Diversity At and Around the Table

[Hilana Chenzira]

"I'm sure I've barely scratched the surface," the young woman smiled at the Moonborn, happy to listen to the others and make sure no one's drink went low during their appetizer. She did notice Phocion murmuring into Lady Kala's ear, but elected to leave that alone - it clearly wasn't meant for her ears, even if the air might carry it to her.

"I do have a friend whose family has two wyverns. His parents don't ride, and I was getting some lessons in wyvern-riding from him, and it evolved into my getting to take the big boy out for a spin every so often. He preferred his first one, his little brother doesn't like riding yet, and he does need exercise... so if that's what we end up doing later, I'll swing over there and see if I can't get him saddled and take him out. Show you how to really tear up the sands." It wouldn't hurt to take Sviras with them; he might very well enjoy that.

She did quiet down again as Kala spoke on the subject of Sol'Valen, and when she said she might not be welcome there that much longer, and shared a glance with Phocion, she blinked and looked from one feathered guest to the other. Oh. Ohhh. She glanced over at Raithen, wondering if her Lux... he must have, judging by his expression and the pause, his tone and the fact that he had actually stopped eating.

"I'm sure that Finn is doing well. If he wasn't, His Exalted Highness would do everything in his power to burn the entire Commonwealth and everyone in it to ash." If she was surprised that they knew about Finn's trip, she didn't show it. She didn't know what they were privy to and what they weren't, and like Raithen, it wasn't up to her to divulge more details... not that she really had them, aside from what she had known when they had gone to the border meeting place. Hilana took a sip of her drink. First it was talk of Hytori and Sol'Valen, and now it was the dreaded Orcani and Ecith. At her table. Still, one made allowances. The Karnorian twins didn't share her own dislike of them, and Hilana didn't expect them to understand it. They'd likely grown up around them, at least when they went to Kalzasi... and as Finn was fond of reminding her, Karnorian Orks were apparently different than Ecithian Orks.

Their origins didn't matter, she'd still cross the street to avoid the nasty things. And if she had her way, one of them could die just as easily as the other...

[Pharaoh]

"The Imperium certainly has no dearth of enemies." Phocion noted, in response to Kala's mention of their role in Kalzasi's priorities with their envoy to the Hytori homeland. "It is honestly a wonder they've amassed so much power thus far without an entente being formed to curtail their Ambition." His interpretation of the reports received from and about Geleros was that it was a chaotic realm masquerading as an orderly one, with a capricious autocrat whose reign seemed, to his mind, unsustainable in the long term.

To Kala's private reply he smiled faintly.

"I hadn't. At least not outside of the Umbrium." He clarified. As Kaus' query touched upon matters under his personal purview, Phocion chuckled.

"The Duke Viator's mission overlaps with matters under my jurisdiction, so I remain informed of his progress." The Moonborn noted and, though he had been the one to conceive of the notion Kaus vaunted of sending him in the first place, he did not feel compelled to take credit along with the unwitting compliment.

"The reports suggest that some of his true Solunarian cohorts have struggled to conceal their contempt for elements of Ecithian culture, where Finn himself has not. The contrast has actually proven advantageous in allowing the new to be highlighted alongside the old with the latter clearly defined as the leader of the party. If it stops working, we will need to adjust our methods, but for the nonce things are well." His eyes snapped to Raithen as his pointed question was posed, and he canted an eyebrow

"Brother!" He turned his steely gaze to Hilana. "Surely you do not mean to imply that an invitation from our hostess is not reason enough to make the trip?" He clucked his tongue and managed to look downright disappointed, though a faint shadow of amusement curled his lip.

[Kala Leukos]

.

"Well, 'tis heartening to hear a Kalzasern émigré has done so well in a meritocracy," Kaus said brightly. "And he will hopefully continue to be a bridge between Kalzasi and Solunarium. Hilana, this is truly delicious. Thank you for inviting us."

If he overemphasized the 'l' in 'Kalzasern' and 'Kalzasi,' it was likely a gentle mocking of the Solunarian tendency to drop it. There were few hills he would die upon, but the poet in him thought place names ought not to be translated. His smile diminished when Raithen's question seemed suddenly discordant. His emotional intelligence was not negligible, but he did often find himself relying upon his sister's greater quotient.

Phocion's response may or may not have been harsh. The Solunarian royals had their own way of communicating, especially among each other.

Kala was better at reading Phocion now, and certainly better at reading Raithen than Kaus was. She softened things further.

"We had not seen Hilana and your brother since our adventure into the Plane of Wood last season, nor you in far longer. When I do tell the Minister where I'm going, I do try to do some work, of course. But also, while the winter chill doesn't touch us so badly, we do prefer the winter climate here." She smiled gently.

Then, to Hilana, "Would Phocion not be required to send assassins after me, I would attempt to lure you to Kalzasi to set up a restaurant." She winked. "Thank you. Oh, and have plans begun to coalesce for the Plane of Metal?"

No doubt she could have found her way on her own, but joining Hilana and having Phocion along had made it more pleasant. The more she grew into her power, the more she craved mortal connection lest she rise too high too fast and lose all control of herself. She was a Daughter of Chaos, but she was still learning how to exist safely in that.

"When we have managed Metal, I have an idea to make Aether available to you."

.

[Raithen]

The conversation continued to flow smoothly around them, as was the way of such gatherings, but Raithen wasn't paying attention any longer. Even the teasing chastisement from Phocion, in defense of Hilana, no less, failed to get more than a flicker of his eyes and a brief turning up of the corners of his mouth that did shame to all his mother's training on concealing his true feelings.

His expression didn't change as he listened to the gentle and polite explanation, accompanied by the inelegant response,

"Uh huh." With a tone of mild discovery, softened from the previous starkness of the question as he finally caught on to the fact that the entire party was noticing his change in demeanor. Taking up his glass, he drank from it to reset himself before continuing.

"You should come out with us, we all know you can keep up with the boys." This was more of his normal teasing enticing, and he offered her his most winning smile.

"I promise to escort you back to retire back to your lodgings the moment you should ask."

The conversation was already moving again, to quests and plans, which was fine. The Dux had so rarely been rejected when he really tried. Combine that with the budding bond he shared with the twins, it was beyond his scope that Kala wouldn't agree to spend the night with him, however it ended. Reaching under the table with the hand not still wrapped around his drink, warm fingers ran along Kaus' thigh, a way to feel connected without interrupting the more important conversation further.

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana personally felt that there were likely times that Phocion wouldn't have minded if some other far-away place took her off of their hands, considering the situations she had found herself in - going to the Crystal Tree, finding Lykos-Rickter, Aeros getting killed, Finn getting wounded in Ecith on her quest, the Crystal Tower debacle in which Valaera lost her eyes... though there were some upsides to those. A demigod swore himself to Domina Divina through Phocion and Arvaelyn. Aeros got himself killed and kicked off the whole downfall of his family... Well, she had her ups and downs. As long as she stayed useful, she enjoyed privileges few others were granted.

As long as she stayed useful.

Of course, there was no sense in voicing that and being self-deprecating, especially in front of foreign nobility. "Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it. The first course, anyway. The next one is our primae mensae, the main course. It's a bit... different, but it's a traditional dish usually reserved for nobility and royalty here." Of which Hilana was neither, but her father, like many Equestrians, had designs on the higher standing and always felt that one should entertain as if they were Patricians. Considering his friendship with the present Consul of the Senatus Minor... Well. Ambition was prized in Solunarium, after all.

She would refill Raithen's drink, see if the others needed a topping-up, and removed the salad and lamb serving dishes from the table. Used plates and utensils were also taken and put in the sink, and she removed a tray of fragrant, gently steaming pies from the oven. Each of them was a crisp, golden brown, the pastry edges braided and the top crust seemed to have been formed of layered, punched out leaves that had all been decorated to mark the internal stems and veins. She had figured individual portions would be better, considering the calibre of her guests, and easier than cutting and serving one giant pie. "These are lamprey pies, with lamprey from the Vasta River," she explained, placing one of the pies on the clean plate for each guest. Inside the pastry was layers of the fish with onion and a wine sauce that involved cumin and mace. She'd tweaked the recipe a little bit to add some roasted, thin-sliced fennel to the insides, as fennel and fish did tend to be a classic pairing. The side dishes for this course were also retrieved from the oven and would join the table to be served to each guest's preference - a dish of seasoned, tender green beans, chick peas, and sauteed onions in a light sauce of wine, oil, and cumin, a bowl of and a plate of roasted slices of pumpkin that had been brushed with oil and treated with the same sorts of spices as the beans and chickpeas.

She took her seat once more, smoothing her skirts. If she was put out by Raithen's focus on Kala, the Vastiana gave no signs of it. Hilana knew how it went, after all. What they had would never be more than what they had. It couldn't be. And she had known that from the start. "I can talk with the Vigilia. If you're staying for a while, we could probably arrange it to be done while you're here," she offered. Of course, one of the higher-ranking members of the order was at her table now, so chances were high that it could be pulled together quite quickly. "That would be exciting, Elemental Aether. My paedagogus told me to worry about that one last."

[Pharaoh]

“Whiles Hilana has certaintly accrued a great deal of power in the time she has been known to me, she has not quite reached the point where her departure from the realm fall under the purview of the Custodes Deorem. Solunarium would be lesser for the absence of her cooking, but the diplomat in me sees the merit in the achievements in embassage her cuisine alone might achieve to glorify our realm.” Phocion shifted smoothly from taunting Raithen with an edge that verged on cruelty, to embodying the diplomat he correctly noted himself to be.

His icy eyes fell to Raithen as he spoke up again, pushing through his evident vexation to invite Hilana on his evening exploits.

“Perhaps I ought to stun the table by inviting myself to join your jaunt. Would you like that, Your Ladyship? You have seen a side of my brother that I have not, and that I am firmly aware that I am to blame for this gap in my familial knowledge. The frigid, joyless image that serves me so well in my work does not translate perfectly to my personal life, but as a student of our mater’s brand of diplomacy, I am able to improvise.

“How would you enjoy that, Raithen?” He asked pointedly, “Pulling me down from my pedestal to finally enjoy a carefree night on the town or in the sky? Well, at least as carefree as I can muster. Wine helps.” He said, nudging his cup toward Hilana as she was offering refills.

[Kala Leukos]

.

At the touch to his thigh, his hand dipped surreptitiously below the table to caress the hand that caressed him. A part of him wished Raithen would hold his hand, but he knew that he cared more for the dux than did the dux care for him. It was only a little pang of regret, whetting the heart's appetite for what was otherwise quite lovely.

Perhaps it was how close they all were at the table, perhaps his mind had obstinately refused to put two and two together; while Hilana was elaborating on the meal and the courses to come, Kaus realized that she was Raithen's lover. This wasn't the back-breaking straw that camels feared by any means; while non-monogamy was not the rule in Kalzasi, it was hardly outside the norm. And this wasn't Kalzasi, which was part of what he enjoyed about it.

It was, however, a small revelation.

He didn't know if Raithen was shutting them out or just had his attention elsewhere—one hand on Kaus, the other pouring wine into his mouth, his relaxed resonance with Hilana, his pointed resonance with Phocion—but Kaus felt the unease through their light bond.

"Oh, I suppose we could linger if it's the sort of thing that can be arranged that quickly without putting you out, but if it isn't quite so soon, that's just another excuse to escape the snow for sand."

Kala smiled at Hilana. She hadn't known that the friendly woman at the Citadel all that time ago would have become a magical collaborator, but she was glad of it. Her smile turned to Raithen, though its character changed. Even with only the light bond, she could have forced herself past his defenses, but that was not her way. The smile fell on Kaus for a moment, and he felt a pulse of reassurance along their more mature bond; then it landed on Phocion, vaguely curious.

She was adroit enough in political and social settings to sense things even without Sembling, but while she had spent some time in Solunarium, she could hardly call herself an expert in the differences, subtle and blatant, between how their peoples interacted with each other. Kala could see how Hilana's straightforward friendliness would rankle with the more stoic, reserved prince.

When Phocion was allowed his quiet and his space, he did reveal an actual person and while she wasn't in love with him, she was fond of him and had delighted in several small revelations about who he was as a person other than the roles he played so well.

As she was contemplating Phocion, trying to grok the subtleties of a possible filial dispute, Raithen put out an invitation. When she looked back to Raithen, bemused, she was uncertain whether he had been inviting her or Hilana. Now that Kaus knew about Raithen and Hilana, it seeped into her awareness too.

Oh. That didn't bother her, that they had coupled or even if they were a couple, not in theory. She only hoped that Raithen's explorations with the twins, which had seemed at least in part more about the fact that they were Avialae than who they were as individuals, had not driven a wedge between them. Before she could suss whether the invitation had been for her, for Hilana, or perhaps even for both of them, Phocion's temper seemed to change.

"The Eternal Night does amuse," she said, "and would certainly be a change of pace for you, Your Highness. But who would have you enjoy yourself under duress?" A quick glance flew back toward Hilana, curious if the woman knew something she did not. She couldn't tell if the brothers were devolving into adolescents or if there was some deep-seated trauma that had gone unaddressed and was now burning in their veins.

She didn't even know if they had just had a disagreement that morning and didn't want to be spending time with each other so soon.

"But dinner is hardly begun, 'twould be rude to think overmuch upon what to do after when there is so much yet to enjoy here. Hilana, you oughtn't to be a servant in your own home. May I help you with anything?"

.

[Raithen]

Raithen was not overly fond of eels (were lampreys eels?) or fish generally, due to his particular distaste for large bodies of water from childhood washing over into his taste in food. This was all unconscious, and he knew that anything Hilana put in front of him would probably be to his liking. Even if he didn't end up enjoying the dish rich in both flavor and expense, there would be plenty of food to fill his belly.

The particular wine chosen to accompany the main course, he certainly did partake in, refilling his own glass from the pitcher provided whenever it emptied. Having done so, he took a sip just as Phocion turned his conversation back to Lady Kala and nearly choked. On any other occasion, his elder brother accepting an invitation to join him on a night out would have been one of his long hoped for dreams coming true. Particularly with the accompanying speech that suggested him wanting to know the sides of Raithen that Kala had already pursued. The idea, even if it were not what one might easily imagine, made his body tingle in multiple forms of anticipation. Some was interested anticipation that made him feel a little bit of shame, not from the desires they rose from, but from the memories of the near constancy of the feeling from his adolescence. The rest was a sort of acidic anticipation that came whenever Phocion went from being sharp with him to being sweet. It was always a dangerous thing and made the Avialae feel like he knew he was to be attacked, but not from which direction.

Managing to cover his choke by swallowing another mouthful of the wine, his eyes locked on Phocion's as he was addressed directly. Locked and held, as though looking away was inviting the foreseen attack. Clearing his throat quietly, he bared his teeth in an attempt at a smile and answered.

"It would be my honor and pleasure to show you how I spend my nights, as it always is, to serve my family." It was more diplomatic than his usual, and he hated that there was a tone of both fear and hope in his voice that he had fought to keep neutral. Nothing would escape Phocion's notice, and it had felt so obvious to Raithen that he doubted it would escape any of the others. He was feeling less adult and less in control by the moment.

The warm hand closing over his own settled him a little, but only a very little. Kaus could not save him from whatever was happening. Kala verbally stepping in to push the topic aside in favor of more immediate pleasures might save him, or might merely delay the inevitable. Raithen hated waiting to be punished. Whether it was called that by anyone other than himself or not, when one of his family members was displeased with him and determined to make him feel it, it was being punished.

[Hilana Chenzira]

If Phocion was ever to encourage her to start a restaurant abroad, it was almost guaranteed because he was sick of having to deal with her nonsense. Though in truth, Hilana couldn't guarantee that she would even enjoy that sort of thing. She did love to cook, and she loved to cook for intimate gatherings or for multitudes, but she also liked to cook what she wanted - and cooking food to order was a different challenge than what she liked to do. If anything, she'd make whatever she wanted, and people could pick off of that list that day. And that sort of concept might not appeal to the average person. "Gratias, Your Highness," she smiled at the Moonborn prince.

"I'll find out one way or another, and see what can be arranged. However it goes, I'll send word to the Palatium Umbrarum," the Vastiana was cheerful at the prospect of visiting yet another Plane with her friends from the North. "As you say, in the worst case, it's another trip south."

When his tone changed, Hilana's smile faded, and she felt her back stiffening up. Even she recognized the potential for danger here, and she refilled his drink at his gesture. She was without question an adrenaline junkie, and she loved a challenge, but she also preferred to stay on the Sentinel's good side. Interjecting here was suicidal. This wasn't about her - this was about Phocion, Raithen, and in a way, Kala. Some level of umbrage seemed to have been taken, and it was over the noble Lady. If Phocion was courting her, and Raithen was as in the dark about it and was therefore surprised, considering his time with her and Kaus in Starfall...

When Kala glanced back at her, the young woman's expression didn't suggest knew anything she didn't about this tension, but there was concern there. She knew how much Raithen idolized Phocion, and while she had no doubt as to her Lux's formidable capabilities, going against his elder brother was a concerning prospect. She wasn't going to open her mouth there. She had already said she wouldn't mind seeing how he managed with Kinetics in the sky, and she had meant it.

But as Kala tried to smooth things, she was thankful for the politician's deftness in changing the subject. "No, please. It's all handled," she assured her. Allowing Kala to assist here, when she was a guest, might well change the subject of Phocion's ire onto herself. "Lux, if you don't like the lamprey, there's plenty of lamb." Perhaps it made her more of a poor hostess in that she had focused more on trying to impress the guests that were first-time visitors to her plant-filled apartment rather than considering Raithen's dislike of all things seafood... but that was somewhat mitigable with the extras. If he didn't like it, she didn't expect him to finish it.

[Pharaoh]

Phocion maintained the eye contact that Raithen fixed upon him, the faint umbra of a smirk painting his pale lips.

"Splendid. But I defer to Lady Kala's social wisdom. We can defer talk of post-dinner plans until a more appropriate course than the main." With that, he was content to break his gaze from Raithen's and return his attention to the meal at hand.

"You know, I'd only had lamprey pie once or twice in my life before recently. Apparently, His Exalted Highness tried it at some senator's fete a few seasons back and raved to the point that it's come back into vogue after Founders know how long. I know it was served during the direct reign of the Founders, but it's on an upswing at the moment. Lovely choice, Hilana, and well executed." He said, forking another taste onto his tongue.

He tilted his head as Hilana, referring to Raithen as 'Lux', offered alternatives to suit a sensitive palate.

"You need not coddle him, Hilana. Surely his aversion to the fruits of the sea hasn't followed him this deep into adulthood, has it?" He shifted his eyes from the hostess to his brother and he spoke to him directly.

"I would have thought all your time on that Neptori island would have long since cured you of that. There can't be much in the way of lamb out that way." He washed his pie down with a touch more wine and scooped himself a second helping of the lamprey pie.

"Waste not want not." He noted, with a cheerful grin as he gleefully portioned himself out another bite.