#odyssey

(Private Audience...)

Coradel and August are allowed later to a private audience, whle the celebration continues. August, as is his nature, hangs back a bit ((Shady, we're assuming you don't mind this, if you do, appear out of the ether and yell 'ARGH YOU RUINED IT!')) . Both Duke and Duchess are sitting and motion them to do like wise in a parlor built for privacy

August, per Coradel's request, may make some informal notes of the conversation.

"Thank you for this, Your Graces." She takes an offered seat. "I meant to mention the last time, this is a lovely parlor."

"Thank you, Baroness" The Duchess says " I helped design it"

"You have excellent taste, Duchess. Now, would it be possible to have Dame Bludwen join us as well? What I wish to do is to try to put some pieces of a puzzle together, and I think she would be invaluable."

"I'll have her summoned for, " The Duke nods "THough she maybe performing arrests as we speak"

"True, and we wouldn't want to interrupt that!"

"I am a Gwydion, and that gives me a certain reputation for knowing the truth. Please, tell us who you believe deserves arrested for this, or at least severe questioning?"

As with the last time they met together, August likely offers to get drinks for everybody, and Coradel accepts.

She nods at the Duke's words. "Here is how I see it. When we questioned Ivan, he was very reluctant to reveal who it was that was pushing him to make this deception. He was scared...but he was also well-funded. According to a fellow entertainer, Ivan managed to get more performance exposure by accepting much lower pay than his peers, getting him stage time all over the city. So he was getting money from somewhere else." She pauses for a sip.

His brow lifts, intrigued

"At the same time, as shipment of dross goes missing, and I suspect that part of that shipment has been used, perhaps well laundered first, to pay Ivan. Add into this mix the fact that we have one Lady Wynda, who is envious of EarthRunes as she was denied a position there, and who had already met Shalimar as part of Baron Nemauses' court. She wanted to hurt us. I suspect she was part of the push to put an Ailil as my heir...I would like to see if she and Lord Mian of Ailil have had any communication recently, by the way."

"At any rate, she knew who Shalimar was, and she knew that using his likeness to mock you would discredit both him and EarthRunes. The dross theft, meanwhile, undermines your influence and reputation. Take down both you and your grandest barony simultaneously, and the entire Duchy becomes a free-for-all, and Ailil start making claims to territory all over the place."

"To sum up...I do believe Dame Bludwen needs to question Lady Wynda, Lord Mian...and perhaps Baron Tiogair as a possible influencer, though I'm not so certain he knows of the scheme."

"Take us down, perhaps, perhaps not, hobble us so we had little choice but to yield to Ailil demands, well, that would do for them" THe Duchess nods "You bring up some of the same names Dame Bludwen did. So that is good , that we are all in accord there"

"We will handle it from here," The Duke nods "But rest assured, when the case is made against parties responsible you will be informed. We have suffered enough , all of us, from miscommunication, I think"

"Excellent. And yes, Your Grace, that is very true. I should like to improve our communication going forward." A sip. "By the way, I never actually asked -- I assumed Dame Bludwen is of House Eiluned. Am I correct there?"

The Duke chuckles , and seems tempted to laugh

"Forgive him, he's feeling smug again" the Duchess says

A blink. "I'm sorry, Your Grace, I seem to be missing the joke?" She looks more amused than offended by that fact.

The Duke restrains further laughter "She's Gwydion. A house sister"

"She doesn't advertise that," The Duchess says "And often plays up as if she were of another house, in order to keep people from hiding thier lies"

"Oh! Well, now, how about that. I got taken in by the black clothing!" She looks down at her own black leather. "It is an effective camouflage."

"I find her brush with unseelie behavior disturbing" The Duke admits "But one can hardly blame her results"

"Brush with unseelie...?"

"Gwydions are rarely unseelie" He says "We are the house of HIGH SUMMER and wisely do we cling to honor, beauty, and love, but there are a few unseelie it is said. While she is not that, she comes close"

"So...you might say she is practical when need be?" she asks with a grin.

A light wince "Well, one might say that. " He says "Not me... but others might"

THe Duchess looks amused then says "Beaumayn and Gwydion both tend to be a bit sour on unseelie houses, and thus that court. I know you Fiona are more.. open about it. It serves you well I'm sure"

"Yes, Your Grace, usually. My dear husband," she gives August a loving look, "is less flexible about courts than I...though we both have our summer and winter clothes." An easy shrug. "It is the way the Dreaming has fashioned us."

"Yes, but just as one shouldn't wear a coat inside out, a leader should not favor his winter" The Duke says

"And yet we have an Aesin count" the Duchess reminds him, speaking of the Liege who, in winter, is above Coradel

"Just so, Your Grace," she says, taking a sip. Which one she's agreeing with might be ambiguous.

"Regardless, every boon you have asked for" The Duke says "is well earned. And we will be wiser the next time somone tries to make Earth Runes seem the villain"

"here here" His wife says

August jots notes, and ensures cups are full, but does not seem to need to speak.

"We are both grateful for your restored faith in us."

"We hope your faith in us is also restored, " The Duchess says "Or that at the least, you realize we were not petty in our guardedness"

"Oh, I am very much reassured! Before, I had no clue how we had earned your ire! It was most frustrating."

"Perhaps we should keep up corespondence with Earth Runes more often" The Duke considers

"Certainly! And perhaps you'd be interested in visiting our stables, Your Grace? Of course, I doubt they rival your own, but we are still proud of our steeds, including the two-legged ones."

The Duke perks at that "In point of fact I have heard good things"

"Lovely! Sometime this summer, then?"

"I think that's possible" THe Duke says "And I would be happy to show you our stables as well"

"I am definitely interested in this. I hear you not only ride, but race?"

"Do you ride as well, Your Grace?" she asks the Duchess.

"I merely ride. And yes, the Duke races. He wins sizable purses at times"

"Yes," The Duke says smiling "It's a grand feeling. "

"I have had occasion to ride at speed in battle and questing, and some informal races, but never a competition such as you mean."