A Duchess in the Desert (Closed)

[Kyrenaia]

"Of course...I'll try to sleep but I got a feeling I'll be a bit restless thinking of you." She winked at her and scurried out of bed to find her dress. "I think I found it. Next time I'm gonna pack a loose yukata to wear for these occasions. That's another quirk and...Ah well...I'll tell you more later..." She figured she best get on back to let Aurelia get some rest. She managed to slip on the dress best she could. "Sweet dreams!" she bid to Aurelia.

"Sweet dreams.", Aurelia wished her as well, having helped her a bit with the dress. It didn't particularly look smooth, but if anyone asked, they had snuggled with her Sand Wolf. Having a good excuse was a good thing sometimes... Aurelia just wasn't ready yet to go public with their relationship. The Kyrenaian Princess herself was wearing a bathrobe, opening the door for Marcella...
...and just in time to see Prince Damir standing there, her father petting the Sand Wolf with a wide grin as he looked up.
"Good evening. I knew, that I'd find you two here.", he said with a grin, "Had fun 'talking'?"
Aurelia could hear the bloody airquotes.

[AHSCA]

Given how loud they probably got it was a bit of a wonder if the rest of the staff didn't hear them. But oh well, it's probably something to be expected in the court of nobility. "Why yes, we did have a nice...talk..... But now's the time we need our rest, so if you'd be so kind as to escort me back to my quarters so that I might not get lost and found looking like this."

[Kyrenaia]

Given how loud they probably got it was a bit of a wonder if the rest of the staff didn't hear them. But oh well, it's probably something to be expected in the court of nobility. "Why yes, we did have a nice...talk..... But now's the time we need our rest, so if you'd be so kind as to escort me back to my quarters so that I might not get lost and found looking like this."

"But of course, Marcella-Khana.", Damir said, stepping back and offering his arm to link with her, still grinning, "I am sure, that with as good as a conversationalist my beloved daughter is, that it was a fun experience that made the time fly."
Aurelia smiled as her Sand Wolf slipped inside, settled down next to her spot at her table awaiting his due petting as a reward - he would get it, that was not the question, but it would take a few moments.
"You'll come over later, Dad?", she asked, using her father's less formal appelation, mainly because she felt comfortable around Marcella for her to know, that they weren't formal all the time. "School's tomorrow."
"I know, but I still want to talk a bit with my daughter.", he said, without putting a teasing emphasis on talk. He then turned to Marcella: "Let's go. I'm sure, that your sister already awaits you, Khana."

[AHSCA]

"Thank you very much. She really is a good conversationalist.." She blushed a bit then continued, "My my it's quite late I should get to bed soon. I imagine Gisella is already in bed for the night, I'll have to talk to her first thing in the morning." she let out a slight yawn the first one she did all night, surprisingly.

[Kyrenaia]

"Thank you very much. She really is a good conversationalist.." She blushed a bit then continued, "My my it's quite late I should get to bed soon. I imagine Gisella is already in bed for the night, I'll have to talk to her first thing in the morning." she let out a slight yawn the first one she did all night, surprisingly.

"I can imagine.", Damir said, nodding to his daughter, a non-verbal 'See you in a bit!', leading Marcella away. "I sadly missed a chance to dance with either of you, but from what I heard, Gisella is a very graceful and good dancer. You weren't bad either."
He smiled slightly.
"I must admit, that I had rarely seen Grand Vizier al-Zahir as happy as after the dance with you. You really made his day.", he said.

[AHSCA]

"Well no doubt in my mind Gisella is better at dancing than me, she loves dance class in our studies. Aw I'm so happy I could make him feel good with a simple little action. Just whatever I can do to make someone happy makes me happy."

[Kyrenaia]

"Well no doubt in my mind Gisella is better at dancing than me, she loves dance class in our studies. Aw I'm so happy I could make him feel good with a simple little action. Just whatever I can do to make someone happy makes me happy."

"Then here we go!", Damir replied with a grin as he led her through the hallways, with the security of a man, who had been raised here. "He was really happy. Other people were not."
His grin vanished.
"Your little stunt of a dance not only ruffled a few feathers, but actually a whole flock.", he explained, "Faris is one of the people who... well, you met her." He shrugged. "An old conservative hag, if you ask me, but a powerful one as well."

[AHSCA]

"I imagine it could be a bit scandalous but from what I was briefed on my trip here I figured it was a move of modest risk. Ah as is the life of a Duchess, I have to play everything like a game of chess. But it was more than a stunt, it's because it's what I wanted to do."

[Kyrenaia]

"I imagine it could be a bit scandalous but from what I was briefed on my trip here I figured it was a move of modest risk. Ah as is the life of a Duchess, I have to play everything like a game of chess. But it was more than a stunt, it's because it's what I wanted to do."

"Modest Risk?", Damir asked and then nodded, "One could put it that way... Of course, I know, that it was not simply a stunt, I am her father, after all."
He was silent for a moment.
"I'm just giving you a warning. You met Faris yourself, didn't you?", he asked, remembering watching from the corner of his eye, "She's not the most comfortable opponent to have. Even Mother doesn't want her to be that."

[AHSCA]

"Yes, I met her. I'm not entirely unconvinced she has ice flowing through her veins but I can't let her scare me. I wouldn't be much of a Duchess if I did."

[Kyrenaia]

"Yes, I met her. I'm not entirely unconvinced she has ice flowing through her veins but I can't let her scare me. I wouldn't be much of a Duchess if I did."

"That's the spirit.", Damir said with a grin, "Besides, not wanting to be her opponent doesn't mean, that one is not her opponent. Amongst the two of us, Mother and Faris are... on bad terms might be the wrong term, but they don't exactly like each other. And Faris doesn't like Aurelia, as you might have noticed."
He shrugged.
"Kyrenaian Power Politics.", he explained, "Faris actually has a son, a bit younger then you are. He's currently doing his Service with the... 24th Helicopter Brigade, I think it was. See, where this is going?"

[AHSCA]

"Yeah I caught onto the fact she doesn't think highly of Aurelia. Well I'm not entirely sure unless you are saying she was hoping to align me and him together?"

[Kyrenaia]

"Yeah I caught onto the fact she doesn't think highly of Aurelia. Well I'm not entirely sure unless you are saying she was hoping to align me and him together?"

"Close, but not quite.", Damir said, "She was actually working on getting him, his name is Khalid, by the way, and Aurelia together. They do get along, but... there's this spark missing." He let a beat pass. "Neither Mother nor I want to force her to anything and she doesn't want to force herself and him either, so they went seperate ways. Last I heard, he has his eyes on another girl, too. Only his mother took a while to accept that..."
He looked at Marcella.
"...and since she knows of the leanings of both of you, she can spin a few far fetched tales for the right magazines the mud-slinging begins again." He sighed. "By now, she's only out to destroy Aurelia."

[AHSCA]

"I see. Seems my liking to her as a shark wasn't terribly far off. If she wants to sling some mud my way then so be it, but I won't let her drag Aurelia down as long as I'm alive! I'm going to need to find someone to keep her at bay. AHSCA doesn't really have any big power brokers to the likes of her but I know a few elsewhere." Admittedly she also had a dark thoughts of having her seized and shipped to Black Island should she set foot in the Islands but that probably wouldn't go over well if she did so she just as quickly purged the thoughts form her mind. Best way to probably deal with her was to play on her level.

[Kyrenaia]

"I see. Seems my liking to her as a shark wasn't terribly far off. If she wants to sling some mud my way then so be it, but I won't let her drag Aurelia down as long as I'm alive! I'm going to need to find someone to keep her at bay. AHSCA doesn't really have any big power brokers to the likes of her but I know a few elsewhere." Admittedly she also had a dark thoughts of having her seized and shipped to Black Island should she set foot in the Islands but that probably wouldn't go over well if she did so she just as quickly purged the thoughts form her mind. Best way to probably deal with her was to play on her level.

Damir was silent for a time, well-informed about the UIS and its little secret.
"I am in no position to advise you on that matter, but for all the troubles and aches she causes, she has not broken any law... at least not as far as a state of law and its judges can prove it." He admitted the last thing with a small shrug. "And hurting her in any way is not going to be as successful as you hope either. The best way, indeed, is to outplay her at her own game. And currently, sad to say, she holds all cards and more in her hands."
He sighed.
"I will not let her drag my daughter down again.", he said with fight in his eyes and fire in his heart.

[AHSCA]

Wow it's like he's read my mind. I don't think the Kyrenaians are really espers... she thought just how on point he was but maybe Marcella just simply was too emotive for her own good. She had been told she'd be a great poker player. Probably because she'd be easy to read.

"Oh of course. Well for now we'll have to let the pieces of the board remain. Sometimes the best way to play chess is to let your opponent go first."

[Kyrenaia]

Wow it's like he's read my mind. I don't think the Kyrenaians are really espers... she thought just how on point he was but maybe Marcella just simply was too emotive for her own good. She had been told she'd be a great poker player. Probably because she'd be easy to read.

"Oh of course. Well for now we'll have to let the pieces of the board remain. Sometimes the best way to play chess is to let your opponent go first."

Damir snorted in amusement, despite the direness of the situation.
He was not good at chess. His siblings regularly beat him handily, no matter how many advantages he had. Maybe, this particular brand of chess was better suited for him.
"That sounds like a good plan. She has the initiative, currently.", he said with a nod, "We can plan better, when we know, which direction she is going to assault from." And move pieces in a panic to contain the breach only to leave another alley open., he added in thought about how he was always beaten. "And we can collect our ressources better as well."

[AHSCA]

"Right you are. She may be a shark, but we are not seals ripe for the munching! So I guess this makes us partners now" she gave a wink and smile.

[Kyrenaia]

"Right you are. She may be a shark, but we are not seals ripe for the munching! So I guess this makes us partners now" she gave a wink and smile.

"It indeed sounds like that.", Damir said, just in time for them to arrive at the Garden of the Lone Tree, the name-giving Lone Tree standing there by its lonesome. "I believe, that it is customary in many countries to shake hands."
With that, he extended his hand for a shake.
"Let's show this little sharky, that we not only have a fishing rod.", he said to seal the 'alliance', if one wanted to call it that.

[AHSCA]

"You're right, a shake to seal the deal." She offered her hand and took his outreached hand and gave a firm shake.

[Kyrenaia]

"You're right, a shake to seal the deal." She offered her hand and took his outreached hand and gave a firm shake.

Damir nodded, holding her hand tight, then turned it slightly and kissed the back of it.
"I believe, that our shared travelling through the hallways of the Palace of the Azure Hall came to an end.", he said with a charming grin. Considering, how this day had went, the other days of her visit were going to be quite exciting and interesting, if he would have to bet. And there were other matters to attend to as well during this visit. "It was fun."

[AHSCA]

"Ah yes, so it has. It's been a great walk with you, I really enjoyed it. Thank you so much for everything."

[Kyrenaia]

"Ah yes, so it has. It's been a great walk with you, I really enjoyed it. Thank you so much for everything."

"It was my pleasure.", Damir said, took a step back, bowed slightly and then turned to leave, but stopped for a moment. "Headlines tomorrow will be very interesting..."
And with that, he went to have a few words with his daughter before bed.

Night passed quickly.
Damir had a lovely conversation with his daughter, during which they reviewed the day's event (skipping most of the evening's activities) and came to the same conclusion as Damir and Marcella before: That Faris had the initiative, not they. He also introduced her to the agreement Damir and her girlfriend had come to, which moved her to tears - she wanted in on it as well. She was not a little damsel in distress, after all, but a Selkie, a Kyrenaian and a Princess.
Mahmut and Shirin returned to his quarters around the same time, the former having taken Awwa onto the grand tour around the palace, including the Public Gardens, which had been closed for the night by then. They, too, had a conversation, but Shirin massaged her temples quite heavily, grumbling about dense boys.
The Sultana had retired very early and as the night went on and the presses spun, blackened and coloured paper for tomorrow's newspapers, plans were set into motion, plans set to be a warning shot...
...but come morning, that was still a bit away.

At dawn, the old day came back young again, Manat's Gaze vanished, while the Lioness' Tender Gaze took over the watch. The sands heated up.
It was also the time, at which the guests had asked to be awakened. Fatima, assigned to Duchess Marcella, tiptoed into her room, well aware, that Alya was currently doing the same with Princess Gisella. They were the handmaidens assigned to them during the duration of their stay, after all, so she smiled at the sleeping form of her charge.
Not to mention, that much of the Azure Hall had risen long before dawn, especially those, who had to attend school. It was bad enough for both Prince Mahmut and Princess Aurelia to not have spent the night in the dorms like every other pupil, but that was alleviated by the fact, that the rest of the Horseman Escort had spent the night in the Tabardariyya Barracks as well.
Now, they were all up and getting ready to ride their horses back and be on time for school, which would be a bit of a challenge, but that was another matter.
For now, Fatima softly spoke to Marcella: "Your Highness - wakey-wakey!", she said with a grin, "Rise and shine as the Lioness looks at us! Breakfast with the Sultana is ready!"

[AHSCA]

Marcella muttered a few sleepy talk and sat up "Aaaaaah" She yawned out "I'm up, I'm up." Or so she said with her eyes still half shut. "Which bill is needing to sign?" She yawned out again "oooh wait, ahaha no bills I'm in...." Took her a moment but she got it "Right, Kyrenaia." She yawned again and slid out of bed. It took a few moments but finally she became more lucid. "ooh, good morning Fatima! Did you sleep well?"

[Kyrenaia]

Marcella muttered a few sleepy talk and sat up "Aaaaaah" She yawned out "I'm up, I'm up." Or so she said with her eyes still half shut. "Which bill is needing to sign?" She yawned out again "oooh wait, ahaha no bills I'm in...." Took her a moment but she got it "Right, Kyrenaia." She yawned again and slid out of bed. It took a few moments but finally she became more lucid. "ooh, good morning Fatima! Did you sleep well?"

"Very much so, Marcella-Khana.", the Handmaiden said with a smile, "You had pleasant dreams as well? Dancing with a certain someone?" Her smile said, that she knew exactly, who Marcella had danced with last night, in categorical order. "You have taste, I must say... Major Nara might be divorced and married to his work, but he is a good looking man!"
With that, she made a step back and bowed.
"Now, shall I help you getting dressed? The Sultana invited you for breakfast and press review.", Fatima said.