrate. "We really only technically need three now. One for the Rhine front, one for Calgary, and one for the Army of the North. Arguably to give the almost useless Army of the North staff member something to do, we also assign him advising duties for the Army of the West. But what to do with the guy who pawdled Ferlusan? We're not at war with them anymore, and those troops are all being shifted over to the Calgarian front." Boneparte shrugged again. "I guess since Carnot hates me the most, he decided to fire me, and move the Ferlusanian guy over to my desk to keep him employed. It's all about money after all... and who we can afford to have on staff. It's ALWAYS about money." he grumbled, rubbing his paws together now. Those were the two things driving Cosnair these days... money and power, hence, Barras's gradual growing influence. The binturong just accumulated more of it as time went on, and was getting ready to take his place as a Director soon, as it was almost assured he'd be voted in.
"That's my best guess at least, because I don't buy their official reason. They should've just rejected me outright if my insubordination bothered them THAT much." he scoffed. "Such a shame too." He sighed and shook his head here, looking off into the distance. "I was coming up with aggressive plans to knock Calgary out of the war and drive the Kostritzer forces back. Even though General Scherer was resistant to these plans... I think I was on the verge of getting them passed." he said fornlornly.
"Ahem... so what's this news you want to share with me?" he asked now, looking back up at Sciurus and leaning forward in his chair so that he was more slouching than anything else. His eyes were still intent and alert, though some of their fire had since gone out, understandably so. Either way, it was best to hear what Sciurus had to say now, as it might help him out too. SOMETHING was better than nothing right now, and Boneparte wanted to cling to the somethings for as long as he could.
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Sept 24, 2012 12:32:00 GMT -5
Post by Carrow on Sept 24, 2012 12:32:00 GMT -5
Sciurus caught the relieved tone in Boneparte's voice, and merely smiled. He knew what it was like to be so in need of something that to have a request granted was like having a weight lifted off his shoulders; he'd been there before, several times in fact. He also understood how it felt to be in a situation like this, and it could be heard in his voice, which trembled slightly as he responded. "It's no problem; I'd do anything for you, mate. I know it sounds hard, but you have to get back up and dust yourself off. You're in a situation where there's really no other option... well, aside from something rather drastic, but I'd rather we not talk about that," he said in a lower voice. "It's crossed both of our minds at times, I'm sure... but we're still here. You just have to keep going. You may have lost the position you once had, but just think for a moment about what would have happened if you'd given up somewhere along the way; you wouldn't have gotten there at all. It's not worth quitting.
"I've been there, and it's never good to feel like this, but I'm sure you'll find a way. I kept going when I didn't even know what I wanted from life. You do, my friend - you think you have a purpose, and despite your having fallen on hard times, I just know you'll do anything possible to fulfill that purpose." The squirrel listened to his meerkat friend as he spoke, unable to keep from wincing as he was told what he has said to his brother. He needed to take a moment before responding."You never know, something might open up there. You just need to keep hoping, is all. Barras found you one job, and despite my belief that he has every intention of using you and tossing you aside when he's done with you, if he says he's going to keep trying, then you'd better believe that's the case. He's not going to give up on you, I'm not going to give up on you, so I won't hear you say that of yourself," he told his friend emphatically.
A change seemed to come over the rodent as Boneparte asked him how he had managed to survive, and a chill passed up his spine. He had something he needed to admit. "How did I do it? Well, to be honest, I very nearly didn't. I reached my absolute nadir last Christmas, and I was... just so tired of being alone that I almost took drastic measures. I'd been drinking quite heavily, and I'm not sure if I would have had that same desire if I'd been sober, but in that brief, terrifying moment it just seemed like I couldn't pawdle anything anymore. I almost went through with it... I was... I was this close" he said, gesturing with two claws, "but something held me back. It may have been the same thing that held me together after I was orphaned," he revealed to his friend. "I'm not sure... but I went from thinking that suicide was the only answer, to thinking that I had to find other ways of relieving my pain.
"I pulled myself back from the brink... and that's when I started seeing Anitha. I did it, Boneparte, because there was something within me that wouldn't let me give up. For a moment, I thought that conviction was there, but then it was gone. I can't explain it. I didn't give up, because I couldn't. It just wasn't there for me. I stared into the abyss and walked away. I'd never known anything else" he told his companion. "I see that in you, too - you're a lot stronger than you think. I could have given up when I had next to nothing - you were away and might never have come back, and my other friends were dead; I couldn't do my job; and I couldn't bring myself to pack up and leave because I didn't want to let go of the only thing I was sure remained, my home - but I didn't. Your situation bears similarities to how mine looked, but as you said, you at least have your friends, so I cannot, and will not let you take that way out."
Sciurus was clearly on the verge of tears at this point; he'd revealed sides of himself to Boneparte that he hadn't before, and it had been painful for him. There was more to come, as well, so he had to brace himself. Again, he needed a moment to regain his composure, and listened to his friend outline the supposed reasons for his being fired. Once he'd heard him out, he responded with a dismissive snort. "That bastard Carnot taking aim at you again for no good reason, eh?! Certainly makes more sense than your insubordination being an issue. I don't buy that, at all. Hell, if it had been an issue, Carnot probably would have blacklisted you and been done with it there. It seems that you weren't fired because you became surplus to requirements. It's more likely because he has this vendetta against you and just wants to make you suffer. What a pathetic creature" he said, once more in dismissive mood.
"As for the news I have to share with you... well, today's the deadline I set for myself as regarded answering the question of my place in the election to the Council of 500, and I've weighed up the pros and cons of choosing to run. My answer to that question is no. I've decided that I will not seek to continue a career in politics. I have various reasons for this, but uppermost in my mind right now is the reason that helped me make my decision in the first instance. That reason, my friend, is you." The red squirrel cleared his throat before speaking again. "I haven't told you this before, but I can't possibly put into words how afraid I was of us never seeing each other again. On the one paw, you were involved in military campaigns, and I was scared that you would never make it back to Cosnair; on the other, I was terrified that I wouldn't survive long enough to see you again.
"Those fears combined into something that robbed me of countless nights of sleep. I just... I can't do that again" he said, letting out a strangled sob. There was an anguished look on his face that said he meant every word. "I don't want to have to deal with that uncertainty again, and if I let our paths diverge, I'd have to do that. I have my job, that I could withstand losing, at least to some extent; I have my health, which I clawed back after six months of drinking anything that would help me drag myself into the next year; I could deal with having both of those affected... but my friendship with you... that means more to me than anything in the world" he told Boneparte, visibly emotional at this stage.
"I've had friends taken from me before - some who died fighting for what they believed in, and some whose lives were senselessly snuffed out - and this has taught me that I need to stick with the ones I have left. I want this. Hell, I need this. My old friends were the glue that held me together - my new ones still are - and I'd never be able to forgive myself if I let you slip through my claws. So I'm sticking by you and just seeing where that leads, because that would be so much more fulfilling for me than another stint in politics. It's not worth my while... especially not now you're in this situation. I want to see you get back on your paws, and once you are, then we'll figure out where to go - together." Hastily wiping a paw across his eyes, he fixed them upon his friend, wondering what he would have to say in response to all that.
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Returns
Sept 24, 2012 19:01:32 GMT -5
Post by Ladorak on Sept 24, 2012 19:01:32 GMT -5
Boneparte could only stare blankly ahead of him, raising a brow as he looked off into seemingly nothing as Sciurus explained why he'd not given up and that Boneparte himself could find strength in his friends. "Yes... I suppose I can." Boneparte said. "That was different from the circumstances surrounding you." He looked occasionally up at the squirrel, but mostly stared ahead, and when he responded, it was in soft, low tones.
"Barras will certainly try... yes... though I'd caution you saying it was fully Carnot's vendetta. More likely he seized on a legitimate opening to relieve staff members due to Ferlusan being inactive. I'd say it was a mix of both, and right now, we just don't have proof one way or the other." The meerkat shook his head. "As it stands, I DO intend to repay him in kind if I ever get the opportunity someday however." Little did the meerkat know that he would in fact get the chance to do just that only two years from now. "And... I'm not holding my breath. Barras leaned on Carnot pretty hard at first, which was why he couldn't outright reject me. It's become clear to me that the Ministry has become swollen, and hiring is... at a standstill at present."
"I wouldn't say you should throw away your career in politics over me though. I mean... I'm not making any income, so I won't be going anywhere for the foreseeable future." he pointed out. "I'm stuck for the time being... but if life in politics isn't for you... it's probably best to just scuttle it here and finish up your work at the Convention before the Directory takes over." he commented. "Though I myself won't be leaving Cosnair for any time I can now foresee." he added.
"Ahem... right..." He rose now, and patted the squirrel on the back, noting the rodent seemed close to collapse at this point. "There, there, friend. Let's not focus too much on this... it seems to be dragging you to the point of crippling your mind and slashing at your support. Why not show me to my room instead?" he offered. "THAT part at least I'm looking forward to." A thin smile spread across his features now, as that wasn't a lie. He was in fact looking forward to seeing at least where he'd be staying with his new housemate.
The next three weeks would be hard on the meerkat, and he'd be in desperate straits for that time, but the third week held a surprise for everyone. New challenges would face the burgeoning government, and one in particular would threaten to bring it to its very knees. It would require great skill and tact to survive, yet would also bring great rewards for the both of them as well. The returns of such an event were impossible to foretell right now, but in three weeks... everything would change.
END
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