Post by Cam Pyetr on Nov 16, 2023 13:23:03 GMT -5
Camilla Pyetr bustled with nervous energy. The servants weren’t moving fast enough, the food wasn’t perfect, and the décor wasn’t good enough. It would never be enough; the Pyetr home wasn’t rich enough to provide the life she wanted and the parties she deserved to throw. She’d have to make do. Invitations had gone out a week ago to a spattering of nobles, people who might know her or her son or who could benefit them in some way. Three musicians played soft music in one corner of the mediocre banquet hall. The dinner party would start in the parlor with drinks and a selection of sweets before dinner, then would come the entertainment that Cam had promised to provide. She plastered on a smile and played hostess as guests began to arrive, the very picture of aging grace.
_____
Camilla’s son was another story of nerves, though he was not so fidgety. Instead he sat motionless, staring without expression at Edith Byron , who was seated across from him in the carriage as it took them to his family’s Skia manor. He didn’t bother giving her the lecture on expectations again—she’d had to recite it back to him before ending her two-day stint in the three-foot penitence box, after which she was washed, groomed, and dressed for her first outing since being dragged into the Beldam months ago. Speak when spoken to and no more. Your days at the Beldam are our business, not theirs. Some may call you Gunne, but do not forget your new, true name. Carry yourself well, but remember who owns you.
It was a gamble to bring her out, perhaps, but one that might change the reputation of the Beldam forever, as that blasted @nithya had made him realize. That cordial pain in the ass was invited, of course, to see the triumph of a good rehabilitation. A swathe of nobility were invited, and Cam had asked his mother to include a few others who might benefit the Beldam along with their family: Hadrian Usher —he had hopes of dealing with the Othello Allemeade situation and perhaps earning points with the captain commander—and even the illustrious Lady @norah (a pipe dream of an invitation, but one lost nothing by having one’s mother try). Of course, he wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t come. He knew where his family stood in terms of prominence… at least for now.
Yet bringing the former Lady Cortell to his mother’s house for a dinner party somehow wasn’t the biggest gamble of the evening. In a barred wagon coming a few miles behind this one was the evening’s entertainment, accompanied by six guards in fine new gear. His mother had begged him to make sure their family could provide memorable dinner entertainment to the guests she needed to impress, and Cam could think of no better showcase—nor a riskier one—than to have the Cambrian She-Barbarian (he came up with the name himself), Isolde herself, come dressed in full costume--barbaric skins and feathers and animal bones, and armed with a painted wooden sword--for a showcase of her savage warrior skills and to regale guests with her uncivilized speech and ideas. She’d be collared and shackled at all times, kept in another room for special guests to get a first look at until her performance after the dinner meal. Then would follow a short Q&A session for their amusement. Guards were to stay with her and at the exits, both to emphasize how dangerous she was and to make sure she didn’t attempt escape.
When the carriage arrived at the manor, he stepped out and offered an arm to the wan but still lovely woman with him, pressing his other hand with hidden firmness against her fingers as a last warning. She was allowed to leave his side and mingle if she wanted to, of course. It wasn’t a true test if she was on too short a leash. A few guests had already arrived, and Cam took a deep breath before striding into the parlor, ready to let Gunne go if she chose to and to start schmoozing his mother's guests. This night would be the start of a new era—or the end of one.
No post order, feel free to bunny guests, and if anyone with an Evermerean noble wants to have been invited, drop in! I'll
Holler on Discord (chuchu) with any questions.
_____
Camilla’s son was another story of nerves, though he was not so fidgety. Instead he sat motionless, staring without expression at Edith Byron , who was seated across from him in the carriage as it took them to his family’s Skia manor. He didn’t bother giving her the lecture on expectations again—she’d had to recite it back to him before ending her two-day stint in the three-foot penitence box, after which she was washed, groomed, and dressed for her first outing since being dragged into the Beldam months ago. Speak when spoken to and no more. Your days at the Beldam are our business, not theirs. Some may call you Gunne, but do not forget your new, true name. Carry yourself well, but remember who owns you.
It was a gamble to bring her out, perhaps, but one that might change the reputation of the Beldam forever, as that blasted @nithya had made him realize. That cordial pain in the ass was invited, of course, to see the triumph of a good rehabilitation. A swathe of nobility were invited, and Cam had asked his mother to include a few others who might benefit the Beldam along with their family: Hadrian Usher —he had hopes of dealing with the Othello Allemeade situation and perhaps earning points with the captain commander—and even the illustrious Lady @norah (a pipe dream of an invitation, but one lost nothing by having one’s mother try). Of course, he wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t come. He knew where his family stood in terms of prominence… at least for now.
Yet bringing the former Lady Cortell to his mother’s house for a dinner party somehow wasn’t the biggest gamble of the evening. In a barred wagon coming a few miles behind this one was the evening’s entertainment, accompanied by six guards in fine new gear. His mother had begged him to make sure their family could provide memorable dinner entertainment to the guests she needed to impress, and Cam could think of no better showcase—nor a riskier one—than to have the Cambrian She-Barbarian (he came up with the name himself), Isolde herself, come dressed in full costume--barbaric skins and feathers and animal bones, and armed with a painted wooden sword--for a showcase of her savage warrior skills and to regale guests with her uncivilized speech and ideas. She’d be collared and shackled at all times, kept in another room for special guests to get a first look at until her performance after the dinner meal. Then would follow a short Q&A session for their amusement. Guards were to stay with her and at the exits, both to emphasize how dangerous she was and to make sure she didn’t attempt escape.
When the carriage arrived at the manor, he stepped out and offered an arm to the wan but still lovely woman with him, pressing his other hand with hidden firmness against her fingers as a last warning. She was allowed to leave his side and mingle if she wanted to, of course. It wasn’t a true test if she was on too short a leash. A few guests had already arrived, and Cam took a deep breath before striding into the parlor, ready to let Gunne go if she chose to and to start schmoozing his mother's guests. This night would be the start of a new era—or the end of one.
No post order, feel free to bunny guests, and if anyone with an Evermerean noble wants to have been invited, drop in! I'll
Holler on Discord (chuchu) with any questions.
