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“Forgive me if I’m being skeptical but I don’t exactly trust you.”
Dream stayed in his place, eyeing up Schlatt. The older man had called him for a meeting in Manberg. Technically this should be the job of the king but Schlatt had made it clear he wanted Dream and not Eret.
“Trust is something we don’t need for business. Do you know why I called for you?”
Dream bristled at the words. Schlatt saying it like that made it sound like he was a dog who followed Schlatt’s orders. None of which was true. But he was curious as to why the other was so adamant about it being Dream who came to the white house and not Eret. Dream could see Eret was starting to have sympathies towards Pogtopia but he didn’t mind so long as he wasn’t public with it. Dream would be a hypocrite if he were to punish Eret otherwise. He had some suspicions as to why the president emperor would ask for him. But he wasn’t going to give Schlatt the satisfaction of making him guess. Instead he stayed silent. Mask pointed directly at him. Schlatt just smirked and huffed out a scruffed laugh.
“So impassive. But that’s your always isn’t it, Dream? Mask always on, too afraid to show anything.”
Behind the mask Dream grit his teeth. Schlatt was treading on dangerous grounds. Dream already didn’t want to be there. He had told Sapnap and George as much before he ever even left. The two of them were at the community house waiting for any kind of signal or for Dream to fail coming home to them. Should any of that happen the Greater SMP would immediately move in on Manberg to perform a rescue. Dream wasn’t the king, but he still held the power.
“Be careful, Schlatt. Don’t do anything you might regret.”
He tilted his head for good measure. Knowing full well that the sight of the slightly tilted smile mask was enough to set a good number of people on edge. Schlatt seemed amused by it though, or at the very least he was pleased by the action. Dream had to fight the urge to clench his fists. He hated this. He hated being watched like some kind of experiment.
The horned man lifted his hands in surrender. But no matter what placating move he made, Dream watched the smirk remain plastered to his face.
“Relax kid. I called you here because you’re the one with real power in the SMP. Your king is weak-”
In less than a second Dream had his hand on the sheath of his sword, the netherite glinting in the light of the office as he pulled it an inch to ensure the threat landed.
“Watch your tongue. Eret is the king of my nation and I will not tolerate slander like this.”
“I am not wrong. You are the one with the power Dream. You are the one that made him King. The person with power is the one that I am interested in dealing with. No one is fooled into thinking you don’t have the real leadership over there. It’s all you, Dream.”
He eyed the sword still gripped tightly and the smirk dipped at the ends. Dark eyes landing back at the ever grinning mask.
“Put the sword away. We can talk like men. We are not children .”
Nearly everything in Dream was telling him to argue back. To pull the sword out and drive it through Schlatt’s vile heart. To relish in the pain in his eyes and use it as vengeance for his words. He wanted to tell Schlatt he had no right to tell him what to do. That Dream was the only reason he was on the server in the first place and able to touch these lands. He wanted to lash out at the clear comment against Tubbo. The boy was smart, resilient, resourceful, he would become something great if given time and the proper guidance.
But he had his country to think of. He had his nation behind him that he had to worry for. If he drew his sword and slew Schlatt then it would be the SMP that broke the peace treaty. It would make all of his careful work with Pogtopia for nothing. His rage and pride would be the sole reason for his nation being dragged into another war. It was needless. So he slowly slid the blade back into its guard. His stance stayed calm but he would at least admit to himself that he had a bad feeling about where this was all going.
“If you want to talk about business Schlatt. Then I suggest you do it instead of trying my patience further.”
The smirk pulled again on the ram’s lips. It made something curl in Dream’s stomach. Told him to get out of there as fast as he could. But he knew he couldn’t. He had a duty here, no matter how badly he didn’t want to do it.
“Not here. Allow me to make up for my missteps by getting you dinner.”
“No-”
“It’s already done. Everything is already set up. Just follow me to the dining room and we can discuss politics and business over some nice wine and steak.”
If Dream hadn’t been good at controlling his breathing from all the manhunts he surely would have done something by now. Schlatt was hitting all of his buttons. He’d banned him from the lands for a reason. But no one seemed happy with that and he wanted his people to be happy more than anything else. He regretted not listening to his instinct more and more. And yet, when it warned him something was wrong and to get out, he ignored it.
The dining room looked more set up for a date than it did a political meeting. If it had been set this way to ease his assumed tension it was doing the exact opposite. But then again, with Schlatt, that very well may have been its intention. Neither of them spoke as they took their seats. The food came out quickly. Helpers of the white house poured wine for them both but Dream made no move to touch the drink. Schlatt was a cliche, and Dream hadn’t been lying when he said he didn’t trust him. Schlatt waved off the staff as soon as he could so Dream made it a point to say thank you to the ones who helped him. There was a reason Dream still had power while not being king after all. And it wasn’t because of his status as an Admin. He’d made sure all but George and Sapnap forgot that part after he brought them into the world.
“Please, eat, drink. I promise it’s not poisoned.”
“I already told you to forgive my manners in not trusting you.”
The ram hybrid rolled his eyes. Light reflecting off his horns shifted around the table when he shook his head.
“Fine, but then you will excuse me for eating in front of you. I’m famished.”
“Get to the point of this Schlatt or I will leave.”
He would rather be pretty much anywhere else. He’d told George and Sapnap to wait until midnight to come looking for him. The sun was just starting to set, at this rate anything could happen.
“You are just as impatient as the rumors said you were. Let me guess, you also actually take in stray cats in villages. Rumors aren’t meant to be true. Keep them like that. I get that you’re a young leader or whatever but you need to do better if you want people to respect you. You’ll lose all that pretty power Dream.”
He felt his stomach roll the more Schlatt talked. He did take in the cats he found. Dream had always had a soft spot for animals of any kind. Furry like cats, fluffy like wolves, feathery like parrots, or sleek like dolphins. He loved all of them. But he wasn’t willing to give Schlatt that information. For as much as people on his server liked to call him a liar, Dream was a very honest person.
“You seem to talk about my power a lot tonight. Are you already drunk or should I take that as a que for what you want here?”
There was a glint that made Schlatt seem like he was a devil instead of a power hungry politician.
“Eat first. Then we talk. Or you can just sit and watch.”
He clenched his fist under the table. Once again his instinct told him to leave now but he stayed in his seat. His pride not allowing for the unofficial win on Schlatt’s side. Instead he nudged his mask up enough to uncover his mouth and moved to eat the potatoes on the plate. They were the one thing served that wasn’t part of Schlatt’s listed menu. If the food was poisoned then it would have been the food he listed and highlighted. Not the side. He would settle with it just to get the meeting done and over with.
Schlatt grinned more once he took the first bite but finally he started talking with goals.
“As you know Manberg and the Greater SMP are currently engaged in a peace treaty. I want to expand my territory further. However, with the rising concern of attack from Pogtopia, Manberg cannot take two war fronts at once.”
The more he ate of the potatoes the more Dream thought they tasted off. It wasn’t anything he noticed really at first but it was enough to catch his attention. His immediate reaction was to grab for the wine to wash it down but he was smarter than to fall for that. Instead he lowered his fork slowly and adjusted the mask to cover his mouth again now that he had Schlatt talking.
“I’ve seen the Manberg scouts venturing closer and closer to SMP territories. Eret has been informed and is working on a proposition for you. If you had chosen to speak to the proper person for this-”
“You are the proper person!”
Schlatt’s fist hit the table hard enough to bounce the silverware. Dream sat with his spine stiff against the back of the chair. His situation felt claustrophobic at this point. Something bad was going to happen. He wanted out. The lack of response from him must have made Schlatt realize what he’d done, however. The man quickly smoothed his suit out and shifted his chair back. He cleared his throat once before continuing.
“Apologies, but you are the proper person for this. Power talks to power. You should drop the face that is your king and wear the crown yourself.”
Dream inclined his head to take in the sight of the man before him. He would go with Eret when their meeting eventually came, but for now, he was ready to leave. He would not let Schlatt try to undermine the system he’d set in the SMP. Dream was already standing before Schlatt had put down his fork and knife.
“I am not the king. You would be wise to understand that. Be grateful Eret is not taking this diversion as a break of the treaty. If you want something use the proper channels. I’d assumed you knew that, Mr. President. ”
Schlatt stood after him. Arm stretched pointing back to the chair but Dream wasn’t having it. He ignored the call for him to sit down and continue talking. He’d heard the footsteps and turned back towards Schlatt before really processing the action. The fact that his hand was once again resting on the hilt of his sword completely missing him.
“ Dream, ” Schlatt began. “At least let us do proper goodbyes. No need for violence.”
He breathed carefully through his nose. A goodbye would be harmless.
“Fine. Goodbye, Schlatt. Remember what I told you and heed the warning.”
The older huffed a sigh and tsked lightly when Dream turned away from him. A hand coming to rest on his shoulder and holding him in place, preventing him from turning from Schlatt any further.
“Thank you for coming to meet with me. I know you had concerns. Not that they were unfounded,”
Before Dream could question the words he felt something prick the side of his neck. Immediately he felt something rush through his veins, the foreign temperature setting him on edge despite the dizziness that was already hitting him.
“I’d planned to use the handshake since you weren’t cooperating but the neck will have to do. Even if it’s faster acting.”
It felt like his lungs were constricting. His vision was going in and out, his hearing starting to ring slightly. He hadn’t even noticed his legs shaking until he was face planting into Schlatt’s chest. A whispering voice sending chills down his spine.
“I told you the food and drink weren’t poisoned. I needed you alive if we were going to make a deal. I can just say you had an allergic reaction to the seasoning. You don’t tell anyone anything anyway so they won’t know the difference.”
Breathing hurt, thinking was starting to hurt. He could feel himself losing control of his body, could feel his throat swelling and weakness setting into his bones. He was going to die if he stayed here. Maybe even worse considering it was Schlatt who was keeping his body up. He needed to get out but he knew he wouldn’t make it the conventional way. Schlatt would have questions but at this point if he told anyone they would say he was drunk and move on. George and Sapnap would know. He could get to them.
He pulled his focus into himself. Ignored his situation and called for his world to work for him. Teleporting was never a fun thing really. It took too much out of him and hurt if he did it more than a few times in a row. But considering the situation he was willing to do just about anything to get out of it. Including using his admin powers to escape. One moment he was propped in Schlatt’s arms, trapped in the white house without a timely rescue coming. The next he was landing on the floor of the community house.
The teleport made his heart beat faster, the poison spreading faster than it was already. He hadn’t accounted for his hearing cutting out before coming back full force, nor for the black spots that danced across his vision. Without Schlatt to keep him up he fell against the staircase in front of him. His arms grasping at the platform but weakening faster every second. He could hardly get air into his lungs. The two worried calls of his name not registering until arms were grabbing him and guiding him down towards the floor.
“M..mi-..milk-”
His lungs were failing him. Everything hurt. The mask felt suffocating like this. Dream reached blindly for the clasp before just grabbing the strap and ripping it from his head. He needed to breathe. He never even heard it crash into the floor. He couldn’t tell what was happening. Couldn’t even tell if his eyes were opened or closed at this point. But he knew he was leaning against something. He knew someone was holding his head back to make his airways as open as possible. He dimly registered a bucket being placed into his hands. A breathy whine escaped him as he tried to tell them he couldn’t lift it. But then the cool rim of another was touching his lips. Immediately he started to drink it. The cool liquid easing the tension laced through his body. It was a miracle cure for almost every poison. He was glad that held true with what Schlatt had dosed him with.
A few moments after he finished drinking he realized why he’d been given another bucket. He felt the bile and potato rush up his throat with enough time to lurch forward into it. The milk came up too but at least it had neutralized the poisons effects.
It went on like that for a while. How long exactly? He wasn’t sure. But Sapnap kept supporting him from behind and George continued to offer gentle words of encouragement and comfort. When his stomach finally calmed George pulled the bucket away from him and Sapnap leaned him against his chest again. Dream just breathed for a few moments before George spoke up.
“Want to tell us what happened?”
He had to swallow a couple times before answering.
“Happened too fast to signal. He wanted a deal with me, I didn’t cooperate. So he poisoned me. Fast acting, dangerous. If I was anyone else he would have killed me.”
He could feel Sapnap’s skin heat up at his words. Knowing that the blaze hybrid would be out for blood he patted his leg.
“‘M fine.”
“You almost weren’t.”
George stepped in before they could devolve into an argument. Dream was being calm about the whole thing, which meant that he was already thinking of what to do next.
“What’s your plan?”
Dream looked up at him with a faint grin. If Schlatt thought he would kill the server admin he had another thing coming. All that talk of his power and yet he so critically underestimated it.
“Now? We tell Eret what happened, and we tell him we’re going to war.”