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Post by Zoilus on Feb 1, 2018 4:58:57 GMT
It was, of course, beyond generous. With the amount they had just drank, neither Orieux or Katherine were able to do much than continue to offer their most sincere gratitude and appreciation, but in the back of his mind, Orieux was becoming more and more perplexed. Why? What made two exiled lesser nobles worth all this trouble? What kind of service did the Empress want in return for all she'd given them, all she'd promised to do?
Best not to think of it. He beamed, and said, "I think it's the best gift I've ever gotten, but I haven't opened the rest yet! But, my lady, thank you again."
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Aznar, though, had it all figured out now. What did the empress want with these two? What was the point of all this? Introducing and cultivating her favorite new pets. You'd have to be blind not to notice all the harem...occupants (?) in the palace, and now Mirun had Orieux and Katy dressed like them. Ha! Aznar smiled. He hoped the couple enjoyed their new life as an exhibit in Mirun's flesh zoo. They were such lovely specimens, after all!
He drank his own toast to the thought.
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Post by Retrograde on Feb 1, 2018 5:42:12 GMT
Mirun giggled at both of them, sipping her wine. “Really, it is nothing. I’m more than happy to provide you with a place to stay. I can’t give out titles like candy so I figured it would instead be better to simply let you stay up here with me, especially since Aznar is going to be so busy all the time. You’ll be an intermediary of sorts! Not that it’s going to be too much work. You’ll have access to the servants, should you wish, and anything else you might happen to need.”
She looked over to the Grand Duc, and waved him over. “Speaking of, I think the Grand Duc has a gift for you!”
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Post by Zoilus on Feb 1, 2018 6:17:36 GMT
A gift? What could that bloated old bastard give them? What did he have left? Katy let her frown come through, and gave Aznar an expectant look. Was he going to give them more noblewomen as if they were his property? Would he give them some shiny bauble they'd stolen in the raids on the way here? A better gift would be for him to leave. This was her wedding, and him being here left gave it a sour taste, despite everything else.
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Aznar approached, doing his best to put a smile on his face, though he'd really hoped they would have opened his gift on their own damn time. "Yes, you Glory, it's true! Saved from the ravages of the Revolution, a portrait of the last legitimate reigning king!" He removed the cloth from the frame, and revealed King Odo's unfortunate and stern countenance. "It is a reminder to you both, of the struggle we went through together, the pain that sent us from one end of the world to another. I hope when you look on it, you remember our homeland, the struggle that remains ahead of us!" He tried to look pensive, deep in thought, but stopping himself from sweating was really his top concern now.
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Post by Retrograde on Feb 19, 2018 19:26:52 GMT
Mirun stared at the gift, looking between Aznar and the two newlyweds. However different their native cultures might have been, she knew that this could not be appropriate in either of them. Not wanting to have a fight break out, she quickly tried to think of a way to salvage the situation. If only he had said a little less, she could have easily presented it as though he was giving them an example painting and that one would be coming their way soon. But no, he presented things fairly clearly here. Her eyes searched the courtyard, looking for anything that might be a more appropriate gift than a painting of a particularly ugly looking man.
"Oh, how you tickle us, Aznar!" she said, forcing a laugh. "Such a funny joke. He's quite modest though, for what he actually got you was..."
Then her eyes laid upon it. One of the thoroughbred horses she kept. They were each worth a fortune, and she cherished them dearly, but she could not allow this wedding to go on with the potential spat brought on by a bad gift. It would taint the whole marriage and perhaps crack this alliance she was hoping to create in its infancy. She waved for it to come over, one of the servants bringing it to her and handing the reigns to her.
"One of the horses from the Solar Guard. As its new commander, he is more than capable of giving these out as a gift. It's quite unconventional, but you will not find a more reliable steed in all the world."
She grinned broadly, giving Aznar a side-eye to suggest that perhaps he keep his mouth shut.
"You two will look absolutely fetching riding upon it."
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Post by Zoilus on Feb 19, 2018 19:47:21 GMT
Aznar let out a little laugh of his own, and nodded aggressively. Oh, this was bad. This was so, so bad. How to fix it? What to do? He'd come up with something, but escaping this party to plot was now probably the best course of action. One hardly escaped the attention of an empress though, especially with the way she was looking at him.
But this was a frustrating little situation. What else was he supposed to give them? The ancestral regalia and treasure of Navir? Routaille's material legacy? He couldn't hand out such things as party favors! This portrait, really, was an incredibly generous gift! Once he was properly enmeshed in Izhen society, he'd give them something better, some grand foreign present on the level of this horse. They'd all see his generosity!
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Neither Orieux or Katy was fooled by the empress's attempt to save face, but they both certainly appreciated it. "A generous gift Lord Aznar, Lady Mirun. We hope he will match it in the future, perhaps on our anniversary?" Katy gave Aznar a smug little smirk. "Indeed, I think we've seen a new side of our old friend today. We had no idea you had such a wit, Aznar!" Orieux said as he gave him a slap on the shoulder.
Katy approached the steed and put her hand on its back, giving it a little rub. "Back in my barony, we used to raise fine horses. The best in all of Navir, whatever the Ducs tried to say. It's good to have one of my own again."
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Post by Retrograde on Mar 5, 2018 21:36:26 GMT
Mirun clapped her hands together, nodding. "Yes, they are excellent horses too. Bred for war, but also bred for speed and obedience. In many breeds, stallions will challenge inexperienced riders for dominance, but we have bred and trained that out of them. They may not be as strong as northern destriers, of course, but they make up for it with just how quick they are. They can cover a battlefield in a quarter of the time it takes the larger northern breeds."
She grinned, and then giggled. "Of course, you're probably not going to be using this one for war. They're just as good for riding. They're long lived, too. My father had one that lived for 35 years."
The horse turned to Katy, and move to try and press its face against Katy's. "Oh, yes, this one is a sweetheart. I believe she is a mare." She peeked under the horse, and then nodded. "Yes, she is a mare. Perhaps we can go riding together some time. Mine is also a mare and she often gets quite lonely without my sister to ride her horse next to me. I'd appreciate the company as well."
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Post by Zoilus on Mar 5, 2018 22:01:51 GMT
Casual horse rides with the Empress? My my, Katy thought, what a friend to have! Though this mare was sure to be fine competition! "We would love to ride with you, my lady, and I'm sure, hmm. What is this one's name?"
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As the newlyweds droned on about horses, Aznar decided to take the opportunity to escape. Things to do, places to see, a Solar Guard to organize...When he first saw the crowd here, he'd thought it had been excessive, but as he danced through, well, it felt just right.
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Post by Retrograde on Mar 5, 2018 22:19:12 GMT
Mirun traced her fingers along the horse's harness until she found it. She smiled. "Ah, she is named Holy Glory. Glory for short, I imagine. She seems young, perhaps you could get away with renaming her. It would take a bit of retraining, of course..."
She stopped and looked around at the drink table. "Alright, I have hogged your attention for too long. I am sure your compatriots from the boat would love to talk to you. I... am probably going to go get very drunk, as befitting a wedding. If you need to find me, well I'm sure you will be able to follow the sounds of 'Empress, no, there are people here!'." She giggled. "Alright, I will see you later."
She waved at them, but allowed them to get a final response in before departing.
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Post by Zoilus on Mar 5, 2018 22:56:11 GMT
"Oh no my lady, it's back luck to rename a horse. Glory it is! And if you must go, know that I will be grateful forever for today. We never expected anything so generous or grand. I don't think we'll be able to pay you back, but Artis help us, we'll try." Katy gave the Empress a radiant smile.
Orieux nodded. "Indeed, all that and more. Go enjoy yourself! I think," he gave Katy a look, "we might have to run off again soon too, get back to our marital privileges!"
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