[Phase 2] Charmed, I'm sure [Laena & Thaddeus]

She snorts amiably at his joke, and gives a sly smile at the end. "So, do you have a particular lady in mind? Or haven't you decided yet, and just have a list of qualities you are seeking? I'm sure, as heir, you are hardly short of options, though the fathers may be more discreet than usual in suggesting them." She frowns in thought. "That is a thought. How much freedom has your lord father allowed you in this?"

Laena gives a quirk of a smile at his jest, before answering with a frown of thought. "Lady ... Leona? No, Leonella, right? Quite the beauty, though I doubt the pennypincher will oblige on the dowry front.

"Still, allies are good. Many seek them for the trying times ahead. I can't imagine that's an easy task, though. Those rigid enough in their morality to make firm allies are unlikely to want to associate themselves with your house. While those who are flexible enough to ally with you are similarly flexible enough to stab you in the back while smiling at your front.

"And as for *friends*" She gives an amused smile. "For all the Tear's wealth, that's likely one luxury you will never have in surplus." Her face turns melancholy, voice soft. "Few do, to be fair. Better to stick with allies, perhaps. Their daggers hurt less."

She snorts, and brightens up. "Look at me, being gloomy during what is supposed to be a happy commemoration of those who are now with the Father. Sorry. May you have every success you deserve, and a few you don't, on your quest, Ser."

Laena gives a brief but full-bodied laugh at the offer, clearly seeing it as a genuinely amusing image. "I admit, I have, not entirely seriously, referred to myself as the first Hedge Lady." A smirk. "Not too loudly, though. It may be just my mind, but it sounds ... less appropriate than I intended.

"But yes, at least for the time being, I intend to keep travelling. So few ladies get the opportunity to do so, I fully intend to make the most of the power my birth brings me. The world is vast and beautiful, and filled with many fun and interesting people - though many more boring ones, to be fair - and I wish to see and experience as much as I can, while I can.

"What of your sister? I imagine she was not gifted the same freedoms as to who she'd spend the rest of her life with as you were. What are you looking for with her match?"

An almost guilty look crosses her face. "You flatter me more than I deserve, Ser. I have yet to travel much outside the Reach. Part of it is because I am still young, I wish to take my time with the experience, than rush to see the most exciting things, and have little to look forward to."

She frowns in thought. "Harrenhal is hardly far from here. A relatively short trip north-west. If you want to see it, take the opportunity. I imagine your main party would return by taking the Kingsroad south to King's Landing, then the Roseroad west? Surely a man with your resources could ride with a small party north-west, see Harrenhal, then ride a boat down to King's Landing fast enough to catch up with the slower main party? You are a knight and heir, you may have responsibilities that I don't, but you too have freedoms, so long as they don't conflict with that.

"You could even advance your house's interests. I'm sure Lord Manfred Lothston will be here, and, by reputation, he's not one to be dissuaded by your house's reputation. Try and introduce yourself to him here, and persuade both him and your father that it would be a good idea for you to ride to Harrenhal with him, before you catch up with your main party at King's Landing." She shrugs. "Gain the opportunity to make a good impression on a powerful potential ally *and* satisfy a long-standing urge." She considers a moment. "He's unwed, as far as I know. And Harrenhal is notoriously expensive to maintain." She notes pointedly, before shrugging. "A thought, is all. Make what use of it you will.

"'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst' is the lesson drilled into young ladies regarding marriage." A small grin. "Of course, that applies more to some than others. Still, some - like Lady Alys - end up very fortunate. Lady Ellyn may, from the sounds of it, end up resenting her sister quite a bit, depending on what you end up deciding on."

She gives an indulgent smile, and shakes her head. "He may not *mind* a bride of royal blood, but he would much prefer one which came with some kind of alliance, I'm sure. And, while my existing children would have no true claim, it would hardly be the first time those without a true claim had tried - and sometimes even succeeded - in winning a lordship for themselves. By reputation, Lord Lothston is likely cunning and ruthless enough to want to protect his children's legacy, and only one of us would survive that. Probably him." She smirks without rancour. "So no. I will not play a starring role in this generation's curse."

She smiles at the compliment. "I am indeed no stranger to the resourcefulness of women." Her face turns serious. "But I am also no stranger to being utterly in the power of unscrupulous men, with all my cunning and weapons as like using sparks to hold back the tide." Her expression turns amused. "Certainly, if I were to place a child of the Spongeholder so close to power, I would make very, *very* certain she did not hold a grudge over said placement."

She gives a melancholy smile. "One or two men have expressed an interest. We will see what, if anything, becomes of them.

"Now, then." In what is transparently an avoidance of the subject. "While it has been delightful to meet with you again, and I hope to do more in the future, I think this song is nearing its end, and you undoubtedly have more ladies you wish to meet this eve."

[Don't mind if you want to continue, but I think we've covered everything we intended to with this scene, so I'm happy for your response to be a closing statement and /scene]