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[zaphiasemperor]

@mistralxsoul

When Flynn got here, he seemed out of sorts. Nothing that had him in a rush, but he was... distressed. When Ioder heard it had to do with the treatment of the Lower Quarter, he held back a sigh. Even with him as the emperor now officially, it seemed he still had a ways to go to properly improve the people's perceptions of each other. No central power for so long had caused discourse and hatred among Zaphias' own people, and it was always the Lower Quarter that for the brunt of it.

Perhaps something else was bothering him, but Ioder didn't need to pry. Even if this man was the commandant now and worked directly under Ioder's command, he trusted it was nothing urgent or Flynn wouldn't have come to him in this semi-relaxed state. Trouble usually meant Flynn would be one of the first ones there. Those words he spoke now though felt like doubt, and someone like Flynn didn't deserve to have doubts.

"Of course. I'm always on your side, Flynn. Not just as an ally in a position of power, but as your friend." That might have been difficult for Flynn to swallow because of their power dynamic, but it had been Flynn who looked out for him personally before he was declared Zaphias' supreme ruler. For a while, they had almost always been together. Ioder didn't get to say it much because of Flynn's persistence in their power dynamic, but Ioder really did just want familiar faces on his side, too. Familiar faces he could trust as more than just people who felt obligated to him because of his title.

"If something more has happened you can tell me, but... you're not in the wrong for feeling so negatively about how your home is treated." Without official orders he could probably only do so much, but it would probably be useful to go down there sometime personally and see exactly what needed his assistance. If he went with Flynn, he could hear from the people personally. Nobody could complain about the emperor wandering about Zaphias itself if he had the commandant at his side.

"Why don't we both go there together tomorrow? I'll set aside to head there with you and talk to the people there. I fully trust your stories about what happens there, and even to the people... but I think, if I can hear things from them directly, I can get a better idea of what needs to be done in a more precise way." There was work to be done after all, and he was thankful to know people who lived there. Even if it was only two, it was helpful. To have a commandant who grew up there was even more helpful.

As much as the council was capable of blocking him here and there, Ioder was certain with a bit of convincing and light pressure that he could get around them. "It will also help me determine if something unacceptable is going on without my notice. Seeing you look so down like this makes me think it's a lot worse than I thought it was. They are my people, but they are also simply that: people. They don't deserve to be treated the way they have been."

Maybe he could... bring a whole party down to them sometime. Just for them and nobody else. Block off entry except for residents.