• PM To Join • [Oakleigh] Meeting Duke Tristan

[Aeodan]

7 Saun 717

The ship's travel had been slow, but it jarred him less than the Rupturing between Viden and Rynmere. He was used to mundane travel, though the swaying of the ship did make him slightly motion sick. The others on the ship, the crew he was given by the Academy, all had their own varying degrees of comfort, but mostly, they were excited to see the shore of the Settlements. In the time on the ship, they'd met for a few breaks each trial to discuss the plans for the expedition, as well as for Aeodan to brief them on the findings so far. His excitement was contagious, and though he technically did not lead the expedition, he was the only scholar on the ship who knew what they were looking for.

The ship was forced to dock in Welles, which was the westernmost of the Settlements, and arrangements had been made to carry the group and their supplies to Oakleigh. The wagons were loaded, the scholars given their specific travel arrangement, and they had set off towards the ducal estate of Tristan Venora. In his wagon, Anari's eyes never left Aeodan's, and the two of them traveled like that. Sitting beside Aeodan was the man he'd met in Rynmere, a former servant to Tristan's brother, Theodore. Lionel, the man was called, knew Tristan well enough, and now that he was being employed by Aeodan, the young Burnett thought it would be a nice surprise for the Duke. Anari, however, was less convinced. Her eyes dug daggers into Aeodan, though the two of them had been getting along well since they left Viden.

Most of the trial was spent in the wagons, stopping only to relieve themselves and break bread. When they arrived in the city of Oakleigh, they were guided by the Duke's men towards his estate. Aeodan, Lionel and Anari broke off from the caravan, with the three of them steered towards the Duke himself, and his entourage towards the rear of his complex. The Duke had graciously offered to house the scholars, and while Aeodan was sure he'd like to meet them all, he decided that he should meet with Duke Tristan first. And, as the overseer of the expedition, Anari demanded she go along as well, to which Aeodan wholeheartedly agreed. The wagon wheels rolled to a stop outside the manor, and Aeodan poked his head out in awe.

He'd never met a duke before, or any member of the nobility. The nerves building in him were threatening to make him lose his lunch. Instead, though, he swallowed his feelings and emerged from the wagon into the sweltering Saun suns. Anari was quick behind him, with Lionel bringing up the rear guard. They were each well dressed, as if meeting with the Duke required their finest clothing. Greeted immediately by a guard in shining armour, with a shield dressed with the Duke's new sigil: A field of gold emblazoned in the top left by a red rose, and the bottom right with a black oak tree, split in the middle by a thin line of filigreed gold, a shade lighter than the field. Aeodan smiled. He was familiar with the rose of Venora, but to see Tristan's new sigil was something else; it denoted growth in the old families.

As they were led through the estate, Aeodan cast a wide-eyed gaze around. He'd always heard that Tristan was the most down-to-earth of the Venoras, and the estate proved that. Tasteful art, expensive but not lavish furniture... Aeodan was at ease, despite his common birth. A smile came to his face as they were led to large double doors emblazoned with the same sigil on the knights' shields.

"Through this door is Duke Tristan of Oakleigh. In his presence, you will mind your manners and be polite, or else." Anari's sneer at the guard was cut short by Aeodan's blank smile, placating the armoured and armed guard.

"Of course, ser." He smiled, and Lionel smiled graciously and bowed, having learned the proper etiquette many arcs before when he was a servant to both of Tristan's parents. Without much more ado, the guard spread open the doors, and the trio stepped through to be greeted by the Duke.

Off Topic

Alright, this is the first meeting of Tristan and Aeodan. Feel free to invite any others you may have in your employ / entourage, Tristan. I'll be controlling Lionel and Anari.

[Tristan Venora]

“Aeodan is coming today!“ Tristan informed his baby daughter brightly. The little girl looked up at him from out of her stunning blue eyes and giggled, and then she went back to chewing on her teddy bear as it were the most delicious food ever. At three seasons of age she already had a couple of small white teeth, she was crawling so quickly that Tristan had a hard time keeping up with her sometimes, and she was sitting unaided.

She was a very special little girl.

“Come on. I’ll take you to your nanny!” He bent down (Ayla was currently playing on the carpet in the center of his office) and extended his hands towards his daughter. The little girl stopped giggling and looked as if she were about to cry now. “I see”, Tristan remarked, as if the baby understood everything he said. “You want to meet him as well. He’s an interesting man, isn’t he? He goes on adventures and hunts for treasure while we do … this here!”

With that he tickled her. Ayla laughed out loud, and then he scooped her up and sat her on his sofa so that nobody would fall over her. He’d never thought that he would ever love anybody like that, and he’d stopped caring that her “mother” was probably Aelig (Aelig was an Immortal, so Tristan was pretty sure he could change into a woman if he wanted to and even get pregnant).

And then the door was already being opened, and the guard announced the arrival of his guests. Tristan quickly stood up and tried to look all important and official. He almost succeeded. His clothes were certainly appropriate for a duke, fine silk and velvet, but he looked very young. In fact he didn’t look much older than Aeodan himself.

“Welcome to Oakleigh, Mister Burnett!” he greeted him, smiling. He’d never thought he’d ever be happy to see a scientist – Padraig had been dreadfully boring and uncreative – but Aeodan had talked about expeditions and lost peoples and such in his letter. Tristan had always wanted to go on adventures and discover something important. “I’ve really been looking forward to meeting you and hearing more about your expedition! Come in. Do you want to eat or drink anything while we talk?"

“This is my daughter, Ayla Venora, by the way”, he introduced the little girl who stopped playing and looked at the new arrivals with interest. She was a beautiful child, with dark hair and pale skin, and she was not shy at all.

He wanted to say more and maybe tell him about the awesome room that was waiting for him, but it was just then that he noticed the man that was accompanying Aeodan. His eyes widened. He just stared at him for a bit, and then he asked, “Lionel?” What was Teddy’s servant doing here? Was he working for Mister Burnett now?

Teddy …

[Aeodan]

As the trio entered the room, immediately their eyes were drawn to the cute child seated on the sofa. It was instinctual, even for Anari, who hated children. Aeodan was put at ease in that moment, see Tristan in the room with a small child. He'd heard that the young Duke had a child, but it had slipped his mind in the excitement. As Tristan approached them, Aeodan allowed him to receive them. The trio stopped short and watched Tristan approach, the polite and appropriate way when addressing nobility.

Aeodan did, however, smile when addressed by Tristan. He met the man's eyes, though he was unsure if that was the proper etiquette. With a gracious nod, he bent slightly at the waist in a bow. He'd never met a noble, especially one whose position ranked as highly as the Duke's before him, so he hoped not to offer offence.

"Your Grace." He smiled again, sure that was the proper title. "The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. You've a wonderful home, and I am more than humbled to have been invited to stay as your guest. I'd be more than happy to share with you all the details of this expedition, as well as introduce you to an idea I had that I have not had the chance to write you about."

He smiled, showing Tristan that he meant no deception and was not trying to ambush him with a plan at the final break. Instead, he turned his attention to the little girl Tristan introduced, who watched them all with eyes far too wise for her supposed age. Still, Aeodan smiled warmly, adoring the child already. To be silly, he said 'hello' in every Spoken language he knew, which was Common, Ancient, and Omyeric. Each syllable was well punctuated, and he ended with the Common.

"Hello, little Ayla. Aren't you just the most precious thing in this entire estate?" His voice rose a few octaves, and it was apparent to all in the room that Aeodan had a soft spot for children. His gaze lingered on the adorable child for a moment longer before it returned to Tristan.

"No, thank you, Your Grace. We're quite sated from our meals on the journey. This is the overseer of the project, Anari Keant. She is unmatched in leadership and logistics in Viden, and will be a massive asset to the team here. I am completely humbled to have her here to oversee me, and could have asked for no better. And this gentleman is..."

But Aeodan was cut off as Tristan recognized the man. Lionel had failed to mention on the ride up that he was already acquainted with the Duke, and Aeodan turned to look at him in incredulity.

"Hello, Master Tristan. Or, I suppose it's Duke Tristan these trials, Your Grace." Lionel's warm smile spread across his lips, much as Tristan had seen over the arcs. How often had that smile calmed a wailing Theodore? How often had the man stopped a vindictive Theodore from terrorising Tristan in their youth?

"It's so very wonderful to see you again, Your Grace. My... My condolences." Lionel's voice cracked, and it was obvious that he missed Teddy just as dearly. Aeodan allowed the two to catch up as long as they needed, content to crouch and make cute faces at Ayla. He waved thin fingers at her as he made the faces, winking and giggling when she did.

Off Topic

Alright, this is the first meeting of Tristan and Aeodan. Feel free to invite any others you may have in your employ / entourage, Tristan. I'll be controlling Lionel and Anari.

[Tristan Venora]

As Aeodan mentioned an idea, Tristan’s eyes instantly lit up. “What kind of idea?” he wanted to know. “I’d like to hear more about it, and you don’t have to feel humbled or anything like that. I love having visitors!” He especially loved feeding his visitors cookies or cake, so he was disappointed when Aeodan declined his offer, but a moment later he was already smiling then. There would always be another opportunity to feed him!

Ayla couldn’t speak yet, but she started to babble happily and waved her arms excitedly as Aeodan greeted her, and as he called her the most precious thing in the entire estate, her face seemed to radiate from within. Seeing how the scientist treated his daughter, Tristan remarked, “If you ever get tired of the Jourkadri, you can work for me as a babysitter. Ayla seems to really like you! I’d pay you well, and you’d get a room of your own!”

Having said that, he turned to Anari so that she wouldn’t feel left out even though he considered her to be the least interesting person in the room. “Welcome to Oakleigh, Miss Keant! Please let me know if there is anything you need.” Aeodan, he noticed, was feeling humbled again. He needed to do something about that. It wasn’t good for your mental health to feel so humbled all the time!

“Thank you, Lionel”, he murmured as his brother’s former servant offered his condolences. He was suddenly at a loss for words, and there was an unpleasant, tight feeling in his chest. “I wish … I wish I could have done something to prevent his death.” He still didn’t know why Teddy had killed himself. He had had everything. He had written the songs for his play, the one that Zanik had attended and where the king had nearly been assassinated. Zanik would probably eventually have blessed him as well.

Why had Teddy never said anything to him? He would have helped him! He suddenly remembered the letter that Alistair had sent him again, the one where he had accused his father of all those bad things. Had Kaleb Venora had something to do with Teddy’s suicide?

“How did you end up working for Mister Burnett?” he asked, abruptly changing the topic. There was no point in thinking about his brother’s death and wondering what he could or would have done. Such things only drove you mad. What had happened had happened. You couldn’t turn back time. Teddy Venora was dead, and he would never come back.

While Tristan looked slightly depressed, Ayla was having a lot of fun. As Aeodan waved his fingers at her, she tried to reach for them and grab them, and if she succeeded, she would refuse to let go again!

[Aeodan]

Anari smiled and nodded politely at Tristan, maintaining her air of superiority even given the circumstances. The Eidisi of Viden, especially one who grew up with the privilege that Anari had. Still, though, she knew that the duke was going to be a large contributor to the expedition, she still could not allow herself to consider him an equal... Or worse, a superior.

Aeodan, on the other hand, was spending much of his time crouched with Ayla. He looked up at Tristan, smiling at the babysitter comment. His face was pure child-like glee, and Ayla had a tight grip on his finger as he responded to Tristan.

"Thank you for the offer, Your Grace, but I can't imagine leaving my sister alone that long. And it would be easier to convince the mountains to move than to convince her to return to Rynmere. Too many skeletons, I'm afraid." He looked back at Ayla, who was giggling madly at his faces.

"You think that's funny, little one?" He poked her belly, and continued to mess with Ayla. Lionel, however, was less amused. His lined face took on a haggard quality, his eyes sad and down-trodden.

"I don't believe there is anything any of us could have done, Your Grace. I saw him every trial, and I was not even privy to his true sorrow. I saw him recluse, of course, but worried that it was only the heartbreak of young love. None of us could have foreseen his true wounds." Lionel sighed, running a hand over his balding head.

"My coming into Mister Burnett's service is a strange tale. As of late, I found that I was released from House Venora's service after many long arcs. I watched all of you grow, you know? Even Alistair, Zvezdana and Andraska. You, your brother, your sister. I watched all of you over the arcs, and suddenly I found myself released from my duties. At first, I was insulted, assuming that my connection with young Theodore had somehow soured my reputation as a caretaker for the Rose. But no, instead I found an account waiting for me at the Rynmere Bank, filled with enough nels to put me through the University and give me a comfortable life. But what was I to do, to study? I am a caretaker, Your Grace, and I always have been."

Lionel smiled, a tired but genuine one.

"Upon the expedition's arrival at the University, I had heard buzz that a young linguist from Viden was leading the foray into the wilderness of Oakleigh. Having heard of Cassander's... Ahem, King Cassander's... granting you the title of Duke of Oakleigh... Well, I thought it prudent to meet the young man. One thing led to another, and he offered to pay me for my services. Not that I think he needs it... He was just being kind-hearted."

Anari's face turned stony, obvious in her disapproval of Aeodan's offer. Aeodan was so distracted with Ayla that he wasn't paying any attention to the conversation, but noticed when the silence occurred.

"Hm? What? Are we waiting for me to explain the expedition?" He stood and patted Ayla's head, turning towards his responsibilities with eagerness. "Your Grace, I'm happy to do so, if you are ready?"

Off Topic

Alright, this is the first meeting of Tristan and Aeodan. Feel free to invite any others you may have in your employ / entourage, Tristan. I'll be controlling Lionel and Anari.

[Tristan Venora]

“You can bring your sister“, Tristan replied. He’d made the offer mostly in jest, but come to think of it, hiring somebody who was both good with children and knew science and stuff as a babysitter didn’t seem like such a bad idea. When Ayla was older Aeodan would be able to teach her! “There’s more than enough room for both of you. Besides, this isn’t really Rynmere. This is the Eastern Settlement, and there is a whole lot of water between us and the original seven duchies. Tell your sister that!”

“My sister lives here as well”, he added. “They could become friends!”

Young love? Tristan hadn’t even been noticed that Teddy had been in love. Maybe he should have spent more time in Venora rather than keeping the king company, writing weird plays and making even weirder sculptures. No, he had decided not dwell on what he should have done because there was no point in it. All he could do was to make sure that nobody ever forgot Teddy. Maybe he’d make a sculpture of him. Yes, he would do that!

“Maybe that was your final gift from my brother”, he remarked to Lionel. “Maybe he liked you and wanted you to have a better life. I let Faith go for a similar reason. If she had stayed with me, she would never have been able to go to university or become a doctor.” He hoped that the man would be able to find some comfort in those words.

“If you want to”, Tristan said as Aeodan turned to him – even though Anari would likely disapprove. “You can play with Ayla some more once we are done here. I’m sure she’d like that. But for now it would be great if you could explain the expedition to me – and finally tell me about that idea of yours!”

He walked over to the sofa, took Ayla and sat her on his lap. Both the duke and his daughter then turned to Aeodan again and looked at him expectantly – Tristan because he was curious about the expedition and Ayla because she assumed that he would be making more of those funny faces at her now and talk to her in those weird languages again.

[Aeodan]

Standing from his crouched position, Aeodan clasped both hands together and stretched them high above his head, groaning as he stretched out the atrophy that had begun to settle in his weak legs. Crouching as he had been for so long was risky, and even more so since he was tired from the journey to the Settlements. Still, he considered it worth it to play with Ayla. As he looked back down at her, Envoy was seated right next to her, his tentacle-like hair blowing ever gently towards her. Giving an imperceptible shake of his head, Aeodan forbade the spirit from feasting on the Mortalborn's energy.

She's unique, this one. Aeodan's own voice resounded in his head, but he knew it was Envoy communicating with him. It gave Aeodan pause again as he regarded the little girl, and Envoy's perfect mouth curled into a smile.

She's not human. Not fully. A little godling, right here, unassuming." Aeodan had never met a Mortalborn other than Narav, but Edalene had spoken about another: Ti'atha. And now Ayla sat there, staring up at him with eyes that took in too much, and he understood. He smiled and turned, coming to bear next to Lionel. He offered the older man a gentle pat on the shoulder, offering his silent condolences before Tristan led them to the chairs. Aeodan and Lionel both waited for Anari to sit, which only drew a baleful look from the Eidisi. She did not care to be treated differently for her race or gender, and grew insulted when she was. Still, though, she sat first, and the men followed.

"Your Grace, this is such a massive opportunity you've given us. And I want to extend you my personal gratitude before Miss Keant can extend the professional gratitude of the Academy. Like the Dean of Languages in Viden, you've taken a personal gamble by entrusting me with your approval, and your funds, and I want you to know that I am treating both the money and your opinion in the highest regards. I intend to do everything I can elevate the name of both the Academy and the Venoras of Oakleigh in this expedition."

Aeodan smiled, and Anari leaned forward. Her pupil-less eyes met with Tristan's, and the stare was unnerving if one had never looked at an Eidisi. The pure-white of her eyes was unflinching.

"And from the Academy, Your Grace, we are very grateful for your contributions of area, resources and funds. With your support, we will be able to treat this expedition with the thoroughness and caution it necessitates." Anari forced a small smile at the end, and nodded her head slightly in appreciation. Lionel noted the movement and chuckled, but quietly to himself.

"I do not know how much you've investigated the history and culture of the region, Your Grace, but a few seasons ago, when I was studying my Letter in Rynmere, the department I worked for was gifted the skeletal remains of a humanoid. On the remains were the strangest markings the University had ever seen, carved directly into the bone of the skeleton. Having just been given the torso, we were at a loss at how to even begin deciphering the runes. A professor named Neville de Bougervile discovered a link between Sheoran Common and the Cuts, and from there, we built a linguistic profile."

Aeodan paused to allow the Duke to process the information. He doubted that any of it meant that much to Tristan, but he was getting to that part.

"After we'd begun to decipher the language, we found that they made reference to a tribe of Sheoran refugees who'd fled the mageocracy and were seeking simpler lives elsewhere. Settling in the Settlements, they began mating with the Shore People who inhabited the area, and the Jourkadri Tribes themselves were born. The majority of their culture seems to be placed in Oakleigh itself, with a few of the surrounding areas hosting trading routes, rogue tribes, et cetera. My goal during this trip is to discover and unearth a settlement of theirs, hopefully finding artifacts that can help us piece together their true culture and tribal structure."

Aeodan stopped again, this time watching Tristan's face. A wide grin began to creep across Aeodan's face, and Anari just rolled her eyes.

"Guess what the surprise is. Just guess." He giggled like a schoolboy, but made it seem like he was actually waiting for the duke to guess. Instead, though, Anari cut them off.

"The Academy would like to offer to use whatever remains of your contribution and our grant and build a museum to house the artifacts, right here in Oakleigh. Aeodan suggested that, after the Academy has time to categorize and record the findings, they should be returned to where they belong."

Aeodan's face blanked when she ruined the surprise. She looked to him and raised her eyebrows, before a mischievous smile cut the edges of her lips. Aeodan's indignation burned red on his face, but he maintained his posture.

"Yes, Your Grace. I thought it best to return the artifacts to Oakleigh so that the people would not feel that you are selling their culture and history to outsider. I only want the knowledge, Your Grace." Aeodan smiled again.

[Tristan Venora]

Tristan was of course not aware of Aeodan’s spirit companion, otherwise he might ‘asked’ the scientist and his companions to leave out of fear for the safety of his daughter. No, he just sat there, Ayla on his lap and smiled slightly as Aeodan talked about how he had supposedly taken a person gamble by giving the man so much money. He hadn’t. He had so many nels that he didn’t know what to do with them anymore, and each season he made more nels with his art.

If anything, he ought to thank Aeodan because he had given him a way to spend his nels that didn’t involve fancy clothes or alcohol (he’d promised Faith that he would drink less now that he had a child)!

He also didn’t find Anari’s stare unnerving in the least. On the contrary, he looked into her eyes with interest. Even after all those trials in Sintih’s company, he still couldn’t get over the fact that Eidisi could actually see out of those weird eyes. How did they do it? Was it magic?

“I’ve mostly tried to find out more about my current subjects and especially the merchant families so far”, he replied as Aeodan wondered how much he’d investigated the history and culture of the region. “That seemed kind of important to me.” He stopped for a moment to shift Ayla on his lap. That was when Aeodan mentioned the humanoid, and Tristan’s eyes lit up. He was instantly fascinated. “Why did they carve runes into its bones?” he wanted to know. “Was it some kind of ancient burial rite?”

“And are any of those people still alive somewhere?” he asked and pictured a secret tribe of Jourkadri that hid somewhere deep in the forest north of the mountain range that separated Oakleigh into two parts. Maybe Aeodan and he would discover them!

A surprise? Tristan furrowed his brow in concentration for a moment and was just about to blurt out the answer when Anari started talking about building a museum. He just stared at her blankly for a few trills, and then he smiled.

He’d hoped that the artifacts would end up in his personal treasure chamber that he had yet to build, but a museum was almost as good. No, it was even better since it would hopefully make his new subjects like him more and thus keep them from overthrowing him!

Maybe he’d even invest in another cultural project after this was one finished!

“I would never do that!” he insisted. “Those artifacts belong to the people of Oakleigh and they should benefit from this here first and foremost. If you need more money for the museum, just let me know. I can spare a few more nels, like a thousand or two thousand more, and I’ll be there for the opening of the new museum as well!”

[Aeodan]

Aeodan smiled when Tristan's eyes illuminated. Nearly every person in which he'd told about the Cuts perked up when he mentioned that they were carved into the flesh and bones of the deceased Jourkadri tribesmen. Aeodan's smile widened as Tristan questioned him, expecting them fully.

"I don't think it was necessarily a burial rite, seeing as they carved the Cuts into their flesh while they lived as well. I think the ritual scarification served as a way for them to keep their achievements visible to their tribesmates. Imagine a prolific hunter wearing the heads and pelts of his kills for his entire life where every person can see... That's what the Cuts were to the Tribes. They offered all those they came into contact with a detailed description of the achievements of their lives."

Aeodan smiled thoughtfully, a faraway look coming to his eyes. He'd considered every possibility as to why they carved the Cuts into their flesh in life, and all he could come up with was what he'd presented.

"And though I wish there were, I've no reason to suspect that the Jourkadri are still around in their unadulterated form. I have yet to find anything that would suggest they are still in existence. Though... How magnificent would it be to find a small group of them living somewhere? To be able to actually ask them... I'd fancy that, I think."

The wistfulness of his smile bled through his eyes as well. To find a surviving Jourkadri sect would make all of his work over the past few seasons completely worth it. Not that it wasn't now, but a surviving sect would add credence to all the inferences he'd made as to their culture from his findings.

"But I fear that'd be folly, Your Grace. Were we to find the Jourkadri alive and well, I very much doubt we'd find them in a disposition to be generous to us. Reduced in numbers and forced to hide from society...? They'd have quite the reason to behead us on the spot. Or worse."

Aeodan said the last line in a childish, whimsical voice. Not that Ayla could understand them, but nonetheless... He did not wish to speak of such atrocities in the presence of one so young.

"We completely understand your desire to keep the artifacts in Oakleigh, Your Grace. Which is why I wanted to make the offer myself and in person, so that you would not feel it was some sort of half-handed appeasement from the Academy. Of course, the items will need to be catalogued and processed... And then the matter of actually building it, et cetera."

He chuckled, happy to see the Duke's zeal in making that dream a reality.

"I am sure we appreciate your offer, Your Grace. I intend to return whatever is left from your already generous previous offer, as well as what the Academy has afforded me. I think that it, with whatever else you'd be willing to offer, should be more than sufficient to build the museum, Your Grace. Thank you."

Aeodan smiled, and Anari watched Tristan like a hawk. The politeness from Aeodan caused Lionel to smile as well.

"Of course, we will get to that as the time approaches. For now, Your Grace, we are concerned with the three mounds at hand. Which we will begin to excavate as soon as we are settled and rested." Anari's cool voice cut through before the two men could become too carried away.

"Of course." Aeodan echoed, smiling forcedly at Anari. She could be a lot to handle sometimes.

[Tristan Venora]

As Aeodan told him that the Jourkadri had cut themselves when they had been alive as well, Tristan automatically looked down at his arms and tried to imagine what he would look like with all kinds of weird scars covering his body. Pretty barbaric probably, but also kind of cool. Grandmother Ebony would have a heart attack if he showed up like that! It was a pity that he couldn’t temporarily turn into a Jourkadri … oh, wait, he actually could, kind of at least! Padraig, the terrible tutor, had once given him a magic mirror. It had been the only useful gift he had ever gotten from the alchemist. He needed to try it out once this meeting here was over!

“So those cuts essentially tell a story”, he remarked and turned to look at Aeodan again. “Can you read them?”

He had been very excited about the prospect of finding a few living Jourkadri somewhere and had already pictured Aeodan and him embarking on a dangerous expedition into the wilderness of Oakleigh, so when the scientist voiced his doubts that they’d be able to find any, he looked really disappointed and actually pouted a bit as if he were a little boy. But then again …

“Maybe you just need to look harder. As you said, they probably don’t like us a lot. Maybe they are hiding really well. We are probably pretty different from them and scary as well with our weapons and our armor and all those weird tools that we use. As for beheading us …” He made a face. Tristan was usually all for trying out new things, but losing his head was not something that he was particularly interested in. He still needed it.

“Maybe we could gain their trust somehow and show them that we mean no harm. What do you think?” Little Ayla began to babble again as she heard that, as if she wanted to contribute to the conversation as well, and Tristan smiled at his daughter and nodded as if she had been really helpful.

“Ayla says that she wants a big museum and that we should bring the Jourkari gifts so that they know that we are not their enemies!” he claimed.

“So”, he said as Anari talked about getting settled and resting. “Is that a cue that you want to see your rooms now? I’d love to personally show them to you! I’m really proud of what we prepared for you!”