Vendettas & Vaticide :: Med/Fant ASoIaF-style

[peppersdots]

Giselle Dairamore

42
Married.
Heading to Ball.
Frustrated.

Giselle harrumphed slightly, annoyed with Yianni's tardiness already, but she took Zephaniah's arm with a smile. "No we wouldn't want to be late," she followed him and soon they arrived. Her eyes scanned the room, picking out the people she wanted to speak to and the ones she wanted to avoid. She looked up at Zephaniah and noted his gaze was falling on a certain pair of ladies. "How curious, don't you think?" she said, leaning rather close to his ear and whispering. She was quite close, but then they were married. Half of her wanted to fall in love again, half of her wanted to shelve that ridiculous emotion for the rest of her life. "I think that tonight will be interesting, don't you, dearest?"

[Lady Sabine]

Though his transformation was quite convincing to the mortal eye, Caeca realized identity of the person who had intercepted Gaia almost instantly. Magic was a subtle thing, not an aura, not a scent, but some other sixth sense. Even though hers was very sharp indeed, his was still wily, elusive- a shadowy trinket, designed to hide from Mages. If she was any less of a Mage, it would have worked. That, and she had detected that magical trace before. She had arrived at Isolden's court fifteen years ago and left thirteen, but his artifact was unique as a signet ring and the mark it left just as much an identifier.
He had also put her in quite a bind. She could not approach him for fear of approaching Gaia and appearing petty; the woman had cut her deeper with her statement than the mage would ever admit. She did bear a curious resemblance to the lost princess- both had been delicate, fragile, with the same coloring and youth that Isolden so loved. Ishbel had met him a hale man, though, and Caeca only knew him as a jagged, broken shadow. She had filled those broken gaps as best she could, and cut herself on them more times than she cared to count. Those scars had healed long since, but the princess picked at them like scabs and made her worry again.
Well, worry was one thing she could pass around, and she headed off to spread the evening's mood.
"Zeph, Giselle, how wonderful that you've decided to come after all," she purred to the newlyweds, her eyes guarded. She was a woman scorned, but her love had not soured to hate overnight, and she was still more bitter towards her ex-lover than vengeful. "I realized that I've forgotten to congratulate you both," the Archmage added after a moment, glancing between them and wondering at the exact relationship. Perhaps it was pride, but she could not believe that Zephaniah could love this woman any more than he had loved her... then again, that was supposing he had loved her at all. It would be hypocritical of her to claim that she had expected it; her own affection for him had been an obsession as much with his power and prestige as with the man himself. Yet she had, perhaps, began to love him, and wondered if that meant anything at all now.

[peppersdots]

Giselle Dairamore

42
Married.
Heading to Ball.
Frustrated.

"Hello Caeca," Giselle said trying to sound happy to see her. "And thank you for your congratulations. I did not expect for our delay to be so long in coming, but I suppose that the party did start without us, not didn't it?" She glared at Caeca for a moment, hoping that the woman would grasp her meaning. You may be dangerous on the battlefield, she thought. But I can be just as dangerous with my words. She shifted beside Zephaniah in her green gown, and reaching up slowly, hooked her arm around his. She smiled again, trying to be cordial. While being friends with her was not something Giselle desired, making a quick enemy of her would be foolish. Hopefully, she wasn't that stupid.

[Lady Grifter]

Gaia immediately froze in her stride, intercepted by a man about a head taller in stature. "Good evening sir." She bobbed in a small curtsy of a greeting offering him a half-genuine smile. Her frustration with the archmage instantly began to evaporate, eagerly acepting the distraction of conversation while she watched her uncle from the corner of her eye.
"Might I ask your name?" She quirked a brow in inquiry, running her fingers through the few free curls of hair that gathered over her shoulder. She kept the mage in sight behind her, slowly taking her time to pick out individuals from the crowds that filled the dining hall and gardens. The spymaster was no where to be seen, but that didn't worry her much. As long as her two rivals were in sight and away from him, she felt a bit more confident about gaining his support.

[akitcougar]

Lord Reydrik Anaton, Spymaster "Anastas Anatolius Anaton", assistant Master of Coin :: "Thirty-Six" :: Current appearance {Black shoulder length hair, blue eyes, muscular but not overly so} :: Lying

Reydrik smiled as he saw the princess' eyes look around, presumably for him. Right in front of you, my dear, he thought as he decided which persona to use. One of the closer "relatives," given that he was wearing the Anaton lion's head brooch. Ah, yes, perhaps that one.

"Forgive me, my princess, I forgot myself. I am Anastas Anatolius Anaton, victim of unfortunate alliteration and assistant Master of Coin. The real Master of Coin could not be here tonight and wished to know more about each of our possible rulers." Smooth and charming, exactly like the Anastas persona, who was his supposed younger brother.

The real Master of Coin was one of Reydrik's mockingbirds and was currently out of the city on business. That part of his lie was true. A small amount of truth in every lie made them believeable.

That, and a convincing face. Reydrik put on a pleasant smile and let the princess take the lead in the conversation.

Tonight will be an interesting night, he thought to himself.

[Lady Sabine]

She laughed softly as though it were a ridiculous concept. "It simply wouldn't be a party without you two," The Archmage insisted, and after a fashion she was right. All three claimants would be there that night to make their point; had Zephaniah failed to show up it would have soured the evening indeed. It was rather hard to form an opinion on people who weren't present at the moment, after all.
The glare she was given was not returned, though she caught the meaning and was somewhat unimpressed. Everyone knew that the Lady Dairamore was richer than sin and her years of experience surely weren't to be discounted, but Caeca was certain she was more than a match. After all, she had arranged a rebellion against Isolden made up entirely of members of his own court. What had Giselle done? She hadn't even arranged a decent marriage for her own son, who was a decade past the point when a wedding would have been expected.
In any case, the Mages' Guild was richer than sin as well, albeit with all the wealth held in artifacts and other items. With those resources behind her, how could she lose? The scarred woman offered her woman a little smile in return for the glare, radiating confidence.

[Lady Grifter]

"Pleasant to make your acquaintance Anastas," Gaia replied with a smile. "But if you wish to inquire about the candidates for the throne, I suggest to take a look around. The newly indited Archmage is just across the room speaking with my resurfaced Uncle." She nodded her chin in the direction of the couple. "I'm not sure if there is much I could offer you outside of company and a bit of conversation." Green eyes swept to the ground modestly. She'd heard of the Master of Coin in passing, but, like the spymaster, they were simple shadows in her life until she'd become relevant. She would wait and see how easily they fell prey to her rival's bribes before making a play at them to see where their loyalties lie. She watched the man curiously, taking in every etched detail to his face and smile before turning her attention elsewhere. (Sorry wb and on phone..)

[akitcougar]

Lord Reydrik Anaton, Spymaster "Anastas Anatolius Anaton", assistant Master of Coin :: "Thirty-Six" :: Current appearance {Black shoulder length hair, blue eyes, muscular but not overly so} :: Thinking

Interesting, he thought to himself. The princess was smarter than he last remembered. She thinks to learn what the others offer the "Master of Coin." Clever, clever girl. He allowed himself a small smirk as she tried to remember his facial features. Nothing you're looking at it is real, princess.

The princess turned away. She clearly wouldn't talk more with "Anastas" until he'd spoken with the other two candidates.

"I look forward to speaking with you again, princess. I'd rather like a bit of conversation with such a pleasant woman," Reydrik said as he gave the princess a parting bow.

Turning away from her, he noticed the other two candidates speaking with each other and the Lady Dairamore, although it seemed like the prince was staying quiet. Reydrik's eyes darted around, looking for a convenient listening spot. None to be found, he contented himself to leaning on one of the garden's trees and watching them and the other guests who started to file in.

[Quoth the Raven]

"Ah Caeca, how pleasant to see you about and awake. I trust that you've recovered with ease?" Zephaniah greeted the mage indifferently, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist as an empty reassurance to her. "Have you had the pleasure of meeting my niece, I understand you two are close in age and ambition." He inquired, knowing fully well that the two hated one another. He glanced at Gaia from across the room, speaking to a stranger with a forced smile. Smart girl. Trained in courtly affairs.

The shrouded bickering between his wife and the mage soon grew boring and her began to tune them out. He knew he must find the spymaster before the end of the evening to convince him of his support. Not that it would prove to be an issue. Money and titles weren't a rarity in the house of Romanov especially now united with Dairamore.

[Lady Sabine]

It was all she could do not to scoff at Zephaniah's gesture, hollow and pathetic as it was. Any fool could see that she was a downgrade at best, an unworthy replacement over a decade Caeca's senior who had never been half as lovely- what was a man like him doing with a woman like her? Not very much, by the look of it.
"You would trust, given that you weren't there for the recovery," The Archmage laughed lightly, but her words were barbed and harshly. He had left her on what by all mortal means should have been her deathbed, and that she -and others- were unlikely to forget or forgive. "I know Gaia well, Zephy- if only you could say the same. You'd make a lovely couple, you know, the lost prince and the ignored princess. Oh, well. I'm sure you've found a better match in Giselle, haven't you? Finding the next perfect match is always easy for a prince, I suppose."

Slightly sharper than the average nobleman and bored of waiting for the Lordling, Ferox sidled up to Reydrik, his sense of magic catching glimpses of some sort of enchantment but his deductive powers doing more good than anything else. He had been at court for over a decade, after all, and had met the spymaster several times before.
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," he noticed, plucking a flower from the tree the man leaned against as he stepped in closer. "And, I suppose, a rose wearing any other petals." It was a weak move, he had to admit, but it was something. With any luck the other would admit his identity or at least a clue to it and he could pretend to have deduced it the entire while. Only ten percent of the game was what you actually had, after all; half of it was what everyone else thought you had. In this game, knowledge was power, and he intended to bluff, poker face perfectly cool and aloof.