Indeed, you would be more valuable under my thumb than you would be dead. Unfortunately, I'm not naive enough to believe your loyalty belongs to anyone but yourself.

[ Lucius straighten from his crouch, so that he looms over Fabius' fallen body once more. He glances out toward the sea, and inclines his head in a show of contemplation. ]

I wonder, is the tide coming in or out? I don't spend much time on the beach, so I wouldn't know. [ He turns his face back toward Fabius again, his smile sharp and malicious as he muses, ] You know, I've yet to let a man to live long enough that my venom washes from his system. I'm unsure how long it would take. It'll be interesting to see if it wears off before the waves cover your head.

[ Don't tell him what he will or won't do, Fabius. ]