Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Diplomacy ❯ Diplomacy ( Chapter 1 )

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Title: Diplomacy
Author: Shaded Mazoku.
Email: herukatto@hotmail.com.
Part: 1/1.
Disclaimer: Not mine, but Squeenix’s. I wish Kefka would realise that so I’d get my brain back.
Warnings: Eh… …Politics?
Rating: PG.
Summary: Kefka wouldn’t know diplomacy if it bit him on the ass, and probably wouldn't care. Leo thinks Kefka is lucky like that.
Pairing(s): None, really. It was supposed to be Leo x Kefka, but no…
Fandom: Final Fantasy VI.
Notes: Dedicated to my friend Ikura, who inspired this.

“I don’t see why that should be a problem.”

Leo sighed, raising his head to look up at Kefka, who was perched on his desk again. Didn’t the other man have his own desk to drape himself on? One would think not, because he spent an awful lot of time on Leo’s desk.

“You know very well why it’s a problem, Kefka,” he said, tapping the nib of his quill on the parchment, thankful he hadn’t actually dipped it in ink yet. “The kingdom of Figaro is our allies, not our tribute state or enemy.”

Kefka just grinned at him, the paint on his lips making them seem too wide, like the grin was more feral than it really was. “So? We’re the Empire, you know. They can’t afford to say no.”

Kefka had a point, of course. His mind might be shattered, but he wasn’t stupid. With the Magitek technology, the Empire was far more powerful than Figaro, and everyone knew that. It still didn’t change the fact that officially, they were allies, and as such, a formal request would be needed.

“We need to use South Figaro as a harbour, you realise,” Leo told Kefka pointedly. “And I doubt they’ll be pleased if we make an overt demand. The situation requires a polite request to King Edgar.” It wasn’t that Figaro had much of a choice, it was just the routine.

With far too much ease considering how long his nails were, Kefka reached over and plucked the quill out of Leo’s hand, dipping it in the inkwell. “You’re missing the point, Leo,” he said, and with a little laugh, wrote a single sentence on the parchment.

Do as we say, or we’ll kill you.

It took Leo a while to read it; Kefka’s handwriting was loopy normally, when written upside down it was quite hard to read.

Leo glared at Kefka, resisting the very childish urge to just shove him off of the desk. It’s not a high enough drop to do any good, anyway. Leo wasn’t a very aggressive man, and rarely had long-standing grudges; Kefka was just an expert at getting to him.

Slowly, as though he was explaining something to a young child, Leo tried to explain. “If we were to send a letter like that to King Edgar, it’d place the Emperor in a very bad light. No matter that they have to obey unless they want a confrontation, we don’t want to come off as arrogant and power-crazed.”

Kefka snickered, hiding half his face behind the voluminous sleeve of his jacket. “You mean we’re not arrogant and power-crazed?” He giggled, the feathers in his hair swaying in tact with his ponytail.

Leo just shook his head, but in truth, he was a little envious of Kefka’s freedom. He didn’t particularly like being at war, but writing diplomatic letters always left a very bad taste in his mouth. The veiled threats and intentions made him feel like a liar, and he tried his best to be a honest and just man, even if the Empire’s tactics weren’t always. It would be a relief once he had these letters done and could re-join his troops and set course for Doma. Not that he was very happy about their assault on the Domans, but at least it was straight-forward battle, not these sneaky politics.

No, Kefka was decidedly lucky like that. Because his insanity was so well known, he could act however he wished, and because of his powers in combination with that insanity, nobody dared tell him how to act, either. Even Leo generally didn’t tell Kefka what to do. He’d learned after the first few times he’d had to go to the medical centre to get various claw marks, poisoned wounds and burns treated.

The freedom to act like he wanted to act, and not have to follow orders that made him feel dirty, would be nice. It wasn’t in the cards, though.

Some days just weren’t tolerable. And some days, he got stuck with the diplomacy.

No wonder Kefka was so cheerful; he loved seeing Leo miserable.