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Verchovai Daxia Yurisdotter

“Starlord Kassia is ineffable.”

Daxia shrugged. “Then? It would not have been a compliment, even on the day she handed me her sword. There was still too much for me to learn about the world before I could even fathom the debt I owe her, to admit the depth of gratitude I have for her. And she still terrified me!

“Now, when I still have so much yet to learn? Well, perhaps. Perhaps it is a compliment after all.

“And she meant for me to learn a lesson in my twice daily toil up the path from the well carrying a bucket that was more sieve in one hand, and a whole and useful bucket in the other.” A small and almost secretive smile began to spread over her features. “Even leaky buckets have a purpose, da? And, as Gilly said, are we not all leaky buckets? She did not need to add that none of us is perfect, but in our imperfection we can still make important contributions.” The Dayalan’s smile grew then, but there was an abundance of affection held there. “Although that was the first evening I had ever beat Kassia at Doublebluff, it did take a long while for my brain to figure out that Gilly meant everyone is a leaky bucket... including her sister.”

Then she chuckled. “Somewhat the opposite of what Kassia instructed me prior to my first day in your mother’s Court... that my attention should not be on the Khorall or the visitors or the trappings of the Court, but on the Heir. How many months passed before I managed to not be dreadfully obvious in my observations of the Heir? My head still hurts when I think of the thumpings Kassia would administer to my head if my attention so much as threatened to wander.”

She glanced at Kay, who’d been similarly thumped by Dandy only moments before, then returned her chin to her knees when Kisa leaned against her legs... the side of her head resting against the back of Kisa, red hair mixing with red hair.

“It’s an odd balance where the two sides of a coin have been split into two coins and flung to different parts of the world, but da... it’s a balance, I suppose.”

Daxia nodded slightly, as one must when one lazily rests one’s chin on one’s knees, as Kisa spoke of the upcoming Council session.

“While the people of Brockman’s Holdfast might not agree — and I don’t necessarily like to see it — the annexation of that Family into Montague restores a sort of balance. Corliss was a Noble Family at the end of the Second Age, and you — well, your Family — set that to rights. Brockman and Montague aren’t meant to be separate, and neither Family is balanced. Though I suspect it might take more than annexing Brockman’s and a few generations to restore the Family to what it once was... though from some of the things Kay has said, they might not have been the most noble of the Noble Families even then.”

She closed her eyes a moment, looking at the knot and nothing that were the Paths, then shrugged before opening her eyes again. “It might keep Montague from pulling itself to pieces if... maybe? If the current generation survives.

“But the ninth Family, the Konstantines...” Daxia glanced again at Kay for a second. “...is still unaccounted for... so again there is a lack of balance.”

“The Khorall Korie will also likely be wondering where the ore shipment he... hmm... wished to obtain might be. It’s true that we probably traveled much more quickly than a caravan of wagons, but we did encounter some delaying events along the way... rescuing fair ladies in distress, slaying demons, breaking curses... you know, the usual sorts of things Knights do, I suppose,” the Dayalan said lightly, and then raised an eyebrow at Dandy before continuing more soberly. “We made a side trip past Brockman’s, too... to pay our respects to Mikal’s family. The Khorall may not expect wagons pulling up in his fancy courtyard, but by now I would think he’d be expecting some word of it, at least. And he’s not going to get it.”

Oh, yes indeed... Daxia did so hope Captain Koromov’s tale was at least interesting enough to make her forget the regret she was feeling at not having the opportunity to be pummeled again by Baris Ironhand.

“Would that give him cause for worry... for paranoia... for surprise? Or would he see that as simply an acceptable delay in the realm of doing business?”

And was far better for him to be interested in Khorall Allaine’s plan than in the Heir’s plans, for Kisa played a far larger game. Even Dazi knew only the aspects of the game where she was to play some part, and precious few details at that. Be out in the world was really the only thing she knew with certainty, even today.

She looked at Kisa and smiled fondly. “That’s because if I call someone a bookworm it’s not insulting, it’s a compliment. Scholars are special people, Kisa, and I have a lot of respect for someone who can devote their lives to learning all manner of things from books and scrolls. Even that odd Eye of Hastur outside Bordertown, although a bit on the condescending side, was really interesting. And even if Lord Tray is a scholar because it is all he can do as an invalid, that doesn’t make it any less valuable.

“I want to learn everything about everything — I think that’s partially your fault, by the way — but I can’t spend my life being a bookworm because I need to rescue people, slay demons and avatars and truly horrible people, break curses, and whatever else my Lady Dayala... or my heart... or His Magnificence... believes needs doing.”

Dazi raised a hand and tapped Kisa once on the top of her head before wrapping the arm around her legs again. “You’re a mischief maker, my friend. Now I want to meet this Lord Tray, and find out all the interesting things he’s learned. I can imagine that might be frowned upon by the Khorall.”

Dazi looked up at Kadri. “But if his youngest brother happened to have mentioned to his new wife the extent to which the Lord Tray reads, perhaps it would not seem out of place for this young woman of Amber to seek out a person with such vast knowledge of the world that can be contained in books.”

She gave Kadri a mischievous half smile. “There’s certainly no need to play the fool, Kadri, but how many people outside this room know all the things you have done, know all the places you have been? There are things you learned growing up on the Plains of Kaa... there are things you have learned while hiding from your brothers... but there are things that come from books that you don’t know. Wouldn’t honest curiosity about someone who is a scholar, honest curiosity about what manner of information is contained in all those books and scrolls be a reason to seek out your Husband’s brother? Especially given that he is your Husband’s brother, and scholars are quite the oddity to you?” she asked with a wink.

Then Dazi grinned. “And Kadri... you can be many things to many people. You can hide in plain sight like Kay, or you can call attention to yourself like Dandy. You can appear hard and dangerous like Dama Talia, cheerful and kind like Khorall Larsen, shy and thoughtful like Dama Kisa, innocent and a bit scattered like Squire Dean — no offense intended,” she added, look up at the young Squire in the corner of the room.

She nudged Kisa lightly, then stood so she could lend a hand to her friend. “Shall we escort you to your room, my Lady?” she asked, clearly making an attempt to appear serious. “Lady Kadri surely has much to consider... and Captain Koromov has a tale I’d like to hear.”

Daxia waited while Kisa gathered her tiles — saying goodnight to Kadri, Mikal, Cesare and Dean — then, with Dandelion and Kay Koromov, escorted the Allaine Heir to her rooms.

<fade to PM... possibly... probably>

Mikal

He had frowned deeply at the talk of 'allowing' Montague to annex Brockman's. At Daxia's further comments about 'balance', he snorts.

"May Krysta take each and every Montague above the age of adulthood before their time. You want balance? That will bring balance." Still, he is careful to say it in a voice that doesn't carry.

Kadri:

She snorts.

"I see no balance in the eyes of the Montague. Now, or in another generation raised by the current one. The eyes I have looked into only contain dark and violent souls."

She motions to Mikal.

"That is a noble man. The Montague are merely people with titles."

She stands.

"I am going to bed. On the morrow, I think I must meet with father, and then perhaps with my brother in law. For that, I think I will need my sleep."

She bows to each in the room in turn. Dazi. Dama Allaine. Mikal."

Then heads towards her bed.

OOC: Cesare intends to try to find rope, return to the others to catch up and place oil (& possibly rope) wherever Mikal wants them, eat, rest a while and then go and explore the lower level to learn his way around. Then he'll go back to his room and get what sleep he can.

Bekkah

She watched Romana enter the cell.

"Good evening Romana. Sleep well. I think tomorrow may well be a very long, tiring day. Such is often our fate. But at the end of that time, you will more fully understand the life we have chosen. That I can promise you."

She turned and went to her own room.

[ooc: She will go to the poor section with Romana. Unless she was desperately needed elsewhere, it is what she would have done regardless.]