At Sixes And Sevens [Vanessa]

[Anton]

While Vanessa may have been content to let the topic drift, Anton very much was not. "All the State has to offer is a litany of fears and contempt, and the promise that they will safeguard the people from them. Witches, the gods, non-humans, Lysanrin. The Order says it will protect them from the very monsters it trumpets as the worst imaginable, it creates the very fear it uses to justify its existence. Consider our friend Florian once more," he began, voice falling into the same tone he had used before.

"Yes, he has taken up arms in service of the State, as I am certain that at least some of his kind have in the past. After all, the State has endured for generations, there are many native sons and daughters of the city among that race. But think - in all that time, why do you think you have never heard of even one of them becoming a trusted and vaunted servant of Zaichaer? It is simple - the State does not truly wish for them to obey. The State uses them - the fear of them - so others will obey. But it is as your friend said. And that fear will one day run out, when the pyres and the altar breaking and the ghettos do nothing to stop plague and famine." He had had an intensely serious look on his face all the time he spoke, staring blankly into Vanessa's face as he went on. It was the most businesslike he had ever appeared in front of her, even when he had knighted her paled in comparison to now.

"I am sorry. I started to lecture again. You could say I have put some thought into this," he said somewhat sheepishly. His thoughts were a jumble, and he knew far too focused upon the Lysanrin airman. He had been thinking so long of him and what his existence meant that he had drawn such lengthy conclusions, and only now did he finally have an audience to explain them to. But at last he permitted his obsession upon the longevity of the State and the reliability of fear and prejudice to lapse and address his bodyguard's other concerns.

"You are correct in direction, but not in scale. His father is not the Captain of the Noble Gambit, he is far higher ranked. Leir Angevin is an Admiral of the Air, and there are few things within the Air Defense Corps beyond his remit. I suppose it is possible that he may have used such influence to gain his son his position aboard the airship," Anton answered diplomatically, attempting to avoid coming out and saying what many more uncouth than he had guessed. And then she went and said what many more uncouth than he had whispered behind Eitan's back. "The Lady Angevin is not Eitan's birth mother, no," he said with a shake of his head, but the look of disappointment was somewhat undermined by the smile tugging at his lips. Vanessa was sharp, even if she wasn't polite.

"As far as what he has done, his birth was as fortunate as ill. He is the Admiral's only son, his wife having borne him only daughters. The man himself agreed to become a mage of course, as part of becoming a Warden. I am unfamiliar with the timing of it all, only that these are all ways to describe him," he finished explaining with a shrug. "But as far as exploiting him goes, I've considered your suggestion already, but it will need to wait until Eitan returns to Zaichaer. Which brings us to my most confusing question of all. What sort of man goes on a holiday with his brother-in-law after his wedding, and leaves his wife behind? Yesterday, Eitan's sister married one of the Dornkirk boys," Anton did not bother to stop to see if Vanessa knew who the Dornkirks were, "Stefan to be precise. Yet, Stefan does not go on a honeymoon with his wife. He goes on a holiday with Eitan. Strange, don't you think?"

[Vanessa Quill]

Again she was impressed by Anton. She felt these emotions too, but he gave them breath that she could not. His demeanor even made her sit up straighter in her chair and hold eye contact with him. She did not fidget, nor clean the dirt from her nails. For once in her life, Vanessa just listened.

She only spoke during a natural break in the conversation, and only to offer her agreement. "Aye. The state wants an enemy. When Gateway went up, my uncle told me that people filled the streets and both sides beat each other bloody. People were scared, even took down some members of the Order if the stories are true." Vanessa wanted so badly for the stories to be true. She needed them to be. Despite her strength, Vanessa needed to know deep down that she could make them pay for robbing her of everything. She was learning quickly from Anton that there were problems that could not be solved with steel, but not this. Never this. "They wanted to hurt folk in a way they'd never been hurt. Something they could point to and say 'We can take this from you again, and again, and again'." Vanessa's voice was hard, but at times it wavered. Vanessa felt her emotions strongly, and hid them badly. She had never told Anton how her parents had died, but perhaps he knew anyway. "They had an enemy then, assassins. Could've killed them and been done with it, but they didn't. The riots made the Corps and Order look good. They 'brought peace back to the city', and killed a bunch of people in the process. Same shit you're saying, Just a new coat of paint."

She then scoffed at his apology, and used the time to clear her throat and mind to re-center herself. "It's good you put thought into it." she told him. "Most folk don't. Not like you, anyway." She could tell that the airman meant much to him, doubting that he would have drawn the same conclusions had the two never met.

"Commander of the Air?" Vanessa pondered for a moment, sorting through her memories of airborne duels to see if the name sounded familiar. Men often promised retribution from someone when they died, but she could recall none having sworn an Angevin would sail out to sink her. She was glad for that.

After Anton had given a brief overview of Eitan's life, Vanessa shook her head. "Sounds like he hasn't worked for a damn thing." It was an easy conclusion to come to, and so it did not matter to Vanessa if it was wrong or not. She groaned. "Ah, maybe that's not fair..." she said half-heartedly. "Lad's probably got pa' breathing down his neck to live up to expectations, if your family is any indication."

Vanessa did not know who the Dornkirks were, but she did appreciate the small sliver of insight into their lives all the same. "Well... Easy answer is that he fucking hates her, yeah?" Vanessa offered up. "Way I heard it, nobles just hump their wives until they get a son out of the deal. He's already shacking up with Florian, so maybe he ain't in a rush." It was certainly a simplistic way of viewing the situation, but Vanessa's often were. "I'd ask if she was cute, 'cause that might help say for sure, but something tells me you wouldn't know."

[Anton]

It was a shame that Anton had no way of knowing the effect he had upon his knight without activating his Semblance, something he both saw no reason to do and would find far too dangerous in this part of the city even if they were in a carriage. A flash of recognition crossed his face when she mentioned Gateway, his face deepening into a frown as she related the story. "Father has mentioned Gateway before, when he is more drinks in than is perhaps wise. His memories do not seem to be... fond ones," he murmured, unconsciously playing with the hem of his shirt as he remembered those nights in the study when the General suddenly seemed a far more fragile man than typical. "Perhaps I shall have to ask him about it one day."

"The Order is not incentivized to solve problems. Military rule of Zaichaer has always been justified by the crisis of magic, to end the crisis is to end its rule. It is a regime of fire and steel propped up by blood and terror, not peace and prosperity. It is just a question of who is being burnt and bled, not if. There must always be an enemy, there must always be a threat, there must always be a crisis." Anton spoke in a bitter voice, but it remained steady even as hot tears began to roll down his cheeks. "Why would they bother eliminating an assassin when they had an opportunity to make the people think their own neighbor could be a hidden foe?"

Turning the conversation back to Eitan was frankly a relief, his tears immediately ceasing as soon as thoughts focused on the Commander and Warden. "I do not know whether his titles are due to merit or nepotism. What I do know is that he has damned himself - and that is no exaggeration. He is a mage working for an institution that wishes the eradication of mages, not even his father can remove the accursed sword that hangs above his head. Perhaps it shall never fall, perhaps it shall fall tomorrow. I do not know - and neither does he."

His face fell slightly at the mention of families, Anton attempting to give an unconcerned scoff in an unconvincing attempt to make it seem like he did not care. "I do not know what Lord Angevin expects of his son," he said truthfully, and that deeply concerned him. "He is the Admiral's only son, but Leir has daughters to spare, some of whom have had matches with suitably less prominent men arranged for them so that their offspring will be acknowledged first and foremost as Angevins. It could well be that he will pass the rights and privileges of the name to a grandson, over his son, in which case Eitan would become rather redundant."

Anton's face fell again at the thought of redundancy, knowing full well that should he fall short that House Michaelis had plentiful spares to take up the mantle of rule when his father inevitably passed. They were more similar than he would like to admit, for several reasons. The irony that he might one day be shot by a man whom he felt such empathy for did not escape his notice, but he forced his thoughts elsewhere. His brow furrowed as he considered Stefan once more, anxiety replaced by confusion. "You might be right about him hating his wife. I attended the wedding and it was... interesting. Stefan did not kiss his bride at the end of the ceremony, choosing to instead kiss her hand. Most assumed it was nothing more than a romantic affectation, but there could be more to that."

He did not like speculating like this, for he considered Stefan a friend, but the entire situation was bizarre in the extreme. Vanessa's confusion at least gave him an out from that particular train of thought. "Eitan is not married yet himself, though I would not be surprised if he wed soon. He is already far older than most nobles are when they marry, and has no match announced yet. But perhaps his father wishes for that segment of his line to wither away, again, I do not know." Anton smiled as he always did at his bodyguard's lighter jokes, giving her another one of his habitual shrugs. "The bride seemed rather charming, but I did not risk seeing while I was there. Is Eitan attractive? She is his sister after all, even if only half. I imagine there's some resemblance there."

[Vanessa Quill]

The sight of Anton's tears made it more difficult for Vanessa to hold back the floodgates of her own feelings. Gateway was a locked box tossed into the furthest reaches of her mind, visited only on the darkest of nights. Such it was for so many people, the memories too painful and inciting dangerous thoughts of sedition when dredged to the surface. Such emotions wanted to pour out of her in a deluge, but still Vanessa resisted. To keep the levee from breaking, she focused on what little insight she could provide. "If you do ask him, be careful about how you do it. If it were bad for the common folk, can't imagine how dear ol' dad felt about it." The confirmation that Franz had been involved in the disaster struck conflicting feelings within Vanessa. She had always respected the lengths the General went to in service of protecting his family, but there were times when strict adherence to orders was how protection was ensured.

She pulled herself away from that pondering to try and console Anton. "Folk just need an alternative. Someone like you." And why shouldn't he rule? he was well spoken, kind, and cared for the dregs like Vanessa. He was also the only noble Vanessa had any serious exposure to at all, and that was important to remember when considering her words. Still though, it was difficult to imagine any noble house had a candidate better suited than the blind man before her. "Soon as they find someone to rally around? I think it's over."

His mood brightening back from tears made Vanessa glad, and so she gladly latched onto this conversation instead. "Two dead men walking." Vanessa said. "Guess it makes a bit more sense why they fell for each other. Best fuck of your life is always when you think you might die the next day. When that's every day? Guess I'm startin' to see the appeal." Her crassness returned easily once the two had found a slightly less serious topic.

"A redundant bastard?" Vanessa sucked air through her teeth while she pondered the notion. She did not have a head for the complexities of noble lineages, that much was clear. "Snub someone like that, and old man Angevin will wake up with a blade in his gut. If it goes down like that, and Eitan doesn't jab a spike through his father? Well then he's a bit like a mined out quarry." A master of her craft, Vanessa let the statement linger for a few agonizing seconds before she finished the joke. "No stones."

Groan inducing wordplay aside, Vanessa listened to the explanation. "Stefan, right. His marriage." She corrected herself. The names of nobles mixed in her mind easily, even their house names easily forgotten. She was glad that she was not expected to speak to them at length whenever they visited the manse, as she surely would have found a way to frustrate them with how confoundingly little concern she gave for whose loins they'd lurched from. "He kissed her hand? Might as well have pissed in her eye!" She exclaimed with mockery. "I'd put money on it. He ain't interested." In all the lands from west to east, there was scarcely a person as sure of herself as Miss Quill. Given just a peek into the life of another, and she already had crafted an imagined life they must have led. "Eitan? Bah. Not my type. Can't say he's not a looker though."

[Anton]

"He seemed.... displeased whenever he speaks of it," Anton said softly, uncertain how best to explain his father and instead hoping that Vanessa had spent enough time with the man to understand what he meant. "Father is very rarely like that. There are very few orders that can make him feel like that," he added, hesitant to speak bluntly even here, in their carriage. One never knew who was listening. While what they had said already was certainly seditious, revealing what General Franz thought of certain orders would cross the line from acceptable grumbling to the forbidden.

He once again waved off the notion that she had in her head of the blind man as some kind of revolutionary, the teenager mostly focused on keeping himself alive. "Which is why the State makes it a priority to remove any individuals who prove to be such a locus before they can rally the people to their cause. Besides, it's not enough to have the people, you would need at least a measure of the military on side if you wish to actually rule a city instead of ruins." That ate at Anton more than he would like to admit, the fear of what the Order and military might do to Zaichaer out of petty spite if all was lost. Even if the people won the City of Brass, there was enough hidden away in the armories and vaults maintained by the State to punish them for their temerity.

The mention of Eitan and Florian's relationship caused him to cock his brow, but he could not find reason to disagree with her logic. "I suppose the differences between high lord and lowborn become somewhat moot when both have an expiration date. It's obvious that no matter what brought them together, Florian is helplessly in love with Eitan, and while I am not certain what his feelings are it's clear enough that the Commander is no cad. He feels something for him. I should - I am supposed to be willing to use these sorts of things to my advantage. I should be happy to have this in my back pocket. And yet, I am... torn. This should be a moment of relief, at very least, that I have something I could use against a Watcher if need be. But..." Anton fell silent, chewing on his lower lip as he lost himself in thought. "Well, it is as I said. My damned tenderheartedness. I do not wish to harm them, which such a use would entail. Vexing."

Vanessa's simplistic world view always provided a fresh perspective, one that was just as often on the mark as it was alien. The highest of the high had more in common with how they operated with the lowest of the low than they would like to think, he realized. "It's not unheard of for men in such situations to be the beneficiaries of unexpectedly early inheritances, but I do not think that is within Eitan's character. And not for a lack of confidence. I just doubt such a move would ever occur to him. He is too straightforward," Anton explained. In truth, he had not examined the Warden under Semblance nearly enough to make such calls with confidence, but it simply did not feel like something he would do.

"Well, there you have it then. If he's a looker as you say, then his sister Delia likely is as well. Same fathers and all," he said with a shrug, as if that explained everything. "Regardless, we were discussing the unusual marriage of Stefan and Delia. The pair of them did seem to like one another, but they were very sparse with their affection. More like.... friends, than spouses. But this has brought us nowhere on the original question. Why by the Empty Throne did Eitan and Stefan gallivant out of the city for a holiday and leave Delia behind?"

[Vanessa Quill]

That Anton's father had some limits, even in his youth, did ease Vanessa's mind. As a cutthroat, it was common enough that a friend became an enemy, but such revelations had always wounded and enraged Vanessa. That Franz might have resisted in his own way bolstered her begrudging respect for him. "Aye, and he might've been a boot on the ground then, eh? I'm sure it gave him some perspective he's carried all the way to now." Vanessa too did not speak the full truth of her thoughts. While there was little that could not be used as grounds for execution by the State, certainly directly opposing it did make the paperwork a bit easier.

His dismissal struck her as curious. He was a man that so beloved Zaichaer that its flaws brought him to tears, but now he resisted the chance to stake his claim. Such was the difference between the two, such had been the difference between knights and nobles since time immemorial. Knights died so that nobles could live, and nobles lived so that knights only rarely needed to die. "Taking the airfield is the easiest way." Vanessa said, careful not to make it sound conspiratorial. Discussing Zaichaer's defenses was scarcely a crime in itself. "Hamstrings supplies, and men on the ground ain't got much for airships." Vanessa settled back into her seat. "But you're right. Whoever tried to take Zaichaer would need enough of the military to become turnsides." She was careful now not to imply either of them were planning it personally. "I'm sure all those non-humans in the corps would look mighty appealing to whoever tried."

In contrast, she found his opinion on Eitan and Florian's relationship to be as expected. "Then don't use it right now." Vanessa offered. "You don't keep a knife in your boot for when things are goin' just fine. When you're at the end of the line, though? You'll be happy you've got it. That way, you're only hurting them when you're damned sure they'll be trying to do the same to you." It was a compromise, she knew. Anton would have been safer had he learned to harden his heart, but then he would not have been Anton Michaelis. "Because if they're sent after you, they won't have this indecision. It's been beaten out of them." A pause, a smile, a confident stare. "But that's why you've got me."


About Eitan's character, Vanessa merely grunted. "I'm not saying it's in his character. I'm saying he should damn well do it if he thinks he's half a man. Someone wrongs you, you pay 'em back. If it's bad enough, you make sure they can't ever wrong you again." A philosophy that worked well for brigands did not always translate well to the lives of nobles. "Straightforward as it gets, really."

Then Vanessa tried to draw her mind away from the first thing she thought about their trip. This was difficult for a woman who lived on hunches and seemed to despise adjusting her measure of someone after new information had come to light. "This Dornkirk twat, he's in the military too, yeah?" She assumed Anton unique in his lack of service. "Could be some assignment for the State, eh?" On this, Vanessa was unsure, and she sounded as such when she spoke. "Nearest I can tell, those don't exactly wait. Fact he didn't mention it ain't surprising. We ain't meant to know."

[Anton]

A look flashed across Anton's face at Vanessa's last mention of Gateway, but he said nothing. While his father was never clear about what had occurred that night, he had long ago been convinced that the officer must have been there in person to have so severe a reaction to the incident. Still, he did not know the truth, and even if he did the lordling didn't know if he would tell it to his bodyguard. He trusted her rather literally with his life, but that did not mean she was going to be privy to all of the family secrets at the drop of a hat. Especially not ones that had such weight to them.

"Cutting off supplies into the city would starve the commonfolk before the defenders of the State. Anyone who attempted it would be vilified by its agents, and I cannot say that they would be wrong to do so. The stability of the city-states of Karnor exists in the fact that they are city-states," he explained, yet again dropping into a lecturing tone of voice. "The overwhelming majority of the population of Zaichaer lives within the city walls. Though they are of course fed by the actions of farmers who live outside of it, the population of the farms and hamlets are insufficient to mount an army capable of putting the city herself under siege. An insurrection from within the city walls suffers the opposite problem, the flow of supplies and food being cut off, resulting in the people effectively besieging themselves, to say nothing of the brutality of street fighting. In short, such an incidence has not yet occurred because of the cost in blood is too high for any sane man to pay. But enough deprivation can change those things."

When they moved onto to discuss Eitan, Anton could not help but nod his head along with Vanessa, forced to admit that what she was saying made a great deal of sense. "I suppose you are right. Which means that I should endeavor to never require such dire steps, not that I needed the additional encouragement, mind. Perhaps if I play my cards right I can even attempt to gain some measure of esteem from the both of them through this. They can't seriously think that other people haven't realized the truth, can they?" He did not see her smile, but he returned it nonetheless at her bold statement, a look of calm confidence radiating from him. "I named you my knight for good reason, it is true."

"But there are still some things you do not understand. Florian is more of a man than Eitan or myself, Vanessa. We do not have the luxury of being men. The rest of what we are, the expectations, the responsibilities, these subsume us and replace what is the domain of a man's pride. Bastards and cripples must both accept that there may come a time when they are no longer desirable, and should such occur they are to elegantly fade into the background lest the situation grow embarrassing for their betters." Though Anton had lapsed into lecturing, he did not speak in the same studious tone, his voice instead laced with undeniable bitterness despite his best efforts to suppress it. "If someone wrongs the dynasty, you pay them back. Especially when that someone is yourself."

Changing the topic back to Stefan seemed to do wonders for his mood, the elder of the Dornkirk brothers the closest that Anton had ever had to a friend before meeting Vanessa. "Stefan was in the Air Defense Corps for a time, yes, but served a minimum tour of duty as an officer before retiring. He now works full time at the Windworks," he said, jerking his thumb back at the building that they had departed and was even now fading away into the distance, "designing and improving the airships he used to fly. Though, that is not to imply you are wrong. The Windworks is effectively an extension of the military, and his younger brother, Brenner, is still a serving officer." A thought occurred to him, the man's lips pursing suddenly. "I wonder if Brenner is also taking an unexplained holiday."

[Vanessa Quill]

"Never said anything about being sane." Vanessa replied slyly. But he was right, she knew. He had thought more about this than she. While Vanessa often fantasized about bleeding the city, never had she truly considered how to do so without condemning every soul inside. Those were not the thoughts of killers, but for their commanders. "But I'll admit that 'King of the Ashes' ain't exactly an appealing title." The Order would burn the Zaichaer to soot and cinders before they surrendered control, or so they wanted the city to believe. "Bunch of sore losers."

"People probably know and just look the other way." Vanessa said about Eitan. "Even if they didn't, what happens? You file a complaint, and it comes across his old man's desk, or someone that reports to him. Bastard he is, Eitan's the only son he's got. and he ain't gonna send him packing for playing grab-ass, that's for damned sure." She spoke plainly, merely seeing the truth as she saw it. She herself benefitted from her proximity to a prominent noble line, so she could scarcely act above it all. "Doubt Eitan thinks of it like that, though. Some brats just love to push boundaries because of the parents they've got. Don't get that feeling from him."

When Anton spoke of himself in that bitter tone, Vanessa leaned in suddenly. Her face was mere inches from his own now, the smell of the alcohol on her breath mixing with her usual perfume. "Fuck that." she all but hissed. Poking him hard in the chest then, Vanessa continued. "Fuck fading away." Her tone was intense, words hiding a barely restrained anger under each syllable. "Just who are these 'betters' you're meant to give way to, hmm? Way I see it, you're the best this family's got."With her tone relaxing slightly, Vanessa leaned back, though only enough that she could take a swig from the flask in her coat. "Your father? No, not by half. He's a good man, or tries to be. Not better than you though." She fixed him with a look, and brought herself forward again. She placed a hand on his shoulder, rough and calloused from a life spent fighting. "Cripple? Aye, can't do much for that, 's true." Vanessa had never been one to lie about such things. "But would I be sittin' before you as your sworn sword if that was all you were?" Sitting so close to him, there was a blooming flame in Vanessa's core. She knew not what it meant, and her mind moved too quickly on the current conversation for her to examine it further. "But you're right that I don't understand. I just... Wish it were different, kid." Vanessa concluded, and sank backwards again to return the personal space she had previously been 'borrowing'.

She was quiet then for a spell while Anton spoke. "Maybe we make a house call then, see what's what." Vanessa then reached up and scratched her cheek. "Wonder what was so important it needed half the sons in the West End? Gotta be worth knowing, whatever it is." Thinking on it, she found that it could mean nothing good.

[Anton]

"Eitan seems the sort to be quite unaware of the advantages he has in this life, yes," Anton said with a slight smile. "There is much that was overcome solely due to his wealth and name, two things which are his only through the vagaries of fate and the indulgence of his father." He held his tongue from speaking further, preventing any further speculation for the moment. There was little to be gained by airing suspicions and first impressions to someone as impulsive as Vanessa, save for when the fear of violence was in the air at least. To answer his questions, he would simply need to spend more time with the man. Which would in return require his return from his 'holiday'.

The sound of movement and the scent of alcohol startled the lordling, the young man only barely preventing himself from recoiling at Vanessa's approach. From anyone else, the movement would've been interpreted as a threat. From her, it was only maybe a threat. "Vanessa," he said flatly, his voice a terse command for calm. "Should I prove unsuitable to lead the dynasty, I will be passed over in favor of my brother. Should Karl prove too young at the time of our father's death to shoulder such a burden, he in turn will be passed over in favor of our uncle, Josef. This is the way of things. It is not father's decision, not truly. It is simply the will of the ruled to have a competent ruler. And we shall do everything we may to prove that I am indeed capable of securing the future of all sworn to the name Michaelis - which include far more than merely yourself. Josef is a good man, one close to your own heart, and Karl is four. If it is decided I am unfit to rule, I may yet run my brother's regency. But again, our job, right now, is to show that I have overcome the circumstances of my birth, so that no one will doubt me when the time inevitably comes." The bitter tone of voice had vanished now, Anton instead speaking with the simple and steady voice of a man reciting a collection of known facts. This was neither a discussion nor an argument for him, no more than questioning whether the sky was in fact blue.

"I should call upon Stefan, you're right. We must try to find time before he departs, time is short it seems. I doubt he would tell me much if your suspicions are correct, but what a man does not say can sometimes be as useful as what he does.It seems that we are due a very busy week indeed, my brave knight."

[Vanessa Quill]

"You are competent!" Vanessa protested, as if her own opinion held any great weight on his family's decision. "Damned fools if they don't see it." She then dragged her hands down her face and ended up rubbing her temples. She had no mind for politics, not even the painfully straightforward ones of a line of succession. She was trying to understand, but each new layer found new ways to anger her. "Being a bit busted up doesn't mean you're not a competent ruler. Anyone that wouldn't listen to you because you're a cripple would've found another reason you're not good enough." But her voice wilted slightly under his explanation. Why did he always have to be right? Every damned word he said made so much sense that she found precious little to argue with, damn him. "You overcome the circumstances of your birth every day. Madness that they don't notice, or insist on changing the rules."

There were other reasons she wanted to see him succeed, of course. Her fate was tied to Anton's. If he fell to obscurity, so too would Vanessa. Would she be a necessary evil for the family to bear if Anton was no longer poised to become the heir? That she did not know was what concerned her. But that was no longer her primary concern, nor could it ever be. She had sworn herself to Anton, putting his safety above her own. For him to be truly safe, Vanessa needed him to be irreplaceable. If only she knew how to do that, or even where to begin. Considering her previous exploits involved getting him beaten and making him feign losing his virginity, perhaps it was for the best that Vanessa did not know how she might help him. No, that couldn't be right.

"Never a dull moment with you, eh?" Vanessa joked, her usual demeanor returning. "Suits me fine. Figure it's for the best if folk start seein' us together anyhow. Best we make known our professional relationship, else people may start talking. You do know how these nobles love to gossip, milord."