Judicious

[Kysis]

"I did not know she would react that way.  The last time we ran in to you, things did not seem so.... hostile."

Kysis had cringed, even if slightly, at the blunt language Dagger used.  It reminded him of Lam in a way, which was not a welcome connection, but his mind made it none the less.  It was frustrating.  He could see a little bit of the other back and forth with them, interchangable.  Kysis wondered how much had rubbed off, from time spent together.  Hell, he wondered just how much time they had spent together.

For a moment he considered saying something more, but he doubted Dagger would like a conversation.  In fact, Kysis was very much against it himself.  He just wanted to get this done and overwith as soon as possible, and that first window was now.  NOW.

"I will take up no more of your time, Sir."

Kysis allowed himself another stiff bow before leaving, remembering to stop for a drink before returning to where Lam and the Prince were talking.  He was curious as to what their topic was, but did not wish to interrupt.  It seemed they were rather in to it.

[Existentially Odd]

Lam did her best to maintain focus on what the prince was saying, though she was slightly distracted by watching Kysis walk away.  It was rude not to maintain eye contact with her young charge though, so she looked back at him and completely missed the brief meeting of Dagger and her date, only glancing over again when she felt Kysis\' presence return to her side.

His just being there made her more able to relax and focus, and that was when she really started noticing something she should\'ve picked up on earlier (rather than letting her thoughts stray).  Hew\'s eyes were dancing - both with his silly tales and because she was sure that there was something he was hiding from her.  He had a perfect mask for when he was being deceptive - she was certain that even his parents wouldn\'t know half of the things he thought - but she\'d noticed in recent years that his eyes took on a certain light whenever he was up to mischief.  She believed that he was probably trained not to give information away, in fact, for what good was a king who couldn\'t sit at a negotiating table and keep his good hand a secret until it was time to play those cards?

When the prince\'s latest story came to its natural conclusion, she smiled serenely at him and decided she\'d prompt.  "And what have you heard tonight about Kysis and I, hrmm?  You seem to have overheard plenty about everything else, surely we rated a mention?" she hinted, raising her eyebrows and playfully batting her eyelashes at the young monarch.

[Trillian]

Hew\'s sparkling eyes dulled somewhat when she brought the topic up when her companion was once again at her side.  The young prince didn\'t really know what the fellow was like, except that his body language screamed his discomfort - as did his hasty retreat to talk to Lord Dagger (who was also part of the gossip that centralised around Lam and her escort for tonight).

"There\'s always talk, Captain," Hew said with a grin, then hurriedly moved the subject on.  "Speaking of which, there\'s been a great deal of discussion about the clergy of Talon holding a celebratory banquet on the season of the Full Hunger Moon.  My... the King declares its a travesty but the argument is that Royalty has little to do with Religion.  What do you think?"

He smiled politely at Lord Liari\'s return, and tilted his head at Lam, awaiting her opinion.

[Kysis]

Kysis felt very uncomfortable by the fact that he walked up and Lam just had to ask such a question.  He would rather find out some other time, some other way about whatever rumors might be spreading like wildfire about them.  There were sure to be a few.  Kysis was almost positive Lady Blake would be spreading little whispers here and there, no doubt calling the young lord a "screwtoy" a few more times.  Though greatly offended, he had yet to go talk to her about it.  That matter would remain untouched, especially since it was Lam\'s sister.  It seemed Lord Blake could handle it fine, anyhow.

The nervous shifting foot to foot stilled as the Prince changed the subject.  That was a welcome relief.  He was right, there would always be rumors.  Kysis had no idea why Lam would want to ask.  There was probably something to do with Lord Dagger in the mix.  Kysis was curious as to how many prying eyes had heard the earlier, more hostile meeting (not that the last one was any friendlier), and what tongues were wagging.  He would like to steer clear of the gossipers, if at all possible.  Though he was presenting himself forward for the wolves and inviting them to tear away, Kysis still liked his privacy.  Was there an equal balance to be found between wanting to be known and keeping his secrets?  Perhaps not, but he would surely try.

Kysis was curious as to Lam\'s answer, though. The duo had not spoken at all on religion, Kysis purposely skitting away from such topics.  People could become quite heated in such debates.  He was a firm supporter of Talon, for obvious reasons.  What would the Captain of the Guard be atune to?  Any time Kysis tried puzzeling through that, he got a stale-mate.  Part said Talon, without a doubt, but another spoke the same for Adora... That in mind, Kysis listened with a great interest.  This was a far more intriguing turn than what rumors were buzzing about.

[Existentially Odd]

Wilson looked at the prince worriedly, saying nothing but, "Oh," to his avoidance of the topic.  Coincidentally, Kysis arrived at about the same time as Hew sidestepped the question and tried to change the subject, so she wasn\'t sure if the gossip was so bad he didn\'t want to say it in front of Kysis, or so bad he wouldn\'t even tell her.  She sighed resignedly, wishing she knew but supposing she already did.  She also equally resented and appreciated the fact that Hew was trying to protect her and understood that that was something she couldn\'t - and shouldn\'t - change.

Despite his youth, he was a good friend to her.  She was very grateful for his presence in months just passed, when she was suffering from the loss of Dagger.  Although she\'d not said what was bothering her, she\'d always assumed Hew had known, for he\'d made training sessions and exercise runs that much easier to bear, listening intently whenever she spoke, never making a fuss that would antagonise her, accepting calmly when she was unreasonable and dismissing her frequent apologies afterwards when she admitted her error.  He was far more gracious than she; he humbled her.

With a gentle sigh, she gazed at the royal heir until she realised he wanted an answer and hadn\'t just said that in an effort to dissuade her from asking more questions.  She smiled marginally, having a quick answer, once she paid attention to thinking about his question.

"I think, first and foremost, that your father has a right to his opinion as man, as well as a figurehead; I\'d also have to say that I agree with him.  Holding a feast at the height of the moon where everyone else is starving or dong their best to get by with stores that aren\'t faring the best... well, it seems the best form of snobbery, doesn\'t it?  Even the palace keeps it\'s official functions to a minimum, so as not to build up resentment among the populace or promote the idea that you all have something others don\'t.  It\'s typical that the Overseer won\'t see things in an ordinary light," she told the teenager disgustedly, shaking her head.

"Royalty has little to do with religion, when royalty disagrees with stupid ideas, but it has plenty to do with it when they\'re looking for a boost to their funds down at the temple.  Bunch of hypocritical asses," she spat, not bothering to temper her language - as she should - in front of one so young and impressionable (who\'d heard her say a lot worse).

[Trillian]

"I believe the Overseer chose the Full Hunger moon for a celebration of death itself, Captain," Hew said with chagrin.  "After all, he collects the funeral expenses, so Talon\'s church flourishes in times of hardship.  Perhaps this is a manner in which to remind the public that Talon wishes His dues be paid."

Hew shrugged, knowing that his carefully chosen words were designed to spark an opinion, and Hew pretended not to like heated discussion a great deal more than he let on.  Religion studies were so very close to his political studies that he had a hard time separating the two.  The only difference was in the people, who cared vigourously about the former (or their chosen God to supply their faith) and very little about the latter, which had a more direct impact on their standard of living.

"Who do you follow, Lord Liari?" he asked.

[Kysis]

Kysis found himself in agreement with the Prince\'s assessment of motive.  It seemed entirely fitting for Talon, at least, made sense.  Though Kysis would not wish to attend such a thing himself, he could understand the purpose.  It was one of those major points that seperated Kysis from his sister.  Without things such as death and chaos and violence, Kysis would have no work, as weaponry went hand in hand with such things.  Alia, however, lived in constant fear of such things, wanting Talon to stay away for as long as possible.  It seemed the natural choice for those in hunger or illness to side with Adora.

But of all the questions poseable, that was one Kysis did not wish to answer.  For a moment he thought, considering the options.  He followed Talon; he would not lie and say Adora for the life of him (no pun intended).  However, there were ways to sidestep such inquiries, which he could not quite conjure up at the moment.  Kysis preferred to listen to religious debates rather than assert his own in it.  There was too much scruteny in the act, too many judgmental proddings.  A person was allowed to believe what they wanted, but at the same time would be subject to any number of attacks because of it.  The whole system was hypocritical.

After a moment of worthless thoughts that just cycled about without an end or solution, Kysis finally decided upon his reply, voice low and quiet but still audible, "Talon.  I do not believe the Lady of Life would smile upon my profession." Or my heritage, for that matter.  Kreos was a chaotic, bloody, death-filled place.  It had been for centuries.  There were old stories from that region, great conquerors coming from near there, tearing a violent legacy in their wake.  Any peace had been overshadowed by the terror, so if it was there...

Kysis could only hope he did not prick any nerves with his simple and to the point responce.

[Existentially Odd]

She was surprised by both their comments; Hew seemed ready to debate the wisdom of Talon\'s most devoted servant (or lack thereof) and Kysis had already decided to swear allegiance to the same God.  Didn\'t he have his own religion from Kreos?  It was true that they\'d never had the discussion, but she\'d assumed that he wouldn\'t change a lifetime of belief simply because he\'d relocated now.  Still, he might also just be interested in saying something appropriate to a member of the royal family; he did seem awfully quiet.

Giving him a look of vague concern, she shifted her weight slyly and shuffled her feet, making it seem as if her shoes were uncomfortable or she was trying to smooth her skirts by her movement.  She ended up nearer to Kysis, attempting to comfort him with her proximity, \'accidentally\' brushing his arm with her own.

"Yes, I see the point in the celebration, but I still feel it\'s gluttony and a good amount of flamboyance driving it.  It\'s as much Talon\'s time now as it is Adora\'s in the more abundant moons, however, and we never question that, so I suppose it\'s somewhat hypocritical to sneer at the Overseer and question his actions now.  I just feel it\'s in poor taste, the whole thing," she reiterated with uncharacteristic calm, offering a shrug to support her gut instincts.  Reason had her seeing the hypocrisy of her viewpoint; emotion would have her deny it.  It was best not to get too embroiled in such an argument, really, but... well, it was Hew and he liked a bit of controversy.  "Will your father be attending - will you be attending?" she queried, raising her eyebrows.

She was becoming more sharply aware that they\'d kept the prince aside for quite a while now and his aides were beginning to look ready to swoop in and wrest him away when she glanced around vaguely.  They were still hovering at this point, unwilling to snatch Hew from the Captain of the Guard\'s presence without good reason; she could feel their perusal like a layer coating her skin, though.

[Trillian]

A soldier that followed Talon, how dreadfully predictable, but then, so too did Mayhew believe that Lord Liara was spoon-feeding him exactly the information he thought the young prince wished to hear.  As the Captain estimated that the Greek would have his own religion, so too did Hew expect to hear a foreign name and then be told about the beliefs of a faraway land.  In truth he was disappointed to be told about Talon (though the reason why a person chose a particular deity fascinated him - he did not believe the Captain held Talon in her heart, though she showed at his church.  The royal family did not openly declare which deity they followed, and Hew was banned from making his own beliefs known, which made this subject in particular, a taboo).

"No, but he\'s very particular about which banquest he shows at," Hew replied succinctly about the attendance of his father, for the King would remain firm on his low tolerance of such a celebration (though would likely not ban it from occuring, lest he spark religious inspired protests and riots) and both he and Lam knew that there were an even number of banquets for each deity that the royal family appeared at - mostly the seasonal and certainly not the ones driven by worship alone rather than the celebration of an event.  As for Hew\'s attendance?  "And no," he said, though there was something in his eyes that shone, and his dimples deepened minutely.

[Kysis]

Kysis had been trying to avoid any long religious talk, with his quick and hasty answer.  It seemed they noticed too.  He took a sip of his unattended to drink, its seeming a bit bitter to him.  Either that or he was just feeling a bit bitter.  Talon was closely related to the current patron god of Kreos, Thanatos, so it was not a very hard transition.  Many of the ideas about the gods were the same, though the prayers were in a different religion, and the priests dressed a bit differently.  That, and any religious discussion would also bring out his extensive knowledge on the matter, which Kysis really did not want to do.

He could have his secrets, right?

A glance was cast towards the prince\'s aides.  Kysis really wanted them to swoop end and put a halt to this conversation.  The teachings of the young lord were bound to come out if this carried on any longer, and the last thing he wanted to admit to Lam was that he had been groomed for priesthood, if briefly.  His schooling changed only when the official announcement came that Ryos would not remarry and seek an heir, leaving succession to Kysis.  Definitely not something Kysis ever planned talking about, no matter how much it had impacted him.

He kept his lips sealed though.  He\'d caught the look of the prince, that questioning.  Kysis still prayed to Thanatos (on very rare occasions) though he went to the temple of Talon every so often, just to be safe.  Alia had completely abandoned all she had been taught in an instant, jumping ships to Adora without a qualm.  Again, understandable.....  Kysis just then realized his sudden quiet must have seemed a bit off.  He always presented himself in such a way when he did not know the people.  Kysis knew Lam, so she might think it odd...  Oh well.  That was just how it would have to be.

Kysis just kept to listening with interest.  He had already discerned that Lam must take to Adora, at least from the fervor of her argument.  The Prince.... was like an emotionless porcelain mask.  Kysis could not tell one way or another, which was probably how the young sir wished it.  He would not press on the matter.

[Existentially Odd]

She gave Hew a smile that tilted slightly towards curious, recognising the look in his eye but unable to decipher it.  The way he smiled made him look more mischievous than anything, his dimples flashing adding an extra element of attractiveness to his features and she wondered what he was thinking... but didn\'t pry.  Religion seemed to be a subject that had Kysis all gummed up and she and Hew had had enough discussions on the subject for this to be merely a pretense at conversation (Hew enjoyed discussing in private some of the things he wasn\'t really supposed to, knowing she would keep his secrets... though she knew she didn\'t have them all), so she didn\'t give too much thought to that little grin of his.

A throat was cleared behind her and she rolled her eyes for the prince\'s benefit, knowing what that noise likely meant.  "Well, Majesty, it seems we\'ve detained you long enough and, in truth, I\'ve had such a full day today that I am ready to retire.  I\'ve got a meeting with your father on the morrow, shall I seek you out for some training afterwards or do you think your studies will be too fascinating to escape from?" she asked sweetly, lifting her eyebrows and batting her eyelashes a little, already knowing the answer.

[Trillian]

"Even though my studies are fascinating, I should maintain balance between my mind and my body - therefore I would be pleased to see you collect me for training," Hew declared diplomatically, though he would\'ve loved to have jumped Lam right now and try to get her in a headlock (as she sometimes greeted him on the training field), but wouldn\'t that have been horrifying for everyone in this room?

Except maybe Lord Liari.

As Kysis failed to read the prince, so too did the prince find it difficult to understand the weapon merchant\'s thoughts and motives.  This point actually won his respect - though a person easily read did not lose it.

"I hope to meet you again, Lord Liari," Hew bid, and farewelled the Captain appropriately as well before being forced to turn heel and walk stiltedly away with his senior aide who insisted in hissing in his ear.

[Existentially Odd]

Lam turned to watched him go with an approving smile flitting about her mouth, allowing her gaze to wander over the gathering of nobles in the room from the point where she\'d last seen Hew.  She ticked them off an invisible list in her head as she went, finally deciding that all the ones that she felt were likely to be sympathetic to her or interested in looking favourably upon Kysis in the future had been spoken to.  There was no-one else they could - or should - be talking to which, as far as she was concerned, concluded their evening.

Hooking her arm around Kysis\' elbow, she gave him a slight squeeze and a smile as she looked into his eyes.  "How do you feel about giving our best to the judge and the king and heading home?" she asked him quietly, knowing theirs would be very brief goodbyes indeed and that they could be within the Liari carriage in under fifteen minutes, relaxing in her bed in half an hour; all he had to do was say that he was ready.

She was confident he\'d share her sentiment and be ready to leave the pomp and posturing behind them but gave a hopeful look anyway.

[Kysis]

Kysis nodded and bowed slightly as the Prince said his goodbyes, not feeling much up to talk, even if the conversation had been thankfully ended.  He wanted out of this "celebration" or whatever those attending were prone to call it.  In fact, he would rather enjoy the notion of never having to go to one again, but since that definitely would not happen, Kysis just let himself dream.  It took him a moment to snap in to what Lam was saying, the sudden contact at his arm jarring him to.

Forcing a smile, Kysis let his gaze sweep the gathering.  Yes, it seemed about the time to run away (and in his head, he was imagining the Athens tournament, when they were reenacting some battle or another the final day for laughs, and one of the men on the loosing side was yelling \'run away!  run away!\' in a bard\'s singing voice.  It was hilarious, to say the least) from all the prying eyes and suspicions.  Kysis would be all too glad to oblige, actually.

"It sounds a brilliant plan, m\'Lady?"  Kysis gave a little playful nudge, at the same time giving the silent \'lead the way\'.  He could see the Judge and King just fine, but it seemed inappropriate for him to lead the approach and speak a farewell first.  Lam knew both far better than he did, she worked closely with the King, so she should be the one to be social and jump first.... at least that was what Kysis kept telling himself.  Lam had done a good job of it so far..... and Dagger was not her fault.  That was probably the one time that night Kysis had spoken first, and seeing how terribly that went, Kysis figured it was best if he just shut up for a bit.

[Existentially Odd]

She smiled, relaxing already simply because it seemed Kysis was - even if his excitement centred on the fact that they were about to leave, enthusiasm from him was rare enough to value it in any form.  Especially tonight.

They were a veritable whirlwind of grace and humility as she led her fair-coloured partner around the room to all the groups they\'d conversed with, beginning with the two most important men, of course.  Promises for catching up and later appointments were made by her, in amongst explanations of fatigue and an early start at the guardhouse on the morrow - which wasn\'t true, for she wasn\'t going to work and her first official duty would be to visit the king whenever she woke up - and it all went smoothly.

The only hiccup occurred when she somehow managed to meet Lord Dagger\'s gaze and it filled her with an intense rush of emotions she couldn\'t process quickly enough to hide.  Most prominently, she felt ashamed and she wasn\'t entirely sure why... but she had a strong feeling it had to do with the way she\'d spoken to him, only to have him bow out of their conversation graciously.  It rankled as much as it shamed her and she knew she\'d have to follow up on it, lest these feelings continued.

Still, they were gone by the time she\'d predicted they would be, spirited away in Kysis\' carriage and on the way to her home.

(Continued in\'Judicious Retreat\')