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| Vale of the White Horse | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,273 Views) | |
| Sonja | 12 Aug 2010, 21:21 Post #3931 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'You're welcome.' He put the flower behind her ear and walked on before she could protest. 'Here is the exedra, the garden room. I like to sit here, to think. And over there we have the dining room. We dine laying down, as you might know.' |
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| Marieke | 14 Aug 2010, 19:28 Post #3932 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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That was very nearly too far, she thought. It shocked her. Though his suave manners extended as far as her own Caer March, here he seemed less bothered by the fact that she was married to Tudwrig. Briallen wondered if she could pull the flower from her hair and toss it away. If only the blasted man did not hold so much power over the settlement! She bit her lips together hard, then exhaled and pulled her face in a friendlier shape. ‘Yes, I’ve heard.’ |
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| Sonja | 14 Aug 2010, 19:33 Post #3933 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Of course, there are many other things we do laying down, but dining is certainly among one of the more pleasant activities.' Rufus smiled. Had she been Essylt, that statement would've been bolder by far. As it was, he still had to be a little careful around Briallen. |
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| Marieke | 14 Aug 2010, 19:40 Post #3934 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Indeed? If only she could confront him with a host of children he surely had on the route from here to Rome. Briallen moistened her lips, managing to take control of her voice so she did not sound as offensive as she’d like. ‘Of all the traits you possess, I never believed you lacked confidence,’ she said. ‘There’s no need to convince me otherwise.’ |
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| Sonja | 14 Aug 2010, 19:47 Post #3935 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'I'm sorry if I've offended you with that statement,' he said with the same smile. What would she do or say if he mentioned her lack of experience in the matter now, he wondered. Slap him in the face and scream at him? Or run away in a huff? It was almost worth finding out. 'It was not my intention. Now, as for that cup of wine I promised you, this way.' |
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| Marieke | 14 Aug 2010, 19:54 Post #3936 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She shook her head and silently removed the flower. Tudwrig wouldn’t like this. Justly, of course – she didn’t like this much either, and the man was not the kind to allow a cup of wine to loosen his tongue. I’ll have to decide what I want from him, she thought, following him. Power over her own people? He would claim that he never dreamed of taking it from them. That he’d leave them be? Then he would merely point to his superiors. And then there were those two murders… Yes, that might be a better start. It was Tudwrig who should deal with those crimes, their own law that ought to be carried out – and, in stead of her husband, that right most certainly fell to her, Briallen. |
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| Sonja | 14 Aug 2010, 19:58 Post #3937 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He led her to his office, where the hearth was crackling with a merry fire. Now that the days were growing colder, he kept it lit most of the time. Rufus pointed Briallen at the most comfortable couch, which just so happened to be the only couch in the room. 'Please, sit down.' He turned on his heel and called for a servant, giving the girl orders for warm wine and some refreshments. |
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| Marieke | 14 Aug 2010, 20:03 Post #3938 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She sat down carefully. He couldn’t hope for her to lay down, surely. That idea was ludicrous; it would be entirely inappropriate. ‘So, this is where you manage your half of the settlement,’ she remarked. He would notice the sharp edge to her voice, but she smiled. |
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| Sonja | 14 Aug 2010, 20:13 Post #3939 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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And he wouldn't really rest until all of it, and the rest of the Vale, was his. Rufus sat down on the other side of the couch. Sitting too close to her already, might be a little premature. 'Yes,' he answered, 'it is. What do you think of it?' |
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| Marieke | 14 Aug 2010, 20:16 Post #3940 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘It is very stately,’ Briallen admitted. There was no need to hide that she felt a little overwhelmed – he would like it. ‘It doesn’t compare to Caer March.’ And for that, she was glad. |
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| Sonja | 14 Aug 2010, 20:21 Post #3941 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Ah no, but that would be like comparing a square to a circle; quite impossible. Both have their strong suits.' Just then, the servant girl came in with the wine and tidbits. Rufus poured Briallen a cup himself, handing it to her. He wondered why she'd agreed to come with him. Perhaps she wanted to figure some things out, or could it be that she simply, secretly, desired him? He would like that. It was likely, if he knew virgins - and he rather fancied he did. |
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| Marieke | 14 Aug 2010, 20:29 Post #3942 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She put the wine to her lips long enough to taste it from there. It was sweet, but different from their own. Roman brew? ‘I’ve been gone a while,’ she started after she had watched the silence drifting by for a few moments. ‘Are there things that I still need to get informed about?’ |
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| Sonja | 14 Aug 2010, 20:35 Post #3943 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'I believe I've informed you of everything that has been going on here. But if you still have questions, I'm only too happy to answer them for you.' Rufus drank from his own cup. Of all things this land brought him, he thought he liked the mead best. Roman wine was so strong, it always had to be dilluted - didn't do much good for the taste, he thought. |
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| Marieke | 14 Aug 2010, 20:38 Post #3944 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘What about the two…incidents?’ Briallen ventured. She didn’t much like the taste of wine. ‘They were very severe.’ |
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| Sonja | 14 Aug 2010, 20:45 Post #3945 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Indeed they were.' Rufus sighed. He didn't like talking shop when sitting on the same couch with a pretty young woman. 'The investigation is still at a halt, I'm afraid, thanks to the lady Gwenllian and her bodyguard's sudden departure. My men are still after them, but without result so far. Please, have a bite,' he said and gestured at the plate of little delicacies. |
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| Marieke | 14 Aug 2010, 20:46 Post #3946 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘I have been thinking about this,’ she said, without taking her eyes off him. The bite could wait. |
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| Sonja | 14 Aug 2010, 20:48 Post #3947 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Have you, now?' He smiled back at her. Maybe the wine would loosen her tongue, as well as the rest of her. And if need be, he could do some of the loosening himself. |
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| Marieke | 14 Aug 2010, 20:51 Post #3948 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘I believe that it would be right if you hand over the cases to me and my husband. He is chieftain, after all. Of course, I wouldn’t ask you to exclude yourself entirely.’ Let him try to deny them these rights, she thought and drunk from the goblet. The taste was so odd. It seemed like it filled her head almost at once. |
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| Sonja | 14 Aug 2010, 20:56 Post #3949 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Hm. If she really insisted to keep discussing these topics, he might have to tell the servants to stop dilluting the wine. 'A chieftain with more important things on his mind than this, I'm sure,' Rufus said and shifted a little closer to Briallen. 'Once my men have apprehended the fugitive pair, I'm sure everything'll be settled soon.' |
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| Marieke | 14 Aug 2010, 20:58 Post #3950 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘One from that pair is my personal friend,’ Briallen pointed out, ‘and both of them are of my own people. I’m sorry, lord Lentulus, I shall have to insist on this.’ And that was all very well, she thought, but perhaps she should not have drowned that whole goblet so quickly. She had not eaten, only the snacks just after her return. Her body filled with warmth, she even felt in her toes. |
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| Sonja | 14 Aug 2010, 21:02 Post #3951 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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If she wanted to play it like this, fine. 'With all due respect, my lady, but doesn't the fact that Gwenllian is your friend make you just a little biased in the matter? I'm only interested in justice, and if she really acted out of self-defense against her husband, she has nothing to worry about. But I believe this isn't the time to discuss such grave matters. You're still tired from your journey. Have another glass of wine, my lady.' |
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| Marieke | 15 Aug 2010, 19:38 Post #3952 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Briallen sighed. Did he expect her to have only half a brain, the other part of her wits left in Shadow Well? Taking another wine wouldn’t do. She already felt her head glow. But this was something she wanted to secure. If not for herself, she wanted it for Tudwrig. Wiggling at least that much autonomy – it was theirs to begin with! ‘I assume you don’t intend to be insulting, lord Lentulus,’ she said, accepting the refilling of her cup. ‘But I would expect a little more faith. I’ve always been a chieftain’s daughter, rest assured that I know how to handle such situations without bias.’ |
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| Sonja | 15 Aug 2010, 19:44 Post #3953 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He lifted his hands. 'All right, as soon as they've been caught, I will turn them over to you and your husband,' Rufus smiled. If that ever happened, he'd think of something to wriggle his way out of it again. 'Does that suit you, my lady?' |
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| Marieke | 15 Aug 2010, 19:48 Post #3954 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Nearly,’ she said, her heart making a sort of triumphant leap. Briallen made sure to keep her face quite straight. ‘If in the future another issue arises, it would do me and my lord justice if you brought it to us first, and not just as a formality.’ She smiled. ‘Which I know you’ve been doing more and more.’ |
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| Sonja | 15 Aug 2010, 19:59 Post #3955 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'I've only done what seemed best to me,' he said, fully aware that it wasn't the answer she was looking for. He didn't know why she insisted to keep talking about this - from his point of view, it'd be far easier for her and her husband to just leave matters into his hands. Well, as soon as he'd relieved Briallen from that bothersome virginity, he'd do something about it. Rufus put his cup down and crossed his legs. |
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| Marieke | 15 Aug 2010, 20:02 Post #3956 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Of course.’ She had no doubt at all that he would work hard in his own best interests. Briallen sipped from the goblet again. The strange taste seemed a little familiar already. |
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| Sonja | 15 Aug 2010, 20:10 Post #3957 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He wondered how long it would take for Briallen to get affected by the contents of her goblet. 'Is that all you wanted to discuss about matters of state, my lady?' he asked with a smile. If it was, he could move on to far more important matters. |
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| Marieke | 15 Aug 2010, 20:12 Post #3958 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Briallen nodded. Oh, there was far more that she disliked about his manners towards Tudwrig’s rule. Pushing too hard would harm these matters, she thought. If only she knew a way to curb his dangerous ambitious pursuits! |
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| Sonja | 15 Aug 2010, 20:24 Post #3959 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Good. If you don't mind me saying, but it seems to me that you're taking a little too much upon yourself. First these family-matters, and immediately upon your arrival you dive into politics again. Aren't you overworking yourself a little?' |
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| Marieke | 15 Aug 2010, 20:27 Post #3960 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She smiled again. ‘I’ll take those things as part as who I am, lord Lentulus.’ |
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