(1875-04-23) War, Dinner, and Dance.
War Dinner and Dance.
Summary: Mercy and Elian talk about tactics, and have dinner and Dance a bit.
Date: April 23rd
Related: Related Logs (If there aren't any, use None. If there is a log, use full URLs, like http://eternalcrusade.wikidot.com/logtitle)
NPCs: NPCs (If there are any NPCs that don't have icons (they are not special/reoccurring enough to warrant such attention), list them here. Otherwise, you can say 'None'.)
Players:
Mercy  Elian  

d'Juliano Palace
Room description
Avril 23rd 1875

New Kashmir, The great hall of d'Juliano Palace, For the past two months, Mercy has been buried in paperwork, building a navy, getting the lands of d'Perini back to where they need to be, and working on the ever expanding port and market od New Kashmir. It's been alot of work, so much work, and yet, things are still falling to peices.

"Astinos, make sure that all the vendors and shopowners know the propper tax, make sure that the dock master gets his writs in order and taxes the propper amount for the merchant ships. If you come across any skimming or underhandedness, I want the person brought before the magistrate. I'll not tolorate any bad form." Mercy says as she sits in her chair, on her daias, she hates the damn thing, but it's been the family 'seat' since before she was born, and people have come to 'respect the chair'.

"Antina, I want you to keep the lines south of us on guard, I don;t want bitralund to have an easy time, and if you see your former lover, I want his head." She continues before she dismisses them and leans back in her chair, placing a hand to her head. "Dovi, and now that stuck up archduchess turning on our kingdom… wolves mell blood and bite the hand that feeds them…." Even though she is close to commiting suidice via telling the king exactly what needs to be said, then again, maybe she thinks she can ride this out, keep her loyalty and get more gains, who knows what this countess is thinking.

The blue and white of the Argent legion probably isnt high on Mercy's wish list for visitors right now. Yet here one of the argent tribunes is, bowing before the chair. "Your Excellence." he begins. "I am Tribune Elian al'Callenta of Coalscore. I have a part in the conflicts to the south of here and I would like to discuss your participation in a plan of mine."

Opening her eyes, she takes a look at the Knight before her. "I know who you are, we've fought together on the battlefield." Mercy says as she waves her hand for the man to speak. "Go on, tell me what idea you have then." She says as she stands up, because fuck that chair, and moves down the steps of her daias and stands infront of the man, he probably wants her capacity as admiral, which means that she should be standing, even though in every way she outranks the man, rank doesn't matter much to her unless orders need to be followed. The look in her eyes is one of weary, loss, pain, and probably abit of boiling rage behind that one visable eye, the other covered by a black eyepatch.

"You know this confluence of rivers here?" Elian fishes a folded up piece of map out from under his breastplate and offers it to her. Its obviously not been there for very long since the document is still crisp and not even all that warm. In fact he's clearly made an effort to clean up and mind his appearance. Except for the fact he is wearing a somewhat scarred breastplate everything would fit right in at Mercy's court. Even his hair is clean and glossy. "I feel that we should have absolute control over it. I am offering to use my own cohort to cover the infantry need and I am discussing the artillery cohort's involvement. I feel that you, along with the d'armaz coming in from this side, can deal with any naval issues and also help us to force the enemy back from the opposite bank as we get proper fortifications established." He looks at her for a long moment, his expression softening a little. "I do remember the fight you had with their champion. I wish I could have kept the man from escaping my own net. Sadly we will just have to be satisfied with the heavy price his men paid for his act that day."

"I have no problem working on it, but your true goal is getting the d'Armaz to agree. Myself and Adriono arent on the best terms, rivals at best, blood enemies at worst." Mercy says as she looks to Elian. "The best course of action for you is to get his agree ment to do his half first, once he says yes, then I too will agree." She simply says, leaving the hard part to poor Elian. "Be warned, you might get a raw deal from him… he is a shrewd man and a river that far north might not appeal to him much." She says as she gives a nod. "I'd ask Duke al'Mordran but he is currently dealing with a traitor at the moment." She says with a frown.

"I'm already discussing it." Elian tells her. "But I didnt have many chances to get a meeting with you. So i needed to get your approval here today, at least in concept." He folds his hands behind his back. "I think we only need a ship or two from each sides. I think my chances are good. This engagement enables both him, and you, to trade with each other again afterall. Besides." He smiles at her at this. "By acting in this way we prove ourselves to be resourcesful and valuable to this conflict. I am tired of waiting."

Mercy nods and looks over the map once more. "I'll push two frigates down river, let my captains know when you want them to push further and they will, preferably in sinc with the d'Armaz." She says as she hands the map back to him. "I'd go myself, but my attention is needed here if I'm going to have a big enough fleet to take out the coast. Being unable to do much sea trade has made this conflict costly for me." She says as she moves back up to her daias, turning when she gets to her chair. "Is there anything else Sir Elian?" She asks as she sits in her chair, though, sideways with a bit of swagger, one of the many adjictives that would describe her, along with wrathful, cunning and probably pirate.

"This could help." Elian tells her. "I'm hesitant to promise that we can safely tie south, east and north back together again, but it is my hope." He watches her return to her chair and gives a smile at her question. "I could use a nice meal with nice company. If you have time?"

A raised eyebrow and a once over from the man. Mercy thinks about it for a whole two seconds, he does remind her of her late husband, she stands and smiles. "I suppose, we are allies after all." She says as she calls in one of her serving girls. "Have one of the butlers aid Lord Elian in getting ready for dinner, then attend me." She says turning to Elian. "Dinner will be on the back terrace in a half hour Good Knight." She says with a short curtsie before moving off to get changed into somthing more dinner appropriate.

"Just Sir." Elian corrects her with an amused look. "I'm not close enough to his grace, duke Cesare, to have been given the title Lord. Although really, when you think about it, my grandfather should have been rewarded by land and title instead of being unfairly heaped with shame." He follows the butler with an expression of bemused tolerance.

The back terrace is quite a sight to behold, the horizon shows a setting sun, with a table with a silk cover, sterling silver cutlery, a glass of Arcadian Royal red on ice (where did she get the ice?) and two plates and servers ready to put food on said plates. Mercy arrives wearing a black dress, full length dinner gown, with propper white gold jewlery and a tiara. She looks much more, refined and full of dignity than she did in the great hall, more like a countess and less like an admiral. Even her scent has changed from the smell of parchment to some sort of lavish floral scent. Taking a seat she smiles, setting her folding fan to the left of her setting.

Elian has changed nothing about his own appearance except for removing the breastplate and a few other small bits that would be defined as battle-dress rather than courtly-dress. His clothing does look a little basic as a result, intended as it was to compliment armor and not ballgowns. On entering he gives her a bow followed by an appreciative smile for her outfit and then takes the provided seat. "I fear I am quite rusty at this sort of thing your Excellence." He doesn't seem rusty. Grace in his movements. "I can only ask that you forgive me."

"Oh that's fine, prompt and very well mannered, you're doing better than most." Mercy says with a smile as she nods to one of the servents, who pour the wine for both of them. "So, not alot of people would… ask me to dinner, are we bold… or not knowing this countess' reputation." Meaning her reputation as a Pirate, of her anger, or probably of how people around her get into hip deep trouble.

"Both confidence and ignorance I expect." Elian laces his fingers together and allows the two forefingers to rest lightly against his bottom lip. "What is it about you that should put me off?"

Mercy smiles and leans forward, matching his pose. "Well… let's see… People think I'm a pirate. And are highly surpised that I havent turned traitor wit hthe rest of those… misguided simpletons." She says with a smile. "Also they think I harbor heretics, when that's far from the truth, you see, Arcadia has virtualy no many worshipers or sorcerers within it's borders, we police our own, and those who are found to be pagan are… delt with." She says before leaning back. "Granted, you don't strike me as a knight who is ruffled easily, I like that in a person."

"Virtually none?" Elian asks with amusement. He unlinks his fingers to accept the wine poured by the servant and instead sits back in his chair. "You know the proper answer is none at all?" He takes a drink. "So are you? A pirate?"

Mercy smiles. "If you say none at all, the inquisition takes that as a challenge, so if you find a few here and there, punish them, the inquisition thinks you are doing your job." She doesnt tell that that most of the heretics she has killed were actualy criminals, heretic or otherwise. "Am I a pirate, that's a good question. I've hunted pirates, used their own tactics against them, even used piracy tactics in the war of the west against kentaire and rikton… does that make me a pirate Sir Elian… or rescourcefull?" She says as she takes a sip of her wine.

"It seems strange that you would take the time to explain. Are you that concerned about my approval?" Elian says about the first part of Mercy's answer. For the second, the question of piracy he purses his lips before answering. "None of that makes you a pirate. All it makes you is a corsair operating under a royal writ or a naval captain. Both of which are perfectly legitimate, respected, professions."

"Your approval is not needed, though it might be wanted." Mercy says with a smile as she takes another sip of her wine as the food is served, of course it's sea food, shrimps and river salmon and scallops and fluffy bread. "Mercy the Corsair doesnt have the same ring to it, though I do like the term."

"Sorry." Elian gives Mercy a wry look. "I told you I was rusty." He makes a light gesture that would be greatly enhanced by a bit of lace at his cuff. Alas, in this outfit, he has none. "It is just." He sits forward again. "I was hoping to avoid matters of strategy and politics for a little while." He sweeps a look over her and then comments. "We have iced drinks back home but I must say I have never tried red wine chilled this way. Do you have it shipped all the way down from icenalia?" he smiles. "Luckily Corsair is just a description and not a title. It would surely read as Captain Mercedes the Corsair."

"Captain Mercedes was a long time ago, it's Admiral now, In charge of his Majesty's entire fleet." Mercy says with a wry smile. "Politics and strataegey, it's all that's talked about anymore. I do understand your desire though, it does get weary." She says, and on the topic of wine she smiles. "The arrani lands actualy, though the wine is made here, I do have quite the collection, Imperial, partharian, even have a few racks of ryaltan and white hall makes, though I'm tempted to dump them into the sea… if the price on them souldent multiply once I wipe them all from the face of tirth." She says and clears her throat. "In any case, There's a lake near the border of the arrani that have the clearest water, and it's ice is just as clear. I ship some of it and make ap rofit for myself and the duke, and get some of this clear ice for myself."

"So you are literally making money from water?" Elian smiles. "I doubt many people can say the same."

Mercy smiles. "I guess I am, though, to be fair, it's very pretty water." She says as she holds up a clear ice chip and looks at him through it. "See?"

Elian chuckles. "All I see is a square of nothing and an eyepatch that makes me curious. I know the story of the scar." he gestures lightly again. "But I do not know the story of the eye."

Mercy takes his hand, gently, and places the cold ice in it, closing her hand around his. "My eye… I don't like to show people my eye… it's… not somthing people see and just ignore." She says and smiles. "Tell you what, I'll let you in on my secret, if you offer me a dance?"

Elian looks down at the ice in his hand and gives her a questioning look but when she changes the subject he just sets it on one of the side plates and drys off his hand with a nearby cloth. "I dont need bribery for that." He moves to his feet and gives her a straight from the courts bow. "May I have this dance your Excellency?"

Mercy smiles wide at his retort, and she offers him her hand. "This and many more Sir Elian." She says as she raps her fan on the table a few times, and a band starts to play some soft, yet very traditional music. And she steps to him, as is propper, and let's him lead. "If this is rusty, I'd love to see you at pristine Sir." She says with a smile.

There is a moment of confusion as the countess expects the knight to lead and the knight expects the countess to do it before Elian just smoothly steps into the requested role. He's actually a few inches shorter than Mercy. Not that he seems to have noticed. "My career does not exactly see me spending a great deal of time in the courts. It is a shame in some ways. I am rather enamored with this sort of thing." He gives her a smile. "But I am also very very good at what I do."

"Duke al'Callenta is blessed to have a knight with your skill and tenacity, I'm quite jealous." Mercy says with a smile as she moves with him, it's a small bit of nostalgia for her, she used to let Samuel lead when they danced, it's ashame he never got to become count. But she marvals at how much like him Elian is, even his face has hints of her late spouse. "I suppose your duty does keep you in the field often, though, it's the life of a knight." She says with a smile as she twirls when directed to, and steps back in, abit too close, not intiidatingly so, but closer than she was before. "So, you want to know about my eye?"

"I have had my moments." Elian says lightly. "But i'm too young and to far from the main line to be truly appreciated" He smiles. "Yet. It will come. It is not as if I have any cause for complaint. I'm simply. Impatient." He gives a soft chuckle at the question of her eye. "I am not overly inclined to wish to look upon it but I do wish to hear the story."

"Oh, there's nothing at all wrong with it, I just prefer to hide it actualy." Mercy says as she takes a hand and lifts the eyepatch, it's a perfectly good eye, and quite beautiful, like the sea, a clear aquamarine blue, though, not out of place save that her other eye is a sea green. "See, nothing overly bad, it's just doesnt match the other one." She says as she blinks a few times to get used to the light now shining in her uncovered eye. "My parents made me cover it since I was a small child, they thought that people would label me a witch for it."

"Are you?" Elian asks with a flippant smile. "A witch? Was it you throwing all those lightning bolts around in that battle?"

Mercy chuckles. "That wasn't me, no. If it was, would I have even taken the chance of showing you my eye?" She asks with a smile as she look at him through that blue eye. "I have no idea who that was, though, they stoped the enemy from casting their magik, so maybe they should be given a medal before we give them a trial for using sorcery." She says with a smirk. "So, now you know my secret." One of them anyway. "I wonder, do you have any secrets?"

"Many." Elian smiles at her but doesn't divulge. "You said that you get ice from the al'arran estates? Have you ever been to Benide?"

Mercy ponders for a moment. "I don't remember, Most of my naval escapades are at sea, the zephyr legion does have a river fleet, one of my captains has probably been quite alot, but myself, I tend to look westward." She says with a smile. "I have been all around Ryalta, and to the south of Partharia, shockingly, it's not all desert, theres a jungle with cannibals.. and I think pigmys, good sugar cane there though."

"Pygmy cannibals?" Elian queries. "You mean there are tiny people who eat you? That has to come with quite the story. Or was it just rumour?"

"I was getting some sugar cane, and some men comes running into town, supplies, and weapons gone, and their arms had vine rope around them. We got them on the ship and asked them about what happend… they said 'midgets that eat peopler.' apparently, their first mate was turned into a stew." Mercy says with a shake of her head. "Honestly, I think they just ate the wrong berry, but you never know."

Elian chuckles along with the reference to berries, using the opportunity presented by the joke and the music to give Mercy a little dip before shifting back into the proper dance hold. "I have never seen a jungle." he tells her with all seriousness. "I understand it is a very wet forest someplace where it is rarely cold? I can barely imagine it truly. I have rarely been as far south as Four Corners, nevermind exotic locales filled with strange trees and cannibals."

Mercy smiles as she is dipped, and when she is righted, her hand slides further around his shoulders. "Once the war with bitralund is over, I could take you to ryalta, they have a jungle there as well, and a few nice coves you can only reach by ship, a wonderful sunset to see." She says, she does have a few birds from those islands. "So tell me, since I have enjoyed your company, quite alot actualy, were I to.. oh I don;t know… place a consort contract before you, would you sign?" She asks with a smile, it sounds more like a dare than a genuine question.

Elian raises his eyebrows at the question. His gaze assessing. When he speaks its very impersonal. He might as well be negotiating over a fine horse. "If you can offer me something that beats the potential my current future has. It would be difficult."

Mercy smiles and steps in. "Arcadia, As my husband, I'm just not ready to toss a marriage contract at Ceseare just yet, with all he has in front of him, I suspect that waiting until he is in a better mood would make a marriage much easier." She says with a smile, yeah, she would make him a Count. She needs a land commander, and he is agreeable and handsome. "I don't know if a county title was in your future, but it's within grasp with me Sir Elian."

"Its not enough" Elian tells her after a moment. "It is not you, although I had not considered any sort of match, but the fact that I am capable of achieving more without it. If I marry I will be what? A husband, honored with a few honorary words, but no real power, and the day you are gone then I have nothing less. If I remain I will be a General of the kingdom one day. Honored and powerful. I'm afraid if I leave the argent it will be for a title of my own and not some pathetic little Lordship either."

Mercy raises an eyebrow and tilts her head. "My my, such big plans, to some you might be seen as boastful… but to me it makes you very attractive." She says with a smile. "Fine then, Sir Elian, I shall have to do without your warmth or companion ship, but you will attain this loafty goal, or I'll be quite cross with you."

Elian inclines his head at the compliment. "I am ambitious." he admits. "And it is true that it does not endear many to me. But I am an al'Callenta and the direct descendent of the greatest General that Aequor has ever seen. How could I be anything else?"

Mercy chuckles. "Well, when you carve out your holdings with your massive eleite army, try and remember me wont you?" She says with a smirk.

"I'm not sure I see that outcome." Elian chuckles again. "But there will be other nobles who want me to serve them. This offer just reassures me that I am correct about it." he gives her a smile. "If you were a Queen. Just how much would you pay to control a truly great general?"

Mercy raises her eye. "I see…" She says as she tilts her head just abit. "Just be careful, King marius has been… volitile lately, I'd hate it if you made a powermove and he sees a threat." She says with genuine concern. "Besides, if you were able to lead an unbeatable army, I'd finance the whole thing for you."

"Now who is the one who needs to be cautious?" Elian asks her with amusement. "The man who can lead a conquering army or the one who pays him to do it?"

Mercy smiles, she smiles wide. "You'd think you have the upper hand until you were in the ones sweet embrace my darling knight. Court has taught me quite alot of things, like problems can go away in an instant." She says as she steps forward and locks her eyes on him. "Besides, if I was a queen, this conversation would end with you sharing my throne, but, If I became a queen, there would be a very pissed off royal who'd want my head on a platter, and would probably send you or your uncle to deliver it." She then gives him a peck on the cheek. "I could, but being a queen for two weeks isn't as rewarding as being the countess for a lifetime."

"I think you missed something half way through." Elian comments lightly. With an amusement completely at odds with her threatening words. "I was not the one who brought up the idea of me conquering my own lands. That was all you. Perhaps I would, perhaps I wouldn't. But I had planned to honor my ancestors memory, not compound his shame."

"I never said anything about your conquring your oen lands. I figured you'd use my fleet to take white hall, or even explore a new land and claim that." Mercy says with a smirk. "You assumed, my dear knight."

"Invade White Hall?" Elian asks her with a flicker of interest. "That would take a lot of men and a lot of money."

Mercy smiles, she smiles wide. "I have money, we can find men, I mean, one of our biggest problems came from there, so why not just kill that problem at the root?" She says with a smile. "They raid and pilliage, and have for the longest time, they may be hardend and love to fight, but they are on an island, you could easily get the means to simp0ly crush them. Then you have your own island."

Elian stops dancing, his mood thoughtful. "Get me at least three dragons for a minimum of a year." he looks up at her. "And I'll do it. Truthfully you should expect it to take longer than that but I think that is my offer."

"Three dragons, and half my land force and half the navy." Mercy adds with a smile, a wide, evil smile. "I want their queen in chains…"

"I get to keep anything I take." Elian adds. "But I will swear allegiance to you once it is appropriate - with all the benefits that usually includes." He purses his lips again. "I will of course require proof that this is happening, particularly the mercenary contracts, before I can commit myself. I will not give up my commission for anything less."

"Once we put an end to bitralund, we will absllutely make that our next priority. You can keep the whole damn island for all I care, I just want that problem out of my sea." She says, and yes, it's HER sea. "This high queen at my feet, half of our naval problems done with, then I can focus inward and take back hellsmouth and have my father be it's viscount."

"Ah." Elian says "So this is just some potential future dream." He nods, seeming a touch dissapointed. "Well. If you are going to do some grand plan that sees me conquer foreign lands and bring the pagan faith to its knees I hope you will promise to involve me."

Mercy chuckles. "I'm not involving you in the hellsmouth thing, you'll have a whole island to worry about… Hellsmouth is much MUCH more personal, I'll crush them myself. I just can't do that, when some false king is acting like a jackass to the south, and when a queen has to be punished for letting said jackass run amok."

"I wasn't thinking about Hellsmouth Mercedes." Elian tells her. "My dukes son is leading efforts on that front and you already said you would not grant me the land. So what would I gain?"

"I wouldent grant you the land, because it is by rights, my father's land. He married into the d'Juliano family, he is Ludovic d'Korbina's uncle by blood." She says. "I guess that would make my sister heir of hellsmouth… good lord…" She says with a smirk. "Though I don't think the imperials would like that very much, but they can kiss my entire ass if I give a crap what they think."

Elian looks at Mercy for a little bit before stepping back and giving her a courtly bow. "I have enjoyed our meeting Mercedes. Unfortunately I need to return to Riverton."

Mercy chuckles and gives a curtsie. "It's been a pleasure Sir Ellian. Will you be in d'Picot sometimes soon? I should make a stop there to see if Jordan is doing alright."

"I am responsible for the village of riverton." Elian tells her. "So probably not. Although I go there occasionally." He nods. "But you should go there anyway. Perhaps you can distract him from his new consort."

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