Day Four

So, the third day (which would be the day after the first Knightly meeting) Aisling would have a note sent to Lilly politely requesting the pleasure of a morning tea together in the gardens, when Lilly found herself free.

So long as she could free herself from the Queen (which should be easy enough) Lilly will gladly meet with Aisling.

Then let's say the fourth day, around 10:00? This would be two days after the Knightly meeting.

Sounds good to me....

Lilly will arrive precisely at the appointed time. Her sword is at her side like usual. It is a bit at odds with her ladylike dress. But somehow it is a look that works for her. She is much more at ease coming to this tea. Aisling was not someone she felt she had to be the perfect lady around. The consequence of that of course was that she was almost more the lady because she stopped thinking so much about every last little thing.

There is a light brunch set out in a gazebo (but that was a +3 arrow! <snck> Sorry, can't help myself) in the castle gardens. There's a lawn back towards the south-eastern face of the castle, and a small stream trickling past, and a weeping willow that's just budding out providing a little obscurity, and a bed of freesias and paperwhites and lillies of the valley and other such flowering bulbs along the stream and around the gazebo (maybe I can roll up a fire mage).

"Good morning cousin. I trust things are well?" She asks in greeting.

"It is spring, and we are in Amber," Aisling says with a smile. "It is a good moment."

"We should savor them as them come." Her eyes travel to the lillies for a moment. They had always been her favorite reminding her of her childhood and the foster parents she loved and missed. For the first time she found herself a bit homesick.

Aisling nods. "Have you ever been to Amber before?" she asks. She herself is relaxed and taking it all in, the area free and open. If Lilly is the type to notice such things, she'll note that Aisling took the seat upwind to the slight breeze.

"No. Father took me to Tecys to be raised when I was still quite young and I remained there until shortly before the battle." Lilly leans forward in her chair slightly in an almost conspiratorial fashion. "I have discovered that I am quite young by family standards. I've barely reached a adulthood."

Aisling looks a bit surprised, and then leans forward slightly herself, and in a lower voice says, "Don't tell anyone, but I think I'm young, too. At least, if we're judging by knowledge and experience... There was a lot I couldn't do in Chaos." She pauses a moment, and then says half-laughing, "But I didn't expect that you'd be young-- you were amazing on the battlefield!"

"Thank you. My foster parents encouraged my strengths and ensured I learned the skills I would need. Much of what I did on the battle field though was instinctual. Jade and Mallet often accused me of being my father's daughter. I would like to think that perhaps they were right." There is a certain wistfulness in Lilly's voice that could easily be attributed to a fondness for those who raised her.

"Benedict did not raise you?" Aisling asks.

"My father is a cautious man with many enemies. For that reason he felt it was better to have me fostered in secrecy." For whatever reason Lilly seems to have emotionally removed herself from this particular topic. The woman in her understands and accepts her father's decision without question. But somewhere deep within there is a little girl who still feels the sting of rejection.

"Oh." Aisling looks just very slightly let down... "I was hoping you could tell me what he is like." She looks at Lilly, open. "I only know stories."

Lilly shrugs, "Quiet, well spoken, an excellent fighter and teacher, extremely intelligent, perhaps a bit distant. The stories may exaggerate a bit but they do not lie. He is not often free with his affection but he shows his feelings in other ways."

Aisling sighs slightly and nods. "Do you know where he has gone? ...I do not mean to pry into secrets," she adds quickly.

Lilly looks to Aisling for a moment trying to discern her reasons for the questions. "He had things to attend to. Where? I do not know." She takes a sip of her tea before continuing on in a conversational tone. "Why do you ask?"

"He mentioned when first we met that he would like to speak with me after; but he has not, really..." She smiles, a bit wryly, "And I find it alarming that the best-known military men of the family are all now gone in Shadow."

"I see. It is possible that he has indeed done all the speaking he needs to do. You may just not be aware of it." Lilly's smile is genuine. No doubt that she has had those sorts of conversations with her father. Many times she has wished to say more or to hear more but the words never came.

Aisling's answering smile is one of shared amusement masking familiar depression.

"I can offer this... My father would not have left here if he thought that there were dangers we could not meet. We youngers are a formidable, if unknown, lot. That anonymity can and will work to our advantage." If Lilly lacks confidence in her words it does not show. She is not overconfident either though. But she seems to have thought through much of this herself. If Amber was to come under attack within the next hour, Lilly would be able to rapidly put into place a defensive strategy.

Aisling's butterfly brows raise a bit at this. "Indeed. ...I trust in your father's estimation of the present situation, as well; I merely look for some sign of what he prepares for in the future. It mislikes me to know as little as I do about the causes and effects of this latest war." Aisling suddenly smiles like the sun breaking through, and shrugs, eyes twinkling. "I always prefer to know more."

With that last comment Lilly offers a knowing nod. She too had this habit of always wanting to know more. Returning her thoughts to Aisling's previous words she paused for a moment forming her ideas in her mind before giving them voice. "To be honest I believe his future will be much like his past. He will be in Amber when he is needed and leave her to her own devices when he is not."

Aisling hmms, and sips her tea. She smiles, moves on to a new subject, "What was the trip home from Chaos like? I was entirely unaware."

"The part I was there for was rather uneventful. Many were having odd dreams and such but nothing too extraordinary. The happenings with Daeon were interesting. There are still some repercussions from that I'm afraid." Lilly's delivery makes everything out to be rather ho-hum which is of course something of an understatement.

And you know Aisling didn't mishear that understatement; but for the moment, she asks curiously, "Odd dreams?"

Lilly thinks about it for a moment trying to remember things as they were during the strange voyage home. "I can tell you only from my experience. But I do remember a dream full of fleeting images. When I awoke I had a strong feeling of... wrongness? It was odd."

Aisling's brows are knitted, she's somewhat worried. "Do you recall any of the images?"

"Of course." There was confidence in her voice. Lilly knew what she was capable of. Yet somehow she managed to not sound nearly as arrogant as most people with that confidence level inevitably would. "Let me see there was a snowcapped mountain peopled by giants, a man holding a dying boy in his arms, a woman running through an empty city fleeing a fire, a man and a woman sitting cross-legged on pillows while drinking from tiny cups.

"Throughout the dream there was this sense of urgency, unbalance, and quickness. As I awoke I had the feeling of something being very wrong with the universe at large. It is a sense of foreboding I carry with me still. Perhaps that is why am I so concerned about the upcoming coronation." Of course this was Lilly. She never mentioned any feelings of concern. She never mentioned any of this. Not that Aisling knew of anyway.

Now Aisling looks worried and baffled. "In tone, that sounds very like a piece of the dream I remember having, once I finally slept after moving the valley... Urgent, unbalanced, speedy; bits of images." She closes her eyes, frowning, as she recalls them to her eye; "A great tower falling; a man thrashing another man; a woman smashing a mirror; a woman singing to a group of very hairy deer-things... Rather more violent than yours..." Aisling mentions of the images, and takes a bite of a cookie.

"Interesting..." Lilly's eyes momentarily loose their focus as she processes this latest information. "We should mention this to the others. See if there is a further pattern. There is no point over analyzing anything just yet." Silence falls between them as, despite her words, Lilly begins to run through the possible meanings behind this sort of dream.

"Yet to find even two things similar speaks of a sending... Or, perhaps, an echo we were both able to pick up. ...You say many were having odd dreams?" Aisling asks further.

Lilly seems reluctant to speak for the experiences of others without first consulting them. "Perhaps my memory is not as it should be. It would be good to speak with others, both relatives and members of the army, to get the answers we need. Only through discussion will we be able to discern if what we experienced was merely coincidence or indeed some sort of sending. Let me contact Brennan to see if he had any odd experiences and then we can proceed from there." She nods slightly to herself as she finishes speaking. Lilly has an unusual habit of agreeing with her own plans at times.

[Aisling]
"And I shall speak of it to the men of the army."

This seemingly pleases Lilly as she nods along with the statement. It would be good to know if this phenomenon was limited only to this with the blood of Amber.

Aisling spreads her fingers on her knee and smiles, turning her attention to a subject that you realize she had never forgotten, "You mentioned the happenings with Daeon... I am most interested in what passed, and is passing, there."

"I am certain that gossip has done a number on the tale. Truth be told, we bargained with a group of rock people to ensure our safe passage here. Daeon agree to participate in a storytelling contest. It seemed straight forward enough, their champion versus ours last one standing won. Our cousin wished to end it on his terms and asked me to trust him. That may have been a slight mistake." As she says this though the smile on her face suggest that she never makes mistakes and it was all his fault. "You see mid story he asked me to pierce his side. What should have been a minor wound became near fatal as he thrust himself oddly upon the tip of my blade. Luckily he had dropped his trump deck at my feet and I was able to reach Uncle Caine.

"On the positive side the rock people were quite pleased with our cousins offering. I trust you are aware of the negative repercussions." Lilly sips at her tea as she finishes. There was not a trace of remorse in her voice as she spoke. Clearly she felt she did exactly what needed to be done.

"His... offering." Aisling asks for further clarification, though her statement is flat thanks to foreboding.

"His blood cousin. They were pleased with his offering of blood." Lilly sips her tea allowing that statement a moment to sink in.

Aisling understands it from the first words Lilly utters. She looks as stern as Benedict.

[Lilly]
"They did say he should be more careful where he left it."

An exceedingly dry snort greets this.

[Lilly]
"But not to worry. They would take good care of it. Something about that troubles me. Especially with the fire lily outbreak in Arden."

"That blood is always going to be a connection to him," Aisling states, looking almost angry (clearly not at Lilly, because she's telling Lilly stuff). "How are the fire lillies connected to all of this?"

"That is where they began. As Daeon's blood saturated the ground the flowers sprung to life." Lilly falls silent to allow Aisling to draw her own conclusions. This was a matter Lilly had been dwelling on as of late and it would be interesting to see her companions thoughts on the matter.

"There." Aisling's eyes are narrow as she holds down her anger. "We can only hope they live only to haunt him." She stares out over the grounds, jaw clenching.

If Lilly remains silent, Aisling will soon enough ramp back down to stern, and then with a slight sigh, neutral-tending-towards-smiling. "I hear you sparred with the guards... Do you teach swordsmanship?"

Some thought is clearly given to what should be a simple question before Lilly responds. "I could. I have had some very fine instructors. Because of their influence I would be comfortable teaching. But I have yet to take on a student. Most of the guards I have sparred with are sufficient for their posts. At this point I feel it best to leave their egos intact. Confidence can be critical at times as I'm sure you know."

Aisling chuckles. "Indeed. ...I am looking for a discreet armsmaster for my affine, Ce'e. It worries me greatly that, though his association with me, he will always be in danger. If you should hear of such a one, I would be most interested." Aisling pokes at one of the biscuits on her plate, almost shyly. She constructed the last sentence in such a manner as to give Lilly an out, should Benedict's daughter not wish to commit to such a thing.

"Tell me, does your affine have any experience with such things?" Lilly's curiosity is most definitely piqued.

"To tell you the truth, I honestly don't know. I haven't had time to grab a couple of practice swords and test him. He was capable enough at the Battle of the Edge, but that was mostly fighting with his hands and teeth." Aisling thinks. "...Most likely, he knows nothing at all of swordplay. Perhaps I should take him through the basics, first..." She's almost talking herself out of the whole idea, and as a result getting slightly embarrassed, as evidenced by the blush creeping across her cheeks.

"No." Lilly says it almost too quickly and with too much force before she catches herself and softens it with... Wait. Can it be? Yes, yes it is... gentle laughter. "I'm sorry. And trust me I mean no offense. But have you ever heard the phrase 'too many cooks spoil the stew'? I believe that sentiment to be especially true when teaching the basics of sword play. It is best to learn as much as you can from one person to avoid confusion or difficulties gaining proper technique. In many ways it is good that your affine has limited experience. It means I shall not have to break him of any bad habits." The smile is there again as she finishes.

Aisling's answering smile is drifting towards a full-on beam. "You'll take him on, then?"

There is a thoughtful nod. "Yes. I suppose I will." Lilly seems almost a bit surprised with herself - but in a pleasant way. Amber was turning out to be something more then she expected.

"Oh, thank you!" Aisling is beaming now, delighted. "Have you time presently? I could take you by and introduce you properly...

"Let me know if there's anything I can do for you!" Her entire being is about suppressed joy.

Aisling good mood is infectious. Lilly finds herself smiling with more ease then she has felt in years. "I can think of nothing now other then the introduction. And yes I do believe I have some time."

Then Aisling abandons the remains of the tea to the servants and whatever small ruffians may happen across it before the servants, and takes Lilly around to meet Ce'e...

You have anything else, Tara? I'm thinking, if I can get an estimation from the GMs of how good Ce'e is with weapons, assuming that Lilly will start doing stuff with him in the two weeks before the coronation, that's pretty much all the loose ends of this one.

Yes. Lilly will work with him as time permits. If he's willing to join her early in the morning he'll be welcome.

Or, also, what do the soldiers in Arden say about weird dreams, later that day and the fifth day, when Aisling is among them looking for Knightly candidates both as herself and as just another soldier?

[The day] after his meeting with Venesch, Jerod finds he has some time on his hands and heads outside the city towards the estate that Harga'rel has there, based on Jerod's latest reports. He dresses conservatively, armed but wearing a hooded cloak to conceal his features enough to allow him to travel without immediate recognition.

He is able to make it out of the city and to the estate in near Garnath without being recognized.

Country estates of wealthy merchants are generally used as retreats during the warm months of the summer, places from which to hunt and hawk and engage in outdoorsy activities, and sometimes for strategizing in secret away from the hustle and bustle of the city. They are not substantially different from the houses of the wealthy in the city, save that they are shorter (one or two stories instead of three or four) and more spread out. They have a similar layout with an enclosed garden in the center.

The houses are not defensible, although if Reid were here to offer commentary, he could tell Jerod of a time when they were, and guarded by house troops. Now, there are merely servants to greet strangers, and perhaps some huntsmen. The latter are not armed with swords, of course, but they may well have bows or spears that would serve to dispatch an unwelcome intruder as well as errant deer or boar.

How does Jerod approach the house? It's a ways off the main road.

Assuming the way is clear from the main road, with no obstructions or large patches of trees to obscure vision from the house to the road, then Jerod will approach at a leisurely pace. He's not looking to be sneaky up on the house, though given Harga'rel was escaping from Rebma, it's always possible he'll be a bit paranoid about someone coming after him. So Jerod's cautious enough to keep an eye out for archers. He's not too worried about swordsmen or even spearmen - rabble with spears are pretty much useless though skilled groups with spears can be very dangerous. The archers would be a major worry.

If the way is not immediately clear, then he will take the path that is most likely from the road - again, he's not looking to sneak up on the place. But if there's more places for someone to hide, then he's also more cautious, willing to observe for a minute or two to get his bearings and look to see if anyone's hiding out.

If at any point Jerod thinks that someone might be hiding in a stand of trees or the like, then he's going to become quite certain that a swarm of nasty biting insects will pass through that area for a few long moments before dispersing....just in case...:)

The way is wooded, and Jerod pauses a number of times to ensure that unpleasant insects disturb any archers who might be considering filling him full of arrows like a porcupine.

Once he is in clear sight of the house on the path, he sees that there is an open lawn cleared around it. A gardener and a young boy, perhaps his assistant, are working on the hedges that lead up to the house. He stops his business when he sees Jerod. "Hail, traveller."

He looks at the boy and the boy runs off to the house.

"Good day to you, good sir." Jerod replies, keeping the hood up but more in a way to shield the sun than as an attempt at a disguise as he walks the horse forward slowly. "I am told that Demond Harga'rel has just recently returned. I would be grateful for a moment of his time."

The gardener looks at Jerod and says, "Who may I say wishes to speak with him?"

[Reminder: Harga'rel arrived with Conner, so he's actually been in Amber's general vicinity for a while. However, Jerod was absent from Amber for most of the time since he returned.]

"Tell him Prince Jerod wishes the pleasure of his company." Jerod replies.

The gardener blinks twice, bows, and says, "Yes, Your Highness. If you wish it, I'll have your horse stabled." He escorts Jerod up to the house and hands him off to the butler, who ensconces the Prince in Harga'rel's study.

"Thank you." Jerod says, dismounting from his horse before handing it off. Once inside, Jerod notes with patient curiousity the layout and contents of Harga'rel's study, though he's not boorish enough to actually try searching it.

[Reasonably standard for a merchant prince's country house. A bit threadbare, but that's normal these days. All the good stuff would be somewhere else anyway.]

A few minutes later, Jerod's not-quite-stepfather steps into the room. "Prince Jerod," he says. "I had heard that you'd returned from whatever expedition you were on when I arrived in Amber. I'd expected to see you a couple of weeks ago, but I understand that things have been busy at the Castle."

"Hello Demond." Jerod replies. "Yes, I was hoping to get to see you once I'd heard you had returned with Conner. However, at that moment the King appeared and threw all my plans out the window. We've been busy dealing with things ever since."

"I was very interested to hear how things have been at home. It's been awhile. I understand your journey out was difficult."

"Very. Your kinsman Conner has a talent for finding trouble. But I imagine it's news of your mother and the rest of your family you're interested in today. They're all well, as Conner has no doubt mentioned. In Rebma we had no word of the Sundering; we merely lost contact with Amber. The Queen closed the stair when the enchantment of the Faiella-Bionin failed. It's been a hard few years to be from Amber, but a good time for those who trade with the seaward realms."

Jerod nods, listening attentively but not interrupting. He makes note of the comment about the seaward realms, filing it away with a few other entries for future reference.

Harga'rel continues: "Your mother has been anxious for word of you. She misliked the idea of you here with Corwin in charge, I think. Valeria kept telling her that you and Cambina were more than a match for Corwin if he tried anything clever, but Rilsa will worry." He smiles fondly at the mention of Jerod's mother's name."

"I think it is the one unquestionnable right that a mother may claim - to worry after her children." Jerod says with a smile. "It helps to keep us out of trouble when we don't know better."

"And you've gotten some new relatives. It looks like the long-missing Prince Martin has finally turned up," and Harga'rel's expression seems faintly amused to Jerod, "and in Rebma your grandmother has taken in a ward."

"Yes, I've had the chance to get to know him better now that he's around for awhile." Jerod says. "He's not all that I thought he'd be like, though there's definitely a part of Random to him."

Harga'rel's smile broadens to indicate real amusement at that.

"You mentioned that grandmother has a ward. I did not hear that from Conner. Who has the Queen taken in? And how are my sisters? I do hope no one went off and got married while I was away. I'd be very disappointed to have missed a wedding."

"I suppose that makes the 'no weddings' good news. The last I saw of them, the girls were both doing brilliantly, as always. They miss you, and they're worried that they haven't heard from you, of course, but that's true of many in Rebma who have loved ones in Amber."

Now it is Jerod's turn to smile and remember, thinking about his sisters and missing them more than he would care to admit.

Harga'rel continues: "Droit's not as much at court now that his friend the Princess Llewella is no longer there to keep him company. I'm not surprised that Conner hasn't heard much about Celina; she's not that well-known and Moire is keeping her a bit under wraps. Your mother describes her as her mother's ward, which I'd normally take to mean a hostage from one of the seaward kingdoms, but if Celina is a hostage, she's one Moire's fallen a little in love with."

Jerod's expression sobers as he listens, fitting Celina into the complex web of social interactions that is Rebma's court structure. "Can you tell me when she would have appeared? I would presume it was after the Sundering, but I'd like to be certain."

"A couple of years ago, so, yes, well after the Sundering," Hargarel replies.

Once Harga'rel has answered, Jerod nods. "Conner told me a bit about the situation with my Aunt Llewella's apartment, the break-in. He also described the run-in he had with the Tritons and your escape. You understand why their appearance would cause me some concern?" he asks.

"I want to hear the situation from your perspective."

Harga'rel begins his tale: "I'd known about the staircase for years, of course; heard about it from your mother before you were born. I think Moire suspected I knew of it, because after the Faiella-Bionin closed I had Downer watchers on me most of the time. I love the girls, and I'm fond enough of your mother, but Rebma's no place for a man. You know what I mean."

[Downer is a derogatory slang term for Tritons.]

He continues: "Thalia was someone I knew through court circles. Nice enough girl. She's got that Conner boy twisted around her fingers, but she seems to be fond of him. She went to enough trouble to get him away from the Downers. For my part, it was easy enough for the court to assume we got up to the usual, but I was more interested in the possibility that she could get me out of Rebma. And, frankly, the Gateway trade is good. We could use that. So she scratched my back, and I scratched hers."

Harga'rel's description of the attack by the Tritons and the escape from the city jibes with Conner's in most of the details; the differences are trivially explainable as those normal to two eyewitness accounts. Conner was more impressed with Harga'rel's physical bravery than Harga'rel himself was.

He concludes the tale by saying: "I don't know what all the excitement with the Downers was, though. I've dealt with your mother's Triton, and your sisters', but I've never heard anything about their culture or religion beyond the legend that Moire bound them to her service. What they do among themselves I know no more about than you. And what use they'd have in harming Thalia I don't know either."

He stops, then adds one more thing. "Celina has a Triton to tend her. That's one of the reasons why I say that Moire's a little in love with her. I've never seen her allow that for anyone not of the blood."

"Unless she is of the blood." Jerod says after a moment, musing to himself mostly.

Harga'rel has an 'I wasn't going to say that' look.

He looks back at Harga'rel. "Who amongst you first decided to make the run to the stairway?" he asks, wanting to confirm something it would seem. "And is there anything you can add about the break-in?"

"I did. We were already in Down Town, and it was close by. As for the break-in, nothing direct, but--Rilsa mentioned something about the mirrors a few weeks before all this broke loose. I wish I could remember what." Harga'rel frowns.

Once Harga'rel has responded, Jerod nods again and replies. "I had not heard of Celina, so I am somewhat relieved, though not completely, by what has been mentioned. The reason why I'm concerned is the use of the Tritons in all this. If Moire were truly interested in holding you, or committing some kind of violence against this Thalia, for whatever reason, it is unlikely that she would need to use them. She is the Queen after all. She could just have you all tossed into a dungeon. All of this cannot simply be because of a little break-in to an apartment. There is more here than meets the eye.

"The Tritons by their nature serve the members of the royal house. Anyone of the blood can command their allegiance." and Jerod smiles a little. "Although as you've so noted, a male is not necessarily in his element in Rebma. Either myself or Martin could do so, though I'd question just how much cooperation I'd could get out of them. However, Moire certainly commands them. My mother is another. Llewella as well, though she was absent with the army. And now this Celina. Possibly someone else not of the blood, but that is in the area of speculation.

"There are, however, two other family members who could do so." Jerod says, looking at him directly. "This would give me cause for great concern if it were either of them."

"I don't think either of the girls would set a Triton on me, but ... neither of them would have known I was a friend of Thalia's, save by spying, or using the mirrors. And some of the Tritons are more than capable of independent action and interpreting directions," Harga'rel says, looking back at Jerod.

"I don't like it either."

Jerod nods, thinking. "For the moment, I will be keeping my options clear. There are still many unanswered questions and few verified facts. And though some time has passed, I think I still know my sisters. I don't believe they would be involved. Not against their own father."

[Harga'rel]
"Not unless it was a Triton getting clever, anyway."

[Jerod]
"You mentioned the mirrors. Conner made a similar comment. All the mirrors and silver in Llewella's apartment had been smashed, distorted."

Harga'rel shrugs. "Mirrors are women's work in Rebma, and not something to be shown lightly to any man, much less one not of Rebma. You'd have to ask your mother and your sisters what magics they're used for. I know they can be tools for scrying, but no more."

Jerod frowns, musing openly. "But why smash them? No one was in Llewella's apartments, at least not Llewella. So unless someone was actively scrying her apartments and someone wanted to do something there, it makes no sense." It's pretty clear that Jerod's not looking for an answer from Harga'rel, but rather just talking, tweaking at a piece of strange evidence.

"I shall have to ask around, assuming I can make it back home. Which leads me to my next question. Where you came out? Is there anything you can tell me about the path you followed with Conner and the destination you reached. It matters not how small the details. Sights, sounds, smells, touch, temperature. Everything and anything will do."

Harga'rel describes the various locations along the path as best he can. He's not a Pattern initiate, though, and Jerod won't know without trying how well Harga'rel's description will serve him as a guide for shifting.

[Anything else?]

Jerod knows that Harga'rel isn't Pattern oriented...but what Harga'rel does know can serve as an independent validator for when he speaks to others like Conner and Martin. But he is an attentive listener. He does not correct Harga'rel or ask questions to lead him in a particular direction, instead nodding and focussing when Harga'rel goes through his narrative, letting him define his impressions through his own words. He files it away for future reference.

Nothing Harga'rel says contradicts anything Jerod knows from either Conner or Martin, although neither of his cousins has given Jerod a detailed description.

"That sounds like a good first start. If I have other questions about your escape route, I'll be sure to ask." Jerod says. "There are two other things. First off, I'll be speaking to Thalia hopefully soon. I'm led to believe she is still at the embassy. Is there anything that might be useful to know before I speak to her?"

"She's a tricksy lass, like all her folk. The Gatewegians aren't like Rebmans in the way they treat their men, but the sorcerers of Gateway don't think so much of those who aren't most of the time. And be careful of Conner's interest in her, but you knew that much already," Harga'rel says.

Jerod nods. "I suspect a visit to the ambassador for Gateway here might prove advantageous prior to seeing Thalia. Harper's choice to support Bleys was not the wisest. No doubt they will be looking to shore up their relations with the new king.

"And secondly, we have some guests from far away. I brought them back during our last trade mission, just prior to the King's return. They're tough, suspicious, and potentially dangerous. Real pirate types." and Jerod chuckles.

"The King has given me the interesting task of keeping them occupied for the next little while. I'm going to run them through the bureaucracy of meetings, get- togethers, dinner parties and the like as they meet with the merchant houses - ostensibly to arrange cargo and such. I'll be certain to be busy with a few other things as well, so I'm looking for someone to help. Both to help keep them amused, as well as to keep an eye on them, and the merchants to see who tries to make overtures to them privately. Interested?" Jerod asks, looking at Harga'rel, making sure he realizes that working for Jerod means he's working indirectly for the King - danger and opportunity all rolled into one package.

Harga'rel thinks about it only for a moment before grinning and nodding. "I'm in. I have another day or so of family business here before I can return to the city. Good enough?"

"Good enough. Once you have returned, you can start with advising me as to who you are in contact with amongst the other merchants and nobles. Then we'll move on to the others." Jerod says, with just a hint of a wolfish grin. "Do you have any questions?"

He does not.

Harga'rel would be happy to host Jerod for the night if he doesn't need to be back to the city or the castle.

Jerod did not consider remaining the evening, but he also would have been careful enough to clear his calendar in case things went over long in dicussions with Harga'rel (or just in trying to find him).

Assuming Harga'rel offers, Jerod will accept. He's still interested in hearing more about home, whether they are political events or not. If Harga'rel wants to keep up on just talking about Jerod's sisters and mother, he can handle that all night.

Harga'rel will offer. He won't keep Jerod up all night with family chat, but he will want to spend the evening discussing that more than anything else (i.e., politics, which is work).

Jerod will have no trouble getting back to the city.

Jerod gladly accepts and will probably very much enjoy the evening - work is a major pain in the ass. :)

The next day he will thank Harga'rel for his hospitality and make his way back to the rest of his life...such as it is.

I'm supposing that at some point, Marius, Caine, and Conner are intended to visit on the subject of the Navy. Marius is available fairly much at Caine's whim. (No hero-worship or anything here, promise!) I didn't get the indication that Marius was supposed to arrange it, but if I misread, Marius will certainly attempt to track down Conner and make those arrangements.

Caine arranges a late night meeting for the three of you the night before the troops are scheduled to be returned.

"Tomorrow we'll bring everyone back. They aren't stupid. They can compare ships to officers and see that we have a shortfall. The really bright ones can compare ships to princes and figure out that they can't get anywhere even if they get a ship.

"Any suggestions, Captains? Or do we just hope that full purses are adequately distracting?"

Marius smiles. "The really smart ones are problem two. What are our options on problem one? Can we build the ships? Do we want to, given problem two? Is the importance of the Navy to Amber now a matter of its historical significance?" He shrugs. "I've got a lot of questions, and not a lot of answers."

He tilts his head. "Some of my thoughts, then, include," he indicates on his fingers, "one: convoys. That settles problem two and maybe we widen the paths a little bit, but it does limit what we can get, and it's slow. Two," he raises another finger, "specialization. Again, slow, but we continue what seems to have been the plan here and send people out for specific cargos. Three, we narrow our horizons a bit and only focus on short trips. Speeds things up, but we're still on problem one." He sighs and puts his hand down. "I'd say we could retire a number of them, but what does that do to the general population? We could," he pauses, "strand a bunch of them out into Shadow. We'll rescue them in a few years, say five, when we have things more under control." He doesn't look like he's entirely joking. "More suggestions, less and less likely have occurred. I'm still wrestling with it, Sir."

Conner muses for a moment. "Five years coin all at once should keep many of them from rocking the boat too badly."

"And I would agree with that, if I were to believe that there was five year's worth of coin's spending about," Marius interrupts momentarily. "Needless to say, the inflation of what is available shall be great, and those things that were once valued I have heard are in less supply. Perhaps I was half hoping to hear," he glances at Caine, "that our role would be to bring in things of comfort and expense. Of wine, women, and song, the only thing we might have in plenty seems to be song."

Conner smiles. "Women aren't in too short a supply either. They are going to be quite tired for a while though.

"My main worry is the stay at homes that now find themselves without ship or coin. They are going to be the troublemakers and malcontents. I think we just need to come up with a good excuse why the people who gets ships get ships --"

Marius nods at this, as if he'd had some thoughts on it.

"-- senority, meritorious service, alphabetical order, whatever and stick to that like glue. Let the ones that don't get ships be put in charge of building up the Fleet. The faster they build their own ship the faster they can get out sailing on it."

"Will Arden support a vigorous shipbuilding program?" [Caine] arches an eyebrow at Conner.

Marius shakes his head recalling how Brita referred to his woodcarving program as "clearing out the underbrush." [grin] Still, Conner might have better, different information.

"A while back some settlers in Garnath stepped over the boundaries and a town was burned in retaliation." Conner comments. "It would be a hard sell but I think we can a limited program started while we look for better supplies in Shadow."

[Caine]
"I hadn't heard about that. Luckily, Julian left the most flexible, least fanatical Rangers or my brother would have been opening diplomatic relations with the Free Commonwealth of Arden and Southern Garnarth. The Rangers have a long history of maintaining prickly relationships with the castle."

Conner nods. "Very touchy."

[Caine]
"We would have to reward the competent ones by making them builders; however they will then get the newest ships. How soon can we have the logistics of this worked out? I'd rather go to Random with a solution than a problem."

"Give me three days and I'll give you a full feasibility report complete with who we'll piss off if its implemented." Conner smiles.

[Caine]
"Excellent. Do not share your plans with anyone. We should begin sending sailors back to the city tomorrow. Are you two ready to handle that?"

"The paymasters have extra guards, the brothels are on high alert, and those that might have problems finding family have been indentified." Conner nods. "I think we're as ready as we can be."

Marius' grimace agrees. "A justification on the merit system shouldn't be hard to think up. Certainly, I have spent enough time around the men to see the paths of leadership forming even in this time of stress, and to bend to common opinion on this would not be unreasonable." He sighs. "But that was the only suggestion I had I liked. While others might be more feasible, we will need more ships. I can't suddenly retire a few hundred men into an unfair workforce."

He pauses. "OK, another bad idea, but worth asking your esteemed opinions on, anyway. What about piracy? Rather, going out into shadow and stealing others' boats, if Cousin Brita won't allow us the wood of Arden?"

"We could pirate in our own harbor if the Land of Peace people become a problem." Conner comments.

[Caine]
"His most esteemed Majesty, Random, King of Amber, seems to want to make nice with them."

"Indeed." Conner nods. "Forget I ever mentioned them." He smiles.

Marius files that away in something a little more complex than the, "People Not To Beat Up," file. Anyone checking through the drawers would find something more serious than through the drawers would find something more serious than the Dewey Decimate.

"No option should be unconsidered, even if it is against current policy." says Caine. "And it's not as if sailors are going to starve waiting for ships, as long as their bonus pay holds out. Marius, Conner has the ship to crew mapping. Can you work on the cargo and destination side of things? Assume no more than 3-4 convoys led by a prince of the blood, and maybe fewer. Same deadline, three days from now, so we can give them one roiling."

"With that information, certainly, sir." Marius considers. "How far out should we expect to go, and what are the odds we'll be getting any recruits from the blood? My meagre information tells me the Basement's a bad place to be, either in the mountain's bones, or in the watery grave." He names Kolvir and Rebma, respectively. He's got an eagerness that Caine can easily read as, "You know I'm ready enough to walk on water if there's no ship to bear me." "Are we looking for luxuries or necessities? I seem to remember that Port Dawn was lucrative in both, but it isn't a quick trip."

[Caine]
"Any sailor who can't find a bed in town may stay shipboard, in exchange for work getting the ships in shape. Conner, if you could find a captain to work them hard enough to make them reconsider, I'd appreciate it. M can help. He's an expert on our officers.

"Any questions?"

Marius looks at Conner. "Cousin," he says in a very flat manner, "can you spare the time now, or do you have other duties calling you? I can see the Admiral," he smiles at Caine, "needs to tell the muckymucks what's sailing."

"The Navy is my primary duty. I'm ready when you are." Conner replies.

Marius smiles in a somewhat satisfied manner. It might translate as, "Good man."

Caine nods at this. "A raw recruit wouldn't be very useful to the fleet fresh from a patternwalk, although it's been a lot of years since we laid any large number of permanent sea-paths. None of us are current. And a surprising number of my brothers and sisters seem to have secreted offspring here and there in the anticipation of some need, apparently."

Marius sighs, in that, "I was afraid of this," manner. He makes a sharp nod that to Conner might look like a mirror of Caine's.

Caine continues, "We need short and long trips, so that we don't get an echo effect when everyone comes back at once."

"Assuming everything is where it's supposed to be," he trails off as if fishing for a response, then continues, "I think I have some ideas. One last question, then, sir: are we equipping for battle conditions, or is the assumption that our way is clear for now?" Neither seems to be a real concern, but it does limit some cargo capacity or change the style of ships each minifleet will consist of, so he needs to know.

Once Caine blesses them with any further important information...

Caine doesn't have any, but makes the rounds around the club in what is clearly to any Naval man 'showing the flag'. You get the idea that he's heading to other old naval haunts next.

...Marius will stand for his leaving, and then approach Conner on a very different level. Not quite a superior tone, but definitely a testing one.

"So you're another one of Us?" he asks, casually. It's hard to tell if he expects to be disappointed by the answer.

"If by Us you mean family, then yes." Conner replies. "Hiding in plain sight as it were."

"Alas, so I did," Marius says. Slight disappointment, then. "How does it feel?" he asks, genuinely curious.

"Like I'm spear fishing for sharks." Conner smiles. "But the water is very comfortable."

Marius takes a moment to digest this answer. "Does it improve any to be part of the 'Inner Circle?'" He follows this up with, "Did you think about... Us... differently before you were recognized?"

"Well I didn't have a chance to know you all as well," Conner replies "But I wouldn't say I thought of you all differently. Through the Navy and diplomatic corps I had a bit of an insiders view already. The main difference now is that I get the information and the orders to deal with it first. On the whole, I like being part of the family. How about you?"

Marius smiles slightly smugly, but more guardedly. "There is certainly convenience in many aspects of it," he says, carefully. "An ability to choose where others may feel they have no choice, and yet, there are responsibilities that are just as deeply anchored." He shrugs, noncommittally. "Like all things, there is both good and bad depending on your perspective."

He pauses, tilting his head. "What do you want from the future?" he asks, sounding absolutely sincerely interested.

"I want to help put Amber back together for one." Conner replies. "I want to travel. I have been too long confined to one place. There are many things I would sit down and learn given the time and opportunity."

Marius chuckles. "You want to go and stay, as long as your dreams do not fly too far out of reach, or so it sounds, Cousin." It's a formal Cousin, this time. "I understand well. Is Amber the land, the Family, or the people? Or what percentage would you evaluate those three?"

"Amber is a dream, Cousin." Conner smiles. "Amber is the concept that there is one world so perfect that the rest of the universe tries to free itself from the constraints of its baser nature and be like it."

And to close this thread out, Marius will politely agree to mostly agree, and will head on out to his various tasks with Conner. He will probably leave Conner with some feeling that Conner failed some sort of obscure "Marius- test," but also that if he did, there's no real harm done.