675-08-23 - Securing an Alliance
| Securing an Alliance | |||||||
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| Summary: Nawaab Arif Sefu meets Dutchess Lisabette Zorich. | |||||||
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Arif is an exotic olive skinned tall man, who carries himself with an air of arrogance and superiority, perfectly knowing his own worth. A tightly twisted turban in grey and black sits upon his head, a jewel encrusted brooch pinned through the material to the right side to keep it fastened. It is but one part of the outfit he wears in similar colors. From the buttoned shirt and the long robe, to the loose pants tucked into his boots, he is every inch the noble. Richness is shown in the hint of gold upon his buttons, and the fur that marks the collar.
However, a keen eye could notice, that this handsome man is actually fighting the fatigue of night's pleasures, and someone, who would come closer, would have his or hers nose tickled by the aroma of wine and womanly perfumes.
The man is not alone, of course. There are two men behind his back the size of the mountains and speechless features. They both have falchions in the scabbards like the Nawaab Arif Sefu. Though, the pommel of his falchion is decorated with much more gold.
The trio is, likely, going back home. Well, not home - the Royal Guest House.
A pleasant morning, and such a morning finds the Duchess of Gloomy Isles choosing to enjoy it. Yes, on occassion the Duchess does findpleasure of the simple and more beautiful things. Careful steps find her emerging from the Guest Huose gardens, a small rose twirling idly in her fingertips. Apparently, whether or not she was supposed to, she had decided to take one for her morning jaunt. Behind her are to guards, clothed in the colors of her House and carrying simple longwords with very little ornation upon them. As she walks along she calls back to one of them, not yet noticing Arif and his entourage, "Honestly Thomas...you can thank you father for your assignment to me. I dare say that my skill with a blade far suprasses that of your own." She dismisses the conversation and keeps walking, raising her head from the flower.
It is then that she spies Arif making his way towards her and reaches a hand to smooth out her dress, pausing where she stands and /making/ him make his way closer to her. However, she does call out, "My Lord Sefu...such a pleasant surprise, I was hoping to run into at some point, and fortune has allowed it to happen this fine morning." She manages the fakest of smiles and inclines her head.
The man noticed Dutchess Lisabette from afar. However, likely, he did not recognize her. Or maybe he had enough women for this evening. So, he was just walking forward, staring at the walls of white building behind all the flora.
The way he sighs and his shoulders flop down, may betray that the man hoped to remain unnoticed. However, as all the etiquette requires, the young heir of house of Sefu stops and turns to the woman, offering her a bow of his head, while his guards bow more deeply.
"Nawaab Arif Sefu..." the man corrects Lisabette, "We have different words for our titles, your..." Arif drawls the words slowly and carefully, frowning slightly, "graaaa..." and his eyes start widening a touch, when he realizes with whom he is speaking, "...aaace, Lisabette Zorich!"
Lisabette curses herself quietly under her breath, muttering, "Nawaab. I knew that." She shakes her head lightly and then turns her full attention back to the man before her, taking a step closer to close the distance between them, "You are to be my Brother-in-Law Nawaab Arif Sefu. What do you say we let all titles rest a while and let us speak plainly? Please call me Lisabette. I assure you, nobody else is around and quite frankly if my Guards were to speak of such things, I would simply have them executed." She tosses a glance over her shoulder and nos once to her guards, before turning back to Arif.
"As you know, I am planning your wedding, and have gone back and forth as to how I wish it to be. however, I have decided. I want you to bring Sefu to the Isles. My sister knows so little of your culture and customs; I think it would please her greatly to embrace it upon her wedding day." A hand moves to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear before she continues speaking, her voice strangely soft and dulcet, "Horses. Camels. Slaves. Anything you can provide and bring here to turn the location of my choosing into your lands upon our soil. I am sure it would please the citizens greatly to be privy to seeing such things; most of them have only heard of your lands afterall." A small nibble on her lower lip and she pauses a moment before speaking again, "Yes. That is my decision, and I full trust that your father can and will make it happen. Find some ships, load on the beasts and whatever else it is you have over there and bring them to these shores."
The man crosses his hands on his abdomen and leans back a bit, fixing his gaze on Lisabette. A bit strange smile curls up in his features. It would be hard to guess,what it means. Maybe he likes Lisabette's attidute, maybe he starts thinking about one of his concubines, who is left back at home. Or maybe his smile means nothings.
The man patiently listens for the woman, but soon his gaze starts more and more often wonder to the building, where a warm bed waits for the tired man.
When she finally finishes, Arif Sefu sighs in relief and speaks in his low voice, "Give me one week and you will have your cammels in this island, and slaves, who are wearing chains made out of gold. Just make these wedding happen as soon as possible. My father and our Emir are quite disappointed with the delay. How long all this betrothal is going on? How many times it was delayed because of the Isles? Without marriage our alliance is useless. Plus, I feel tired of this green color, which is always around me!" He rolls his eyes.
Did he just command the Duchess to do something? Well, after he reply, he will not be doing that again. Lisabette steps froward again and murmurs her words, so softly that only he can hear them, perhaps even the warmth of he breath upon his face can be felt, "You my friend will not tell me what to do. Consider yourself lucky that the wedding will take place as soon as what I have asked lands upon Isles' shores. I don't quite care much if your father is upset with me. We both know the real reason for this wedding don't we? Don't we?" She laughs lightly and continues her accost, "You need an heir and screwing a concubine or a camel; I am unclear of your preferences is not going to give you one. I...wish my sister out of my hair. Yuo see, the two people who truly come out smiling when this is all over is you and I." There is a soft exhale of breath before she speaks once more, "This is an alliance I need. This is an alliance we both need. So let us expeidate this, and get you and my sister back to your sandbox." She slowly steps back and sighs once, "Spare nothing Arif....this needs to be a wedding spoken about for years to come and be mentioned as far as the unkwnown lands."
Does Nawaab Arif Sefu looks like the guy, who can be scared of close distance to an angry woman? Or irritated woman? NO! It's quite a pleasant and warm moment. So, when Dutchess comes closer, the man straightens a bit and looks the girl in front of her over, quite evaluating the each inch of her skin and hair.
Her words just make the man laugh and he shakes his head a bit, "Women... Don't you just said, that you /need/ this alliance? Your Kingdom is in the need of this alliance. Otherwise, everyone will understand, that it was the Isles, who broke the Hundred Years alliance. So, nobody will ever be able to trust your words..."
Then the man looks at the Royal Guest House one more time, "As I said, tell me the place and I will take less than one week to bring anything you wish there. Now, I guess, you were going somewhere as I did, yes?"
His words strike her like a punch to her stomach, and the wince is poorly masked as she attempts to do so. He is correct. She does need this alliance, and as much as she wishes he were wrong, she simply cannot. When she speaks it it is with a slight laugh, a laugh that seems to say /well played/, "It is a good thing that we are to be allies Arif. I would hate to have you as an enemy." She folds her hands before her in a peak and presses them to her lips in thought, speaking from behind the fingers, "I look forward to what the future holds for our lands."
The fingers are lowered and she starts to take a step, walking past him with the slightest little sway of her hips, "Forgive me for holding you back, you must be exausted from a night of carousing." Another slow step is taken and she calls back from over her shoulder, a somewhat sensual grin, "Oh and Arif...treat my sister as a Nawaab of Sefu would. I care not for her happiness."
