A Distinct Lack of Urgency[Jasper]

Hunt looked up at him at the notion of poison, expression suddenly rather world weary. If he had really been worried about poison, he wouldn't have bothered to try the drink. Or eat any of the food. Worrying about that was a waste of good food he had always thought. "It's the amount of alcohol," he explained instead. He did take another sip, because he did like ciders, but he wasn't much of a social drinker, as the Prince had likely figured out from their visit to the tavern. Still, one drink, provided it wasn't very heavy, he could handle. The warmth the cider provided would have normal felt cozy, but with his raised temperature it was uncomfortable. Still, he liked the taste.

"No thank you," he said. It would be a lie to say he couldn't still eat, but he wasn't starving any longer and he wanted to get some rest in.

Hunt grimaced but allowed himself to shrug. "My scouts," he clarified only slightly. Because someone had to. It might as well be him while he was around. The nurse had that part right. "You know it used to be an honor, scouting duty?" He asked the question like the Prince was unfamiliar with his own military, but that wasn't how he meant it. Because while he probably knew how it used to be, he might not know how it was now. "A reward for services rendered, an easy patrol and recognition, a patch to bring home to loved ones. But now, it's a punishment. Lutrians aren't fielding an army. They roam the countryside. They send their beasts after us. Leave traps. We set up in that village and they know not to hit us. But we don't know where they are, so we send out patrols and scouts and those raiders jump at any chance to hit us and vanish."

Hunt had gotten this very injury from springing a fellow soldier from a trap and wounding himself in the process. It wasn't some glorious fight or death wish. It was just one man trying to help another. It was why he didn't think diplomacy was an option, even if he wanted it desperately.

He could tell what he said made the Prince upset. Could tell he was listening. No matter if they declared war or agreed on peace, the northern commanders needed to answer for their actions. Things couldn't go on this way.

Hunt sighed. He knew he couldn't dismiss a potential answer just because he didn't like it. If it worked, then it would of course be worth it, to save those lives. "The sooner this is solved, the better," he said. Hunt didn't just mean the threat of war however but the leadership. "But my real concern with diplomacy is not what we have to gain. It is what we have to loose."

"What information do we give them? Are you willing to cede the land and livelihood of farmers futures to save soldiers now? Are you willing to trade your life and everyone you take with you should it come to that?" Hunt continued. He was. If it came to that.

Hunt had many similar thoughts, tempered by his own forced walls and forced distance. He warned against himself whether he should carr about those who were not his blood, who beat him or ridiculed or raped him. But unfortunately, as much as he wished it, he wasn't a cynic. He cared, he just hated to admit it. Ultimately, he worried he would agree to something stupid on the Prince's behalf. But really he was too self-righteous.

At least the Prince recognized his limitations. Still, Hunt grunted. "We've already lost land and lives to them. They will argue the same. Neither side will settle for cutting their loses," he pointed out. Either Manthir would have to lose more, or the Lutrians would. If they thought their numbers and warriors stood a chance, war made a stupid sort of sense. Unless Manthir cut a deal that wasn't in their own favor. Hunt had no idea of the Prince's policies. But the King had always been very clear. Hit back harder than they hit you, and if you can't, take everything else they love.

The captain noted how the man only answered the part of his question that he wanted to. "Fool," he grumbled under his breath, though he didn't care if the blonde heard him. "And if you can't protect them. What about the lives of everyone else? How many lives are worth your kingdom's future? Who are you willing to risk, Prince of Wolves?" He asked again, more directly and adding a normally playful moniker and making it grim.

Perhaps it would be better if he played along. If he continued to be the simple soldier he made out to be. Of course sometimes he was asked about his past, but even most Manthiran's knew exile wasn't a simple banishment. It came with baggage none of them would ever be allowed to unpack. It affected everything they did, everything they said. Some employers wouldn't take on a man who couldn't explain for what crime they were exiled. Thankfully, most armies didn't have that problem.

But Hunt couldn't sit here and play along. "A lot more," he agreed, focused on the man across from him and hardly noticing the fire. While the captain was glad the Prince had thought about the bigger picture, the arguably more important picture, he hadn't asked about that. "Yes, yes, your plight for peace is laudable," he said, perhaps getting a little carried away with his vocabulary. "Everyone knows your father won't roll over and that direct conflict is inevitable. They'll be keen to see where you stand. But this isn't what I asked."

He leaned back. "You're taking your personal guard?" Whom he assumed the man knew by name despite them rotating. "A diplomat or two? A translator? A handful of advisors and anyone your father has asked to go with you?" Clearly, he was just guessing, but the point still stood. "What are their names? Any of them married? Children? Parents?" He studied the man for a moment, the questions clearly rhetorical and then continued. "These people that would follow you blindly into danger aren't doing it because they expect you to protect or honor them. They are doing it because they trust you have chosen the right path. That as alpha, you will provide. Even if that means they die to do it."

"How many friends are you willing to lose?" He asked again. This was a personal question, but entirely tied to his professional life.

The captain could nearly feel the cynicism radiate from the man. It didn't suit him, though Hunt imagined he got it from his father. What was that Manthiran saying? That it is lonely at the top of the mountain? Perhaps. Hunt wasn't exactly in a position to judge how many friends the man had considering how few he had himself. Though he did find the use of the word 'award' interesting. Unless he was misunderstanding.

A corner of his lip turned upward in the hint of a smirk. He wasn't trying to ask a trick question. He was simply trying to get the man to think about what he was doing. What he was asking of people. What he would have to ask of everyone daily, especially as King. This answer was at least an answer. And it gave Hunt a lot of insight into what Jasper really wanted of him when he asked for him to join his diplomatic mission.

Jasper didn't want another guard. He wanted someone else he could force to rely on him and look to him as a protector and provider. But Hunt wasn't interested in someone who thought he needed protecting or saving. He wasn't interested in being a martyr either. He leaned back in his chair and glanced at the fire. "You'll make your father proud yet, Your Highness," he said with a sigh. He was perhaps even less interested in joining the man than he had been before and more concerned from how the Prince spoke that the man would get himself killed.

Hunt had meant more in his aggressive and forceful attitude. In his desire to impose his will and emotions on others. It reminded him of the King.

He shook his head as the man explain3d he wanted his friends protected. More than himself. Coupled with the notion that he would put himself first was disappointing. "You provide for your friends by protecting yourself. If you can't step back and save your own life, you're worth nothing as a Prince," Hunt pointed it out. "You're a symbol just as much as you are a man. Bring more guards if it worries you." Hunt wasn't concerned with anyone besides the Prince.

Though as the topic of his soldiers came up he frowned. The Prince and he were alike in many ways. But he wasn't here for some strangers. He was here for Jasper. He just wasn't sure how to explain that. "If you won't allow your guards to protect you, you only put more people at risk. I won't become a martyr just so you can save a few friends you weren't willing to lose, yet you put at risk." There was a poker analogy there somewhere.