(1865-10-30) An Interesting Discussion
An Interesting Discussion
Summary: Before he departs for Rhone, Alaric stops to speak to Alina on matters regarding betrothals and personal interests.
Date: 1865-10-30
Related: Related Logs (If there aren't any, use None. Don't this entry leave blank. If there is a log, use full URLs, like http://eternalcrusade.wikidot.com/logtitle)
NPCs: {$npc}
Players:
Alaric  Alina  

Study
Room description
Octobre 30, 1865

It's nearly time for Alaric to end his visit to Alsace and return to Rhone to assist his cousin, but there's still a matter or two of business to attend to prior to his departure. All business, of course. That's the only reason he's calling on the Duke's daughter today.

He sent word ahead of his arrival, of course, and he's dressed rather more simply than the last time he was inside Highwater Castle - all black, with a little purple trim to display the colors of House al'Mordran. There's a guard or two with him as he walks the streets, but they're left behind by the time he enters the castle proper. Once inside, he's escorted down to the study in search of Alina, and there he gives a pair of knocks on the door.

From within, the doors open, and a slight man in leathers lets Alaric into the study. Alina has already moved to stand from the chair at her desk, smiling pleasantly at Alaric. "How are you, Lord Alaric?" she greets him with a inclination of her head.

Small Pie glances at her and lifts a brow, but when she gives a nod he departs the study drawing the door behind him.

"Rather better now than I was a moment ago, Lady Alina," Alaric replies, dipping his head in a nod as he enters the room. "If you'll permit me to be so bold." The Wraith gets a glance, but nothing more, which is probably how the man prefers it anyway.

Once he's well and truly inside the study, Alaric relaxes, albeit only a little. "How have the days found you? We haven't spoken in…" Pause. Less than two weeks, in reality, but the Masquerade doesn't 'count,' officially. "A great while."

Alina smirks a bit. "Too long, perhaps," she allows, waiting until the door shuts and the two are alone in the room before continuing, "you wished to see me before you left Alasce?"

"Too long," Alaric agrees, and he makes his way over to one of the available seats, though he doesn't move to actually sit down as of yet. "I did, yes. A few moments of your time, before I'm off to Rhone and you are, I assume, returning to your designs." A little grin curls his lips.

"Yes, I've spent far too long traveling," Alina says with a slight pout, "and I need some time to myself. I'm almost glad the Murnord tounrey was cancelled… the break is welcome, but the barbarians are not."

"Certainly not." Alaric's expression doesn't entirely darken at that, but his smile is more obligatory than anything. "I suppose it's fortunate that a good many knights were intending to be there anyway. My sister, Evelyn, for instance, was going to travel to Murnord for the tourney." Furrows form in his brow, and there's just a touch of worry on his features. "And now she is there with the Lightning Brigade. They'll do well, I'm sure."

Alina nods, the shakes her head slightly. "I don't really wish to think on it much further. My own brother, Marcus…" there's a twitch. "He went north, and took great injury in the first scouting push. Father recieved a bird this morning." She does not mention the fact that she finds the entire concept of large men and women in full plate on horses 'scouting' to be the stupidest idea she's ever heard; or her belief that if her brother and the Wraiths were being used properly and scouting alone she believes he would have not been seen to have been injured.

But the momentary look of irritation may hint to it.

"Let us speak of more pleasant topics."

Hey, she brought it up. Still, if the look on Alaric's face is any indication, he's also quite happy to move on from that particular subject. "I'm sorry to hear that much," he replies, flatly, but clearly he's not thinking in particular about Marcus.

Anyway. Pleasant topics. "I understand," he says, carefully, "that my cousin met with your father, a few days ago." Well, a /more/ pleasant topic than that one, at any rate.

<FS3> Opposed Roll — Alina=Deception Vs Alaric=Perception
< Alina: Good Success Alaric: Great Success
< Net Result: Alaric wins - Solid Victory

Oh, what was that? Alina's expression is for a moment all too innocent in the way that says she is pretending she knows nothing while making it apparent she knows entirely of what he means. "Oh, she did. I'm terribly sorry she had to wait so long, but you know. The perils of hosting a tournament." There's a slight tick to that last, a bit too much carefulness to her tone.

"I do know those perils, yes. And the Masque as well." Alaric rolls his shoulders in a shrug. "And that is on top of the many demands on the Duke's time. Think nothing of the delay, my lady. I am glad they were able to meet before the Archduchess' departure, at any rate." His own expression is mildly curious, but otherwise fairly neutral. For now. "I don't suppose," he says, his voice a conspiratorial not-quite-whisper, "that you were informed as to the topic of their conversation?" He knows the answer, of course, and the knowing look in his eye makes it quite /clear/ that he knows.

Alina looks as if she might play the coy game, but then sighs and shrugs, settling into her seat. "Mm. You know as well as I, I suspect. And my father said it is unwise for him to consider it until your cousins gets her own affairs in order." She tsks. "He said she was… ah…" and she looks sheepish, "willfully ignoring his salient advice." He may also referred to her as acting childish, but that Alina does not share.

"She did not seem to grasp that Father was not rejecting the concept out of hand; and offered to have you speak with him instead." From her tone, that was not received well.

"My cousin," Alaric replies, settling into his own seat, "is a very shrewd woman. On matters regarding betrothal, I am finding that she has an unfortunate… blind spot, if you will." He seems remarkably at ease, now that the matter is out in the open. They're not truly alone, of course - he knows that everything he says will be reported to her father, and she likely knows everything /she/ says will be reported to his cousin. Still, there's a certain degree of security in knowing where the other party stands.

"Now, I do think her frustration to be understandable. After all, matters will not simply stand still while we get her affairs in order. But that is our issue, to be attended to with all due haste." A shrug. "Certainly, if she /had/ asked me to speak with your father, I would have done all in my power to dissuade her."

Alina nods slightly. "Unfortunately, her blind spot will only serve to… skew things in the meantime." She shrugs. "It is nothing I can change. Or you."

She settles back in her seat, getting more comfortable, the gauzy dress she wears shifting a bit. "So. As there is truly nothing either of us can do on that score… tell me," and she pauses, a wicked smile slowly tugging at her lips. "Did you enjoy the masque, Lord Alaric?"

"I wouldn't say /nothing/," Alaric replies, gently. "But there is little we can do at precisely this moment, and it amounts to the same thing, no?"

At any rate, that's a rather more pleasant topic of conversation. "An amusing game we play, asking questions to which we already know the answers." The corners of his mouth tug upward in a grin. "I enjoyed it immensely. It was a rather long-awaited event, if I may say so." Pause. "And yourself, Lady Alina? Was it everything you anticipated?"

"Enough I may consider another such… entertainment." Alina laughs lightly. "Provided… similar rules are followed, of course. Discretion in all things."

She grins. "I have thought back to the masque and thought of a few things I might have done differently." She shrugs. "Perhaps next year. Or sooner, I may try my thoughts out." She lifts a brow, giving him a pointed look.

Yes, discretion. Alaric leans forward in his chair, folding his hands together as his eyes stare straight into Alina's. "Let us speak entirely honestly for a moment, my lady. I keep no secrets from my cousin, insofar as things that I know are things that she has a need to know. I suspect that you and your father have much the same arrangement. One that I entirely respect, of course." Of course.

"With that being said…" He's not too proud to stop his eyes from wandering up and down her body, nor does he particularly try to be discrete about it. "Appropriate discretion in all things. I prefer to keep my private business private. No one need know, mmm?"

Alina chuckles. "I have a similar arrangement with my father, this is true. But yes. Appropriate discretion." She considers. "I am much of the same mind, my lord, to keep my private concerns private. Should… in the future… things progress down such a path?" She shrugs. "While we are being entirely honest; to out such indiscretions would not work to your benefit. And, no offense intended to the Archduchess, but I suspect she would try." Alina leans over a bit against the armrest.

"I am aware that the betrothal my father seeks for me with Sir Gabriel is a source of aggravation for her, as she wanted him for herself." There's a smug tone there, but more of a 'I know something I should not' than a 'I win'. "Bluntly, I would not choose such a match for myself. But if I were to bed you and you were to share this…"

Alina shrugs delicately. "/Perhaps/ you may disrupt the negotiations, but that is entirely doubtful. The Duke of Murnord is already aware of enough that it would not do much to it. But." She holds up a finger. "A lack of discretion, to so sloppily use this to do so? It would guarentee that my father would not even consider a match with you on the grounds of… well, a lack of discretion." She grins. "You could say such was a paramount concern to my family."

"I understand entirely, my lady," Alaric replies, settling back in his chair. "My loyalty is to Aequor and to the Archduchess, but of course you know this already. And should it be necessary to keep something from my cousin's ears, for her /own/ benefit, well, that is not too difficult a thing to do. Particularly when it is something that oughtn't be shared in the first place. Such diversions are just that - diversions. Best kept between us."

On the matter of Gabriel, Alaric chooses to say nothing at all. There's precisely nothing he /can/ say that would be of benefit, and quite a few things that would be just the opposite.

There's a long pause, and then he leans back in his chair, taking a moment to stretch. "It seems, then, that you and I are of one mind on this matter." Leaning back forward and letting his eyes meet hers, he adds, just above a whisper, "Would you, perchance, like to know on what grounds my cousin approached your father in the first place?"

To his initial comments, Alina nods. "Good. Then we are in agreement for now. If such diversions are… what we decide to engage in… well, then it will be my business and yours; and no others."

To his last, Alina lifts a brow. "Oh?" she queries.

"Well. There are, of course, many concerns that play into such a decision. The long partnership between our houses - your own mother is an al'Mordran by birth, is she not? The need for greater unity within Aequor, given the present uncertainty. The possibility of trade arrangements, given your family's advantageous relationship with Four Corners and ours with the Vir Sidus Empire. All important."

Alaric pauses for a long moment, and though he twitches as though to look away from Alina, he keeps his eyes on hers. "All things I considered, when I suggested that she open negotiations."

"There are many reasons why it would be a reasonable match," Alina replies with a brief roll of her eyes. "And both my father and I are aware of all of them." Her gaze settles on him pointedly. "That does not change the primary reason why Father will not consider it."

She shrugs. "Should your cousin actually, while we are being frank, start making true effort to find herself an husband and make heirs? The landscape would change a fair amount." She sighs. "But if not? I would suspect you'll be wed to a princess within a year."

"Oh, to be quite clear, I understand your father's reasoning, and I am making no effort to change his mind. Futile effort that would be, mm?" Alaric's eyebrows lift for a moment. "What I thought you might find interesting, though perhaps not surprising, is that, given my cousin's present state of affairs and my own, I was in the somewhat awkward position of needing to at least suggest my own match." Pause. "And while I carefully weighed all of the practical matters I mentioned a moment ago, it would be a lie to say that matters of a more personal nature did not enter consideration as well."

His gaze meets hers, just as pointedly, and his lips turn upward in a little smile that's more solemn than anything. "The One only knows whether we'll be wed, Alina. But were it to happen? I think we would do well together."

At the mention of a princess, though? He leans forward a little. "Do you? Now, that is something I hadn't heard."

Alina lifts a brow. "Please, Lord Alaric. We are being honest here, are we not? If your cousin proves either intractable on finding a husband soon, or barren, as the rumors are already beginning to say…" she shrugs, "then the line passes to your father, and from your father to you. Both al'Ramar sons are wed, one to an al'Callenta, one to a vassal thereof."

Alina's fingers flick lightly as she counts off the princes and princesses. "With the news coming what? Two days ago?… of the betrothal with Princess Alessa being broken, she is available again, as are still Odette and Atreis… though I suspect you'd have to worry far too much about the latter giving you horns with any pretty serving wench or lady she found more than anything else."

Alina eyes him, considering. "So. The al'Ramar ties to the al'Callenta are very strong right now. In order to not seem like they are, shall we say, playing favorites, they will need to offer one of their princesses to either my house or yours. Who else from your house? If not you, then your brother, but if it looks to be you sitting as Duke in a few years, potentially Archduke…" Alina chuckles.

Now, that thread of conversation causes Alaric's expression to darken rather in a hurry. It's not as though she's said anything that he hasn't already considered, somewhere in the back of his own mind, but to hear it from the mouth of another, and to hear her discuss it so casually, well. Political considerations aside, this is still his beloved cousin they're talking about, and the potentially grim fate of same. He's not happy to entertain the thought, and he doesn't particularly hide his displeasure.

Finally, though, it's his turn to speak. "There are a great many 'ifs' in that scenario, Lady Alina. I find it best not to put too much stock in rumors, don't you think? People will talk, no matter what, and the things they say bear little relationship to the truth of matters."

Shrugging, Alina replies, "Well. Even if your cousin is wed tomorrow and fat with child the day after, the fact still remains the King and Queen have three daughters and at least one mustneeds go to one of their vassals that isn't a northerner."

Entertaining, that, how the Galenthians call the Aequorians northerners, but in Aequor, the northerners are the al'Callenta and their vassals. It all matters in where one is standing, it seems.

Her eyes flitting towards the closed door, the young woman rises, moving over and settling into Alaric's lap with a wry grin. She continues her previous train of thought though. "Rumors or no. My brother is an option, of course. Though I think none of the princesses would be suitable for his wife; for a variety of reasons. Which leaves you and your brother." Her arms slide around his neck. "I think my suspicions remain… a valid observation, no?"

"This is true." About all Alaric can do in response is bob his head up and down in agreement. "Though one observes that they were evidently willing, at least for a time, to wed their daughter to a Viscount. The options, as it were, may not be quite as limited as one would initially suppose."

And then… well, then there's an Alina in his lap. Alaric doesn't make any move to resist her advance, of course; indeed, he grins back at her as his mood brightens substantially. "A valid observation, yes." His own arms slide around her waist, pulling her that much closer. "My brother is a fine Knight, you know, and a scholar to boot. Surely a worthy match in his own right…" He's continuing on the same train of thought, likewise, but it's becoming somewhat harder to remain focused.

"Oh, of course," Alina replies coolly. She regards him with a mischievous grin. "And, if such things did come to pass…. that we were not wed, that is, and you rise to take your cousin's place? Well, it would be… nice… to know that I had someone who could appreciate certain… distractions… as a peer in court." Her grin goes from mischievous to wicked.

GAH. Alaric's mind is still racing down paths he'd rather it didn't go, and Alina's words aren't helping at all. But there's also the rather obvious matter of the beautiful young woman in his lap, and the way she's grinning down at him. One hand slides up her back. "I suppose," he half-says, half-breathes, "that that would be rather…"

He doesn't finish the sentence, not verbally anyway. Instead, he pulls her closer and leans up to press his lips into hers. After all, if she's kissing him, she can't very well keep talking.

After a few moments of returning his kisses, Alina pulls back, sliding off his lap with a small smirk. "As much as I may… consider other things, unless they were done very quickly, which would be a disappointment to us both, they may need to wait until a later time when I do not have my father to report to momentarily." She chuckles a bit. "But. Perhaps before you leave we can arrange a more private meeting?" She tilts her head. "If such is your desire."

Well. Changing the subject, success. That's good at least. "Of course, of course. We are all quite busy, are we not?" Alaric likewise gets to his feet. "But my travel plans are not particularly strict. If you can find time for such an encounter in the next day or two, then I imagine it would be quite… pleasant." /That's/ the word he was looking for earlier."

"Of course," Alina says with amusement dancing across her features. "I'm sure it would be." She escorts him to the door. "I may send you a message in the next day or so, but if not, please do not take it as a slight. Sadly, having been gone so long, I have found much has piled up for me to take care of now that I am home…" she sighs, pouting a bit, "which may leave me little time for indulgences."

"If you cannot, think nothing of it," Alaric replies, easily, his hand going to the door once he's escorted there. He moves to push it open; then, as something perhaps occurs to him, pulls it closed again for a moment. "I eagerly await our next meeting. And, if I do not see you for a time…" His eyes are fixed on hers. "Should you need assistance with any of those matters, well. You may call on me." A little grin curls his lips as he opens the door - for real this time. "Consider it a standing offer."

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