Private Tales There Will Come A Reckoning

[Kristen Pirian]

It was certainly nice to know that she might have the aid of the Tal'deneshaars, if the time came and the circumstances called for it. Popular support was something that went a long way in the new landscape of the Republic.

"Blue and silver..." Kristen said wonderingly after he mentioned it. As it often was with her, her mind went first not to the implications of the colors, but how they might look on her. White and red, the colors of House Pirian, she adored as a pristine pair, but it was not as if she hadn't any dresses which broke from them! Why, she could recall a dress even now that was blue with a fancy silver trim--yes, she recalled it well.

A dainty titter, two quick and girlish little sounds, when Drastus had quipped that she might make the white rose look better. Such a pity that their first true interaction had been through the excruciating medium of Everleigh's Punishment Game, yes, but! But! It seemed as though this mission in Vel Numera was something of a resetting of that sordid introduction, a beginning fresh and anew. Outside of those outlandish conditions during the Game, Drastus was indeed quite the charmer and the gentleman.

Kristen reached for the bottle of wine and likewise popped the cork. It was a trifle uncultured to drink it straight out of the bottle, but they weren't exactly at a sixty-two person table draped with a silken tablecloth, now were they? Still, Kristen drank from the bottle in as lady-like a fashion as she improvise, with both hands raising the bottle and letting the mouth of it just barely touch her bottom lip and gently tipping an easy flow of wine to sip on.

"I do, sometimes," Kristen said. "I should one day like to travel to some of the larger and more famous cities abroad." Some of the cities in which a few of her particular romance tales had been set, but this tiny detail she kept to herself.

"But I shall always love the land from which I hail. I consider myself blessed to have been born here to the exclusion of all other possibilities upon Arethil. Troubles abound as troubles do, but what lands have not born troubles? Is there so perfect a place? Nay, not a one. So I give my heart to Vel Anir. What beauties and richness I may behold across the world shall be wonderful and splendid, of that I am sure, but always shall I give my heart to Vel Anir. Always."

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drast was more than happy to watch her work her way through the thoughts behind blue and silver. She was always so... curious in how she thought. Always so... proper. He had no idea how she had come to such conclusions or ideas half the time and here she was yet again, likely going to come up with something else. Then, she thought of something, but didn't speak on it. Curious.

Then she did whatever it was that she had just done, which he couldn't help but smile. In fact, everything she did was just entertaining to watch and he decided he could get used to it. It was a sobering thought, one that immediately made him take another pull from his bottle. "Hows the wine?" He would ask after she took a sip from it.

"Well, you should add our villages to the list." Drast said with a smirk. "Ya know, get to know the lands that will support ya and whatnot." He would roll out his shoulder, before looking back at her. "Like Oban? Or Alliria?" He would ask. "Ooh. I hear there's this quaint little village called Astenvale. Its.. in the Vale. That would be cool."

Then she hit him with the most confusing, yet impressive display of vocabulary and diction and his brain turned off, tried to factory reset, failed, then just managed to squeak back on. "Woah... did you.. did you read that in a book? Or a poem?" Gods, he hoped it was a question that made him look smart.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

""Tis fair enough," Kristen said of the wine. She was no wine aficionado like some of her uncles and cousins, and in truth she had only partaken of a total amount that would hardly fill a whole glass before she'd enrolled in the Academy. Still, wine was far more preferable than beer or ale or other such drinks--that wild night in Vel'Yuna soured her rather heavily on them.

"Perhaps I shall." The lands of Tal'deneshaar, but of course. She might even say that she'd more cause to visit them than Oban or Alliria or Astenvale, as Drastus gave the names of the famous cities. All of those might be world-renowned, but there existed a more personal connection to the lands of Tal'deneshaar, and it so happened that she sat right beside him!

She gave a series of nods and light Mmhmm's to each of the cities named, however.

Kristen ate some more of her stir fry...and had to chew and swallow fast, for Drastus had a misapprehension! She held up a finger for time and then, when it was all clear and polite to speak, she said in an amused tone, "Oh no, I merely...expressed genuinely one of my heart's desires, 'tis all! I am nowhere near as well read as my more venerable family members, but I could've recounted a quote or two concerned with the same sentiment. But I wanted the feeling to be truly mine."

She took another bite of her food. Another sip of the wine.

Then Kristen looked over with a small, shivering rise to her shoulders, as if an lightning charge of giddiness had coursed through them, and said, "Are you as excited as I am for the mission in Vel Numera, Drastus? The first of its kind! No Proctors, and trust placed in us to succeed without supervision!"

Her eager grin was radiant, a glistening white in the soft darkness of the night which blanketed Pinewood lake.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Tis fair enough. Dammit. Did he grab a bad bottle? Were there a lot of different types of wine?! He could only think of three grape varieties off the top of his head, and he gotten the wrong one?! She didn't even expand on that.

It. Was. Maddening.

Then, at his question, that litte finger popped up silencing him indefinitely, at least until after he received the okay to go wild again.

Venerable? Wasn't that a disease? He would shake his head to clear the thought. "Well with words like that, you should definitely take up writing." He offered with a smile. What a dumb line. Try again, numb nuts.

Did she just... shiver? Game time. He may have totally misread the situation, but he was on it. Bottle of mead in hand, Drast would hop to his feet and grab the corner of the blanket he had, then walk it around behind Kristen to drape it across her shoulders and sit down on the other side of her, so they could both be in the blanket. This would, however, require them to sit against each other. "Uh, you looked go-cold. Ya know, cold." He offered another half grin.

It definitely wasn't his first mission without Proctors, but he was in no way going to take the wind from her sails. "Oh yeah, super excited. The mission is cool, but I'm more excited about seeing your lands and having a real time with you. Ya don't have to tell me the most visible part of my body is your favorite." He teased playfully. "But uhh I would still say your eyes."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Oh!" The blanket, as evidenced by her slight gasp, had come as a small surprise. She'd been eating, partially aware that Drastus had gotten up and moved about, and then the blanket came down. And with it came a banishing of the night's chilly air. Drastus as well sat down beside her in this makeshift tent, one end of the blanket over her shoulder and the other end over his, and she didn't mind. In a way, it was like a big, friendly hug!

"This is nice," she commented in a contented, peaceful manner. Just the lake, the trees, and the stars and the moons, and them. A small reprieve from the Academy before, inevitably, they were drawn to their destination.

She was nearly finished with her bowl of stir fry when Drastus made reference to the Punishment Game. She stiffened a bit, a sheepish grimace and apologetic bend to her brow coming over her expression. Her fingers guiltily rubbed the back of her neck. "W-Why, thank you, Drastus. I, um...I wish that I could have been as poetic during the Game. But such were the untamed circumstances that my...oh, but what I mean to say is...er, truly I had been uncouth, forward, unbecoming...mayhap some facets of honesty are better left preserved in secrecy for the sake of ladylike decorum...o-o-or maybe it was simply—"

She stopped herself from prattling on and, perhaps, making a further fool of herself. Instead she smiled bashfully and looked to him and said, "Is it too late to perhaps change my answer?"

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drast would nod in silent agreement, he himself sighing contentedly. The still movements of the lake, their shared warmth, the lowered volume as they were much closer. It felt so.. intimate. Actually pure. "It is.. I could get used to something like this.." he mused with a side glance.

He had finished his stir fry and was now nursing his bottle of mead. Her reaction to the punishment game comment went about as expected. And he immediately offered a warm smile to erase any of her fears, followed by his hand reaching over to give hers a squeeze. "Kris, I don't expect anyone to be poetic while I'm nekkid or half the group is fairly undressed or in collars. I wasn't offended. More, surprised. Even made me feel good." He laughed.

He would pause to take a sip from his bottle. "I could have said the other thing I was thinking, but I didn't want you to have to suffer more than you already were." He teased before looking at her. "You want to change your answer? By all means." He offered, hoping to alleviate any of her nerves.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen flushed when he squeezed her hand, but the gesture did in fact ease her tension. It was as if he had gently pressed a little dose of reassurance into her veins to assuage her abashment. Well, such was most certainly good to hear! All this while she had been fearing that the debasement she'd been subjected to during the Game would've lowered Drastus's opinion of her. Despite it all being a Game, all notions of elegance and refinement had left once Kristen had rolled those die—or at least she had thought so.

At least she had endured it to the extent she did, same as the rest of them! There was indeed something special in shared suffering, and hopefully Kristen's efforts endeared her to her other peers as much as it did to Drastus.

I could have said the other thing I was thinking, but I didn't want you to have to suffer more than you already were.

This statement took far more precedence over his next. Good-natured surprise and genuine curiosity sparked in her expression. She took hold of his arm in both hands and started to rock it back and forth, smiling and saying through light laughter, "Wait! Drastus, nooooooo-wah, you cannot just leave me under the oppression of suspense! I will be haunted all night by the specter of endless wondering if you would leave me so dangling!"

She let go of his arm and clapped her hands together as if in prayer. "I shall not be offended. I promise I shall not be offended, no matter the content of your answer! You have given me such charity with regard to my own answer, so 'tis only fair I should extend to you this same benevolence—at least for this one instance! So may you say what other thing you were thinking?"

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

He wasn't sure what he said that suddenly got her attention, at least not right away, but suddenly, she was gripping his arm with both hands and Drast couldn't help the reactionary flex. He was getting ready to take her to arbalest show! He did a full flex, with a grin, before he realized he was an idiot and stopped.

His real answer. She wanted it bad, and she was excited about it? So much well-worded pleading it almost passed as begging, which was an automatic approval. He was a simple man.

Drastus laughed. "What? You want to know? I mean, I could, if I were a true scoundrel. But.. You're just so damn pretty you're inquisitive, so I will yield. Just this once." He would take a momentary pause to add some long drawn suspense, giving her some snarky side eye to let her know he was toying with her a bit. "It is a two part summation. All together, I guess three."

Another. Long. Pause. As he took a pull from his mead, smacking his lips afterwards as if he had just found the rejuvenation he was looking for. "Oh, right. The favorites. Bear in mind, given the very limited witness I have born to your body these answers are not final and are indeed, subject to change. I still need to stress that yours are the only pair of eyes I've ever felt lost and found in, at the same time." He would look around conspiratorially, before leaning in so his lips were very close. "Tied for first. Your eyes.. and don't take this the wrong way.. everything but your feet. I hate feet. But I could walk you walk in just about anything, stretch in anything, whatever, and I could die happy that next instant. As far as what I've seen of you naked.. which was backside, your butt.. is amazing." He offered an apologetic shrug.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

How delightfully cruel! Drastus had her strung along like a fish caught on a hook, and yet somehow Kristen the fish wasn't being reeled in by Drastus but, rather, was trying to jump into the boat herself! Each pause had her bristling with anticipation, her broad smile and wide eyes trembling with a giddy need to hear what it was he had to say. Oh dear, what spawned this intense anticipation? She hadn't the faintest idea (not her conscious self though, but deeper down, on that unspoken level of mind where the light of consciousness could only illuminate what bubbled up to the surface, yes, she knew, and it very much had to do with her adolescence and the emerging yet powerful feminine inclination to bask in the attention of boys and suitors).

Kristen had her hands in her lap, on either side of her bowl, arms locked straight and eyes locked onto Drastus as if she could puzzle out the answer ahead of time by reading the motions of his lips. But, mercifully, after he took a drink from the mead he began to speak.

Some of that exotic red, brilliantly on display at certain points in the Game, came roaring back onto Kristen's face, exposed in stark relief by the light of the moon and stars and by the fairness of her own skin. She brought a hand up to hide her mouth with three fingers, but still a supremely satisfied and gleeful smile peeked out from the edges of this barrier. Yes, there was absolutely a flustered part of her which was frantically trying to decipher when, exactly, Drastus had been privy to her posterior; while the Republic had brought some immediate changes to the Academy, some changes lagged further behind, and forcing Initiates through large, communal washrooms was one—and the most likely culprit. This flustered part, however, was like some petitioner ineffectually shouting through a thick door which muted all her concerns to insignificance.

She had promised that she would not be offended, and, as it happened, it turned out to be effortless to keep that promise.

Kristen drew back the hand which covered her mouth, letting it descend back down into her lap where, perhaps unknown to her, the forefingers of both hands began to twiddle around with one another. "Oh. Well! I find...I find myself so spellbound by your compliments that...phew...I am at a most uncharacteristic loss for words!"

Her eyes. Her, ahem, hindquarters. The entirety of her body, whose height she often found herself insecure over. Oh, all save for the feet, which was a compromise Kristen would take without reservation—there truly wasn't anything all that special or interesting about feet.

In any case, she was so caught up in the afterglow of Drastus's compliments that she had temporarily forgotten to change her answer to that same question.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drast had a momentary dud experience where he wondered why he was stringing along her expectations and then... he saw it.

The stage set in a great many different vibrant hues and illuminated by the starlight, quickly hidden by three fingers. He had seen the smile beneath, he knew she liked his words.. he just wasn't sure if they were because they were compliments. Or compliments from him. Regardless, that was a smile quickly dedicated to memory as he wasn't sure if he would ever see such a smile again.

And her words would summon that patented grin that he wore so well, the very grin that was framed perfectly by his exquisitely maintained goatee. "Never thought i would see the day." He teased before looking up to the night sky. "Only on day one, too." His gaze shifted back to her and he winked as the grin dissolved into a smirk.

He wasn't gonna push her for her response. He knew she would remember and he wanted to give her a little more time for his words to sink in. Besides, this was their first night.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen reached for the bottle of wine and had another sip. Mindful was she of partaking too much, but, ohhh, such was a fantastic night that a tiny tingle of inebriation couldn't hurt.

Drastus certainly was unique among her peers. While the awful rigors of the old Academy had left many an Initiate—by Kristen's estimation—coldly distant, striving for excellence at all human costs, or frightening zealous about the prospect of war's dirty business, Drastus was different. It wasn't that he was spared any scars, for the tapestry of burns attested to what horrid measures he'd endured. But, much like Evangeline, whom Kristen idolized, his spirit and his humanity remained intact.

A little bit of quiet settled in, and Kristen didn't mind it in the slightest. She finished her stir fry in that time, setting the empty bowl down.

"In Vel Numera, I think we're going to do well," she said, looking up toward the sky, where Lessat had been unveiled by the slow drift of the night clouds.

Then she looked over to Drastus, smiling in a blissful way, her shoulder against his as they sat together under the blanket. "'Tis your smile, Drastus. Or mayhap I should say your grin, so it is when you smile broadly and flash your handsome teeth. Smiles are most certainly a rare sight within the Academy but I am so very glad that you've the boldness to display yours often. I would proclaim it loudly that your smile is emblematic of your confidence, the perfect representative of your assured demeanor. And this is why I believe we'll do well. Your smile inspires in me the feeling that, no matter what may come, we will conquer it."

Less serious, more jovial, she nudged a pair of fingers into his side and said, "My, so how was that for poetic?"

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

When she looked up,, so did he, his mouth forming in wonder at the reveal of what lie above. He had never taken the time to truly appreciate the beauty around him. Until.. recently..

Her voice would pull him from his thoughts. "Oh, please. We're gonna crush it. I mean beat it and skeet it. Rush it and crush it. Clip it and flip it. By the time we're done, you're going to be looking like the only option for House Pirian."

And when she looked at him, Drastus couldn't help but kind of lean into her as she spoke. He couldn't believe it. She believed in him. He'd never heard anyone say that to him in his life. Obviously, his grin was killer, it was all in the confidence. But to inspire someone else with it? That was new. "Bold, huh. I like that. Drastus the Bold." He teased, nudging her back.

How was that? Obviously, better than what he said.. such was her way with language. "Like I need to step up my game with the praise." He would say with a smile. His hazel eyes would shine a bit more gold then usual as his gaze drifted to her lips,, even if only temporarily, before they drifted back to her eyes. "As for the inspiration.. it goes both ways, Kris. I don't think I'll have any issue putting it all on the line with you around.. I feel more energized with you present."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

All of the more colloquial sayings Drastus had said of their mission, and how they would best it, went over Kristen's head, such was their novelty to her ears. They all had a nice rhythmic quality to them, however, and that was endearing, if nothing else.

"Hm. Yes. Drastus the Bold," Kristen said, breaking out with a grin of her own and poking at his side with playful fingers once more. "There's the makings of a tale waiting to be written, somewhere in that name."

And she felt very much contented, if a touch surprised as well, that Drastus felt such an energetic inspiration in her presence. For others whose strength and talent were clear—like Noel, say—she could see such easy inspiration flowing forth from them like an aura. But her? Nevertheless, it was genuinely heartwarming to hear him say as much of her, even if she didn't quite fathom how it would be so.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said, smiling and looking at him before again casting her gaze out toward the lake and the stars. The ambience of the night at Pinewood Lake filled in the quiet between them for a moment. "I know that it would be wise to get a good night's rest, as much of one as we can for the morrow ahead, but...I would not mind staying out here for a short while longer."

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

"Drastus the Bold..." he would repeat before shaking his head. "Nah.. think that's the nickname Kavaros has.. my brother. Not the oldest, but older than me."

He couldn't agree more. He was loathe to leave so, he felt he had a way to circumvent all that. "Trust me?" He would ask, though he didn't actually wait for an answer. His right arm would reach from his side to go around her shoulder and pull the blanket tight around them. Then...

A look to her, with that grin..

...and he leaned back, pulling her with him. They would now be lounging against the smooth stone behind them with nothing but the stars in their line of sight. Though one arm was technically around her, his hands would be focused on making sure the blanket wrapped them fully and neither of them were cold.

"Now this... is a view..." he mused breathlessly. He didn't know if it was the view or his immediate surroundings, but a healthy guess would be both.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Trust me?

The question caught her off guard, what with the suddenness of it. But before she could so much as stammer out a response she felt his arm across her shoulders.

"O-Oh!" was the only sound she could make. Coincidentally, right as Drastus flashed her the grin.

And they reclined backward, coming to rest on the smooth stone to their backs, the hair of Kristen's ponytail splaying out slightly along its surface. They weren't laying down entirely, but with their eyes yet angled toward the starry night sky as they lounged.

Kristen smiled, happy and content and comfortable and altogether thankful that Aionus had seen fit to bless her with this small yet pristine jewel of a night.

"The simple beauty of our world," Kristen said, referencing how she had spoken of the lake and the stars when first they'd entered their room in the Way.

Without thinking much about it or much of it, Kristen scooted herself down just enough to rest her head against Drastus's shoulder. Her breathing slowed a bit, but still she was awake, just enjoying the glimmer of that pristine jewel, each facet a moment and each moment a treasure.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

"Everywhere I look, I see beauty." He would muse, agreeing with Kristen's statement, although he naturally stole a look at her when he said beauty. With her seemingly into it and Drast obviously digging it, he would let out a silent exhale as relaxation and calm took over. He could also honestly say this was near to being the first real time he couldn't hear Rupert in his head. It was weird, yet oddly liberating.

He enjoyed the moment. He was there with Kristen laying by the lake and watching the stars. No longer worried about the blanket, his arm around her would just wrap around her, keeping her close. "I could get used to this." he would say, his grin very audible.

He was getting almost too relaxed, and he didn't care. They bought a room, but this was far nicer than anything back inside. So if sleep came for them, he wouldn't fight it. Besides, he was a very light sleeper.

He didn't care what "mission" occurred in Vel Numera, he had already won in his book.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

As much as Kristen wanted to sleep in the bed, as much as she tried to keep herself from getting too comfortable outside on that little overlook beside the lake, she slipped down inevitably past the point of no return of coziness.

"Hmm..." was the last thing she said.

Her breathing was slow, peaceful, and rhythmic. Her head still upon Drastus's shoulder as if it were her pillow. A touch more of her height had leaned onto him as well.

And Kristen was sound asleep.

* * * * *

VEL NUMERA

(Art Credit)​

Mayor Arnold Caspian sat within his office chambers, quill in hand and an empty parchment before him, an elbow on the surface of his desk and his head propped up by that fist. He ruminated.

Those Forsaken had endangered the plan, and it irritated him. Why didn't they trust him and his cabal adequately? Had he not shown them that he was willing to work with them? For that matter, why didn't they trust one another? So it had come down to the two groups of Forsaken exchanging notes with each other via a ghoul, a ghoul, of all things. Godsdamn it, if only he knew where they'd hidden the message in the undead creature's body, he could have had it destroyed and none of this would have been an issue!

The message remained undiscovered, which was good, but now, because the attending Pirian noble, Fyris Pirian, and the townsfolk had been spooked by the mere presence of the ghoul, they demanded action. Mayor Caspian thought he had done an admirable job of portraying himself as overly worried in his plea to the Republic, and yes, they did downplay his "concerns" as he'd hoped and decide to send Initiates instead of full Dreadlords to investigate, but still it was a problem. It would be a problem until the Initiates departed, satisfied that Vel Numera was safe from "an undead tide to rival that which besieged Vel Anir itself" (surely this was the line which made the Republic think he was being hyperbolic, well-penned that).

Until then, Caspian had to make sure that neither of the Forsaken groups taking safe harbor in the lands of Vel Numera acted too soon. The silly little disagreements they had with one another could spell disaster for everyone involved, and no one would get what they wanted.

And Caspian truly did like the sound of Lord Mayor over just simply Mayor.

If all went as it should, House Pirian would gladly bequeath onto him the title to Vel Numera, in time.

* * * * *​

In the distance, as the woods alongside the road became sparse and the land opened up into the vast and fertile fields, lay Vel Numera. A small range of craggy mountains—barely so, for they had no snow-capped peaks—lay to the city's southern end, but all else was surrounded by farms, roads and hedgerows and cultivated lines of trees separating them, farmhouses dotting the land and pinning down each farming family's little leased claim of it.

Kristen beamed upon seeing it, this place from so long ago her memory of it was just a trifle fuzzy. But she did expressly remember the Jades, that small rocky mountain range, so named for the bright green foliage which stood in stark contrast to the beige stone, of course, but primarily for the surplus of the actual jade found within. She as a child had wanted to be taken up to the top of the mountain and to see the view of all Vel Numera from there, but it never happened. Mayhap this time!

"And here we are," Kristen said, sweeping out her hand as she momentarily paused her horse. "One of the many holdings of House Pirian and its bountiful land, its harvest providing for many an Anirian: Vel Numera!"

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drast would awaken with a slight stir. Birds were chirping, the sunlight seemingly shone upon them. He would let out a silent yawn and then he remembered the weight that have been atop him. Snuggled into him. Kristen.

Instinctively, he would tilt his head and kiss her forehead. A pause as he silently cursed sleepy Drast. Thankfully, she was still asleep. At least, either he hoped she was or she was a very good actress. He doubted the latter.

"Hey Kris.. its morning." He would say, trying to wake her with the hand that had been around her. It didn't respond and there would be the slightest of panicks. The slightest. As she finally began to stir he would worm his way casually free, the sleepy limb flopping helplessly as he shook it awake. He sincerely hoped she didn't see it.

Less than two hours later, they had eaten, packed their gear, and were back in the stables for their departure. There was a sort of joy, at least for him, a level of connection gained. He would smile at her if she ever looked over but in no time, they were back on the road.

* * * * * * * * *

​

The remainder went on without much incident and within no time they crested the small rise that allowed Vel Numera to whisk into view. His eyes widened. Pirian lands were far more lush and the cities were far more vast, likely the result of being around for generations, for being a Great House. "Oh wow.." He mused, his eyes scanning to the Jades, they had stretched out to near his own lands, though there side of the mountains were not nearly as riddled with jade. He remembered climbing the peaks with his brothers.

"Welcome home, Lady Pirian." He would say looking over to Kristen with a grin. "Ready to crush this mission?"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen glowed once more at being called Lady Pirian. Standing here within sight of Vel Numera, so close to some semblance of home after having been departed for that seemingly indeterminable year, being called so in these environs touched her differently. She felt more matured than she had been whilst living the Pirian Estate in Vel Anir itself. She felt as if she had truly grown into the title of "Lady" in a more deserved way.

Even so, she recognized that she was still quite young, and still had quite a long way to go to ascend to the stature portrayed by her own mother, Josephine, or of Aunt Henrietta herself.

"Indeed, I am! We shall indubitably prevail!"

She clucked sidemouth to her horse, gave him a prompting nudge with her legs, and toward Vel Numera at a trot she rode.

"We will need to do as Proctor Magomo instructed and check in with the Mayor and the Captain of the Guard first. They should be able to apprise us of the full situation, and if any new transpirings have occurred during our travel." And then she perked up and added, "Oh! Mayhap my cousin will be with them."

She was curious as which cousin was currently attending to the Lordship of Vel Numera.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drastus would lean forward, his arm propped up on the horn of the saddle. So. They had finally made it. Guess that meant no more shenanigans or hijinks. For now.

She would urge her horse forward and so would he, his courser trailing hers by just a step. "Alright, sounds good. What uhh.. what do we know about the Mayor and the Captain? I mean, I'm looking at it, and I don't really see signs of an undead wave, I don't even feel one."

Oh yeah, totally a "mission".

"Maybe we will see a cousin. If its one we don't like, let me know. I'll mess with them a bit." He would say to her with a smirk.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen gave a small laugh. Just the tiniest bit nervous. "An undead wave! I should hope not. Or, at least, I hope that our efforts will prevent such a disaster."

And then onto the Mayor and Captain. Much like House Pirian regularly cycling out young men of the family to the Lordship of Vel Numera, the administrative position of Mayor and commanding position of Captain likely had also seen some changes since her childhood.

"It has been quite some time since last I visited Vel Numera, so I anticipate that I will be as unfamiliar with the Mayor and the Captain as you, Drastus."

Still, 'twas nothing a cordial meeting wouldn't clear up. And Kristen was certain the Mayor's concerns would be reasonable.

Kristen returned something of a reluctant smile to Drastus. "M-Mess with him a bit? Oh, I do hope that it does not come to that."

Some of her cousins were pictures of nobility, yes, but others were...ehh...not so much. They were the ones who shirked responsibility as a chore and who had become self-centered, caring little for anything that was not to their pleasure or to their immediate, easy gain.

They rode along the tree-lined road, wooden fences on either side marking off one field from another. And ahead, the city itself drew closer.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drastus sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Wouldn't want Rupert to seize control of a horde and go made with power." He would say with a faux evil laugh. That did give him some pause... Rupert wouldn't do that, would he? Naw.

"Really? You guys have a high turnover rate or something?" That came as a surprise to him. The positions within his own lands were for life, unless you failed to perform or were caught doing dishonorable deeds.

"Well, m'lady.. if they do anything that is upsetting to you, I will be messing with them." He would proclaim as an oath. His gaze swept from her to the road before them. "You really weren't kidding about the farms. Can't say I've ever seen this many in one place."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen covered her mouth and turned her head, a half-hearted attempt to hide her giggles. There was a somewhat silly quality to the idea of Drastus's companion being given leeway to command a legion of undead and go rampaging through the countryside and that, by some incredible twist of fortune, being the solution to Vel Numera's problem.

Really? You guys have a high turnover rate or something?

"Time marches on," Kristen said, and she gave the book of verses hanging from her belt a pat. Earlier in the morning, and for this final leg of the journey, she had donned her armor, her mace and her book strapped to her belt. All the best to make a good first impression! To show up looking ready to ease the concerns of a worried people. To show up looking like the Dreadlord she aspired to be.

Anyway, her point. Time marches on. The Mayor and Captain, both aged men back when she was but a small child, had almost certainly retired from their duties.

"The pride of House Pirian," Kristen said, commenting on the farms. Her own chest seemed to puff up with that selfsame pride as she spoke. "And this is simply one of our many, vast holdings. Some among the commonbloods refer to us as 'the breadbasket of Vel Anir,' and in so doing they have made no mistake."

A small group of laborers crossed the road ahead of them, their tools rested upon their shoulder, joining up with another group in the adjacent field (perhaps for a shared lunch).

"Didn't you say that your lands were close by to Vel Numera, or something of the sort?" Kristen asked. "Where are they from here, Drastus?"

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drast just kinda sat there and smirked as he watched her giggle in her saddle. She thought it was a funny sight. Drast... he saw some of the visions Rupert shared, heard some of the thoughts. He was a little terrified. But one couldn't actually admit to talking to a dead guy for funsies.

"I mean, maybe for the rest of us. You've only been here a year." He teased. "Hopefully its not a new House Pirian." By the tone of his voice and the smile forming at the corners of his lips, he hoped she could tell he was only teasing her.

"Ah yes, your many vast holdings." He would repeat. "Commonblood?" He would ask. That would be the first he had ever heard that term. His father referred to their subjects only as his people. "Is that the preferred term over common folk or peasant?" This was important to know. "I don't want to say something wrong and kick off Revolution Two: Electric Boogaloo, you know?"

Like Kristen, he had changed. He would be wearing his black training vest, gray leathers and a blue cloak that bore the regalia of his house. "Other side of the Jades. The river that runs along it lies between Paravel and the Jades. Thats one of our trade hubs. Then its a half day ride south east to Caer Tal'deneshaar."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Oh, any of those would be fine," Kristen said of common folk, commonblood, and peasant. All were correct, and all held the same meaning, none so unseemly to say that it would cause offense.

When Drastus mentioned the Jades, Kristen looked to the south at them, standing tall and overlooking Vel Numera and, on the other side, Paravel. Not even the trees along the road could fully obscure the expanse of the mountains.

Kristen mused as they rode, "There is an enduring myth about the Jades, even though Vel Anir does not place much value on faith. This I heard as a girl. It is said that long ago the hand of a god reached into the earth and pulled up the Jades from deep below, raising the rocks to act as a palace for his beloved, where within a shimmering green throne can be found that once was hers." Kristen shrugged, yet smiled. "Regardless of its veracity, I find that tale to be rather endearing."

Drastus Tal'deneshaar