Post by Asinity on Jan 26, 2018 21:09:04 GMT
(The following is a record of the RP between Koschei and Mirun)
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The table before him was small, and the setting intimate. A large, open window to his right offered a very scenic view, and a Luskan white wine had been pulled from the establishment's reserves on Koschei's request. He sat comfortably awaiting Empress Mirun, and sipped at from a half full glass leisurely.
She arrived, dressed more casually than before. She wore an open coat in men's style that extended down to her heels, along with a shirt that exposed her naval. She wore silken pants, but kept her feet bare. She walked in briskly, smiling almost innocently at Koschei as she entered into the room.
"We, er, I was glad to receive your invitation, your majesty," she said softly, seemingly amused. "It's a beautiful view out there, is it not?"
The dark-haired Luskan rose from his seat as Mirun entered, and gestured for her to take a seat.
"I thought so as well, when I saw it," Koschei admitted. "Please, take a seat your...majesty."
Koschei stumbled with the last word, and frowned slightly at himself. In truth, he had no idea what to call her. No idea what was even expected in her realm.
"I'm not quite sure if that's right, but please, have some wine," he offered her. "It's a Luskan white. I'm not sure if you've ever had anything from my home, but this reserve isn't our best."
Mirun snorted at him, and waved her hand. "Please, call me whatever is easiest, we are in private and in your realm here." She took a seat, and looked down at the wine. "I have never actually... seen a white wine before," she said, swirling it in her glass. "It is all red or pink in Izhen. Well, sometimes a brownish colour but that is only when we fortify it."
Koschei raised an eyebrow as he took his seat again.
"Brown? Interesting," he thought aloud. "Whites are easier are the tongue. Crisp, I suppose you could say."
The king smirked at his own foppishness, and shook his head.
"In any case, I hope I didn't cause much of a ruckus when I left, but it's nearly impossible to talk sense when people are so aroused.," Koschei enthused. "My cousin has been very...emotional, as of late. Not the best time for her to come and discuss diplomacy."
Mirun shrugged, and sipped the wine, making a pleased little noise. She smiled, lightening up her face. "This is good!" she chirped. She sipped some more, swirling it around her mouth, and gave him a tooth-baring grin that was almost childish.
"But no, I understand. It is a shame that your cousin does not want to mend the relationship, but I did not expect much more. I was surprised at how... aggressive she was in her denunciation of us."
She looked around, and then whispered. "Pregnant ladies can get a little crazy."
The tall man couldn't help but smirk, and sipped from his own glass. For such a threat as Trion had spoken of earlier that day, Mirun seemed fairly agreeable. It was difficult for Koschei to keep himself guarded, even with years of tutoring in diplomacy behind him.
"I'm glad you like it," he admitted, and nodded toward the woman. "And yes I think that might have something to do with it."
He allowed a breath to pass between them as he leaned back against his seat and relaxed his posture.
"I have a tendency to be direct more often than I'd like, but I hope you forgive me," Koschei admitted. "You seem honest enough, so I just want to ask you honestly; you've only just now traveled to Aladeen because Alendron has blockaded you this whole time?"(edited)
"Yes!" She said. "Alendron has worked to contain our influence because they feel we threaten their influence in the Ettinlands and they think we would have appealed to the other kingdoms to stop them from trying to conquer them. We're a fairly large and prosperous nation thanks to being on a delta so I think the Galathions expected a Miruvid-Cassian alliance or something."
She sipped her wine some more.
"We could have tried the Tayd but that would have either lead us through Talcary, which don't like us, and the Badlands which are just... unsafe."
Koschei frowned. Politics, as usual? It seemed that way.
"That's unfortunate," he declared, and looked at the woman's eyes. "Though we all seek to grow our kingdoms some way or another. Still, you surprised me greatly today. The crown of Arturas...that's quite a thing to have in your possession. I must say I have no desire for it, though my father would probably try to wring it from you."
The king paused for a moment, and set his wine down on the table.
"I'm...not certain what you're looking for in Aladeen, but Trevast is recovering, and most are fearful of...foreign powers," he thought aloud, and tested the last words gently. "What would you like to gain, from this visit? If you don't mind me asking."
"I'm basically feeling things out," she said, bringing her feet up onto the chair and hugging her knees. "Trying to make sense of things, figure out what all the kings are like. I've never been outside of Izhen so I wanted to see who I'd be interacting with."
She pouted. "Apparently I'm not a very good diplomat..." she said, looking away.
The Luskan raised an eyebrow, and smirked.
"You've just come at a bad time, that's all," he assured the woman. "If it makes any difference, and if I can be honest with you, I actually wanted to discuss the possibility of trade between your nation, and Luska. If you believed it to be, well...physically possible."
She looked up at him, eyes sparkling. "Really? I... Thank you." She sipped more of her wine, and then placed it on the table. "Izhen would be honoured. We've heard a lot about the exploits of Vyre... Although we call you "Ber" in my homeland."
She looked at him. "So normally, we only ever trade with our tributaries, so it's all kind of new to me... What does Luska produce?"
"Ber?" he repeated the word, with a humored tone. "Well, we're a long ways away."
Koschei's eyebrows rose at her question. It had been some time since he'd actually needed to explain what all trade his nation was involved in, and his interest was piqued. Instead of leaning back, the tall man leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. He clasped his hands together.
"Well, all sorts of things, really," he admitted. "The more basic things are metals, potash, naval cloth, lumber, fish..."
"But we also trade in things like lace, silver, gold, fur," the king listed off. "Rare fish off of the coast, gems from our mines, ships and ship weapons..."
Koschei felt himself rambling, and stopped himself from going further. He smirked at his own enthusiasm.
"Does any of that sound...appealing?"
Mirun smiled at him and nodded vigorously. "Very. I think northern furs would sell very well in Izhen, and you can never have too much silver..."
She cocked her head to the side. "But what's lace?"
Koschei grinned. He was admitted unsure how to explain the practice initially, but the king thought for a moment, and tapped his chin. Briefly, he looked out the window and noticed a rather well-to-do woman wearing a rather expensive dress made of bobbin lace. Koschei's eyebrow quirked, and he leaned forward, rising from his seat a little as he pointed toward the woman.
"See the woman in white, being escorted down the road, there?" he asked. "That's a bit of an extreme example, but we sell the fabric that goes into making that dress, as well as finished garments as well."
Mirun's eyes went wide as she watched the woman, and she looked between Koschei and the woman excitedly. "Oo, oo," she said, almost bouncing. "Oh, I want that. Does it come in pink? I love pink."
She clapped her hands rapidly. "Yes, Izhen would love lace."
The Luskan king quirked an eyebrow at Mirun, and was caught off guard by her excitement.
"It can definitely be dyed, for certain," Koschei enthused. "And we sell fabric dyes as well. I take it you're interested?"
Well that wasn't too hard, the dark-haired man thought. She seemed so young. Almost innocent, if he had to put a word to it. But was that...out of the ordinary? Surely, the so -called 'Empress' of a kingdom wouldn't be nearly as...childlike, as this. Then again, Aelin was a good enough example of how it might be possible. Still, her demeanor was disarming.
She looked over at Koschei, and nodded, calming herself down. "Okay, sorry... You're not supposed to get excited in trade deals, it means you're gonna gouge me later." She giggled. "Okay so what does Luska want? Izhen has loaaaaads of grain, both wheat and rice, and we have silks, ivory, ebony... gold... plenty of fish, like you, we also have elephants and camels, along with..."
She paused.
"Do you know what coffee is?"
Koschei found himself smirking again at the woman's apparent candidness.
"For a new agreement, we always offer reduced prices, for a time," he assured Mirun. "But...no, I've never heard of coffee, or...ebony, was it? Or...camels."
The king was intrigued. Three things he'd never heard of, just like that. Of course, Izhen was far to the south, with a different climate, and a different culture. He felt himself suddenly more curious of the southern nation.
"What are they?" he asked.
"Okay, so I don't have camels with me, but I do have coffee and ebony... Well, back at my embassy. Can I send a servant to fetch them? I think you're really going to like coffee."
The tall man raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, you have some here?" he thought aloud. "Ah, well...I suppose if you're not busy, and don't mind."
She was certainly accommodating, to say the least. Perhaps she came prepared for such diplomatic ventures. It made sense, what with this being her first foray into the northern nations. She had trade savvy, for certain.
Mirun nodded excitedly, and sent a runner. They disappeared, and returned rather quickly with a silver carafe and a black statue of an elephant. The carafe was placed down on the table, and quickly, the prep work was done for the brewing of coffee. Fresh beans were freed from a satchel and then ground in front of them, then placed in the pot alongside water, before a small portable fire pit was lit beneath it.
Mirun handed him the black elephant while she waited. "This is ebony, and what they are making is coffee. It's kind of like tea, but much stronger."
She looked him over. "Am I allowed to ask about you? Do you mind sharing?"
When the two foreign products were brought to him, Koschei couldn't help but be interested. He watched with curiosity as the servant began preparing the 'coffee', and he nodded toward Mirun as she described it being like tea. As he held the elephant in his hands, the man held it close to his face, and was impressed by its smoothness, after a moment, he set it down on the table in front of him.
"Mm?" he murmured thoughtfully, and repeated her question in his head. "Oh, of course."
The king's posture was straightened, and his hands fell onto his lap.
Mirun smiled nostalgically as the smell of coffee wafted into the air. "Uhh... So, Aelin's your cousin? Is that normal? Do all the families still intermarry a lot?"
Koschei's eyebrows perked at the question, and the king paused for a moment as though he hadn't expected such a thing ever be asked.
"Erm...yes, actually," he admitted. "I...suppose it's different, in your lands. It's actually...expected, here. The great houses use marriages to solidify relationships, or make new ones. Or simply to ensure greater power, or...wealth. I, ah...I'm engaged to a woman from House Cassian, for example."
Mirun looked vaguely dejected. "Oh, you're engaged," she said. Then, her face quickly lightened up again. "Pretty different, yes."
The carafe began to steam, Mirun briefly glanced at it.
"Izhen is... different. We're kind of like Alendron in that men can have multiple wives, and I'm expected to keep a lot of suitors, but I plan on marrying someone, some day. My twin and I have been a little late in producing heirs, so the court is getting a little nervous." She shrugged. "I don't think it's too big a deal. It will happen when it happens."
The comment was brief, but a curiosity stirred in Koschei. Oh? Why did she suddenly seem upset at his engagement? Was him reaching out to her like this a sign of courtship, in Izhen? Briefly, the king pondered over her reaction, but he wasn't certain how to respond to it.
"Oh?" he said in his own, surprised tone. "I would have thought you married. There must be many suitors coming after you, mm? Who are you expected to marry, in Izhen?"
"I am Empress, I marry whomever I please. I simply haven't found anyone I am really ready to... commit to completely, I guess."
She frowned. "I'm sorry, that probably sounds really entitled."
Koschei shrugged, and leaned back in his chair.
"Seems honest," he admitted. "Though very different from Trevast. The freedom must be nice. Not that we, er...the rulers of each nation don't enjoy a level of independence in our personal lives, but not with marriage. It's...well, we're nobility. We're expected to keep the noble blood going."
The words sounded awkward coming from his mouth, but in truth the process wasn't something he was fond of. Not that he didn't consider his engagement to Patrice to be negative or unfavorable, but he recognized that the union was more of a means to strengthen the bond between their houses, and less of something formed out of love.
She nodded, and finally, the coffee was ready to be served. In ornate white glasses patterned with blue leaf patterns, the black liquid was poured slowly, allowing the steam to fill up the room. The smell wafted throughout the room, rich and strong. Mirun watched eagerly. "So, careful, it's hot."
"And I understand. It does seem a little unfair though. Looking like you do, if I'm not being rude your Majesty, I imagine you wouldn't have trouble with getting a few women to chase you as well."
As Koschei took a hold of his cup, the hot surface warned him of the temperature as Mirun did. He raised the glass to his mouth, and blew gently on the liquid to cool it. When he was about to take a sip, the woman's comment caused him to stop, and his eyes looked over at her appraisingly.
He smiled faintly, as if he had been trained to accept such compliments as though they were expected. Still, he looked at her for a moment longer than he wanted to.
"Well...some nobles have offered their daughters to me," he started. "But I was advised to deny them. It was thought better to wait for someone who was...a better deal?"
Koschei frowned slightly at the thought, then decided that the 'coffee' was cool enough for him to try. He raised his lips to the glass. His eyebrows drew together even more. A bitter, earthy, savory flavor slid onto his tongue. Yet there was a complexity to it as well. Something he'd never tasted before. As he sipped once more, then again, the bitterness seemed to go away, as it would with alcohol.
The king looked into the glass' contents and pursed his lips together, impressed.
"This is truly unique," he admitted, and looked back at her. "Covfee?"
Mirun watched Koschei drink, looking interested. She looked incredibly pleased when it looked like he was enjoying it, smiling sweetly and getting excited. "Oo, you like it. That's good." She sipped her own coffee. "Blugh, burnt my tongue."
She snorted. "Didn't follow my own advice. But it's coffee. In Trevastine-Izhen, khafe." With a "khhhh". She giggled. "You don't have to do that though."
She blew on her cup and tried again. "But I understand. The crown's heavy to wear. You know, I fought to become Empress with my sister, and then when it happened, I wasn't entirely sure why I had."
The king nodded his understanding, and sipped at the coffee again. Briefly, he was lost in his own thoughts, but returned to the conversation after a moment.
"Such is life, as they say," Koschei replied, and finished his cup.
It dawned on him, as he looked upon the bottom of the glass and saw the ground up pieces of coffee, that he had just willingly consumed something offered to him by a rumored enemy. The realization made him freeze momentarily, and he cursed himself internally for his own stupidity. Koschei inhaled a deep breath, and let it go.
"Well, I like what I see, your Majesty," he offered, and looked back at her. "I think we can agree to a mutual trade contract. Will you be in Aladeen for the evening? I can send someone over with more...official, terms. How does that sound?"
"I will be in for a while... and why don't you send yourself over?" She said, tilting her head slightly and smiling softly. She drained her own cup. "I enjoy talking to you and it's nice to be able to just... talk with someone who understands."
Koschei eyed the woman for an extended moment, as he chewed over her words. Such an...open invitation, from someone he'd never known before this day. He visibly processed the implications...what could happen. What might be there waiting for him. Who would be. What would be expected of him? What might his family say?
Mirun looked at him...expectantly? In truth, he had planned little more that day, save for meeting with some of the other dignitaries. But was she trustworthy? Trion had warned him of Izhen's possible designs - no, not possible. Evident designs. Aelin had warned them as well that Mirun was here to gauge them all; to size them up. She wasn't altogether sane at the moment, though, was she? And Trion had been as professional to him as most other dignitaries had been. Koschei was conflicted.
His lips parted, but he hesitated. Was he afraid? Or merely cautious? He was a great deal taller than her, and stronger. He had men with him who could shadow the building, and prove themselves useful if the king had gotten himself in trouble. And Koschei was no weak man. He could fight, if he needed to. What harm would there be in speaking with her more? Perhaps he could glean the truth, and see past what was on the surface.
"I believe I will," he agreed.
Mirun smiled happily, and nodded at him. "That's good, that's really good." She looked at the bag of beans and the carafe. "You can keep these if you want, as a gift." She glowed for a moment, and there was the slightest addition of colour to her cheeks. She chewed her lip, and then she rose.
"So I will see you tonight, then?"
The dark-haired man looked over at the bag briefly, before meeting the woman's gaze. Something caused him to offer her a smile, and he nodded once, affirmatively.
"I'll try not to show too late," he enthused.
She blew him a little kiss, and then bowed before making her way on out of the room. She skipped a little bit.
Koschei turned his head back to the wine glass in front of him, and pondered for a good while at his decision before leaving to return to the Luskan embassy.