(1311-07-11) Won't Someone Rid Me Of This Troublesome Baron?
Summary: In which Jehan-Pascal most certainly does not take a hit out on the Baron de Sauveterre. o.o
RL Date: Thu Jul 11, 1311
Related: The Baphinol Have The Music, On Les Bedarrides.
jehan-pascal boniface 

Suite d'Orange


Jehan-Pascal has been twice to the County and its surrounding estates in the three weeks since his return— once to see the Tiberians settled in the lodging arranged for them in the nascent Village des Bedarrides, and again to take a quick tour of the Baronies. For the rest, he's been battling a stomach bug, to all evidence, which has kept him in the bloodied manse and able arms of his lover and chirurgeon. But he's not been wholly absent the social niceties of town, and has been seen at his usual haunts, if not quite so frequently. Today he's sent warning to the Baphinol Residence that he will be in attendance sometime before lunch, and so— here he is, turned out mildly in a pair of white satin knickers and a wispy green tunic with an embroidered floral hem. White sandals hold to his feet with straps that wind up his calves.

Boniface has… well, he really hasn't been up to much. After spending a fair amount of time at Marsilikos' night court, the young noble vanished from the city for a while- most likely having gone home to Orange. In any case, he's back, waiting to receive his cousin. "Jehan-Pascal, welcome."

Jehan-Pascal spreads open his arms, his tunic spreading slightly with it, the gauzy fabric flowing with his arms and billowing behind as he comes to wrap up his cousin in a familial hug. "Bonnie, how are you? How are you getting on, hum?" he wonders, savoring the hug with a few twists to and fro before he lets go and steps back, giving the young Viscount a look up and down to see how he seems.

<FS3> Jehan-Pascal rolls Perception: Good Success. (7 2 2 8 7 3 5 5)

Boniface seems.. a little more quiet than usual, a little sedate. The hug is returned, of course, though the question is just sorta shrugged off. "I'm ok. Surviving."

"Sometimes that's all you can ask for, I guess," Jehan-Pascal issues softly, a low, comforting, almost maternal tone of voice. "And what about Orange? How are he roads coming along?" he smiles brightly, encouraging.

"The roads are coming. I am hoping to have the work finished over the summer," Boniface responds, taking a step back.

"That's great! Maybe we can go up together sometime and you can show me," Jehan-Pascal suggests— a friendly, off-handed suggestion, not to say he's interested in seeing them for any particular reason. "Have you eaten, yet? I had something possibly sensitive to discuss with you, maybe we'd be better sitting down over a bit of something, or maybe just a cup of tea?"

Boniface archs an eyebrow at that, unable to hide his curiosity despite his withdrawn mood. He gestures towards the sitting area in his room. "Just tell me?" he says, heading over and taking a seat.

Jehan-Pascal hesitates a moment, then sweeps along to a plush chair and drapes himself into it rather luxuriously, long lashes leveled evenly above a half-lowered, thoughtful gaze. Once Bonnie is likewise seated, "It's one of your Barons — the Baron de Sauveterre. He's been nothing but a pain in my ass since the spring. He tried to divert his share of the tax vacation for a private docking ramp for his Baronial villa. I revised his proposal into a public commercial port a little ways further upstream, which will greatly facilitate the export of goods from as far north even as Orange, especially if properly staffed. But since I returned from Tiberium I have had no word from him, and on my tour of the Baronies just now I find he has put in his heels and not even begun to take on the proper contracts for the work. And not only that, but he has taken to appointing the most lavish hunting expeditions for himself and his friends, I can only assume on the back of the funds he has been allotted," all this only mildly plaintive, more annoyed than angry.

Boniface nods his head a little bit as he listens, his hands folded neatly in his lap- his eyes glazing over… juuuust a little bit. "And he didn't think to invite me on the hunt?" he finally quips, "Unforgivable."

Jehan-Pascal's put-upon expression yields to a sunny smile, lips parting even to a bright, cheerful laugh at Bonnie's quip. "Indeed," he answers back, then sighs, shaking his head. "I don't know what to do about him, Bonnie, I really don't. His views and mine, on governance and statesmanship— just… incomprehensible to one another, I think. He acts as though he were set as Baron only to reap, and spend, and have, and not to serve," he goes on, lifting his hand to his cheek to rest the latter upon the former and look aside to Bonnie. "I met his daughter and heir while abroad in Tiberium, you know. She's very sensible. I like her. But she and he are on the outs— I think she finds him as impossible as I do. I can't help but to think she would do wonders for the whole of the County as his replacement. I was hoping, Bonnie, that you might see your way clear to speaking with him, as his Vicomte, and seeing whether you might persuade him into retirement? He only wants to hunt and play, anyhow. This way he could do so, and his daughter could take on the business of governance."

Boniface gives a little nod of his head. "Sure, I can talk to him. try to reason or something," he says in agreement, "And if he isn't reasonable.. well.. hunting can be pretty dangerous!" It's hard to tell if Boniface is kidding or not.

Jehan-Pascal narrows his eyes just a little bit, tilting his chin toward one shoulder in an effort to get a bead on that last… joke? Was it a joke? JP seems content enough to assume it was, at length, cracking a smile, "Okay, okay, I don't think we need to be quite so drastic in measures. But yeah, see if you can get him to step down. I'll write Mathilde, and see whether she might be up for a return to la Terre, huh?" he offers, chipper.

"Okay, okay," Boniface says, nodding his head a little bit more, before arching an eyebrow, "Shouldn't we wait to make sure the daughter is amible? Be a shame to force the old man out, and then have no baron if she doesn't want it."

"She'd return sooner or later. She told me she'd return after he died — she's his heir, after all — but I; I honestly don't want to wait that long," Jehan-Pascal slides his fingers up to his temple in assuagement of a headache, then flicks a forefinger out toward Boniface, "Which is not to say I want the fellow dead. Only out of my hair, as it were." Given that he keeps his head quite close shorn to the scalp.

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