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Thread: Byzantine Friendships

  1. #21
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    “jYeah. Ssurre.”

    T’yeellaa was miles away. Kes could have said nearly anything, and she would have nodded along.

    ”jI djidn’t thjink jyou made that bjig of an jimprresssjion durrjing the rrojyal vjissjit.”

    No, that wasn’t it. She shook her head.

    ”Actualljy, jI thought jit wass a djissassterr.”

    She grimaced, then course corrected.

    ”Majybe djissassterr jiss too strrong a worrd. A gaffe?”

  2. #22
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    He turned a slightly surprised look to her as they passed by a pair of Ishi Tib.

    "Disaster? Gaffe?"

    There was amusement slowly creeping up into his expression that did well to betray his feigned 'hurt'.

    "I thought I handled that particular bit of pomp rather well."

    But, she was correct all the same. He was still learning some of the more nuanced aspects of Cizeri culture, and the visit from the Pride Mother had been a hell of a crash course, complete with banging into sidewalls and spinouts. Thankfully the repulsor rings hadn't come off entirely, and he'd barely managed to crawl out with some dignity intact.

    The hand holding his royal missive came up as he pressed it to his chest in a show of pride as he continued to tease.

    "And obviously I wasn't the only one that thought that."

  3. #23
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    Well, he had her there.

    "Obvjioussljy."

    The blinking neon frontage of the fish bar lay ahead, and T'yeellaa couldn't help but wonder at the man who, in the shadow of a royal summons of all things, was content to nosh on casual street food. The distraction allowed her license to think, and the K'ohta'rrou turned back to Kes with skewed ears.

    "jIt'ss a meetjing wjith the Emjisssarrjy, not the Hjigh Motherr. That could mean ssomethjing morre ssubsstantjive than a sstate vjissjit, orr jit could jinssulate jyou frrom the Hjigh Motherr to prrevent a mjissunderrsstandjing."

    She frowned. Courtly intrigue gave her a headache. This sort of crap was always in the wings of possibility at home. House Meorrrei was wealthy and influential in the extreme, and her mother certainly had a relationship with the royal family, but she'd only met them at large functions with all the influential houses of the oligarchy.

  4. #24
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    "Well," he led the way inside, nodding to the Cizerack attendant who gestured for them to take their pick of seating. Apparently it was a slow day today. Not that it bothered him, in fact he was rather glad that the clientele was on the lighter shade at the moment.

    Kes moved to one side of the U-shaped bar, sliding himself up onto a stool before finally finishing his sentence.

    "... I suppose a guy has to take what he can get. Not many people in my line of work get invites like this, I shouldn't suppose."

  5. #25
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    "No thejy don't, and that'ss whatss sso peculjiarr."

    T'yeellaa settled down to a seat, but not before unbuttoning her coat and passing it off to the attenant. She carefully slipped her white gloves off, and propped against the bar with her elbows.

    "The Fjirrsst Conssorrt jissn't jusst the head of the Hjigh Motherr'ss housse. He norrmalljy meetss wjith headss of sstate. jI would have expected a chajirrwoman of the Rrojyal Cabjinet but thjiss jiss..."

    At a loss for words, the K'ohta'rrou breathlessly exhaled as she looked to Akiena.

    "...jit'ss unussual."

  6. #26
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    Hands coming up, Kes unclasped the top two buttons of his dress jacket, letting out a sigh of relief at the feeling, and a moment later his letter was carefully tucked away into an inside pocket.

    "I learned a long time ago not to look gift banthas in the mouth."

    The attendant returned then, giving a slight bow. From his small apron, he pulled two cloth napkins, both of which he set out. His hand went in again, and he produced a small, delicate fillet knife; this he set down in front of the Commander with a deferential nod. The redhead had become enough of a regular customer that the Cizerack staff even knew his usual drink tendencies.

    "Aai'sai Rru," the server smiled knowingly as he spoke, then his blues shifted to the K'ohta'rrou. "... tauun e?"

  7. #27
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    She gave an agreeable nod to the server.

    "Fei. Da'ne."

    The waiter disappeared to tend to the drinks, leaving T'yeellaa to ponder the meaning.

    "Be carreful, ssjirr."

    She glanced up at Kes.

    "jI don't know what the Emjisssarrjy wantss, but he hass a rreputatjion forr bejing perrssuassjive."

  8. #28
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    "Oh?"

    Kes was already eyeing the tank's contents, idly watching the selection of fish that drifted on an artificial 'current'. T'yeellaa's concern hadn't gone unnoticed, and there was a certain amount of growing concern beginning to swirl about in his gut.

    "How do you mean?"

  9. #29
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    What did he mean how do you mean? T'yeellaa frowned.

    "jYou've met hjim. He'ss charrmjing. Exceptjionalljy charrmjing. Fjirrsst conssorrtss arre trrajined thejirr entjirre ljivess to be that wajy, and he'ss sserrved underr two Hjigh Motherrss."

    A striped cutty swam beneath her grasp, but T'yeellaa wasn't even paying attention.

  10. #30
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    The cutty might've been able to pass by T'yeellaa's hand without issue, but Kes was not so inattentive, and a deft motion of his hand sprung the five-fingered trap, encasing the small fish easily while pulling it up and out.

    The server returned with their drinks, setting both bottles beside each diner, and with a smile and a bow, retreated once more.

    His first catch laid upon a small wooden plate, inset with a white porcelain serving area. It was a bit rustic and chic all in one go, but fit the motif of the rest of the establishment in fine fashion.

    The knife was brought to just behind the gills, then swept down and along the belly to reveal the meat beneath.

    "Well, I guess 'charming' is in the eye of the beholder. He's certainly got presence though, I won't argue that."

  11. #31
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    "Well, he'ss Sarrtarroa," T'yeellaa explained after a swig of beer, "he'ss trrajined hjiss entjirre ljife to be charrmjing and perrssuassjive. Bojyss frrom well-to-do houssess arre occassjionalljy offerred to jojin the Sarrtarroa. Thejy go thrrough jintensse trrajinjing wjith the hope that thejy arre one dajy sselected to be the Fjirrsst Conssorrt. The mosst beautjiful, the mosst talented, the mosst jintelljigent."

    Feeling like picking on Kes's own catch rather than fishing for her own, T'yeellaa pinched off a morsel.

    "Thejy arre ssuppossed to be the perrfect matess."

  12. #32
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    "... Oh."

    Trained to be the perfect mates? It was certainly more than he'd realized apparently, but then again it seemed that each day he learned something new about Cizeri customs and practices, and life in the Pride.

    His knife slipped back in to the still-twitching carcass, and a sliver of meat fell away. Plucking it up, he popped it into his mouth, chewing as he thought.

    "Guess it's a good thing I'm human," washing his bite down with his beer, the redhead slid the rest of the cutty over to T'yeellaa before letting his eyes return to the tank and his next choice of victims.

    "I'd make a terrible trainee."

  13. #33
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    The K'ohta'rrou hooked out a fish eye with the tip of a claw, giving Kes what was supposed to be a discerning look that she couldn't quite hold. She laughed, punctuating that moment by popping the eye in her mouth.

    "jYeah, but who wouldn't? jIt'ss an jimposssjible sstandarrd. And even jif jI knew ssomeone could meet jit, jI don't know jif I'd be comforrtable wjith all that."

    She glibly took a sip of beer.

    "Then agajin, jI'm not a queen."

    Shrugging, she set aside her bottle.

    "All jI'm ssajyjing jiss to be carreful, but not too carreful."

  14. #34
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    * * *


    "All jI'm ssajyjing jiss to be carreful, but not too carreful."




    Words of warning and caution. Spoken with the best of intentions he knew, and in his own way he had heeded them as best as he could. He'd cleared the necessary times for his absence, obtaining the proper permissions from those higher than he - which, all things considered was not a difficult thing to do. After all, the request of the High Mother's First Consort was something that even those in the upper echelons of the Alliance had no intentions of refusing. It was damnably strange, but it was an invitation that was accepted with the highest of respect.

    The shuttle that ferried him to Carshoulis Prime was rather comfortable, he had to admit. It wasn't overly roomy, but it was cozy and comfortable all the same. Utilitarian, yet with such amenities as to make the trip pass with ease.

    The Cizerack crew of two was quiet, their low chatter limited to what he guessed was the sort that most pilots and copilots engaged in. There was another of the crew, ensconced in the back, but the young man had only made his presence known whenever it seemed that the redhead found himself parched. A carbonated water had been provided with a light smile, but beyond that, the third crewmember remained quiet and out of sight.

    Sitting in the back, his seat a rich, dark leather, Kes couldn't help but let a palm run over the smooth surface, not exactly sure what to expect, but now was no time to get cold feet.

  15. #35
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    The first sign that the trip was going to be different was the course correction. It was a subtle diversion, deviating from a course that would have taken the shuttle to the Royal Campus. Instead, the craft lazily banked, heading to the rolling sun-drenched hills of Hai'raathee. It was a district of the otherwise overbuilt ecumenopolis that permitted enough room for greenery. Orchards, gardens, and topiaries gave plenty of natural boundaries to the old and relatively-generous villas the district was famous for.

    The crimson and gold shuttle feathered to a soft landing, unspindling four landing struts to touch down in front of one of the smaller villas. Compared to some of the pocket palaces of Hai'raathee, it was practically a hovel. Two stories, an interior courtyard, fountains, koi ponds, a pool, among other amenities. Before the shuttle stood a pair of tonsured Cizeri men in gold tunics, each cradling a force pike with a statue's indifference. The shuttle's gangplank lowered, and the pilot excused herself from the cockpit to meet Kes for debarkation.

    "Welcome to Hai'raathee, Commanderr Akjiena."

    She gestured to the exit as the cabin boy quietly gathered Kes's belongings.

  16. #36
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    He gave the pilot a deferential nod, both hands moving to clasp together before him.

    "It has been a pleasure; if only all the other shuttle's I've ever been on were as expertly captained."

    He gave a disarming smile, a final nod, and turned to look down the length of the boarding ramp. The sight of the estate's front exterior was impressive, he had to admit, even if it was small by the apparent normal standards of some of the others littered about the broad countryside.

    A deep breath, and Jovan's Commander began the short trek down the ramp's length.

  17. #37
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    "Commanderr Akjiena!"

    A rich baritone voice sounded from above. Kes's eyes could easily trace it to its origin as a man waved from the outer balcony of the second floor.

    "Hello!"

    Keerrourri Feessarro's smile was big and seemingly-genuine, flashing immaculate white teeth. Compared to his attire in the royal procession, the First Man of the Pride was almost slumming it today, sporting bespoke khakis and a seersucker jacket with an open-necked shirt beneath. The long tresses of his chestnut hair were drawn into a ponytail, held together with a baby blue ribbon that left enough slack to give the drawn locks a voluminous buoyancy. He slipped the sunblockers off his eyes, squinting blue eyes against indirect sun to give his guest no doubt who was addressing him.

    "Prrecjisseljy on tjime, mjy frrjiend. Jojin me forr rrefrresshmentss jin the courrtjyarrd, would jyou?"

    The tonsured guards silently gestured in unison towards the door, but otherwise remained as a sort of living statue.

  18. #38
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    An almost bemused expression fell across his features as he looked up to regard the Emissary. It was of course gone a moment later to be replaced by a courteous nod. There was nothing he really needed to say in this moment, and so the redhead kept his mouth shut for now. Instead, he took a step forward, slowly passing by the guards and toward the courtyard. Wherever the cabin boy went with his small duffel he had no idea, but the suspicion was high that it was to one of no doubt many guest rooms.

    Making his way along a carefully manicured cobblestone path, Kes couldn't help but steal a few glances to either side. Expertly trimmed hedgerows and topiaries lined the pathway with artful placement, and beyond them were verdantly green stretches of grass. It was all very beautiful, all things considered.

    Closing the distance to the courtyard, he readied himself for... well, he wasn't really sure what to prepare for. Whatever awaited him on this visit, he only hoped it wasn't some sort of royal reprimand for his apparent bad behavior back on Jovan during the Pride Mother's visit.

  19. #39
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    It was a short stroll through the villa atrium to the double doors just beyond that led to the inner courtyard. Again, it was an open-air setting full of greenery, broken up by intimate little statues and fountains. The center of the courtyard was dominated by an old-growth Bayossa tree, possibly over a hundred years old. It's compact trunk twisted around in almost a full corkscrew, creating an aesthetically pleasing base for its gnarled boughs to drape an intimate curtain of shade. Beneath that shade stood a picnic table, upon which a few small plate items were arrayed. There were the traditional Cizeri array of snails, ceviche, and iced oysters, but also a cosmopolitan selection that included fruits, charcuterie, and little crustless cucumber sandwiches.

    A handsome young servant stood ready for their guest, holding a tray with two flutes of effervescent cocktails. He said nothing.

    "jI'd assk jyou about jyourr jourrnejy, but that'ss rratherr lazjy ssmall talk. We'rre prractjicalljy nejighborrss."

    The Emissary appeared behind Kes, having quietly followed behind him so as to gauge the Commander's response. He offered his hand.

  20. #40
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    If he was surprised by the voice behind him, Kes hid it as well as he could. The only outward show he gave was a quick blink before half-turning to regard the Emissary. A moment passed, and he ventured a smile while slowly extending a hand to take his host's in a firm grip.

    "That we are, Sir."

    There was still the question of why exactly he'd been invited here, but that could wait for now, he supposed. The redhead wasn't about to inundate Keerrourri Feessaarro with an interrogation. He was sure enough that the answers would come in time.

    Ever the consummate guest, Kes gestured for the Emissary to pass by him and lead the way to the picnic table.

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