(1866-07-29) A Talk that Certainly Never Happened
A Talk that Certainly Never Happened
Summary: Aidric meets with Emilia at the Golden Dragon Inn for a talk, turns out she's sharper than he thought.
Date: Juliet 27th 1866
Related: None
Players:
Aidric  Emilia  

The Golden Dragon Inn
In set
Juliet 27th 1866

The crowd at the Golden Dragon is a lively one, and all the shutters are thrown open to the street to catch what breeze they can, and of course entice patrons within through the siren song of merrymaking.

Aidric Carling sits at a table at the establishment's rear, one of the ones reserved for 'people of quality' the innkeep had told him when he first visited. The knight sits with a wax tablet on the table and taps along with the tune being played by the troupe of bards across the inn. He was here to meet the Lady Emilia, having sent an invitation to the Cassomir manse an hour past that was sure to raise eyebrows, but the bards were a lucky find. Solid at their craft yet still not above playing in inns and taverns, he could have use for them.

The invitation did certainly cause a brow to raise, Emilia's. More than a touched surprised to receive the invite from the Carling Lord. But there was curiosity as well, thu the Lady in question was not long after appearing through the doors of the Golden Dragon. A Huntress shadow not far behind her and soon blending in with the rest of the crowd as Emilia herself scans the in. Dark eyes looking over the various people who have crowded in the establishment this day before finding Aidric towards the rear. She easily weaves her way along through the people, that unearthly grace of her's helping to allow the odd turn or slip to get past someone. Her shadow soon enough touching upon the table he sits at, a incline of her head offered to him as she offers,"Lord of Carling, good of day to you."

<FS3> Aidric rolls Perception: Good Success. (7 5 5 8 6 2 5 2 3 1 6 8)

Aidric's eyes turn away from the troupe of bards and turns to regard Emilia. He smiles as he sets down his stylus and stands. "Good day to you, Lady Emilia," he says before gesturing to the bevy of cushioned chairs around the table. "Thank you for joining me, will you have a seat? Something to drink perhaps?" he asks, and if Emilia accepts he sits, otherwise the two of them remain standing, protocol being what it is. His eyes do flick across the room, and seeing the huntress settling in at a table. He chuckles slightly, "I hope your friend won't get lonely over there?" he asks.

"Of aye, thank you," comes her response as Emilia does accept the offer to seat. Settling to one of the cushioned chairs easily enough. Dressed not entirely unlike a Huntress herself, just without all the leathers. The weather of Sunsreach made that entirely unpleasant. "Some of wine would be pleasant. I am admitting, I am of curious to why you invited of me." Even if one would be hard pressed to find any hint of that upon the rather solemn and stoic mien. Glancing towards where the huntress settled, not seeming to need to search for her, herself. "She will of not, I am sure she will find of some of company to be keeping soon of enough. "

"Yes, I suppose she won't," Aidric remarks as he settles again and turns to face that stoic look. "Wine," he says to the serving man, before answering Emilia's question. "The truth? I thought might help me with some of the histories I am writing, having borne witness to some of key moments, I thought your perspective would be interesting," he lies smoothly, well, half-lies. "Also, I admit to being at somewhat loose ends with what do with myself of late and you were good company at the tourney," he says spinning more half-truths.

<FS3> Opposed Roll — Emilia=Perception Vs Aidric=Deception
Emilia: Great Success (3 6 6 1 4 7 1 8 7 8 5 4 8 6 1)
Aidric: Great Success (1 8 7 2 8 2 6 1 4 7 1)
Net Result: Emilia wins - Marginal Victory

A mild incline of her head goes to the server as the wine is order. But as Aidric speaks his reasoning, there is a mild quirk of a brow. "Of truly? What key of moments are you thinking I might be of help with, Sir of Aidric?" Emilia's dark eyes study Aidric a moment, that solemn bent ever there. "Sir of Aidric, while I do not of doubt you did not find my company wholey of unpleasant, but I am thinking you were not finding it good of either. There is truth in your of words, but they seek to cover over what you are really wishing of me, like shadows over a puddle. "

"Well I would not ask you to touch on the fall of Ironhold but perhaps some of your brother's exploits, or some of what happened in Sunsreach," he begins but when Emilia makes her entirely too accurate observations he tilts his head. "If you think I am one of the sharks circling in hopes of marriage to a king's sister, I'm not," he says with a mild shake of his head and a sip of wine. "I truly do want to hear your views on some things." That much was true.

There is a slight incline of her head,"I think the bards have done of well covering many of mine-brothers' exploits," a bit of deadpan delivery, that Cassomir quirk in the mild hint of humour displayed by Emilia. "Sunsreach was….interesting." Emilia shakes her head, her dark eyes still perhaps giving Aidric some study. "Of no, I am not thinking of that. Those who seem to be of having such of hope have sent many inquries of already, and seek mine-brother, not of me. " Taking a sip of her own wine. "What of things then? Even if I think you would not mind to hear details of some of the other, there are certainly of other people you might prefer of their company to gather such. "

Aidric takes another sip of his wine, and smiles tightly when then serving man brings wine for Emilia. When the man is gone he sets down his cup. "Yes, but bards are liars by profession, so, your perspective could be said to be clearer," he counters before he lets out a breath. "But since you do insist on being blunt. The real truth? I wanted to hear about your condition. I heard it had something to do with what happened at Ironhold."

"Of true, they do rather like to be of taking creative telling to a new level to entertain of the people. Make a better story of things. " There is a mild tug to the corners of Emilia's lips,"We do of like to bring some of the better ones to Jaren's attention." As any good sibling would. Her hand gives a minor turn and flutter in the air,"I spend of much of my time listening to whispers and being talked of through, sometimes of at, but rarely of to. " When he speaks of his reason, the real reason, Emilia's head cants a touch, those dark eyes squinting just slightly as she looks to him. "Of aye, it is having of everything to do what was of happening at Ironhold. What..of exactly are you wanting to be hearing about..of me?"

Aidric glances about the tap room for a moment, few save the huntress were paying any attention to them and the music while good was also loud. He shifts his chair closer to Emilia's and drops his voice some. "The how of it," he says. "Were you injured, or was it just seeing what had happened that did it?"

Dark eyes flicker to the rest of the room as Aidric shifts closer. Just a mild turn of Emilia's head to catch his words with the music that fills the room. His questions cause a faint frown. And she does study him for several long moments before she says softly, simply,"It was of both." Pausing before she asks,"Why are you wanting to be of knowing?"

Aidric takes another pull from his wine, another look around the inn while he's at it too. Content nobody might hear him he answers. "The is someone, a child, who seems similarly afflicted. She doesn't speak strangely, she just barely speaks at all, her minders think it strange," he says. "She saw things, like you did, but wasn't hurt."

"I would of pray, she did not see things quite of like I did, Sir of Aidric." Emilia pauses a moment before before explaining softly,"I was of having to of watch mine-mother and brother tortured to of death." there is just a small breathe taken before Emilia sips on her wine. "It is much for the mind to take of in and deal with, when horrors are of seen. It is perhaps of strange for normal of child…but not of so when having to witness of such things. She is likely strungling to comprehend of it all, of what is being of felt, or not feeling of safe any of longer. Especially if in seeing, much of her world changed for of her in that of instant."

Emilia's words hit Aidric like a hammerblow to the stomach. Torture he thinks and not for the first time wishes pain and suffering upon his former Thorn allies. "I am sorry," he says after realizing he'd gone silent. "I hope Devlin and Raelyn and the rest avenged themselves on those bastards," he says. "That's not how war is meant to be fought." He takes a long drink of his wine and then stares at the cup when it betrays him and turns up empty too soon. He sets it down with a scowl, before he turns to look at Emilia. "She witnessed torture after a fashion too, and her world did change, she was taken away from the people she knew, those who were left anyhow, and given to strangers. I suppose that did not help things, did it?" he asks as he toys with his empty cup.

The reaction to her admission, explanation is taken in. Not entirely unexpected, Emilia did not carry the blatant sweeping judgments of her sister or cousin. The moments of silence do not seem to bother her. "It was not of by your hand, what I saw or of endured in of turn,"some implication to how she might have been 'injured' as well. Her words were truth, even if perhaps the cause was not entirely Thorns as all assumed. "Of aye, Devlin and Raelyn did see to of that. And of agreed, it is not of how war is to be of fought. it was moments of desperation, of revenge." Allowing him those moments as he drinks to the bottom of his cup, though for her part, Emilia keeps to small sips of her own. A slight nod comes at his next words. "No, that was not of helping, being of given to strangers. There was nothing then left of safety, of trust. That is what helped of me, I had of such left, family who was of there for me. Who I could yet..anchor to, helped me find of my way back from the darkness of all I had seen, felt. She is needing of similar, even if such is something that needs to be built again for her. "

Aidric nods slightly at her words, letting him off the hook. He calls for more wine and while he waits for it he nods again. "Then I put her with the right people," he says. "People who know how to do that sort of thing, be nice, care, and so-forth," he says. "And outside elements, change, that sort of thing, those should be kept away, am I correct?" he asks, pausing to give thanks when his wine cup is refilled.

Emilia gives a slight nod to the server when her own wine cup gets topped off. "It is sounding like so, though hopefully they are people who are not trying to pretend the world is as it was. She knows of better know. It is of a balance to feel of safe again, even when of knowing that such of safety can be but of an illusion." She cants her head a little,"Depends on the change, in of truth. Some of change can be of good. Our lives are after of all, full of change. And sometimes it is of needed. But, of aye, probably nothing of drastic, unless she is told of it to be coming, prepared that it shall be happening. Giving her of time to adjust to of it." Pausing a little,"Life for of me, when they were to be of trying..things..to of help of me, I would be of told what was of coming. Allowed me to understand why it was being of done, to prepare..least as much as I of could for it."

Aidric takes in Emilia's words paired with the sweet red wine in his cup. "Did your uncle and aunt, not the dead one, Donal and Dara, the ones who sided with Sir Ray in the war, did they play a part in helping you at all?" he asks, it's a strange question. "And so, warning, that is key. Hmm, I will remember that."

Emilia gives a small shake of her head,"Not overly of much. Some of time. But was mostly of Jaren and Raelyn, and in many ways at of the start, the Archbishop Sirrah who helped to look after me." Noting,"But I was of having such left, close of family. " Well least family she knew. Since Jaren and Emilia barely knew each other before the 'incident'. "Of aye, it can be of key. Though of certainly small surprise, like presents or of favorite tarts for dinner, certainly not needing of warning for such. "

Aidric if anything seems cheered by that news of Donal and Dara's participation. "Good, good," he says. "The right people indeed," he says as much to himself as to Emilia. He looks up at the rest. "And what do girls of four like?" he asks. "I admit I have no idea," he says taking a sip of wine.

There is a mild look at Aidric with the question and the response her answer does bring, but the Cassomir does not press the matter. The question sdoes cause a slow blink of those dark eyes. "Sometimes can depend upon of the girl, but at four," Emilia pauses a moment,"most are liking of ribbons and of dolls of yet. Some might be caring for wooden of swords, small of ones, if they are having of way to many of knightly brothers. But with what was of witnessed…hmmm…could go of either of way if she might of have interest in such. Or of ever. " Seeming to consider a moment before explaining,"Could be way of learning to feel of safe, like of giving child such to be of fighting off the monsters of under the bed."

Aidric isn't forthcoming with answers as to his first comment but he nods. "Dolls, ribbons or swords," he murmurs. "Rather a broad list. She's had no brothers, only her mother," a pause as he considers giving away the truth. Abyss! He'd gone this far. "And myself, when we were in Pacitta, and I was not around that often."

Emilia counters slightly,"Conider of your own interests, is not the list broad in of it's own way?" Allowing him to consider that before she offers,"Those who are of caring for her can likely help to narrow to what is of interesting her of most, or seeming of to." There is a turn of consideration before she offers,"Parchment and chalks, that was of helping of me. I was of able to draw, later of paint, to help get out things in of my head that I could not find words for. " Emilia gives a brief study after his words before she nods a touch, saying simply,"She is of yours." A statement more then question. "Not of knowing of much then. But if there is knowing at of all, could of help. Those who care for of her, if they are knowing of enough, would be able to be of telling if visits from of you seem to bring about changes in of her." Either for good or bad.

Aidric takes another sip of wine, considering the words. "She is mine," Aidric says. "Though I trust we'll keep that between us," he frowns. "Well, my concern for her anyhow, that I have a bastard is fairly well known," he adds with a faint smile. The smile becomes a thoughtful look soon after though. "I could see the value of art in such a situation, as she hasn't mastered writing-"

Further words are cut off by the door banging open and one of Aidric's men, Scarecrow, marching across the room to find him, "Bit of a scuffle with the men and some of the southerners my lord, the guard is on hand, they want words with you about it," he says before looking towards Emilia and then bowing his head. "Begging your pardon my lady," the tall, blonde man says.

Aidric sighs and drinks down his wine, before casting an apologetic glance to Emilia. "Forgive me, but it seems I need to go. You and your friend can drink on my credit in thanks for your words, and perhaps we can speak on this again, when there's time?"

Emilia gives a small nod of her head,"Of aye, it can stay between of us." There is a small tug to the corners of Emilia's lips,"Not that most give me much of mind as it is. " She knew well enough what people thought of her. Nodding a bit at his words, but her eyes flicker towards the door with it banging open. A mild hint of tension, she had lived in a world of war. The reaction more instinctive then anything.

When the man comes over to talk to Aidric, her dark eyes follow his progress. Then again, so does the Huntress over yonder. Emilia inclines her head to the blonde haired man,"Of course, be of pardoned. And of understanding."

She offers a bow of her head to Aidric,"Easily, Sir of Aidric. See to of the matter, and of thanking." Though likely they won't take up the offer, beyond perhaps finishing current drinks. "I would be of agreeable to that, to speak further, when there is of time. Be of well."

Aidric stands and nods to Emilia. "You too," he says of 'being of well'. Then he and his man depart the inn moving quickly towards the door.

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