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Svana brushed avoided a spray of flames, feeling...relaxed. She dug a finger in the ear closest to Kira, wincing as it ached, making her way over to Baldur and Mynoris's table where she dumped down in a seat and kicked her feet up onto it.

"Okay," she agreed complacently. "It's all my fault."

"I take it went well?" Baldur said blandly.

"The kid had to work for it, but he got me there eventually. He isn't completely hopeless. I think Kira--and Claudette--won't find him lacking, although I'm not sure what either of them see in him. Except for money. I get that, I suppose."

She had lidded her eyes and cracked one when the door opened, drawing her feet down off the table when a familiar, hulking figure stepped through. He was huge, nearing seven feet in height, with gray-green skin, a blocky face with impressive lower tusks, piercings on the inside of each one, and long black hair pulled into a mess of bloody braids. His skin had tattoos that exactly mirrored Svana's blackened veins. He was armored and armed with a giant battle ax.

"Where have you been?" Urt demanded crossly. "I thought you were going to find her!" he added in Baldur's direction.

She waved a flippant hand, still in a state of relaxation. "I was plundering."

Claudette glanced over at Svana from next to Blair as they were sitting together at a table, and she said, "It doesn't matter if Blair was rich or poor, slave or free, I wouldn't see him any differently than I do now. Blair means everything to me. He's gentle and sweet and thoughtful and compassionate and caring. He's never rude to anyone purposefully. He gives the best hugs, and his smile could light up the whole world."

Blair was resting his head on Claudette as he was struggling to stay awake. Claudette was running her fingers through his hair lovingly.

"You are such a fake!" Kira shouted. "Blair's wealth is the only good thing about him! He can't even kiss properly! He can't do anything right, he couldn't even have sex with Svana properly!"

"I didn't want to screw Svana," Blair said sleepily. "No offense."

"And how he screamed out Claudette's name! Why hers? Why not mine!? We're betrothed, dammit!" Kira turned on Blair, "It was a wedding gift! You should appreciate it! You don't get to decide what you do anymore, you're mine!"

She yanked Blair away from Claudette, burning her arm as she did so. Claudette yelped. She threw Blair at Urt.

"He's all yours, you big, dumb Orc!"

Sensing trouble, Claudette swung around with her weapon, and launched herself between Urt and Blair. She said, "If you want him, you have to get through me."

Kira looked incrediously at Urt and Svana.

"You said Urt was going to help! You didn't follow through!" She yelled.

Claudette lowered her weapon. Blair spoke up.

"My.... Claudette is feeling defensive and protective of me because of what Kira forced me to do earlier. Please don't be alarmed. I'm sure you had not been filled in about the situation, and I'd prefer to keep it that way. Our apologies," Blair said, grabbing Claudette as they went back to the table.

He was kissing her neck as he said, "Thank you for sticking up for me."

He kissed her on the mouth, and she was blushing. Kira was furious.

"That's reasonable," Mynoris says to Baldur with a grin. The elf is definitely good company in her eyes. She nods to Svana. "Well, then perhaps there's still a chance to get on the right foot," she notes, "now that you're feeling a little less...tense."

"Preferences aside, I doubt you want to get involved," she says to Urt. "Unless you like politics with your pleasure." She shrugs her shoulders. "Other than that, you didn't miss much. But I'm guessing your mistress will tell you all you need to know."

"Kira, if you care little about the man, and only his prestige, there's little reason to get upset. It sounds like he doesn't have the choice of whether he marries you or not. The more you go on in this way, the more he's going to slip through your fingers," Mynoris says. "Being betrothed doesn't create love. It's an arrangement, nothing more."

Busy devouring his basket of fried chicken, he barely took the time to chew and swallow when he said, "I already got my fill. Several times. I think the kid would find me sorely disappointing." His focus was on his food, but he paused long enough to look over at Svana. "How are you doing?" he asked, his tone pointed.

She glanced away. "I'm fine."

He looked to Baldur for confirmation.

"Don't look at me. I can't tell you," he objected, hand raised.

Pausing, looking down at his food, mouth full, he said, "Urt. And the food's fine. A hard battle on top of a weeklong hard march would make anyone hungry. Made it right in the nick of time, although I did miss the beginning of the action."

"It was a timely arrival," Baldur agreed.

Slumping in her chair, she rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend like it was the march or the fight. This is how you eat on a regular basis. We're practically driving alligators to extinction trying to keep you fed."

He grinned cheekily over at her.

"Oh, no, not remotely!" Svana exclaimed. "I bred his line specifically to be a lot bigger, smarter, and longer lived than his brethren. He's descended from one of my favorite orcs, but I've worked hard to make some improvements," she announced proudly, reaching over to run her hand up and down his thick arm.

"In general, they're pretty small, but hardy folk," Baldur supplied helpfully.

"His great-great-great-great grandfather was born and inexplicably shot up taller than a tree. He gave me plenty of sons and daughters, so I've been breeding the height into all potential lines." She had to keep them separated enough not to risk too bad of inbreeding, bringing in new blood every once in a while without corrupting the carefully bred genetics she had worked toward. Urt had about six different branches of distant cousins that she wove in and out of the bloodlines.