(1866-09-19) A Brother Interrogated
A Brother Interrogated
Summary: Lady Amara t'Tremaine visits her brother Elrick t'Tremaine after Melee Duels and a simple visit of a carring sister from a first sight suddenly grows into an interrogation.
Date: 1866-09-19
Related: Everything related to family's financial troubles.
Players:
Amara  Elrick  

Elrick's room in Pacitta's Inn.
One of these rooms…
1866-09-19

It a bit after the melee duels were completed for the day which means Elrick is back at his inn, winding down and a bit exhausted, not to mentioned bruised. He had already taken a bath and cleaned himself off, now he had his meal brought up to him, placed on the table. It appears he has brought some documents from home and is reviewing them, far different than what he has done in the past. In the past, he would be out drinking and carousing with friends and other Tourney Knights. Now… he is a bit more responsible.

A knock on the door can be heard as a soft voice speaks, "May I come in brother?" Amara is trying to pay a visit for a man.

Once she is allowed inside, the girl basically springs towards the man and her hands start to wander all around his body. She is looking if the man did not get any serious injuries. She speaks really quickly at the same time, "You were amazing! You were the best. These others… They were cheating or something!" She giggles, "Why are you not carousing with your friends? Did you get hurt too badly? Are you feeling well?"

Hearing that it is his sister visiting, Elrick quickly says, "One second, Amara." First, he grabs a shirt that was hanging from the post of his bed in his room. Then after pulling it on, he turns over the papers on his table, putting a few other parchments over them, sheets that were talking about the tourney and possible match ups. "Enter!"

Aftering Amara enters, Elrick laughs as she begins inspecting him for wounds, "Calm down, dear sister. We used blunted weapons and also wore chainmail. I am fine, as for the others? Well, they weren't cheating, just solid opponents. Don't forget, this is the main circuit, only the best of the best are allowed to compete."

Amara calms down, hearing her brother's words and starts laughing, "Of course, brother. Though, one detail… You are the best of the bests!" She grins and looks around trying to find herself a seat. She will try to settle on a chair beside table, or even she will try to be as blunt as to just take a seat behind his table.

Of course, she will go there all lovely, brushing with her fingers over the edge of the table, gently pushing some of the papers, but mostly keeping her eyes on a room, looking around, "So, and Inn, huh? Lonely man in a lonely room. You did not answer to my question, brother? Why are you not downstairs?"

Elrick doesn't appear to dictating where Amara should sit and is letting her choose, whether the seat at his desk, at the table where he is eating, or his bed. The room is not one of the larger suites with multiple rooms, but certainly furnished enough for comfort and bit of luxury. As for her question about why he is not downstairs, he gestures to his plate of food and bowl of stew, "I'm enjoying dinner, my dear sister. Too tired after today's melee to be horsing around with friends. Would you like to join me for dinner? I know it's a bit late."

"No, thank you, brother. I am good!" She settles behind his desk. The young woman folds her hands on the edge of the table, keeps her back straight and kind of artistically pretends being Elrick. Her eyes slides to the papers on the man's table. Tourney, tourney, tourney, "You eat, if you want. I was just sitting and clapping. You used a lot of your energy. So, don't mind me."

She leans back in a seat then and clasps hands on her abdomen, "So, that's how you feel here…" Some kind of mischievious grin flashes through her features, before she quickly jumps elsewhere in her thoughts, "Will you participate in Joust Brackets? Archery? What's next? Will you go home after tourney? Will you go to the Ball? Do you have a partner to go with?" Yes, interrogation.

Following his sister's gaze, Elrick sees that she is glancing at the stack of papers and nonchalantly goes over to collect them, putting them in a neater pile before picking them up to put them away in a drawer as if making his place neater. "Not archery, bows… are for peasants. I will be in the Joust Brackets for sure. They seeded me quite highly for the Melee, I wonder how they will rank me for the Joust." It appears that those who created the seeding had too high of hopes for the Heir to House t'Tremaine. Moving back to the table where he was eating, Elrick sits down and goes about finishing his stew while he talks to his sister, "I'm not sure, I may attend the ball, but I will return home right after."

"Right…" Amara drawls, curiously watching how her brother collects the papers and hides it in a drawer. Or maybe she is just following her brother's movements. Her eyes are intently fixed on him, "I am," she places her hands on her lap now, "I am not sure why I chose this day. Maybe because I slept really bad last night," Amara sighs.

She licks her lips and starts to make circles on the table with one of her fingers, "Maybe because I feel that tourney is coming to an end and where we will appear after it might be incredibly important…"

Her seriousness fades for a second and she chuckles, "Or maybe I know, that you might be tired after the competition. So, you won't be able to run away from me. At least, not very far and I will be able to catch you."

She looks at that circling finger for a brief second, but then her emerald gaze is stabbed straight into Elrick's with a lot of expectations, "Brother, don't you have /anything/ to tell me?" She stresses the word "anything" out so firmly, suggesting that she knows, what Elrick has to say.

As he finishes up his stew, Elrick pushes the now empty bowl off to the side before picking up the pitcher of wine and pouring himself a cup. Though he does glance towards Amara, arching a brow when she speaks, perhaps either not understanding her or surprised at her choice of words, "Where we will appear after the tourney?" Then when she asks him directly about 'anything', his gaze narrows slightly, "What do you mean by anything, Amara?" Sounds like the subject is turning in a direction that he did not expect from his little sister nor one he likes to discuss.

Once it is clear, that Amara payed a visit to Elrick not just as a carring sister, she allows her smile to fade from these noble, flawless, cute features, "Secrets," she says kind of firmly with a tiny irritation, "which are not hidden very well," Amara adds, "I am not a child anymore, I am sure, that you understand that, even if that brotherly love of yours wants to protect me from the cruelties of this world. Also, I was really happy that your brotherly love saw me in a different light than fatherly one. That means, you do not consider me as a weakness of our House. I love you, you love me too. Two loving siblings have no secrets and try to rely on each other, when difficult times hit them."

She keeps her eyes on Elrick. Her tone is soft and loving, but it still has a grain of disappointment or irritation. These two things are too similar sometimes, "I am giving you another chance to be an honest brother. Elrick, do you want to tell me /anything/ or will I have to ask direct questions?"

Elrick remains silent for a long moment as he listens to what Amara has to say, certainly not the little sister he knows very well and is very fond of. A long drink is taken from his cup of wine before he finally speaks, "Would you like some, Amara?" He asks first, to see if she wishes to have a cup as well, though it is obvious that his tone is different now, a bit more serious since it may involve House business. The young Heir is also using his sister's name directly.

After pouring her a cup if she wishes, Elrick finally releases a sigh, "I did not wish for you to be involved in this, sister. I was hoping you would focus on your arts and studies. Sadly, I myself have found out about the state of our House when I returned from the war. Right now, I am doing what I can, with my limited authority, to pull us out of where we currently are."

Amara does not refuse for the glass of wine, but she does not say directly, that she wants it. So, the glass will be placed on Elrick's desk and left there for awhile. The young lady still keeps her eyes fixed on Elrick and her look might be too piercing, or a little bit too annoying, "And where is that? Where we are now?"

Amara starts to play on the edge of the table with one of her hands as if it would be piano, "I understood, that there is something definitely wrong with our family's finances, when I noticed a few things. First, our mother's shopping sprees aside isn't quite as "nice" as some other nobles. Things tend to be a bit more run-down, people tend to be surlier, even the food's not quite as good. I have heard inklings here and there that our family is "in a bad way". Finally, people rent houses here. Though, instead of renting a house you get yourself a not very lovely room in the Inn and I stay with Antonia. Moreover, you just said, that after the tourney you will go home. You said "right after", what suggests that you are in a hurry. That was the last proof I needed."

She sighs, "I know it would be best if I could just be that cheerful child who makes everyone smile. I will stay like that, I am still the little sister of yours. That lovely one, but I am old enough to help. I do not want just to be oblivious of my family's affairs. What t'Tremaine I would be, if I do nothing?"

Now she turns her look away and lands it on the glass of wine, "Our father tries to hold up on our familie's glorious past so firmly, that he can't clearly understand the current sittuation, admit troubles we are facing, and create a good strategy for the better future. That's my thought. You, on the other hand, can do it. You even can convince our father to believe in you. Though, you need to be at home for that. Antonia has to be at home to take care of her child. I am the one who is not tied to a place or other people. I could stay here and help you. People come and go to this city. I could meet people for you, make allies, friends… I could do things here but I need details for that."

As his sister speaks and explains her reasoning, Elrick goes back to eating, showing that despite being surprised by his sister, he is able to adapt to the situation. When Amara finishes speaking, he swallows what he has in his mouth and follows that up with another drink from his cup of wine. "I'm glad, sister. Glad to see that you have truly grown up, and your eagerness to help our House. However… this is not something we should discuss here. Wait until the tourney is over and we return home, we will speak then. In detail." It appears that the t'Tremaine Heir has recognized his sister's potential and willingness to help, but he is still putting his foot down on when and where they will discuss House issues. "As for our Father, he is who he is. Even I have trouble convincing him to listen to me, but I am working on it. Slowly but surely, I am righting the ship, do not worry."

A little bit cautious smile curls the young lady's lips up. She is not sure if she heard things right, or maybe she was not expecting to get what she wants so easily. Well, she did not get all what she wanted, but it's the start. She raises to her feet and approaches Elrick, "Alright. I will go home with you after the tourney. If you decide not to participate in the ball, it's alright. I can miss that one for sure. So, anytime you will leave - I am with you. I trust you," she leans to place a peck on his forehead, if allows, "Thank you for trusting in me."

"No, sister, I want you to attend the ball and do what you do best. We still need to maintain a presence publicly, and for me to return home in a hurry, you will need to take my place as the face of or House. I know you also wish to spend more time with our sister as well, so this is your chance." A quick drink from his cup, Elrick continues, "And without me around, perhaps others will be a bit more loose with their tongues so you can let me know what you hear." When Amara pecks his forehead, he can't help but grin, "Of course I trust you, dear sister. I just wasn't ready to tell you, to worry you."

"As you wish, my dearest brother," lady Amara smiles, "I will represent our family in the event, then. But now, I will leave you. You need to rest as I need to do the same."

Amara turns to leave, but she stops once her hand touches the handle of the door, "One more thing," she turns to brother, "Do not be worried anymore. You can't go alone on this, on anything. That's why you have me. I will always be there for you and our House." She offers him the smile again and then disappears behind the door.

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