Fine Line

[Existentially Odd]

Lam entered the tavern before Kysis (as he\'d opened the door for her) and looked around nervously, suddenly wary of who they might be forced to converse with in here.  It had seemed the natural alternative to the Falcon\'s Mask to meet their requirements of a good meal and the company really was far more refined, but the likelihood of running into nobles that they\'d met at the Judge\'s dinner the night before was much greater and that was not good.  Lam wasn\'t in a very sociable mood.

She\'d left Dagger\'s home in a haze of tears and retreated to her own to lick her wounds.  Curled up, alone on her bed, she\'d sobbed her confusion and heartbreak into her pillow, very pleased that Matthew was out and she could fall apart without an audience she needed to keep appearances up for.

She honestly didn\'t understand why Dagger would say such things.  Part of her was ecstatic that he\'d realised what he\'d lost in her (at last) but most of her was just bitter, feeling it was too little, too late.  Though... was it?  Although she\'d made a courting committment to Kysis, they weren\'t exactly married.  It would be easy enough to walk away from the baffling and quirky blonde and back into her former lover\'s arms, after a brief break up conversation and heartfelt apology... but... she didn\'t think she wanted that.

She also didn\'t think she was \'settling\' for Kysis in the wake of losing Dagger, despite his insinuations to the contrary.  That was the problem, really.  Sorting out her jumbled feelings was something she was scared to do partly because she didn\'t know where she stood with the younger lord.  She still felt awkward and confused around him so much of the time - a bully, the rest - that it was hard for her to face the genuine, simmering interest she had for him beneath it all.  Defensively, she could see so many ways they were wrong for each other (she was older, experienced, hated by his family and generally gangly compared to his grace) that she barely dared hope they\'d work out.  She was reserving her feelings as much as she could and stopping her heart from passing judgment on Kysis... well, she had been.

Now, she found she couldn\'t.  She needed to frankly face what she already felt and could potentially feel, and decide whether he would be as passionate a match for her as Dagger had always been.  The thing with Dagger of course was... well, their passion and their history.  She\'d grown into a woman loving and sleeping with him, to the point that he was like an extension of herself in part.  Only recently had she been severed from him enough to take breath on her own and face her life and future frankly.  Familiarity had never bred contempt with Dagger but it had smothered her, to a degree.  She\'d grown in the months she\'d been apart from Dagger, her goals for herself only becoming firmer and her equilibrium restored; no more was she on tenterhooks, wondering whether he\'d visit or whether she\'d walk around a corner one night and find him kissing some pretty young thing in an alley.  The extremes of emotion she\'d experienced with the man and his philandering had contributed to their passion, whether he saw it that way or not.

Frankly, it hadn\'t been all that healthy.  The highs of being with him and worshipped physically by him could never fully erase the lows of knowing he shared himself around or just... kept himself apart for whatever reason he deemed it necessary.  Sometimes she\'d go a month before he visited her for whatever reason, and the whole time she spent in an agony of wondering when she\'d see him next, playing silent games with herself of debating whether she should make the move and go to him but not wanting to lose face and be the one chasing, so staying home and being despondent, hoping desperately he would come to call, with the occasional ceremony in between where, again, she couldn\'t touch him whenever she wanted but would have to wait until an opportunity to sneak away arose...

The sneaking around was a big thing for him.  When he asked her not to leave him, she wondered if he\'d fully contemplated what her being with him would entail.  No more deception or secretiveness - and she thought that that would dampen their passion, to a degree.  There was definitely something intoxicating about public indifference and secret intimacies being mixed, and that thrill would be gone.  They wouldn\'t have people speculating about them and trying devious ways to get information about them anymore; everyone would simply know that she and Dagger were a couple and that would be that.

She\'d bear a good deal of criticism now, of course.  Had she and Kysis not publicly dated, it wouldn\'t be anywhere near as bad, but if she bit the nut at the root and decided she would break from the blonde and then suddenly (instantly) appeared everywhere on Dagger\'s arm, people would talk and she\'d likely undermine some confidences with her apparent philandering and indecisiveness. Plus, there was the fact that just imagining the scene hurt.  The image of her and Dagger together was an old one; the hurtful part was the contemplation of ending things with Kysis and sending him back to his solitude and his big, empty manor with a bitch of a sister and a sappy, devoted servant as his only company in a foreign land.  She hurt for him and she hurt at the thought of being without him.

That had to count for a lot, surely.

Every time she would get close to a rational and definite conclusion though, Lam would think about something one or the other of her lovers had done and the tears would start anew.  After an hour, her head was aching from crying and she felt miserable, so she got up and busied herself with drawing a bath.  At some point, her leg muscle had given up torturing her but she made the water extra hot so she could soak for a good long while anyway, and took great pleasure in the redness her skin gained from scrubbing with the soap as well.

The only conclusion she was able to definitey draw was that she wasn\'t settling for Kysis but that she still didn\'t know how much they could mean to each other.  She was afraid of letting herself fall so completely in love with him that she was entirely dependent upon him for her happiness, as she had been with Dagger.  It hadn\'t been healthy... however, in an ordinary relationship like a marriage (as she anticipated she and Kysis could experience), it would be perfectly safe.  But how was she to know if they\'d survive marriage?  Well, as far as she could tell, forced companionship on the journey to and from Kreos would likely sort that out.

As for Dagger... the fact was that her feelings for him were still undergoing a metamorphosis.  Whenever she was close to him, the physical side of them overwhelmed her senses and dominated her thought processes but now that she\'d spent some time on things, she could see that... well, they hadn\'t exactly had the perfect relationship.  Her feelings for him had changed when he told her with certainty that he didn\'t want to alter their relationship; something willful and neglected had risen up and irrevocably skewed her view of him.  He was selfish.  He\'d guided their relationship according to his hangups, while she\'d surrendered to his whim willingly, allowing him the control.

She didn\'t like it now.  She didn\'t like thinking about always deferring to Dagger\'s dictates because of one entreaty and she wasn\'t sure that he\'d change... enough.  Was he not enough for her now?  This thought also made her cringe and feel terribly guilty, like she was undervaluing the grand love they\'d shared, the epic romance, the blinding passion and intense couplings... but what had all that got her, in the end?  A few heady orgasms, some maddening emotional reactions and some haphazard moments of togetherness (with a whole cartload of loneliness the norm).

No, if she and Dagger were to pick up their relationship, it definitely couldn\'t be the same.  She deserved better.  She didn\'t doubt that they could make it work but she did doubt that he would be willing to try it her way.  Kysis, on the other hand, was her equal and partner from the outset.  If anything, she was the dominant person in their relationship, but he\'d showed he had the spine in him to stand up to her when his feelings or desires were pressed.  He was a worthy opponent, as well as an exciting and intriguing partner and... truthfully, he fit her better.  She just wanted to be sure she wasn\'t \'settling\' - that bloody word was beginning to haunt her, Dagger\'s words cutting her to the quick, as they always had.  In thinking that, however, she qualified her thoughts by reminding herself just how far she and Dagger had come together, of the rough times in her career he\'d supported her through, of the way he\'d been there when it counted...

She\'d eventually sighed and got out of the tepid water, finding very little relief in her thoughts and noticing that the afternoon light was diminishing.  She\'d promised Kysis she\'d get to his place as soon as she was able and, though nothing was clear, she felt she was able to at that point.  She needed to see him.  Dagger stirred her passions and her emotions, but Kysis soothed her.  She highly doubted she would tell him of her visit with the older lord - and certainly not of the kiss they\'d shared, a lady was entitled to some secrets, surely? - but she couldn\'t force her melancholy mood to shift enough that he wouldn\'t notice.  There was nothing for it but to take the risk, though.

After she\'d styled her hair by pulling the freshly-washed top half back with a comb, she\'d dressed in a simple, lightweight pair of pants, a dark blue tunic and her black cloak, and met him at his home with the news that she\'d had a tougher than usual training session with the prince and was feeling a little \'off\'.  The news that the king had approved her leave brought a smile out of her, but it was about all she could muster as she asked if they could leave to eat now, while she thought she still had an appetite (and she could tell he knew there was something wrong as soon as she said that, given he\'d never known her appetite to waiver - especially after an arduous training session).  She was glad he\'d agreed and she\'d been quiet on the walk over, holding his hand and mulling over him now that he was beside her, continually thinking...

"Where would you like to sit?" she asked as she looked back at him, walking in behind her, her heart giving a gentle sigh in her chest at the sight of him.  He really was very good looking and... hers.  How, by Talon, could she be \'settling\' for one so grand?

[Kysis]

Breakfast had felt a little awkward, to say the least, but once that was over with, Kysis started feeling a bit better.  Matthew knew the trip was coming, one step forward to them actually taking it.  Now they had only to see what the King said of it, perhaps Fredrickson too.  Kysis still felt rather bad about that whole bit, like he had been a thief in some sort of way.  Even though Lam had insisted that he wasn\'t, Kysis could not be so sure.  Fredrickson much have viewed Kysis as a theif, perhaps worse.  Who knew?  As soon as Lam was off to get her day going, such thoughts desisted, thankfully.  Kysis had his own business to go about with anyway.

The morning training was solo today, which felt odd but that was how it was for the month plus before Rico arrived.  Kysis tried not concentrating on it though.  His left hand could close comfortably around the hilt of his sword; that was no longer the problem.  A few swings and Kysis discovered that his hand could not grip correctly, the sword slipping numerous times.  A little later he found out that it was because he could not feel his palm at all, making gripping propperly impossible.  With a sigh, he switched back to the right.  He had gotten good enough with his off hand, but it was frustrating, his left still crippled as it was.  The local doctor in Kreos could take a look at it, and his eye again, see if there were any changes.

It was a first, but Kysis realized he missed Tiberias.  Yes, he missed Ryos, but that was his uncle, he was supposed to be missed.  Kysis breathed a sigh, relaxing from his stance as he tried recalling the criticism Tiberias would have offered for that routine.  The man had trained Kysis as much as Ryos had, would hopefully have stuck to Kreos even after Ryos\' passing.  If not.... it would be a sad loss.  Kysis went back to his routine, this time paying close attention to his every move the way Tiberias always had.

Kysis felt better once at least part of his normal routine was fulfilled, though the manor seemed strangely empty.  He walked around for a while, making sure everything was where it should be, going through the finances as much as his brain could tolerate.  He spoke with Alex for a while, wanting to use his native Greek while Alex wished to practice his English a bit more.  Both got accomplished, Kysis even managing to teach him a bit more in the process.

It was a slow day, all in all.  Kysis aided a few people in the shop, a few quick demonstrations for humor.  By the time Lam was over, Kysis had already bathed and was quite glad he had strayed away from blue when changing.  Deep rust red was the hue for his doublet, black for the undertunic, pants and boots.  It did nothing at all for his eyes, but Kysis was hardly thinking about fashion or that sort of mind when chosing.  That was Alia\'s deal, not his.  It was the same attire he wore back at that courtyard maze, which he had not thought of or remembered either, but it was.

Kysis was not feeling very social either, all the more since he had never been to the Scowling Boar.  His father had a few times, told Kysis it was a noble\'s place, upclass and uptight.  It made him wonder if any from the gathering the night before would be there, and he hoped that would be a no, too.  Talking to them again would mean putting that stiffling mask to use again, which Kysis had not wanted to do any time soon.  Oh well.  Such was life.

But as where to sit, "Is one place better than another?"  Kysis allowed his gaze to sweep over those there, not recognizing any faces.  Then again, people tended to blind together in his mind, unless they had some detail that stood out blatantly.  Lam\'s red hair had helped on that front, making her more memorable than all those others he had run in to during his Oberon stay.  Should it be called stay?  Kysis felt he was settling in to the city well, liked it enough that it would not be just a \'stay\' if he got his way, "Or are there people to avoid?"

Both seemed very possible, so Kysis was curious while at the same time being indecisive, pushing the decision back on to Lam in a subversive sort of way.  If he decided a place that ended up being terrible, Kysis would feel bad for a long while about his often unfair karma (some of the Eastern traders were absolutely obsessive about it!  Kysis just thought on it to be on the safe side).  So, he waited for her answer, all the while looking around, getting a feel for the place.  It seemed awfully green....

[Existentially Odd]

Her mouth twisted as Kysis gave a typically logical answer - as always, untouched by passion and ruled by rationality - and she sighed quietly as the decision fell to her to make.  There was no point arguing with him about the fact that it always seemed to be her job, because it was an undeniable fact that she was the local and always the one with the greater knowledge wherever they went.  She was looking forward to seeing the roles reversed in Kreos, though she did feel worried at the fact that she wouldn\'t even be able to understand what people said.  At least Kysis was able to speak the local language fluently.

"No, not really," she informed him as she looked more closely at the patrons within the room.  A few nodded to her - namely, her brother-in-law, the Lord Blake, who was huddled at a table with a fair-coloured, younger man - and their gazes slid to take in Kysis at her side before they returned to their discussions.  No-one that was likely to cause her trouble was there and especially not Dagger (to her undying relief).  That said, he wasn\'t very likely to be gathered around the tables where people took their meals anyway - true to his habit of not doing anything to the norm, he would be upstairs in a snuff room possibly playing cards if he was here, having eaten at his home, in all likelihood.  His new cook probably gave him a lot less to complain about than Irene had.

Her decision made, she led them to a table positioned directly in front of the stage, with a good amount of space around it.  It was in a fairly obvious position towards the centre of the eating end of the room, but she figured she and Kysis had nothing to hide and the couple at the table adjacent to theirs were finishing their meal, so they wouldn\'t be lingering within earshot for long.  The other tables were littered with diners in various stages of eating and they would have had to sit close to someone no matter where she chose - the couple nearest their table weren\'t really known to her, though the man was familiar on sight and she had a feeling he was a merchant of some sort.

Almost as soon as they\'d sat, they were approached by a serving boy who took their order.  The standard meal tonight was roast lamb and vegetables, which pleased Lam because it was her favourite meat.  The smells in the room had revived her lagging appetite to the point that she asked for a loaf of garlic flavoured bread and a honey mead to accompany her food and she was able to smile with the anticipation of its delivery.  Once Kysis had placed his order, she leant her elbows on the table top and folded her hands around them in an habitual pose, leaning towards her partner slightly (she was rocking onto the front two legs of her very stable chair, too, which the polite bit of furniture was not meant to do).

She wanted to ask how the rest of Kysis\' day had gone and what progress he\'d made in organising his affairs for leaving but she feared the question being turned back upon her so she decided to jump in first and steer the discussion elsewhere, bringing up the future instead.  "How many nights do you plan for us to stay in Kreos itself?" she queried.  "I\'m just wondering how many clothes I\'ll need to take - I suppose I\'ll have to manage to pack a few dresses for formalities?"

A small smile was mustered at this, for if she had her way, she would only need travelling clothes and some lighter pants and tunics once they arrived.  She had no idea on Kreos fashion but she gathered that she would be expected to be wearing dresses for the most part - even if only to impress his parents with her femininity - and wanted to know what she should select.  Of course, she had only two casual dresses stored in her armoire at her aunt and uncle\'s place; the rest were extravagantly materialled or decorated and designed pieces for formal occasions.  For his title ceremony, she would like to have his opinion on which to take (another reason to drag him over there to meet the relatives - he could go through her wardrobe with her), though she was leaning towards the maroon one she\'d worn the night before.  It was simple in its design but hung beautifully on her without having too many fussy additions like bows or beads.

[Kysis]

Kysis followed Lam\'s line of sight as she acknowledged someone, the Lord Blake.  Thankfully, his wife was nowhere to be seen, drawing a slight smile in their direction.  That was a relief.  Kysis was glad when Lam chose a table, without very many people in close range.  It was good to know they would not be so closely judged as the night before, or at least that was what Kysis told himself as they took their seats.  He decided to order something which sounded very Oberon, knowing full well that their lamb was sure to disappoint a discerning Greek who was very used to the way home cooking made it taste, and that anything "exotic" here would just be a somewhat pale comparison of the actual foods he had tasted there.  So, something Oberon.  Kysis was curious to see what it all tasted like.

"Formalities?"  He thought for a moment, trying to consider what possible formalities Lam could be referring to.  The ceremony?  It seemed Kysis had to clear up a few things, "I don\'t believe anything formal would be needed.  Maybe a casual dress at best, but.... the ceremony is outside, in front of the city.  There is no need for anything dazzling.  Just a speck of dust..."  The last sentence was muttered under his breath.  It would be warmer in Kreos, that was for sure, and Kysis would rather Lam be maneuverable than dressy.  That was a rule of thumb in Kreos.... which would also have to be broached at some point in time.

And the language issue.  Kysis had not thought about it before now, but Lam knew no Greek, and most of the people in Kreos knew nothing but Greek.  The Liari Keep was a different place all together.  The personal servants, such as trainers and what not all knew Greek and English, for the purposes of guests.  Some knew Latin, depending, but Lam did not know that either....  It seemed like they would have to be together all off the time, no choice.  Kysis tried not getting nervous at the thought, "I would suggest more summery clothing for Kreos, though.  Greece is nice this time of year."

[Existentially Odd]

She was dismayed to realise that she\'d never contemplated the difference in climate as they journeyed southward.  She\'d heard it was always warmer the farther one went but she didn\'t know from personal experience.  Oberon had more or less shaken off its full snow blanket now, but there was a crispness in the air that defied an immediate shift to less-protective clothing.  Her attire in Kreos really was going to take a lot of thought.

"I feel... quite... inexperienced at this," she sighed, giving him an appealing look.  "Out of my depth.  I\'m sorry, I just imagined that your ceremony would be much like... well, like last night, really.  I just assumed, unfortunately.  It shows that I\'ve never travelled or experienced any different culture, doesn\'t it?" she muttered, giving a self deprecating laugh of awkwardness.  "I really hope I don\'t embarrass you."  This was a very real and growing fear now.

[Kysis]

"Not at all.  Kreos is very different from here.... and historically, Greece has always been a bit odd."  Since he had stated it, Kysis figured he would also have to explain it.  He fixed his eyes on the stage floor to speak, as if he was sweeping up the words he planned to use and could get them from no other place, "No one will bow to me or treat me much different from anyone else, unless they are foreigners.  Well, some do, but most do not.  It is a.... equality sort of thing.  All I do is make sure the land is guarded and properly managed, no more."

Kysis felt he was downplaying the title a bit, but that was how it was.  He owned the land, he managed it.  The people made their own choices and voted for their own laws.  That was the way Greece had always been, though, at least when under their own rule.  Rome had changed things a little, but now that the last of imperial rule was gone, things could go back to normal.  The Serenissima to the west wanted to put Greece back under a republic system and the sultans to the east wanted kingship of the land.  Kysis just wished the both of them would just give up already, seeing as they had failed and failed again in all past attempts.  The Greek people could be stubborn when needed.

Knowing that he could no doubt talk for days on the subject of his homeland, Kysis decided that it was best if he allow Lam questions, which could pinpoint the information needed so he did not babble.  He hated rambling.  That sort of exercise was done in his mind, thoughts that no one else bore witness to, which was how he liked it.  Kysis wanted to appear calm and collected and lordly, not like some indecisive serving boy he often acted, "Ah... it might be best if you ask, what you need cleared up.  I might never get to the point otherwise."

[Existentially Odd]

She gave him a wry look, widening her large eyes at him slightly.  "In some cases I am completely ignorant and very glad to have you just talk, you know," she admonished, hungry for any and all information he could give her.  It settled her somewhat, to hear him speak of his home land; with so much she didn\'t know occurring to her the longer she put thought into it, his voice and his wording were the only things that could reassure her.

"I\'m beginning to feel that... well, that I know so little, anything you say will be informative.  I should probably have you teach me a few phrases in case I get lost but... that can wait \'til later," she mused, coming to a hasty decision.  In fact, they had the whole journey southward to practise things she would be able to say to people - Do you know where Kysis went? would be top of her learning list - for now, she needed to know what would successfully get her to the country.

"I need to know how different it is and in what ways.  You said once that it was a violent place, should I bring my weapons?  My armour?  And just how much warmer will it be?  You still didn\'t say how long you thought we\'d be there - will there be time enough to launder everything we wear on the way down and... well, they have soap and things like that down there, right?  Water pumps?  Baths?  Outhouses?  Will we be staying in the same house as your parents or... do they have their own house and we\'ll be situated at your keep?  Do you have servants?  Will there be a place to keep the horses?  Do you think we\'ll need to take one or two pack horses, because I should probably go and speak to Gallagher about... that... " she trailed off, looking at his expression.

She\'d asked a lot of questions in a short space of time, she suddenly realised - right after she\'d told him she was happy to simply sit and listen.  She pressed her lips together lightly, signalling that she would be quiet and wait for him to answer now, a blush highlighting her cheeks as she stared somewhat helplessly into his blue eyes.  She didn\'t even look away when their food was placed on the table before them, so intently was she \'listening\' to him now.

[Kysis]

A smile had broken out on his lips as the questions began to unceremoniously spill everywhere.  By the time she finally pressed her lips together he allowed himself a little laugh, glad that he had asked.  Even though she claimed to want him to just talk, she had a great many specific things she wished to know.  Teaching her a little Greek would be nice, a light to this upcoming week and journey.  Just showing her the keep was one thing, actually passing on a bit of his culture via the language was an entire other, which excited Kysis entirely.

Luckily his brain was taking notes, and even the food getting set down did not break his chain of concentration.  He would answer every question he could remember, and hopefully not miss any.  This would be an interesting test...

"Marcos says that Kreos has calmed a lot since I left, not my fault, I swear.  Not a suit of armor, though, that would be too stuffy and slow if something did happen.  A weapon might be handy, though." Can\'t I get at least a chance to protect you, even if once? "I do not know how long.  A week at most?  Or however long you would like, if you like it.  Yes we have soap."  At this Kysis had to laugh.  He was too much of a clean freak to exist in a place without soap, "And yes, there are servants.  They have their own manor closer to the ground\'s gates.  My parents are probably situated near the forges, where Ryos used to live from.  We would be staying in the keep itself."

Kysis took a moment to pause, glancing over his food and deciding where he would start once this whole business of answering the first onslaught of questions was overwith.  There would be enough of a cool-down between for a few bites before the next surge would.... by Talon, his brain was doing it again!  Kysis decided to get back to those answers, "Kreos remained in Roman control much longer than even Rome itself.  Some of the areas in the city have plumbing.  It is a pain to keep working up to par, but it is rather nice."  One of the herbs used smelled too inticing to let sit for any longer, Kysis taking a small bit of potato and giving it a try.  Not bad, for a northerner, "And the pack horse issue depends upon how much you plan on taking.  I don\'t have to bring as much since I have all of my other possessions back in Kreos but you.... I have a special saddle made for carrying large amounts of gear.  We should try packing it to see if everything fits?"

With that a deep breath was given, Kysis taking a sip of beverage.  He was rather pleased with how in depth all of his answers, and was almost positive he had answered everything.... minus how different it would be.  That would take the course of the next few days to get out, and still Kysis doubted he would be able to explain in terms Lam would understand without actually seeing.  Greece was at a clashing point between two different worlds, it seemed, so it was a blending of all those different sides haphazardly thrown together.  It was one of those \'see and believe\' sort of deals.

[Existentially Odd]

"Plumbing?" she frowned, not understanding the word he\'d used and picking it out because... well, frankly, she\'d understood everything else.  Images were forming in her mind, of the property Kysis governed and roughly how everything was situated upon it; she then imagined anonymous people populating it and started to create a scene in her mind that she would work with and amend until reality corrected her fully.

While she waited for him to expand on his terminology, she began eating her meal, glancing up to him from watching the meat be cut and back down again while she collected some vegetables on her fork.  She frowned as another question occurred.  "Are your parents the types to expect us to dress for dinner?  Will we have meals with them or... only once or... not?"

[Kysis]

"Plumbing is...."  Kysis fished, having used the English word in hopes that it would sort a few things out.  Apparently not.  It took a few moments and a few bites of food before he finally had all the words gathered, this time up from his plate which he had been staring at, "There are pipes that carry water all through the houses so there are taps to draw baths inside and the like."  Kysis hoped that cleared matters up, seeing as he knew little else about plumbing.  It was there and it worked, that was all he really needed to know.  The Romans had been using it for centuries.  They invented it.

And now for the rest, "You will probably only see my mother if we seek her out.  She takes all meals in her office."  Kysis did not want to go in to just how secluded his mother was.  She hardly even seemed a wife, with how she had her own room stacked with books of scripture and little glass figures which had been gifted her over the years.  Yes, she had two children, but that was as normal as she would be.  Kysis had gotten much of his isolationist mannerisms from her, "If you want to dine alone there, or out in the city that is always possible.  Marcos may be entertaining guests during our visit, so if you wish to be around him, you would have to suffer their company also."

It felt like he was hardly doing the hectic state of Kreos justice with how focused he was on specifics.  Kysis could try explaining it on the long journey.  They would definitely have the time then, and he would be more comfortable with giving finite details at such a time.  Kysis was enjoying the food, which he ate at between sentences.  Most of Kreos was not as proper as Kysis, as that had also been passed down from the matron.  Lam would no doubt notice.

[Existentially Odd]

She could only blink in wonderment at the concept of plumbing, deciding she\'d have to see it to understand what he meant and... well, she was best to not question without the advantage of sighting it first.  As for his parents... it was an odd situation that, once again, she couldn\'t anticipate a presentation of.  Something else she would have to see in action to understand.

"Oh.  Well... uh, I didn\'t have any particular desire to spend time with your father necessarily, I just... sort of... expected that we\'d share a formal meal with them so they could... well...

meet me?  Will they even care that we\'re together?  That we could end up...

will we even see them at all?  I\'d thought that a meeting would be... desired?" she hazarded, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks once more.  She decided to stare at her food, just in case his expression showed her that he was genuinely surprised by such a proposal and that she really wasn\'t all that significant after all.  "Oh well," she finished lamely, shrugging as carelessly as she could.

[Kysis]

"Of course I want you to meet them.  I mean, they are a bit odd but..."  Kysis sighed, staring at his own food as well.  He wanted her to meet them, but in his mind not all meetings had to happen at meals.  Marcos would no doubt want to talk with Lam a bit away from Kysis, probably more about business than anything else.  He had dealt with the Oberon guards before, so it might be.... friendly?  Arna refused to come out of her little hole in the wall, but he would make an effort.  The woman would never approve, but he at least wanted to inform her about the possibility rather than leaving her in the dark all together.

"We can do a formal dinner with them.  I will talk to them once we are there about that." And if I can get Arna out of her hole for this, it will be a miracle.

Nodding, Kysis glanced over to his right again, turning his head slightly.  Once the serving boy had passed at a good distance away, Kysis went back to his food, nibbling now.  It seemed as if he was sending the wrong sort of signals all the time, which was frustrating.  He had even been trying harder and yet.... sighing, Kysis took a few more bites of food, trying to get his mind back settled in to answering these questions again.  He wanted to know what Lam had to say first, but he would be ready.

[Existentially Odd]

"Oh no, don\'t do that!  Just... I\'m speaking from Oberon habits, I understand that - it just comes back to me wanting to know what clothing I should take, to be properly prepared for a climate it sounds like I\'ll be totally new to," she grinned wryly, looking up into his eyes.  She felt exceedingly uncomfortable with this topic and decided she\'d have to change it somehow.

For a little while, she made it appear she was engrossed in her meal and listening to his answer on the matter of dining with his parents but then she managed to settle on entirely different topic - that was more relevant to her knowledge base, as its implementation was far more imminent - and it became apparent that she was mostly waiting for him to finish speaking before she voiced her newest question.

"Do you have a tent that you prefer to use, by the way?  I have one that is designed for two people but I take up a good amount of the space within and the quarters would be... cosy, to say the least.  Does that sound alright to you or should we endeavour to get something larger during this week?"

[Kysis]

He nodded slowly, understanding fully that their cultures were different.  Kysis had begun to understand Oberon a bit more, but Lam had not gotten a chance to understand Kreos.  He would have to be patient with her, explain things in different terms over this next week and then the travel time, too.  It was good that Lam chose a new topic, getting his mind off the line of his parents and what duties he would have to adhere to while there.  There were certain things Kysis would not know until he arrived, so they were pushed from the forefront of his mind, more important things to fret over anyhow.

"That should be fine.  My only tent is rather small."

The other tents were not his, and not in Oberon.  Marcos had taken a great many things with him that Kysis could have found a use for.  Things that Marcos could have gotten another of when back in Kreos, no less.  It was frustrating at times, but.... cosy meant comfortable in that closed, warm sort of way?  Kysis thought that over for a moment before deciding it had to, nodding again.  As far as he was concerned, a bedroll under the stars would be fine, but with the weather it probably wouldn\'t, at least not until they neared Greece.  So the tent was fine by his account, if Lam also agreed upon it.  Since she would be the guest, he was leaving a great deal of the decisions up to her.  Kysis was comfortable with almost anything.

The voice of the servingboy made Kysis jump a little, head turning sharply to see him.  Kysis breathed a sigh of relief.  The boy only wanted to know if anything else was required, at which Kysis looked to Lam for the answer.  He was perfectly satisfied by not getting snuck up on, silently wishing he could approach from the left for comfort sake.  Kysis did not speak on it though, waiting for Lam to say something.  The young lord was sure the question was directed at her anyway.

[Existentially Odd]

She was taken from her contemplation of how much room there would be in her two person tent and whether something larger might be in order anyway by his startling reaction to the servant merely being polite.  She\'d been thinking that if it rained and they needed the tent for shelter, they would have to be curled around each other in the centre to avoid touching the sides and discouraging leaks, which might be alright unless he was in one of his impersonal moods... when he flinched and took all her attention for another reason.

Frowning vaguely from Kysis up to the boy, she mustered a polite smile and told him that the meal was fine but that she\'d like another honey mead (she seemed to have finished her first rather quickly).  Kysis was then asked if he\'d like another drink before the young man scuttled off to fill the order.

"Are you alright?" Lam asked her partner once they were alone again, the frown deepening.  "You seem a bit... touchy... ?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth, however, when they were interrupted again.  Another young man - the fair coloured one that had been sitting with her brother in law when they walked in, in fact - stepped up to their table on the opposite side to the one the server had just vacated, to Lam\'s right.  He cleared his throat lightly to gain attention, looking first at Kysis and then at her, expectation and interest glowing in his deep brown eyes.

"Good evening, Nolan," she said evenly, slightly miffed at the nineteen year old\'s rather austere implication that she should introduce him before he spoke; certainly, it was polite in most cases, but with the very proper noble breeding this boy had undergone, Lam knew what lay beneath his attitude and the haughtiness rubbed her entirely the wrong way.  Especially since he didn\'t greet her by name, but deigned only to nod at her.  Still, she kept her voice calm, giving away none of her annoyance as she bowed to the inevitable and introduced him, hoping he had a point for coming to hover over them.  She turned her gaze from the tall, narrow-shouldered boy to her lover and back again.  "Lord Liari, I would like you to meet my nephew, Nolan Blake.  What can we help you with, Nolan?"

Instead of looking at her any longer, Nolan was now beaming at Kysis, his left hand thrust out for shaking and an expression nearing worship on his bland countenance.  "I wanted to compliment Lord Liari on his fine weapons demonstration the other day and ask him, how long have you been practising the art of swordsmanship, sir?"

Lam\'s stare shifted from Nolan to Kysis, wondering what he\'d make of this question.  It was a rather stupid one, truth be told, but it was just the kind of noble claptrap that opened up all conversations and Nolan was a product of his environment.  And his mother, as was obvious in the way he ignored her.  Lam hadn\'t even known the boy was allowed knowledge about weapons; as far as she knew, Hannah detested her paternal connection with the guards so much that she\'d prevented both her sons from training - though Theodoric enjoyed a spot of polite fencing so she supposed he might have had some influence after all.

Frankly, she didn\'t know her nephew, so for all she knew, he could be looking to trade weapons or become some sort of fighting expert (she highly doubted it).  The only one of Hannah\'s children she\'d ever had conversations with was Dirk and that was only because he\'d gone through a rebellious phase where he defied his mother\'s instruction and hung around the guardhouse.  She\'d let him see everything she did, rather liking the attention, but he hadn\'t been back after she\'d been swung at and then promptly vomitted on by a cantankerous drunk she\'d been wrestling into the cells one afternoon; it was likely a bit too much reality for his noble sensibilities to endure, which had disappointed but not surprised her.