Noble Blood, Noble Heart?

[Yanahalqah]

Vhalar 26 Arc 717

Yana rapped her knuckles against the door, three knocks in quick succession. She hoped the esteemed Baroness of Astedia would have someone open up soon. She’d hear that nobles liked to keep people wait to make themselves look busy, and as a sign that people couldn’t just call on them at whatever time they damn well pleased –even if they had an appointment—no, one should be grateful to get to meet a noble in the first place. The longer one could make one of lower status wait, it was said, the more impressive they were to other nobles. Yana had once heard of a man who’d waited for two and a half breaks to meet with the lord who owned the land on which his farm was located. He had come to beg the Nobleman to deal with a wolf problem. “One such as yourself cannot even dream of having me at your beck and call. It’s quite the opposite, you see”, the man had allegedly stated when the farmer had had the gall to complain about it.

This better not be such a situation. Whether your blood was blue, green, red, silver or purple, if you were warm blooded or coldblooded, an appointment was an appointment. Being fashionably late was a concept invented by idiots unable to tell the time. Punctuality was a sign of good manners, and Duke, King or beggar would be judged all the same by the pitying eyes of someone looking at them as if they were retarded. A bloody appointment was a bloody appointment.

Truly, Yana wished that she could just walk away if the door wasn’t answered within—nay. The door was the least of her trouble. They had servants for that. What came after was what she dreaded; waiting in the foyer until someone bigheaded found she had waited long enough now. That truly was in bad taste. If she could, Yana would walk away right then and there, but she was here doing her job, and not doing your job was perhaps in even worse taste than keeping someone waiting. An appointment was an appointment, and a job was a job. It mattered not if either of those weren’t to your liking. Yana did not want to be here either, but unlike if she’d come for personal reasons, she could not just leave when she decided they were wasting her time. No, she had to endure. Endure and do her job while nobles disregarded the silent, unspoken rules of making an appointment.

Stuck up nobles and their entitlements.

Truly, even if this assignment had freed her from the stacks of paperwork, the false Eídisi wasn’t one bit glad she’d been the lucky one to draw the short straw. Perhaps one of the other Stewards might envy her, but she’d rather go back and file reports all trial. If she could, she would have swapped places with someone else, but the Captain had sent House Andaris a letter that Saeri LaChasse would come pick up the esteemed Baroness Celeste Andaris right away. There had been a date and a time specified in the letter, which had been shared with Yana, naturally. So she couldn’t push this onto someone else at all. Unfortunately.

The reason why the Baroness would request a bodyguard from among the ranks of the Iron Hand to accompany her to a charity was beyond the Yludih’s scope of comprehension. Surely the House Andaris had their own bodyguards, better in tune with the quirks and personalities of their masters and mistresses. Why not use those instead of requesting –obviously more a ‘you will’ than an ‘it would be great if you could’ kind of thing—an Iron Hand officer, more capable than an ordinary Knight. No doubt the higher ups had rolled their eyes and decided that a Steward, only one rank higher than an ‘ordinary Knight’ would fit the criteria perfectly.

It was a polite way of flipping off the nobles, Yana supposed, in the same way that making someone wait in the foyer for an ungodly amount of time was a –supposedly—polite way of flipping of your visitors.

Polite my ass.

It was just plain rude. She knocked again.

[Celeste Andaris]

Celeste was really not looking forward to this outing. She had a charity event to attend, representing the Duchy and it was likely to be full of squawling children with their oh-so-very-proud parents. She found the whole thing tiresome and really did not fully understand why they could not just be happy with her throwing some money at them. Her lips lifted in a smile at that thought, very well aware that she, personally, did not really have that sort of money to throw. Still.

Squawling children and grateful parents. It was a celebration of successful adoptions and a sort of publicity stunt for those who were still awaiting a match. She was acting as a focal point for them, using her title to make sure that they got lots of people in. Preferably rich people who either couldn't have children or couldn't find anyone to have sex with them. Either way, perfect adoptive parents, she was sure. Putting the last touches to her make up, Celeste looked up as Phillipe, her chief of staff, came in. "What is it?" Celeste asked. He looked put out which, for Phillipe was a slight, minuscule difference between that and euphoric.

"I am sorry, my Baroness, but your guard has fallen ill and so we have a new one. From the Iron Hand," he sounded like he was offering her a piece of dirty linen and his nose wrinkled as he said it. Celeste smiled, her mind ticking over. "That's fine. Male?" Phillipe shook his head. "I am afraid not. A woman." Celeste nodded, satisfied. "Perfect. I'll be right down. I trust that you have made her comfortable?"

"But of course!"

And, indeed, she had been made comfortable. The door was answered very quickly, any perceived delay surely a figment of Yana's imagination. Once she was greeted, her weapons removed from her whilst she was in the house, of course, she was taken into a very nice sitting room. It was white marble, open space and comfort. Cream and subtle shades were the order of the trial, it seemed, and within a few moments, a woman walked in. She was tall, blonde and absolutely stunning. Come to that, she dressed well, too, her slender frame hugged by a black dress. It was far from immodest but she had dressed to take advantage of her form.

"Good trial, I am Lin Scottfill. I am personal assistant to the Baroness. She will be down here shortly. To clarify, in the first instance," she said, gesturing for Yana to sit if she had not (the butler who had shown her in had invited her to), "you should stand and address her as 'my Baroness', or 'my Great Lady', after that 'my Lady' will suffice. It is important that she is seen, that she is public, but it is most important that she is safe and protected. Do you have any questions about the assignment itself?"

No matter what else you said about her, Lin was efficient in her job.

[Yanahalqah]

Waiting by the door wasn’t the problem at all. As expected the front door was answered fairly quickly –though Yana had been counting the trills and bits, and found that the speed was still somewhat lacking—because letting someone wait at the door would be bad publicity. No, no. Nobles had waiting rooms for that sort of thing, where one could do just what the name implied.

But the door at least was answered in a decent manner, a dapper man –though his choice of clothes did not allow anyone to mistake him for anything but a servant-- swinging it open. Yana greeted him without showing any of the impatience she felt, introducing herself even though her attire did all the introducing for her, and was promptly allowed entrance. She followed the butler –or whatever the term was pompous nobles liked to use for a servant of his position, chief of staff, maybe?—into a sitting room of sorts. After her weapons had been removed, of course. Yana wasn’t sure if this was merely a form of politesse they desired of her, or if they were legitimately worried she’d go on a murderous rampage through their estate –if the latter, they would be dearly mistaken, as a good soldier was never truly neutralized even if they were disarmed, though she supposed they could hardly tie her up. Nevertheless, they showed very little trust in the woman who was soon to be accompanying their esteemed baroness, armed and all. Naturally, Yana had simply handed over her weapons when they had asked her to.

The sitting room itself was … nice. Very beige and white, if anything. The Yludih wasn’t an aspiring interior designer, nor did she truly care about such things, her own room being very spartan and lacking anything remotely decorative. Still, the room she was in now wasn’t unpleasant on the eyes, though it didn’t warrant a closer observation to marvel at it either. She refused to show these people anything close to that. Besides, a second and more scrutinizing look around might alert hidden enemies trying to get the jump on her. Not that there were any, but if there were, Yana would rather have them think she hadn’t noticed them yet, only to quickly strike them down once they decided to attack.

After having told her to make herself comfortable, and that he would inform the baroness that Yana had arrived, he left, and someone else took his place. A woman this time, dressed in a black dress that accentuated her figure. Yana wasn’t quite sure if the secretary –oh, please excuse the plebian term, the personal assistant—was merely very confident in her assets, or if her employers enjoyed the view. It might just a bit of both. Either way, Yana introduced herself once more, knowing fully well that it was most likely quite unnecessary.

When the personal assistant motioned for her to sit –which Yana hadn’t done yet—she would if the other woman would sit as well, if not, she’d remain standing. The reason for this woman’s arrival seemed to be a lesson in etiquette, which was not appreciated, though the information was still nicely filed away, as nonsensical as it might be. Call someone by their full title once to stroke their ego, then just keep things practical. All right, got it.

“Understood, thank you very much,” the false Eídisi spoke politely instead of scoffing at the explanation like she felt the urge to. Bloody nobles. She could roll her eyes though, as her white Eídisi orbs made it very hard to see them move. Still, she refrained from doing that too. “I have a few,” she confirmed, listing them mentally. “As this is a social event, I assume the Baroness does not want to have a large entourage with her.” It wasn’t really a question, even though it sounded vaguely like one. “Am I to be her only protection during this outing, or will there be others keeping an eye out undercover? And will someone else be joining us, or is it just the Baroness and myself?” Both were important bits of intelligence necessary to keep the esteemed Baroness safe and sound, and might prove crucial in her protection.

► Show Spoiler

You know, I’m starting to get the feeling my dear Yana has a rather strong disdain for nobles.

[Celeste Andaris]

Lin sat, relaxed and confident and she seemed to be entirely at home in her surroundings. Her posture was naturally excellent, she didn't seem to hold herself formally, yet her back was always straight. She listened to Yana's questions and she gave a polite, neutral smile. Folding her hands in her lap, she answered with a friendly, if surface, politeness. "The nature of undercover work is such that it is on a need to know basis. You do not." Fair play for trying, but the hired soldier did not need to know any more than was absolutely necessary. "And I will be with you, also. Your priority, first middle and last is the Baroness." Lin glanced at the door, then at apparently some sort of a signal or, perhaps, she simply recognised the sound of the footsteps. It would be impressive if she did, for there were people going past throughout the conversation ~ it seemed to be a busy household.

However, whatever it was, it was accurate as in walked Celeste. Yana would be in no doubt as Lin dropped a curtsy, "My Baroness," and then to the young girl holding Celeste's hand she smiled and added, "my Lady." The young girl in question had pale skin and long black hair with a serious expression on her face. She held on to Celeste's hand tightly and looked at Yana with interest. "My Lady," Lin said to Celeste, "this is Saeri LeChasse, of the Iron Hand. This is Baroness Celeste Andaris and Lady Ala'ni Andaris."

Celeste smiled at Yana, her expression polite and she spoke in a quiet tone. Of course, as soon as she'd walked in her pregnancy was evident. "Thank you for coming at such short notice, I'm sure there are a hundred other things demanding of your attention," petty little unimportant things, but still. This woman was a member of the guard and, as such, Celeste was polite. "I trust you have been made comfortable?" The little girl who held on to Celeste's hand watched the exchange and, when they sat again, at Celeste's bidding, she sat close to her. However, at Celeste's very gentle urging, the young girl spoke to Yana. "It's a pleasure to make your a..acqua...," struggling over the word, she looked to Celeste who lowered her head and whispered to her. "It's very nice to meet you." Then, without missing a beat, she turned to Celeste and said, "may I go and play, Mama?" Celeste smiled and nodded, kissing her daughter on the forehead as she turned and walked out of the room, obviously fighting the urge to run.

"Forgive the delay, my daughter wanted to meet you. She would like to be in the guard when she grows up." Celeste looked between Saeri and Lin and raised an eyebrow. "Are we ready to go?" Lin nodded and, unless Saeri had any further questions, they made their way out of the building, to where a carriage was waiting. Celeste sat in the carriage, looking over notes which Lin had handed her as soon as they sat down. She was very focused as she read the dossier one more time.

"This is an orphanage, many of the children there have been orphaned by attacks following illegal use of magic. Basoness Andaris will be meeting the children. The purpose of the event is to attract potential parents for the children so, following the time with the children, she will be taking part in a group discussion, for want of a better word, with potential parents." Lin could reel the itinerary off without needing to look at anything. Celeste lifted her head and spoke, "I don't want the children to be scared, or the potential parents to be put off." Lin nodded her head, then continued. "The Baroness has brought toys for the children, so will be giving them to them." Celeste pointed to the list she was looking at, "Lin, this has changed. There is a new name here." Lin glanced over at it, "Yes, my Lady. You are meeting eleven children, not ten." Celeste frowned slightly. "But I wrote the labels on the gifts for the other ten. I would always rather do that myself, in future." Lin nodded, "as you say, my Lady."

When they got there it was a pleasant building, light and bright. The staff were obviously very pleased to have a visitor and there were, it must be said, quite a lot of people. First, Lin explained in quiet tones to Saeri, Celeste would meet and greet the staff, then go into the play room with the children before meeting the potential parents. And then, as the carriage door opened, it began.

Off Topic

I'm happy for you to assume Saeri heads off some trouble, or that there is none, up to you. There are definitely undercover security around the place, though.

[Yanahalqah]

This job, Yana decided, was troublesome indeed. She had surmised as much when she had drawn the short straw, but the interaction with the secretary proved her hypothesis right. Perhaps there wouldn’t be any trouble per se, but the job itself most certainly was. The work ethic of these people differed from her own, and that was annoying the Yludih. The haughty “you do not” did not make things better, as Yana believed she very damn well should know about this. The point of having undercover security was to alert the bodyguard of potential threats, and to take said threats down covertly if possible. To better protect the charge, teamwork was a must. Now though, Yana had no choice but to think of the situation as if she was on her own.

Despite her suspicions that there would be undercover security –why wouldn’t there be?—she could not rely on their help. Well, either way Yana was going to get blamed if something were to happen to the Baroness, she reckoned, but now the chances of that happening had increased. No communication, no coordination, only trouble. At least she didn’t need to worry about the secretary. It was good to know, she could be slaughtered at her feet for all she cared, and her focus would remain on shielding the Baroness. Splendid. “Understood.”

Baroness Andaris walked in, and Yana stood –as instructed. With her right fist against her breastbone, she offered a shallow though polite bow. Gentlemen bowed with a flourish, ladies curtsied, and the military had their own way of doing things. Perhaps if she hadn’t been in uniform, she might have curtsied –though the idea was repulsive—but she fortunately was here on business. “My Baroness. My Lady,” Yana echoed, straightening back up.

Celeste was quite right in her assessment; there were indeed loads of things that required the Yludih’s attention. Admittedly, most of them were reports that needed writing or reviewing, but she’d rather be filing papers than going through with this charade. “We are rather busy, indeed, but I am grateful for the opportunity you have afforded me. Requests like these are a rarity.” Praise the Seven. Still it was indeed a good opportunity to make an impression. For better or worse. Had she been made comfortable? “Verily so, my Lady.”

They all sat, and the young girl at Celeste’s side spoke up, stumbling over her words, then switching to something more manageable. Yana gave her a polite nod. “Likewise, my Lady.” And then she was off again, her stride showing great restraint.

With the introductions out of the way, the three of them headed for the carriage, Yana retrieving her weapons on the way out. Apart from her sword and shield, she also had a dagger on her person, but no bow, as that wasn’t a weapon well suited for use in a crowd. Not only her weapons but also a leather barbute as well as the trademark cloak had been stored, as Yana had found it to be proper manners not to wear headwear or cloaks indoors. In a sense, her uniform had been incomplete in the foyer, but now it was complete.

The carriage ride itself went by rather quickly, and though she did not say anything, the Yludih did listen attentively to what was said, committing the schedule to memory. The door opened, and Yana left the vehicle first, taking up position next to the door to while scanning the crowd. She identified the best locations for placing undercover personnel –in her opinion anyway—and kept an eye out for them. Usually, she knew, those people blended in quite nicely, though there always was an aspect of tenseness and alertness in them that you wouldn’t see unless you were looking for it specifically.

In the meantime, the coachman who’d opened the door of the carriage had offered Celeste his hand to help her gracefully out of the carriage, which she could accept or deny as she pleased. He offered the same courtesy to Lin as well, though he reckoned she didn’t need any help at all.

As they descended the carriage, they would see a small welcoming party consisting of the Matron in charge of the orphanage, as well as the Benefactor, who actually owned the place. Last was one of the children’s teachers, an old crone who seemed to be the de-facto vice matron. All three of them were absolutely delighted to meet the Baroness, and greeted her according to the proper etiquette. It was the owner who took charge, leading Celeste to the building over a red carpet which had been laid out over the short walkway for the occasion. He babbled on how honored he was to have her visit his orphanage, as well as how excited the children had been to meet the Great Lady of House Andaris –especially the girls, as many had dreams of being a Princess or Lady when they grew up—on the way to the building itself.

Yana fell into step diagonally behind the Baroness, close enough to interfere immediately if the situation called for it, but far enough to not be in the woman’s personal space too much. It also allowed her an overview of the situation, which was always as good thing. Though she sincerely hoped nothing out of the ordinary would happen this trial, she knew all to well that she couldn’t and shouldn’t let her guard down. Her failure would be a blemish on the Hand’s good name after all, which would be disastrous for her career. On the other hand, success and a pleased Baroness would give her career a nice push upwards. It was only natural that Yana would do whatever was in her power to achieve the latter. No matter how much of a bother it may be.

► Show Spoiler

Leather Barbute: -5gn

[Celeste Andaris]

Immortals save her, but the soldier girl was a suck up. My lady, verily, next thing she knew she'd be wittering on in forsooths and whomsoever. And opportunities like this? She was grateful? Celeste wondered if it was a starving puppy craving attention or an adult in front of her, but she would have to do. Evidently, she must have better backbone on the field than she did in the drawing room, but that was fine. Some people were born for the pursuit of simple things.

The carriage ride was business-like and full of information, as Celeste was used to. Lin was very good at her job and Celeste hated to waste time. When they got there, though, she took the hand of the coachman and she smiled in apparent pleasure at seeing the people there, making sure to greet each one, remembering a small detail from the information Lin had given her. She chuckled at the thought of the girls wanting to be Princesses or Ladies and allowed herself to be ushered in.

And from there it went on. The meeting with the staff was polite, people had obviously been schooled in what to say. Celeste spoke with the Matron, who she recognised as the true power here, saying that she had taken the liberty of bringing a few small gifts and she hoped that this was acceptable. Celeste worked, for want of a better word, by being charming. She had exquisite manners, of course, and she was charming. Her ability to read people really helped her and she chatted with the staff with an ease born of being born into this sort of role. Then, when she met the potential parents, she handled them with calm and an almost graceful way of being. One of the couples seemed rather aggressive and she did not ignore it, she spoke to them particularly. They wanted to adopt a child, they said, but it was all so expensive and whilst there were rich people like her who didn't, poor people like them, couldn't.

Celeste smiled and looked at the man, whose wife was shushing him now. Lin shared a glance with the Matron, shaking her head slightly. She knew that Celeste would not want this man taken out of the room. Instead, the young Andaris heiress spoke. "I have an adopted daughter. My eldest child, Ala'ni. Her birth parents were taken by the fever in Krome when I first visited there and was visiting the soup kitchen my now-husband set up. Whilst I can not speak to other people, sir, I assure you, this rich woman can and does. She is my daughter." It took the bluster out of him and he started to backtrack, but Celeste did not let him. "But you are correct. There is nothing to apologise for, these children have been orphaned by no fault of their own and yet, some parents are denied to them, because of coin. So, I will speak to the Matron and set up a regular donation, to be used in order to facilitate adoptions by parents who maybe can not meet the initial outlay."

He had no argument. Then, when the rest of the questions were done and the discussion had, Celeste moved and went to play with the children. It started out with them being very formal but she brought out the gifts and it ended with the pregnant young heiress of Andaris sitting on the floor with the children and playing as easily, apparently, as she did with her own daughter. When Lin told her it was time to leave, however, she did not argue and whilst she waved and blew kisses, she did not linger. Bidding the owner and matron farewell, she made her way back to the carriage and was helped back in. Where, she turned to Saeri and smiled. "I am sure that was almost terminally dull and far from the opportunity you made it out to be. Nonetheless you did well, thank you. Lin will put in an appropriate good word with your seniors." Not superiors, the woman had at least earned that, though she might not recognise it as anything at all. "And should we be doing something quite so tortuously dull for you in the near future, I will ask for you by name." Was it a slight glint of amusement in the Baroness' eyes? Perhaps. Lin lowered her head for a moment, hiding her face. She was used to Celeste and her ways by now, after all.

It seemed, though, that Saeri had at least made a good impression.

Off Topic

50gn deducted for 10 x gifts for children (wooden toys / dolls etc)
200gn deducted as donation to the orphanage
Ledger updatedThank you for sharing a job thread with me! Would be fun to do another, another time!

[Yanahalqah]

Yana had gotten the feeling during their initial conversation --the pleasantries if you will, though they were just about the opposite—that her choice of words might not have been the best one. It was difficult to see, as the Baroness of Astedia was well versed in the ways of politics and interactions with people of all sorts of standings. Subtle as the signs might be though, Yana was quite an efficient liar, and recognized the minute quirks exhibited by those making an effort to keep the polite expression on their face. Well, to be fair, the woman had been showing signs of it the whole time, so it could just be that she either did not want to waste time talking to a commoner, an Eídisi, or a member of the Hand. Or perhaps Yana’s gut was quite right.

To be honest, Yana had thought this would be an easy thing to do. Just go in, be polite, compliment the hospitality when asked, thank the woman for the opportunity. All things the Yludih had believed to be well suited towards giving the other a favorable impression of her. However, now it seemed this was not the case. Had it been too much? Or was it just that the Baroness wasn’t convinced by her tone of voice, the neutrality of it? Still, if the Baroness, hypothetically speaking, had not desired for such positive responses, Yana surely should not have given her real thoughts on this affair, now should she? Bah, this was exactly why the false Eídisi had preferred not to be chosen for this assignment. Of course, she had been picked, and she had decided to make the best of this opportunity, for it was indeed a rare one. Whether she was a member of the Hand or not, there were very few opportunities to interact with nobles, let alone get the chance to make an impression.

And if it turned out that the impression made was far from positive, at least the Yludih had been given food for thought in regards to future interactions. Not all was lost.

She said very little afterwards, not because she felt too uncertain to speak now, but simply because she wasn’t the type to talk a whole lot anyway.

For the most part, she really did not do much either, simply observing as the Andaris acquainted herself with the staff and the children. Some of the boys were interested in her armor and the sword on her hip, and though most did not really have the guts to approach. The staff redirected any who did too. Most importantly though, the Baroness was handing out toys, and those easily stole the boys’ attention away from Yana. Thank goodness.

Except for some incident where a couple thought it was a good idea to challenge Celeste in a battle of words. Worse yet, they hadn’t done any research, choosing to battle with assumptions that were handily turned against them. Yana wasn’t quite sure if the woman was just showing off or if her passion was genuine, which ultimately showcased her skill as a politician quite well.

Indeed, Yana had a lot to learn. So she paid attention to what was said and how the Baroness said it, and learn from it.

Other than that, nothing really happened, despite Yana being prepared for whatever disturbance that might come up. The RCA made no moves, perhaps content that nobles were aiding orphans, ulterior motives or no. Yana really couldn’t care less about the why, the important thing was that they did not show up.

When the Baroness stepped back into the carriage and smiled, Yana was reminded of a snake. There was a shrewdness about it, and the words spoken confirmed her thoughts on their initial conversation. However, Yana was not going to just agree, even if she’d have no other reason than principle. For a moment, the corners of her mouth curled up in the slightest of smiles, as if the Baroness’s words were amusing.

“Not at all,” she spoke, “The safety of my charge is more important than my own preferences in these matters, would you not agree.” It wasn’t really a question. She nodded then. “Thank you very much,” she said, “I would appreciate it.”

The odd thing about that? She wasn’t even lying.

[Arlo Creede]

Review: Rewards

Celeste

Knowledge:
Cosmetology: Tiny finishing touches to make up make one look polished
Cosmetology: Dressing for pregnancy
Intelligence: Know as much as possible before an official visit
Intelligence: Learn little details to ensure that you are well received
Intelligence: Consider tiny details, even down to gender of your guard
Intelligence: When visiting children, gauge how your guard will react around them at home
Intelligence: Know names before you arrive
Persuasion: There's nothing as persuasive as proving them wrong

Points: 15 (These points may not be used for hocus pocus)

Fame: Ten gifts (+20) Large cash gift (+15)

Yana

Knowledge:
Etiquette: how to address a Baroness
Etiquette: An appointment is an appointment
Deception: Sometimes deception backfires
Discipline: being polite to nobles
Discipline: executing assignments you don’t want to
Discipline: giving dull assignments your all
Politics: Sucking up to nobles isn’t a good idea?
Politics: Making a good impression on political figures to further your career
Politics: studying superior politicians in order to grow

Non-Skill Knowledge:
Celeste Andaris: Baroness of Astedia
Celeste Andaris: does charities
Celeste Andaris: Political Predator
Celeste Andaris: Has an adopted daughter

Points: 15 (These points may not be used for hocus pocus)

Fame: A job well done (+3), A good impression made (+5)
Comments: Great thread you two. It was a fun read and interesting read, good opportunity to see how the other half lives considering neither of my pcs are a part of that crowd. Enjoyed Yana's perspective and concerns versus Celeste's, and how the two met in the middle. Nicely done.

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