Morning light gathers in the bedchamber as Past Delfarius and Future Delfarius prepare their portals. The Tower’s crimson script watches in quiet approval.
Past Delfarius
Before I go, beloved, another message arrived through magic. Lord Caelen sent it again, addressed to Farius.
A sealed letter rests among the coffee things. Its black wax bears House Valcaryn’s crest, and no trace of Pistol or Caelen accompanies the summons.
Past and Future exchange a final amused glance before stepping through their respective portals. The doors close, leaving Delfarius alone with the letter and its unanswered request.
The journey to Orosia passes without interruption. Delfarius travels beneath a mortal guise, ordinary to every eye and sense, though his healing shoulder remains tender beneath his clothing.
House Valcaryn receives him before the household’s bustle fully begins. Servants admit the unremarkable visitor toward a private garden, where Lord Caelen waits beside a still fountain.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Farius. Thank you for coming. I asked for you alone because I wanted to speak plainly, but I am not certain how to begin.
“I smirk gently and laugh softly. "My shoulder still hurts so."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Delfarius
My shoulder still hurts so.
Delfarius smirks gently and laughs softly, though the motion pulls at the healing bruise beneath his clothing. Caelen notices the brief tightening around his eyes.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Then I am sorry. I had hoped the cream and a night’s rest would have settled it completely.
Caelen steps nearer but does not touch him. His concern remains measured, leaving Delfarius room to decide whether to reveal the injury or keep it covered.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
May I look at it, Farius? Only if you want me to. I would rather ask than assume.
The private garden stays quiet around them, fountain water whispering over stone. Caelen’s earlier uncertainty gives way to attentive patience rather than suspicion.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He is hurt, but still laughing. I can offer care without turning concern into another claim upon him.
✓ Quest Accepted
Clarify why Caelen summoned Farius
“I tilt my head to the side with an amused smirk. "Why did you send a letter to me by means of magic. I am here. Say what you will." I smirk at his thoughts of laying a claim on me but do not say it outloud.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Why did you send a letter to me by means of magic? I am here. Say what you will.
Delfarius tilts his head with an amused smirk, keeping his private amusement behind the composed mortal guise. The garden fountain whispers between them.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Because I wrote it before I knew whether you would come, and because a magical letter gave me time to choose my words without an audience.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
I wanted to ask whether last night was truly a choice for you as well, or merely another entertaining chapter in your very extensive life.
Caelen holds Delfarius’s gaze, concern replacing his earlier uncertainty. He still does not touch the injured shoulder, honoring the distance he requested.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
I remember Farius, the garden, and what we chose. I do not remember anything beyond that. If you want me to seek another meeting, say so plainly.
Quest Complete
Clarify why Caelen summoned Farius
“I laugh. "Ok you say that oddly. You remember me? A garden and what we choose. What are you talking about. The other night, when we snuck away so no other eyes were on us?" I smirk. I am still just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Superb Deception, rolled +1)
Delfarius
I laugh. "All right, you say that oddly. You remember me? A garden and what we chose? What are you talking about? The other night, when we snuck away so no other eyes were on us?"
Delfarius smirks beneath his flawless mortal guise. The fountain murmurs between them, and Lord Caelen Valcaryn’s concern shifts as the performance catches him completely off guard.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Yes, you. The garden, the gallery, the private room afterward. You are telling me you remember none of it?
Lord Caelen Valcaryn searches Delfarius’s face for recognition, finding only convincing confusion. He lowers his voice, guarding the intimacy of the exchange from the distant household.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
We left the ball together. You kissed me beneath the eastern arches, and we agreed it would remain ours, without promises or witnesses.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He looks genuinely bewildered. Perhaps the night mattered only to me, or perhaps I have misunderstood the man standing before me.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Tell me what you remember, then. I would rather hear your account than place a memory in your mouth.
“"Ok yes. I remember that." I smirk and point to my bruised shoulder. "You insisted on kissing me against stone and bricks and I got a bruise. We then went to an alcove and made love together. What of it? You are perplexing me, Lord Caelen. Are you asking for something else here by trying to confuse me with the events of what we both remember happening?" I smirk and get closer to him a twinkle in my eyes. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Superb Deception, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Oh, yes. I remember that. You insisted on kissing me against stone and bricks, and I got this bruise. We went to an alcove and made love. What of it? You are perplexing me, Lord Caelen. Are you asking for something else by trying to confuse me about what we both remember?
Delfarius closes the distance with a smirk and a bright twinkle in his eyes, remaining perfectly ordinary to mortal sight and sense. His gesture draws Lord Caelen Valcaryn’s attention to the bruised shoulder.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
No. I am not asking for anything else. I was trying to learn whether the night mattered to you, and your certainty answers that plainly.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn’s shoulders ease, but his expression does not fully soften. The concrete memory, the bruise, and Delfarius’s intimate confidence persuade him that Farius remembers exactly what they shared.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
You have convinced me. I believe you remember the garden, the gallery, and the alcove. But now I know you think I was trying to manipulate you, and that changes what I can safely ask.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He remembers, or he is the most convincing liar I have ever met. Either way, I have shown him that my trust is conditional, and he may use that against me.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
I wanted another meeting, Farius. Not a promise, not ownership, and not confusion. If you still want that, say so plainly. If not, I will leave you to your very extensive memories.
“I roll my eyes and walk up to the fountain and let my fingers dance over the waters like I did that night. "Am I just to be the archivist you have on call to answer your more carnal desires then? Hmm?" I turn back to him with a unreadable smirk on my face. "I do have my own research to do, my archive to catalog, I am not just a Lord's little plaything." I chuckle to myself and think to my thoughts alone, 'He gives me the ammunition to use against him in his own thoughts. I shouldn't but this is just too damn much fun.' I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Superb Deception, rolled +0)
Delfarius rolls his eyes and walks to the fountain. His fingers dance over the moonlit water as they did that night, sending silver ripples across the still basin.
Delfarius
Am I just to be the archivist you have on call to answer your more carnal desires, then? Hmm?
Delfarius
I do have my own research to do, my archive to catalog. I am not just a lord's little plaything.
Delfarius
He gives me the ammunition to use against him in his own thoughts. I shouldn't, but this is just too damn much fun.
He turns back with an unreadable smirk, mortal to every eye and sense. The fountain carries his accusation between them without revealing whether it wounds or delights him.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
No. You are not my plaything, little archivist. I asked for another meeting because I wanted you, not because I mistook your time for something owed.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
And if you have research to pursue, I will not interrupt it. But do not pretend you are indifferent to the possibility of another chapter when you came here and touched the water exactly as you did before.
“I walk closer to him and lean into his space looking him deeply in the eyes. "Aren't you afraid of what your family will say, what the other houses might hear in rumors?" I lick my lips like a challenge to him. I love word foreplay. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Delfarius
Aren't you afraid of what your family will say, what the other houses might hear in rumors?
Delfarius steps closer until the question becomes an intimate challenge. He holds Caelen’s gaze and slowly wets his lips, remaining mortal to every eye and sense.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Of course I am afraid. I am not afraid enough to surrender a choice merely because other houses might dress their gossip as judgment.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
My family may ask questions. Merrow and Sareth may invent answers. Let them. I can deny nothing they have not proved, and I owe them no confession.
Caelen does not retreat from Delfarius’s space. His breath catches at the deliberate challenge, but his expression steadies into the same candid defiance he brought to the fountain.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
If you are asking whether I would risk a rumor for another night with you, Farius, the answer is yes. I would simply prefer to choose the rumor myself.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Tell me plainly whether you want me to come back, and I will decide how boldly I wish to be seen wanting you.
“I laugh softly at him with a bit of an edge that causes him to be unsettled for some unknown reason to him. I brush his cheek softly. "Why are you so defensive towards me if you want to bed me again? Such an odd and off way to flirt."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Delfarius
Why are you so defensive toward me if you want to bed me again? Such an odd, off way to flirt.
Delfarius laughs softly, an edged note that unsettles Caelen without revealing why. He brushes Caelen’s cheek, keeping the touch gentle and the challenge unmistakable.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He heard the guardedness and named it without flinching. I cannot decide whether that makes him safer or far more dangerous.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Because wanting you makes me careless, and carelessness is expensive in my family. I would rather sound defensive than let desire speak for me.
Caelen holds Delfarius’s gaze, but the touch has cost him some composure. His guardedness becomes plain: he wants another night, yet fears being reduced to a secret or a political weakness.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
You have my answer, Farius. I want you again. But if I return, I need discretion and the freedom to leave without becoming leverage in your hands.
“"I am not a nobleman here. You have nothing to fear politically from me, if that is your concern, Lord Caelen." I purr into his ears softly as I let the words warm against his ears. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses. A impossible and sexy mortal man.”
SUCCESS (Superb Deception, rolled +0)
Delfarius
I am not a nobleman here. You have nothing to fear politically from me, if that is your concern, Lord Caelen.
Delfarius purrs the words softly into Caelen’s ear, warm breath turning reassurance into seduction. To mortal eyes and senses, he is only an impossible, captivating man.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He makes simplicity sound believable. No title, no political claim, only a dangerous man asking me to want him freely.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Then I will believe you, Farius. You are not asking for my house, my influence, or my family’s allegiance. You are asking for me.
Caelen’s guarded posture eases. He turns his face toward Delfarius’s voice, accepting the ordinary mortal guise and the reassurance beneath it without searching for a hidden political bargain.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
I want discretion, not distance. If I return, I return as Caelen, not as a contribution to some larger game. Can you give me that?
“I laugh at his ironic choice of words. 'But all of the world is my board to play games with' I think to my thoughts alone. "I want to not be summoned when the Lord has a moment of insincerity in his own mind. If I was to be your little discrete source of carnal pleasure I need to know I am not going to be on call for you at every moment. I have at least a few impossible tasks to complete each day." I laugh choosing the words just to make him feel a bit of strange unease. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses...an impossible and sexy mortal man who has his own life.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Delfarius
All of the world is my board to play games with.
Delfarius
I want not to be summoned whenever a lord has a moment of insincerity. If I am your discreet source of carnal pleasure, I need not be on call at every moment. I have a few impossible tasks each day.
Delfarius laughs at Caelen’s ironic phrasing, delivering the boundary with playful precision. To mortal eyes and senses, he remains only an impossible, captivating man with a life of his own.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He makes refusal sound like an invitation, yet he is drawing a line I must not mistake for flirtation.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Then I will not summon you on a whim, Farius. If I want you, I will ask clearly, and you may decide whether my request deserves space among your impossible tasks.
His agreement comes readily, but a small unease remains in his eyes. Caelen has heard the warning beneath the laughter: desire grants no claim upon Delfarius’s time.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Though I confess, I may wonder what could possibly outrank me. If you leave me curious, I reserve the right to ask, rather than summon.
✓ Quest Accepted
See Caelen again by mutual choice
“I laugh and walk a few paces from him. 'I am just enjoying this little game of cat and mouse way too much.' I think to my thoughts alone. "Oh we are going to pull title and ranks over my time and projects. Amusing." I sit down on the fountain and look over to his eyes, a twinkle of amusement and something deeper inside them he can not quite decern. "Caelen, You worry I am going to use you, then when I say I have a life you say 'how dare he not drop it all for me because I am a Lord' You can not have both." I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses. A mortal man who is watching Caelen with an unreadable expression of amusement on his face.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Delfarius laughs and walks a few paces from Caelen, then settles onto the fountain’s edge. The water ripples beneath him as his unreadable amusement deepens.
Delfarius
Oh, we are going to pull title and ranks over my time and projects. Amusing.
Delfarius
I am just enjoying this little game of cat and mouse way too much. Caelen, you worry I am going to use you, then when I say I have a life you say, ‘How dare he not drop it all for me because I am a lord.’ You cannot have both.
He watches Caelen with a mortal man’s composed face, a twinkle of amusement and something deeper behind his eyes. The fountain’s hush makes the boundary impossible to mistake.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
You are right. I made my title sound like a claim after asking you not to treat me as one. That was unfair.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Your projects outrank my impatience because they are yours. If I want your time, I will ask plainly, accept your answer, and stop pretending curiosity is entitlement.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
I still want another night with you, Farius. But I understand now that wanting it does not make me your priority, and being a lord changes nothing about your time.
Quest Complete
See Caelen again by mutual choice
“I smirk and clap slowly and sarcastically at Caelen. "By the Gods I think he got it." I say with a sarcastic laugh. 'He is making this all so entertaining to play with him. I do hope this back and forth continues for a bit more.' I think to my thoughts alone. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses. A mortal man with an amused sarcastic look on his face.”
SUCCESS (Superb Deception, rolled +2)
Delfarius
By the Gods, I think he got it.
Delfarius claps slowly, each measured strike dripping with sarcasm. His amused mortal expression remains flawless, and the fountain carries his quiet laugh across the garden.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
There it is. The applause of a man delighted to discover that his lesson has finally landed.
Caelen bows from the waist with exaggerated solemnity, then straightens with a smile that refuses to become submissive. His earlier defensiveness has sharpened into playful confidence.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Do not mistake understanding for surrender, Farius. I can respect your time and still make you work for mine.
He steps nearer the fountain but leaves the distance between them intact, offering no touch and making the restraint itself part of the game.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
So tell me, amusing archivist, what impossible project outranks another evening with me? I promise to listen without declaring my title a trump card.
“I just smirk. "Well I will need to heal properly before you make me kiss you against any more bricks." I scoff a small laugh. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Superb Deception, rolled +1)
Delfarius
Well, I will need to heal properly before you make me kiss you against any more bricks.
Delfarius smirks and gives a small scoffing laugh, keeping his posture easy despite the tender shoulder. To mortal eyes and senses, he is only a wounded, witty man.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
I would never make you do anything, Farius. I might invite you toward softer furnishings and let you decide whether to ignore me.
Caelen’s gaze briefly touches the covered bruise, then returns to Delfarius’s face. His amusement remains, but his concern now carries no demand.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Besides, I have learned my lesson. A lord’s title does not outrank your time, and a stone arch does not outrank your shoulder.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He is hiding something behind that effortless mortal smile, but I have no proof, and I will not invent one simply because he fascinates me.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
When you are healed, Farius, I will ask properly. Until then, I can offer coffee, a comfortable chair, and considerably fewer bricks.
“I throw my head back. "Considerably." I look to him with a twinkle in my eyes. "So there will be some bricks with the coffee and the comfortable chair?" I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Superb Deception, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Considerably. So there will be some bricks with the coffee and the comfortable chair?
Delfarius throws his head back, laughter brightening the quiet garden, then looks to Caelen with a conspiratorial twinkle. His mortal guise remains flawless.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
There may be a single, carefully selected brick, provided it remains decorative and nowhere near your injured shoulder.
Caelen’s smile broadens as he steps nearer, though he leaves the distance between them open. The fountain murmurs, and his concern stays softened by willing amusement.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Coffee, a comfortable chair, and one harmless brick for atmosphere. You may reject the arrangement, of course, but I suspect you enjoy making me negotiate for it.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He is teasing me, not hiding behind the joke. I can answer in kind without turning care into another claim.
Caelen gestures toward the garden path, where a shaded table waits beside the fountain. Two steaming cups rest upon it, accompanied by a small cushion and an ornamental stone.
“"I find it a tad offensive that you bring a brick to remind my shoulder of the pain it's kind caused it." I laugh as I sit down and then sip on the offered coffee.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +2)
Delfarius
I find it a tad offensive that you bring a brick to remind my shoulder of the pain it kind of caused. Still, I suppose it has atmosphere.
Delfarius laughs as he sits at the shaded table, settling comfortably beside the ornamental stone. He lifts the offered coffee and takes a measured sip.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Then the brick is officially decorative, harmless, and entirely innocent of your injury. The coffee, however, accepts no blame for anything.
The blend is rich and warm, its bitterness softened by a trace of honey. Fountain water whispers nearby while Caelen takes the chair opposite him.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Better? I can remove the stone if it offends you, though I admit I enjoy having one prop for our negotiations.
Delfarius
The coffee is good, and the shoulder tolerates the chair.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
There. You are smiling again. I will count that as approval, but I will still let you decide whether the brick remains.
“I raise my eyebrow at the sweetness in the cup and wave a finger over it to remove it. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses. A mortal Archivist with some magical skill. "I prefer my coffee black."”
SUCCESS (Good Magic, rolled +1)
Delfarius
I prefer my coffee black.
Delfarius raises one eyebrow and waves a finger over the cup. A subtle thread of magic draws out the honey, leaving the coffee dark and unsweetened.
The sweetness vanishes without steam or spectacle. He takes another measured sip, and the rich bitterness settles cleanly across his tongue.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Of course you do. I should have guessed the man who negotiates with bricks would object to honey in his coffee.
Caelen watches the cup rather than Delfarius’s hand, accepting the small display of magic without alarm. His smile turns wry across the shaded table.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Is that the full extent of your magical skill this morning, or should I prepare for the coffee to develop opinions?
The ornamental stone remains beside them, harmless and decorative. Fountain water murmurs as Caelen lifts his own cup, leaving the next choice open.
“"Well that is just absurd. Coffee having opinions. But that brick might." I say with a smirk as I lift it up with a weave of magic and remove it from the table. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Good Magic, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Well, that is just absurd. Coffee having opinions. But that brick might.
Delfarius lifts the ornamental brick from the table with a quiet weave of magic and sets it on the garden path, removing it from their negotiation. To mortal eyes and senses, he remains only a smirking man with an empty hand.
The spell barely settles before a sharp pulse runs through his fingertips. The coffee cup trembles, and the magic leaves his hand numb from wrist to thumb.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
There. The brick has been formally dismissed, though your hand appears to have lodged a complaint.
Caelen reaches toward Delfarius’s hand, then pauses before touching him, remembering to ask rather than assume. The fountain continues its soft, indifferent murmur.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
May I see whether the magic hurt you, or should I let you pretend that numbness is part of your performance?
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He made the gesture look effortless, but the cost was real. I can offer care without turning it into a claim.
“"It is just numb. It will ease in a bit. I used the arm that has a bruised shoulder. It is my own fault." I chuckle. I take a measured sip of my coffee and smirk. "So now that we have established our accord, my Lord, what other concerns sit on your lovely mind this morning?" I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Delfarius
It is just numb. It will ease in a bit. I used the arm with the bruised shoulder. It is my own fault.
Delfarius chuckles, takes a measured sip of black coffee, and smirks across the shaded table. The numbness remains, but his hand holds the cup steadily.
Delfarius
So now that we have established our accord, my lord, what other concerns sit on your lovely mind this morning?
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
The immediate concern is whether you mean this accord as plainly as you stated it. I can accept your time having limits, but I need honesty within them.
Caelen studies Delfarius’s face, then glances toward the empty place where the ornamental brick had rested. His expression remains amused, though the question carries genuine weight.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Beyond that, House Merrow has been asking about my absences, and Sareth has noticed I am distracted. I want another meeting, but not if it turns this garden into a political venue.
“I sip on my coffee and smirk, saying over the rim of the cup, "Why have you been absent? Has my night of mind blowing sex driven you that mad that your are besides yourself with thoughts of the next time we meet?" I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Why have you been absent? Has our astonishing night together left you so distracted that you are already thinking about when we meet again?
Delfarius sips over the rim of his cup, smirking across the shaded table. His tone turns the question into a playful challenge rather than a demand.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
You make absence sound like a confession, Farius. But yes, I have thought about seeing you again more often than is prudent.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He has made it impossible to answer with dignity. I want another meeting, and he already knows it.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
I stayed away because I was deciding whether desire was worth the risks around it. It is, though I would prefer to choose the hour myself.
Caelen’s smile grows despite his guardedness. The fountain whispers between them, and his answer leaves no doubt that the next meeting occupies his thoughts.
“"So meet with the houses, and leave my name out of the discussions unless you want the scandal. You seemed so masterful the other night, why is this trivial thing perplexing you so?" I say over my measured sip of coffee with a raised eyebrow. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Delfarius
So meet with the houses, and leave my name out of the discussions unless you want the scandal. You seemed so masterful the other night, why is this trivial thing perplexing you so?
Delfarius says it over a measured sip of coffee, one eyebrow raised. To mortal eyes and senses, he is only a composed man making an incisive social demand across a garden table.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Because the houses are not trivial, Farius. They turn absences into leverage and silence into confession. But you are right: I have been treating their curiosity as more powerful than it is.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn exhales, then reaches for his cup without touching Delfarius. The fountain whispers behind him as his uncertainty resolves into a practical, almost amused plan.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
I will meet Merrow and Sareth separately, discuss trade and family business, and leave your name entirely out of it. If they want scandal, they can invent their own.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
As for Valcaryn, I will make it clear that my private hours are mine. No house receives a report simply because I smiled at the wrong guest.
His smile returns, sharpened by the challenge. The political concern is settled on his terms, while the invitation beneath it remains deliberately open between them.
“I look towards him the eyebrow still arched like a question mark. "Is your grandfather and aunt asking about what has you distracted?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
Delfarius
Is your grandfather and aunt asking about what has you distracted?
Delfarius keeps one eyebrow arched like a question mark, his black coffee steady in his hand. The question lands lightly, but its precision leaves Caelen nowhere to hide.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
My grandfather has asked twice whether I am pursuing an alliance, and my aunt has asked three times whether I am concealing a scandal.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Neither knows about you. They know only that I have become selective with my time, inattentive during tedious dinners, and unusually cheerful afterward.
Caelen lifts his cup, though his eyes remain on Delfarius. His amusement is genuine now, tempered by the practical danger of relatives who collect every inconsistency.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
My grandfather suspects a political negotiation. My aunt suspects a lover. I have corrected neither, because both answers would invite questions I do not wish to entertain.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
If you are asking whether they might discover us, yes, eventually. But they will hear only what I choose to tell them, and I choose discretion.
“"Interesting." I say out loud not masking my amusement. I lean closer to him over the table and my smirk grow a bit more mischievous. "Why not let them think it is both and let them scramble to find out the who? Hmm?"”
SUCCESS (Legendary Persuasion, rolled +0)
Delfarius
Interesting. Why not let them think it is both, and let them scramble to discover who the supposed lover and political ally might be?
Delfarius leans closer over the table, his smirk turning mischievous. Black coffee remains steady in his hand as the suggestion settles between them.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Both? You would have my grandfather chasing an alliance while my aunt hunts for a lover, all while neither suspects they are pursuing the same mystery.
Caelen studies Delfarius for a breath, then laughter overtakes his caution. The plan’s audacity offers him control of the rumor rather than a burden of denial.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Very well. I will let them believe both. I shall speak warmly of a promising political connection and remain deliberately vague about the person who has captured my private attention.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Let them scramble through every house and every guest list. I will decide what they learn, and I will enjoy watching them guess.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
If they ask whether the two matters are connected, I will smile and say that Orosia is full of useful coincidences. You have made discretion entertaining, Farius.
“I lean back in my chair and raise my cup like I am saluting him. "Now you are thinking more like a Lord, Caelen." I laugh smugly and sip my coffee afterwards. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses. A mortal that understands how to use intrigue in political maneuvering.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Delfarius
Now you are thinking more like a Lord, Caelen.
Delfarius leans back in his chair and raises his cup in salute. His healing shoulder remains undisturbed as he laughs smugly and drinks the black coffee.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Then I shall endeavor to think like one without becoming unbearable. Though I admit, your approval is unexpectedly satisfying.
Caelen lifts his own cup in reply. The ornamental stone remains forgotten on the path, while the fountain carries their conspiracy through the quiet garden.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
I will give my grandfather an alliance to investigate and my aunt a lover to gossip about. Neither will receive enough truth to find you.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
He turns discretion into a game, but the terms remain mine to choose. That makes the danger feel almost like freedom.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Now, my clever archivist, what would you have me say first when they begin asking questions?
“I laugh. "Do you want me to do all of the work for you? Oh no no no. Your game, your work." I smirk and summon a tome to me from a pocket of void and pretend to be studying it. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Superb Deception, rolled -1)
Delfarius
Do you want me to do all of the work for you? Oh no no no. Your game, your work.
Delfarius laughs, then summons a weighty tome from a pocket of void and opens it across his knees. To mortal eyes and senses, he remains merely a man studying in the garden.
He smirks and turns a page with studied concentration, offering Caelen no answer to borrow and no script to repeat.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
You are refusing to help while making the refusal look scholarly. Very well. I suppose I must earn my own intrigue.
Caelen lifts his cup and considers the fountain, his expression sharpening as he begins arranging the deception himself rather than waiting for Delfarius to supply it.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
First, I will tell my grandfather that an alliance is developing with someone elusive, capable, and entirely uninterested in courting our house.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Then I will tell my aunt that my lover is charming, secretive, and not available for inspection. Let them compete over which mystery they prefer.
+ New Item Acquired
Weighty tome
“"And impossibly sexy. The lover." I say with a smirk as I turn the page of the tome. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Superb Deception, rolled +0)
Delfarius
And impossibly sexy. The lover.
Delfarius turns the tome’s page with a smirk, presenting the description as casually as any scholarly conclusion. To mortal eyes and senses, he remains merely a man enjoying his coffee and his joke.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Impossibly sexy? How convenient. I assume this mysterious lover is also elusive, capable, and entirely uninterested in courting House Valcaryn.
Caelen’s eyes brighten with amusement as he assembles the rumor aloud. He reaches for his cup, visibly pleased that the deception now sounds like his own invention.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
My aunt will demand a name. My grandfather will demand a family. I can offer neither without making the story considerably less entertaining.
The fountain whispers beside them while Caelen studies the open tome, then looks back with conspiratorial confidence. His plan has gained a sharper outline and a dangerous charm.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
Very well, Farius. I will describe the lover as irresistible, unavailable, and wholly beyond their influence. Let them wonder whether I am boasting or confessing.
“I read the tome. It is one from my archives about how his family has received such mystery in the past. I chuckle as I read and give him vague advice based on what I read in the tome. I am just a mortal man to mortal eyes and mortal senses.”
SUCCESS (Great Investigation, rolled -2)
Delfarius opens a separate archival tome, its pages preserving old Valcaryn scandals, veiled romances, and alliances that survived because the family never forced certainty upon them.
He reads through the precedents, chuckling at familiar patterns: a rumor left unanswered became useful, while a hurried denial gave every listener a sharper question. Several accounts conflict, costing him time to distinguish family record from polished gossip.
Delfarius
Hmm. Your family has entertained mysteries before. The safest ones were neither denied too quickly nor explained completely.
Delfarius turns another page and gestures vaguely toward the competing accounts, remaining merely mortal to every eye and sense. The tome offers precedent, not certainty.
Delfarius
Give them enough to investigate, but not enough to conclude. Let your grandfather pursue the alliance and your aunt pursue the lover. Their guesses can compete.
Lord Caelen Valcaryn
So I should offer a mystery instead of a confession, and correct nothing unless the question becomes useful?
Caelen studies the open pages, amusement returning as the strategy becomes his own. The family history has answered him indirectly, leaving uncertainty intact but making it workable.