[Phase 1.75] Parlay with Ser Orton [Abelar]

After a bit of waiting, Abelar is shown to the Lord's Solar, though it's Ser Orton rather than Lord Durwell that is seated behind the desk, reading reports. It would appear that Lord Marq relies upon him for much administrative work. He raises an expectant eyebrow at the Septon's approach.

He is in the castle, if not in the yard, with Lady Daena or the maester most like, maybe both at the same time.

Orton appears confused, indicating that he has not said a word on it, aside perhaps in private with Lord Marq, his nephew had always been curious about every topic he could learn something new on, particularly as to the nature of lords and ladies. Then he recalls that someone had spread a rumor about it at Highgarden, an amusing one, considering that Ser Orton is the one man Lord Durwell trusts to stay sober, or maybe it's his nephew that doesn't want him to go deep in the cups and spill his secrets. Or maybe Lord Durwell doesn't want the world to know that he only wants everyone to think that he has all these secrets worth befriending him in the hope of finding out. Serve at Norhall for long enough, Orton chuckles, and his nephew's humor starts rubbing off on you.

No, it's not something Lord Durwell would have done for fun, he does not get drunk enough to lose a hold of his wits either, especially in such company as in Highgarden. Orton does't quite see a reason as to why he would spread it for some other purpose, but he can imagine other purposes for spreading such a rumor. There are those who would gain by seeing Lady Maegelle discredited over certain whispers that are not really just whispers anymore, he doesn't quite see Lord Durwell among those. The Levalle's would be his guess, although that was mostly based on the fact that they had come out publicly behind the idea in the first place.

Hopefully, Ser Orton says, because he is considered an honorable and trustworthy man who wouldn't speak out of turn or lie about such things. Orton would like to believe that part to be true, but if he said such things, it would at best be mere speculation, for he knows not what Lady Maegelle may or may not have done. Though he did serve at Hammerhaal for some time, he was there when Lord Ilyn wed and when Quentin and Denyse where born. A good knight makes his observations, and thus he can make his conclusions as to which speculations might be plausible, perhaps even believable, but they remain speculations and no good knight should trade in such things, there is enough foul gossip about already he thinks, and undoubtedly too much of it is spread with pure malicious intent and possibly knowingly false as well.

Abelar gets the impression that he believes the rumors about Normyn and Maegelle to be true, but that he remains unwilling to say so.

Abelar finds Lord Durwell in deep concentration in a game of tiles, one of the more difficult variants, Lord Jon and Lady Erena plays it on occasion, Shiera used to play with Jon before she heard of the union with House Caswell. All three are pretty good at it, but by the looks of it, none of them would be a match for these two judging by the number of moves having been made and how only an experienced player would be able to spot that Lady Daena has secured herself an advantage.

"From what I have been hearing, you had no need of it, septon" Lord Durwell remarks, evidently deciding that he can talk and play at the same time. Such an approach does not aid his chances of winning.