The Old Gods will call to you,
From their ancient prisons they will sing.
Dragons with wicked eyes and wicked hearts,
On blacken'd wings does deceit take flight,
The First of My children, lost to night.
—Canticle of Silence 3:6
From their ancient prisons they will sing.
Dragons with wicked eyes and wicked hearts,
On blacken'd wings does deceit take flight,
The First of My children, lost to night.
—Canticle of Silence 3:6
Lady Marceline had called a meeting with the Inquistors, and the other advisors, all of whom were now gathered in her office. The reason why should be clear to them, as it was not secret that the Inquisition had at large received an invitation from none other than the Crown Prince himself. The immaculately penned letter hung loosely in her fingertips at present as she leaned against her desk, her other hand hovering in front of her mouth, hiding it as she absently chewed her lip. It'd be easy for them to tell that she was at least a bit anxious, but this was a matter of great importance to both the Inquisition, and to herself personally. It would have been difficult for her to hide no matter who she was.
A time and place for peace talks for the Orlesian civil war had finally been decided, and a possible end to the war that had been tearing her homeland apart for the last few years was only a about a month and a half away in the Winter Palace, in Halamshiral. Lucien had asked the Inquisition, and their Inquisitors, to act as a sort of neutral party.
However, it would be a formal event and there was no doubt in her mind that it would resemble more of a fête than a peace conference. The Game would be in full effect, as all those present would attempt to win and edge and advance their station and renown. It was the Orlesian way, with the theatrics and glitter to the hide the blades at each others throats.
"Where do we even begin?" Marceline asked, glancing to her sides where Rilien and Leon both flanked her. There was a lot to prepare for, and they had a month and a half to do it.
"...might I suggest the beginning?" Estella blinked, glancing at her fellow Inquisitor for a moment, then at the others, starting with her brother and ending with Ser Rilien. "I'm guessing everyone here who has an approach to dealing with the nobility has a slightly different take. I, for one, could use a refresher in the basics." She smiled benignly. "Perhaps some demonstrations of the kinds of things we might have to deal with, what questions might come up and that sort of thing?"
Leon looked thoughtful. "I doubt we have time for exact rundowns on every little thing, so it's probably best to go for the gist, yes."
“Personally, I think the how-tos of the things we'll have to do are most important." Cyrus shrugged from his place at Estella's side. “Greetings, fielding likely questions, how to act around people of different stations. Some of us occupy markedly different ones now than we used to, particularly our illustrious leaders. Perhaps it would be good to know what to apologize for and what to stand firm on." He paused a moment, then smiled slightly. “I can certainly model an insufferable aristocrat, if anyone would like to practice being face-to-face with one."
Ser Rilien met Romulus's eyes directly. “How many events of a similar sort have you attended in the past, Romulus?"
The Inquisitor's eyes widened ever so slightly at that, either with incredulity or perhaps some form of fear that he clearly did not experience on a regular basis in battle. He made what looked to be an uncontrolled glance towards Estella, tearing it away towards Leon, finally coming back to Rilien, though they did not rest there for long. "None, I'm afraid." After that his eyes fell a bit lower, wandering around and searching for something to fixate themselves on. "I'm, uh... I'm no Bard, I was never trained for that sort of thing. If there were guests, I mostly just stood with the others, and only acted if called upon. Which I rarely was."
Marceline chewed her lip some more. She had noticed how he acted with her when she was around. In hindsight, she perhaps should have done something about it earlier, and she cursed herself for not acting upon it until now. Still, they would all have to put the work in to ensure that the Inquisition put in a good showing at the Winter Palace. She made a conscious effort to stop the chewing of her lip, and let her hands fall loosely to her sides, before finally resting them behind her back. Estella she had confidence in, she had proven herself time and time again to be an apt player. Romulus on the other hand... They would have to see to it that he was up to speed by the time they reached Halamshiral.
"Romulus," Marceline began, as gentle as she could manage, "First, you'll have to maintain eye contact when you speak," she said, gesturing toward her own eyes, though she let the sympathy remain in her face. She could not imagine how he was feeling, up until a few years ago, his role was quite the opposite than his present occupation. It would be difficult to break that in only a month and some days. "Keep it in mind and work on it. Some of the sterner nobility will either see it as weakness or as an insult."
"Do you remember how any of these guests, or even Chryseis had acted in these situations?" she asked.
"She was different for every one," he answered. He was attempting the eye contact; frequently his eyes darted up to hers, but they could never remain there. A few seconds later they'd fall to somewhere else, down or sideways or to the window or the desk. "It depended on if they were an ally, an enemy, or someone she hadn't pegged as either. She had no friends. She was..." He let his eyes fall fully, probably in thought, parsing through memories of a very unpleasant and prolonged period of his life. "Never herself. Sometimes I didn't recognize her, or have a clue if she meant half the things she was saying. They spoke, they ate... Chryseis rarely hosted social gatherings, and I never went with her to any at other places." The last part he said as though he thought the idea was a little ridiculous.
“Chryseis and the Imperium aren't the best examples of what to do here, I think." Cyrus sighed a bit, and shook his head. “If you don't mind my saying so, Lady Marceline, neither Romulus nor anyone else needs to be learning how to 'wear a mask,' so to speak." He frowned slightly, the way someone might if they'd smelled something that didn't agree with them, particularly. “Better to be themselves in a slightly more polished fashion, I think."
Rilien nodded. “We would do well to appear above the fray in any case. There is no need for elaborate ruses. Only the necessary motions and a few choice deflection tactics."
"I completely agree Cyrus," Marceline answered, "Certainly manufacturing a mask is not what we want," she continued, sparing a glance for both Romulus and Estella. Not that they even had time to attempt to do so, even if they wished. "I do wish for you to be yourselves, as much as possible," she said, nodding to Cyrus in agreement, "but I want you to be confident in doing so-- or at least, feigning confidence."
"Maybe we can practice together?" Estella asked the question, turning to orient herself towards Romulus. "Like Cyrus said. Suppose I'm a noblewoman, and you're the Lord Inquisitor. If I approach you, I'm going to introduce myself, probably because I'm very interested in learning more about the Inquisition. So..." She smiled a little wryly, then dropped into a well-practiced curtsy, not entirely unlike the one she'd demonstrated during Lord Mathis's visit.
"And here I'd say something like. 'Lord Inquisitor. It's an honor to meet you. My name is...'" She trailed off, apparently not having thought quite that far ahead. "'Fiorella Costanza, and this is my husband Sabino.'" She gestured for Leon to approach and stand next to her, which he did obligingly, his smile a tad droll. He bowed properly, though, clearly intent on actually helping.
"It is at this point, you would return the bow and formally introduce yourself as well. Remember, however, to make eye contact and to project confidence," she directed. Of course, saying these things were simple in comparison to actually doing so, but with enough practice, hopefully it would come. She did not expect anyone to excel at anything for the first moment.
Romulus nodded uneasily, having already turned to face Estella and Leon. He looked like he felt a bit foolish, but he performed a stiff, unpracticed bow all the same. The eye contact was made, though being faced with two people made him unsure where to keep them, and he keep bouncing back and forth between the two. "Lady, Lord," he said, managing to look at the correct one for the corresponding titles. He paused immediately after, though, unsure. "Is it Lady and Lord that I use, or...?" He trailed off, apparently deciding it could be answered later, and turned his eyes back on Estella and Leon.
"I am Romulus, I'm... the Inquisitor." He blinked a few times, reddening. "You already know that."
Estella's smile brightened. "So we did," she agreed, with gentle humor. "I was just telling Sabino the other day that having you here can surely only be good for the talks. I wish they were handling things a little more directly, but I think you get used to all of the Orlesian trappings after a while." She affected a sigh, then moved her eyes slightly behind Romulus, as if only just then noticing something.
"Ah, but it seems you've brought a friend. Might we have an introduction?" From where she was looking, she could only intend to mean Cyrus.
He took the cue with some ease, stepping up beside Romulus as though a member of his party or entourage. “Typically, the person with rank in a situation introduces anyone with them, which is you. Unless one of us were already known to Stellulam, in which case of course the mutual acquaintance does the introducing. A name alone will suffice, unless there's something else they really need to know, such as an important title. But they'll probably assume Lord or Lady for the humans, at least." He nodded towards Estella and Leon, his tone as mild as his sister's. “Try introducing me?"
"This is Cyrus," he said, turning just his upper body towards him and doing nothing whatsoever with his hands, which remained firmly clasped in front of him. "Uh, Cyrus Avenarius. He's... um." He struggled for a bit, obviously thinking he had more to add, but not sure what it was before he'd blurted words, and then looked at Estella, clearly confusing himself. "He's your—uh, Estella's—the Lady Inquisitor's brother." He grimaced at himself, his eyes falling away from all of them. "This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?"
"Well, that certainly was," Marceline admitted, though she smiled as as she spoke. she let her hands fall away from behind her and she took a more relaxed posture as she approached them. "But it was only a start. It will come in time. Time and practice, I promise. You need not impress anyone," she continued, inflecting a comforting smile. "We do not intend to throw you to the wolves unprepared, as it were."
"I don't think it was that bad, honestly," Estella replied. "You should have seen me the first time Master Horatio brought me along to a formal event. I was a wreck." She shook her head, relaxing her posture and placing her hands on her hips. "To answer your earlier question, Lord and Lady will do for almost everyone. There are forms of address that make finer distinctions, but you won't have to worry about those. The only exceptions are Commander Lucien and the Empress, and I promise you that he won't care in the slightest whether you you address him properly or not. The empress is either 'Your Radiance' or 'Your Imperial Majesty.'"
She brought a hand up to her mouth, dragging the pad of her index finger along her lower lip. "But really, I think the essentials are just the things we practiced just now, answering intrusive questions gracefully, and then dancing. It's not impossible to learn in a month and a half. And if I'm saying so, it must be true." She half-smiled in a typically self-effacing manner, but there was some humor to it.
"You aren't the only one that needs to learn, either," Leon mused. "We certainly won't be sending you in there by yourselves; I expect most or all of the Irregulars will participate. Perhaps it would be good to set up group lessons on this sort of thing? It would be easier if everyone learned the same things in the same ways, I suspect." He paused a moment, a look of clear amusement flickering over his face. "I can only imagine how much work Khari needs before we can set her on the nobility."
Estella snorted. "That's a very different sense of 'bear mauls the wolves,' I think."
"Oh Maker," Marceline replied with a small laugh.
“I'll help." Cyrus held up a hand, though not in an entirely-serious fashion, from the fact that he turned it into a jaunty mock-salute. “As mentioned, I have experience being exactly the sort of deplorable snob we have to worry about. And hence dealing with others of the same sort."
Rilien, too, nodded to indicate his willingness to assist, turning a flat gaze to Marceline. “It seems appropriate to conduct such business here, given the space. Perhaps a few times a week until we depart for Halamshiral?"
"I agree," Marceline nodded, "I will have everyone aid us as well," she added. Between her, Michaël, Pierre, Larissa, and Félicité , they should have more than enough hands to focus their studies.
"With that settled... Romulus, would you care to try again?"
A time and place for peace talks for the Orlesian civil war had finally been decided, and a possible end to the war that had been tearing her homeland apart for the last few years was only a about a month and a half away in the Winter Palace, in Halamshiral. Lucien had asked the Inquisition, and their Inquisitors, to act as a sort of neutral party.
However, it would be a formal event and there was no doubt in her mind that it would resemble more of a fête than a peace conference. The Game would be in full effect, as all those present would attempt to win and edge and advance their station and renown. It was the Orlesian way, with the theatrics and glitter to the hide the blades at each others throats.
"Where do we even begin?" Marceline asked, glancing to her sides where Rilien and Leon both flanked her. There was a lot to prepare for, and they had a month and a half to do it.
"...might I suggest the beginning?" Estella blinked, glancing at her fellow Inquisitor for a moment, then at the others, starting with her brother and ending with Ser Rilien. "I'm guessing everyone here who has an approach to dealing with the nobility has a slightly different take. I, for one, could use a refresher in the basics." She smiled benignly. "Perhaps some demonstrations of the kinds of things we might have to deal with, what questions might come up and that sort of thing?"
Leon looked thoughtful. "I doubt we have time for exact rundowns on every little thing, so it's probably best to go for the gist, yes."
“Personally, I think the how-tos of the things we'll have to do are most important." Cyrus shrugged from his place at Estella's side. “Greetings, fielding likely questions, how to act around people of different stations. Some of us occupy markedly different ones now than we used to, particularly our illustrious leaders. Perhaps it would be good to know what to apologize for and what to stand firm on." He paused a moment, then smiled slightly. “I can certainly model an insufferable aristocrat, if anyone would like to practice being face-to-face with one."
Ser Rilien met Romulus's eyes directly. “How many events of a similar sort have you attended in the past, Romulus?"
The Inquisitor's eyes widened ever so slightly at that, either with incredulity or perhaps some form of fear that he clearly did not experience on a regular basis in battle. He made what looked to be an uncontrolled glance towards Estella, tearing it away towards Leon, finally coming back to Rilien, though they did not rest there for long. "None, I'm afraid." After that his eyes fell a bit lower, wandering around and searching for something to fixate themselves on. "I'm, uh... I'm no Bard, I was never trained for that sort of thing. If there were guests, I mostly just stood with the others, and only acted if called upon. Which I rarely was."
Marceline chewed her lip some more. She had noticed how he acted with her when she was around. In hindsight, she perhaps should have done something about it earlier, and she cursed herself for not acting upon it until now. Still, they would all have to put the work in to ensure that the Inquisition put in a good showing at the Winter Palace. She made a conscious effort to stop the chewing of her lip, and let her hands fall loosely to her sides, before finally resting them behind her back. Estella she had confidence in, she had proven herself time and time again to be an apt player. Romulus on the other hand... They would have to see to it that he was up to speed by the time they reached Halamshiral.
"Romulus," Marceline began, as gentle as she could manage, "First, you'll have to maintain eye contact when you speak," she said, gesturing toward her own eyes, though she let the sympathy remain in her face. She could not imagine how he was feeling, up until a few years ago, his role was quite the opposite than his present occupation. It would be difficult to break that in only a month and some days. "Keep it in mind and work on it. Some of the sterner nobility will either see it as weakness or as an insult."
"Do you remember how any of these guests, or even Chryseis had acted in these situations?" she asked.
"She was different for every one," he answered. He was attempting the eye contact; frequently his eyes darted up to hers, but they could never remain there. A few seconds later they'd fall to somewhere else, down or sideways or to the window or the desk. "It depended on if they were an ally, an enemy, or someone she hadn't pegged as either. She had no friends. She was..." He let his eyes fall fully, probably in thought, parsing through memories of a very unpleasant and prolonged period of his life. "Never herself. Sometimes I didn't recognize her, or have a clue if she meant half the things she was saying. They spoke, they ate... Chryseis rarely hosted social gatherings, and I never went with her to any at other places." The last part he said as though he thought the idea was a little ridiculous.
“Chryseis and the Imperium aren't the best examples of what to do here, I think." Cyrus sighed a bit, and shook his head. “If you don't mind my saying so, Lady Marceline, neither Romulus nor anyone else needs to be learning how to 'wear a mask,' so to speak." He frowned slightly, the way someone might if they'd smelled something that didn't agree with them, particularly. “Better to be themselves in a slightly more polished fashion, I think."
Rilien nodded. “We would do well to appear above the fray in any case. There is no need for elaborate ruses. Only the necessary motions and a few choice deflection tactics."
"I completely agree Cyrus," Marceline answered, "Certainly manufacturing a mask is not what we want," she continued, sparing a glance for both Romulus and Estella. Not that they even had time to attempt to do so, even if they wished. "I do wish for you to be yourselves, as much as possible," she said, nodding to Cyrus in agreement, "but I want you to be confident in doing so-- or at least, feigning confidence."
"Maybe we can practice together?" Estella asked the question, turning to orient herself towards Romulus. "Like Cyrus said. Suppose I'm a noblewoman, and you're the Lord Inquisitor. If I approach you, I'm going to introduce myself, probably because I'm very interested in learning more about the Inquisition. So..." She smiled a little wryly, then dropped into a well-practiced curtsy, not entirely unlike the one she'd demonstrated during Lord Mathis's visit.
"And here I'd say something like. 'Lord Inquisitor. It's an honor to meet you. My name is...'" She trailed off, apparently not having thought quite that far ahead. "'Fiorella Costanza, and this is my husband Sabino.'" She gestured for Leon to approach and stand next to her, which he did obligingly, his smile a tad droll. He bowed properly, though, clearly intent on actually helping.
"It is at this point, you would return the bow and formally introduce yourself as well. Remember, however, to make eye contact and to project confidence," she directed. Of course, saying these things were simple in comparison to actually doing so, but with enough practice, hopefully it would come. She did not expect anyone to excel at anything for the first moment.
Romulus nodded uneasily, having already turned to face Estella and Leon. He looked like he felt a bit foolish, but he performed a stiff, unpracticed bow all the same. The eye contact was made, though being faced with two people made him unsure where to keep them, and he keep bouncing back and forth between the two. "Lady, Lord," he said, managing to look at the correct one for the corresponding titles. He paused immediately after, though, unsure. "Is it Lady and Lord that I use, or...?" He trailed off, apparently deciding it could be answered later, and turned his eyes back on Estella and Leon.
"I am Romulus, I'm... the Inquisitor." He blinked a few times, reddening. "You already know that."
Estella's smile brightened. "So we did," she agreed, with gentle humor. "I was just telling Sabino the other day that having you here can surely only be good for the talks. I wish they were handling things a little more directly, but I think you get used to all of the Orlesian trappings after a while." She affected a sigh, then moved her eyes slightly behind Romulus, as if only just then noticing something.
"Ah, but it seems you've brought a friend. Might we have an introduction?" From where she was looking, she could only intend to mean Cyrus.
He took the cue with some ease, stepping up beside Romulus as though a member of his party or entourage. “Typically, the person with rank in a situation introduces anyone with them, which is you. Unless one of us were already known to Stellulam, in which case of course the mutual acquaintance does the introducing. A name alone will suffice, unless there's something else they really need to know, such as an important title. But they'll probably assume Lord or Lady for the humans, at least." He nodded towards Estella and Leon, his tone as mild as his sister's. “Try introducing me?"
"This is Cyrus," he said, turning just his upper body towards him and doing nothing whatsoever with his hands, which remained firmly clasped in front of him. "Uh, Cyrus Avenarius. He's... um." He struggled for a bit, obviously thinking he had more to add, but not sure what it was before he'd blurted words, and then looked at Estella, clearly confusing himself. "He's your—uh, Estella's—the Lady Inquisitor's brother." He grimaced at himself, his eyes falling away from all of them. "This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?"
"Well, that certainly was," Marceline admitted, though she smiled as as she spoke. she let her hands fall away from behind her and she took a more relaxed posture as she approached them. "But it was only a start. It will come in time. Time and practice, I promise. You need not impress anyone," she continued, inflecting a comforting smile. "We do not intend to throw you to the wolves unprepared, as it were."
"I don't think it was that bad, honestly," Estella replied. "You should have seen me the first time Master Horatio brought me along to a formal event. I was a wreck." She shook her head, relaxing her posture and placing her hands on her hips. "To answer your earlier question, Lord and Lady will do for almost everyone. There are forms of address that make finer distinctions, but you won't have to worry about those. The only exceptions are Commander Lucien and the Empress, and I promise you that he won't care in the slightest whether you you address him properly or not. The empress is either 'Your Radiance' or 'Your Imperial Majesty.'"
She brought a hand up to her mouth, dragging the pad of her index finger along her lower lip. "But really, I think the essentials are just the things we practiced just now, answering intrusive questions gracefully, and then dancing. It's not impossible to learn in a month and a half. And if I'm saying so, it must be true." She half-smiled in a typically self-effacing manner, but there was some humor to it.
"You aren't the only one that needs to learn, either," Leon mused. "We certainly won't be sending you in there by yourselves; I expect most or all of the Irregulars will participate. Perhaps it would be good to set up group lessons on this sort of thing? It would be easier if everyone learned the same things in the same ways, I suspect." He paused a moment, a look of clear amusement flickering over his face. "I can only imagine how much work Khari needs before we can set her on the nobility."
Estella snorted. "That's a very different sense of 'bear mauls the wolves,' I think."
"Oh Maker," Marceline replied with a small laugh.
“I'll help." Cyrus held up a hand, though not in an entirely-serious fashion, from the fact that he turned it into a jaunty mock-salute. “As mentioned, I have experience being exactly the sort of deplorable snob we have to worry about. And hence dealing with others of the same sort."
Rilien, too, nodded to indicate his willingness to assist, turning a flat gaze to Marceline. “It seems appropriate to conduct such business here, given the space. Perhaps a few times a week until we depart for Halamshiral?"
"I agree," Marceline nodded, "I will have everyone aid us as well," she added. Between her, Michaël, Pierre, Larissa, and Félicité , they should have more than enough hands to focus their studies.
"With that settled... Romulus, would you care to try again?"