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Post by Retrograde on Jan 9, 2018 21:08:05 GMT
Giaume smiled down at Anaese. He always found it amusing when people were flustered, if only because he didn't see himself as someone worth all that deference. He wasn't the King, or anything. He watched Emre go, and then took a sip of his mead, looking back at Anaese. She was a beautiful woman, to be sure, enough to captivate anyone. He had heard a bit about her, enough to make him fascinated.
"I'm certain he must make you very proud," he said with a grin. "Must be hard, though, not having him around all of a sudden. You run Brightsail Ships, don't you?"
The mead was a braggot, meaning some grain was within it, and it had been bittered with hops, giving it a unique flavour. Produced by the Brewers' Guild, it was being given out for a relatively cheap price. Giaume had always been more fond of wine, but it seemed patriotic to have mead this time. Besides, he was courting a Tlem woman right now and it seemed only fair to allow her to drink on her home court.
"You know, Marielle had come to breakfast with me and my brother" he said. "She spoke a lot about you. It seems she's become quite taken with you. Lots of talk about how smart you are and how much you've done on your own."
He grinned.
"After hearing all that talk, I had to come and meet you."
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Post by Asinity on Jan 10, 2018 5:24:58 GMT
"I do, yes," Anaese replied, and raised the glass with both hands to take a sip from the mead. It was a strong brew, but one that was seasonal around this time of year, and one specifically catered to the day's events. The first sip caught her off guard, and she made a bit of a face at the bitterness, but after a couple more tastes, the intensity started to subside.
Before she could continue, the prince mentioned Marielle, and how the woman had apparently spoken well of Anaese. Well enough to earn Giaume Merov's interest. Now that was surprising, considering how sought after the man was throughout the whole of Routaille. Nearly every noblewoman who wasn't betrothed (and some who were) had been known to seek the attention of the king's younger brother, but few had succeeded in longer than a week's time. Even a few days, at that. The thought made Anaese's cheeks flush more than she wanted, but she tried to at least hide the fact that she'd felt them getting warm. She laughed to help disguise her countenance.
"She is just saying that," the dark-skinned woman tried to deflect. "But that's very nice of her."
The woman paused for a moment, and took another sip of the mead. So what if she was just saying that, hollowhead! Giaume Merov is talking to you!
Anaese swallowed the sip, and smiled up the man.
"I think she has said one or two things about you," she admitted. "But I never thought I would actually be talking to you. It's nice to meet you."
The dark-skinned woman removed a hand from her glass and reached out toward Giaume.
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Post by Retrograde on Jan 10, 2018 5:31:16 GMT
Giaume smirked at the woman. Humility was such an interesting trait to see in someone like her, who had done so much. He took her hand, and kissed it gently. "I would like to think I could be the judge of that," he said with a grin. "I hope she's only said good things, though. I know that she likes to bust my chops a little bit." He laughed, light in his eyes. It was clear that he was attracted to woman in his posture and his expression.
"Have you eaten? There's a nice restaurant I know... Or, I had someone teach me a recipe I've been dying to try, and the palace kitchen is empty." He looked at her mischievously. "You want to sneak in and let me try and cook you something? We can talk while the food's being made."
It wouldn't be very hard to get in for him, and he was certain she would like it.
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Post by Asinity on Jan 12, 2018 3:03:49 GMT
When the prince had kissed her hand, Anaese smiled a little wider. It had been quite a while since a man had been forward with her like this, but if she wasn't crazy, the dark-skinned woman got the feeling that Giaume was flirting with her. The thought of such a possibility made her equally nervous and excited. How should someone like her even react, to that kind of attention from royalty? Should she be surprised? Mortified? Subservient? It was quite a conflicting situation to the Shipmaster, but a great part of her was enjoying the attention, and the possibility that the man such as he might actually be trying to woo her.
Not that others hadn't tried, of course, but it had mostly been a trend of conflicts. One had simply used her for a single evening, another had been too desperate. Still another had too great of an ego, and the last had been a drunk. So it wasn't for lack of trying on Anaese's part, but luck had not been on her side. It also didn't help that she had poured herself into her work, and was an attentive mother to Emre.
Yet still, mead in hand, and the man's confidence near palpable, the dark-haired woman found herself charmed enough to indulge him. Her face brightened in a mixture of shock and humor as Giaume offered to cook for her.
"A prince cooks?" she thought aloud, and returned her hand to the stem of her glass. "I thought you had servants for that!"
A small laugh escaped the Tlem woman. Partly from nervousness, and partly from genuine amusement.
"I don't think I could say 'no' to Giaume Merov," Anaese declared, still smiling. "You know, it's not good to refuse a meal. It would be an honor, Your Grace."
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Post by Retrograde on Jan 12, 2018 3:38:42 GMT
Giaume looked down at her, and grinned. He was pleased that she was going along with it, but he was concerned that she might feel pressured into it. He tried to make sure that she knew they were on equal footing in this particular instance. "Please, just Giaume, unless that makes you uncomfortable. It's Revolution Week, we should toss aside the formalities."
He leaned forward, and looked her in the eyes. "Of course, that does bring up a question on my end..." he said, looking at her eagerly. "Am I allowed to call you Anaese, Ms. Brightsail? It's your choice, really."
He didn't mind either way, of course. Calling her by her first name added a sort of familiarity that he could enjoy, and perhaps would invite a little more playfulness. Ms. Brightsail, on the hand, told him he needed to be more of a gentleman. He was fine either way - he enjoyed the act of romancing regardless, and he could tell that whatever went on with Anaese Brightsail was going to be fun. She seemed like she needed someone who would treat her nicely, as she deserved. He would certainly give her the royal treatment.
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Post by Asinity on Jan 16, 2018 5:45:43 GMT
This handsome, most definitely younger than her, prince of a man was making Anaese feel more nervous than she had in years. The aged, experienced woman in her told the Tlem to be careful. Told her that he was out for something, that this might be reckless, or dangerous. The younger part, however, put the older woman in a rain barrel, slammed a steel lid over the top, and tied it off with a painter rope. She couldn't help but feel a brief rush of color to her cheeks, and the woman tried with as much dignity as she could to dismiss his apparent hesitance without looking too girlishly giddy.
"Of course you can call me Anaese!" she said in an almost hushed, surprised tone. Though it was as genuine as her smile. "That's only fair."
The dark-skinned Tlem took a sip from her mead, and looked toward the Palace. She'd only been there once or twice before, on guild business. Nothing like this, of course. Never did she imagine that she would be escorted to a private dinner with a prince of House Merov. And dressed like this, during Revolution Week. Worries, questions, and scenarios threatened to cloud her mind but the woman shifted her gaze back to the prince, and calmed herself. Let's just try it, she thought.
"I'm ready if you are," Anaese enthused. "We will walk? What are you going to cook for me then, Giaume?"
She said his name almost teasingly, as she took a step forward toward the palace.
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Post by Retrograde on Jan 19, 2018 0:36:46 GMT
Giaume couldn’t help but feel flattered at how excited this woman was to have his company. He had almost expected to be the one on the back foot here but she seemed more than willing to accept his offers and it made him smile. Frankly, it was a miracle that this woman had not yet remarried already. She was, frankly, adorable. He wondered if he really was the first man to try and ask her out in a while. That seemed fairly unlikely for a large variety of reasons, especially if she was how Marielle described her.
“I was thinking perhaps pasta in the Luskan style. I think it’s called a carbonara? I think you’ll like it, Anaese.”
He smiled brightly. “And yes, we’ll be walking,” he said. Then his eyes twinkled and he loomed over. “Unless your feet hurt? I could get a palanquin for you, or perhaps carry you.” he was clearly joking, given his tone although really, he probably wouldn’t object if she said yes.
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Post by Asinity on Jan 22, 2018 2:56:47 GMT
Luskan pasta? Now that's something Anaese had never imagined herself eating. The Prince was most definitely trying to woo her. There could be no doubt.
With that thought in mind, the woman smirked at Giaume's forwardness.
"I don't need to be carried," she half-chuckled, though it was clear she thought the idea was silly. "Come on, you lead the way."
The dark-skinned woman gestured for him to lead, and began to walk beside him. She wasn't certain how to even start talking to the Prince, but the woman had done enough business to be able to get by with most small talk. As they walked, she looked toward the palace, but glanced toward the young man when she spoke.
"That was quite a shock, with your brother," she enthused. "I didn't know he was courting a lady from House Vyre! And to announce it so suddenly. He must like to keep his girls secret, mm?"
She grinned at the thought, but looked earnestly toward Giaume. Hopefully the man wouldn't be offended by the comment, but Anaese felt it had been innocent enough.
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Post by Retrograde on Jan 23, 2018 18:40:20 GMT
Giaume looked over at her, and then smirked. I shouldn't tell her, he thought to himself. But his innate urge to rankle his older brother burned within him with an intensity that was not incredibly hard to deny.
"Yes, I am quite sure he was surprised too when her mother visited and laid down the law," he said, clearly amused. "The thing is, amongst nobles the whole idea of 'courting' doesn't really exist. You marry whomever you are told to and most often you don't really know the person that well. My parents only met a few days before their wedding day."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Things happen quickly, even for kings. Anything else would be strange."
He lead them into the palace, gesturing for her to be quiet as he looked around. Seeing that the coast was clear, he lead her down to the palace kitchen. It was well-stocked, with all sorts of pots and pans laid about - enough to feed a fairly large crowd of people if necessary. The doorway to the pantry was locked, but Giaume simply produced a fat key and opened it.
"Me, though, I am a romantic. What I am hoping is that the Revolution and not being directly in line to the throne means that I am going to have a more freedom than my parents ever did."
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Post by Asinity on Jan 30, 2018 3:06:34 GMT
Anaese chewed over the Prince's words as the two of them made their way to and through the palace, and was quite surprised to hear that the Vyre matriarch had practically forced King Arno to make a commitment. The king's own mother was a similarly confident and no-nonsense women, so the shipmaster had a thought that perhaps strong-willed women were his weakness. She grinned at the idea.
"Sometimes it is like that with the Tlem, but not so...extreme?" Aanaese proclaimed. "Sometimes we marry for a better life, sometimes for...mutual benefit. But some of us get lucky and find love."
When they got further into the palace, Giaume began to get sneaky, and started checking corners and quickly moving the two of them from hallway to hallway. Though part of her thought this whole thing was crazy, Anaese barely managed to stifle the chuckles that escaped her as they made their way toward the kitchen. As the smell of food wafted upon their noses, the prince enlightened the Tlem woman of his romantic designs, which made her smirk.
"For what it's worth, I hope you can choose your favorite girl," Anaese whispered as Giaume unlocked the door to the kitchens. "Who knows, really? Maybe your mom will be happy with this Vyre girl, eh? Maybe give you a break."
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