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[Dwarmin]

Tala stared into her cup blankly, offhandedly remarking.

"...more than a several civilians my dear, unfortunately. Almost five score innocents she cut down or maimed during her escape, either directly or indirectly.

Trust me, I was among the wounded afterwards...I know."

[filiusenox]

William shakes his head.
"Such a shame, that she was quite insane, I wonder how she got that way?...Probably just an unhappy coincidence at birth..."

"Yes, I do intend on returning to Polca...hopefully it will be under my flag soon and I can throw out that bribe-taking penny-pinching lord into a jail cell..."

[Dwarmin]

Chironas had been quiet the whole time, studying Tala Alanis. Whom she never quite trusted, even from the start. She supposed she owed her some thanks, anyway-if the Lady has not picked her out of crowed following William, she might still be a ghost, and would never have been with William truly.

She spoke now, taking a seat in one of the chairs. There was a certain something in the air...

"We did live unfinished business in Polca, didn't we? Quite a show.

Anyway, are you going to introduce me, love? The Lady Alanis knows who I am...but I don't believe Master Dolgorouki does. I so do love meeting new people."

Chironas smiled, leaning back in her chair. Hmm, comfy.

[filiusenox]

William put his hand on Chironas' knee and winked at Pasha.
"I can't say I ever met this handsome man before in my life, or I would introduce you. Tala could though."

[SeriousConcentrate]

Pasha nodded to Chironas. "A pleasure to meet you, madam." She was clearly the person William had meant when he said a stable relationship, judging from how closely she sat near him. Almost protectively. She must be a fighter, too, then. He turned his attention back to William as the man spoke again, putting an... interesting spin on the conversation. "Thank you. I can see why she likes you, myself," he said, indicating Chironas with his glass.

"Would you like something to drink, too?" he asked, indicating the remaining empty glass on the tray. The jug contained Thunderblade wine, an early wedding present. It seemed like a good time to drink it. He turned his attention back to William and tucked some hair behind an ear. "How did you two meet?" he asked, studying both of them.

[filiusenox]

On the boat to Polca...We eventually had a whirlwind romance on an island off the coast of Ligoria, where we very much enjoyed the seclusion."

[SeriousConcentrate]

Pasha laughed. "I suppose that's how it is when one grows up in the Storm Coast. Tala and I also met on an island nation, south of Ligoria in our case." He crossed his legs the other way, right over left, his foot swinging idly. "Some festival or another in Dalannor, years ago. I'm not going to lie and say it was love at first sight... I was young and stupid and used to getting whatever woman I wanted and she wasn't having any of it." He shook his head at his own youthful foolishness. "It took ten days before she'd even talk to me. It was for the best, though. We took it slow and I fell in love with her for more than just her looks... although with apologies to your companion, I still believe she's the most beautiful woman in the Storm Coast."

He grinned wickedly, feeling it was time to perhaps tease his future wife a little. "Seclusion is a wonderful thing, although I can tell you a few places to avoid: wooden chests, confessionals, and barrels. Crypts, as long as they aren't occupied, aren't so bad..."

[filiusenox]

William winced at the mention of a barrel, but smiled through the rest.
"Barrels are quite uncomfortable, aren't they...? Ever tried a burning building?"

[SeriousConcentrate]

"Can't say I've tried that possibility," Pasha said. He settled back and thought. "I've been in some unusual places, but I wouldn't call them dangerous ones." He laughed and shook his head. "Well, not obviously dangerous ones. There was this one time about... six years ago, before I met Tala." He was probably... 16, then? He wasn't sure. "I was working for this noble lord east of Moun, teaching his son what I knew about the battlefield."

He fixed his eyes on William. Now was the time to see if the other man was messing with him or not. "Turns out young lord Ogilvie preferred men to women... which was a shame as he had an arranged marriage waiting for him when he turned eighteen. A bit mercenary of me, I must admit, but that was before I really cared about anything more than survival and I left their service in the fall with a ducat more than promised." He raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever been in a similar situation?" An open question that could be taken a few different ways; it would be interesting to see which thread Blackrose would follow.

[filiusenox]

William eyes met Pasha's.
"Why yes, I have been in that position before with a Noble's son that I was supposed to be guarding...except without the extra pay. It was a shame that he tried to usurp High Lord Kain..."
William maintained eye contact, thinking about one of his earliest assignments. Rean Kolar,  blond with tanned skin- he never told how he got or kept it that way- skinny, cute, wanted to fix up Lonemine. Had some good ideas too. William still felt sick to his stomach when he thought about how he had to lead his lover to his death. And then they told him that William must be the one to hold the knife and end his lover's life.

Test of Loyalty...Heh...
You had to survive for your brother. You knew it meant sacrificing Rean to keep HIM alive.

William frowned.
"He was a good man. Better then me, thats for sure."
William downed the rest of the drink and shrugged.

[SeriousConcentrate]

Pasha shifted again, getting comfortable. This wasn't so bad. He had Tala by his side and William didn't seem like a bad person. Aggressive, perhaps, but that was entirely different. "I see. That is a shame. My own departure wasn't so dramatic." He looked down. "Just woke up one morning, my contract was up, and I chose to depart rather than accept a second one. I'm a man who values my freedom highly, and I felt no ties to the Ogilvie family. I don't mistake the act for the emotion," he said, squeezing Tala's shoulder slightly.

"Anyway, I've asked you a lot of questions, and it's only fair I return the favor. Is there anything you want to ask of me?" he said.

[filiusenox]

"Indeed."
William shrugged.
"Not particularly...I would like to hear some more gossip about what happened while I was gone, however...Or more about your charming self or Tala..."

[SeriousConcentrate]

Pasha thought. "Not a lot happened. I believe a university was started, but I haven't heard much about it. Nikephoros Vandire and Kathos Thunderblade are jointly ruling the country, with myself, Tala, and Hugo as a council. You would probably be on it should you choose to stay." William had also asked about himself. "Well, I was born in Moun, an illegitimate child. My mother died when I was very young and I had to fend for myself throughout my youth, usually sneaking into houses and stealing bits of food here and there. I actually lucked into discovering my talent as a tactician at a fair." It was quite the lucky break.

"For the past... six, seven years or so I've worked for various lords and ladies along the eastern side of the Storm Coast. Many of them have been invited to the celebration," he noted. It had been Tala's idea, maybe to give him some sort of closure on his previous life as a vagabond. Maybe it would be nice to see some of them again. "I would like to invite the pair of you to attend, as well. Any friend of my lady's is a friend of mine." He refilled William's glass, since it was looking a little low, and took a drink from his own. "Although I can't say I'm happy to see all of the people I've worked for again. At least one reunion's going to be a little awkward..."

He was really hoping Dysevik didn't attend himself, or send one of his half-brothers or sisters. With any luck it would be a minor dignitary who he had never met before.

[filiusenox]

"Why ever do you say that?"

[Taricus]

((AND NOW: A break from the sappy romantic shit.))

Once she was back at the castle, Laythe organized some time for her to train up her fighting skills. She was defenseless once, but never again.

Laythe starts training in Melee combat with her free time with her bodyguards.