Lady Maranno smiles inscrutably at Scarlet and looks over the girl's head, glancing quickly both ways in the corridor.  "You're so sweet to say so, darling.  Please, come in.  I'll have some tea brought up."  She gestures to the comfortable-looking chairs along one wall and moves to pull on a small rope hanging down near the fireplace.  To get to the bell pull she has to reach behind an easel upon which sits a half-finished painting of bold, red flowers.  There are several other paintings on the walls, in a similar style, and the scent of oil paint is prevalent in the room.

The apartment is very much like the one that Scarlet and her mother live in, but it is a distinct size larger and a bit better furnished.  Scarlet's apartment has a sitting room with a fireplace and it has one small bedroom.  Next to the fireplace is a little area that acts as a kitchenette, where Anne keeps butter, honey, some tea, perhaps some scones or anything leftover from the day to act as a late night snack.  In this apartment, the sitting room is significantly larger, with a full sized table rather than just a tea table.  She can not see into the bedroom, but she can see into the kitchenette, which is a small separate room rather than just a counter in the sitting room, and it has a small door to what looks like a pantry or maybe a wine closet.

Maranno sits down in the other comfortable chair.  "You did very well, darling, except that you failed to introduce yourself.  I think I have a guess, but, please, save me the embarrassment."

Scarlet immediately stands back up and introduces herself formally, slightly embarrassed at having forgotten to do so, but Maranno waves her gently back to the seat.  "So you're Anne's daughter.  Very nice.  And you've been acknowledged by the Duke?"  She says this as a question, but doesn't pause for an answer.  "Yes, yes, of course.  And may I call you Scarlet?"  To the girl's nod, she continues, "and we will be friends, so you must call me Maryann.  It is such a delight to have such a kind and polite young person come to visit."

The two make small talk for nearly an hour, interrupted only by a serving girl entering to take an order and then returning with tea and cakes.  Maryann is as polite with the serving girl as she was with Scarlet, thanking her by name and giving her a silver piece.  The coin seems normal enough (if a bit extravagant), but Scarlet is a little surprised that a Lady would know the serving person's name.  It had never occurred to her before that the servants have names and lives.

The small talk continues, with Maryann asking about what classes Scarlet takes, what subjects she enjoys and does not enjoy, which of the three gardens she prefers, where her favorite walks are, etc.  When the subject of dancing comes up, she finally remembers that Scarlet was the one to perform the aerial dance.  She gushes a bit over how lovely it was and asks about the rehearsal and training and "was it terrifying to be so high up with only a rope?" and all the details.

Once they have each had a cup of tea and a cake, Lady Maranno takes on a more serious face.  "It is so lovely to have you here, my dear, and you are welcome any time.  But I'm sure your mother did not send you to me.  I am hardly  -- what is it you said? -- a luminary of elegance."  She giggles a bit at the idea.  I daresay your mother finds me a bit frumpy and odd, which is not exactly wrong.  Please, do come back again, but for now, tell me how I can help you."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:15, Tue 05 Apr 2022.

It's not hard for Scarlet to blush and look bashful for a second, because it's sincere. Scary how lady Marano had looked straight through her white lie. Or as white as she'd manage.

"You are correct, my lady. My mother, she... is not inclined to appreciating other people's opinions much?" she says tactfully. She is pretty certain the lady holds the same disdain most of the court seems to have for Mother. Whether that is due to her unorthodox position as mistress or former mistress of the Duke's heir, or to her aloof manners, is anyone's guess. "She did not send me to you for my own instruction, it is I who took that step. I was worried it might come across as impertinent, coming from a maid of my age, to request some of your time for my own education... I apologize, my lady. And yes, I would be honored if you called me Scarlet," she says with a hopeful smile.

The wet puppy routine has never worked with Mother, but it might yet work with other ladies, as she is noticing. After all, Scarlet knows she is much more of a people person than Anne, and a smile and a few kind words do sometimes help as a counterpoint to the antipathy some people hold for her for being Anne's daughter. Therefore she is happy to talk about the performance, careful not to sound proud or boastful about her own dancing skills, and obviously omitting all references to Alyssa except to praise her dancing skills, watching the lady for any reaction. Scarlet wants nobody knowing she has it in for the daughter of Lord Travis, and she would like to know if the Lady Marano is a friend of hers or her father, just in case.

"My Mother - out of motherly love and zeal, of course - has kept me isolated from most of Moresby Court, as you might know, my lady, so these days, considering I am already twelve, I am doing an effort to meet my peers, and my betters, to learn the ways of the court, as I believe I must, to be a worthy lady of my lineage. Therefore I am taking the matter of my worldly education in my own hands, seeking those who might help illustrate me; such as master Usuul to teach me fencing, yourself for the courtly lady manners, or your husband for his unsurpassed petteia skills. I know I ask too much, my lady, but pray, would you help me? I shall be forever in your debt, I beseech thee," she pleads, mustering as much honesty as she can.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:03, Tue 12 Apr 2022.

Lady Moranna smiles, "I daresay I could teach you more about painting than the sort of courtly skills your mother excels at.  I've never cared all that much for what the latest fashions are, or who is dallying with whom.  I'm far more interested in what happened a hundred years ago than in what happened last night.  I'm reasonably convinced that the latter will be forgotten by next week, anyway.  If you are still interested, I would love to have you as a friend, and to teach you what I know."

When Scarlet mentions petteia, Maryann looks surprised.  "Oh!  Wouldn't that be wonderful, to have a young lady break into THAT men's club.  My husband has taught me the basics, and he says that there is no reason a woman could not be just as good as the men, but few of his associates would agree.  It just isn't something that interests me, however.  He tries to tell me that it is as much an art as my painting, but I don't see it; it is too structured, with too many rules.  There must be something to it, though.  He and his friends play for usually three hours, three nights a week.  They'll be meeting tonight, if you wanted to slip in there on some pretense and look around."  She then describes where they meet, well enough that Scarlet could find the room easily.  (It's pretty far from the kennel, 2 long hallways, 2 flights of stairs, and a couple of short turns.)

Just then a man enters the apartment.  He is short, probably the same height as Maryann, or even an inch less.  His hair is messy and his clothes are fine quality, but rumpled, as if he slept in them.  He sports a small, neat moustache under his small and close-set eyes.  Maryann stands to greet him and gives him a quick kiss.  "Etan, let me introduce Scarlet d'Ardelle.  She is the daughter of Anne d'Ardelle, who sat with us at that luncheon about a month ago.  Do you remember?  Scarlet, this is my husband, the Baron Etan Zamien of Vórlaïkí."

The baron seems distracted, but manages the minimum of politeness, "It is very nice to meet you, Scarlet.  Please, call me Etan."

Maryann jumps in again, "Scarlet hinted that she might be interested in learning to play petteia, and she seems very bright; perhaps she'll take to it."

Suddenly his interest is peaked.  "Oh, really!  That would be fine, fine indeed!  Have you played at all?"

Feel free to claim that you know the basics, or that you don't, as you like, or that she might have overstated your interest.  The game is a precursor to both chess and checkers, and is somewhere in between them in complexity.  (I found it just by googling "board game ancient Greece.")  I was not looking to introduce another side plot of you becoming a petteia champion or anything, just to give you known times that Fischbacher definitely will not be at the kennel.  But feel free to run with it if it interests you.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 20:32, Tue 12 Apr 2022.

Scarlet nods along. So, a history buff, rather than a fashion victim like Mother. She files away that information, she never knows when that she might have a use for a historian. Her own knowledge is restricted to Castle Moresby and current affairs, but an agent of Lady Idalaiz might need more wisdom and skills than she posseses.

“Oh, my lady, I know the basics of  game, but nothing more,” she admits bashfully. “Strategy is not my forte, I am, as Mother says, a creature of impulse and inspiration… That is why I should excel at dance, according to her. Not that I do, according to me. But yes, I would love to attend those games, if my lady thinks I won’t bother the gentlemen? That would be lovely, thank you!”

It really wasn’t her intention when she knocked on lady Marano’s door, but then again her intentions hadn’t been clear to herself at the time, so she welcomes the lucky break. And strategy is another thing she might come to find useful in the future, so perhaps some advanced notions of petteia wouldn’t be a complete waste of time, not to mention cultivating the friendship of the Baron and his obviously clever wife.

Speaking of which! Scarlet gets to her feet when the Count shows up, curstying elegantly.

“An honour to meet you, Your Lo- Etan. Your lovely wife has been as good as to lend me some of her precious time. As I was telling her, I am only aware of the basics of the game, I fear I might be a tedious player for someone of your expertise, but I would love to learn more. Your gaming mates, Sir Fischbacher and the Count of Travis, would they mind? I do not have the pleasure of knowing them…”

She perked her ears, ready to catch any snippet he might drop about those two: one was the guardian of the Savannah cats that were her target, and the other was the father of Alyssa. Anything could be useful in order to get her cat or get back at her nemesis…
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Thu 14 Apr 2022.

Etan laughs heartily, "Would they mind?!?  They would likely explode!"  It's clear that the thought of this amuses him.  "They all have the notion that women are incapable of logic, as if somehow thinking is done by the p..."  He cuts himself off and turns a little red in the face.

Finally he continues, stuttering a bit, "Anyway, umm, miss, I am afraid you would not be terribly welcome.  Most of the men like to be able to drink and curse and, uhhhh, worse, and they would not appreciate a young lady around.  If you were prepared to come in and defeat them in a game, well, they'd have to accept you, but it sounds as if you're not ready for that, yet.  I would be glad to teach you, if you like.  I know that women can be just as intelligent as men.  But you'd have to work around my schedule -- my time is not always my own."

As I said before, you can pursue this or not, as you like.  I'm not sure you need another sub-plot, but since I threw Count Ranteson in there on a lark, you have a tie to your existing sub-plot.  I didn't really have plans for that tie-in, I just thought it would have potential to be interesting.  I don't know how much it would help you, though, to tick him off, which you're likely to do if you force your way in there.  Note that you aren't going to be at all skilled at it until you allocate a skill point to it, which means not until you level up.

Whether you pursue it or not, you'll learn that they meet on Ares' Day (Tuesday) after supper, Zeus' Day (Thursday) after supper, and Kronos' Day (Saturday) after lunch.  The less dedicated people come only on Kronos' Day, so that would probably be the best day to come, if you want to.

Ares' Day (Tuesday),  late afternoon.

Scarlet makes a point of blinking twice, feigning incomprehension, although she knows what he was going to say. Mother gets tipsy, sometimes, and when in her cups, she does not mince words. But it would be improper to acknowledge that.

"Thank you for your candidness, my lord. I shall not impose upon such illustrious players," she says graciously, curtsying again. "Perhaps on a later date, when I have improved my game enough to not be a complete waste of time for your skilled friends. My lady, thank you for your time and your kind words. I won't forget your friendliness. For now, I fear I must bid you adieu and take my leave, for Mother will surely be looking for me for supper."

If nothing else, she thinks on her way back to her chambers, I have made another contact and obtained confirmation that Fischbacher will be absent from the kennels tonight. Time to pay another visit to the kitties, without interruptions this time...

They both express how much they enjoyed meeting you, and hope to see you again.

Now you're doing it.  :-)  The ball is still in your court to post.  What are you going to do next?
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:10, Sat 16 Apr 2022.

Scarlet decided it was time to pay another visit to the kitties, without interruptions this time... So that's what she did.

;P

Oh.  I thought you meant you were planning to do so 'when the petteia club was in session,' which is only a couple of hours away.  Right now, it is only 4 or 5 hours since you were there, last.

14:19, Today: Zag, on behalf of Scarlet d'Ardelle, rolled 22 using 1d20+6.  Stealth.

Scarlet heads back down towards the kennel.  As it is about suppertime, the halls to the kitchen are much more busy as trays are going out and servers are coming back in.  At the door to the kennel, she glances to the table where she was waiting earlier, and it has trays of food being assembled.  She knows that on days like today, where there is nothing special going on in the great hall, many of the nobles often request food brought to their rooms.  However, she never considered what a lot of logistics are involved in the endeavor.

She tries the door to the kennel to find that it is not currently locked, though she can see a locking mechanism on it much like the one that leads to hers and her mother's rooms.  She is able to open the door without a sound and she steps inside.  Where there were three cats in cages directly opposite the door before, there is only one, all the way on the right.  As she gently closes the door, she hears some muffled laughter, followed by a man's voice, "Whoa!  He threw that one in the air!  What a swipe!"  The sound is distorted, but it seems to be coming from straight ahead and upwards.

Ares' Day (Tuesday),  start of supper time

And that must be Fischbacher watching the cats train, Scarlet supposes. She has no intention of risking being seen. She eyes the locking mechanism warily; once that thing is engaged, there is no way she can pick the lock. And she guesses the kennels would be kept under lock and key quite frequently, given the zeal with which the Savannah cats seems to be bred and trained.

So in silence, Scarlet searches around for a spare key...

As Scarlet walks past the cats in the two cages on the far left, one of them hisses at her.  She looks in the drawers, through the upper cabinets, under the shelves in the lower cabinets, everywhere she can think of that they might hide a spare key.  Finally, she hears the male voice from up the stairs, "OK, they're slowing down.  Be sure to reward them, this isn't real hunting, but this leads to it.  Make sure they have some water, and put them back in their cages, then let's call it a night."

Scarlet realizes they'll be coming down any second, so she reluctantly heads back to the door.  Just as she is leaving, she spots, hanging on the wall right next to the door, two keys, each on a piece of string.

Too late. It was too risky, being caught stealing a key, by Fischbacher in person, when she knew he was going to be absent from the premises soon. Now she knew where those were kept; next time she'd help herself to one of those.

For the moment she got out and hid, waiting for the man to leave the kennels to go back inside...
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 15:03, Mon 18 Apr 2022.

I think I made it seem that the timing was closer than it is.  Just grabbing a key on your way out the door takes less than a second, and you are now around a corner from the stairs they will have to come down.  The only reason I didn't write you doing it was because I wanted to give you a chance to say you would break the string and leave the string hanging there rather than taking string and key both.  That approach, IMO, makes it more likely that they will think it was lost rather than stolen.  If you want to edit your action, go ahead.

...but a second later she gets second thoughts, and changes her mind:

She breaks the string on one of the keys and pushes the key down her bodice. After than, she throws both the string and the other key to the floor... and opens the hissing cat's cage, hoping it will open on impact and it will look like the cat created that mess and lost the key.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:05, Mon 18 Apr 2022.

Scarlet can hear steps coming down the spiral staircase as she is framing the cat for her theft.  She closes the door as silently as she can, peeking through to see if anyone comes around the corner, and sees no one.  A clean getaway.  Let's hope they believe the story that the cat lost the key.

You DO like letting the cats out.  :-)
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:39, Tue 19 Apr 2022.

...And now it's just a matter of waiting until Fischbacher goes to his usual petteia game... And then Scarlet will be back, hopefully alone with the cats.

Meanwhile, she pays a brief visit to the kitchens to grab some treats for the kitties.

Asking for some raw meat or other cat-appropriate food will be unusual enough to attract attention.  You hardly want the kitchen staff buzzing about your recent dietary choices.  So I'm going to make you use some sort of skill to get it.   Bluff, Diplomacy, Theft (i.e. Stealth and/or Disguise) are all reasonable choices, here.

Scarlet pulls aside a young cook apprentice, one that looks adequately harried and therefore unlikely to ask uncomfortable questions.

"A lady of my acquintance is having... lady trouble. Doctor says raw meat it is for her, to compensate for the blood loss... You do not need or want the details. Get me that raw meat, ipso facto, and keep your mouth shut," she whispers to him, giving him The Look, like Mother does.

Scarlet d'Ardelle rolled 23 using 1d20+8.  Bluff (to get some cat food).

That was definitely a good enough roll that you could have assumed success and continued.  But probably my first paragraph is all you could have done, since you can't know what awaits you in the kennel.

The cook's apprentice opens his mouth as if to speak, but then closes it and dashes away.  In less than a half minute he returns, carrying a plate with raw steak, decorated with the same sprig of parsley that would normally be on it if it were cooked.  Scarlet nods a thanks, gestures with her finger to her lips, and walks towards the entrance to the kennel.

Reaching the door, she pulls out her stolen key and turns it in the lock, hearing a satisfying snick.  Opening it slowly, she listens, but hears no activity.  The cat nearest her, obviously smelling the meat, stands and rubs its side on the bars of its cage, making a deep meowl sound.  Closing and locking the door behind her, she wonders how she will pick out the right cat.

From my earlier post:  http://zag.net/Pathfinder/Ellada/Castle%20Kennel.png  (This is a little roomier than I was intending, but I'm too lazy to redo it.  The area in the middle should be larger relative to the room, so that the space around it is narrower, more like a hallway crowded with the cages.  The cat cages are about 6 ft x 4 ft, and take up about half the space.  The larger cat cages are 8 ft x 6 ft.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:05, Thu 21 Apr 2022.

Third time she is there, and finally she has the place to herself for a few hours. However much she would like to cause mischief, she is aware she should leave no traces, even if they do not lead to her, nothing that might cause Fischbacher to rethink his (abysmal) approach to security.

Zenobia, was the name of the queen. So Scarlet is looking for a heavily pregnant female, probably kept somewhere special, with loads of space and special accommodations. If no such cat is immediately apparent from a first look around the room, she'll climb the stairs to get a better look.

Scarlet d'Ardelle rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Perception.

Scarlet walks all the way around the square path, looking at each cat, in turn.  Some ignore her, some hiss at her as she walks by.  The three cats along the north wall are the largest three that she sees.  One is clearly a male -- he is licking his private parts as she comes around the corner.  The other two are female, the one on the west edge (i.e. closest to the stairs) seems a little bigger and fatter than the other.  But she isn't sure.

Walking up the stairs, Scarlet sees that the room is the same size but the wall surrounding the center only rises up four feet from the floor.  It is open on top to allow viewing down, with bars across to prevent any feline escapees.  In the north wall is a door which is locked with two heavy bars.  There are nearly as many cages as on the floor below, but only 7 are occupied.  Three contain several kittens each; of the remaining 4, there is only one large female.

Scarlet is not sure whether this cat or the one downstairs is Zenobia.  Calling out her name elicits no reaction, so she heads back downstairs to try the same with her other candidate.  She turns her head slightly, but maybe it was just reacting to the sound.  Aaagh!  Why don't they have labels on the cages?!
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:23, Fri 22 Apr 2022.

Scarlet feels her irritation grow as she tries to identify Zenobia. Something about these cats, caged and trained and pampered and catered for, rubs her the wrong way. Sometimes she feels like one of them, being conditioned for a purpose. Sometimes she envies them, for more care seems to lavished on them than on human children, such as herself, growing up with mum. And sometimes she just plain hates them, with their hissing and their attitude. Something inside her whispers to just poisoned them all, and she knows that she might, had the lady Idalaiz not explicitly told her to not harm the felines.

At any rate, she needs to find Zenobia. The kitten are due in two weeks, so she should be heavily pregnant, shouldn't she? Enough to make her easy to spot. But perhaps the other females are also pregnant, so who knows.

She guesses the upstairs female must have already given birth, and the kittens close to her are her litter. So it must be the downstairs one. Approaching her cage, she smiles and coos at the cat.

"Zenobia, is it? I am Scarlet. Let us be friends, yes? I brought you some yummy dinner. Say, are you pregnant? Oh, how I would love to meet your children. You wouldn't mind, would you? Call me auntie Scarlet. Here, have a bite..."

13:30, Today: Zag, on behalf of Scarlet d'Ardelle, rolled 18 using 1d20.  Handle animal (-4 because untrained)

After a few minutes of talking softly and holding the meat out for the cat, finally the large female stops hissing, then creeps forward cautiously, and finally takes the meat.  Scarlet can see that the animal's belly is, indeed, enlarged and her breasts have expanded, but not so much as the cat upstairs.  This must be the right one.  After a few more pieces of meat passed in, the cat seems more comfortable, and lies down for a nap.

Scarlet's irritation only grows at the fat queen's attitude. Something in her reminds her of Mother too: the fatuous pride in being, what? A glorified breeder, nothing else, no other merits to her existence. And the manners, the testy countenance, the arrogance implicit in the way she graciously accepts food as if she was doing you a favor. A little short of breath, Scarlet is astonished at discovering how much she hates the life she has been leading... and her mother.

It is with a bitterweet feeling that she leaves the kennels that night - she has succeeded in gaining not only a reliable entry into the area (a key, and the knowledge that Fishbacher won't be in at least twice a week), but the ugly truths of her existence are only starting to reveal themselves.

During dinner she mulls this over, resenting the fact she doesn't have a way to hit back at Alyssa... yet. She watches her closely, particularly with Xavin, for any telltale signs that she's doing any progress with him, suddenly beset by untimely jealousy.

She will find a way to do both, trick that stupid cat into letting her have one of her kittens, and luring that stupid bitch into her ruin. But not tonight, tonight she bids her time...

That night, she sneaks back into the secret passage to read that book on African poisons. And tomorrow, she will find catnip and a ball of thread as treats for Zenobia.

It was after suppertime that you went to visit the cats, so I'll assume the supper portion was the following day.
15:51, Today: Zag, on behalf of Scarlet d'Ardelle, rolled 24 using 1d20+4.  Perception
I had planned what I was going to write assuming you failed this roll, but not for this.  (I hadn't planned for you to recognize Erikus at first.)

After her successful visit with the cat, Scarlet heads back to the rooms she shares with her mother.  Anne casually asks Scarlet what she has been up to, but doesn't seem interested in the answer.  She immediately starts to tell a story of how she caught the eye Kavaloghe, the knight who has won the last few tournaments and is one of the most coveted dance partners in the castle.  Scarlet lets her ramble on for a bit, then pretends to be tired and heads into her corner of the room.  Not the the first time, she wishes she had her own bedroom with a door.

After mother is done pouting about not getting enough accolades for her social success, she turns in, and Scarlet is free to sneak away.  Carrying a candle, she follows the process the mute showed her, enters into the secret passage, and makes her way to the laboratory.  Things have moved since she was here last, with a large pile of books now stacked on the table and the devices rearranged.  She finds the book Venomous Snakes of North Africa back in the bookcase and settles down to read.  It contains a lot of information about how to identify, locate, capture, and even to milk the poison from these snakes.  However, it offers nothing practical that Scarlet could use against Alyssa, not unless she somehow could transport herself to this mysterious land of Africa where these snakes are located.

The following day, Scarlet spends a little time fruitlessly trying to run into Xavin, even wandering into the guest wing where she identifies from the outside the closet that she knows leads to the secret passages.  Finally she spots him at an early dinner that many of the nobles are having out on the lawn, celebrating the good weather.  Sitting right beside him is Alyssa, her blond curls waving in the soft breeze.  He holds out the wine bottle, offering to fill her glass, and she giggles in a way that Scarlet finds simply revolting.

She turns back and heads back into the castle through a small door.  She realizes that leads her through the servant's wing, which she knows will take her right past Maryann's room and down the hall to her own room.  Suddenly, ahead she spots Erikus walking straight towards her.  As soon as he notices her, his head drops to look at his feet and he immediately turns the corner.  Scarlet calls his name but he opens a door and disappears into it.  After a few seconds, the door opens and a woman's face peers out before the door closes again.

Mid-afternoon on Hermes Day (Wednesday)
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:15, Mon 02 May 2022.