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Platinum stands at attention, his gloved hands clasped together behind his back. His chin remains tilted up and high, as the flickering candle light of Kane’s court dances across the gold of his mask. The checkered floor remains as polished as his last namesake. Before the well dressed machine sits Kane himself.
The machine’s soulless gaze staring past the rigid and proper stance of the one before him, seeing the deep seated anxiety running through his head like electricity. Kane knows that he has Platinum wrapped around his pinky, but… it seems that the ring is getting loose. All rings could be tightened, however.
“You summoned me, your majesty?” Platinum finally speaks, the expectant head tilt from the other, a silent command to talk. He gives a bow at the waist, hands unclasping to have one still behind his back and the other tucked in front of him. He knows to stay like this until commanded otherwise.
“I did.” Kane speaks after a long judgemental stare. The fact that Platinum’s stance did not waver was one of the reasons he liked him so much. It was so refreshing to have a plaything that didn’t cower away so quickly. “Rise.”
Platinum’s movement is swift as soon as the command is given. He rights himself back to the original at attention position, the bright red feather in his tricorn bobbing gently from the motion. Truly, a near perfect little toy soldier. Platinum dare not ask for what he was summoned for. Kane would say in due time, and asking stupid questions would not result in any answers.
“You are aware of the purpose you serve to me.” It was not a question, but a statement. Both machines knew very well the roles they played. Kane, the true king of Valencia, and Platinum, a servant at best and just another pawn at worst. Kane pauses a moment to let the words sink in, before speaking again.
“You pen each letter's end, before your own signature, with ‘for Glory to the Armada’. Platinum, you could be an Elite but you refuse me, however you still serve me. You serve the Armada.” Kane pauses again to allow a moment for Platinum to agree. The other picks up on this social queue and passes the test as he gives a polite nod.
“The other night, we had five patrol ships not return. There were no signals or warnings sent out from them, however it was clear from their routes that the only ones that were sunk were ones that passed by your residence.” Thankfully for Platinum’s own nerves, Kane is to the point enough that his anxiety does not eat him alive. Unfortunately for Platinum, the topic is far from pleasant.
Silence echoes in the room as Kane lets his words linger and work their way between each gear that turns inside Platinum’s mind. If Platinum had the ability to, he would have swallowed thickly. He knew exactly why those patrol ships did not return, and he knew he couldn’t outright lie about it. Kane always knew when someone was lying. However, Platinum knows that he can somewhat get away with playing the neutral party and only leave with a lecture to take away from it.
“That is certainly not a good sign. I will be sure to make sure that no threats are around the Villa.” Platinum finally speaks with his head bowed again.
“If there were threats, they would already be in the villa. Platinum, have you had any unexpected or unwanted visitors last night?” Kane interrogates, shifting to stand and taking measured steps to walk down the low stairs to be on the same level as the other clockwork. Kane tilts his head, watching the others gears turn and conjure up whatever sweet talk he was about to say. Before he can even answer, Kane asks another question.
“Where do your loyalties lie, Platinum?”
Platinum’s mind is racing as he has to choose his words quickly and wisely. He had promised that he would not out the crew that had visited the other night, and he was not going to go back on that word. He could tell that the chips were falling and- his thoughts were interrupted by the questioning of his loyalty. The answer is direct and quick.
“I am loyal only to you, Kane.”
“Only to me? Do not lie to me, Platinum.” Kane’s voice turns vicious, his white gloved hand moving swiftly to grab Platinum’s chin and force the other to look at him. “I know who you are truly loyal to. If you were loyal only to me, you would not deny my requests.”
Platinum would flinch if he could, he could feel the strength behind Kane’s grip on his mask. Any tighter, and he was worried that the mask may just fracture under the pressure.
“You are the only machine I am loyal to.” Platinum repeats, rewording it so that he can safely have Amelia as an allowable exception.
“Answer my question truthfully and I may spare you, Platinum.” Kane commands, already wrapping his fingers around the hilt of the gold handled sword at his waist. It’s both a threat and a promise. “I do not have time for outdated things such as you. You refuse to upgrade, and refused to join my court, and I have humbly allowed you to do so. I do not have the patience for many more refusals from you.”
The other clockwork receives perhaps a second of relief as the pressure on his mask is removed, but the feeling is immediately replaced with dread at Kane’s words. While it was true that he had denied both of those things, it was Kane that had given him the mask that he wore presently. He gives another bow, keeping his head low.
“Apologies, your highness. Thank you for your generosity.” He hums, knowing that flattery will not save him. “I did not encounter any threats, no.” Platinum finally answers, hoping that it is good enough for Kane.
His hopes were not heard, and Platinum’s long hair swishes as there’s a breeze of Kane’s blade breezing over his bowed head. The red feather that had previously been in his hat flutters down in front of him in two pieces.
“Do you think I'm a fool, Polish?” Kane sneers down to him, his blade out and pointed at the others neck. “I am fully aware of your petty wordplay and workarounds. Did you, or did you not, have uninvited or unexpected guests? Do not make me repeat myself again, or you will find yourself matching that gaudy feather of yours.”
“I do not find you to be foolish, as your creation Phule is the one named after such imperfections.” Platinum answers quickly, his fans turning quickly as they try to cool the much quicker turning of his gears. Platinum’s nerves are high, he can tell he is on thin ice; much thinner than any other interaction he had had with Kane before. “Did something happen, sir?” He decides to inquire in hopes that he may understand what may have changed between them.
“I had an attempt on my life by a pathetic excuse for a pirate. The very one that has dismantled my children and destroyed many things that the Armada has worked towards. They are no match for me, however it is obvious that the threat is here in Valencia now. It is not a coincidence that my ships go down the same night I am accosted, all in front of where you reside. You have served me well, for many years Platinum, but I am doubting the quality of your service with situations like this arising.”
“I understand, sir.” Platinum keeps his head bowed, not daring to raise it at risk of getting an unwanted haircut from the other’s blade. “I-”
He’s immediately cut off by Kane slapping him. The noise of metal only thinly protected by cotton gloves colliding with the breakable material of Platinum’s face echoing throughout the courtroom. Platinum stumbles back, his own hands reaching up and gingerly covering his face where he can feel cracks scarring the surface. He hardly has time to process it as Kane’s foot collides into his chest, kicking him backwards and crushing the gears in his torso. There’s a hissing noise as one of the cooling mechanisms is burst by a now dislocated gear inside.
It sounds like gasping as Platinum stumbles back, the pain undeniable. He dares look up to Kane in fear. The other regards him with no mercy behind his mask.
“Your mask is cracking already. Pity, I thought you would have been sturdy enough to maintain at least one hit.” Kane sneers, advancing towards Platinum. Surprisingly, the other clockwork does not back away, and it makes Kane thrilled. Just how much damage could this pathetic creature take before breaking, and not just physically?
“At attention, you were not told to lose your posture!” He barks angrily.
Platinum struggles to upright himself, his stance a little bit crooked as his torso doesn’t like to be vertical anymore. He does manage to do it though. He doesn’t speak, he can’t speak. The feeling of his face cracking caused such immense pain that anything other than focusing on following the order and not crumpling was simply not feasible.
“Where do your loyalties lie? There can only be one you belong to.” Kane asks, his grip tightening on his blade as he knows that he won’t be getting an answer. Platinum attempts to speak, and fails. Kane’s other hand encourages this failure by shooting out and wrapping his fingers around the other's throat. The grip is crushing, and Platinum can feel the thin metal joints bending just slightly under the grip as wires are pressed together to be much too close for comfort. Platinum gasps and whirrs as his body attempts to handle the damage being dealt. After relishing in the others' pain, Kane shoves Platinum back by the throat.
Platinum stumbles back, hardly staying upright as he tries to calibrate himself so he can stay balanced to stand in any way shape or form. Kane’s knee drives into him and he collapses to the floor with a groan. His mask is jostled and hardly hanging onto his face and the dim lights of the room are quickly overstimulating as Platinum tries to speak, tries to plead.
“Kane… Please, sir. I-”
“Enough.” Kane orders, swiftly moving to the other’s collapsed form. He spares no mercy and no time raising his sword to Platinum’s throat. Instead, he quickly flips the sword in a show off way so that the hilt is facing him now. He slams the blunt end of the weapon down onto Platinum’s face where the cracks had already started forming from the slap earlier.
For perhaps one of the first times in Platinum’s life, he screams. The noise is brought out as soon as his mask shatters and clatters onto the tile floor under him. The pain brought with it is more than any shock he had ever endured, or any insult ever given. His hands gingerly grasp and try to cover his destroyed mask. Oil is dripping and leaking from the very much damaged mechanisms that the mask had previously protected. White gloves are stained black, and previously steady hands tremble as if thousands of volts are being sent through them.
Kane looks down at Platinum coldly. Oh how long ago it seemed that he had saved this pathetic excuse for a machine from servitude. It seemed that even now he wasn’t cut out for such things.
“Remember this, Platinum. Remember how without me, you aren’t anything but motor oil on the ground. Get yourself cleaned up. I don’t care how you do so.” With that, Kane gives a final painful kick to Platinum’s curled up form on the floor, sending him skidding back and leaving a black trail of oil in his wake. Kane exits the throne room, letting Platinum stay and pick up the pieces.
Platinum stays on the floor for a good while. When his systems tire of screaming, it turns to mechanical whines and sobs. Agony wracks his form as he can’t even bear to remove his guarded hands from the destroyed excuse for a mask. Slowly, he cautiously removes them and stares at his blackened gloves. Those stains won’t come out easily, now will they? The mundane thought almost makes him laugh, the noise starting out as a laugh before melting into a wretched sob. With shaking fingers, he carefully picks up the tiny fragments of his mask off the floor. Surely, with enough pieces, he would be able to be presentable again. Surely, he could fix this.