Five stitches, perhaps too many for the width of the cut, but Donovan didn't want to take chances. He poured the last of the cold water onto the wound in order to wash away the blood before taking a longer cloth and wrapping it around Kerefel's arm.
"Word of advice: don't mess with the cloth or stitching. I am neither a tailor nor a surgeon, so I don't know how durable they'll be. Get to someone who can actually fix it, preferably tonight." Donovan offered his hand to help him up. "Is there anything else you need?"
"More alcohol?" Kerefel was definitely a little bit lightheaded.
"Sorry, but I'm going to cut you off. I really don't want you hurting yourself anymore than you already are. How about some juice?"
". . . fine." Kerefel was reluctant, but he wasn't going to fight the decision at this point.
"Cherry?"
"As you wish."
"Thank you." Donovan stood up and took a look around at the state of the room, an absolute mess. It had improved since he started stitching Kerefel up, chairs and tables were righted and the larger chunks of food had been picked up off of the floor, but there was blood, booze, and broken tableware all over the place. There were also the three knocked out or otherwise incapacitated troublemakers. "Somebody go get Trebar and Prince Merndil."
- - - - -
Titanyana was not particularly worried about being chewed out by Donovan. She had a few reasons to be wary, her biggest concern on that front being that she acted without permission, but Donovan's temperament after she had left his side to fetch Diana indicated he was more annoyed than anything.
Were fights like these common at parties? She didn't know.
"I must say, Lady Tempest, the way you dealt with that scuffle was quite elegant."
"Truly, you made it exceedingly obvious they were not your match."
Whatever the case, she now found a group of nobles blocking her path. She still hadn't found Diana, which meant she had gone the wrong way around the barracks in her search because she had almost come back around to the scene of the disaster.
"Um, thank you, but I really need to get past."
"Allow us to accompany you!"
"I'm certain we can be of assistance."
It was the same thing everywhere she went. Titanyana could handle a bit of suck-uppery, a bit of brown nosing was a constant hindrance that needed to be dealt with for royalty, but this was an active hindrance to her job. She wished she could just tell them off, but that would entail closing off potential avenues of assistance.
"Gentlemen, do me a favor and step aside for the young lady. Unlike us she has business to attend to tonight." Cholst approached the crowd from the other side. "Her leader has given her a task, and you appear to be blocking the way."
Cholst's status was not inferior to Titanyana's. She may have been the highlight of the night for many due to her 'novelty', but Trebar's squad attending a party was a unique event as well. The only reason Titanyana was winning the popularity contest was because she didn't seem to have any clear connections, her relationship with Donovan and Diana outside of the Sanctum being a complete mystery. She was an asset that everyone wanted, and were trying to secure her for their own countries. Marriage wasn't off the table if it meant they could secure the progeny of someone her caliber.
That didn't mean they could ignore Cholst though, and within short order a path had opened for her.
"Thank you."
"Whatever do you mean?" Cholst's message was clear, he would overlook the nobles' behavior for now, but Titanyana was not to be obstructed.
Titanyana upped her pace, an attempt to make up for lost time, coming to a screeching halt before entering the next room. Hopefully Diana would be . . . there she was, in the corner with Merndil. They were discussing something with a third individual, but he didn't seem familiar.
"Um, Lady Diana?" Not wanting to interrupt but understanding her orders, Titanyana tapped on Diana's shoulder.
"Hm? Oh, Titanyana! We were just talking about you." Diana gestured to a chair, a sign that she should take a seat. "We were in the middle of discussing your, um, situation . . . I hope that's okay."
Titanyana's tail curled around to her front. "It's fine. You are probably going to be better at it than I am."
"Come now Tanya, have some confidence." Diana reached out and grabbed a hand. "You have some bargaining power now."
"But I don't know how to use it."
"Unfortunately, that is a skill that will come in time, time that you just don't have." The unknown man thrust a hand in her direction. "Gawan, future Montaug. I believe this is the first time we have met."
Titanyana's ears flattened. Was everything conspiring to remind her how little time she had?
"While I respect your approach Sir Gawan, I feel that statement was still a bit harsh. As a noble and gentleman I feel obliged to ask you to apologize." Merndil did not have any scruples when it came to dealing with Gawan. Their positions were roughly that of equals, and he would not hesitate to make that felt. "Such words will not motivate Princess Strapper the way you believe they will."
". . . my apologies, Lady Strapper. I failed to consider how that might sound from your perspective."
Titanyana wasn't fond of his callousness, but it was better than hostility.
"A-ny-ways, back to the boats. Now that Titanyana is here, can you tell her what you might be able to offer Prince Merndil?"
"Of course. Princess Strapper, out of consideration for both your people's plight and furthering the relationship between myself and the Terrans, I am more than willing to stick my neck out and try to secure some aid for the evacuation efforts. I don't know how much I will be able to offer, nor do I have a particularly good idea when such an operation can start, but I can at the very least guarantee something. My position as the crown prince isn't only for show."
"What will I have to give you in return?" Titanyana knew that these sort of interactions were not without cost, the promised subservience to the Terrans was her proof of such.
"You personally? Only a favor. It is clear to me that there is nothing you have to offer that I am in need of at the moment, however that does not mean something won't come up in the future. I am getting more out of Diana and the Theocracy." Titanyana's head fell, now she was being told that little bit of bargaining power she had was worthless to the ones who could help. "Even if I am unable to convince my father to mobilize some of our navy for the task, I have complete confidence that I can convince a few of our merchant fleets to set sail under generous terms."
"What will you get out of this deal?" Titanyana knew it was going to be something preposterous.
"Trade contracts and someone to host my parties for me. Much like my subordinate, I am quite interested in the light carvings that were on display today."
Titanyana tilted her head. "What else?"
"Nothing much really. Call me a softy, call me a wimp, but I feel I have a responsibility to assist those who cannot help themselves, my duty as one with power. Of course there are limits to that, but helping a race of people avoid annihilation from a threat they had no part in manifesting is something I feel obligated to do free of charge. If anything, what I have asked of these two is nothing more than a cover and justification to be brought to my father."
"We considered the prospect of significant amounts of money, but he insisted that be saved for negotiation with the merchants. Naturally the Theocracy will cover such costs." Gawan tapped one of the tokens on the table. "My guess is that your father will reject the offer as it stands."
"It is unfortunate, but I am in agreement with that assessment. He is getting old, stubborn, and he has grown wary of external threats."
"Border raids, we are well aware of the damage they can cause." Gawan pocketed the coin, rolling his dice for fun. "Planets become isolated, trade becomes unprofitable, and then the nobility gets a feel for independence. How many systems have you lost thus far?"
"Seventeen in the past ten years, though we have welcomed more than fifty into our ranks in that same period of time." Merndil turned his attention to Gawan to measure his reaction. "How did the Theocracy fix it's own pirate issue? Surely you had one in the past, right?"
"We hunted down and executed every single pirate that came within three jumps of our borders, burned their ships, and left their headless corpses to drift in the void as a warning to anyone who got funny ideas. It wasn't exactly the most diplomatic solution, nor the most economical, but it has proved to be quite effective."
Merndil remained unfazed, though Diana recoiled a little.
"What of the pirate Lords? They tend to be hubs, right?"
"Why do you think it is we have so many vassal states outside of our borders?" Gawan shook his head at the double ones. He wasn't rolling for anything but it was still disappointing. "I think you would understand it if I said that the dynasties which currently maintain control over those states are not the same as those who existed in the capacity of pirate Lord."
"Brutal."
"And yet it has proved an effective deterrent. Now they serve as bases to hunt pirates rather than bases to propagate their activities."
"Did you do the same to pirate lords within your borders?"
"We never had that problem, and we never will. Need I remind you that we aren't ruled by nobility?"
"Ah." Merndil nodded his head in understanding. It was hard for a lord to be corrupted into piracy if that lord never existed in the first place.
The silence that followed reminded Titanyana of why she was here.
"Oh! Um, Lady Diana, Sir Donovan requested your presence."
"Did he now? What for?"
Titanyana prepared herself for the potential reprimand that would be coming her way for putting this off. "There was a fight that I had to deal with, and it looks like there was quite the mess."
"Oh? Oh! Oh dear!" Diana was already up. "Um, let's go deal with that. Prince Merndil?"
"A scuffle, is it? Not too terribly uncommon. I shall help with the aftermath."
"I will accompany you three, I have a feeling I might be needed."
- - - - -
Rashtvice woke to an aching head. He was rattled, still a little tipsy, but aware that he was not currently in the upright position. This was odd considering the fact he didn't know how he got knocked down, but that was just the way bar brawls were. Sometimes you got the drop on someone and made them fold in on themselves, sometimes someone snuck up behind you and bashed your skull with a chair. That sort of unpredictability was the biggest appeal to him, always forcing him to stay on his feet.
That said, he was still a little confused. From what little he remembered, there were only three of them engaged in combat at the time, fighting with knives so less, and none of the nobles in the room struck him as the type to, well, strike him. By and large they looked like suck-ups and cowards, they would never choose violence against the Crown Prince's beloved little brother. Rolling over onto his side to get a better grasp of his situation and relieve some of the pain he was feeling, he groaned.
"Phuuuuuuuuck"
Opening his mouth a little revealed to him another instance of pain. The pain he was feeling in his jaw was almost unbearable.
"Good morning, little Rash." He didn't need to open his eyes to know who the shadow looming over him was. "How was your nap?"
Rash couldn't do anything but moan in response, he could hear a lecture on etiquette and manners approaching.
"Is that so? I must say you have made quite the mess. Did you think before you joined in?"
"Uh-uh."
"Yes or no, it doesn't really matter to me. It isn't my right to punish you this time, it isn't really my party. I do wonder what Lord Strauss has planned for you. It looks like you might have attacked some of his friends from the Holifanian Theocracy."
"Shid."
"Shit is very much the reaction you should be having right about now. He doesn't seem particularly angry with you, however I have given him my permission to punish you as he sees fit. Good luck~"
Rashtvice could hear his brother's boots walking away, in a moment or two he would probably find himself talking with any number of nobles interested in currying favor. Hoping to catch a glimpse of him before leaving, Rash opened his eyes to find Donovan squatting beside him, elbows resting on his knees.
"I'd offer you some help up, but I'm covered in blood. Do you have a problem with your clothes getting stained?" There was a distinct lack of a malicious tone, which made Rashtvice all the more wary of his new friend.
"No."
"Great!" Donovan repositioned himself, grabbing Rash right below his shoulder and muscling him to his feet. Feet which were unstable. Don wrapped that arm around his neck and dragged him over to a chair. Rash, arms now free to move, rubbed his jaw to inspect the damage. There was definitely swelling.
"Yeah, it's a nice shade of purple. Titanyana got your ass good."
"Didanyana?"
"She's one of my squad mates, both my squire and mentor. She recently got a title too." Donovan pressed a cold wet cloth to the damaged portion of Rash's face.
"A didle?"
"Yup, 'Tempest'. Surely you've heard of her?"
"Who hazn'd?" He couldn't really get excited about it now.
"I'll introduce you two later. For now, open your eyes and follow my finger . . . yep, that's a concussion. You should probably avoid bright lights and exercise for a few days if you want to recover."
"Yezzir."
- - - - -
Titanyana sat off to the side, watching the clean up efforts progress as she ate a bit of food. She was particularly focused on Donovan, ears and eyes at attention. She recognized the person he was talking to, in fact his visage had haunted her dreams in the weeks before the Captain visited her at the Inn.
He was the one she had punched in the face.
"Is something wrong?" Gretts sat down next to Titanyana, her work done. "Don't be too worried about having hit that fool. It was his choice to get rowdy, your job was to stop that sort of behavior."
"But he's a prince!"
"And you are a princess. More than that, it would seem his brother has planned to admonish him for his poor behavior." Gretts picked a small yellow fruit off of Titanyana's plate, one she knew Titanyana would not eat. "From what I have heard, he does not even have a claim to the throne in the first place."
"What?"
"He was removed from the line of succession for some reason. Trust me, you won't be looked upon too poorly for roughing him up. He was in the wrong." A servant entered the room and waved Gretts down. "Hmph. Always something awry at these parties. Do take care not to seclude yourself Miss Strapper, it pains me to see you like that."
Five stitches, perhaps too many for the width of the cut, but Donovan didn't want to take chances. He poured the last of the cold water onto the wound in order to wash away the blood before taking a longer cloth and wrapping it around Kerefel's arm.
"Word of advice: don't mess with the cloth or stitching. I am neither a tailor nor a surgeon, so I don't know how durable they'll be. Get to someone who can actually fix it, preferably tonight." Donovan offered his hand to help him up. "Is there anything else you need?"
"More alcohol?" Kerefel was definitely a little bit lightheaded.
"Sorry, but I'm going to cut you off. I really don't want you hurting yourself anymore than you already are. How about some juice?"
". . . fine." Kerefel was reluctant, but he wasn't going to fight the decision at this point.
"Cherry?"
"As you wish."
"Thank you." Donovan stood up and took a look around at the state of the room, an absolute mess. It had improved since he started stitching Kerefel up, chairs and tables were righted and the larger chunks of food had been picked up off of the floor, but there was blood, booze, and broken tableware all over the place. There were also the three knocked out or otherwise incapacitated troublemakers. "Somebody go get Trebar and Prince Merndil."
- - - - -
Titanyana was not particularly worried about being chewed out by Donovan. She had a few reasons to be wary, her biggest concern on that front being that she acted without permission, but Donovan's temperament after she had left his side to fetch Diana indicated he was more annoyed than anything.
Were fights like these common at parties? She didn't know.
"I must say, Lady Tempest, the way you dealt with that scuffle was quite elegant."
"Truly, you made it exceedingly obvious they were not your match."
Whatever the case, she now found a group of nobles blocking her path. She still hadn't found Diana, which meant she had gone the wrong way around the barracks in her search because she had almost come back around to the scene of the disaster.
"Um, thank you, but I really need to get past."
"Allow us to accompany you!"
"I'm certain we can be of assistance."
It was the same thing everywhere she went. Titanyana could handle a bit of suck-uppery, a bit of brown nosing was a constant hindrance that needed to be dealt with for royalty, but this was an active hindrance to her job. She wished she could just tell them off, but that would entail closing off potential avenues of assistance.
"Gentlemen, do me a favor and step aside for the young lady. Unlike us she has business to attend to tonight." Cholst approached the crowd from the other side. "Her leader has given her a task, and you appear to be blocking the way."
Cholst's status was not inferior to Titanyana's. She may have been the highlight of the night for many due to her 'novelty', but Trebar's squad attending a party was a unique event as well. The only reason Titanyana was winning the popularity contest was because she didn't seem to have any clear connections, her relationship with Donovan and Diana outside of the Sanctum being a complete mystery. She was an asset that everyone wanted, and were trying to secure her for their own countries. Marriage wasn't off the table if it meant they could secure the progeny of someone her caliber.
That didn't mean they could ignore Cholst though, and within short order a path had opened for her.
"Thank you."
"Whatever do you mean?" Cholst's message was clear, he would overlook the nobles' behavior for now, but Titanyana was not to be obstructed.
Titanyana upped her pace, an attempt to make up for lost time, coming to a screeching halt before entering the next room. Hopefully Diana would be . . . there she was, in the corner with Merndil. They were discussing something with a third individual, but he didn't seem familiar.
"Um, Lady Diana?" Not wanting to interrupt but understanding her orders, Titanyana tapped on Diana's shoulder.
"Hm? Oh, Titanyana! We were just talking about you." Diana gestured to a chair, a sign that she should take a seat. "We were in the middle of discussing your, um, situation . . . I hope that's okay."
Titanyana's tail curled around to her front. "It's fine. You are probably going to be better at it than I am."
"Come now Tanya, have some confidence." Diana reached out and grabbed a hand. "You have some bargaining power now."
"But I don't know how to use it."
"Unfortunately, that is a skill that will come in time, time that you just don't have." The unknown man thrust a hand in her direction. "Gawan, future Montaug. I believe this is the first time we have met."
Titanyana's ears flattened. Was everything conspiring to remind her how little time she had?
"While I respect your approach Sir Gawan, I feel that statement was still a bit harsh. As a noble and gentleman I feel obliged to ask you to apologize." Merndil did not have any scruples when it came to dealing with Gawan. Their positions were roughly that of equals, and he would not hesitate to make that felt. "Such words will not motivate Princess Strapper the way you believe they will."
". . . my apologies, Lady Strapper. I failed to consider how that might sound from your perspective."
Titanyana wasn't fond of his callousness, but it was better than hostility.
"A-ny-ways, back to the boats. Now that Titanyana is here, can you tell her what you might be able to offer Prince Merndil?"
"Of course. Princess Strapper, out of consideration for both your people's plight and furthering the relationship between myself and the Terrans, I am more than willing to stick my neck out and try to secure some aid for the evacuation efforts. I don't know how much I will be able to offer, nor do I have a particularly good idea when such an operation can start, but I can at the very least guarantee something. My position as the crown prince isn't only for show."
"What will I have to give you in return?" Titanyana knew that these sort of interactions were not without cost, the promised subservience to the Terrans was her proof of such.
"You personally? Only a favor. It is clear to me that there is nothing you have to offer that I am in need of at the moment, however that does not mean something won't come up in the future. I am getting more out of Diana and the Theocracy." Titanyana's head fell, now she was being told that little bit of bargaining power she had was worthless to the ones who could help. "Even if I am unable to convince my father to mobilize some of our navy for the task, I have complete confidence that I can convince a few of our merchant fleets to set sail under generous terms."
"What will you get out of this deal?" Titanyana knew it was going to be something preposterous.
"Trade contracts and someone to host my parties for me. Much like my subordinate, I am quite interested in the light carvings that were on display today."
Titanyana tilted her head. "What else?"
"Nothing much really. Call me a softy, call me a wimp, but I feel I have a responsibility to assist those who cannot help themselves, my duty as one with power. Of course there are limits to that, but helping a race of people avoid annihilation from a threat they had no part in manifesting is something I feel obligated to do free of charge. If anything, what I have asked of these two is nothing more than a cover and justification to be brought to my father."
"We considered the prospect of significant amounts of money, but he insisted that be saved for negotiation with the merchants. Naturally the Theocracy will cover such costs." Gawan tapped one of the tokens on the table. "My guess is that your father will reject the offer as it stands."
"It is unfortunate, but I am in agreement with that assessment. He is getting old, stubborn, and he has grown wary of external threats."
"Border raids, we are well aware of the damage they can cause." Gawan pocketed the coin, rolling his dice for fun. "Planets become isolated, trade becomes unprofitable, and then the nobility gets a feel for independence. How many systems have you lost thus far?"
"Seventeen in the past ten years, though we have welcomed more than fifty into our ranks in that same period of time." Merndil turned his attention to Gawan to measure his reaction. "How did the Theocracy fix it's own pirate issue? Surely you had one in the past, right?"
"We hunted down and executed every single pirate that came within three jumps of our borders, burned their ships, and left their headless corpses to drift in the void as a warning to anyone who got funny ideas. It wasn't exactly the most diplomatic solution, nor the most economical, but it has proved to be quite effective."
Merndil remained unfazed, though Diana recoiled a little.
"What of the pirate Lords? They tend to be hubs, right?"
"Why do you think it is we have so many vassal states outside of our borders?" Gawan shook his head at the double ones. He wasn't rolling for anything but it was still disappointing. "I think you would understand it if I said that the dynasties which currently maintain control over those states are not the same as those who existed in the capacity of pirate Lord."
"Brutal."
"And yet it has proved an effective deterrent. Now they serve as bases to hunt pirates rather than bases to propagate their activities."
"Did you do the same to pirate lords within your borders?"
"We never had that problem, and we never will. Need I remind you that we aren't ruled by nobility?"
"Ah." Merndil nodded his head in understanding. It was hard for a lord to be corrupted into piracy if that lord never existed in the first place.
The silence that followed reminded Titanyana of why she was here.
"Oh! Um, Lady Diana, Sir Donovan requested your presence."
"Did he now? What for?"
Titanyana prepared herself for the potential reprimand that would be coming her way for putting this off. "There was a fight that I had to deal with, and it looks like there was quite the mess."
"Oh? Oh! Oh dear!" Diana was already up. "Um, let's go deal with that. Prince Merndil?"
"A scuffle, is it? Not too terribly uncommon. I shall help with the aftermath."
"I will accompany you three, I have a feeling I might be needed."
- - - - -
Rashtvice woke to an aching head. He was rattled, still a little tipsy, but aware that he was not currently in the upright position. This was odd considering the fact he didn't know how he got knocked down, but that was just the way bar brawls were. Sometimes you got the drop on someone and made them fold in on themselves, sometimes someone snuck up behind you and bashed your skull with a chair. That sort of unpredictability was the biggest appeal to him, always forcing him to stay on his feet.
That said, he was still a little confused. From what little he remembered, there were only three of them engaged in combat at the time, fighting with knives so less, and none of the nobles in the room struck him as the type to, well, strike him. By and large they looked like suck-ups and cowards, they would never choose violence against the Crown Prince's beloved little brother. Rolling over onto his side to get a better grasp of his situation and relieve some of the pain he was feeling, he groaned.
"Phuuuuuuuuck"
Opening his mouth a little revealed to him another instance of pain. The pain he was feeling in his jaw was almost unbearable.
"Good morning, little Rash." He didn't need to open his eyes to know who the shadow looming over him was. "How was your nap?"
Rash couldn't do anything but moan in response, he could hear a lecture on etiquette and manners approaching.
"Is that so? I must say you have made quite the mess. Did you think before you joined in?"
"Uh-uh."
"Yes or no, it doesn't really matter to me. It isn't my right to punish you this time, it isn't really my party. I do wonder what Lord Strauss has planned for you. It looks like you might have attacked some of his friends from the Holifanian Theocracy."
"Shid."
"Shit is very much the reaction you should be having right about now. He doesn't seem particularly angry with you, however I have given him my permission to punish you as he sees fit. Good luck~"
Rashtvice could hear his brother's boots walking away, in a moment or two he would probably find himself talking with any number of nobles interested in currying favor. Hoping to catch a glimpse of him before leaving, Rash opened his eyes to find Donovan squatting beside him, elbows resting on his knees.
"I'd offer you some help up, but I'm covered in blood. Do you have a problem with your clothes getting stained?" There was a distinct lack of a malicious tone, which made Rashtvice all the more wary of his new friend.
"No."
"Great!" Donovan repositioned himself, grabbing Rash right below his shoulder and muscling him to his feet. Feet which were unstable. Don wrapped that arm around his neck and dragged him over to a chair. Rash, arms now free to move, rubbed his jaw to inspect the damage. There was definitely swelling.
"Yeah, it's a nice shade of purple. Titanyana got your ass good."
"Didanyana?"
"She's one of my squad mates, both my squire and mentor. She recently got a title too." Donovan pressed a cold wet cloth to the damaged portion of Rash's face.
"A didle?"
"Yup, 'Tempest'. Surely you've heard of her?"
"Who hazn'd?" He couldn't really get excited about it now.
"I'll introduce you two later. For now, open your eyes and follow my finger . . . yep, that's a concussion. You should probably avoid bright lights and exercise for a few days if you want to recover."
"Yezzir."
- - - - -
Titanyana sat off to the side, watching the clean up efforts progress as she ate a bit of food. She was particularly focused on Donovan, ears and eyes at attention. She recognized the person he was talking to, in fact his visage had haunted her dreams in the weeks before the Captain visited her at the Inn.
He was the one she had punched in the face.
"Is something wrong?" Gretts sat down next to Titanyana, her work done. "Don't be too worried about having hit that fool. It was his choice to get rowdy, your job was to stop that sort of behavior."
"But he's a prince!"
"And you are a princess. More than that, it would seem his brother has planned to admonish him for his poor behavior." Gretts picked a small yellow fruit off of Titanyana's plate, one she knew Titanyana would not eat. "From what I have heard, he does not even have a claim to the throne in the first place."
"What?"
"He was removed from the line of succession for some reason. Trust me, you won't be looked upon too poorly for roughing him up. He was in the wrong." A servant entered the room and waved Gretts down. "Hmph. Always something awry at these parties. Do take care not to seclude yourself Miss Strapper, it pains me to see you like that."
