A trip to the drinks table takes an unexpected turn
The seven Duchies of Central Rynmere and their respective baronies, cities, towns, villages, and landmarks each overseen by a Duke of one of the seven noble families and ultimately controlled by the King of Rynmere.
Nathaniel enjoyed having that effect on Velaine. She had not let him see her blush before, and knowing that he could elicit those feelings of vulnerability and surprise gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. He lifted his glass up to his lips, sipping thoughtfully on the Venoran red as she mentioned her swooning directly into his arms. It was certainly a pleasant thought and if he allowed his mind to continue to wander, it would have gone into the gutter. Naturally, Valeria seemed to have other plans and attacked him for his previous statement. The swallow of wine he was in the middle of began to go down the wrong pipe. He found himself choking and coughing on the liquid. It flustered him a little to know that he had insulted another noble in such a way. Granted, Valeria totally deserved it for the predicament that she had put him in.
"Of course not my Lady. That is certainly not how I meant it. Despite that heartfelt statement, I can see how my words may have been misinterpreted. I would be the first to defend your honor in that predicament as I did not smell a scent of alcohol on your breath." Ultimately, Nathaniel felt that he defended himself pretty well. He knew that he was dense and often missed social queues most socialites might pick up on. This was just a verbal slip. Nathaniel believed that he was in the clear as long as he stuck to the truth. "I swear to you on my honor that I would not taint your good name with lies. I like to think I am a man of my word."
He almost wanted her to challenge his integrity. Part of him wondered what Velaine might do if Valeria did challenge his word. Nathaniel was beginning to think that it might be best to leave this situation before it got out of control. Would it be improper to leave Valeria here to find her own way? Did he really care?
No, he did not. That was all that mattered. Lord Endor turned to Velaine at that moment, dead set on his next statement. "I do believe I have bothered Lady Burhan enough. Would you care to dance with me m'lady. That is," He turned to Valeria. "I hope you do not mind us dismissing ourselves."
Last edited by Nathaniel Endor on Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:12 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 394
The young woman nodded politely in recognition of what the other lady had to say. She'd heard that she'd gone to Ne'haer but she hadn't heard about her return. Of course, it made sense that she'd come back when Xander had married Celeste. The young Burhan hadn't missed word of that little social event although she'd regrettably had to miss it. Perhaps if she'd been there, she would have known about Velaine's return. She smiled, a clear interest lighting her eyes at mention of the betrothal. The smile broadened, a genuine expression and her eyes warmed to a honey brown to match.
"Congratulations on your engagement. I must say that you look quite well together," she murmured, her gaze newly appraising as she regarded Nathaniel. However, her irises cooled to a sad grey-blue when Velaine asked about a sweetheart. It was a painful reminder of what had gotten her into this situation. Hadn't she come here with particular plans in mind? Hadn't she effectively placed herself in a vice for the sake of fulfilling her designs? Velaine was younger and had only returned from Ne'haer and yet she had managed to acquire a handsome man for herself. It was quite possible that it was an arranged marriage but Lady Krome didn't appear to be unhappy. In fact, if the tender kiss to her head and the blush it elicited was anything to go by, they seemed to be doing quite well indeed.
Valeria had never had any allusions of marrying for love, except perhaps when she'd been quite young. She'd long ago resigned herself to the fact that a marriage would likely be nothing more than a political arrangement without any real feeling between herself and the man she married. Of course, since she'd moved to Andaris, she'd learned more about relationships, albeit temporary ones and she couldn't deny that it hurt that noblemen failed to show interest in her. Her parents hadn't been inundated with offers for her hand or potential discussions of valuable political arrangements. She was 22 and she felt like some sort of pariah. It felt like nobody wanted her and she wondered if her air of desperation was showing.
She forced herself to laugh it off. "I don't know what you mean, but I don't have sweetheart, Velaine, no," she explained, patting her hair absentmindedly. Velaine seemed more inclined to tease her betrothed than rebuking him for his words. In fact, she seemed surprised by the offence that Valeria had taken so she realised that she must have just read too much into it. She sighed, briefly pinching the bridge of her nose. She wasn't capable of dealing with this sort of thing right now. In fact, the noblewoman was making such a hash of this, she was certain that her parents, especially her mother, would be very disappointed in her. Seeing the Krome girl doing so well while she was in pain and getting nowhere fast, the Burhan felt like sobbing.
"No, I should be the one apologising, Lord Endor. I'm sorry to say that I'm unwell and thus, it has made me rather snippy. I shouldn't have been short with you or read so much into your words, especially as you've been so kind to me," she explained politely, bowing her head to the young man and making a careful, shallow curtsey that set her ribs screaming and her vision blurring a little. The blonde forced a bright smile. "By all means, don't allow me to keep you any longer. I'm sure you have more enjoyable socialising to partake in. I wanted to talk to Lord Gawyne and Lady Venora in any case," she explained, gesturing towards where she could see Caius and Darcyanna. It wasn't a lie; she did want to talk to her friend and the young pianist. If she was going to take another fainting spell, she'd rather that she had Caius to help her out rather than veritable strangers.
“Thank you, V,” the young woman replied with a sincere smile. They had been getting similar praises throughout the night, enough to make her wonder how they looked like as a pair. Of course, they could simply be saying rubbish, forced by the etiquettes of nobility.
While Velaine did not know Valeria nearly well enough to know what the shift of colors in her eyes mean exactly, it was not difficult to deduce that her honey-gold excitement was replaced by something entirely different when it turned into blue. The Krome was part Biqaj, after all, and had a general idea how their eyes worked. She seemed to have touched a nerve. Which was surprising considering that Valeria seemed like someone who wouldn’t be eager to be tied down so soon.
Velaine’s first thought was to assure her that there was no reason to find a man so soon – she was still young, anyway. The freedom, it was something for her to enjoy. A young woman like Valeria will be betrothed soon enough anyway and that would be the end of many things. Although admittedly, Velaine’s own betrothal had proved to be a hundred times better than what she expected. In the end, the Krome decided to phrase her reassurance in a differently. “That’s too bad. Though I am sure someone in this gala will be finally worth your attention.”
“I do believe I have bothered Lady Burhan enough. Would you care to dance with me m'lady.”
Nathaniel’s tone was firm and it was enough cue for the Krome. It wasn’t a bad idea, since it seemed like the Burhan and the Endor wouldn’t get a long at all. “Of course, I have no intention in letting our dance lesson go to waste.” She gave her betrothed a knowing look, recalling how said lesson had ended.
The young Krome turned back to her old acquaintance with a rueful smile. Their conversations back when they were children seemed so far away. “I suppose we’ll have to catch up some time later. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night.”
"Thank you, Lady Burhan. We shall be sure to invite you to the wedding when the time comes." The sentence burned on his tongue. In the short interaction they had had, he did not think he would want Valeria anywhere near his nuptials when the time came. Would she be one of those women that attempted to make themselves look better than the bride just to spite her? She and Velaine seemed to get along well, so he hoped that would not be an issue. The polite response had been a political and one he deemed was appropriate for the situation. Nothing more.
He immediately felt bad for those acidic thoughts the moment that she started apologizing. Now he would definitely have to make sure to invite her to the wedding as his own personal, and unspoken, apology. As she curtsied, he couldn't help but notice how shallow it was. It did not seem intentional. Instead, he thought it looked like it hurt. Reaching a hand behind his neck to scratch nervously, he followed her gesture. It seemed she was interested in speaking with Caius and Darcyanna. A fine couple to take her mind off the blundering bear she had just encountered. He offered a deep bow. "It has been a pleasure Lady Burhan. Perhaps we can forget about all the mishaps of the conversations before and start anew next time we meet. We will not keep you from visiting with Lady Venora and Lord Gawyne any long. Have a good night."
It was formal and short, unintentionally so. Nathaniel simply did not have a way with words like other men that floated around the ballroom this evening. He offered Velaine his arm. "Shall we dance? Let us hope it does not turn out like our last one."
It seemed that some rumors didn't die so easily, apologies given or not. Particularly among the women in the circles of nobility, the rumor of Lord Endor's infidelity within his engagement have begun spreading and growing with a life of their own. These rumors have gone from Lord Endor and Lady Burhan being lovers, to Lady Burhan being the first in a string of women that Lord Endor is hiding from Lady Krome. Sympathy seems to be on the side of Lady Krome, anger toward Lord Endor, and pity toward Lady Burhan. I mean, did you see Lady Burhan's dress? Clearly she was trying to take the man back, especially with throwing herself on him. This, coupled with his demeaning comment of Lady Burhan's inebriation showed that the split had not been amicable. It would be a shame for such a pallor to be cast over what could've been a lovely wedding.
^The above is an optional plot point for any of you three to use if you so desire.
Valeria Burhan
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Well done Valeria! I particularly enjoyed how you described the nature (and damage) of the corset, and all the effects of it. Quite the fun thread.
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Hoo boy, open mouth, insert foot. Even a perfect gentleman comes with flaws. Quite amusing to me as the reader though. Well done.
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+1 Catching Valeria, +3 having engagement notice released public, -1 rumors of infidelity, -2 insinuating a Lady to be drunk, +1 giving a proper apology
Injuries
N/A
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Knowledges
Skill Knowledge:
Strength: Catching a Woman on the Fly
Etiquette: Asking for a Seat for the Lady
Etiquette: The Varying Fashion Choices of Each House
Etiquette: Never Imply a Woman is Inebriated
Etiquette: Excusing Oneself From a Conversation
Politics: Actions Often End in Misinterpreted Rumors
Politics: A Man Always Loses When Around Women
Politics: Marriage Information Travels Quickly
Politics: Appropriate Word Choice is Important
Politics: Honor Swearing Can Solves Problems
Non-Skill Knowledge:
House Burhan: Valeria Burhan
Valeria Burhan: Always Dressed to Impress
Valeria Burhan: May Be Killing Herself to Look Good
Valeria Burhan: Knows Velaine Krome
Valeria Burhan: Not the Best Introduction
Valeria Burhan: Alcoholic?
Velaine Krome: Capable of Finding Me
Velaine Krome
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Someone needs to get their betrothed in line before more issues arise. Particularly a certain lady with a preference toward military decorum. Quite a fun read, well done.
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