I lost someone I cared about more than I could ever hope to possibly attempt to fucking explain. I don't--I don't--I just can't find the words, I'm not--not good with words.
I almost lost Junpei. We almost lost Junpei. He reminds me of--of my team. Of one of my best friends.
I lost my whole unit, once. Good kids. Dumb, stupid, good kids.
We've lost seven people here. We lost Mikaela, Mai, Finn, Lee, Mary, Takumi, and Roland.
[He brings himself closer and leans to rest his forehead against Ardyn's. This is tiring, exhausting, and he cannot even fathom even a fraction how exhausted his fallen king might be.] I am not. going. to lose you, too. I am going to do everything in my power to help you, because guess what? You trusted me to that duty. Maybe you didn't mean--maybe you didn't mean it to go this far, and maybe I didn't mean to take it seriously, but here we the fuck are. My best might not be good enough. But I'm going to give it.
Because once upon a time you were a tremendously good man, and once upon a time I wanted to be one.
So whatever happens...whatever you do, I'm not turning on you. I'm not turning away. You're stuck with me. Which might just be a fate worse than living forever. [Ardyn can appreciate gallows humor, right, even ill-timed?]
...And as someone who has to deal with a lot of very stupid decisions being made around him constantly, I think I can handle whatever it is you're about to do. So what are you about to do?
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I almost lost Junpei. We almost lost Junpei. He reminds me of--of my team. Of one of my best friends.
I lost my whole unit, once. Good kids. Dumb, stupid, good kids.
We've lost seven people here. We lost Mikaela, Mai, Finn, Lee, Mary, Takumi, and Roland.
[He brings himself closer and leans to rest his forehead against Ardyn's. This is tiring, exhausting, and he cannot even fathom even a fraction how exhausted his fallen king might be.] I am not. going. to lose you, too. I am going to do everything in my power to help you, because guess what? You trusted me to that duty. Maybe you didn't mean--maybe you didn't mean it to go this far, and maybe I didn't mean to take it seriously, but here we the fuck are. My best might not be good enough. But I'm going to give it.
Because once upon a time you were a tremendously good man, and once upon a time I wanted to be one.
So whatever happens...whatever you do, I'm not turning on you. I'm not turning away. You're stuck with me. Which might just be a fate worse than living forever. [Ardyn can appreciate gallows humor, right, even ill-timed?]
...And as someone who has to deal with a lot of very stupid decisions being made around him constantly, I think I can handle whatever it is you're about to do. So what are you about to do?