| Cooped up and Foul Mouthed |
| Summary: | Mercy wants to talk to Ludovic about the things that have happened |
| Date: | 2nd Mar 2018 |
| Related: | (1874-02-28) Shadows Under the Mountain. Also refers to the d'bartone rebellion which can be seen here. (1874-02-10) d'Bartone Parlay, Day One. |
| NPCs: | None |
| Players: |
  |
| an Inn in Avenches |
| Room description |
| 2nd Mar 1874 |
Happy is not something one would call Mercy at this time. First of all they are being held hostage in a rundown mountain town on the wrong side of the border. "Protection my ass, stupid po-dunk inbred…." She mumbles as she cleans one of her hand cannons sitting next to the fire in her Inn room. "Need the grace of the one is what these assholes need… stupid…". Even that fact she sent a pale faced attendant to fetch Ludovic, the young teenage girl looks like she heard quite a few words she hasn't ever heard before.
Ludovic follows the girl into the room, choosing to lean against the wall with his arms loosely folded across his torso rather than sit. "Take it you've got a plan you want to run past me then?" he asks mildly, his eyebrow lifting a little at the mumbling. "Was gonna make a point about them letting us take captives with us but got distracted."
Mercy slams her hand down on the desk she is sitting at, if you call such a rotted wooden rickety thing a desk. "This is bullshit!" She says standing up. "We were supposed to come down here and coordinate with the Arkanin, first thing that happens, motherfuckin pass is snowed in, so we go around, so cold that I'm pretty sure half the men with us have their dicks frozen off, THEN we get here, in the middle of a fuckin rebelion, and are told to wait… they have taken foreign nobility hostage, and now expect us to be courier for them? This is outrageous, and to top it all off, you pick a fight with the d'Armaz while she is drunker than a sex starved sailor with a three day leave." She turns to face her cousin now. "So tell me motherfucker, the fuck we supposed to do now? Honestly if you want everything set to rights, both this greedy lord AND the mayor need to be shot, the lord for letting things get this out of hand, and the mayor for inciting rebelion, and we can't even pass fuckin judgement because this isn't our country." She says as she slams her hand on the table once more. "
Ludovic grimaces at the language she uses "Bit of a moot point really Mercy. We'd want more spears if we were going to fight our way out of this. Besides, he was clever enough to make sure we're under hospitality. Don't really think we're in any danger Mercy." He lifts his brows again as she points out the d'armaz. "I picked a fight?" he asks disbelievingly. "It wasn't me that started that."
Mercy blinks. "You didn't start it? I'm pretty sure you did something to piss her off, and fuck hospitality, if any of my vassals treated their commoners this way I'd hang them as an example. It would NEVER get this far. This is the local lord's fault, and I'm going to express to the Arkanin that something should be done about this. Nice ends when people start acting a fuckin fool around here. And since we are on the subject, why did you cave to d'Bartone? You started a precedent that means anything he doesn't like he can just pack up and act like a goddamn child, you should have cut off his supplies and starved him out until his people dealt with him, or he caved. Fuckin asshole killed my uncle.. I should shoot him for that, right between his beady eyes."
"No. I didn't start it." Ludovic says grumpily. "She's still upset with me bout something I did back in the Fallowlands." he rolls his eyes. "Don't even remember what she's upset about. I didn't start that either." A guilty half-smile as he pushes off the wall and goes to sit on the corner of the bed. "But she said, a little bit ago, that this was so she'd have an excuse to go outside." As things change to d'Bartone he lets out his breath in a huff and stretches out his legs. "Because the thing with d'Bartone would never have been so bad if i'd not made some bad decisions Mercy. Wasn't all on him. And because his demands weren't that bad really. And because I need him." he shakes his head. "I've a hostage out of it. He didn't come out of it able to just do it again. Will cost him too much if he does."
"Like what? what choice did you make that had my father unable to eat a full meal out of survivor's guilt? What? was it that heretic bitch? From what I heard, she has the best tactical mind in the west? so what was he jealous? Hell, we claim to be devout worshippers of the one, but when the chips are down, funny how that goes out the window. I did it in the west war, though now I regret that choice because the fuckers I gave clemency too turned on me."
"She was part of it." Ludovic says "Indirectly, yeah. He didn't want them operating out of his own borders. I agreed to move her, not get rid of her." he shrugs. "Wasn't a real hardship. I wasn't really behind that forward camp anyway. But she decided she was going to take advantage and wriggle out of our agreement. Wasn't surprised. My mistakes?" He frowns briefly. "Mercy. I tried to push a plan on him I barely understood and when he asked me for information I got fucking frustrated and we ended up leaving on bad terms. Then, like an idiot, I said something to Uncle Henric that he took wrong. Of all the people I could have sent to parlay with d'Bartone do you really think I should have sent Uncle Henric? Uncle Henric?"
Mercy sighs and takes a seat in her chair, she slowly runs her hands over her face. "You weren't the first child, this shouldn't have been put on you, but it is, i wasn't supposed to be the countess, but here i am. So here is what I'm going to do for you, I'm going to teach you everything I know about being a count, don't argue, and don't thank me, because by the time this is over, you are going to hate my guts. Getting out of this… mess, that fate has put you in is going to hurt, both your pride, and your ability to get any restful sleep, but, if you don't want to fail, at this point, you should take my help." She says looking up at him. "You don't need a steward, you need to learn your own ledgers, you don't need a commander, because they are your men, and you definitely need to calm the fuck down, your temper has gotten worse, and it can cause more problems. all that being said, are you going to accept this? I'll teach you to the best of my ability to teach you." She says with a sigh. "One condition, Whomever you give a barrony too, Brandon get's to marry their heir, since he is here, learning from you, he would make a good candidate."
"If I didnt think our uncle had forced d'Bartone's hand." Ludovic says. "I'd have been harder. I would have. But this? This was just an agreement that got dragged into something far more serious by one over zealous knight. After that, what choice did d'Bartone have other than to stick his ground?" He grimaces at the stuff Mercy declares about helping him. "Course I need tribunes and stewards Mercy, there ain't any House bigger than a minor lordship that doesn't use them, but yeah, I'm learning. Heck, if i'd taken over during peace times, this wouldn't have been so bad, but I'm being buried. I need good help. Just as simple as that. Heck, that's probably half the advice you'd give me. I asked Helena to help because I wanted the advice, not because I wanted her to take over, we had this damn discussion before she agreed to come to Hellsmouth. I asked her because I can't afford to fuck up, at all, so I wanted talented people to help me make the right decisions. I ain't gonna say that's wrong. There's no shame in using what you can get. The opposite really." He gives her another of those guilty smiles. "Been trying to keep things in check." he agrees. "But Mercy. Father has only been dead for four months. Anytime I get close to someone they go and die on me. I Think, when it comes down to it, that i'm taking it better than anyone has a right to expect." Another smile, somewhat apologetic this time. "Not going to promise something like that cousin. Wouldn't be fair. Not to me, nor to a new Barony." Another pause, with a smile. "How can you really help me here? Thought you had problems of your own? Would love to have you to talk too, but your a long way off." A pause whilst his brain catches up with his mouth. "Would like you to send some grain though, if you would? And offer homes to any survivors who need it. Almost all our croplands are back behind the frontlines and even if we push them out this year, it's gonna be decades before its back how it should be."
Mercy lets out a sigh. "My problems are paltry compared to yours Cousin, You inherited a county that lost half of its revenue when the imperials closed the pass, and then, you also inherited a war on top of that, you drew the short straw, and has your leige even come to talk with you about this war yet? I know I have a chewing out from his majesty about the pirates already. I'll take in any survivors, just… you have to buckle down and focus."
"His majesty" Ludovic says. "Is paying for the raging bulls. I've not been abandoned. As for the Duchess, we've not communicated beyond the normal, no, but then I've not really asked for anything. Father left everything pretty good. We lost a lot of income, sure, but we've managed to retain our status as a center of trade, and we've still got the herds. Can't keep spending like I am for years like but it's alright for now. The tourney helped. Was a gamble but it worked i think."
Mercy shakes her head. "Morale is good, anyway, I'm going to try and get some sleep. Probably sleep with both my pistols under my pillow.. I don't trust these people." She says as she stands up to shoo her cousin from the room. "Out… a lady needs privacy."
"Put men on the doors for a reason." Ludovic gives her an easy grin before moving up to his feet. "Least the bath was nice. And we're almost there. Just gotta hope the ragged wolf isn't as obstinate as i've heard." His grin gets a bit wider. "Sorry you got stuck on a horse for near a week." A chuckle and he heads for the door. "Know you're not that keen on em."