Brun had, in fact, seen Jayson since he had been back...  Or rather, Sir Dennic had seen him and tried to speak with his lost-but-now-happily-found friend.  Brun was...off.  Jayson could have seen that quick enough.  After Callisto, Jayson would often drop in on Brun in the Armoury.  Check on progress.  Check on /him/.  Likely bring him a good meal, as the Edge Knight so often forgot such simple things while he had been repairing his Lady.  So, Jayson knew Brun better than most anyone on Avaluna and the returned knight was....somehow even stranger...

Brun had seemed happy to see Sir Dennic, but began talking about conversations that they had never had.  Brun tried to explain, but it all sounded like nonsense.  What did he mean it would make sense later?  Or what was that bit about the action over Cyllene and how Jayson shouldn't blame himself for not seeing the ambush...  Jayson likely could not recall any action over Cyllene, much less an ambush...

Other knights might have made such attempts as well, getting conversations even more cryptic or backward.  All of which was quite the frustration to Brun....and everyone else, most likely.

If Jayson would have pressed, Euryleia would have done her best to provide an understandable explanation of Brun's state.  But such a state is not easily understandable.

---

Herald Godwin stumbled forward a few steps before catching himself.  In a huff, he straightened his tunic and shook a fist powerlessly after the child-swarm, "Hooligans!  Ragamuffins!"  He then turned his fist into an accusatory pointing finger and leveled it squarely on Sir Dennic, "And that sort of response only encourages their rash behavior!"  Then the Herald's mind reminded him that he was addressing a knight.  The finger dropped away and Godwin straightened his tunic again, adding in a more polite tone, "Sir"  This tunic seemed to a lot of straightening.  Then he spotted Freyr, "Thank goodness.  Dame Freyr, I am so sorry, but may I beg a few moments of your time.  It is /terribly/ important."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:42, Wed 10 Jan.

"Miss Freyr!  Miss Freyr!" proclaimed the leg-seeking menace as she plowed into Freyr at full speed to give her a hug.  Caught between a mob of small children and an official messenger, Freyr silently admitted she missed a bit of the chaos surrounding Meara and gave Mimi a smile and an affectionate pat on the head.  "I missed you too, Miriam," she replied quietly before looking at Herald Godwin with a resigned expression.  "I assume this is about the wedding?" she asked as Mimi hugged her leg tighter.  Despite this, she managed to retain her noble poise and bearing.  An example Meara still had a long way to go to emulate.

Herald Godwin smiled apologetically, stepping closer...though, noting Mimi, not /too/ close, "Yes, in fact.  Though possibly it could be seen as /tangential/ to it, which is rather the problem you see." He paused a moment to check if Freyr, Rose, Dennic....Mimi... did in fact see, but quickly pressed on anyway, "Of course, I understand that the royal wedding should take precedence over most everything else.  And we are all quite looking forward to it.  I have /always/ felt Dame Meara and Prince Gwydion would be a smart match, you know." He lowered his voice conspiratorially to add, "A more fitting and powerful union than /they/ might have wanted if they decided it....".

Godwin brought his voice back up to normal volume again, "But, I do have very important questions of title and rank, regarding House Stjernevold that need to be addressed for my Lord's house to be properly situated at the wedding, but I am having difficulty getting answers.  It is /entirely new ground/, you see?  Without precedent!  Entirely!" He had already been running on and seemed of a mind to continue, "I mean, can she properly be referred to as Lady Euryleia?  They are not properly wed, nor is she of noble blood...  Or blood... Or...  Is she even really a "lady" if you see my meaning..." Godwin paused for a breath, but was, again ready to keep going having found someone who will listen (not that he really gave Freyr a choice)...

Unable to resist a playful dig at her former ward, Freyr quietly replied, "I would not call them a smart match as such, although it is a powerful one."  She ignored his (to her mind) opinions on how fitting their previously chosen unions would have been, as well as the long-term benefits they could have had, since only a few were privy to all that had gone on and the rest just had the usual gossip and hearsay.  She looked thoughtful as he brought up protocol around Euryleia and Brun.  As much as it was simple to simply accept her as Lady Euryleia, Herald Godwin had a legitimate point about the lack of precedence.  While Brun had always referred to Euryleia as his Lady, suddenly reappearing as a person with thoughts and opinions and emotions had never happened before, nor had such a person existed before even in non-miraculous circumstances.  As he rambled on, she tried to think of potential precedents in the past that could be called upon, but the best she had was Word of the King/Queen granting noble titles to those who had earned them for various acts.

"There are several noble families whose roots were from the common folk, but who earned titles from Kings and Queens of eld for their actions.  Would it not be proper to call her Lady Euryleia by those merits?  She brought back Sir Brun, after all, and it was their mutual sacrifice that ended the dragon.  That is the argument I would make in her favor, but you are correct in that there is no real precedent to call upon directly.  As for being properly wed, well... with how Sir Brun had always treated her before, one could argue they have always been wed - it is just that nobody was present for an official wedding," she explained, voicing her thoughts, "However, as much as it pains me to admit it, we are not the ones with the authority to make the final decision.  As for rank, Sir Brun is a fellow knight and good friend of the Royal Couple, is he not?  Factoring in their relationship as well as his deeds, it seems to me that he and his Lady would have a place of honour just below immediate family and other royalty.  While I expect that Her Royal Highness Princess Meara will have no doubt attempted to have me placed as close to her as possible, I am not of her family by blood, but as a retainer, so I expect that I will be given no more honour than Sir Brun and his Lady at the ceremony."

She then paused and asked, "Speaking of the ceremony... I have not yet been told whose traditions are being followed, or if it is a combination of two or more traditions.  Venusian weddings, especially that of upper nobility and royalty, are... rather different than those of Saturn, and likely that of Avaluna as well."

Mimi continued to stay latched on Freyr's leg quite happily, not really following what the adults were talking about, but wanting to contribute as one did.  "Mommy's helping cook!"

This interruption caused Freyr to look down at Mimi with a bit of genuine excitement on her face.  "Oh?  I quite look forward to the feast, then.  Miss Moss is quite the accomplished cook."  Mimi beamed proudly as if the praise was aimed at herself.

NYOOM! Rose was fully caught off guard by the children following a smaller version of her, though it was clear there were important differences once the speed demon stopped moving attached to Lady Freyr. Mostly the dress and pigtails. Then she took notice of Sir Dennic and his companion, the herald whose face matched her own commonly sour expression. This one was tinged with a bit more self-importance, though.

As the group spoke, or rather as Godwin steamrolled everyone with his verbal river, Rose kept quiet and listened. Her face grew cold and stony the more he spoke. It wasn't until Freyr's attention was to Meara that the engineer spoke up, quiet but firm.

"Kindly keep your opinions of my Ladies Gehenmis to yourself. They've kept this refugee crisis, the one involving my people, from falling apart. And they're your Lady's friends. I'm sure she'd hate to hear you speak so highly of their suffering." From the way she glared at him, it seemed Rose could save credits by not needing to use a welding torch in her work.

"Quite. Yes," Godwin said with unusual brevity, though it wasn't clear to which woman he was responding. "If you'll please excuse me, I still have much business to which I must attend."

With that the Herald quickly took his leave.

"Bit of an ass, that one," Sir Jayson said frankly as the Herald departed. "Oh, begging your pardon little Miss," said with a fatherly wink and an apologetic bow to the little girl attached to Freyr's leg.

Mimi only snickered at the bad word.

"I'm afraid I have to be on my way too. The Missus and the children are due in at any moment. She'll not be happy if she has to herd the whole lot through these festivities alone," the Knight said.

Sir Jayson's family weren't the only arrivals expected from Jupiter. Several well-placed Nobles were set to arrive as well. Lady Iliza had taken it upon herself to ensure that their arrival was a smooth one. A show of unity was now as important as ever and it wouldn't do to have Petty Titans squabbling on arrival.

That reminded Mimi: Her Daddy's ship was coming in today too. Maybe she should meet him at the dock?

OOC:
To the Docks!

Illydir! Might be a great time to introduce yourself. What do you think of Avaluna? What do you think of the wedding?

Iliza! How are things going with the arriving dignitaries? What fires are you putting out?

Mimi! What's the name of your Dad's ship? Has it arrived yet? How long has he been gone? Say, that nice Knight Sir Jayson sure has a lot of kids. How much trouble are you going to cause together? Who is your favorite?

A flight of Jovian Armours launched from their carriers to parade their colors on their approach to Avaluna.  Knights being very proud of their Armours took such opportunities, especially at such large, well-attended events, to show off.  This flight was lead by an Armour of heavy design, yellow and red being its main colors. Its holographic pennant displayed a goat of gold, rampant, with a black scythe on a field of red.  The arms of the Jovian barony of Amalthea, the House of Laskaris

Iliza would easily be able to recognize all the pennants of the arriving Titan nobles.  House Laskaris had long been allies of House Gehenmis among the feuding Petty Titans.  The Barony of Amalthea was smaller, but proud.  That pride had already lead to one Laskaris son's death years go in a duel.  The previous Baron and his eldest son and Knight, Gareth, had been attending the Tournament.  They did not survive the initial attack.  The last surviving son, the youngest, Illydir has inherited the Barony and his father's Armour.  Being of the same age and allied families from the Titan Moons, Iliza (and Irina) would probably know him personally.  A third son without much prospect when they knew him.  He still had drive and vision, working to improve Amalthea for his family.  Very convincing.  Charming, in an assertive, dynamic way.

In the wake of Callisto, the new Baron Amalthea had begun trying to organize the many minor houses into a movement towards unifying the Titan Moons.  More importantly for House Gehenmis, Baron Illydir  has used his influence and resources to help rebuild and repair the damage done to their old ally.  Baron Gehenmis has been mentioning his name quite a bit to his daughters...  Especially since the  engagement of Prince Gwydion and Lady Meara...

Islimach, the last Armour of Amalthea, settled into the assigned bay at the docks.  The hatches released with a hiss as the gantry way was moved into position.  Illydir Laskaris, Baron of Amalthea and leader of the nascent Olympian League, stepped out into Avaluna proper.  A lean, athletic figure of a Knight in his finest flight gear.  He looked over the crowded docks.  At the other arriving members of his League.  This was the chance.  This was the next step.  There was work to do...

I'd like to go ahead and Create Advantage.  Establish how much Ilydir's reputation may have preceded him to Avaluna.  Let's call it, Known Name?

Total +2 (Burning a FP to tag Ally of Gehenmis, as it probably would have been the Baron Gehenmis who might have spread his name around a bit)

12:36, Today: Illydir rolled -1 using 4 Fudge dice with rolls of -1, 1, -1, 0.  Create Advantage - Lineage +1

This message was last edited by the player at 18:03, Wed 17 Jan.

The engagement of the Prince and Princess had wrought so many sudden changes to account for. Not only was public opinion torn, but the entire event was going to need careful planning and the spinning of dozens of plates at once to keep the guests polite, let alone happy. Much of this organization had fallen upon Iliza to orchestrate, as it had already been her position beside Gwydion when they were organizing the refugee crisis not so long ago. That became an entirely new problem once their beloved Ladies had their own engagements taken from them, an othering that sent a wave of discontent throughout the new tenements. Even with that aside, Iliza had to prepare guides for the coming nobles and their people to ensure no one ran across anyone they had an enmity with, quite the prospect when the Titans were involved. Fortunately she was familiar enough with them and their pre-Callisto relationships that catching up was almost simple. Simple enough that she was stretched too thin to have her thoughts to herself, anyway, and that was the only way she could function lately.

Lady Iliza was actually present for Lord Amalthea's arrival. She had temporarily run out of preparations to see to, and wasn't about to let herself have a rest and fall to pieces. They knew each other, their families had been allies, friends even, and it felt appropriate to welcome him to Avaluna. The smile she wore served as a fine mask. Perhaps her old friend could make it genuine for a while.

Being friends with the Heir Apparent came with some great benefits.  For one, it made Mimi the de-facto leader of her peers, and taking after Princess Meara's example, she used it properly - to have lots of fun with everyone.  As such, the mob of children ran haphazardly with their leader (who they had taken to calling Boss for reasons Mimi did not understand but also didn't really care about) towards the docks to greet family who was arriving back in time for the wedding.  The United Water Unicorn (U.W.U.) had finished the transfer process to resupply Avaluna with water, and Mimi's dad was a member of the crew, so that meant but one thing.

"Daddyyyyyyyyyyyyyy~!" exclaimed the little girl with a 'safe' sword flailing slightly as she ran to leap into a man's arms.  He was tall and built like most laborers, with reddish hair and golden-brown eyes, and he easily caught the flying girl into a hug and spun her around with a laugh.

"I missed you so much!  How's my favorite daughter?!" asked Hiram as the children swarmed around, those not greeting people mostly hovering around Mimi and Hiram, much to Hiram's confused amusement.

Mimi began animatedly talking about several things at once, including that her bestest friend was getting married to Prince Gwydion and that Mom was helping cook for the wedding, and Hiram began to look more and more confused.

Meanwhile, while Iliza had gone to greet Ilydir, Irina had elected to welcome those who had been mostly absent on work since her fellow refugees arrived on Avaluna and also keep an eye on Mimi as a favor to Sylvie, who had been giving her a shoulder to cry on when Iliza wasn't available for mutual commiseration and her parents were busy.  And there had been a lot of crying.  Meara had said she would work with Queen Valerie and Prince Gwydion to see if she could find a way for them to still be together - officially if possible - without causing problems for everyone, but she was careful not to promise that it would be a guarantee.

But there were other things to focus on right now, like this poor man's confusion.  Approaching Hiram and Mimi (and wading a bit through the children), she said, "Hello, Hiram.  I believe Mimi is talking about the wedding of Princess Meara and Prince Gwydion.  You have arrived back just in time to take part in the upcoming festivities.  All of Avaluna is bustling with excitement.  Lady Freyr has returned as well."

Having heard of the engagement between Meara and Irina from his wife Sylvie, Hiram was about to ask, but wisely said nothing.  The brief conflict and desire to ask crossed is face, and Irina did notice, but she was thankful he did not bring it up.  "A Royal wedding, huh?  And my Sylvie is cooking!" he exclaimed with excitement, "Well, we can't let her do all the work alone, now can we?"

He gave Irina an enthusiastic smile and asked, "How can we help out?  We may not be nobility, but we've got energy to spare for those who still lose sleep helping us common folk."

The gaggle of children (also Hiram, Miri, and Irina) had been moving along away from the ship so others could come in and out as well, and it just so happened that the mass bumped into a Knight who had been discreetly working his way past the chaos, causing him to drop the box he was holding.

Time froze as Sir RHY-S32 looked down at the box that had now been squished by a falling child (who was very apologetic and a bit scared).  The chocolates for Freyr were going to be a bit different, now.

"Sir RHY-S32!  We are so, so sorry.  Is there-" Irina began before he picked up the box with a laugh.

"I am glad to see that everyone is in high spirits!  Now I will have a story to tell when I deliver Sir L1-4MNT's gift for the Lady."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:59, Thu 25 Jan.

"My dear Lady Iliza," a bold, self-assured, voice said from just over her shoulder. She turned to find a perfectly coiffed pompadour she knew very well. The pompadour was attached to a Knight she also knew very well. "You grow more beautiful each time we meet."

Sir Dalibrad Delors took her hand and placed a kiss upon it as he bowed deeply. "I would be flattered that you had waited upon my arrival, but it seems you have your sights set upon Baron Almathea, hmmm?" The knight shot a quick glance to the arriving party.

"So this is Avaluna, hmmm? I expected something more...grandiose? Where is the sense of style? It's all rather...disappointing, isn't it?" He shot Iliza a pointed look.

In reply to Mimi Moss (msg # 19):

"Princess Meara was emphatic that Mrs. Moss be in charge of the...culinary endeavors. On perhaps rather short notice...I am sure she would be glad to see you and for the additional help, of course. I can take you to her," Irina answered Hiram. "Just be prepared. Things were chaotic, the last I saw."

The second knight was a surprise, and Iliza turned to face the familiar voice. It took half a moment to put on a smile, after taking the time to lock down the sigh from escaping. It wasn't that she didn't like the man, she just was quickly exhausted by his... well, everything. Still, this was an important time, and keeping the guests happy was her priority.

"Sir Dalibrad, always a charmer. Welcome to Avaluna. I'm afraid your arrival wasn't expected quite so early, or I'd have been sure to be there as well. My apologies. Avaluna is not shining at her brightest while in a period of mourning, though we hope to relieve the gloom through the coming celebrations. I hope you'll be more impressed as you see more."

Illydir made his practiced way down from the Armour gantry.  Along the way, he spied Iliza in the crowd.  She rather stood out.  Of course, it was no real surprise as he had been apprised of the arrangements to ensure she was available to greet his arrival.  A small smile.  It was nice when a plan came together...

Delors was not part of that plan though.  It looked like that popinjay would get there first as well...

The smile faded a bit as the Baron Amalthea made his way through the press to arrive a few moments later.  He had stripped off his gloves and loosened the collar of his flight suit; because irritation demanded some action and that was all that could be managed.

Illydir's smile was reset by the time he was near.  For Iliza a respectful bow of the head, "Lady Iliza, it has been far too long." Dalibrad got a moment's attention, "And Sir Delors...  It seems too short a time since I last saw you.  We are so very lucky you could spare the time from your /important/ work to attend."

Back to Iliza again with his full attention, Illydir offered his arm, "Shall we?  The docks are so crowded and full of interruptions..."

Illydir's approach was greeted with polite relief, and Iliza took the offered arm gladly.

"Ah, my dear friend, let me show you some of the sights. I think you'll be pleased with what we've accomplished here."

That evening a dinner was scheduled to welcome the esteemed guests and dignitaries who had arrived at Avaluna. Though the wedding itself was still two days hence, the intervening time provided a vital opportunity to secure and renew alliances that had been threatened by the loss of John Arthur.

Even with relatively limited resources, Mrs. Moss had marshalled the kitchen staff (including Hiram and Mimi) to make a delicious meal. Guests of all spheres dined together in Avaluna's largest hall, seated carefully to avoid offending anyone's sensibilities. Mostly.

"C.C., you've got to try these hors d'oeuvres," Sir Dalibrad Delors informed Saturnine Senator Caius Claudius in an exaggerated sing-song voice before stuffing another in his mouth. Apparently he had found something to his liking upon Avaluna. The Senator seemed politely amused by the Knight's antics. Dame Litivia Scipii, the Senator's bodyguard, made no attempt to hide the scowl she gave the knight-errant across the table. The knight himself remained oblivious. Dalibrad looked rather sad once he realized he had eaten the last hors d'oeuvre, but he hardly had time to dwell on it before a serving girl materialized with another tray. The serving girl was tiny and had a delightful shock of pink atop her head. Dalibrad nodded graciously in thanks before he gave the girl a discerning look.

"I love your hair!"
"I love your hair!"

Both Mimi and the knight managed simultaneously.

"Thanks!"
"Why, thank you, my dear."

Dalibrad narrowed his eyes slightly as he noticed the sword at her hip, "Are you, by chance, a squire?"

"Not yet," the girl answered.

"I see. And your House," the Knight inquired.

"My Mommy and Daddy's," Mimi answered. "We used to live at Callisto and now we live here. My mommy made these," she said gesturing to her tray.

Dalibrad began to put the pieces together. "Dreadful business Callisto," he said solemnly.

Mimi shrugged.

"Stoic, hmm," said with a bit of approval. "And what might your name be?"

"Mimi," the girl answered.

"Me-Me," the Knight said with an odd inflection. "I quite like that for some reason."

The Knight stood and gave the girl a flourishing formal bow, drawing many eyes to him, "I am Sir Dalibrad Delors, Baronet of Ganymede, heir to the United Water Conglomerate, pilot of Exemplar, and Premier Knight-Errant of the Sol system. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

"That's too much," Mimi said, even as she giggled.

"I hear that often," Sir Delors said with aplomb and no hint of self-reflection. "Tell me, Me-Me, how old are you?"

"Seven," Mimi answered.

"SEVEN," said with shock and disappointment. "Why that's much too young to be a squire. Everyone knows that you have to be Twelve." The Knight plopped back in his seat, deflated, and began to brood. He did not pout. Certainly, Sir Dalibrad never pouted. "And here I thought your bold assertion was to seek my favor. There is a solar system full of eager young prospective squires who would desperately seek to study the Knightly Arts under the illustrious tutelage of Sir Dalibrad Delors. But I like the cut of your hair, Miss Me-Me."

Mimi gave the knight's arm a reassuring pat, "It's okay. I can't be your squire anyway. I'm going to be Meara's" she said pointing to the dais.

A round of chuckles went up from many of the surrounding nobles.

Dalibrad looked positively taken aback by the notion that Mimi would have another choice over him. "I see. Well, it would never work out between us. It's not me, it's you," he said to the little girl in a reassuring tone. "I hope you can understand."

Mimi didn't, but she put two more Cargo-In-The-Airlocks on the silly knight's plate and that seemed to smooth things over.

---

The Jovian contingent sat scattered about the room, to avoid any incidents. Baron Illyidir and retinue were seated along with the Gehenmis family. Baron Gehenmis and his wife politely engaged in conversation. Lady Irina sat with her back toward the dais on which the royals were seated. She glanced this way and that at the various tables from time to time as though concerned with something, but she hardly ate and did not speak.

Prince Gwydion and Princess Meara dined at the head of the hall. Around Princess Meara sat the Venusian delegation including Queen Valerie and Meara's own parents, Duchess Ceilidh La Guin of Chonaill and her consort Baughb. Baroness Yodil Kotta and her husband Bastien, Brun's parents, were also in attendance.

Gwydion, in turn, was flanked by those Knights of the Round Table able enough to attend. Many still bore traces of their wounds if one knew where to look. Sir Brun and Lady Euryleia sat among them.

There was clearly some rising tension between Dame Freyr's invited guest, Sir L1-4MNT, and the Venusian contingent. Many glared daggers at the man. Despite this, he dutifully ignored them and kept up polite conversation with Freyr.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:44, Tue 30 Jan.

Freyr, fully aware of the glares from the Venusian contingent (mostly from those not of Meara's family - mostly - because Baughb was as much of a sucker for romance as the late King Arthur, if not somehow moreso), also politely ignored the judgment as she engaged with Sir L1-4MNT in small talk.  She had received the box of squished chocolates along with the story of how they had met an unfortunate accident along the way, and while it was not mentioned, both parties at the gift exchange were fully aware of the circumstances.  Still, knowing it was Sir L1-4MNT who had initiated the process to show her his affection made the gift's intentions a success.  She would have to tease him about it later, when there were fewer eyes and ears.

For her part, Irina was nursing a jealous grudge that she knew wasn't Gwydion's fault, but it was there nonetheless.  Any time she looked at Meara or Gwydion, she felt a pang in her heart.  She knew it was irrational to feel that way towards them, but emotions tended not to be rational.  Losing herself in her research hadn't helped lately because the datapad was a gift from Meara and came with that baggage.  She knew her sister was feeling the same, but unlike Iliza, she'd never been able to mask her feelings like that.  More accurately, she hadn't been required to mask her feelings like that.  She did not envy Iliza right now.  So, not really paying attention to conversation unless she was spoken to directly by name, she had positioned herself so she could not see the source of her heartache and poked at her plate.  After poking at it and making it shift slightly, she saw a small note underneath and waited for those around her to be focused on each other before sliding it out and reading it.  It was a note in crayon, with an additional note in two colors of pen.  The Moss family had given her a note of thanks and an offer of unconditional support for whatever they could provide.  It was small, but Irina managed to crack a tiny smile.

At the main table, Meara was doing her best to present herself as respectable and of queenly authority.  While her mother was happy to see Meara finally behaving herself, her father was weirded out.  Where had his wild and energetic daughter gone?  She looked like Meara, and mostly sounded like Meara, but the usual exuberance was missing.

Wait a moment.  Had she?  She had!  She had snuck a small plastic pin amongst her jewelry!  She'd gotten that one from a small dispenser during one of her childhood excursions to hang out with the commoners!  So she was still herself despite everything.  That was a relief.

Euryleia had warned him /they/ would be there.

She had also offered, in the privacy of their quarters, to destroy his parents.  Euryleia made the violently brutal offer with well-meaning, affectionate honesty.  She added, with a heart-stoppingly fierce smile, "I really could.  No one there could stop me. "

Brun knew she would too, if he asked.  His Lady was a war machine and tended towards dealing with problems destructively.  But he also knew that she was very aware he would never ask her to.  Brun kissed her lightly, grinning, "Tempting.....but no.  It would be very rude to make our friends' celebration all about us."

Euryleia rolled her eyes dramatically as she stepped back, form rippling into a stylishly simple evening dress of perfect fit in matching Stjernevold colors to Brun's chosen outfit, "Fine.  After then."

---

Experiencing the whole of his life at all times and at no times, chopped up and scattered past his consciousness like confetti gave Brun a unique perspective on his life.  It wasn't always easy to see, of course.  Nothing and everything was these days.  But when he entered the hall with his Lady and saw /them/, that perspective hit him quite suddenly.

A rippling flurry of his life assaulted his mind.  He tried to cling to Euryleia and Now, let it all wash over him like a wave.  Waves are not endless.  It didn't always work, but it did this time.  And he Saw.  All the choices and direction of his life that had been made by his mother and father.  Their choices that he allowed.  That lead to him being cast off anyway.

But....

It also placed him where he needed to be to find his Lady.  To save thousands at Callisto.  To begin a House.  To slay Dragons.  To Quest for the future of humanity.  To serve Arthur /and/ his heirs.

Brun realized he was no longer angry with his parents.  If they were not the terrible people they were, he would not be here today.  With her.

He squeezed Euryleia's hand gently, not really knowing how much time had passed outside his mind but it didn't seem to have been too long.  He didn't entirely remember taking his seat at the high table though.

With concern, Euryleia asked, "Are you alright?"

Brun smiled, feeling very certain for once when he answered, "I am quite fine, my Lady.  Now, let's make sure everyone else is as well."

The Lord and Lady of Stjernevold proceeded to do just that, to the best of their not inconsiderable ability, for the rest of the evening. They watched over Gwydion and Meara as society bodyguards.  They screened the noble riffraff and the potentially troublesome away politely; providing breathing space and moments where they could by engaging would-be petitioners first.  The pair danced through this battlefield as they had so many others.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:34, Wed 31 Jan.

"Oh, I'm just a bit distracted with all that's been going on." Prince Gwydion had completely zoned out during conversation with one of the Knights, his thoughts landing on poor Irina. He'd already discussed with his Iliza about how they would make sure things worked out no matter what happened, that the politics of the nobility wouldn't be able to keep them apart, but he'd had no such conversation with her sister. Her pain was obvious to anyone who knew it was there to see, and Gwydion couldn't help but trace spiderwebs of cause and effect from this one change in plans, the harm to those he cared about and the good it would do the rest of mankind. Responsibility. She wouldn't be hurting if he had managed to save Uncle John from that monster. He could still fix it...

No, now wasn't the time to think about that. He smiled to his conversation partner, and then looked over to the happenings over at Senator Claudius's group. Apparently Sir Dalibrad had just met Mimi, who the prince still had some upcoming playdates sword training lessons scheduled with. He wondered if he would still have time for her once he was acting in his full capacity as king. Would he have time for anything good again, or was it all going to be the war and finding ways to prevent humanity's looming extinction? Uncle John had managed to keep smiling through it all. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. Or perhaps his uncle was just a fantastic actor on top of everything else. If only he were still around to ask. Just a few more experiments and that might be possible...

Damn it all, Gwydion was so used to wearing his heart on his sleeve that now, being the center of jovial attention while he was still so hurt, it was maddening!

"Plus the delights here are overwhelming, aren't they? From what I gather, this is just the beginning. Apparently there's some sort of big event soon, and so a big celebration to go with it. Exciting, don't you think?" He couldn't just say that he was disgusted by such political shell games and the necessity of toying with the hearts of those he loved for the sake of political gain he barely even understood the need for. As far as he was concerned, every human in the system should have already understood that MerGN-A needed to be destroyed, and then humanity could go back to killing itself over petty disagreements. All this felt wrong. He just wanted to kiss his beloved Iliza and go back to sleep. And then he saw her, sitting and chatting pleasantly with Sir Illydir, looking for all the world like nothing bothered her. At least, right until he caught her eye, and for a brief moment he could actually see the veil lift and the sadness under it when she looked at him. Maybe he'd ruined everything by agreeing to all this. Maybe nothing would be right after all.

The moment passed, the pair returned to dinner with everyone, and continued their respective conversations as if they didn't just watch each others' worlds fall apart in the middle of the glitz and glamour.

Both Sir Osenain and Sir Tor inclined their heads in deference to Lady Euryleia when she looked their way. There was something in their manner beyond mere respect. Reverence, perhaps?

---

Lady Gehenmis laughed politely at something clever that Baron Illydir had said, "Dear Illydir, we are all glad that you could attend the wedding here. But I cannot imagine that this is the only wedding in your future is it? The Baron Gehenmis and I know quite well the demands of your position and how much easier it would be with the right woman at your side and to provide you heirs. Your House suffered greatly in the attack as well, Baron. It would certainly behoove both Callisto and Almathea to rebuild and restrengthen arm-in-arm."

---

The Queen conversed quietly with Freyr about her efforts at training the next generation of Venusian knights, those drawn from common stock. "I commend your efforts thus far, Dame Freyr. Yet, no matter how successful you are in the matter, I fear your class may be the first and only of its kind. Without the factories of Mars we cannot hope to equip the number of young warriors we had hoped."

Freyr nodded deferentially, but with hidden determination, in reply to Queen Valerie's praise and lament.  Speaking equally quietly, she said, "Fear not, Your Royal Majesty.  Our efforts shall not be in vain, even if I may not be the trainer myself for future generations of students.  I have faith in the abilities of Princess Meara and Prince Gwydion to mend the bonds between Venus, Avaluna, and Mars, as I am certain you do as well."  With a coy smile offered to her date, she added, "If all else fails, I am sure Sir L1-4MNT would not mind offering the idea up in the Martian court for them to do themselves, perhaps in partnership with the Jovian or Saturnian people.  We may not currently be allies with Mars, but we are not enemies, either, and we do still have a mutual foe."

She glanced over at Euryleia and Brun before looking back at Queen Valerie.  "If nothing else, we have a living miracle right before our very eyes.  You have given us hope, and we shall hold to it until the very last."

Irina could hear her mother talk with Illydir plain as day, and she feared for herself and Iliza.  Sure, it made sense politically, but politics had already torn her sister and herself from their prior engagements that everyone was happy about (well, perhaps not Meara's mother, but from what little Irina knew about her, that was to be expected).  Seeing how happy Sylvie and Hiram were together made Irina wish she was a commoner, at least when it came to the freedom to marry whoever they wish.

No!  She can't cry and make a scene here.  She cared too much about Meara to do that.  And about Iliza.

At least they both got along with Illydir.

At least their parents weren't suggesting one of them marry Dalibrad.  Noble as he may be, the man was insufferably arrogant.  Just, somehow, not offensively so.  It would be so much easier to hate him if he actually talked down to others instead of just acting like it's objective fact that he's the most important person in the room at all times.

A steward came to the table with a bottle of wine and stood next to Irina, waiting for permission or denial to pour.  Irina was about to wave them away until she noticed who it was and what they had.  Hiram stood there in a smart-looking steward's uniform, complete with white gloves, and holding a bottle of strawberry wine.  A tiny note was tucked between his fingers that he stealthily passed to her as he poured into her empty glass.

It simply said, 'thinking of you' in very fancy, familiar handwriting.  Meara was still thinking about her even though the princess was getting married to someone else.  It made her feel a bit happy.

Perhaps she could get through this after all.

"Muuuuuuthuuuuuuuuuuuur~"

"-behaving properly for your station and leading by example-"

Meara had been spending most of the dinner trying not to lose it, and her mother, Duchess Ceilidh, was not helping.  It felt like the entire dinner so far (and much of the time before) had been spent listening to lecture after lecture about how her mother was so proud of Meara for finally womaning up and accepting the duties of her position, along with suggestions of whom to take as advisors (and whom not to take) for various things.

"Oh, let our daughter enjoy the feast, My Darling Lady, lest your advice go to her belly instead of her head."

Duchess Ceilidh had married a rather strong-willed man, by choice, and Baughb was someone she somehow could not get truly angry with.  Somehow, it worked, and they did truly love one another, and together they did (un)successfully raise a princess.  Baughb's ability to cut straight to the heart of the matter with a bit of humor was one of the reasons she loved him.

So, with a sigh, Duchess Ceilidh acquiesced, "You are correct, my husband.  Now is not the time."

Yes!  Thank you, Daddy!

"Be that as it may-"

Nooooooooo... I can't even hear what's going on at Iri's table... Muuuuuthuuuuuuuuuuuur!

Gwydion's breaking heart silenced for a moment as another sound reverberated into him, one so familiar as to have become second nature. Meara was in trouble. It was Distraction Time. The prince put on his Talking To Aunt Ceilidh smile.

"My Lady Ceilidh, I'm so pleased you're here to see how well Avaluna has been flourishing lately. How have you enjoyed what you've seen thusfar? Perhaps I could show you some of our latest achievements sometime." And get her away from Meara! That was known on ancient Earth as taking one for the team.

Things were going... well, they were going the way needs must. Handling political dinners was a skill Iliza had developed over years of practice, so this had simply been a matter of falling back on her old techniques for keeping her own feelings compartmentalized away from the business at hand. It had been hard, what with recent events, but she was managing. Right up until her mother maneuvered the conversation toward throwing her children at Sir Illydir's feet. Iliza's breath caught in her throat, her smile faltered for a brief moment, and her eyes fell to her meal as she swayed forward a bit. It would have been imperceptible to anyone who wasn't looking at that very moment. After a breath, she took a quick sip of her wine and began to cut herself another bite to eat. Anything to prevent having to speak in the next few seconds. Perhaps no one would stare as tears began to well up in her eyes. She could fight those if they persisted. Maybe.

Illydir listened politely to Lady Gehenmis' attempt to steer the conversation.  A quick look towards Iliza as the Lady spoke confirmed what he /knew/ was the likely result of bringing it up now.  Here.   A long sip of his drink served, hopefully, to cover the frustrated tightening of his jaw.  He set a small smile, before answering, "You speak truly, Lady.  Such a thing would be a benefit to both our houses.  Events have been changing so rapidly after the recent tragedies.  Sometimes it feels like everything is moving /too fast/..."  As he said it, Illydir's eyes hardened, just a moment, towards Lord and Lady Gehenmis.  Trying to make a quiet, /currently/, polite point about /timing/.  Point, hopefully, being made with her parents, he looked again to Iliza,  as he continued, "Perhaps, we could discuss it later?"  He decided it might be best not to let her have a chance to answer and covered it instead by trying to change the subject, "On the subject of rebuilding, I understand the reclamation fleet at Callisto is making fine progress.  The new temporary station hub we helped spin up seems to be working out...."