"Do you think its okay for us to head out yet?" It had been a good half an hour since Donovan and Diana left. They were never given permission to leave, so they had been sitting here waiting. Under most circumstances, that being under the orders of a normal person, they would correctly assume they were free to go. They couldn't really be sure with Donovan, at least not in the moment.
He and Diana had a unique position, all three of them understood just how vital this party was to them. This was their first and best opportunity to establish themselves in a world where they had no credit. They were unknown quantities with little to offer on the surface. The three of them, all established in their own right by way of dynastic connections or previous mingling, could not relate. Len was probably the closest, but the peculiarities of his adopted father's position meant that his shy nature was mostly forgiven.
So long as Len could fight, there was a place for him.
"Given it has been almost half an hour, I would normally assume that to be the case." Sanna responded to Wall with a hint of apprehension. "I think we should give it a few more minutes to be safe."
Sanna, the person most suited to social events such as these, was never given a gauge of the statuses or temperaments of those that had been invited. It would be terribly improper for a brutish man like Wall or the adopted son of a general to make an appearance before the heir of some major territory. Obviously there was going to be some leeway on that front, most partygoers filtered in by time of arrival.
"I suppose that now is as good a time as any to go over our plan again Wall."
"This is in regard to my manners right?" Wall had been receiving some very harsh lessons on proper etiquette since the tournament. Sanna had been reluctant to accept of course, but it didn't take much urging from Donovan to get him to comply. He wasn't afraid of the extra work disobedience might entail, he was simply enlightened by the worldview that doing so would improve the image of their already quite sloppy squad. His duty as a nobleman compelled him to improve the image of both himself and his superior.
"That is correct. While I must say that your speech has improved quite significantly, I still find your table manners to be sub-par." Sanna stood in front of him, looking up to maintain eye contact. "In that regard we have been handed an incredible boon, that being the fact that Lady Helmsguard arranged for commoner's food to be provided today. If we play it well, you can say you are just emulating what you have seen of lowborn soldiers back home and not be criticized too much. Am I understood?"
"That seems like a reasonable course of action."
"Good, good. You can't be sounding like you rehearsed the line though, which I feel you struggle with. Try to mix it up a bit if people keep asking okay?"
"I understand."
"Perfect! Other than that I would advise against getting too loud, which I feel you should be able to handle. I'd advise you not to drink just to be safe, but even I can't help but feel that would be going too far. . ."
"Your consideration is very much appreciated."
A shiver ran up Sanna's spine. This was not the Wall he remembered. Perhaps in the future he would consider it to be his natural way of speaking, but for now it was incredibly unsettling.
"Now we should talk about what you should be doing, Len."
Len's head snapped to the side, shocked to hear himself mentioned. "Wh-what?"
"We need to get rid of that wallflower habit of yours, and I know you have it. I will not tolerate someone incapable of interacting hindering me. In the future we will be a part of a larger army and you need to be capable of proper communication." Sanna 'cornered' Len by walking around to the other side of the table, flanking Len's chair with Wall. Len could not get up and walk away with both him and Wall blocking his exit. "You don't have to talk too much, you won't even have to introduce yourself, but I am making you accompany me in conversation."
Len was starting to sweat.
"I think I remember having promised to get you a girl as well." Wall chimed in, the bath conversation they had on their first day together coming to mind. "What are your thoughts on the matter Sanna?"
"I think it might be a good idea, but it probably won't happen tonight." Sanna brought a hand to his chin. "This is something you should know already Len, but you can't be underperforming in bed once you finally find a girl you want to be serious with."
"U-u-u-u-underperforming?" Len stuttered back what Sanna said, somewhat incredulous that the topic had been brought up in relation to a party. "But I'm not old enough for that!"
"Mmmm, I think I had my first time around your age."
"I was probably a bit later, but that age is usually the time most boys lose their virginity and become men. My first was with a girl from a vassal family to my own."
"H-h-h-h-huh?" Len couldn't believe how lax they were abut this. "W-w-w-what if she got pregnant?!"
"Hm? If somehow she managed to become pregnant with a child through the preparations then it would be part of the vassal family's lineage. They would welcome an overall increase in their blood's split affinity and we would increase our resource allocation to them as both thank you and an apology. Personally I would not have been opposed to taking the child on as my own at the time given my status, but I can see why that policy was in place. Not every member of the Stri family is so proficient in the Arts after all."
A child was serious business to Len. He was always told how much of a responsibility it was and that he had to be careful he married the right girl, a bastard child could make real trouble.
"A vassal family? My father just brought me into town and had me bang one of the local inn-girls. We didn't even consider taking in the child." Wall stopped himself before continuing. "I wonder if that makes me a father now."
"While I am disappointingly unsurprised by your family traditions, you would not be a father unless she actually conceived. Considering the way you are I would pray that you got the holes confused, but I know you probably aren't that dumb."
Len could only sit dumb between his two seniors. He had so many questions, none of which he really wanted answered.
"Well, whatever. Your sex life is your business, disgusting as it may be. What hasn't changed is that you need to work on your socialization skills. Getting a girl will be your final objective, I think we can say you are sufficiently sociable once you can do that."
"Agreed."
Did Len not get a choice in the matter? Of course not!
"Let's get going, we should be free to leave by this point."
- - - - -
"So, Donovan, might I ask which army you belong to?" Rashtvice and Donovan had walked all the way to the dining room by the time they started to go into more personal and 'important' details. "I can't imagine just any army would be willing to forfeit a barracks for a party, but I know for sure you aren't one of the generals. I gotta know who's dick you sucked to have this all happen."
"Formally I'm part of the-" Donovan held his tongue, "-it should be obvious later tonight, but that doesn't have anything to do with this party. Diana and I are in a pretty unique situation, so we are basically alone right now. There are the staff of course, but there are only four others in my squad."
"Eeeh? Of all things to get cold feet on you buckle there?"
"I just don't want to ruin the surprise."
"Ah, yeah, that was part of he reason I came isn't it." Rash put a hand to his temple. "My brother wasn't lying when he said they'd be important and strong right? Tournament winners?"
"Oh definitely."
"Good, great even. If this was fifteen minutes ago I would have said 'At least this isn't a waste of my time!' but now that I've had the opportunity to talk to you I can't really say that anymore." Rash picked up two cups of alcohol from a passing waiter. "Friends?"
Donovan accepted the beer and clinked his glass. "I won't drink, but I'm more than happy to accept."
"HUH!? Man, you're more of a square than you look. Is it like a cultural thing?"
"Partly. It's more that I really can't afford to be intoxicated, ever." Donovan didn't mention that he didn't like the taste. That would sour the mood.
"Aaaahh, alertness prep. I gotcha, I gotcha. I know it probably won't happen here, but I'll never trash a man for keeping himself ready for an ambush. That's probably something I should work on myself." Rash threw his head back as he chugged. "That's a problem for the future though, for now I need to make my brother's life as difficult as possible."
Donovan raised an eyebrow. "Before I condone anything, I need to know if you plan on ruining the party. I am a host too."
"Oh don't worry, it's nothing like that. I'm just going to go around and tell people that he wants to talk to them, just a silly little prank." He placed the empty alcohol container on a passing tray. "I'll be honest, you probably shouldn't get roped into this part. Catch you later?"
"If we see each other, there are a lot of people here. Now if we are to be parting ways I really must get back to Diana."
"Yeah, no problem."
- - - - -
"I'm back." Donovan approached Diana from behind, announcing his presence as his hand moved to the small of her back. She responded by turning and planting a small kiss on his neck. There was nobody waiting outside at the moment so it was a 'safe' time to do so, but he did wonder if it was appropriate to do around Merndil.
"Welcome back, Sir Strauss. I take it my brother did not prove to be too troublesome?"
"He was a pretty fun guy all things considered, though he said something about making life difficult for you." Donovan scratched Diana's back a little bit through her dress. "Don't tell him I said that."
"Trouble? Sending people to talk to me hardly qualifies as trouble, though I suppose it is still undesirable for him."
"If that's the case then why does he do it?"
"Hmmm, I think it might be my fault. Back home we used to have to attend parties like this all the time. Given his reputation I was always trying to get others to talk to him so that they might change their opinions, but it seems like he interpreted that as a way of annoying others." Merndil swirled his wine around as he stared down into it. "Now that I think about it, that probably had the opposite effect. I recall a few instances were he ended up in a fight."
"I'd get kind of irritated if someone kept sending people my way." Donovan waved down one of the waiters carrying juice. "It sounds mighty annoying."
"Yes, well that might be the case for people who are not royalty. The number of people I can interact with freely without having to worry about rank is fairly limited, so having my brother send random people over without needing to approach them myself is quite nice. It certainly goes a long way towards staving off my boredom. It was quite refreshing that you approached me so casually before, Lady Diana."
"I am undeserving of such a comment. I was merely ignorant of your status."
"Ignorant or not, I believe our relationship has proven to be quite beneficial for both of us." He turned back to look outside. "Now where are those guests of yours? They haven't decided to ditch have they?"
"I know that at least one of them would never dream of it. Unfortunately, they have probably decided to walk here."
They had never taken a carriage, so Donovan assumed that their barracks was within a reasonable walking distance. Of course, that distance was only reasonable for the squad. They almost certainly had a tagalong in the form of Gawan.
"Is that them over there?" Diana happened to notice some moving shapes down the road.
cakeonfrosting 10AM release for today. Enjoy your brunchtime chapter.
"Do you think its okay for us to head out yet?" It had been a good half an hour since Donovan and Diana left. They were never given permission to leave, so they had been sitting here waiting. Under most circumstances, that being under the orders of a normal person, they would correctly assume they were free to go. They couldn't really be sure with Donovan, at least not in the moment.
He and Diana had a unique position, all three of them understood just how vital this party was to them. This was their first and best opportunity to establish themselves in a world where they had no credit. They were unknown quantities with little to offer on the surface. The three of them, all established in their own right by way of dynastic connections or previous mingling, could not relate. Len was probably the closest, but the peculiarities of his adopted father's position meant that his shy nature was mostly forgiven.
So long as Len could fight, there was a place for him.
"Given it has been almost half an hour, I would normally assume that to be the case." Sanna responded to Wall with a hint of apprehension. "I think we should give it a few more minutes to be safe."
Sanna, the person most suited to social events such as these, was never given a gauge of the statuses or temperaments of those that had been invited. It would be terribly improper for a brutish man like Wall or the adopted son of a general to make an appearance before the heir of some major territory. Obviously there was going to be some leeway on that front, most partygoers filtered in by time of arrival.
"I suppose that now is as good a time as any to go over our plan again Wall."
"This is in regard to my manners right?" Wall had been receiving some very harsh lessons on proper etiquette since the tournament. Sanna had been reluctant to accept of course, but it didn't take much urging from Donovan to get him to comply. He wasn't afraid of the extra work disobedience might entail, he was simply enlightened by the worldview that doing so would improve the image of their already quite sloppy squad. His duty as a nobleman compelled him to improve the image of both himself and his superior.
"That is correct. While I must say that your speech has improved quite significantly, I still find your table manners to be sub-par." Sanna stood in front of him, looking up to maintain eye contact. "In that regard we have been handed an incredible boon, that being the fact that Lady Helmsguard arranged for commoner's food to be provided today. If we play it well, you can say you are just emulating what you have seen of lowborn soldiers back home and not be criticized too much. Am I understood?"
"That seems like a reasonable course of action."
"Good, good. You can't be sounding like you rehearsed the line though, which I feel you struggle with. Try to mix it up a bit if people keep asking okay?"
"I understand."
"Perfect! Other than that I would advise against getting too loud, which I feel you should be able to handle. I'd advise you not to drink just to be safe, but even I can't help but feel that would be going too far. . ."
"Your consideration is very much appreciated."
A shiver ran up Sanna's spine. This was not the Wall he remembered. Perhaps in the future he would consider it to be his natural way of speaking, but for now it was incredibly unsettling.
"Now we should talk about what you should be doing, Len."
Len's head snapped to the side, shocked to hear himself mentioned. "Wh-what?"
"We need to get rid of that wallflower habit of yours, and I know you have it. I will not tolerate someone incapable of interacting hindering me. In the future we will be a part of a larger army and you need to be capable of proper communication." Sanna 'cornered' Len by walking around to the other side of the table, flanking Len's chair with Wall. Len could not get up and walk away with both him and Wall blocking his exit. "You don't have to talk too much, you won't even have to introduce yourself, but I am making you accompany me in conversation."
Len was starting to sweat.
"I think I remember having promised to get you a girl as well." Wall chimed in, the bath conversation they had on their first day together coming to mind. "What are your thoughts on the matter Sanna?"
"I think it might be a good idea, but it probably won't happen tonight." Sanna brought a hand to his chin. "This is something you should know already Len, but you can't be underperforming in bed once you finally find a girl you want to be serious with."
"U-u-u-u-underperforming?" Len stuttered back what Sanna said, somewhat incredulous that the topic had been brought up in relation to a party. "But I'm not old enough for that!"
"Mmmm, I think I had my first time around your age."
"I was probably a bit later, but that age is usually the time most boys lose their virginity and become men. My first was with a girl from a vassal family to my own."
"H-h-h-h-huh?" Len couldn't believe how lax they were abut this. "W-w-w-what if she got pregnant?!"
"Hm? If somehow she managed to become pregnant with a child through the preparations then it would be part of the vassal family's lineage. They would welcome an overall increase in their blood's split affinity and we would increase our resource allocation to them as both thank you and an apology. Personally I would not have been opposed to taking the child on as my own at the time given my status, but I can see why that policy was in place. Not every member of the Stri family is so proficient in the Arts after all."
A child was serious business to Len. He was always told how much of a responsibility it was and that he had to be careful he married the right girl, a bastard child could make real trouble.
"A vassal family? My father just brought me into town and had me bang one of the local inn-girls. We didn't even consider taking in the child." Wall stopped himself before continuing. "I wonder if that makes me a father now."
"While I am disappointingly unsurprised by your family traditions, you would not be a father unless she actually conceived. Considering the way you are I would pray that you got the holes confused, but I know you probably aren't that dumb."
Len could only sit dumb between his two seniors. He had so many questions, none of which he really wanted answered.
"Well, whatever. Your sex life is your business, disgusting as it may be. What hasn't changed is that you need to work on your socialization skills. Getting a girl will be your final objective, I think we can say you are sufficiently sociable once you can do that."
"Agreed."
Did Len not get a choice in the matter? Of course not!
"Let's get going, we should be free to leave by this point."
- - - - -
"So, Donovan, might I ask which army you belong to?" Rashtvice and Donovan had walked all the way to the dining room by the time they started to go into more personal and 'important' details. "I can't imagine just any army would be willing to forfeit a barracks for a party, but I know for sure you aren't one of the generals. I gotta know who's dick you sucked to have this all happen."
"Formally I'm part of the-" Donovan held his tongue, "-it should be obvious later tonight, but that doesn't have anything to do with this party. Diana and I are in a pretty unique situation, so we are basically alone right now. There are the staff of course, but there are only four others in my squad."
"Eeeh? Of all things to get cold feet on you buckle there?"
"I just don't want to ruin the surprise."
"Ah, yeah, that was part of he reason I came isn't it." Rash put a hand to his temple. "My brother wasn't lying when he said they'd be important and strong right? Tournament winners?"
"Oh definitely."
"Good, great even. If this was fifteen minutes ago I would have said 'At least this isn't a waste of my time!' but now that I've had the opportunity to talk to you I can't really say that anymore." Rash picked up two cups of alcohol from a passing waiter. "Friends?"
Donovan accepted the beer and clinked his glass. "I won't drink, but I'm more than happy to accept."
"HUH!? Man, you're more of a square than you look. Is it like a cultural thing?"
"Partly. It's more that I really can't afford to be intoxicated, ever." Donovan didn't mention that he didn't like the taste. That would sour the mood.
"Aaaahh, alertness prep. I gotcha, I gotcha. I know it probably won't happen here, but I'll never trash a man for keeping himself ready for an ambush. That's probably something I should work on myself." Rash threw his head back as he chugged. "That's a problem for the future though, for now I need to make my brother's life as difficult as possible."
Donovan raised an eyebrow. "Before I condone anything, I need to know if you plan on ruining the party. I am a host too."
"Oh don't worry, it's nothing like that. I'm just going to go around and tell people that he wants to talk to them, just a silly little prank." He placed the empty alcohol container on a passing tray. "I'll be honest, you probably shouldn't get roped into this part. Catch you later?"
"If we see each other, there are a lot of people here. Now if we are to be parting ways I really must get back to Diana."
"Yeah, no problem."
- - - - -
"I'm back." Donovan approached Diana from behind, announcing his presence as his hand moved to the small of her back. She responded by turning and planting a small kiss on his neck. There was nobody waiting outside at the moment so it was a 'safe' time to do so, but he did wonder if it was appropriate to do around Merndil.
"Welcome back, Sir Strauss. I take it my brother did not prove to be too troublesome?"
"He was a pretty fun guy all things considered, though he said something about making life difficult for you." Donovan scratched Diana's back a little bit through her dress. "Don't tell him I said that."
"Trouble? Sending people to talk to me hardly qualifies as trouble, though I suppose it is still undesirable for him."
"If that's the case then why does he do it?"
"Hmmm, I think it might be my fault. Back home we used to have to attend parties like this all the time. Given his reputation I was always trying to get others to talk to him so that they might change their opinions, but it seems like he interpreted that as a way of annoying others." Merndil swirled his wine around as he stared down into it. "Now that I think about it, that probably had the opposite effect. I recall a few instances were he ended up in a fight."
"I'd get kind of irritated if someone kept sending people my way." Donovan waved down one of the waiters carrying juice. "It sounds mighty annoying."
"Yes, well that might be the case for people who are not royalty. The number of people I can interact with freely without having to worry about rank is fairly limited, so having my brother send random people over without needing to approach them myself is quite nice. It certainly goes a long way towards staving off my boredom. It was quite refreshing that you approached me so casually before, Lady Diana."
"I am undeserving of such a comment. I was merely ignorant of your status."
"Ignorant or not, I believe our relationship has proven to be quite beneficial for both of us." He turned back to look outside. "Now where are those guests of yours? They haven't decided to ditch have they?"
"I know that at least one of them would never dream of it. Unfortunately, they have probably decided to walk here."
They had never taken a carriage, so Donovan assumed that their barracks was within a reasonable walking distance. Of course, that distance was only reasonable for the squad. They almost certainly had a tagalong in the form of Gawan.
"Is that them over there?" Diana happened to notice some moving shapes down the road.
cakeonfrosting 10AM release for today. Enjoy your brunchtime chapter.
