Even though the former military Captain was not thrilled by it all, Timaeus understood that his role in this war effort was to be a glorified translator for Stephanos. It was his job to make sure that the tasks that Steph wanted to be done were communicated to the men in a way that would seem familiar to them and not cause resentment among the troops. After all, Steph was already dealing with more than his fair share of it as he was an outsider in a culture that was wary of all those that did not share the same blood. He was a Taengean leading a battalion of Colchian men and Timaeus was all too familiar with the common attitude that the soldiers would have to this foreign commander -- judging him for the pompous and party-hardy kingdom that he had come from. It was more than likely a few of them would not take the commander seriously because of this reason alone. Plus that didn’t even begin to touch upon the personal reputation that Stephanos had. Not only from his time as a carefree, lackadaisical prince and later a king deposed on charges of patricide.

Even though the Colchians were bound by duty to respect their prince’s decision to promote Stephanos, there wasn’t a chance in Hades that some of them would not cast their own judgments of Stephanos, making it harder for Steph to keep control of a group of men that decided that Steph was morally bankrupt. It was Timaeus’s job to try to keep this to a minimum. Stephanos was undecidedly the commander here and it was only him that made the crucial war decisions, but if the men needed those orders to come from a Colchian mouth, then Timaeus would be that mouthpiece. It was his sole job to be Stephanos’s support in this war effort.

So, why on earth was the Taengean making that an impossible task to do?


Granted, Timaeus was not helping himself in that endeavor. Between the war checks and his avoidance of the man, it was hard for the two of them to build that working relationship that was going to be needing if they wanted this military unit to make it out of Egypt in one piece. Personal grudges and judgments had meant that precious time had been squandered through the silence between them and that was going to have to be corrected quickly. Timaeus had seen this as a simple truth, which is why he brought the casket of wine. It was meant to be a gift of goodwill before the two of them caught up on the work that needed to be done. However, it seemed to be that it had already soured with Steph’s accusations that Timaeus was lurking in the shadows as the Baron made the point to quietly close the door behind him. Was this what trying to prevent a loud disturbance such as the heavy wooden door slam against the damp, salt-logged frame that likely creaked with every list and roll of the ship. Well, then. Timaeus was sure to make a mental note that Stephanos was not a fan of decent common manners.

Trying to shake this irritation out of his mind as he knew that this would be an absolutely terrible start to an already fraught working relationship, Timaeus took a seat in one of the few empty chairs in Stephanos’s workspace. Taking a glance around the room, Timaeus noted that the furnishings were sparse and the room was far more cramped than what one would expect a former King of Taengea to be comfortable in. However, this didn’t really surprise him. Having spent a sixth of his life out on the open seas, Tim knew how limited personal space could be on any ship -- let alone a warship that was designed to carry hundreds of men across the sea as quickly as possible. There was no space to spare for private rooms for every single man aboard or even every high-ranking official. Tim should know, he had a bunk down below just like the rest of the men. Stephanos only had this space because he was the commander on this ship. There was no other military man who ranked higher and thus that meant that Steph needed his own space to go over war plans and private communications without needing to fear being interrupted by a common footsoldier putting his two cents into things that he did not understand.

Though Timaeus had to suppose that he was that common footsoldier at this point in time, but then again, Prince Vangelis himself had put him into this position -- so at the same time, not really? Whatever, it didn’t matter. Timaeus wasn’t some hoplite. It was literally his job to be in this room with the Commander, discussing his war plans. That was something that hadn’t happened thus far, but that would soon have to change. Obviously.

However, Timaeus was not stupid enough to saunter into the Commander’s quarters and demand that Stephanos spill his thoughts on how they were going to accomplish their part of the great Colchian war plan. That would end in an absolute disaster if the very apparent hostility between the two men was anything to go by. It was for that reason Timaeus decided that it was wiser to perhaps broach a simpler topic. What in the name of Hades was going to happen once this ship reached the shores that Stephanos used to rule. Given that the former King was currently a wanted man with a certain promise of death lingering over his head if he was to be caught on Taengean soil, Stephanos was going to have to remain on the ship. There was no way around that. It was just too dangerous for him to go ashore. However, that posed a multitude of problems, some of which Timaeus was sure to outline when he finally spoke.

“We need to speak about the logistical aspects of coming ashore. You can’t leave the ship which means you can’t ensure the men are running the proper drills once they can stretch their legs. Nor can you secure the adequate supplies we will need to restock the stores down below. You can’t discuss any ideas you’ve had in the last two weeks with the other commanders and it will be fairly difficult to get their ideas to you amid all the other tasks that they will also be expected to do.” Even though Timaeus’s tone had a slight edge to it due to the lack of friendship between the two men, his words were simple and rather matter of fact. With the looming threat of death waiting for them in Egypt, these sorts of things would certainly seem trivial and seem more like something that should be discussed when the problem arose. However, Timaeus had his doubts that all was going to go smoothly if these obvious obstacles were left to the last minute. It would be infinitely easier if Stephanos had a clear game plan prior to them docking in Taengea’s port.

Now, if Stephanos was to ask Timaeus his opinion on what should be done, his answer would be obvious. Leave the matters of dealing with the soldiers to the Captains that commanded them and appoint Timaeus as the one who would handle all the tasks that could not be doled out to the other Colchian military leaders. It made the most sense, truthfully. As the former Captain did not have a formal rank in the war force, he was not required to report to any drills or really do anything within Taengea. In fact, he had planned to spend his time finishing one last stack of letters to send home while he still had the chance and maybe find a way to meet with Georgios of Leventi in order to speak with the man about Tim’s relationship with Nana. Beyond that, he had all the time in the world to do whatever Stephanos would send him to do. This was the plan that made the most sense.

But then again whenever was the easiest plan the one that was followed through?

Timaeus was fairly certain that if he had judged Stephanos’s feelings towards him correctly, the former King would not be on board with making the Baron his personal errand boy. Now Tim could only assume this sort of thing, but even if this was going to be the case, the Eubocrisian did not mind all that much. Having Stephanos directly refuse to utilize his advisor meant that Timaeus would have more time to put his last few affairs in order before they would leave the Greek isles for what could very well be the last time. Even if Steph decided that he was going to make the Baron’s life miserable and take him up on this silent offer -- well at least that would give Tim enough time to prepare for this lack of time.

Either way, this meant that this was likely to not end that poorly for the Valaoritis lord. It was a win-win in both scenarios and that was likely why despite the tense atmosphere in the room, tainted by dislike and other things confusing the living daylights out of Timaeus, the younger man thought nothing about drawing his personal dagger from his pockets. With a quick stab to the cork of the wine bottle and a tug to free the liquid within, Timaeus had opened the gesture of goodwill he had brought with him and held it out to Stephanos to take the first swig. “Want some?” He asked as he glanced around to see if there were any spare goblets laying about anywhere. Now Timaeus did not mind passing the bottle back and forth if the two men decided that they were going to enjoy some of the Condos wine Tim had brought aboard, but he couldn’t say the same for Stephanos.

If he was even willing to drink in the first place. Timaeus could never really tell with this man, but he hoped that the former King would at least live up to the stereotype of Taengeans and accept the gift that Tim had brought to make what was likely to be a miserable night for the both of them just a bit more bearable.