The commotion and clatter of it had certainly done more than enough to twist attention one way or another. At the center of it was Alessia, however, who seemed composed but perhaps less than thrilled by the turn of events. Her eyes narrowing ever so slightly in response to Alessandro's insolent grin even as she turned her back to continue on with affable grace with some of the other women and young men that lingered around her. It was a satisfying moment but perhaps hollow in a sense... After all, it was not the stage where she'd make a scene or thrash and scream.

The elbow from Gwnydolin was, perhaps, more deserved for being a cheeky bastard about the situation.

"Oof," grunts Alessandro without heat, rubbing his side,"That was uncalled for, Gwyndolin."

"Besides it was totally worth it!", the smile returns in force. Alessia had gotten a bit too comfortable behind the fortress of her station whatever her plans. A minor ribbing was a small comeuppance for that mistake.  His bit of fun over Alessandro returns to a proper deferential pose.

A small sigh escapes him as his eyes continue roving for imaginary assassins and stealers of Alessia's virtue. "Admittedly I won't miss this. Well...I'll miss you, Gwyndolin."

"Planning on a long, long vacation from all the charm of this?" the Older Woman quipped with a touch of dry humor that could only be born out of a deep appreciation of her service. She was neither bitter or jaded by her experiences as far as Alessandro knew, simply a realist and one who understand the tiring nature of her detail and position.

The sarcasm, at least, was well placed considering the existed as little more than convenient tools in the eyes of the great and good. Men and women talented with a blade that could put an end to anything that might threaten them... and liabilities at worst when the famed hot blood of any rake or duelist caused more trouble than their service might be worth.

"It'll be a loss since there aren't many anymore coming out of those academies that can be made to see a bit of reason."

"When you say 'planning' you mean 'daydreaming'," Alessandro quips in reply to Gwyndolin's sarcasm. His talk of bigger things to come would hardly be the first time she has heard that tired refrain from other hopeful rakes down on their luck. "Which would of been an entirely adequate description a month or two ago. Things have changed."

He meets Gyndolin's eyes with a considering look, "I had better reasons to attend this party than to be a wall for Ms. Alessia to hide her virtue behind, not to mention I promised you I'd be on the detail. There are business deals to be made and I've achieved some success. Plus I have other tongs in the fire. In a week I'll be gone on what could be a very lucrative expedition."

His face cracks in a smile that had been all but unseen in the last year of his genteel poverty and deterioration of the family fortunes, "You are a good woman, Gwyndolin. I would tell you more but you do work for the House of Rivera. I'd hate to test your friendship and loyalty like that."

Alessandro cocks his head, "Unless you would consider my previous offer of employment. The House da Vigo is going places and I can afford to pay loyal, good men and women well."

"I am, woefully, a creature of habit but I'll keep it in mind. Without me here, though, I think the House would have burnt to the ground a long time ago." Gwnydolin offered with another rasp of dry humour in voice and tone as she continued to watch. The clatter of the martial demonstrations picking up once more beneath the regimented playing of clock work musicians attended to by their studious maestros.

The Game, as it was called, continued to play out around them in subtle and careful ways. The Young Lady seeming to be adept in it's more aggressive forms if only for how she so burned bridges and drove off those who she did not care for the presence of. An enemy was as often a measure of one's worth and principles, after all, as it was the nature of one's own personal charisma.

In short, great people often had great enemies... and for those not so great... Variety was certainly a spice of life.

The last hours of the night whiled away in small talk with Gwyndolin when the bell sounded for the Last Dance. An old custom to signal the end of the day and a hopeful tomorrow and one much beloved by young people since it tended toward a more romantic air. Tapping his foot a fit of impatience with the evening's charade wore on Alessandro when a impish idea crossed his mind.

The rake hands his barely touched wine to a passing servant as he nods to Gwyndolin,"Thank you for the work when I needed it. I'll remember this. But as of now I'm officially resigning from the detail. Tell your master you fired me if things go sour. Good luck, Gwyndolin!"

With that Alessandro eases his way through the small cluster of hangers-on that always surrounded the young heiress, Alessia Rivera. Deftly he positions himself directly in front of Lady Alessia Rivera, and bows with a grand flourish of his feathered hat.

"My Lady Alessia! I have come to collect on your debt!", the words flow smoothly bringing a silence to the surrounding watchers. A cheerful smile crosses his face as he meets her eyes. "A promise you made if I drove off little Adar Malon for posing a nuisance and hair pulling, if I remember your charges correctly. It was on your ninth birthday of course and the reward was a kiss but unfortunately you were nowhere to be found when I returned. Quite understandable for a little lady on her ninth birthday to be very busy! And I wouldn't dream of asking for the promised kiss on this very proper night. But a dance...the Last Dance...would be an excellent way to settle accounts."

There was a peculiar, brooding silence at Alessandro's approach and the following words. A few less discrete individuals of the gathering sparing a glance to the Rivera heir. From his perspective, she was cornered in a sense as there was few angles by which to escape such a moment without either a measure of social faux pas or to otherwise become the butt of the joke for the next few gatherings of the great and good.  Perhaps worryingly, the young heiress smiled and held out her hand.

A reaction that went contrary, it seemed, to the expectations of her clique and gathering... especially for the discouraging elements of Alessandro's own personal pedigree.

Alessandro, for his part, certainly knew to accept was to invite the wolf into his home if one were to be a fraction poetic about it.

"Certainly, a Rivera has never once forgotten her debts and the ledgers that hold them."

Alessandro beams in reply, "The Rivera reputation for constancy is as sure as the mountains, it is said. And might I add that its scion is equally lovely."

Taking her proffered hand the rake leads the Rivera scion past the gawking onlookers, graceful as years of hard training in the halls of the duelists can make one. If Alessia showed any hesitancy or unsureness of foot Alessandro compensates with supreme skill, a skill that would of eluded the Godbound only months before. His presence shone in the flames of the chandeliers, settling like a stone in a still pool as he and the woman he escorted sailed through the assembling dancers like swans among ducks.

There was little point in hiding his light under a bushel anymore, thought the heir of the Da Vigo House. A sly glance at his one time boss revealed a stoic version of near apoplexy and he gave a tiny grin in response. The message was clear. Gwyndolin's charge is in no danger from Alessandro.

Facing his dance partner his face smooths over into a friendly contenance, his eyes dancing with sly humor and a bit of a dare. The music starts as the nobleman takes Alessia's hand and slides his arm around her waist. An appropriate distance to be sure but the whole point of the dance was romance.

"I am very pleased you accepted my invitation, Alessia. Its been too long since we last talked. So much to catch up on!", he says in a low voice as they begin to move to the music.

There was no hesitation and the fact was both frightening and becoming for it. Alessia had accepted the situation though her displeasure remained hidden away as the dance begin. She moved with a formal sort of grace; not an effortless motion but a mindfulness that spoke to training and practice to overcome a natural short coming. Another careful construction of her outward persona. A mask by any other name.

"You didn't leave me with many other choices in the moment. Is catching all you're aiming for? Karma's had a way of haunting me lately..." Alessia offered in response her eyes flicking briefly towards Alessandro before returning to her surroundings and the flow of the music. Her voice had that trill of anger that agency had been stolen from her but it seemed, in a sense, directionless in the instant. That coolness, however, remained.

Alessandro 'hmmed' as the slender woman in his arms painted a picture of bitterness and regret. The daring rake faded as a distant sympathy replaces it, a tinge of humor overlaying it all.

"Karma is a Dulimbaian concept of spiritual renewal, less concerned about justice or vengeance then it is in teaching an individual to accept their mistakes and past dark times, to move on to a better existence.", the academic in Alessandro replies pedantically before bringing his words to a point in a soft, sympathetic voice, "in a sense this applies to me. This dance is a celebration, a declaration that I am moving past a dark time in my life. I am saying I'm the equal of anybody here and plan to live my way."

The dance moves into a livelier step and the couple swirl across the dancefloor, dipping and shifting in response to each other. Whatever bitterness rules in the heads of the dancers it has no appearance in the graceful movements.

"If you are accusing me of stealing you away for a few moments to dance I suppose I have to admit this is true. I saw a challenging, beautiful, and witty woman and decided the pursuit of a dance was worth it. You are free to forget it as a social inconvenience with a mouthy, arrogant rake if you like. I would say that perhaps Karma is finally opening a door for you that may lead one Alessia Rivera to better times if you permit it. "

The rake's words are both oddly sympathetic to whatever bitterness rules the dark little woman and an almost joyous declaration in the movement of the dance in what it represented to him. A smile lights his face as they enter a particularly difficult part of the dance, the woman's skirt flowing and the man a pillar of grace. Onlookers watch raptly, first for the scandal and later in grudging admiration.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:45, Sun 18 Mar 2018.

"Congratulations on your new found options." the Rivera heir offered as she matched step and tune with the music as shifted gears and cants. Her expression thoughtful and brooding... That subtle hint of something beneath the otherwise composed and cool beauty of her outward facing mask. It was a strange side of her to see but even in this dark mood of hers, she struck as arrogant and prideful in her way as she continued with the practiced grace of a trained dancer.

"If I permit it or will it simply knock and force along without a care or thought for my consent? As so many things have done in the past. Regardless, enjoy this dance and your brighter future." the Woman offered again in the way of one who had seemed pigeonholed into her corner and now resigned to accept. This creature, a paragon of success and status, so bitter was a strange sight even as she continued to smile and give every impression of enjoying herself in this dance of theirs. An actress, it seemed to the core.

"Consent?" , Alessandro drawled in bafflement. For a short moment the da Vigo scion is caught between being offended or laughing. Alessia's petulant defeatism didn't make for the most winning personality. It certainly explained some of her actions in pushing away potential contacts and alliances but not the why of it.

Still Alessandro had always seen something in the Rivera woman even when complaining bitterly about her pettiness. Maybe it was just the fact the woman was a looker by any standard, maybe it was a twisted sense of empathy with somebody who seemed so alienated. He was more than familiar with those feelings. Distant sympathy tinging his voice as he spoke.

"Consent? Alessia, I don't pretend to be a mind reader to know your problems and you have never told me.", Alessandro protested even as they swept around the outer bounds of the dance floor. "To be blunt I've been pre-occupied with House da Vigo's own considerable problems with little time to spare on gossip."

Alessandro didn't bother elucidating what those problems were. Alessia had been kind enough to remind him of it repeatedly.

"None the less you are the heir apparent of the Rivera company and logically someone important to talk to if I want to foster good relations. Unduly offending you was the last thing I had intended."

Cocking his head the head of House da Vigo asks, "What is it that makes the heir of the Rivera company feel so trapped?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:23, Fri 23 Mar 2018.

This message was deleted by the player at 19:20, Fri 23 Mar 2018.

The Woman held her peace as they continued their dance; her steps elegant and suffuse with practiced grace. There was still that chill and arrogant bearing that lingered but it seemed far more a shell against the world and unwanted circumstance now then necessarily any true defect of her personal character. Still, there was a reason behind it and the careful burning of bridges that had so suffused her present rise to the status of heir.

"I may be the heir but it doesn't seem to mean I'll have any control. Father's far too invested in ensuring a proper legacy. So here I am." the woman offered simply and quietly. The patriarch of the family was certainly no longer in the summer of his life but it was true enough that he could no doubt hold the reins for many years to come and that meant if one desired and valued their post... They suffered his whim.

Alessandro considered her answer in light of her actions to date. "Is there a strategy in your aggressive refusal of contacts potentially valuable to your house? Are you trying to undermine your father so that you can take control?"

It was a bit of a risky question but Alessia seemed willing to fracture her mask to let some light shine through.

"Some are not approved of by my father... Some are not approved of by me." Alessia offered, perhaps, obliquely to the question as she continued to twist and dance with Alessandro. Her steps light, graceful, and as practiced as ever. If there was a method to her madness and the burning of select members of her circle... Which there seemed to be... It was a secret she seemed content to keep.

Alessia's reticence to say more was to be expected to such blunt questioning. Less expectedly Alessandro was recognizing a growing impatience with the song and dance of politics and intrigue in himself. It was just so easy to re-align the world with an expression of power into something he liked better.

Not that such use was necessarily immoral or surprising. Those rare few houses that have even a second rate theurgist among their numbers were known for their strings of incredible luck if subtle, or outright terrifying their opponents into compliance if not. Theurgy. People may fear or hate it but they all wanted that sort of supreme power on their side.

Alessandro knew he was rationalizing what he was going to do next but that didn't make him wrong. Quashing his unease Alessandro keeps one hand on the small of Alessia's lithe back, the other cupping her small hand, the smile reappearing and eyes dancing with sly humor again.

"Keep your secrets. I do not doubt that your schemes will bear fruit, your father's leadership will be called into question, and you will find yourself the defacto head of House Rivera. All within the span of days. Allow me to congratulate you on your success."

His voice takes on a rolling timbre as he speaks, subtle and almost unnoticeable as the music plays on. For a moment the room seems to freeze, holding its breath, as Alessandro's influence reaches into the future to make his words truth. Above the crowd their host's celebrated water clock trembles, a crack appearing on the clock face.

[Activating Prophetic Insight, Committing Effort for the Day. If she makes her Spirit save or not it shouldn't matter since I'll just shotgun the Gift until she fails. Presumably she will not want to resist a favorable future but what do I know? lol]

The Rivera heir spared a glance towards Alessandro and a twitch of expression that implied doubt and perhaps a measure of distaste. It was the ravings of a madman even with the force of divine power behind it. It was, after all, not exactly the story one would wish to hear even if ambition had so thoroughly consumed them as to make the notion of misfortune upon their father a desired end.

"Your... vote of confidence is appreciated." she offered ultimately in a clear inclination towards diplomacy. Especially whilst she was still in clear physical proximity and at a small disadvantage given their respective backgrounds when it came to the possibility of an altercation.

Alessandro's impulsive use of divinity has put Alessia on guard. Recognizing her strain the man politely steps back a pace and bows as the reel comes to an end, his face sober now that he has exercised his impulse.

"Time will tell the tale. When the moment comes remember this conversation and my proposal. Thank you. You are a most gracious dance partner. Good evening."

With that Alessandro bows once more to leave the bemused woman to her own devices, nodding to Gwyndolin on his way out the front door. Time to collect Marengo and head home. Its been a long day.

The Lady Rivera watched him for a time before retreating from the dance floor to rejoin the gathering of the great and good.

Alessandro, now, was free to pursue his evening however as the various guardians and their charges slowly drew near each other. Gwyndolin's stare not lost on the departing godbound for a moment before she was forced to the matter of her own duties. It took little time at all to find his horse and to depart the scenes of opulence that surrounded the estate. A glimpse of that brawler with her mechanics and companions a parting sight.

The road home, by contrast, lonely without even the antagonistic presence of the other rakes and the various forms of camaraderie that could be found among the more open minded.

The lonely road is a soothing balm on da Vigo's excited mind as Marengo's hooves clap at a leisurely pace back to their home. Today had been a wealth of opportunities beyond what he had expected upon waking. Magical connections and lore, a grand adventure into forgotten ruins, a trade deal with the Bright Republic in the offing, and the restoration of his home. Those things he considered a lock assuming no odd interference. As for Alessia...it was up in the air what was going to happen there. That she would become head of her trade house wasn't in dispute. But this didn't translate into gratitude or a desire for an alliance. Ah well... The whole situation had been strange for her so it would be understandable.

Now to deal with the week he had in front of him. Restoration of the estate would be easy enough to do with his powers. A cargo of precious gems sent to the right trade houses, banks, and workers would see House da Vigo flush and well staffed again. His man Leobardo was certainly skilled enough to handle the mundane transactions.

No doubt he should follow up his query with the Bright delegation with some letters and presents. Remind them of House da Vigo and press for securing a proper trade alliance. It would put da Vigo on the map again as a power to be reckoned with if everything else did not.

Ah...that reminded him. The House was vulnerable in its current fallen state and it would take time to see to its security. Perhaps those Brawlers might consider a commission in return for backing and facilities? The woman had show impressive fighting skills.

da Vigo pats his satchel with a growing grin. But for tonight it was time to indulge a little and see what exactly he had bought in this arcane book he had bought from the bookseller. His hobby and obsession. If it wasn't for everything else he would lock himself in his observatory and not come out for a month.

[Committing 1 Influence to restore the estate and settle debts.

Committing 1 Influence to see that the Bright trade deal is pulled off.

Write a letter or two inviting the Brawlers to a meeting some morning during the week.

Spend the rest of the time parsing the spell tome for anything useful. ]

The Brawlers proved an interesting group as a result of Alessandro's research. Some were disruptive, abrasive ruffians while others preferred to comport themselves as artists and duelists in the proper traditions of the Academies. The latter proving more common than the former but that seemed more a quirk of numbers and the fact that the one he was most interested in had been invited to a formal demonstration. The woman, unsurprisingly, was an easy name to dig up and seemed to be a sole disciple of one of the original founders of the notion of brawling.

Lately she had taken to answering to Chiara, forgoing her family name with studious care. Alessandro's own invitations met with an almost mechanically precise hand written response that was no surprise but that there was a flare of personality behind it that came across as both blunt and curious certainly piqued the interest in it's own right.

It left the matter of a time and place open to Alessandro's choosing. A distinct point of etiquette that was often enough lost on the average ruffian.

The next day saw Alessandro waking before sunrise. Rather than bother his staff the young man dressed himself as had become his custom while skipping breakfast. Whatever the origins of his new powers it provided the ability to subsist without food. A handy tool and timesaver. His mind flashes to the letter he had received from the Brawler, gratifyingly prompt and polite. A quick response was deserved but first he needed to make sure that he had something to offer them.

A quick tour of the da Vigo library's section on Patrian architecture soon revealed what he sought. A architectural blueprint of one of the more ancient Patrian dojo lay out before him, a famous if modest building, utilitarian in the Patrian style, but famed for its ceiling frescoes of ancient Unitarian saints or the battles of the Remnant Empires and their Made Gods. It seemed like a suitable studio for the prosaic practices of the Brawlers. Still a few changes to suit the da Vigo name were in order. For the next hour Alessandro scrawled notes and diagrams before sitting back, satisfied. It would do.

Hours later in the long unused southern portions of the estate Alessandro lets the divine powers flowing through the earth lapse to admire the finished work. It was as if the ancient Patrian structure of stone had been transported wholecloth, fountain, exercise yards, small baths, and the main hall with its dormitories. It was the same yet subtlely different, with many of the originals blank stone faces replaced with a running story of Howler myths of heroes and demons and the fall of their Former Empire. It still lacked the detailed amenities that his powers were unable to replicate but that's why he had brought Leobardo along. Turning to the man who stood stunned at the sight of the work of magic he had witnessed Alessandro snapped his fingers. "Leobardo!", a smile graces Alessandro's fine features,"Wake up! We'll need to provide exercise mats, racks, cots, chests, and other providences for a dojo's residents. Please see to it?"

Later in the high observatory that topped the da Vigo residence and doubled as Alessandro's office he wrote his response to the Brawler, inviting her to join him in a discussion that night if she was available.

[Using Builder of Mountain Peaks to construct a modest dojo in the southern estate, adjacent to the lower gardens and a side street for easy access.]

The game of letters played out with it's typical efficiency before Chiara made her presence known at the estate. Her attire not much changed from her dueling with one of the Masters' at the part not so long ago in memory. There was, however, a hint of conservative restraint in how the sleeves clung to the clockwork prosthetic that replaced her arms and also seemed to replace her legs.

Up close and not locked in frenetic movement, one could also start to get an appreciation for the woman proper. An ugly mass of scarring playing havoc with the lines of her features and hinting at a reason beyond, solely, a desire for more power driving her adoption of clockwork limbs. It also made a point, in it's own right, that such was not required to be an effective adherent of her particular school and state of mind. Beyond that, she had the cut and bearing of one of a noble line and the untouched portion of her features were fine enough if perhaps too sharp for the tastes of most. One could almost imagine cutting themselves on the line of her chin bone and jaw.

"Master Da Vigo." she greeted politely after introductions were played out by Leobardo who paid a careful mind to their guest if only because she seemed a dangerous sort despite her composure.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:12, Thu 12 Apr 2018.

The da Vigo observatory's telescope gleams of brass and glass in its ornate cast iron setting, its nose pointed toward the clear heavens peeking through the slot in the roof. At its eyepiece crouches the da Vigo scion, long hair obscuring his face as he studies the stars. At Leobardo's announcement of their visitor he starts upright. The look of startlement is banished in a welcoming grin as he descends from the telescopes platform, navigating tables scattered with astrological diagrams and piles of haphazardly piled books.

The observatory is dimly lit by candlelight emanating from a table set with the makings of a elegant meal. Leobardo takes a position to serve as Alessandro gestures to the settings, "Welcome Miss Chiara. I'm very glad to meet you. Please...join me for a late supper. Discussions are always more fruitful over a good meal and some wine."

Leobardo is already pouring wine in glasses before he begins to serve the victuals. Alessandro takes a seat after politing waiting for his guest to take hers.

"I'm a devotee of the dueling arts and I have to say you and your Brawlers made quite an impact at the XXX Gala. I knew I had to meet you."

This message was last edited by the player at 01:19, Thu 12 Apr 2018.