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Post by Trystane Sand on Apr 23, 2019 14:51:40 GMT 1
"Personal feelings make things messy, though we don't really get a say in their development," Trystane muses, thinking on how this Laena is so different from his first impressions.
"Out of curiosity, how does one seduce a man with land?"
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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 23, 2019 15:36:58 GMT 1
She snorts at the question. "The same way you seduce any man." She then cants her head in consideration. "Well, it's not like the exact same routine will work on every man - you have to refine it based on how he reacts.
"Step one is always teats. If he's not interested in those, he's not interested, for whatever reason.
"After that, flattery, get him talking about himself. Emphasise your commonalities, overlook your differences. Every man loves to be admired by an attractive woman. It's ... instinctive, that's the word. Makes them feel good. Do that each time you meet, and they associate your presence with feeling good.
"From that point, you've got to personalise it more, but by then he should have told you enough about himself that you know how to manipulate him into asking for your hand. And boom!" She slaps the top of the coping. "There you have it. A whole load of land to lament your miserable marriage in.
"If they're honourable, of course, it's much quicker. Get them drunk, trip them into bed, then come morning, demand they do the honourable thing. Of course, if they're only *pretending* to be honourable, then you're fucked in more ways than one. Too risky in my eyes. Too many say the words, but don't mean them. And even those who intend to mean them likely more often than not, when they're truly put to the test, fall short.
"Why do you ask? Fancy donning a dress, stuffing a few oranges down the front, and trying your hand?" She can barely restrain laughter at the question and the mental image it presents.
Then her face turns serious, and she turns to him again, and with apparent dead seriousness says. "Drink more. You need to forget I told you all that. I'll get in trouble with other ladies for giving away all our secrets."
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Post by Trystane Sand on Apr 24, 2019 1:33:20 GMT 1
The raucous laughter from Trystane at Laena's conjured image of him playing dress-up peals gleefully for a moment before he shushes himself.
"How dare you imply that my current teats are insufficient," he giggles, clutching his chest with mock outrage. "But I need little prompting to drink more. Help yourself to that brandy if you fancy some. Save me from myself."
He takes a long guzzle of his wine, a little of it escaping and dribbling down his chin and onto his shirt.
"Your secrets are safe with me. Though now I definitely want to test out your methods to see how well they work, albeit without the dress and oranges for tits. I generally enjoy a challenge," he adds, wiping wine off his face and neck.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 24, 2019 14:07:50 GMT 1
At the invitation, Laena takes a drink from the brandy bottle, careful not to spill any over herself, before nodding her thanks and putting the bottle back.
She cants her head again at his proclamation. "I've never tried, but there's no reason the same techniques shouldn't work on women. Still, you should be careful in choosing your target. I mean, your options are married women, which is just asking for trouble; unmarried women known to not be maidens, who are the most likely to strong-arm you into marriage afterwards; and unmarried women known to be maidens, in which case you could be ruining her life, if that bothers you. Of course, unless you force her, it's *her* choice as to what to do, and ultimately every person is responsible for their own actions, with responsibility also falling on her parents and the Lady who trained her, for obviously not doing a good enough job in teaching her not to be a tart."
She shrugs. "Ultimately, your choice, but Kingsbridge is known for the Companions - knights who uphold the highest standards of chivalry, who live frugal lives in deep contemplation of their vows, and how they may best serve the Seven. All that keeping up appearances means there's probably enough whores within a stone's throw of here to populate a district of King's Landing. Those knights have a *lot* of stress to blow off." She snorts. "Or perhaps *be* blown off. Anyway, one of those whores is likely to be safer; and if you want a challenge, try and get a discount. From what I hear, a pious lady is like to give up her maidenhead well afore one of them will give up a single halfpenny."
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Post by Trystane Sand on Apr 25, 2019 1:38:19 GMT 1
"Well, I definitely don't want to bring ruin where it isn't wanted," Trystane jokes, though it falls flat as he becomes serious.
"Whoring is easy, and while it can definitely be fun, I feel it lacks real intimacy, which is a thing I value. On the other hand, I have also been someone who messed up multiple lives by getting too involved with the wrong highborn lady, and that's what got me 'banished' up to the Reach, so I am supposed to be trying avoid more trouble. But, well, the Rhoynish bastard blood runs hot, and, as we touched on earlier, like most men, I'm an idiot. Good intentions are not always enough."
In his drunken candour, he lets what little was left of his guard down.
"And, well, for me, ladies are not enough either, which complicates things. Navigating these..."
He gestures with his free hand across the assembled masses below to indicate that he meant social gatherings.
"...is tricky. Hence the need to escape and drink myself into oblivion occasionally. All the considerations you listed for choosing a 'target' are present and multiplied, with the added potential for a rejection to go very wrong. There's only so many times one can use the excuse of being drunk before people notice the pattern. So far, the ladies that interest me are unattainable because they are either too virtuous or too enamoured with someone else, and the men that interest me think I'm joking when I try to flirt with them. Not that I'm not having fun, I just... sometimes miss being able to be more direct, like I could be when in Dorne."
He keeps his tone jovial, but there is a hint of genuine melancholy in his voice. For the briefest moment, Laena catches a glimpse of Trystane at his most vulnerable, a self-doubting romantic hiding behind a mask of bravado.
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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 25, 2019 14:48:32 GMT 1
There's a few moment's silence as Laena digests that information.
"Huh." She picks up the brandy bottle again, and takes another drink.
"You know, more than once I've considered that slaking the Bastard's Curse would be easier if I were attracted to women as well. I never considered that it would in fact *double* the curse.
"You definitely do need to be careful with that kind of thing. There are unscrupulous people around who won't hesitate to blackmail you should they catch wind of it." She warns, without a trace of irony audible.
She considers a few moments. "You know ... I'm hooked into quite a few gossip circles. It would be *possible* for me to try and dig up rumours about men who might be ... more approachable about that kind of thing. It would take time, so as to not raise suspicions, and obviously I can't guarantee every rumour would be true, but it could help narrow down your options to a .. more manageable level." She frowns, and shakes her head slightly. "Hmm. I may have spoken too soon. That would distract attention away from other matters, and staying informed is pretty vital in my position." She dons a considering face, not rejecting the idea outright, but clearly hesitant over the opportunity cost to herself.
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Post by Trystane Sand on Apr 25, 2019 16:51:20 GMT 1
"Good thing I trust you then, and that you'll likely forget by morning," Trystane chuckles, draining the last of his wine and placing the bottle down with a soft clink.
"You need not put yourself out on my account, especially when, as you say, it's a delicate thing. But, if you were to happen upon a lead, I would be grateful if you would gently roll it my way. Is there anything you would want in return? I am probably not as skilled an information broker as yourself, but there are some circles I will inevitably move in that you cannot, and I'd be happy to keep my eyes and ears receptive."
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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 25, 2019 17:57:54 GMT 1
Laena gives a shrug. "How about this? If I happen to come across information which I feel would be pertinent to your interests, I'll roll it your way, and you can do the same for me.
"If a lead I provide works out for you, we can just say you owe me one. I'm not going to hold information *hostage* until I need something from you. What kind of sister would I be were I to do that?"
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Post by Trystane Sand on Apr 26, 2019 0:30:30 GMT 1
"You would be an understandably ruthless one, but I am glad you are a caring sister," Trystane grins, leaning over to lift one of Laena's hands to his lips to give it a brief, chaste kiss, then set it back down. "So, what sort of information is most useful to you? Anything specific?"
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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 26, 2019 2:07:18 GMT 1
"Any men interested in other men, so I can blackmail them." She responds, frankly, with a flat expression, before bursting out laughing. "I'm joking, I'm joking." She waves a dismissive hand. "Unfortunately, most of the stuff is 'I'll know it when I see it', but the Hightowers are shaping up to be an interesting future battleground, so anything related to them stands a reasonable chance of being worthwhile information. Aside from that, I think just use your best judgement."
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Post by Trystane Sand on Apr 26, 2019 2:32:51 GMT 1
Trystane freezes for a fraction of a second at Laena's deadpan delivery, but joins in the laughter, relieved.
"I will bear that in mind then. Consider me recruited. I'm not exactly a little bird, but I will do what I can. What is it about the Hightowers that makes you think they'll be a 'future battleground'? And do you mean that they're likely to start fights or be the cause of them?"
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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 26, 2019 15:18:08 GMT 1
"Lord Jon Hightower was murdered at the Black Tourney, probably by the Caswells or Fossoways - at least, they're the ones with the most obvious motives - and he died without leaving instructions as to who should be regent for his grandson heir, Lord Brynden Higthower.
"So far, I'm aware of four main candidates for regent - Lord Brynden's mother, Lady Rhonda; Lord Jon's widow, Lady Melara; his uncle, Ser Abelar, and his cousin, Ser Raymun. House Hightower is too important for people not to want to interfere. I think at the moment, people are keeping their meddling at arm's length, not being too overt, but sooner or later someone will step over the line, and then the hells will likely be unleashed. I'm not sure if the war will spill out into the light, but there will definitely be a war within the shadows. I'll be *very* surprised if all four candidates still live by this time next year.
"If the winner has any sense, the other three will all die. If they win, they're hopefully smart enough to learn from Lord Desmond Bridges' mistake." She mumbles to herself.
"Where was I? Oh, right. Lady Melara is in the strongest position right now, with most of Hightower's banners supporting her, but to me, the one to watch most interestedly is Ser Raymun. He's a man, a knight, and he has experience in running Oldtown while Lord Jon was Hand. He is, as far as I can tell, by far the best candidate for regent - particularly for those who value knighthood - but his support is weak. I've danced with him, while his charisma could hardly light up the room, he's no boorish oaf, either. My best guess is that he's a firm, steady hand who'll keep the houses sworn to Hightower in line, and those houses are hoping that Lady Melara will be a lighter hand, letting them act more freely within the chaos war provides, in order to advance their own interests. However, that is just speculation. It could be as simple as he's loyalist and they're mostly revolutionary - I don't know the politics of any of them, though Lord Jon was one of the premier revolutionaries.
"Anything you could dig up to add to this picture, to support or contradict my theories, would be appreciated." She frowns. "Oh, and don't discuss this with others, obviously. Not everything I've said is common knowledge."
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Post by Trystane Sand on Apr 26, 2019 20:22:26 GMT 1
"Of course. My lips are sealed. I'll see if I can get a bit closer to some of them. I currently have the good excuse of being new and undeclared. Well, apart from my rather Blood-tinged speech at Summerhall, which I came to regret the day after. Had I known the King was going to do what he did, I'd have been less effusive in my praise. I can only hope that Rennifer takes a stray axe to the face in a melée before too long. He's a disgrace to knighthood."
Trystane's tone becomes gentler, and he looks directly at Laena.
"How are you holding up? About Ashara, I mean. It's been a blow to many of us, but I imagine it must be more so for you. I know you two were very close."
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Post by Laena Pyre on Apr 26, 2019 23:12:58 GMT 1
Laena looks to Trystane for a few moments. "Genuine question: let's say that one of either Ser Rennifer or Ser Daemon were to receive a fatal axe to the face in the next melee, and you could choose which, despite it not being by your hand, which would you choose? The former is a vile blackguard who has committed foul deeds; the latter is an innocent man, talented and inspiring, but whose existence is leading the realm to civil war.
"You have to choose one, and the other will go on to live for quite some time. Certainly long enough to commit many more foul deeds, or instigate the civil war, as appropriate.
"Which do you choose?"
At his question about Ashara, she looks away again, into the middle distance. "It's strange. In terms of how much of my life I've spent with her, it was actually really small. The longest time was the year after my husband died, when I was in mourning. It was a difficult time for me, and she really helped me get through it.
"I've stopped automatically composing letters to her all the time, now, at least. I used to do that whenever something interesting happened on my travels.
"I feel things are more strained between me and Aerion now, as well. He'll still do anything to protect me, so I shouldn't complain, but there's a ...distance now that there wasn't before. And I don't know if it's in the ways we're reacting to her death, the fact that I advised against his wedding to Lady Victaria, the fact that I left him in Starkwood lands when I went travelling, or the fact that he's heading off on his own, leaving me behind in turn.
"And there's the fact that my children are growing up without me. They're too young to take with me on my travels, so my options are to either stay and rot in Starkwood lands, or not see my children as often. I feel like I made the right decision, but I can't deny it's hard.
"So, to actually answer your question, I feel like I'm still drifting listlessly, when I should be soaring powerfully. I'm not myself, and I'm not sure how to find myself again." Her voice is softly melancholic.
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Post by Trystane Sand on Apr 27, 2019 0:57:58 GMT 1
"You have had a hard time of it lately, haven't you," Trystane responds, his own tone empathetic. "Your friend, your brother, your children, this man you love. So many things weighing on you. And none of it is simple to fix. Time will do some of the work, but not all."
He ponders her question.
"I'm not convinced that there is a correct answer to your question, though I get the feeling I might know what your answer would be. I think you would tolerate a world full of Rennifers and no Daerons if it avoided war. For my part, I think a world full of Rennifers would not be worth living in."
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