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 Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 8:26 am
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 8:35 am
Naevius had adjusted to the camp life quite easily. Granted, her tent was bigger than most and she had plenty of luxurious pillows to lounge around on even though she was hardly in her tent except to sleep. But today was different. She had heard whispers at parties about a lesser noble woman who dressed like a commoner, who was unlady like even though she tried and was sometimes seen with a sword strapped to her back. Her name normally didn't have to be said, especially when followed up with, "Her noble husband died in the battle, how tragic." There were few times that nobles died and all of the nobles didn't know who it was. This girl's name was Shalvesta. With her marriage, she gained the nobility title and the privileges that went with it. Though, Nae was sure afterwards the girl found out it wasn't as great as it seemed. That was the reason Naevius had invited the prentice to her tent, to try and make her feel more at home with at least one noble. And to hopefully help her out by befriending her so the whispering would stop. It wasn't fair for her to be treated worse just because she hadn't had the amount of training all noble girls had growing up. Maybe Nae could help her with some of that stuff! She certainly didn't mind. Peaking out her tent door flap, she noticed sunset was approaching. Naevius had sent the invitation some time ago for them to meet at sunset, it made her wonder if the other would accept her invitation.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 8:04 pm
It had only been two days since The Party, as Shalvesta was so infamously calling it in her mind, and when the world ceased to end she assumed everything had turned out for the best. She had made a new friend in Ichil, the noblewoman who had had pity on her at the party, and despite the initial embarrassment, she hadn't heard tell of any potential backlash. That was, until this afternoon. With her sword strapped to her back, Shalvesta had been watching the soldiers as they trained, trying to commit their practices to memory so she could try it in the privacy of her tent later - when a messenger appeared.
The message was simple enough - Lady Naevius wishes to speak with you in her tent come sundown. Now, if only Shalvesta had a clue who Lady Naevius was. The name rang a bell - she felt she had heard it sometime recently, but it must have been as she eavesdropped on soldiers, or heard at The Party perhaps, because she didn't know who it was. As the day wore on, Shalvesta retreated to her tent in a fit of nervousness - was Naevius the noblewoman who had invited her and, as such, gained quite a bit of public scrutiny for inviting such an ungainly woman to a high brow affair?
Perhaps she hadn't simply been a laughing stock at the party, but had truly offended her? For a long time Shalvesta paced, the sword discarded under the thin mattress of the raise palette she had been given, debating whether she should go beg Ichil for clothes to use, or if doing so would be even MORE insulting, both to Ichil and to Lady Naevius. She then wondered if she should call home for her clothes to be sent, but since she'd left home in the first place without permission (a fact that her in laws would never admit, for it would be a scandal both to her, their dead son, and them) that would NOT be reacted to with any sort of favor.
She spent the whole rest of the day fretting, the rope at her waist beginning to fray from her picking at it incessantly, but come sun down she stood promptly and made her way to where the messenger said the tent was. Once outside it Shalvesta closed her eyes, trying to calm her skittering heart, took a deep shaky breath, then finally spoke. "My lady, you wished to see me?" She asked, a bit weakly, waiting until called inside before she pushed open the flap of the tent and stepped in.
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Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 4:28 pm
It seemed that no matter if the rumors were true or not, at least Naevius could say that the girl was punctual. She hadn't even had to wait past the time that she had sent in her message which spoke volumes in Naevius' book. As the soft voice came through the tent, a person soon followed. The girl was somewhat plain in appearance, but had good features and was attractive. Nae made sure to put on a big smile as the other pushed her way into the tent. "Welcome Lady Shalvesta. I trust that you received my message earlier seeing as how you're here now. Please don't worry about anything. Please sit?" Nae told the other as she motioned towards some cushioned chairs. Since she had sent her handmaiden away tonight, she grabbed some cups and a pitcher of water for the two of them and set it on a table next to the two chairs. "I apologize for the random invitation. I didn't realize until afterwards that we have not met personally, else I would have invited you myself. My name is Naevius, my father is the King's cousin. But that doesn't matter much. Would you like anything to drink?" Nae stopped, an somewhat awkward smile on her face as she realized she had been rambling on. Her father probably would have scolded her for rambling on so much. She poured herself a cup of water and took a small sip. It wasn't warm or hot, slightly cool which was refreshing. Nae looked completely at ease yet still regal, her kind smile never faltering.
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 4:42 pm
It was clear that Shalvesta had expected someone else - because she looked around the tent, briefly, then finally settled her eyes on Naevius once again, her mouth dropped open in surprise. After a moment she remembered herself, however, and closed her mouth, ducking her head as she made the motion of a curtsy. "Yes, thank you." She murmured at the greeting, moving to sit on one of the offered chairs.
She surely hadn't expected anyone her own age - but she wasn't lulled into a sense of safety because this meant this young lady must be very important, if she had an older messenger running around at her beck and call.
And this was confirmed when the other lady introduced herself. Shalvesta tensed up - wide eyed at the realization she was in the presence of near-royalty. She should have bowed, or SOMETHING but in that moment instead she gave a shake of her head at the question, smiling nervously.
"It's ..." She started. An honor to get your invitation some part of her murmured, years of manners drilled into her urging her to react with some scripted boot licking. But she couldn't make herself say it. "...To be honest, my lady, I'm a bit surprised to get your invitation. " She said instead, her hands settling in her lap, but tugging at the rope around her waist nervously. She must have done SOMETHING to gain the attention of such an esteemed person - and she highly doubted it was a good something.
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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 3:15 pm
The smile on her face grew a tad bit bigger when Shalvesta went off the "social script" as one could say. She was being honest, and honesty was something Naevius admired. Dipping her head momentarily, Naevius gathered her thoughts. "I'm sorry if I caused you to worry but really it's nothing to worry about. To return your honesty, I invited you hear because I've heard...whispers. Please, don't freak out automatically. And please, just call me Naevius." Naevius said quickly hoping she could get the worst starting it off part out of the way.
"I've found that gossip can be very helpful in learning about people. First may I offer my condolences...and my sincere apology goes to you. The workers in his household did not speak fondly of him..." A frown of what could be disgust replaced the easy smile for a few moments upon speaking about Shalvesta's deceased husband. "I know most nobles may not look very highly on you, which is why they gossip. That's why I invited you here. My name alone carries a certain...weight among some of them. What I truly hope to accomplish from this is to silence any spreading nasty rumors or talking about you behind your back. I'm sure the lifestyle change was abrupt for you, and you weren't trained from birth on the station you have now so it's not fair for others to judge you more harshly. That is, if you'll accept my help." Naevius gave the other a hesitant smile this time, hoping she hadn't scared the other off by how much she knew. She was an informant to her father, and her father to the king, she had to know stuff.
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 11:52 pm
Shalvesta knew how risky it was to speak frankly with someone so much above her station. But - if the smile was anything to go by, at least she wasn't at risk of being shoved out of the tent for her impudence. Her tension relaxed, if only slightly, and she responded with a small, nervous smile of her own, waiting as the woman infront of her mused over her words for a moment. Finally, though, the noblewoman spoke and sure enough Shalvesta's body tensed back up.
Whispers? She knew she'd gained some attention, but 'whispers' - enough that they would gain such a noblewoman's attention definitely couldn't be good. Her breath hitched slightly, and though Naevius continued on unaffected, saying she didn't listen to such gossip, Shal's mind turned over just what it was people could be saying. She'd expected showing up ill dressed would be something, but not quite this much. 'It's alright - at this point separating yourself from nobles and moving towards the soldiers, gaining their esteem, is more important.' And yet it still was a kick to the teeth.
Shalvesta didn't return her attention to Naevius until she spoke of condolences - at which point the younger prentice looked up at her, then nodded, her hands dropping from where they tugged at her belt, and to her lap instead. The next was... unease. Unease that someone had correspondence with 'workers' in his household - what sort of information networks did this woman have?
So, yes, Shalvesta was intimidated. And she wasn't sure if Naevius letting her know about the information she had was supposed to be a show of her power (letting Shalvesta know she was in over her head), or if it was simply Naevius' way of being upfront with her. For a long moment the two women looked at one another, Shal wide-eyed and tight-lipped, but finally she let out a tense breath and barely nodded her head, her eyes ducking from Naevius' face as her usual timidity returned. "As you say, my lad-- ... Naevius. I.. could use all the help I could get."
Even if the help Naevius offered was more to do with social image, it was more aid than Shalvesta had expected beforehand. Besides which, she'd met a rarity of nobles that didn't look down on someone for not being trained from birth. Most nobles KNEW that Shalvesta was at a bit of a disadvantage, but her marrying up in the world had always been the point of contention in the first place - and her lack of social graces, due to relying on her husband to speak and deal with invitations and the like, only helped cement that fact. Few nobles would offer a fix for a shortcoming they thought amusing.
"I only wish I could return your... kindness in some way."
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Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2014 12:45 pm
Naevius wished there was something she could say to put the other at ease. But interactions among nobles were seldom at leisure unless you were one of those gossiping older ladies who no longer had anything better to do. At least Shalvesta seemed to relax a little bit by the time she was done speaking. Shalvesta's timidness showed that she was still relatively uncomfortable though. When the other caught herself and finally used her name, it made Nae smile. "Please don't worry about that, you really don't have to do anything in return. Although..." She wondered if what she wanted to ask would be asking too much. Would she be forcing it or would Shalvesta actually want to? Naevius supposed there was really only one way to find out. "As I'm sure you've noticed...there aren't really many nobles here our age..." She started saying somewhat sheepishly, this time it was her averting her eyes. "If you wouldn't mind, of course, that we get together sometimes? Not like any stuffy noble parties. We could do anything, stay here, venture off, whatever. Please don't feel obligated to say yes though, not unless you actually want to."Sorry it's not as long as your awesome post! D:
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:48 pm
At the lady's smile, Shalvesta felt herself relax a bit more, offering a small one in return, but then ducking her eyes as the woman spoke. At tacking on an 'although', Shalvesta dreaded to wonder what it was the woman would want from her. In the end, though...? Naevius asked for her companionship. And that was certainly a surprise. It was one thing to offer your protective patronage, so to speak - another to legitimately desire ones presence. Shalvesta was far too flabbergasted to bother looking away, or flushing in embarassment - instead she stared, wide-eyed, a hand settling over her mouth. Sure, part of her felt she should accept such an invitation.
On the other hand, it truly was nerve wracking, to be in a camp full of men when she couldn't stand the sight of them. Being near another lady would be like a balm to a burn wound - refreshing and much needed. "That would be a refreshing change, to be honest." She conceded with a small smile, running her fingertips over the rope at her belly. "I'm not much of a companion, but I'd be ... glad, honestly."Nilah44 Nahh it's fine XD Sorry for my posts
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Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:07 am
Naevius exhaled a sigh of relief as Shalvesta had accepted her plee for companionship. Did she worry that the other had said yes only because of her station? Of course. Did she worry that she would be forcing another who may not want to be around her to be around her? Duh. But for all the people in the camp, Nae was seriously lacking friends. Or at least people she could talk to. Moving away from her own thoughts, she smiled again at Shalvesta. Especially having her being smiled at made Nae's concerns go away a little bit. "Don't even worry about it in the slightest. I'm really not so high and mighty that we can't have fun too. There are lots of things to do and see in the camp." At least there was for her. Naevius didn't really know what kind of restrictions Shalvesta had but she was confident she could talk them past any guards or whatever they needed to to do what they wanted.
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2014 12:12 am
Was Shalvesta's acceptance really such a pleasure to the woman? Curious, the younger prentice gazed up at the noblewoman infront of her, her head tilting slightly, wondering just what the woman was considering, with such an expression of relief on her face. There was something very flattering about that - that her answer was enough to make this woman, so much above her station, react this way. And it did remind her that Naevius had been very kind to her - it was likely that she was like Ichil, in this way, surrounded by those bound by propriety but wanting to rebel against it, or at the very least look past those societal bounds.
It made her next words all the more honest. She cracked a smile, more natural now, then laughed very softly at Nae's next words."Indeed, and much more to do with a companion by your side. A-although I don't think my lady would be as intrigued with swordplay as myself, or the other soldiers...?" It was a question. Surely the woman meant exploring camp, sitting and talking with other nobles - or did she, like Ichil, want to get into the thick of it with the soldiers? Somehow she wasn't so certain of that, but Shalvesta's curiosity demanded the rather pointed question nonetheless.
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Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 10:58 am
Shalvesta's laugh sound much less forced and Naevius was glad for it. She hated when people her own age acted like she was some adult. It caused for a fairly boring childhood, except when hidden in her own home where she could be free to do what she wanted, within reason of course. Naevius smiled as Shal revealed some of the things she was interested in, which was something she was kind of interested in but not as much as some. "Swordplay is pretty interesting. We do have some good soldiers who's sparring is pretty entertaining. But...can you keep a secret?" Nae had a devious smile on as she was about to reveal something she hadn't told many her age. "I want to be a beast tamer like my Father! I sometimes slip into the woods to practice but it's been getting increasingly difficult lately because of all the fighting." Nae felt like a little girl again, giggling with whoever she could pull into her antics.
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Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 2:58 am
"A beast tamer? " She echoed, tilting her head and blinking. Well, she could see how it would become more difficult to sneak away - but also very, very dangerous. She hoped that Naevius wasn't considering sneaking off into THIS forest to train - not with the locals around, knowing these lands better than they did. "I just - hope that you take care of yourself. Keep yourself as safe as possible." But Shalvesta couldn't see any shame in wanting to be a beast tamer, so why keep it a secret?
"It was the strength of our beasts, and their skilled trainers, that made our first victory such a landmark." Shalvesta pointed out with a soft, shy smile. "I believe such a victory will inspire many a beast tamer - so why keep it a secret, my lady?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 7:11 pm
Naevius smiled hesitantly at Shalvesta. It seemed to puzzle the other when she told her that she wanted to be a beast tamer. "Oh I'm always safe. I've made a few friends among the soldiers and along with the guards my father sends I'm normally pretty safe when I go out." She said honestly. Not that she always wanted the presence of guards, but Nae knew they were needed sometimes. She nodded slightly as Shal recalled the outcome in their first battle with Tendaji. Her father had supplied some of the beasts to help with the battle, thought she wasn't sure if the great Arwa had come from her family's business. It was entirely possible, however, that the handlers had been trained out of her father's compound. "In case you didn't know, my father owns a prominent beast taming business back home. It is from him that I get my inspiration. And my love of beasts of all kind. I keep it a secret because..." She paused, how to explain? "As I'm sure you're well aware, others, be it nobles or otherwise, frown when a noble woman aspires to do more than be a noblewoman. Beast tamers also aren't too fond of the idea of a noble woman in their craft so it has been difficult to find help outside my father's people." She had a bit of a frown on her face. It was her position that kept her from openly doing what she wanted, and yet, there was nothing she could do about it...well, there was but none that came to mind that she'd be willing to do.
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Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:03 pm
Ahh. Now Shalvesta understood. Nodding her head, the girl sat back a bit, biting her lip in thought, but turning her head over the possibilities ended in nothing. Naevius could continue to pursue her craft, but the game of nobility was dangerous, and shirking what was expected of her could lose her many friends and allies. And with the Oban world changing so much, you would need strong political ties in the new world they were creating - families were built or broken in such historical shifts.
"I... can understand that beast taming is a dangerous occupation. And that you aren't just risking life and limb if you chose to pursue it." With that said, Shalvesta hesitantly rose her gaze to the woman and smiled, softly, "But even with a little support it's amazing what you can do- what you can prove. I truly think if ... if you continue your training, and if your debut as beast tamer shows you to be skilled already, then some will have no choice but to concede your competence."
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