The Hand and the Sword

[Astelle_Mwwr]

Interior, Alexai Castle, Kavamadii Province under Baroness Olivama
Except for the young Ven woman casually eyeing the canvas, the Creativity Room was empty. Olivama had little use for bare walls, and all around her the room was draped in exotic silks that formed a waterfall of silken fabric to dazzle even the truest admirer. Her hair pulled back in her usual double braids, the Baroness regarded her newest acquisition, smiling to herself at the subtle nuance that she alone had found. The mark of a very bold counterfeiter... a Veth who insisted on passing off his works as if they were WORTHY of being called Ven masterpieces! Soon, she would track the impudent one down and dispense her own justice for his affront. For the right price. The small clearing of a throat at the door brought her attention to her herald, a rather fetching Veth chosen solely for how pleasing he was to the eye and how well his complexion matched the gold and red that was Olivama's favored style.

"Vente Vente, Maam, but... you have a visitor."

Frowning softly even as she turned, the Baroness nodded, "Show them in to the foyer, I'll be present when I please"

[Baron Sendar]

Bastian waited at the front door, his hands clasped behind him, one resting on the small satchel he had been given by his former Liege to carry to various and sundry people, each to receive one item from it or another. By rights he was disobeying his orders, but there was one stop that needed be made before he went anywhere else.

He was clad in the rust brown and deep blood red that marked him as a servant of the now-rumored-mad Baron Malik Anarathi, though the house badge was missing from its customary place upon his right shoulder. Shaking his head, he glanced out at the grounds. It would seem that Baroness Olivama was doing well for herself still, which was a pleasant thought, especially when other things were taken into account.

He bowed, following the Veth that came back into the foyer. He knew enough about the Baroness to know that he would likely be waiting for a time, so he busied himself examining the various decorations, taking great care not to seem as though he was looking critically.

He might have the blood of a pair of Ven nobles, but he himself was Veth, the very bottom of the status ladder. Soon enough, however, soon enough that would change.

[Astelle_Mwwr]

After making her guest wait long enough to be sure it was understood who was in control in her own domain, Olivama took a moment to view her guest through the secret panel in the wall... and froze.

With a single word every Veth not critical to the castle's upkeep was sent to the chambers below the castle to be... silenced about her newest visitor, and the Baroness strolled out to the Foyer as her Herald quickly fled to make sure that he wasn't the next one to need silencing.

"Yes, veth? What madness takes you to come here with no badge of office and no lord holding protection over you!?" she screeched as she stood over the unblooded youth. Her eyes quickly scanned the walls to make absolutely sure everything was in it's place and there was nothing that could have been placed by another ven to eavesdrop on her conversations. With a quick gesture she knew only Bastion could interpret, she signed, "Follow me and do not say another word until we get to me inner chamber" Out loud, she huffed, "Idiocy, veth thinking they can waltz in. Well, by our laws, you're mine now, follow and I'll put you to work in the cellars!"

[Baron Sendar]

He gave a deep bow, practically bending in half though it grated on his nerves to have to behave so toward this woman, straightening as she signed. "Vente vente, Baroness." The response she got to the sign was a simple acknowledgment. 'Lead on. Been too long since I've been here, and I have news you might find intriguing.'

He did as she said, remaining silent until they reached the inner chamber, where he let out a loud sigh. "By the powers, I do not think having to cow-tow to my own sister in that manner will end soon enough," he muttered, wiping a hand across his brow. "As for what I am doing here without my Valet's badge... I am a valet no longer. Baron Anarathi has lost his mind. Don't know if you remember hearing about the little... blow up that nearly ended all of Shanri. Apparently his liege tricked him. Gave him a cursed mask or something."

He shook his head. "I was given a final task to do, and then told that upon completion, I was discharged from his service, the madman." He raised his eyes. "Didn't know where else to go. You being my sister, I had hoped for at the least hospitality and perhaps the protection of vassaldom."

[Astelle_Mwwr]

After passing through the secret passage and into her inner sanctum, Olivama heaved her own sigh and aimed a playful swipe at her siblings ear,
"I could get used to it! Your clothes are on the shelf, I was expecting you sooner. Until you get yourself blooded the best way for us BOTH to be safe is if you wear my colors and my badges. It would be more appropriate if you were my maid, but the last time I tried putting you in a dress was more than enough!" Turning to the wall, she gestured to the sword hanging on the wall, "and unless you want to feel one of those in your back, you need to remember that veth are usually TERRIFIED when they wait in a Baroness's foyer, not casually glancing at the scenery!" She pulled out a bottle of wine from the shelf next to her and poured a glass for both of them, "And you know better than to even ask. Don't get caught, and let me know what else you need!"

[Baron Sendar]

He chuckled, dodging the swipe by simply sidestepping, the thin veneer that was left of obeisance and self-deprecation sliding away. "I understand that, but there is the whole propriety thing. I still have a task to complete for Malik before I'm technically released from his service, so I had to continue wearing his colours. Now that I've found myself in your home in said state, however, it is only proper that you have laid claim to me," he said with a roll of his eyes and a smirk.

At the mention of a dress, he winced, giving a half-hearted groan. "Yeah, let's not do that again," he said with a shake of his head. "That wasn't very fun the first time around, not to mention how quickly I had to move to avoid getting found out. Would have been bad for both of us likely as not."

He took the glass, raising it to her with a nod of his head. "Everything you do for me is much appreciated, sister. To your health, and to our secret," he said, running a hand through his hair. "And I'm aware. Just not used to having to do that. Spent three years as his vassal, so I had his protection. Anyone messed with me, they'd have him to deal with. Course, now that he's mad as a hatter, might be even better for me. Others might assume or fear some misguided retention of claim to me, and simply avoid me for fear of angering him."

Setting the glass down, he set the satchel next to it, eyeing the thing like it was a snake about to strike. "Geh. Be so glad when I am rid of that thing's contents. I don't like carrying those journals around, not one bit. Always worried the wrong person will find out I have them and try to take them from me. Would leave me with two options, and I'm not quite ready to die just yet, thus leading to questions of where I, a lowly Veth, learned the art of Dueling."

[Astelle_Mwwr]

Olivama shrugged and returned the toast, "To secrets left hidden." The irony was not lost on her as she eyed the mentioned journals, "If only all of them could be. I might have a few extra satchels you can carry around as distractions. I can't risk the taint of that man's name spreading to me, so take my caravans on a few trading runs. I'm new enough that ingratiating myself to the others would be expected, and those...things can be safely hidden with the feed bags for the horses." Nodding once at the sword on the wall as she crossed her legs, the Baroness continued, "And how DO you plan on taking care of that little blooded problem, dear brother? Have you found someone to impress or do you need an extra set of eyes? There's an Althua coming up, and if we're there together, your old sword won't be too far away."

Out of habit, Olivama's eyes scanned the room again, studiously avoiding the satchel, and rested on the small tapestry behind her brother of the olivana, each occupying it's own perfectly crafted space that fit in seamlessly with the others around it. "You're planning on following Mother's path, aren't you?"

[Baron Sendar]

He nodded. "That would probably work well enough," he said, leaning against the wall himself. "You at least have the advantage of no real connection to him. Unfortunately with society the way it is, being his valet when he lost his mind, people are going to be worried that maybe I was affected by it myself." He shook his head with a laugh. "His insanity could not touch me. His insanity was born of an impatience the likes of which I've never seen in a Ven before, even in a Wolf."

He fell silent for several moments, and then shook his head. "With the House that currently holds the most appeal to me being veiled, it is rather difficult to catch their attention, let alone get a Blooding out of them," he said quietly. "Mother's House does appeal to me the most, but with Spider being in the state it's in... Another set of eyes would be greatly appreciated and immensely helpful."

[Astelle_Mwwr]

Olivama nodded and set the glass down with a thoughtful look, "You know me and that children's game. Hide and Hunt was always my strong suit!" Standing, Olivama gestured to the gold and red tunic on the shelf next to her, "I'll let you get dressed."

She looked her brother up and down for a moment and smirked, "I'll enjoy having you wait on me at the althua, dear brother! The locking mechanism is the same one that the old bookshelf used to have, but it moves in the opposite direction. You have 15 minutes before the servants enter the room, and I'd prefer not to have to kill any more of my staff tonight, so try not to be seen using the secret door!" The Baroness turned and walked towards the passageway, finishing her glass in one final motion.