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 Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 5:16 pm
"I think you've gotten the point spot-on," Tri-no said. "They turn their pithy platitudes to whatever use suits them best. It's all very frustrating."
Tri-no scowled, thinking about her cousins. She had several, and all of them seemed to be good at whatever they put their minds to. It was really quite frustrating. She was the only mage her house had actually birthed in over a century, and she deserved to be respected for that, if nothing else. Also, she was the only one in her family who displayed any sort of ambition. Everyone else just accepted whatever position they were assigned without questioning it. Only she, Trielnolu, demonstrated the qualities which made the drow distinct and superior among the other races of the world. Cleverness, guile, ambition. She alone possessed those traits. It galled her to think that her aunt had no care for that.
"Because, as you say, misconceptions can be dangerous, I will relieve you of one. The cousin my aunt plans to have inherit is not her daughter. She produced no daughters. She is the oldest of three sisters. My mother was the first of them to produce a daughter - admittedly a religious fanatic, useless to everyone - but my second aunt could manage no better. Her offsprings are nothing special. Warriors and priestesses ordained by minor temples with little official training. The cousin who will inherit is the youngest daughter of my second aunt - the one who is not our Matriarch." Tri-no contained her outrage at the insult done to everyone else in her family by the Matron's selection of Shrisin rather well, she felt.
"But you are correct. I am underappreciated. That will change." Her mouth narrowed into a thin, grim line as she finished speaking this piece. She would take her rightful place as Matron Baen'duis upon her aunt's death, no matter what it took. She probably looked a little terrifying.
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 8:32 am
Mas D'aun had a slightly satisfied expression on his face when Tri-no would agree with him in part. After all, what drow did not like being right? However, her House situation was quite different then what he had first believed it could be.
"Hmm..well then..." Mas thoughtfully considered the new information. "It's obvious I suppose...she just does not like you. Pity that. How do you intend on changing your situation then?" It would have to be rather difficult with such odds against her. Mas felt extremely fortunate that his problem was no where near was complex. He simply had to wait until Barrith died and avoid any ambitious females until he could secure the fortune for himself. Of course, they would no longer be a House...but if he could not be a Matron he did not want anyone else to have Barrith.
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 10:13 am
"I don't know. Sometimes I think I could impress her if I just did well enough in my studies." Her eyes darted from one side to the other, as though some answer might appear before her. Not that there was any precedent for the appearance of any such epiphany.
"But what about you? How do you feel about Quavvira?" She recalled that he was the Matron's son. "It would seem obvious that she would want to claim you so that her inheritance would be indisputable. At least, that's what I'd do."
She could do that, she supposed. Go after her aunt's son. But he was a detestable creature. She didn't care for him. No one did. Even her cousin Shrisin had never made a bid for his attentions, and that slut would sleep with anyone. Still, if she could place a claim on her aunt's son, her own position would be improved within the house while her cousin was away. It was a thought. She would put up with a lot to win the Matronship of her House.
"Or is that what you meant about breathing room? If you'd like some tips on getting rid of her, I could help."
She wasn't sure what prompted her to make the offer. Something to pass the time, she supposed. And, of course, there was an excellent chance he would refuse her offer and let her off the hook. Either way, it killed some time until Brizthara finished in her dealings.
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Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:04 pm
Mas flipped a hand in a slight gesture as he nodded his head in general agreement with Tri-no. "That is possibly a way to prove your worth. Sometimes intelligence isn't everything though. I personally would favor a daughter that had more gall. Even if she wasn't the brightest of my children, I would approve of her if she was shrewd and possessed a lovely spark of maliscious determination. I mean honestly think about it. A House run a Matron that only has intelligence is not going to really get anywhere. What sort of legacy would it forge?"
The hand that Mas had used to gesture previously swept upwards to brush through his hair. He swept it back over his shoulder while attempting to hide the small frown that turned down his lips.
"How do I feel about...Quavvira? Well how do you think I feel? I certainly can't question my Matrons choice in heir. I am only a male after all. Ugh...but you are so correct." And here Mas simply shuddered. His hand splayed it's fingers over his chest in a feminine manner as he spoke such sour words.
"Quavvira certainly is attempting to claim me. Of that there can be no doubt. But I find her utterly repulsive. She's Houseless you know? I have no intentions of letting her claim me, reguardless of whether or not Matron Barrith gets around to declaring her the heir."
Mas paused then, his lips pressing closed as he realized that, once again, he really was being far too free with his words.
"Well yes. I suppose that is what I meant though. Quavvirra has not given me a day of rest since Barrith brought her into our House. It's only been three years but still... Something must be up for her to be too distracted to leave me alone for so long...not that I'm complaining. I'm not so vain as to get upset that she's found something better then harassing me..."
Mas D'aun's head tilted and he seemed to fix a very intense sort of look upon Tri-No. Tips?
"Well...I can assume what some of those tips might be... I simply couldn't though. It would just be far too obvious I had done something and I've no desire to end up dead over a filthy common blood. She is Barriths potential heir after all. That alone puts her above me wouldn't you think?"
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:42 pm
"Pity you're not in a position to decide who's going to head my house when my aunt dies," Tri-no muttered. "I'd do a lot better with you. But that's not likely to happen. I mean, son of a Matron or not, the key word is son. You couldn't possibly head a house."
It didn't occur to Tri-no that she might give offense. All the males in her acquaintance, even the son of her own Matron, were adjusted to the idea that a male simply could not be in a position of authority or power. The only male in her House in recent history who had ever reversed the balance of power had been swiftly and harshly punished, serving as a warning and a deterrent to any who might think to do similarly. Tri-no was proud to have been allowed to wield a whip against him on that day. It was the first - and last - time that the Matriarch had acknowledged her.
Mas' demeanor as he discussed Qavvira was telling. Once he mentioned that the future heir to Barrith was Houseless, she wished once more that she had payed more attention to Brizthara. Had her mentor mentioned that? She doubted it, because such a thing could not possibly have escaped her attention. The idea was abhorrent. Someone who was Houseless could never hope to learn everything necessary for dealing with the more noble castes of Drow society. They were scum. Even the males of her House held higher status than a Houseless female.
"That's...Oh!" She couldn't conceal her disgust as she repeated, "Houseless? Do not let her claim you. You are of better quality stock than she, and it would diminish your House to allow her to...Oh! I'm so sorry."
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:04 pm
"I could..." Mas D'aun began with a irritated lit to his voice. Though he quickly swallowed any more words that were to follow. It did him no good venting this frustration. If anything it just made him look even more foolish. Still, mas was positive that he could have run his House perfectly...provided he was a female.
"Yes Houseless, and you've no need to urge me otherwise. I won't even let her touch me. Though it is exceptionally difficult to manage that when she is so set on it. I've been both fortunate and keen enough to avoid falling into her filthy little grip."
Mas D'aun lifted his hand and made a fluttering motion with it as she would mention dimishment of his House. "My House is going to be diminished reguardless of whether or not I let her get ahold of me. The moment she takes up the mantle we'll be a source of scorn despite our merits. I've no idea yet what I intend on doing quite yet...but if Quavvira is appointed Heir of House Barrith I believe I will be leaving...indefinatly...."
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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:25 pm
She heard the beginnings of an irritated response, but she ignored it. She was certain it would be something as inappropriate as throwing a pillow at her had been, and she didn't care to hear it.
"I shouldn't wonder that most of the House will leave indefinitely if she comes to power. Someone should do something."
She shuddered involuntarily thinking about what the infiltration of common blood would do to a House's standing. It was unthinkable. There were no laws forbidding the Matron of a House from adopting anyone they chose into the House. Likewise, there were no laws limiting a Matron's chosen successor to one who was Housebred, but it simply wasn't done any other way. There were reasons. The Houseless were vermin, uncouth and unwashed vagrants. Unpalatable, and certainly unfit to deal with civilized company. She was glad that she need have very few dealings with House Barrith in the future, being a native of Llurth Dreir.
"Where do you intend to go, should things take a turn for the worse? Is that why you're studying a trade, to make yourself useful in the even that you need to take flight?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 4:47 pm
Mas D'aun selected on of the books nearby and lifted it delicately with his fingers.
"Do? Do? What is there to be done Tri-no? She's the Matron, there is nothing to be done but abide by her will. That's the way it is supposed to be."
He let his blue eyes sweep over the cover of the book with a thoughtful expression upon his face.
"If I were a daughter rather then a son this wouldn't even be happening."
His head gave just the tiniest of shakes. With a careless twist of his wrist Mas allowed the book to flop back upon the beds surface.
"Should? No. I believe it is rather a 'When' things take a turn for the worst. Most likely I will end up leaving, unless Quavv suspects my plans. Then I'll probably end up locked somewhere unpleasent. Should I be successful though..well... I suppose I am indeed studying magic so I will at least be able to effectively provide for myself. If I learn enchanting then I can apply myself at nearly any place for hire. I am certain I can locate a willing buyer for such services. But I must first improve upon what little skill I have."
Mas nodded, more to himself this time, and reached for another book. Fingering the spine he allowed a bemused twist of his lips to form.
"Or I could always see if I can find some male drow that is intersted in pretty men to take me in. I do not think I am beneath stooping to exchanging favors in order to remain hidden away from Quavv. She really is quite vulgar I tell you."
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 6:23 pm
Tri-no's distaste was evident in her expression. He spoke about being ruthless and ambitious and taking charge, but he wasn't willing to do so himself. Though she did not approve of males holding positions of authority, as a rule, she would prefer a Housebred male over a Houseless female in any situation. She couldn't believe he was willing to abide by such a ludicrous decision. Perhaps there was nothing he could do about it, she told herself, but she didn't really believe that. She believed a person should depose an unfit leader, preferably before they came to power.
"You do seem, however, to be male," she remarked dryly. "More's the pity for your House."
She cocked one eyebrow at Mas' last musing. "Why limit yourself to males? Is that your own preference? Someone as pretty as you might do just as well to find himself a patroness, rather than a patron. Certainly there'd be more protection to be had there. I wish I were in a position to offer you aid, but, sadly, my position and yours aren't so different. We both have to watch someone inherit the Matronship of our respective Houses who should never have been considered. Besides, if you like males, we are rivals in that, because I'm rather fond of them myself."
It was an attempt at humor. She'd never been quite as good at it as she would like. She said things which ought to have been funny, and which she had heard others use effectively in similar situations to amuse others, but for whatever reason it never worked out as she planned. Her sister told her it was because she had no sense of timing, but she mostly ignored everything Ree said. Ree was a religious fanatic, and relatively useless.
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 5:03 pm
Tri-no's 'pity' comment gained her a upraised lip curl and a rather unpleasent glare.
"I have plenty more pillows here, I have no problem flinging another one at you." He warned in a half serious tone. Odds are he would not throw another pillow, but he did make a show of grabbing one corner and lifting it a inch off the bed. Of course following that he let it drop. She was right though. It was a great pity that he was a male. What he wouldn't give to be a woman! And he certainly did not think that just out of lack of position he held.
Besides, Tri-no had choosen to question a certain aspect that Mas D'aun found himself just a touch uneasy with. "Oh yes yes. Of that I have no doubt. A female certainly would provide me with the protection I would wish. Patricularly if this female was already a member of another House. I am certain Quavv would not dare butt heads with a true Houseblood female."
Mas D'aun lifted both of his hands in a small helpless gesture. "But then I'd have to submitt myself to...well... her. You've pointed it out yourself. I am quite pretty. I may not be quite the prize male from a influential House, but I still have the merit of being a lovely thing in the decorative sense. I wouldn't be able to stand letting some woman do what she wanted with me. It is my preference to find myself a male eventually."
Mas D'aun shifted on the bed so as to swing his legs over the edge. He stretched them slightly out before him, then leaned back to rest upon his elbows. "I find the thought of laying with a female...disturbing. I am not altogether positive I'll like males at this point either. Given the circumstances. I'll probably never find a companion or even a toy to play with. I am fine with this though. It is the wealthy that I may lose that I am not fine with. Quavv instituted a sort of 'allowance' rationing once she moved into the House. I'm barely given enough to cover the cost of my classes."
His head tilted to eye the door for a thoughtful moment. "Once Quavv inherits I am certainly leaving, but I assure you it will not be empty handed. There are multiple vaults here besides the main one. I intend to take every damn coin and gem I can manage from one of the smaller vaults that is not as watched. It will be weeks before they realize how much I have taken. By then I assume I will have been able to buy myself a nice well fortified place in another city and I will set up some sort of residence there. Find myself some male from a lesser house that is itching for some chance or other and hopefully be able to use him as a proper cover while I continue my studies. I may be male, but I am by far not a fool! House Barrith has always been a skilled house of Merchants, and by Lloth I'll make something work!"
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 6:24 pm
"You throw that at me, I'll set it on fire and throw it back at you," Tri-no warned, only half joking. "That much is within my abilities."
She was being truthful in that instance. With her staff to help her focus she could certainly set a pillow aflame and she had always been good at moving things with her mind. When she was young she had used it to torment the cousins closest to her age, particularly Valyrr, who wouldn't oppose her unless she did anything to threaten his beloved Shrisin. Then he was suddenly more willing to oppose her. Still, she had also used the ability on guards and servants.
She sighed. If she were in a different position, she could offer Mas her protection. He was attractive, but entirely too feminine for her tastes, so he would be totally safe from her amorous attentions. She would get a fellow mage out of it who she could turn against Shrisin, who may be a priestess-in-training, but possessed no magic. But the point was moot. She couldn't offer anyone protection, and she was not even living at home, currently, so she had no place to put an acquired male. There was no room for him in her quarters at the school of magecraft.
"You're very pragmatic," she observed. "I know very few Housebred people willing to try to live Houseless. Though with sufficient funds all things are possible, they say."
She did not remark upon his sudden vehemence and insistence that he would find a way to work things out. In her experience, determination did not always equate to achievement. Otherwise she would be her aunt's heir, and not Shri. She did possess a similar drive, however, to advance herself, and could only hope to be able to take advantage of Shri's absence to do so.
"As to your preferences, I suspect if you met the right person you would find yourself saying otherwise, regardless of gender. I must remember never to let you meet my cousin - the one who's going to be Matron. You would not come out of the encounter well. She can seduce anything with a pulse, and does so at every opportunity, and then leaves when her appetites have been sated." She mouthed a last word which might have slut or an epithet more foul, but a grin quickly asserted itself. It was always pleasant to be able to speak her views on Shrisin without worrying about reprisal.
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:05 pm
For a absolutly insane playful moment Mas D'aun was overcome by the urge to test her. Throw the pillow and just see how apt she was at flinging a firey ball of feathers back at him. However it was just a moment of insanity, and it quickly passed.
"Thank you." He choose to speak instead. Accepting the complement with just a small hint of self satisfaction. "And isn't that always the case? Find the right person and who knows what may happen?"
Mas flicked a hand in a disinterested gesture. "I don't believe in it though. I do not believe I will find a 'right person' ever. There is no right person for me, and I certainly am not going to waste time looking for them when I have a future to secure.... though... I do appreciate your warning about this cousin of yours. I do not think I'd like to meet her at all."
Though Mas suspected she'd have less luck with her 'seduction' of him if he was as skittish as he always turned out when dealing with females...
"Here at home I am far more...comfortable. I am safe here I suppose, so I am so much more composed...and...your way over there..." He flicked his hand again to gesture towards the seat Tri-no was sitting in. "I have this horrible...problem...when females get too close. I can't keep focused and ugh...it's just a complete embaressment really. So odds are your cousin would get offended by me and then I am afraid I'd be in even worse trouble then if she did try to touch me...paugh..."
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:52 pm
Tri-no shook her head. She didn't like her cousin. She hated her, in fact. But she could occasionally overcome her pride enough to acknowledge that Shrisin was very skilled in the arts of seduction. When she wanted somebody, she got them. She could always tell the best way to get at a person, to get under their skin and make sure they could think of nothing but her, even long after she was through with them. The only escape was not to be attracted to females, and even then Shri had ways of entrancing them and making them like her and seek out her company.
She followed his hands' motions with her eyes. If proximity was his problem, she knew Shri had ways of overcoming that, too. Tri-no had a brief urge to get up and move closer to see what would happen if she got closer to him, but that would be unnecessary, and probably spoil the fragile rapport they had established. She didn't want to do that. There was no point in making enemies when it wasn't necessary, and even though Mas was not important in his House, he could still make life difficult for her in the future if she offended him.
"You don't understand," she said with a hint of amusement coloring her tone. "Shri wouldn't let you know if you offended her. And she wouldn't try to come near you once she determined your difficulty. She would somehow make you come to her." She shook her head once more in grudging admiration. "I don't know how she does it."
"I doubt you'll ever have the opportunity to meet her," she continued. "And I'm glad. There's little so annoying as cultivating an acquaintance and then having said acquaintance stolen away."
She shifted on the chair she had claimed so she could reach down and pick up the pillow he had flung at her originally. She held this pillow in her lap and played with the tassels at the corners as she said, "I'm sure you'll meet someone. Most people do. The trick is being allowed to stay with whomever you decide upon."
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:35 pm
"She sounds utterly unpleasent." Mas D'aun remarked, then added silently to himself 'and sinister!' "I'll be grateful not to make her aquaintence then. Speaking with you has been enjoyable though. I don't think I've had pleasent conversation like this in a very long time."
Relationships...the whole topic made Mas Unhappy and fretful. It would be nice to find a drow he could relax around. Someone that would stroke his hair...tell him how lovely he was...someone that would nibble on his ears and toes just to make him laugh.... It was all romantic nonsense though. One simply did not find drow like that here.
"We've spent all this time talking about me..you haven't really said much about your own plans have you?" Mas D'aun flipped the talk about now. "Surely you aren't going to be content to be a little minion to this aunt you dislike. Don't you have any half-hazard idea of what you could possibly do to change your situation?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:58 pm
Forced to speak and put on the spot, Tri-no's fingers absently worked a five-strand plait into the individual strands of the pillow's tassels. It occurred to her that she could exercise feminine privilege and refuse to share her plans with him, but that went back to her reluctance to make an enemy of Mas. He seemed a decent sort, for a male, and very sensible, despite his outward flightiness. She was given to wonder how much of his demeanor was affected and how much was real. It was expected that a drow would be able to evince more than one mien at need. How likely was it that she was only seeing a facade as she spoke to him?
She was struck with a wave of suspicion. Was it possible that Shrisin had already corrupted him and turned him against her? Was he just working to learn her plans so that he could report it to Shri, to be foiled in advance of her even beginning to put them in action? Had he been lying to her to gain her trust? Her suspicion showed in her narrowed eyes and her fingers as they plucked nervously at the braid around the edge of the pillow. If she were a more skilled mage she could 'read his intent, but her training had not yet covered that skill. If she tried it, at best he would know what she was attempting, and at worst she would leave his mind a blank slate. Best not to.
With conscious effort she overcame the near-paralysis induced by her bout of paranoia and exhaled a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"I plan to let my aunt pay for my magical education and become as powerful as I can. Then I will turn my powers against my cousin at a distance and do all that is within my power to destroy her by any means possible. Ideally I would kill her, but that could prove problematic and my aunt might decide to be contrary. I could, of course, kill my aunt while Shri's away and simply take the Matronship, but I can't believe that hasn't already been tried, and if it has, it was obviously unsuccessful."
It was nerve-wracking to discuss sedition, even in a far away city with someone who had never met her family. Word could travel frighteningly fast through the Underdark, and her aunt surely kept tabs on all potential rivals to her position. Tri-no would do no less in her place.
"There's not really much I can do about my aunt. My House likes her, and we've enjoyed more prosperity under her than we have the last six generations of matrons. I think the Goddess may even like her, to a certain extent. The only thing I can do is strike at Shri."
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