[ That's a sobering thought, isn't it? Mako thinks about the waves and waves of kaiju just beyond their defences, the strength and cunning of these monsters; they've outwitted them just far, but would they be lucky again tonight?
Mako isn't sure. ]
They will not die in vain. [ She pauses at the strategic arrangements, before she looks back at him steadily. ] Your men need your courage, my Lord. You are the one who is going to lead them to victory; and we will exact our vengeance for all the men who've given their lives up for this kingdom.
[She always knows just the right thing to say. He nods after a moment. She's right. He needs to hold himself together, a fixed point as her father used to tell him, because that's all the men need. They don't need him to be a friend or a savior, they need him to be a fixed point to rally around.]
You're right. I just wish there was a way where it could just be me. Dying to save them.
[ Mako scowls - that's the problem that he has; the fact that he would die for his people, literally. It's an inspiration to the men, no doubt, but still. With him dead, they would be lost. ]
[ Mako is quiet for a moment, letting the words sink in, the thoughts swirl around them -- it's normal to have these thoughts; it's perfectly normal to feel this way, but now, Raleigh is the fixed, the man whose colours they would all rally around.
She steps closer, before she puts her hand on his shoulder, warm and comforting. ] This is our home -- if nothing else, we are going to fight to the last man to defend it; that's all there is.
[ Mako obeys, and misses the warmth of him when he lets go of her. Now is not the time for tenderness, she reminds herself -- they're in the middle of a war, and the primary objective is to keep the king alive, and win it.
[He shakes his head a little because he has no idea what he'd say to them right now, if he were called to make a speech. Raleigh's not a king of speeches anyway, he's a man who lets his presence and his talent speak for him these days.]
You father told me once that sometimes it's more powerful to just let the men see you. To make them see who they're fighting for.
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Mako isn't sure. ]
They will not die in vain. [ She pauses at the strategic arrangements, before she looks back at him steadily. ] Your men need your courage, my Lord. You are the one who is going to lead them to victory; and we will exact our vengeance for all the men who've given their lives up for this kingdom.
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You're right. I just wish there was a way where it could just be me. Dying to save them.
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What exactly are you thinking about?
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[He's thinking about her father, his brother, the literally thousands of men who have died during this campaign.]
Or it seems like a waste. When we're getting nowhere against them.
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She steps closer, before she puts her hand on his shoulder, warm and comforting. ] This is our home -- if nothing else, we are going to fight to the last man to defend it; that's all there is.
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I hope it doesn't come to that. [Another squeeze to her fingers and then he lets go.]
Walk with me among the men for a while.
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She nods, and follows after him. ]
Do you intend to say anything to them?
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You father told me once that sometimes it's more powerful to just let the men see you. To make them see who they're fighting for.