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Post by psychopathickids on Sept 23, 2014 6:26:04 GMT
After exchanging another round of quizzical glances between themselves, the two women offered the high, bobbing curtseys women of the Southern Shores were expected to provide their male superiors when given a task before quickly getting to work removing the Admiral's boots and elaborate headwear, the last shoe coming free of his foot just as the young girls from the main hall arrived carrying a tray each, one bearing a pitcher of water, and a gilded goblet, the other a burnt orange clay jar filled with a dark orange jelly which smelled strongly of mint and clove, a petite bowl of what the nose would suggest to be horse radish despite its yellow color, and two small glass vials of what appeared to be sea salt and a strange syrupy concoction deep red in shade. Aspasia poured the sweet water into the goblet while spouting a series of commands in her foreign Northern tongue to one of the girls, the one who had brought the water, which set her to promptly place the tray upon the king’s work desk and swiftly exit the chambers, perhaps looking for candles, scissors, figs and a harpist as Zenais went about preparing their people’s traditional hangover remedy, taking a pinch of salt in one hand and the vial of red syrup in the other, and adding a bit of each to the water in the goblet before taking a little of the yellow horse radish and smearing it around the rim of the glass. “The salt and sweetness of the pomegranate extract replace that which you lose during the sweating of the night after drinking strong wines,” the young woman explained as she worked, “and the, how do you say… Ah, yes, the strong mustard is a natural cleaner of the blood,” the drink prepared Aspasia sat beside the Admiral and, first taking a gulp for herself as was customary, offered the drink to her lady’s guest, prepared to hold the goblet to his lips for him should he so wish.
As her fellow handmaiden tended to Selman’s thirst, Zenais retrieved a cloth towel, pale of warm water, and a chunk of hard soap and began to wash the Admiral’s feet, massaging the soles before moving onto the pads and toes, from his rightmost to his leftmost before Aspasia, once the Grand Admiral had been satisfied, stood and moved to retrieve a relatively light weight, off white stone basin filled with warm water, a towel of her own, and a container of similar make to that of the basin filled with a viscous substance somewhere between violet and blood orange in color, “soap boiled in water and steeped with dried hibiscus petals,” the young woman explained as she rolled a dab of the stuff between her palms, causing it to foam and bubble before easing the man’s head into the basin of warm water, neck resting comfortably on the brace carved into the stone’s side for just that purpose, and massaging his scalp and hair, spreading the shampoo and it’s tart, succulent aroma as her fingers danced about in the tangle the man’s strange hat and the water had made of his locks. After she had finished washing the Admiral’s feet Zenais picked up the cloth towel she had brought with her and proceeded to thoroughly dry them before returning to the young girl left standing tray in hand for a glob of the strong smelling jelly. “The balm is a mixture of mint, clove, eucalyptus and camphor wax, extracted from the laurel, which increases blood flow. It serves to help you breathe more easily and deeply in the night, to keep from dizziness and nausea upon waking,” she explained before rubbing the stuff between her hands, then massaging it about his feet in the same pattern as she had washed them, taking especial care to rub the toes and instep as deeply as she could while still remaining gentle, explaining, “manipulating the outer extremities of the body, especially the feet, seems to have a profound effect on the beating of the heart --, why, this humble servant could not say, but the effect can be felt by placing a finger upon the arteries of the neck a few moments after the massage has begun,”.
After finishing washing the Admiral’s hair Aspasia removed his head from the basin while wrapping his scalp tightly in a towel, knotting it about the crown of his skull to keep from getting water everywhere as she dried him, only ceasing once she was reasonably certain she had removed as much of the remaining liquid from his person as she was like to and, rising, soiled towel lain across her shoulder, basin and stone container in hand the former stacked atop the brace of the other, the handmaiden excused herself momentarily to dispose of the now greyed, soapy water left in the basin properly before returning and, taking a glob of the jelly of her own, beginning to massage the substance gently into the man’s temples and at the base of his throat, taking special care to attend the soft spot below his Adam’s Apple. Just as the young women were finishing up with their respective tasks the girl Aspasia had sent away returned with a second tray, this one bearing a pair of scissors, tweezers, a straight bladed razor and a shaving mug complete with soap puck and hard lathering brush, a bowl of figs, dates, plumbs and candied raisins, and lit candles smelling softly of jasmine and lavender, along with a second, previously unseen girl who couldn’t have been more than a year or two older than the other two serving girls carrying a harp. Aspasia, far more skilled in the art of grooming men than Zenais, rubbed the pad of her thumb across the blade and, apparently satisfied with the temper of its edge asked, “Honored guest, may I undress you before beginning?” perhaps a hiccup in her grasp of the Southern language, but a clear enough request. It wouldn’t do to get trimmed hair and shaving lather stuck to the Grand Admiral’s surcoat and outer fineries, after all, and the coat of plate she had felt below couldn't be especially comfortable.
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Post by aspenivan on Sept 23, 2014 23:29:00 GMT
Though not especially orthodox in his faith or cultural practices, even the seriously tipsy Admiral Reyid had his limits. "Are barbers in your land unfamiliar with the many advantages of covering their patrons in robes, towels, or sheets? As much as I enjoy your lovely company, it would hardly be proper in Aed's eyes to expose myself among you...even if Aed and many others may take delight in my form." He chuckled. Of course, there was also the issue of the miniature armory Selman Reyid had learned to conceal from both touch and sight, but only with a proper mantle and tunic.
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Post by psychopathickids on Sept 24, 2014 19:47:56 GMT
“Ah, but of course esteemed Master of the Seas,” Aspasia responded with a high curtsey, before retrieving a clean towel from the armoire. “My people are familiar with the use of towels with which to cover their honored guests before shaving them, however --, I must admit, you will be the first man I have ever known to prefer being shaved in surcoat and outer finery,” it had been hard not to notice while sitting next to the man and attending his thirst that not all of his considerable girth was flesh alone, though if it bothered the young woman it didn’t show. More concerning was the thought that, being covered so in heavy clothing, the man must feel afire on such a warm day. It couldn’t have helped that he was already in his cups, and the cool breeze coming off the sea was unable to find its way through the sturdy timber of the longhall, least not in the King’s chambers located deep within the belly of House Makris’ estate. Laying the towel over the man’s shoulders and under his throat before tying a loose knot with the corners of the towel behind his neck the young woman gestured to the young girls in their company each in turn, setting the harpist to begin playing and singing a song heavy with the thick accents of their Northern tongue, somber with hints of cheer and jubilation peeking through from time to time, perhaps a tale of love and betrayal, or of war and victory turned to ash with the tears of the mothers of the fallen, each common themes in the poetry of the Southern Shores.
The second girl, the one who had brought the pitcher of water and goblet previously, moved to Aspasia’s side with the shaving mug and blade, prompting the woman to begin lathering the soap with the hard brush resting in warm water atop a special hook on the mug’s face designed just for that purpose, before applying the foam to each side of Selman’s face and under his chin, from his right to his left, before taking up the blade and making her first stroke. Her skill with a blade was quite astute for a handmaiden, and the curls of his right chop gave way without much reservation to the gentle yet assertive nature of her adroit execution, Zenais having stood and excused herself in the meantime, taking the girl who had brought the jelly and extracts with her, coming upon Delviu as he rested. Stopping a respectful distance from the man before curtseying, the young woman asked of him, “honored guest of my lady the Queen, might I wash your hair and feet?” the young girl who was accompanying her no doubt waiting for the command to go and retrieve fresh water, soap, shampoo and towels should he so require. Though they would have traditionally bathed the men themselves in the pool at the center of the room, it had quickly become apparent that the Southern men did not share the custom of group bathing as their hosts did, and not wishing to offend them it seemed best not to press the issue further.
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Post by aspenivan on Sept 24, 2014 20:58:30 GMT
Kalwa Delviu was letting the sweet melody of harp and song carry him away when his rest was suddenly interrupted by Zenais. His half-closed eyes quickly opened, deepening the wrinkles on his forehead and upper cheeks.
"Yes, that would be greatly appreciated, noble maidens," he half-spoke, half-grumbled as he shook away his dreamlike stupor. As the servants removed his shoes and helmet, he noticed Selman getting his shave in full regalia and armor (albeit covered by the sheet). He suppressed a chuckle. It had taken him over a decade to understand the Grand Admiral's peculiar rules of self-presentation, and the even more peculiar ways they didn't seem to bother him. Never once had Reyid complained of heat even under four layers of clothing, nor for that matter had he ever complained of cold even when drenched in seawater. Delviu had stopped asking himself how exactly the Admiral did it: Nonhuman blood, holy blessings, secret magecraft, mystic charms...He suspected it was some combination of them all.
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Post by psychopathickids on Sept 24, 2014 22:06:43 GMT
A sincere smile broke across the young woman’s face as she lightly bobbed a high curtsey and tenderly asked something of the young girl who had accompanied her to Delviu’s side in the foreign tongue shared between the two, almost motherly in the gentle care with which she attended the exhausted man as she removed his helmet, before moving in front of him and, lowering herself silently to her knees began lightly pulling at the ties which bound his boots to the feet beneath. Despite the closeness of the woman to the First Mate she may as well not have been there at all for all the noise she didn’t make, ginger in her steps and dance of fingers against boot strings. Upon bearing hair and feet clear to the air about them, Zenais stood and returned to her former position behind the sailor, before slowly lowering the man’s head into a white stone basin filled with warm water, neck resting against a comfortable brace on the basin’s edge, a quiet squelching sound the only warning he might have received before her fingers and the shampoo covering them began the steady kneading motion she had perfected over years of service to the House of Makris, tender and reassuring whilst remaining vigorous and assertive, the tart, bittersweet tang of the hibiscus released in occasional breaths from the interaction between fingers, foam, water and hair, mingling with the light perfume of jasmine and lavender Zenais wore about her wrists and collar, relaxing and almost non-existent, only noticeable in the closeness of an activity such as the washing of hair as she had intended.
Time seemed to pass the party by differently than usual under the hypnotic rhythm of fingers, shampoo, and water upon hair, light scents of lavender, jasmine, and hibiscus mingling in air, sweet sounds drifting from the harp and the young girl who plucked at its strings whilst cooing a piece more lullaby than ballad in the sweet voice of an angel young girls were gifted with but once in a thousand souls, and before the weary first mate may have realized a towel was being pressed tightly against him, knotted at the crown of his head to keep from getting loose droplets of water everywhere as the handmaiden dried him, only for a soothing motion of fingers and warm water upon flesh to begin anew what seemed to be moments later on his feet, from his right to his left, only breaking for the momentary pauses required to place a fresh coat of soap upon flesh before continuing the massaging motions where they had left off. All things must end, however, and soon a towel was placed against his flesh in lieu of fingers, then a cushion as Zenais rose to meet with Aspasia, by now finished shaving, tweezing, trimming and sponging the Grand Admiral’s, ‘irksome irregularities,’ away to his satisfaction so that his proper facial splendor might be restored in preparation for addressing their Queen in court upon the ‘morrow. Finished with the respective tasks, the handmaidens offered proper curtseys before asking, “Honored guests, is there else we can provide in service to you --, or shall we leave you to your rest?” Should they be finished with the servants Zenais, Aspasia, and the three young girls now in their company would take their leave of the men, and after checking in with their liege return to preparing for the feast now only a few short hours away.
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Post by aspenivan on Sept 24, 2014 23:09:26 GMT
For once, the Grand Admiral seemed content as things were, perhaps for no other reason than drink finally taking its toll on his energy. Kalwa Delviu, naturally, was more than happy to end the day's flurry of activity with a long, proper bout of sleep. Both sailors politely allowed the handmaidens to leave, and minutes later they were asleep. They hadn't even taken their baths, but that could wait until the next morning. As for the upcoming feast, both were confident that the crew would rejoice at the occasion to enjoy good food and high-status company. Neither felt himself to be missing out on much: Selman Reyid had been welcomed in enough courts and dined on enough fine dishes to satisfy several lifetimes, and Kalwa Delviu simply preferred the peace and quiet.
_
The next morning, bathed and trimmed, Grand Admiral Selman Reyid appeared before the throne of Queen Kallista Eudokia in his full uniform, with Delviu following close behind in simple green robes. The pair bowed deeply, and were sure to offer every proper greeting once again to the Lord of Juturna (and in Reyid's case, to announce every one of his own Great Titles). With the stage as set for negotiations as could be, the Admiral began,
"Wise and noble Queen, I have no doubt that you understand the unique position of your lands in the expanse of the Grand Survaek Empire. Juturna lays at the Far Edge of the West, beyond which lie the uncivilized heathens of the Wasteland Orcish Clans. And it has come to the attention of his Majesty Emperor Vokoryn II, Aed bless his name, that at least some of these barbarians are massing in unusually large numbers. As the Wisest and most Just of Lords, he has put at my disposal a number of resources, which I am to use to secure the defense of the Western border as well as our capacity to strike at the orcish infidels if necessary. For the glory of Juturna in particular, I have three marvelous projects in mind,
"First and most urgently, a pair of Imperial Forts at your westernmost boundary, to protect the outer villages, which are currently far from any source of military relief. With your Highness' permission, one would lie just West of your farthest village, the other North of there."
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Post by psychopathickids on Sept 25, 2014 0:42:09 GMT
The Queen introduced to the Grand Admiral just the day past was this morning a rather different creature, garbed in a silken gown black as the sky on a clear and moonless night but for the fringes and trim of the dress which were of the soft gold which had been her father’s colors, golden olive skin left bare about her shoulders and neck visible beneath the golden crown he had worn atop his head now standing tall and proper upon her own, studded with black diamonds and engraved with motifs reminiscent of the past glories of the Crowned Republic of Lucente in silver leaf about its surface, the base of the pair of solid silver scales he had born as his scepter grasped tightly in her right hand, ceremonial copper leaf shaped blade he had held in his left borne in her own. Standing at the entrance of her honored guest Kallista offered the best curtsey she was capable of without the aid of her hands to keep from becoming tangled in her skirts, proper and low despite the additional difficulties presented by the heavy scale scepter and ridiculous golden crown she bore, before offering an official welcome and taking her seat upon the throne from which her father had overseen court nearly so long as she could remember.
The Grand Admiral’s words almost brought a giggle forth from her lips, but Kallista managed to keep her composure despite the humor of the situation. Who needed spies when you had the empire’s representatives telling you everything you needed to hear? She had suspected this exact request from the start, even hinting at it to the man himself when Selman first arrived upon her shores. The Firetooth had no doubt refused the same request when, ‘offered,’ by whichever representative had been deemed fit to entreat their chief, and she was sure Selman was meant to send a two sided message to the young Queen of the Southern Shores. A respectful nod to her rather modest nation by sending so esteemed a representative rather than a simple councilor or secretary, though a reminder that the empire had smashed her city once before and were more than capable of doing so again should she not prove pliant to the desires of the emperor. Though she knew her father would flatly refuse the emperor’s attempt to solidify his grasp upon Juturna she was not so short sighted, nor as stubborn minded as he had been, and the danger presented her from the Firetooth as well as the empire itself was not lost on her. “This humble queen is honored by our beloved Emperor’s offer of fortifying our borders against the shifting polities of the Northern tribes, though I fear my people are already a modest and occasionally beleaguered one. I would gladly allow the Empire to construct the forts they desire so long as they do not infringe upon our preexisting resources, farmers and fishermen, and provide their own materials and supplies without requisitioning what little the humble citizens of the Crowned Republic possess,”.
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Post by aspenivan on Sept 25, 2014 3:04:47 GMT
"There will be need for laborers, masons, and bricklayers. My teams will happily pay for such work if there are Juturnans to offer it," the Grand Admiral offered proudly, quite happy with the Queen's relatively quick acceptance of the proposal. "And fear not for your people's well-being, we will bring all necessary materials.
"Moving on to the other proposed item..." Reyid's eyes began to glow in anticipation, "...I have heard that the magnificent city of Juturnapolis is still in recovery from its past troubles in war. I may have arrived in the seas of your people before as Conqueror, but today I would that I arrive instead as Redeemer, Rebuilder. I believe that we have common interests, you as Queen and I as Grand Admiral, Master of the Seas. It is common knowledge that your capital's East Harbor District lays all but empty, no less desolate than two decades ago but for shoreline hovels and the occasional fishing camp. I would be overjoyed to invest a great portion of my resources into renovating the district, under certain conditions. I will trade new commercial docks and guaranteed priority access for your merchants to New Byrnis' harbors, in return for allowance to construct in the district proper infrastructure to supply and harbor the great fleets of the Surv-Vyaez. Note that my Imperial allocations will pay for the construction of both new grand ports, and the only investment I would ask of you is to contribute half of estimated patrol and rest-stop maintenance costs."
Grand Admiral Reyid eyed the queen eagerly, green irises shining radiantly in expectation. "As a savvy merchant yourself, think of it as a mutually lucrative business deal."
_
GRAND SURVAEKOM OFFER:
Part 1:
-- Empire will construct 2 Imperial Forts on the Western edge of Juturnan territory
-- Will not conscript supplies or labors from local inhabitants, but will offer paid work to those who can contribute
Part 2:
-- Empire will fully fund construction of Trade Port and Surv-Vyaez Port in East Harbor District of Juturnapolis
-- Empire will immediately activate Surv-Vyaez Port upon construction
-- Empire and Juturna each pay 4 Gold once every 5 turns to maintain trade route, starting next turn (Turn 3)
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Post by psychopathickids on Sept 25, 2014 4:43:34 GMT
Now this she had not anticipated. A trade harbor and Surv-Vyaez port in the East Harbor district? It would be a welcome reprieve from the fears which had gripped her since reestablishing trade routes along the Southern Shores, fears that this day, or the next, or the one after that would be the day the Jotun clans, pirates or some as of yet unknown enemy descended upon her harbors and took all that which she had worked so hard to build from her, and from the citizens of the Republic. She was not foolish enough to think that the Imperial Army units to be stationed in the forts now having been mutually agreed to begin construction to the Northwest would come to her aide against any potential enemy besides the Northern tribes and, should they fail to appease their overseer to the South, perhaps the Firetooth, but if there were Imperial Navy stationed in the East Harbor district, and a Trade Port which remained mutually exclusively between Juturna and New Byrnis, it would be unthinkable that they would not come to the aid of their own tradesmen and trade ports in case of foreign attack. Perhaps this was a way of furthering Imperial grasp over greater and greater portions of the autonomy of the Crowned Republic, but if so it had struck a chord deep within Kallista’s bosom, a chord which commanded her to act immediately, and without hesitation, eager to see the fears as to the safety of her merchants and harbors put to rest once and for all.
“Laborers and skilled workers the Crowned Republic possesses in droves, and they will welcome you as a hero for providing them honest work and well-earned coin, Grand Admiral. As for the East Harbor district, too long has it remained bare and depopulated, and too long has what population it still possesses starved for the honest work and the opportunities afforded those of their neighbors in the West Harbor district. So long as my customs officers are allowed to collect the Crowned Republic’s due as their counterparts in New Byrnis are sure to expect of my own merchants you are welcome to construct a Trade Port and Surv-Vyaez Port from which the great fleets of our beloved Emperor are welcome to supply and harbor as they see fit. In addition, I would request the honor of renaming the district after yourself, and constructing a monument to your honor upon her harbors for public viewership, looking out across the Sunset Sea towards New Byrnis, to be finished after a customs house is erected in the district, and not to be postponed for any longer than the terms of our initial contract (5 turns) so long as you give me your solemn oath of honor that the shore battery and the sailors posted to the Surv-Vyaez Port will come to the aide of the innocent merchants and fisher folk of Juturna against pirates, Jotun raiders, or any force not part of a larger war against the Crowned Republic of Juturna or attack officially sanctioned by the emperor or the vizer of the North, any associated costs or losses of which to be repaid by the crown of Juturna not to exceed sixteen thousand jiien per season (turn),” after all, the sailors were neither paid by her nor sworn to the Crowned Republic, and she couldn’t expect charity of them nor expect them to become embroiled in a Northern war or act against the sanction of the empire they served, though without the promise to aid her innocent people against pirates and potential raiders it hardly seemed worth a simple trade port to allow the Empire such a firm grasp over the goings on of her sovereign shores.
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Post by aspenivan on Sept 25, 2014 23:13:56 GMT
Selman Reyid's expression stretched from pleased smile to eager grin to triumphant chuckle. "Haha! We have a deal, wise and noble Queen of Juturna!" The Grand Admiral's arms gesticulated wildly as he spoke, in typical Southern Tribal fashion sprinkled with a few more refined hand-motions acquired from Khaitis and Byrnian high society. For just this occasion, he had commissioned an enormous scroll which Delviu brought forth and opened.
Reaching across nearly the entire height of the First Mate, the scroll was nothing less than a piece of art. The treaty was written in Classical Survaekom calligraphy in illuminated manuscript, and the edges brimmed with vibrant colors and lively-painted miniatures detailing Surv-Vyaez victories, the city life of New Byrnis, and glorious renditions of Juturnapolis on blue horizons.
"The amendments you have just added, though implicit in this agreement, can be added explicitly by your own scribes." Indeed, the lower section of the scroll (except the painted margins) had been left empty for this purpose.
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Post by psychopathickids on Sept 26, 2014 1:04:59 GMT
"And have its glorious calligraphy tainted by the scribbling of Northern scribes less artiste than butcher? No, I think that unnecessary, esteemed Master of the Seas," and with a gesture of the Queen's hand a handmaiden came swiftly to her side, quill, black ink, a bit of hot sealing wax, the seal of House Makris, and parchment borne upon a tray in her hands. Placing the tray upon the right armrest of the former King's throne before hurriedly scurrying away, Kallista began writing a separate contract of her own, detailing the events and agreements made between the Southern empire and the Crowned Republic in court this day.
Looking up from her writing for a moment Kallista caught Selman’s gaze, wide amber eyes seemingly lost in ponderous consideration for a few seconds, before returning to the parchment,
Rising, quill and parchment in one hand, and the official Makris Seal dipped in black wax in the other Kallista made her way down the steps which led to the throne to Selman, offering him the contract she had written to look over as she looked over his own. All that was left, now, was for each to sign their respective documents.
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Post by aspenivan on Sept 30, 2014 7:05:24 GMT
Reyid, glowing with the pride of a conqueror, promptly signed in his capacity as representative of the Grand Empire. Kalwa Delviu added his name as a witness, and the deed was done. Formalities ensued, along with farewells and earnest good wishes. A relatively "normal" ending to a groundbreaking encounter involving perhaps the strongest personality of the Imperial military, Grand Admiral Selman Reyid. If one thing was for certain, it was that he would be back again to see what became of the district and monument in his name.
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Post by psychopathickids on Sept 30, 2014 19:15:26 GMT
A signature, the pressing of the royal seal of her House upon the elaborately decorated parchment presented her, and it was done. Two Surv-Akur Forts would be constructed upon the Northwestern border of her lands, supposedly to watch over the rebellious and quarrelsome tribal Orcs of the Western Wastes, though as she suspected more likely meant to serve as a forward operating base aimed toward the Firetooth whom had no doubt refused the Survaek’s generous offer of constructing identical forts and garrisoning them with the very same regiments who would fill those to be located in Juturna’s territory, and the establishment of a Surv-Vyaez Port in the East Harbor district --, or rather, Selman of the Seas Quarter, no doubt meant to serve as the Empire’s foothold in and out of the Southwestern region of the Northern continent. It had been a necessary concession however, the threat presented her newly established trade routes by Jotun raiders and pirates had been too great to simply ignore, and her own lands had no significant reserves of quality lumber to speak of with which they might construct their own naval vessels. Besides, even if the Firetooth were foolish enough to refuse the Emperor and his Vizer the young Queen of Juturna knew better; the polite, ’requests’ made by Southern councilors and military officers were little more than thinly veiled reminders that the Survaek had smashed their nations before and could do so again should their puppet-rulers prove less than compliant to the wishes of their foreign overseers.
The proper farewells and other formalities due an official session of court followed the two party’s respective signatures and seals upon one another’s documents, and in a display of normality unprecedented with regard to Selman’s rather gregarious nature their business was concluded, and the Grand Admiral was shown out by her royal guard along with his first mate and the rest of his men, most groggy if not delirious from the previous night’s festivities, leaving the Queen to her own small company of handmaidens and retainers in the throne room. Gathering herself before moving to retake her seat upon the throne which had been her father’s and gesturing to a handmaiden to pour her a goblet of chilled, carmine Southern Shores wine, she found her lone guardsman placing a hand comfortingly upon her left arm before knowingly asking of her, “Kallista?” in a way the two mutually understood to mean, ‘Are you alright,’ in the manner only two people who had known one another for near countless years could understand one another through tone and body language alone, prompting a smirk to come upon her lips. Grasping the goblet offered her by her handmaiden with the hand opposite the arm held by her guardsman she paused to hold the goblet to her lips, taking in a breath of the bittersweet aroma of the dark wine before whispering, “Snake,” and taking a delicate sip, the shrill tang of the strong chilled beverage momentarily masking everything else in its penetrating fashion.
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