(1311-08-26) Of No Consequence
Summary: A lord of the Flatlands, a Skaldi and a Gotlandish lady discuss the case of the foreign prisoner of the Citadel.
RL Date: Mon Aug 26, 2019
Related: Incident Plot
elin andre tancred 

Gotland Suite — Guest Tower

Reflections of the resident's home country are more subtle touches to the interior. Such as the fur-lined cloak of a more grounded style tossed over the back of a chair, good craftsmanship in the garment and fine embroideries that are more simplistic in the ornaments used; the bow and quiver of leather, the latter carved with Norse symbols, hanging at the wall; the garments of good workmanship and simple elegance that fill the wardrobe of cherry wood, as opposed to the more daring and playful d'Angeline styles.

Furniture and curtains at the windows are of the splendid grandeur as befits the chambers at the guest tower on the palace grounds. Timber of reddish hue has used to craft the three chairs, the table, the desk in the study and also the four poster bed in the adjoining bedroom. Walls are covered with light green damask, and the dark wooden floor has a few carpets from Alba and even Ephesium to provide a certain comfortable and elegant air. Bed sheets and pillows are of white linen, all orderly arranged, beneath a fine woven rug showing a scene of Gotlandish myths and legends.


It must already be later into this warm summer morning. Because Elin has already returned from an early morning bout of sword training in the yard and is now enjoying a second breakfast of sorts. She has changed into a dress (woohoo) and even endured the efforts of a handmaiden to bring some order into her blonde hair. Perhaps a few displeased words, uttered at a higher volume in the moment a door opened and closed, had been audible in teh guest tower. Perhaps Elin Asbjornsdottir had not been impressed with what had been brought. Or maybe she is just a little irritated on this day. Anyone entering will find her seated at the table, a goblet of watered wine sitting beside a plate, and the Gotlandish lady'S head turned towards the windows, obviously in thoughts.

A servant will announce the arrival of Prince Andre van Westerlo of Brabant. The Flatlander is immaculately dressed in the colours of his home and smells expensive. When he is admitted to the Gotlander's chambers, he will bow deeply and offer her a pleasant smile. "Good morning, Lady Elin."

Tancred's arrival is somewhat more lame, smelling of iron and sweat, clad in his knightly maille. He's likely been also training this morning, and a soak can't entirely get rid of the smell beforehand. Whatever pretense he has for being here, he arrives after the prince and inclines his head in greeting.

Maybe it was boredom that plagued the jarl's daughter, but any such sentiment must immediately dissipate in the moment, André is announced and admitted to her chambers. Elin moves to stand and rewards the Flatlander prince with a smile. "Lord André," she greets, lowering herself into a curtsey for her visitor. "What an unexpected pleasure. Pray, would you like to join me for a glass of watered wine?" She has just resumed her seat and offered André a vacant chair, when there suddenly is a ruckus beyond the door. There are a few muffled words exchanged, and when Tancred is admitted, it is Elin's personal guard Einar that casts her a dark glance as he steps aside to allow the Skaldi man in Baphinol colours entrance. Elin receives the brief explanation in her mother tongue with a lift of a brow, before she turns her gaze towards Tancred. "And another unexpected guest, this is. Lord André, I am not sure you know Monsieur Tancred, a man in service to House Baphinol. He is another foreigner in Marsilikos. Tancred. This is Prince André van Westerloo. The ambassador of the Flatlands."

"A pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Tancred.", Andre greets the stranger with a polite, albeit unenthusiastic smile. He takes the seat she had earlier offered and the wine as well. "I haven't yet had a chance to apologize to you, Lady Elin.", he says politely, "I… I did not expect that to happen in the dungeons."

Though he didn't expect the prince's presence, Tancred knows better than to suggest it should be otherwise. By all rights of blood and hospitality, anyway, he should be the one outta here. "Good morning, Prince Andre." He lapses into silence, waiting his turn to speak, and when the other man mentions the dungeons, puts two and two together and turns to regard him with a thoughtful eye. "So you are Kalisha's ally."

Elin gives André a look and she lowers her gaze, accepting his apology like a noble lady would. "Neither of us did," she replies. "I assure you, you were not to blame. I am only sorry that your friend elected to…" Her lips twitch slightly before they form a faint smile. "Address me like she did." To put it very diplomatically. "She chose to insult me, for no reason. Such a poor creature. She must have lost her mind, for reasons I can only imagine…" To Tancred she glances and tilts her head. "Monsieur Tancred here has told me that he was consulted about the pendant, and that he has met her as well."

Andre doesn't reply at once but finally inclines his head to Tancred. "I consider myself a friend of someone facing grave injustice.", he says calmly, "You have met Kalisha, have you not?" The smile he gives Elin cools a few degrees, but remains unfailingly polite. "I have no reason to doubt her story, Mylady, but rest assured that as a representative of the Flatlands, I shall remain neutral in any kind of intra-Gotlandish-affairs. Which is what I have come to reassure you of."

"I have. She did not meet me with the same hostility." Tancred doesn't sugarcoat the event, his arms folding across his bulky chest, opting to remain standing there near by the table. "She was quite friendly to me, or at least hospitable, and spoke my tongue as well, but she used it strangely as a foreigner would." Pause. "She does not seem of high birth or schooling, so her grasp of many tongues is odd to me."

Elin turns her head just so to meet the look of the Flatlander. Her smile dims a little as well, until it is nothing more than a bright glint in her eyes. "You have a rare generosity, my lord, when it comes to granting others your trust," the blonde lady states after a moment. "It is a quality, and I envy you for it. My personal observations of this Kalisha woman have made me very sceptical as how far to believe what she may or may not have said about me. But… I fear I am a bit curious." And there her smile returns. "I would like to hear your personal opinion of her. And perhaps, Monsieur Tancred here can add some enlightenment, or not. I want you to know, that we are both here on diplomatic missions, sent by our countries. I too will refrain from mingling myself into matters within your country." She falls silent then, and listening what Tancred has to contribute, looks towards André.

And so Andre finds himself put upon the spot suddenly. "The encounter with you, Lady Elin, brought Kalisha's memory back.", he explains slowly, "She told me that your family invaded and conquered her family's lands - which I do not hold against you.", he assures her quickly. It's standard procedure after all. He even smiles a little. "So in a way, you made a very useful contribution by visiting her, stirring her memories." His blue-eyed gaze wanders to Tancred next. "She is not Skaldi, she is Gotlandish, which explains why she would speak your tongue like a foreigner would. Like I would.", he adds with a grin and can't resist a bit of Skaldi. "Das ist eine dicke Wurst."

"It is," Tancred tells Andre, opting to reply in d'Angeline with his brows perked up. He does not laugh, but he lilts his head as if to say, 'good one', then addresses both dignitaries rather more generally. "Then that makes more sense, given the pendant that had been hers, and her appearance." But he hushes when it comes to the point of family disputes, and turns to await Elin's response.

Her dark grey eyes watch André and Elin looks thoughtful. The tip of her nose crinkling just a little as if she were pondering his words and their implications. "I don't know how things are handled in the Flatlands. I don't even know if you have any 'disputes' there, my lord.", she counters smoothly, after a moment. "I would lie if I claimed that my father's House hasn't been involved in conflicts in the past. Some of them go many centuries back, caused by old feuds. If she is Gotlandish, she may have served a House opposed to ours. I can't tell."

<FS3> Andre rolls Perception: Failure. (3 5 4 3 4)
<FS3> Tancred rolls Perception: Success. (1 1 4 6 1 5 7)
<FS3> Elin rolls Subterfuge: Good Success. (3 3 7 4 2 6 2 4 7)

Elin inhales through her nose, looking from André to Tancred and back again towards the Flatlander. "Either way. She is of no consequence, to me."

Andre nods along with Elin's words, seemingly taking them at face value. "We have that kind of feuds in the Flatlands, too.", he just confirms to Elin, then grins a little. "Up in the north, they just tend to open the floodgates and set everything under water. But yes - whatever the conflict between your and Kalisha's families are, it does not matter to me. All that matters to me is to see her life spared."

Tancred exercises his right to say nothing.

Elin seems to be both relieved and placated by his reaction. That smile shifts into a more relaxed sort, and she refills her goblet after a glance towards André's. After a moment she sighs and asks a maid to bring another one for Tancred. "Again, you only confirm what I have already suspected of you. Being a generous and gentle soul of a Flatlander.", she half-jests, half-teases. "But you have roused my curiosity, Prince André. She has brought herself into this situation, as far as I have heard. Through her own actions. Why. Why do you take such an interest in this foreigner. Is it… because she is in your service and under your protection?"

Andre chuckles softly. "Thank you, Lady Elin, you are too gracious." Her last question gives him reason to pause. "She was very much provoked. Between us foreigners here, I find some of the D'Angelines were unwelcoming towards foreigners." He looks at Tancred for confirmation on this, "I think that while she deserves punishment for injuring that old battle-axe from Camlach, she does NOT deserve death for what happened. It's just… a sense of fairness and a belief in justice, Mylady."

"Many lands would not welcome foreigners," Tancred claims as a blanket statement, but reacts to the prince's look with a nod of affirmation. He would know even more so. He holds his hand up to the maid and to Elin when he's offered the goblet, still not seating himself, though his posture has relaxed in the time being. "As the prince says, and as I said, though she has wounded you with her word, I do not think she deserves death for having defended herself. I was not there when the wounding happened, but I heard rumor that the noblewoman started it as well."

"So far, I at least have been received with all due courtesy, my lord.", Elin assures André. "But it may be as you say. I just have to see it yet confirmed by my own experiences." Nodding her head then to André's explanation, and to Tancred's as well, she raises her goblet then. "It is in the hands of d'Angeline jurisdiction. Fortunately for us, we happen to be here at the moment, because of the Great Exhibition, and learn of the outcome, first hand."

"Exactly.", Andre nods to Elin and smirks a little, "Considering the town is full of foreigners, I'm sure the locals will think twice how their justice is treating a foreigner." He can't resist looking at Tancred. "How DO you cope with all of this, if I may ask?"

"She is a rescue, of no known status, foreignborn and speaks Skaldi. It would be stranger if the courts did not disfavor her." Tancred turns to Andre, perhaps misunderstanding the question. "In Skaldia, or at least in some parts, blood or gold would have sated the price of the wound inflicted." He clears his throat with seeming discomfort, then places his hand to his waist to bow just slightly. "I do not wish to intrude further - I will ride again today before the evening errands. If you will excuse me."

"Certainly." Elin dismisses Tancred with an incline of her head. "I thank you for your visit, as it has added new insights to our conversation. Insights of a Skaldi living here in Marsilikos for a while now. Good luck on your errands." A bit of amusement lingers in the look she gives André after Tancred has taken his leave. "Will you consider offering a bribe or some recompensation to the d'Angeline lady, if that is what is needed to resolve the matter?"

Andre nods a goodbye to Tancred as well, though doesn't waste further words on the Skaldi. Instead he turns back to Elin, who's clearly the much prettier sight to begin with. "I saw the Duchesse about the whole issue and made a suggestion.", he replies vaguely, "She strikes me as a smart woman, so I hope she'll come to the right judgement. If… recompensation was asked for, I suppose I could help Kalisha out, seeing as she has nothing." It seems that Tancred's departure has made him itchy though. "I shouldn't impose you any longer either, Mylady. Do keep in mind I still owe you a tour of the city.", he smiles as he gets to his feet.

Keeping his opinions on the idea of 'recompense' to himself, Tancred makes himself scarce and exits. There's no rumble in the hallway immediately after, at least.

Elin lifts a brow at that, but her dark grey eyes stay locked with André van Westerlo's gaze. "You've put in a good word for her, with Her Grace? Then I believe you have done all that is in your power." She takes another sip from her goblet, and then sets it down onto the table, when she notes André is becoming a bit restless. "I would be happy to take you up on that offer. The tour of the city. Yes. I have heard there are many sights to see.", she replies with a smile and moves to stand. "Good day, my lord. And I hope to see you soon again." Said, as she holds out her hand to him, for whatever gallantry he may see fit.

"Feel free to call on me whenever you like, Lady Elin", Andre smiles. With the hand thrust at him, he takes it and plants a light kiss on it, while bowing, then makes his departure.

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