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"Light will just send the rats scurrying for shadows, but perhaps a little wind would dispel that fog and catch them off guard."
Martella turns toward Pavo with a big smile, "Wonderful news, you have done well."
"Speaking of that," Martella pulls another sealed letter from her things, "deliver this to Lady Glorianna Morilla." When he points to the cricket, she gives him a smile almost as big as one she gave to Pavo, [b]"They create a soft buzz that makes it more difficult to eavesdrop on conversations. Mechanical tinkering is a joy of mine, but you wouldn't believe how frustratingly difficult the things are to create!"
"Oh!" Startled, Ayalina takes his arm and moves with her. Flustered, she blurts out, "I was just there, but I didn't get a good look - I thought you were both speaking with someone else!" She's got something of an embarrassed look on her face, but otherwise moves with him smoothly.
Once clear of the Triumph, she exhales and shakes her head. "Good grief, I must look silly. Thank you so much, Tiber - I would've hated to lose my opportunity to do good here." If there had been a courier or a messenger... Well. Ayalina was loathe to admit it, but she wasn't the most perceptive of people. Perhaps the summons went right over her head? It was supposed to be telepathic, though...
Focus, Ayalina, she thought to herself. Though she didn't let her frustration show, she definitely felt aggravated. I must have been too distracted by the advisors to catch it.
Upon arrival at the group, she says, "I'm apologize for the delay. I have been... struggling some with the more militant factor. I thought I'd caught something interesting, but I think I would need to spend some more time in there to bring you anything meaningful."
Thalasou reacts to the summons as surreptitiously as possible. Once in the gallery he replies to Martella's questions.
"I believe I'm making headway with the duke. I'm pretty sure he's on the right side of this issue but I think I need just a bit more time with him." He shrugs and looks to the others. "Or one of you could maybe try to figure him out."
He let's out a puff of air. "Now the countess. That's a different issue. I feel like I haven't made any progress at all with her. I need to spend more time with her."
"Well I am anyway looking for enemies, so I can continue to charm the duke, or annoy the countess. Maybe the countess, there's more work and annoying people is fun", Delena offers her help.
When Ayalina comes in and explains her struggles, Delena gives a slight chuckle. "My dear songbird, military people see enemies everywhere and think they are always right. Just play with that", she says and takes a sip of coffee. "Of course that goes with all nobles, but it is even stronger with military".
"Certainly, I've a delivery for someone else in the Gallery and will then be off with your next message!" Tiber says as he stows this one in a different pocket of his bag. "Once I am done delivering messages, I am more than happy to size up some of these nobles for us. The only catch is that I don't exactly know when that will be..." he admits.
"They're all just people, stuck up, overconfident, or otherwise," he adds, although whether or not he was reiterating that fact for himself or Ayalina is unclear.
Martella turns toward Pavo with a big smile, "Wonderful news, you have done well."
"Speaking of that," Martella pulls another sealed letter from her things, "deliver this to Lady Glorianna Morilla." When he points to the cricket, she gives him a smile almost as big as one she gave to Pavo, [b]"They create a soft buzz that makes it more difficult to eavesdrop on conversations. Mechanical tinkering is a joy of mine, but you wouldn't believe how frustratingly difficult the things are to create!"
"I didn’t ask you here just to look over your shoulders. There’s a young woman here: Malphene Trant, the daughter of Senator Trant. She’s a belligerent ass, and a bully as well. If she’s here, it’s likely to intimidate one of more of the junior senators into backing her father. If one or more of you could keep an eye on her and--quietly intercede should she try, I would be quite grateful.
"She has auburn hair, and normally keeps it in a bun so that it doesn't get in her way during a fight. Unfortunately, I haven't seen her yet tonight, and don't know what she might be wearing."
"Why don't I keep an eye out for Malphene?" Pavo says. "I think I can imagine what she looks like a few years older than the last time I saw her. I gather that we should find her sooner rather than later so as to catch her before she can cow her target?"
He glances at the brass cricket on the railing again. "That clockwork might come in handy during the gala. It really is an inspired piece of art and engineering. Do you suppose we might borrow it so that we might more easily conspire within the Senate? Send us a message, and we'll bring it right back--except, maybe Ayalina," he asks, adding a friendly little jab at his compatriot at the end.
Nodding at the Lady Delena's advice, she reconsiders the stance she'd taken on the group in the Arcade. Perhaps if she was dressed less frivolously? Were they type to become uncomfortable when there wasn't any actual rules for conduct? She'd certainly heard some stories about soldiers who became overly vigilant and then grew uncomfortable around civilians...
It was something to consider.
Of course, she could also likely turn their attention to someone else by appearing suspicious of another, especially if they continued to, ah... pay attention to her.
I'm usually trying to get people's attention, she thinks bemusedly. So this is certainly a change.
At the mention of Malphene Trant, she nods along, a bit startled by the mention of the woman fighting. "Um, is there, er... Risk of combat with her?" she asks, a bit bewildered by this description. She shakes her head and mutters. "I'm sure it'll be fine, no, please don't mind me."
"Oh, you! I'm sure a physical reminder would do me good!" Ayalina smiles brightly at Pavo, but then her expression turns apologetic. "Did you have better luck than me? I'm sorry I didn't meet you; I ended up on the wrong side of the courtyard when they were clearing things up after the incident with the bees."
Returning again to the present conversation, she adds, "I don't know that I would've ever noticed these were clockwork - they're beautiful! I can't imagine how intricate the inner workings must be!"
"Yes," he replies to her apologetic question. "It wasn't as much fun doing it by myself, though."
"Pavo, that sounds good. I mean you going after Malphene. I still want to work on the countess a bit." He turns a smile to Delena. "You can join me with the countess or go back to the duke. I'm easy."
Delena nods to Thalasou. "Let's go tease the countess together. What is your bet how many times we can trick her changing her opinion?"
"And Pavo", she says with a pretentiously motherly voice, "you are supposed to observe and discreetly thwart her. I will not be at all happy if you come back and ask 'Mom, she followed me home, can I keep her?'"
Martella's shoulders shrug a little as she answers Ayalina, "Were you trained to control a dangerous situation or to let your adversary choose the battlefield?"
As the conversation wraps up, she fingers the brass cricket from the railing. "You wouldn't believe the time, skill and money put into just one of these. And I wouldn't tell you anyhow." Martella hands the cricket to Pavo, "But you will return it in perfect condition. Simply wind the key for a few seconds, and it will chirrup for a couple minutes."
"Thank you," Pavo says, holding his palm out to gently receive the clockwork cricket. "I shall."
He looks over to the others. "If you have need of this, simply let me know, and I will deliver it," he tells them.
Thalasou laughs at Delena's comment. "I bet at least a dozen times."
"Fair enough," Ayalina murmurs, eyes widening as the implications sink in. There's... a lot to be done with that and many ways it can be interpreted... And, well. She'd give it another try, but if all fails, there were certainly other avenues of obtaining what she wanted.
Delena says a few words of magic and runs her fingers along the cricket in Pavo's hand. "Very complicated, yes", she smiles at Martella, "You have quite advanced magic for social occasions, many wouldn't bother with such an investment."
While I'm here... Still in the Gallery, Tiber works his way to Junior Senator Duo to deliver Count Orlundo Zespire's message.
"Junior Senator Duo? I have a message for you from Count Zespire," he declares as he pulls the letter out and hands it over.
________
Pavo makes polite parting of Martella as he heads back into the senate building. He smiles as he catches sight of Kalbio catching site of him. "I hope the others have been giving you a warm--or at least not unfriendly--welcome," he says as the weaver approaches.
"I'm looking for an old acquaintance of mine," he explains to the noble-to-be. "You'll get a close look at noble politicking if I can find her, I suspect."
The rake circulates through the Senate building, keeping an eye out for a face he thinks he vaguely remembers under an auburn bun.
Delena goes back to the gallery, looking for countess Pace. "Let's see if we can strengthen her opinion pendulum" she mutters while navigating through the crowds.
After finding her, Delena stays a bit back, listening and waiting for the right moment. When the discussion turns to question the princess, she joins in: "If we allow her to change this tradition, we are just encouraging her to move further, and with more power. Where will she stop? We have seen in some of our neighbors where undermining the traditional powers of nobility leads to, violence and chaos. It is not the traditions that has weakened us, we weakened because we slipped from them. This may be the beginning of the end of Taldor!"
Delena withdraws a bit and lets other people lead the discussion, but rejoins when opposing party is questioned: "They don't like that she is a woman. In the old days, women were not even allowed in this building. They want to return us to just birthing babies and practicing needlework, safely locked inside castle walls. We would be practically prisoners!"
Action: Influence Countess Abrielle Pace
Their meeting adjourned for the moment, Ayalina casts prestidigitation on skirts, adjusting the colors of her skirt layers and gives the Arcade of Triumphs one more try.
Thalasou moves back to the gallery in hopes of catching the countess and gaining some influence with her. He spots her quickly and approaches before Delena can arrive. When it appears no one else is talking to her he starts. "Hello again, countess. Have you by chance noticed that tall, thin woman with dark black hair and pale skin? Her name is Delena. I've had dealings with her a few times and honestly, I just can't stand her. I'm guessing that to someone with your senses, she is absolutely creepy."
About then, Delena herself walks into the room and stays in the back. "Speak of the devil, no?" he whispers to the countess. Thalasou stands and walks over to her, greeting her warmly. "Delena, it is so nice to see you again. You are as lovely as always." He takes her hand and brings her to sit over by the countess with him.
"I have not. She mustn't be important," Countess Pace tells Thalasou, "Nor you, if that is all you have to offer." However, the comment does prove useful later, raising her guard against Delena.
The Countess chimes in agreement as several of her companions nod at Delena, "Indeed. Tradition itself is the foundation of noble power. All change is just envious liberal rabble rousers trying to steal power they don't deserve."
But when the wizardess returns later in support of Eutropia, Countess Pace catches herself and gives Delena a frightened look before walking away.
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Social Round 6
Locations A2. Courtyard
NPCs Princess Eutropia Stavian I, Lady Gloriana Morilla
Effects A5 #1
Ayalina - Mission (failure)
Delena - Influence Pace (success)
Pavo - Find Trant (success)
Thalasou - Influene Pace (success)
Tiber - Mission (success)
The Junior Senator proves a little hard to reach, surrounded by a murder of black-haired beauties smitten with the young man, but Tiber still manages to deliver his message without rudely shoving the girls. As expected, after checking every corner of the senate building except the prohibited courtyard, Pavo returns to the gallery and finds Dame Trant there.
Over in the Arcade, Ayalina rushes yet another failed disguise, preventing her from getting close enough to the High Strategos.
Like clockwork! Having delivered his message, Tiber takes the opportunity to peak into the Courtyard. Doesn't look like I'll be getting to Lady Morilla any time soon...
Wandering back into the Arcade of Triumphs, he turns his attention on High Strategos Maxillar . Listening to what nobles say to him and how he responds, Tiber tries to figure out what it takes to earn the High Strategos' favor.
________
Pavo thinks that he notices Dame Trant depart the gallery and head for the Arcade of Triumphs, so the roguish noble follows. He makes a show of hobnobbing with the assorted nobles and senators admiring the museum of Taldane conquests while trying to keep an eye on the auburn haired trouble maker (though pot of kettle).
Spying Pavo enter the Arcade, Tiber recalls their secondary objective of tailing Malphene Trant and turns some of his attention to locating her. With all my couriering, I didn't think I'd have the chance for this!
________
Delena follows with her gaze, as the countess gets away. "Shocked about Eutropia? I might have found a target", she mutters with mean delight. She pets the viper awake around her neck, and whispers to Thalasou: "I'll watch a bit more to be sure, but it looks like some evidence about her questionable actions will appear quite unexpectedly. Delena follows the countess a bit behind, not taking part in conversations but carefully listening if she confirms the guess.
"Let's hear it then, countess. Disriana, listen and help me", Delena whispers the viper.
Action: Mission (Discovery), Divining each noble’s motivations.
Slowly rotating around the large room, Ayalina takes some time to breathe and re-examine her approach. Martella and Delena had both suggested she take control of the situation rather than sit idly by, but she wasn't actually sure of how to do that. Was she overthinking it?
It was certainly confusing for her - this was far from being her forte... But she had to do her best! A promise was a promise and she'd taken on the job.
Twisting her hair up and off of her neck to help her cool off, Ayalina pins her hair in place with an inexpensive jeweled hairpin as she examined yet another exhibit near the High Strategos' group.
Action: (free) Keeping an Eye on Trant
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Social Round 7
Effects A5 #1
Ayalina - Mission Spy (success)
Delena - Mission Discovery (complete)
Pavo - Influence A1 (+4)
Thalasou - pass
Tiber - Discovery Pythareus (failure)
Unfortunately for Tiber, High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus knows how to avoid enemy spies quite well, and gives away little to the ranger. However, he does manage to keep an eye on Dame Trant. Fortunately for Pavo, he looks that much more noble in comparison to his companion's fumbling. Several guests invite him to join their conversation, as one points to a glass case containing an elaborate crossbow. "Dignity's Barb, of the Seventh Army of Exploration, used to be displayed here. Unfortunately, it has been missing for centuries now." Ayalina also manages to capitalize on Tiber's bumbling, using it as a distraction to get closer to Pythareus and catch a snippet of his conversation.
Up in the gallery, Delena clearly catches Countess Pace abandoning her support of Princess Eutropia.
"Dignitiy's Barb? Truly?" Pavo says, feigning interest. "What hero of Taldor bore that weapon of reknown?"
Having lost sight of Trant, he takes a moment to pass by Tiber and ensure that someone still has her under observation. With a questioning bob of his head and receiving a suitable response, he circulates back into the crowd.
"One thing you should know, Kalbio," he says quietly, "Is that you either need to be interested in a wide variety of topics or be able to pretend to be interested as each noble thinks that their hobby is the most interesting. Obviously, singing and dancing is the most interesting, though." He finishes with an exaggerated wink and friendly chuckle.
"Oh, let's go see what those fellows are discussing so earnestly," the young noble says before diving back into the hobbing of nobs.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tiber notices a sudden rush of movement back into the Courtyard.
Finally!
Following the flow of people outside, he does his best to respectfully push his way to Lady Gloriana Morilla. "Lady Gloriana Morilla," he says with his usual bow, "I letter for you." This is a nice way to get some low-key exposure!
________
Hearing another piece of potentially useful information, Ayalina decides not to push her luck. She glances around the room to help keep an eye on Dame Trant before turning her attention to the majority of the people in her room, trying her hand at making some good observations.
"Notice the faded scratches on this vambrace? It really lends to its authenticity. If I remember correctly, it was used in the Battle of..."
Delena watches the countess and looks more pleased with every word she says against Eutropia. Finally, Delena decides to move on with her mission, saying to herself: "Oh, this will be fun".
She moves from discussion to discussion around the senate, joining the conversation when they seem to have suitable topics. A noble mentioning the countess prompts from Delena: "Pace? Yes, I know her, she was a friend of the new local baron. Soon after she first came old baron was stripped of his title, and the countess' friend got it. Even if the old man had done something, isn't the tradition that he is forced to step down and give it to his son?"
Another one mentions money and corruption, and again Delena crafts a rumor: "It happens, we had this countess whose trusted jewelry supplier was in court. He walked free, and both the judge and the countess had pretty new necklaces next week".
Delena almost dances in delight when moving around, and when she hears people spreading her rumors further she smiles in joy. While moving around the rooms, she ends up in the Arcade of Triumphs, and finds Pavo there. She gives to him her sweetest smile, strokes his hand gently and asks: Darling, I have to write an important letter, could I loan those excellent papers and inks you bought?"
Action: Mission (fraud) spreading rumors
"Have you been to the Basilica of the Last Man? It looked so beautiful, I want to visit, and bring my mam and papa too." Kalbio asks when Pavo looks at him expectantly, "Maybe we could throw a party for them and you could sing? Mam loves to dance, but papa is always trying to look busy instead. And maybe I could weave something for your home as a thank you? I'm pretty good, you know."
Each time Tiber draws near enough to make eye contact with Lady Morilla, she smiles and slips through the crowd with a grace that fish in the sea would admire and dancers at court would kill for. Eventually, she lets herself be caught, saying, "An athlete like yourself belongs in the coliseum, not these stuffy halls." After reading the letter, she says, "Please return in a minute."
When Tiber returns, she hands him two letters. "The first is my reply to Martella, the second for Duke Centimus. I believe he can be found in the archives."
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Social Round N/A
Effects A5 #1
Ayalina - Influence A1 (failure)
Delena - Mission Fraud (success)
Pavo - Influence A1 (complete)
Thalasou - pass
Tiber - Mission Aide (success)
The speaker gladly answers Pavo's question, "General Gerefein, of course. In his most famous act, he turned the tide of a vicious battle with a Kellid warlord. Through a chaotic blizzard, the General shot pratically blind, yet his bolt struck a lethal blow, dashing the warlord from his mammoth mount and breaking the enemy's charge." The conversation even catches the ear of Copernia Vau, curator of antiquities. She invites Pavo and his companions to the restoration room for a quick tour. Her detailed description of cleaning and preservation bores most of the listeners, especially when she offers them cleaning supplies to practice the skills she just taught them.
Delena finds her audiences positively greedy for scandalous rumors, almost as if they don't even care whether such things are true. She quickly starts hearing guests she hasn't met saying, "I heard that Countess Pace . . ." and "Somebody said that Abrielle . . ."
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Everybody suddenly receives a telepathic communication from Martella, "Trant trapped junior Senator Dou in the Beldam II Waiting Room. Dou is an ally. Help him."
Ayalina and Delena arrive first, but wait for the rest of you. Several voices can be heard through the door, with one rising louder and angrier than the rest.
Tiber turns a slight shade of pink at the compliment. "Perhaps one day I shall have the chance!" he says back to Lady Morilla. "I shall at once!" he promises, stowing the letters safely in his bag.
Part way to the Archives, Tiber stops mid-stride as he gets the telepathic communication, causing a brief disruption of traffic in the hallway. Not a moment to waste then! As quickly as he can, he makes his way to the room and sees Ayalina and Delena. "What's going on?"
________
As they leave the tour, Pavo nods at Kalbio and says, "It has been a while, but it is a beautiful structure. I'm certain that your parents would be amazed. I would be happy to sing for you." Pavo smiles roguishly and then laughs genuinely. "But you've never heard me sing! I could be terrible!"
He smiles more gently at the endearingly naive up-and-comer. "My family would be honored to have one of your tapestries in their home. But you know, I have a recent acquaintance who I think--she definitely can sing--I think you might... Hmm, wait. Kalbio? Do you have a wife? I fear that I don't recall."
He chats with the weaver as he starts to direct his wandering toward the High Strategos. Suddenly, he stops. "Oh, I do apologize, Kalbio," he says, "But something has just occurred that demands my immediate attention."
Whether Kalbio trails him or not, Pavo makes a direct and rushed march toward the waiting room. Finding the door closed and shouting inside, he says, "Open it! What are you waiting for? Trant to invite us in?"
Thalasou moves throughout the crowd and starts to head outside when he gets the notification from Martella. He abruptly turns and heads to the waiting room. Everyone else is there when he arrives.
Grimacing at the situation, Ayalina leaves off the conversation - it had taken a turn for the worse anyways - and follows Dame Trant, her friends, and her quarry. Smiling a bit nervously at Delena, she reminds herself to be brave. "Let's--"
And the others are there. At Pavo's request, she moves towards the door.
--
Delena shrugs at Pavo's question. "Just waiting for more muscle", she comments, giving a meaningful look at hers and Ayalina's dresses.
With all the party around her, Delena shouts at the door: "Trant, any kind of violence in the senate is forbidden, I'll get you hanged for treason for this!" She nods at Pavo, and gestures at the door.
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Pavo opens the door on a scene from grade school. Broad-shouldered Trant towers over the junior senator, yelling from well within his personal space. Three of her friends take turns pushing Dou back and forth, like cats trying to share a toy, and ripping it apart instead.
Dame Malphene Trant whirls around as the door opens, "I did not ask for more wine. Begone, servants!"
"Servant? Perceptive as well as kind, I see, for what nobles are if not servants to the crown, Delena answers, her voice leaving little doubt of her true meaning. She points at Dou with her umbrella. "And your methods of persuasion are so tactful, I am certain your father would be impressed? Shall we go meet him, or maybe even the princess? She would be overjoyed of the honest methods applied in the election. The viper around Delena's neck hisses to strengthen her words.
Thalasou takes in the scene with a frown. Delena has taken the lead and he's fine with that. He reaches back and slowly, quietly, closes the door. The last thing they need is more of Trant's supporters joining them and escalating this situation.
He surreptitiously checks the door to see if there is a lock on it so that he can lock it closed.