Zaspar’s very reasonable engagement
Aug 31, 2024 16:12:35 GMT
Ruthenia Truelove, Andy D, and 2 more like this
Post by ruthcd on Aug 31, 2024 16:12:35 GMT
Taking place shortly after the events of the Carousal Gambit, for context on Dee’arna’s mood from the start. Co-written with Erica.
=Fort Ettin=
Two days after the party, an Arthiar butler arrives at Dee'arna's door in Fort Ettin. He carries a bouquet of purple flowers - lavender, violets, hydrangeas - an opened letter, and a peacock feather quill. He knocks on the door and waits for a response.
Dee'arna opens the door to the butler after a long pause, whilst several traps are disarmed.
The butler hands her the bouquet, the letter, and the quill.
"I am here on behalf of Zaspar the Holy Fist. Please reply to the letter now, so I can return it to my lord."
She takes the bouquet and goes through the letter with an eyebrow raised.
"To my friend Dee'arna,
I am so grateful you were able to attend my party. My florist arranged this bouquet for you based on your outfit, though I still think you were the most majestic purple flower there. There is much for us to discuss. Please choose from the following options and hand this letter back to my butler.
Please choose whatever makes you most comfortable.
Yours, Zaspar
[ ] - Come to the Arthiar estate, discuss in the reception room, and stay the night afterwards in one of our guest suites so you don't have to travel.
[ ] - Meet me in a neutral venue of your choosing (enter name here: ------------).
I am available most days. Tomorrow would be ideal. Please indicate your availability."
She ignores the quill and instead uses her own black fountain pen to add a x to the 'neutral venue', and writes, 'The Three Headed Dragon'. She turns to the butler and hands it back,
"Tell him, I'm sure there's no need for a rush, but I will be there tomorrow, mid afternoon."
==The Three Headed Dragon==
Zaspar arrives at The Three Headed Dragon the following day, at the break of dawn. He waits outside until they open for the day and then bounds in, taking a seat facing the door, bouncing his leg nervously as he waits for Dee’arna. He is rather understated today - simply a doublet, trousers and sabatons in muted colours. No rapier, no instruments - just himself. He orders a glass of wine after being hounded by the barkeepers, and continues to wait.
As promised, later in the afternoon Dee'arna walks in. She is back in her practical gear of trousers and loose top in dark tones, slightly muddy from the walk. She has her hunting knife on her side, and is for the first time, wearing gloves.
She spies Zaspar immediately and nods at him, but holds up a hand and walks past to order a cider at the bar first before sitting down opposite him.
"So. What's this about Zaspar? Do you want my advice on how best to repair your relationship with Beets?"
Zaspar looks at her, confused. He clears his throat and fidgets with his shirt sleeves. "Um. Dee'arna, thank you for meeting me," he begins, and pauses for a moment too long, "Beets? No, I called you here to discuss you and I."
"Aah. So, an apology then? For whatever consequences your recklessness on our stealth mission against the dangerous crime families may have passed onto me. You understood that? Well, I do appreciate you being willing to do so in person." And she leans back in her chair and nods, waiting to hear it.
He scratches the back of his neck. "I apologise, I am not sure I'm following. Crime families?" He pauses, searching his brains for an indication of what she was talking about. "Do you mean my friend with Two Fingers? All I did was lose a game of dragonchess. It happens more than you'd think. I can of course apologise for my defeat in that realm!"
Dee'arna looks at him with a bit of disappointment, and slight hurt. "You don't remember the hunt for the coffin? Helping Pyrin in this matter? Harming one group to take the coin from another? I think you'd best jussst ssay what is on your mind."
"Oh, yes that is the mission I was referring to, Dee'arna." He sits back for a moment, lost in thought.
"You mean the occult shop!" He brightens, clapping his hands together at having figured it out. "My goodness, I think you saved my life then, and I am eternally grateful for that." He laughs slightly.
I am so thankful, and I deeply apologise if there are consequences. I suppose I was told to ask for a coffin, and that's what I did. I don't really know how it got that out of hand, but I am blessed that you were there, truly."
Dee'arna sighs in relief. "Good, ok. You do remember. Thank you for the apology. Well, it seems that it was my description that was passed onto those Hekratis. People neither of us want to be mixed up in. And ssso one of them thought to suggest a little harm may come my way, at your ball. But luckily I have other friends I can talk to about such matters, don't worry. The lesson is, Zaspar, that sometimes subtly is the best approach or at least, ssstrategy."
"What? Dee'arna, there were no Hekrati at my manor. I wouldn't have invited them. I've been to one of their buildings - they are too creepy for a noble party.." "
But, speaking of the party, that is what I wanted to talk to you about." He straightens up in his chair. "Firstly, thank you so much for helping to keep the peace. Once again I am grateful to you. If there is anything I can do in return, please, just ask."
He looks down at his hands and wrings them together awkwardly. "So, um. I don't really know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it. I'm engaged actually, to Robin Merryfair. I think I saw you two head off for a little chat actually!" He looks Dee'arna in the eyes and smiles. "I am so thrilled, truly, she is my perfect partner. Beautiful, intelligent, kind, charming... she will be a great consort." He pauses, waiting for a response.
There is an unmistakable hiss of shock from Dee'arna, a flash of her sharp teeth, and then a long icey pause.
She tilts her head as she takes Zaspar in and tries to evaluate him.
"Ssso. I have misunderstood you. I thought you were a young elf just trying to figure things out in the world, here for adventure and fun. A little reckless true, but a hint of charm in your own way. But in fact, you must be cold and calculating. Right?
To reject a dear mentor and not even sit in those feelings for a day. Not even trying to rebuild that relationship. And then to pick one of the more... dangerous people at the ball immediately, with the ties she brings. You must have your own plans for this match. Playing us all from the start. Well done."
She pauses again. "Because sssurely, in the name of my Lasseega and all her patience, the only other version I can conclude is you are actually just a fool. And that's. Sad. It disappoints me."
"Wh - rebuild my relationship with Beets?" Zaspar looked at her incredulously. "We have a great relationship as mentor and mentee. And I tried to make sure she knew that. And I tried to tell her gently that I just - I don't want to marry her. She would not cope well with life as a noble consort. And I don't know-"
He pauses - he is thinking of Beets' revelations, but that is not something he can bring up now. "I don't think anything has to change because of the... proposal." He looks back down at his hands.
"At least... I don't want it to change. I'm trying to give her some space to process it, away from me. I've been rejected so many times. I know it's hard. But if she had maybe, I don't know, spoken to me before making the grand gesture things would have been less... well... like they were? I don't understand why it happened or what she was thinking, but I didn't think that dwelling on it would help her deal with it. So, no, I didn't 'sit in those feelings', Dee'arna, because I want our relationship to stay as mentor-mentee. I don't want it to change.
Beets is my best friend in the Dawnlands, and I'm fucking terrified that I've messed that up by somehow... I don't know... breaking her damn heart in front of you and a strange guy in a mask. I didn't want that to happen, obviously. That you could suggest I somehow calculated that is just so unfair. If I had calculated that, I wouldn't have let Beets go through that. What kind of asshole do you think I am?"
He sighs and looks back at Dee'arna. "And Robin. You know, Father warned me away from Robin, too, saying I would regret things with her like he does with my mother. He always uses my mother against me to make points. I hate it.
It was his choice to marry a servant. And now, he doesn't even want to give me a choice, because he resents my mother's past so much. I don't get it." And he runs a hand through his hair, sits forward in his chair, and begins nervously bouncing his leg again.
"He told me to go and marry Yvette, you know? I didn't even enjoy talking to Yvette, but I was still planning to propose to her to impress him." Zaspar is a little choked up now. He runs a palm down his face. Shakes his head, curls falling into his face. And waits to see what Dee'arna has to say. Because they've not even begun to discuss the reason he brought her here, yet, and he has a feeling that is going to go even worse than the rest of this conversation, if that is at all possible.
Dee’arna does not look impressed.
“Right. So we’re running with the second option then. Let me try taking it all at face value, and say this. It is downright fucking rude to Beets to get engaged to someone else the next day. You say it isn’t cold? Well it absssolutely looks that way. You wish she had spoken to you beforehand? Courted even? Hsss. And what example did you set that was the way you think things should be done? Do you give other people the grace and generosity you wish to be extended to yourself?”
Dee’arna is rarely loud, but her normally languid soft voice is increasingly heated,
“If you didn’t want the relationship to change, you should have both taken the memory wipe. It has changed. It was changing already. And you did break her heart. I heard the things she said, about always being afraid of losing someone. Of seeing you as someone who accepted her exactly as she is. And then, you just basically said ‘oh I have better options’.
“I have two girlfriends”.” Dee’arna quotes him back in a sarcastic mockery of his voice.
“Again, cold. It ssseems that is the kind of asshole I think you are.”
A deep breath. "Well, you have got to understand, Dee'arna, for the nobility, relationships are usually managed this way. We’re expected to make decisions quickly and move on without lingering too long on personal matters. It’s not always about personal feelings, we just have to maintain the political balance. I didn’t mean to be cold or disrespectful, it’s just -"
A pause. He thinks back on the self-justifying nobility bullshit he's just parroted to her. His patronising tone. And it hits him. He is just like his father.
"Oh, Gods. Dee'arna, I've completely fucked this up." He drops his head to his hands, rubbing at his scalp. And he begins to sob, the reality of how massively he's damaged his friendship with Beets finally hitting him. "I don't know how I didn't see this before... or maybe I did, but I cared more about my Father's opinion than my best friend's heart... fucking hell, I've ruined it."
"It does seem that way, for now. Seeing as you've told me your father didn't approve of Robin either, I'm not sure who it is you were trying to impress actually. Yourself? Why are you in ssssuch a rush Zaspar? What is a day, a week or a month in the life of an elf? But look... you just called Beets your best friend. That is more than mentor-mentee. If that is the kind of relationship you value, it's time for the most sincere apologies you can say."
"I'll have to find Beets later and apologise. Gods, I hope she can forgive me," he sighs, wiping his eyes with his handkerchief.
“Look, I know it seems like a rush, but Robin is exactly what I've been looking for my whole life. I'm 101 now, and I can't.. well, I can't inherit the house until I'm married. And that's all I've been raised for, is to inherit my house. I'm old enough now, I'm working on getting the life experience with all these," he waves his hand and vaguely gestures at her, "adventures. And the way Robin speaks to me, and looks at me, and holds my hands, kisses my forehead... I know it's destiny, my friend, and I hope you find that one day, too."
He slightly grimaces as he looks back at Dee'arna. "But, um, well. Look, this is so fucking awkward, and you've been straightforward with me, so I'm gonna try that, too."
He takes a deep breath. "She told me that uh... that you were questioning her constantly, and it was unpleasant. And that you're lying, and you hate people like her and I." He pauses, visibly confused.
"Dee'arna, I don't know if you agree, but I think we're friends. And I was really confused why she thought those things about you. And I thought maybe it was from before, when I said you were really pretty and I liked your eyes - which I did mean, by the way, you are beautiful - but um. I'm happy with Robin now.
So if it's like, a love triangle thing... I don't know, I've never tried polyamory, I'll have to ask Robin if she's okay with it, too. But I just wanted to see what you had to say because it was so confusing, Robin was really upset about you and I said I would speak to you and - yeah- now, here we are, speaking, at the Three Headed Dragon," he rambles aimlessly, having somewhat made the point he originally came here for.
There's a slow steady blink as Dee'arna tries to process everything, and then finally starts laughing.
"Zaspar. I am cleric to a god of patience. You jump to the goal without checking for traps or treasure on the way. We are utterly incompatible."
"And oh," she even giggles for a second, "That's fun! At your first date she bothered to spend time warning you about me. Oh. Genuinely reassuring that's the kind of plays she goes for. What a relief. I was worried I was up against real sstrategists.
You are clearly not going to believe me about Robin. And honestly, I will not tell you everything I know or sssuspect because I don’t want you to hurt anyone else by spilling stories that are not sssafe to share. But how about this... ask Pyrin to do a background check. He seems reliable and informed. He knows what is going on round here, and makes his reports thorough.
And thank you for the compliment. I know I've been rather ungracious tonight, after you did invite me to the party. So let's just say, we're both beautiful people, and you do have excellent taste in fashions. But I have sseveral other things I look for in a partner."
Zaspar suppresses the urge to list off all of his fantastic qualities - musical, sporty, dexterous, generous, tall, kind, loving, handsome, charming, to name but a few - shelving the polyamory idea for a later time.
"I trust the opinion of that bird far less than anything you would tell me, Dee'arna. Please, just tell me what she was talking about." He fiddles with his hands, and light hits off his ring finger at the correct angle to show he is wearing a very understated Elvish engagement ring.
"I - I really like her, Dee'arna, but, I haven't known her as long as I knew you. I know you think I'm an asshole, and probably worse things, but I hope you can find the kindness to at least tell me what this is all about. I don't want my friends and my fiancée to have trouble together, you know?" He sighs.
"I told her I would ask you about it, so, here I am, asking..." "And, imagine the next time I invite you for a party, and she's there, and you just start fist fighting in my house. That just wouldn't do. So, please Dee'arna. What happened between you two?"
She decides it seems worth telling him at least a little more of what she’s worked out so far.
"Well. Now's the time it's a shame we didn't have a private room for this. But it's not like I knew... Let's take a walk to the temple of Waukeen. A quiet holy place seems safer, after the dramatics we've had here." Dee'arna stands up, and downs the last of her drink, not keen to say anything of importance in the same place where yelling and crying could have caught attention.
"Ah, okay, the temple. I've not been there before." Zaspar twists the ring around his finger a few times before standing up and joining her.
"Do you want to like, hold hands, or is that not the vibe?"
"It is very much, not the vibe."
"Oh, okay." He nods resolutely and follows behind her at a respectable distance.
==The Temple of Waukeen==
"So... Waukeen. That's the rich guy, if I paid enough attention to my studies..." He clears his throat, gesturing to some seating in a secluded corner. "I will try to keep the dramatics to a minimum this time, promise,"
"Thank you. I certainly feel more comfortable here. I will share my summations because I may be the only one who can stop you." She speaks in a more hushed slow tone, ticking points off on her fingers as she goes.
“So. At the ball in some ways, very little happened. But she is the Hekrati I mentioned, based on all the information I have. She knew who I was without introduction. Threatened me, somewhat ominously referring to the recent events I mentioned with their storehouse, and that there are powerful people who were angry with me. And had their eyes on me.
She had a quite clearly fake stutter. And of course, the Masked Stranger referred to her as an ancient rival. I know he was a fiend, but actually kinder than many others at your ball, and apparently Jenna would vouch for him. We can always check that. And then I have the other conversations around members of these local crime families, the connections of who felt unsafe around who, talk of boundaries. All point towards her being at best involved in organised crime. At worse… something much darker.”
Zaspar sits back and folds his arms, staring deeply at Dee'arna. She doesn't seem to be lying. He's seen her lie before. He knows she can use some of those manipulative spells that he relies on so often, and senses no sign of any of that here. But still, none of this makes sense.
"But Robin... she’s so kind, and loving, and genuine. She's never mentioned being Hekrati or anything like that, and I feel like that's something you'd tell your fiancé, right? And the stutter - she was just nervous, she doesn't like big crowds. She was really articulate and beautiful on our date, honestly.”
He sighed. "But the thing is that I don't think you're lying to me. But I don't think she was either. She was so genuine, she was crying during my proposal - she even took a moment to put her hands in a certain formation and say a little prayer." He emulates the hand gestures she made, again not realising what they are. "Okay, let's say she's Hekrati. Does it really matter that much? She is just so beautiful, and loving, and demure. I think that's more important than judging her for whatever Hekratis are. I mean, I don't even know what they do and I've met them, so it can't be that bad. Anyway, what could be worse than organised crime?"
"You are right. Judging someone for their actions, rather than their looks is the definition of shallow,” Dee’arna says, dripping in acidic sarcasm.
“You keep just repeating the word beautiful - and if that's what is most important, then go ahead. You're right, you have it made. Obviously her soft hair is of more concern to a marriage, than whether or not your legacy fortune finances murder. I mean, crime does pay so perhaps she will add to your wealth too. If you could only go in with your eyes open, you could be a golden power couple. But pssh, I really have no snakes in this game.
And as for something darker. I won't connect all the dots for you. I encourage you to pay attention to your adventures, and think about what you have encountered tells you about the world around you.”
And she throws up a hand, as though disowning herself from the whole situation, but then looks back at it.
"Hmm. But I do find your little gesture she gave interesssting. Accompanied by a whisper? Lasted barely thirty seconds? Coincidentally all just like a Sending spell. I wonder who that was to... "
Zaspar’s face flushes as he takes in Dee'arna's words. His initial impulse is to defend Robin, to cling to the image of the woman he's enchanted by, but something in Dee’arna’s tone, in her deliberate lack of detail, gnaws at him. Sending spells? Financing murder?
"Father always says Mother's beauty is what drew him in, that it’s the most important thing in marriage. Especially since she had nothing else to offer. I guess I've always kind of believed that, too. But…" He trails off, the uncertainty creeping back into his voice. He looks up at Dee'arna, his brow furrowing.
"But why is she so fixated on you, though? You’ve barely interacted, yet she’s talking about you like you’re some kind of grave threat to me. What is it about you that’s got her so on edge?" He pauses, the tension in the air thickening as he searches her face for answers.
"I mean, if you're right, if she's really this dangerous… Why would she be so concerned about you, of all people? I did find it odd that she spent a portion of our engagement dinner being so upset about another woman..." he trails off.
Dee'arna's face and tone softens at Zaspar's comment about his mother. She even lets some of the tension out of her body as she senses him listening to reason, at last. "Hm. I am not sure your father is giving you the full story on their relationship there. Have you ever asked her for her version? If he regrets his choices - its not very subtle to go around putting that on you instead.
And honestly... I don't know why so much effort on me. I have really barely interacted with whatever plans they have. I am really just an archaeologist. I came to the Dawnlands to look at what's below and past, not above and present...."
She drifts off for a moment and mutters to herself "... unless there is something else underneath? But again... how do I even get on their radar? Are they connected to...
"...Interesssting point Zaspar. Something else to investigate."
Zaspar sighs, a heaviness settling in his chest. "Mother… she doesn’t like to talk about her past. I’ve asked a few times, but she always changes the subject or just brushes it off. And Robin… she’s the same. Whenever I try to ask her about where she’s from or her family, she dodges the questions. At first, I thought it was just nerves, or that she had a difficult past she wasn’t ready to share, but now…" He pauses, looking back at Dee’arna, the uncertainty in his voice clear.
"Now I’m starting to wonder if it’s more than that. If there’s something she doesn’t want me to know, something that goes deeper than just a painful memory. But I still can’t shake that I care for her, despite all these doubts."
He hesitates, then adds, "You said it yourself, there’s something more going on here, something we’re both missing. If Robin is connected to whatever’s lurking beneath the surface, I need to know. I don’t want to be blind to the truth, no matter how much it hurts. Maybe we could look into this together… if you’re willing to help out an asshole like me."
Dee’arna goes to pray to her god of patience on this question, and then reconsiders it in a temple to another, so just breathes deeply and tries to still herself in the quiet.
“You know, if you do break it off with her it would be easy to just say you acted hastily and your father does not approve. It hasn’t been announced, all could be done quietly. But it ssounds like you intend to carry on for now. Why not.. send her a message saying you need to sort through paperwork and background checks and so forth. And speak with your best friend.
Give yourself time, and the blessing of a little patience. And I make no specific promises, given my concerns about your ability to manage secrets, but… I will pay more attention to these families and where those strings send me… sharing with you when it is safe to do so. She will know you’ve spoken to me though, so I’m going to be watching my back.”
Zaspar’s expression softens in gratitude and he rubs the back of his neck, clearly concerned. “If… if she’s as dangerous as you think, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if something happened to you. So, thank you for keeping an eye on things, but please, be careful."
He looks Dee'arna in the eyes, now, full of sincerity, “I don’t have a lot of friends, but... I think you are a good one. You are so honest, even when it is hard to hear. You honour me with your time, and that means more to me than you know.” He stands up, dusting his hands on his trousers, and then offers a hand to help her stand up too. "Well. I have a lot to think about, and a lot of conversations to plan, it seems. I think a glass of wine is in order to help me think. Care to join? Father is paying, of course," he smiles wryly.
Dee'ara accepts the hand up, and then gives him a gentle pat on the back. "It's a relief you are able to listen... and hear some hard truths. Here's one other thing to remember, the Hekrati symbol is the goat skull with the knife in it - if you see that in her belongings or on her body, it's definitely time to run. But if you don't mind Zaspar, I would prefer... to journey back to Fort Ettin sooner. Though I could walk you back to your manor if you wish?"
She is thinking fondly of the quiet and calm of her own room full of books and maps after all these dramatics. Zaspar nods and exhales slightly, trying to mask the relief he feels at her declining the offer. The prospect of more hard truths from her is more than he’s ready to handle tonight.
“Yes, please do accompany me, Dee'arna. It’s nearly dinner time, and I insist on having my chef prepare a plate for you to take with you on your journey. It’s the least I can do after everything. Don’t worry, he has a spell to keep the food warm, so you can enjoy it whenever you like - I’m not sentencing you to dinner with my father after all you’ve done for me.” He smiles and gestures for her to walk with him.
"A hot dinner on the road sounds splendid."
His charismatic facade has somewhat returned, but there’s a hint of vulnerability in his eyes, revealing the weight of their conversation. But, as they walk together, Zaspar begins to ramble, a sign of his return to normalcy.
"So, did you like the bouquet? I hear lavender is quite trendy right now. And that purple suits your scales rather nicely, if I may say so. I think I prefer the smell of lavender to it's appearance, but the violets were beautiful - freshly in season, I believe..."
And he keeps talking until Dee'arna has something to say in return. At which point, he turns and seriously listens. For he has finally realised that there may be more he can learn from his friends than his family.
Dee'arna accepts the flower talk, thanking him for the bouquet, agreeing that purple is a flattering colour, and that she enjoyed the chance to dress up at his party. She doesn’t push on any of the big topics again, but she is keeping an increasingly paranoid eye on the streets around them as they walk together.