"ooh." Jimmy says thinking "A couple. Not more than half a dozen though. Why?" Jimmy asks sitting down next to her
"I thought as a merchant family maybe you'd have some training on that?" Gwenhwyfar replies.
"My dad ran most of the negotiations. I was only allowed to watch once I was old enough to look like I belonged in the meeting or when whoever he was dealing with had a child my age at the time. I learn't from watching him, mostly. He used to talk about verses in some or other religious text but I was either to young to care, or more interested in other things as I grew older."
Gwenhwyfar thinks about the repercussions of all that. But with subtlety she doesn't seem to make progress here. And the house is nice, but not like the house of someone who cheated others out of theirs. She sighs and gets up to get the book out of the desk.Holding it up she asks "Are your parents followers of Asmodeus?"
Jimmy thinks for a moment before answering "I wouldn't say so. They don't make prayers to him or the like. But the book does have a lot of very useful guidelines for business negotiations." He pauses, thinking of some of the things his father said, "There are versus about how to avoid being caught in unfair deals, and instructions to stick to the contract even if you feel wronged by it. It stresses the importance of written contract. Basically there are a lot of useful lessons for anyone who wishes to protect themselves while conducting business, and it gives insight in to how a lot of people will try to take advantage of the deal."
"All right. If you say so I'll take your word for it. For now. But I'll keep a wary eye on them!" Gwenhwyfar replies. She puts the book back into the desk.
"That is only fair. If you like we could go speak to them about it?"
Gwenwhyfar replies a bit louder than intended. "But we should go back, yes."
"Wha..." Jimmy jumps a bit at Gwen's outburst. "Are you sure? It is late..."
"Back to your parents in the other room I mean." Gwenwhyfar replies.
"Let us go then." Jimmy says standing and offering her his hand to help her up off the bed
Gwenhwyfar takes the hand and follows Jimmy to the other room.
"Well it seem's I am not as good at sneaking off to bed as I thought." Jimmy says with a chuckle
"I got hungry. Can I use the kitchen? I could prepare something to eat for all of us?" Gwenhwyfar asks.
"I am sorry dear. We have already eaten but you are welcome to help yourself. Let me show you around." Elizabeth says quickly standing and showing Gwen to the kitchen.
Jimmy sits and starts talking to his father about the auction in detail as his father pries for information on Magnimar
Gwenhwyfar checks what ingredients are there and conjures something simple.
With the interesting spices she finds there she makes something really delicious.
"I am curious, how old are you?" Elizabeth asks as she watches Gwen cook, it really is something to watch someone who has never stepped foot in her kitchen cook like she is.
"I'm sixteen." Gwenhwyfar replies.
"That sounds about right." Elizabeth says. She is obviously not used to feeling out of sorts, so it is obvious she is. "You seem to be quite... attached to Jimmy."
"Well, it is easy to like him. And he really cares for me. He even saved my life once." Gwenhwyfar tells.
"It really is obvious Jimmy likes you. But something says there is more to that story?" Elizabeth says smiling.
"I fell off a ship." Gwenhwyfar starts. "And he jumped after me without thinking. And in the end we both made it out of the water without getting eaten by that huge shark."
"He never did do too well with water." Elizabeth says with a laugh, "But it is just like him to try save someone without thinking about himself. You two have experienced quite a bit together, and it is obvious you two are together... Has he proposed?"
"He gave me a promise. But I don't think that counts as proposal." Gwenhwyfar tells looking at her bracelet.
"Well then the question is why haven't you?"
"I wanted a chance to get to know his parents first." Gwenhwyfar replies.
Elizabeth can't help but laugh at that, it is a hearty but warm laugh. "You really are such a sweet girl." she says once she stops laughing. "I need to tell Jimmy to get his act together and marry you!"
Taking all her courage together Gwenhwyfar takes a deep breath and mumbles under her hair "You have not passed the test yet."
She tenses as she waits for the response Nothing bad will happen it's just one word. she thinks ready to speak the word to Dimdoor far away.
"Well you only met us today! You haven't known us long enough to form a proper opinion of us." Elizabeth days smiling at Gwen curiously. "I have always drawn my opinions of people quickly, and I trust Jimmys judge of character... but enough of that. What is this promise he made you?"
"What is written on the bracelet. 'My Loyalty is Yours'" Gwenhwyfar answers.
"Well if that's not a proposal I don't know what you are waiting for." Elizabeth says with a serious hint to her features, but still a smile
"Are you in a hurry to get your son married?" Gwenhwyfar asks perplexed.
"More curious. If someone promising you their eternal loyalty isn't what a proposal, and marriage, are about I am afraid I may have missed something." She says laughing
"I don't know how you do marriage here. But where I come from both partners give each other a promise in front of a cleric. And a proposal is normally a question and not simply doing your half of the promise alone." Gwenhwyfar answers that. Thinking over it a little more she adds "This promise makes me his queen and him my loyal knight. That's not even close to marriage."
Elizabeth smiles a small smile and asks "Shall we go back to them?" nodding towards the door back to the other room
"Yes. Just a moment." Gwenhwyfar puts the food on two plates and carries them after Elizabeth back into the room with the others. She hands Jimmy a plate and tells him "Your mum says you should marry me."
Jimmy takes the plate smiling at Gwen and then nearly drops it when Gwen says that. "Wha.. bu... Huuh?" he mumbles at a complete loss for words turning back and forth between his mother and Gwen
"Actually, I said he has already proposed. There is nothing wrong with a long engagement." Elizabeth says sitting down next to Jakob taking his hand
"We disagree on that. This was no proposal, right?" Gwenhwyfar asks Jimmy, holding up her arm with the bracelet.
"Waa..." Jimmy mumbles still confused and in shock looking back and forth between the two ladies
Gwenhwyfar looks sternly at Jimmy waiting for him to answer in full sentences again.
Jakob stand and moves over to a low table in the corner, the clinking of glass can be heard over Jimmy's stuttering.
He makes his way back shortly with a glass filled with a golden liquid and a pat on the shoulder for his son.
Jimmy downs the drink and looks at his mother, one last time, and then back at Gwen.
"Well it depends on how you define proposal..." Jimmy says being intentionally unspecific
"Shall I spell it out for you?" Gwenhwyfar asks.
"You don't need to... It was what it was... I suppose it could be called a proposal." Jimmy says, watching how she reacts
"It was not." Gwenhwyfar replies and turns away mumbling "Mummy's boy."
"Gwen... Can we talk about this outside?" Jimmy says giving his mother a rather dirty look across the room
Elizabeth shrugs and smiles at Jimmy with that "I know I made your life difficult but I am your mother so you can't do anything about it" look
Jakob gives Jimmy a knowing look with an apologetic note
Gwenhwyfar gets up and walks out not deigning to look at anybody. She stops on the road watching over the houses there.