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Auditorium - Royal Palace
This large room is the palace's auditorium, for private and semi-private performances. At the head of the room is a semi-circular construction, made for better accoustics. There is a harpiscord standing off to the side, with a bench behind it. There are several wooden chairs with a stand before them for the performers. Much more luxurious sitting chairs line up in several rows for the audicence to sit and listen. A large area stands alone in the back of the room for people to meander about and talk. The walls are paneled with golden wood, bare of any adornments. There are a couple doorways leading from the room to other parts of the palace.
When looking out of the windows, you see: It is a winter night. The weather is freezing and overcast.
A small concert was to play in the small auditorium. Zabien had sent a request to Aedhwyn to join him. He had, of course, put it as a chance for her to experience another aspect of d'Angeline culture. He also included that he didn't want to go to it alone. When he gets there, he finds that about sixty seats have been set up for the audience. Not too many, not too few. The performers are already tuning their instruments when Zabien gets there. The young Shahrizai looks particularly fetching this evening, dressed in shades of silver and dark grey. The doublet is dark grey with silver filligree all over it. Tuffs of a silver shirt are pulled through the joints of the doublet. He is wearing dove grey leather, which are tucked into snow white leather boots.
Aedhwyn can be seen wearing a gown of the deepest blue accented with silver but perhas the piece that is most eye catching is a necklace of silver adorned with sapphires, with a larger pendant in the shape of a swan studded with diamonds. On her right arm is worn an etched silver cuff armlet with an endless knot on it. She wears her hair partially up in such a way that it reveals the tattoo at her temple that has been accented with jewel toned blues and greens though the rest of her face is bare. The same can not be said about her right forearm that has had the figure of a rearing bear crafted out of an endless loop of woad. "Zaza…you look very handsome this evening."
Zabien's eyes brighten up when he hears Aedhwyn. Those very same sapphire blue eyess lock on to the necklace. His eyebrow raises, silently begging for details. "Aedhwyn! I am so happy that you decided to join me." He leans in and kisses each of her cheeks in greeting. As he does, he whispers, "These things can get dreadfully boring if you are by yourself."
"A natality present…" There is just the slightest pinkening of her cheeks before she lowers her voice to a whisper, "I don't look odd, do I? I feel nearly naked." She places her hand on your arm, "How could I resist? I enjoyed myself quite a bit last time I saw a performance and it gives me an opportunity to learn about another facet of life in Elua."
Zabien purses his lips. "I had presumed, just as I presume I now from whom. It looks gorgeous, just as you do. No, you do not look odd." He, likewise, smiles as he sees the silver armcuff. "I'm glad you like it. " He pauses, "You do like it, and are not just wearing it for my sake. Because, if you don't like it, do not feel like you have to." He lets out a breath, that he wasn't aware that he was holding, "Sorry… it's just that I tried really hard to think of a present for you. You really are quite hard to shop for." He looks to the performers, "Well, I think that they are just about ready for us to take our seats. Please, Elua, may they be toleratable."
Aedhwyn blushes a bit brighter, ducking her head a bit, her voice just a whisper. "You would tell me if I didn't?" She really can't help but giggle at your prayer, "I am not. I really do like it though I would not think myself difficult to shop for when I truly do not have very much. I do not have the embarassment of riches in clothes and gowns that others have when you look in their trunks. It should make me rather easy, I would think."
Zabien waves one of the servants over, that are carrying fluted wine glasses. He snags two glasses, offering one of them to Aedhwyn. "Anyone can purchase a gown, but that wouldn't have meaning to it. Hell, if you want a trunk full of gowns, I shall send over a seamstress tomorrow to take your measurements."
Aedhwyn shakes her head, "If I wanted a trunk full of gown, I have Paris who would no doubt be thrilled." She takes the offered glass seeming to stare at it a moment. "So what makes me quite so difficult?" She moves with you towards the seats reserved. Following just far enough to give the appearance of privacy but close enough that he and Hugh have nodded at each other and silently divided the room into zones.
Zabien shrugs, "I don't know. I know that there are some restrictions of what can or cannot be worn, so I don't want to be presumptuous." He shrugs, "That's the thing… any thing that I could think that you would want, you could just get yourself. That is why I wanted to get you something of Alban craftsmenship, because that you could not just easily get yourself."
Aedhwyn nods her head, "I do like it very much." She leans over, lowering her voice once more, "So what are we to see? What have you managed to talk me into seeing and why did it require prayer?"
Zabien leans over himself. "Well, it's a instrumental concert. Generally, they are very nice or so dreadful, that I fall asleep. Your job is to make sure that I don't die of boredom if it is bad." He smiles, "I find your company to be enjoyable, no matter the situation."
Aedhwyn laughs her head, "I am not certain how much good I will be at keeping you from passing beyond to the true Terre d'Ange but I shall certainly endeavor it or alternately follow along with you so that I might escape." She laughs a bit more earning the Look of a nearby couple until they realize who she is.
Zabien chuckles. The performance hasn't started yet, so Zabien doesn't really care about being too quiet. He is about to say something, but the musicians start matching key with each other, signalling that they are about to commence. With that, he leans over. This time he says hushedly, "Oh no, you can't follow me. Agathon would be quite vexed if you died with me, and we can't have that, now can we?"
Aedhwyn starts to colour once more, "I suppose he would but he would only need to fetch me back from the worlds below. It's not as if it hasn't been done before." She smiles a bit, "I would rather enjoy him whisking me away…and ah celebrating."
Zabien shakes his head. "Ah, a romantic… " The musicians start playing. It is light and fast pace, primarily featuring a young violinist, barely out of his teens, if that. Zabien leans back over, "Never mind.. I don't think I shall have a problem keeping awake." He cants his head to the side, "Just watching him play, I can spare myself from death."
Aedhwyn shakes her head, "I am not." She leans a bit to take a peak at the young violinist before looking back to you. "I am glad to know I shall not have to follow you nor see us rescued." She pouts, "Though I think I shall miss being rescued or more so the celebration afterwards." She snickers and switches to Cruithne, "He's a very, very good kisser."
Zabien responds in Cruithne, "The musician? How would you know?" He chuckles. "Agathon.. I know you were talking about him." He looks at you, "I just through you a celebration, so ready for another one?"
Aedhwyn continues speaking softly in Cruithne, "I don't know about the musician though he's rather handsome too." She can't help but colour, "I wasn't talking about a fete. I was talking about a…a /celebration/ after he would have saved us from the perils of having perished."
Zabien grins impishly, "And have you had any celebrations yet? Like maybe to celebrate your engagement?" He takes a drink of wine from the glass, as he waits for her answer and the most likely blush on her cheeks, whether or not there has been any "celebrations".
Aedhwyn is so happy that they dim the hall for these things as she continues whipering with you in that foreign language, "Perhaps….but that would be telling. Were I the sort to tell, I might comment on knowing that I do not dread having to fulfill my duty with him and may even look forward to it. Or perhaps that my prince is most certainly robust of spirit."
Zabien laughs a bit loud, which garners him The Look, at least, until he gives them The Look right back. Apparently Zabien's look is more impressive as they avert their eyes adn attention back to th eperformers. He leans over and says softly in Cruthne, "I am happy for you. I am not surprised. Agathon always struck me as the type. I must admit that I dread the day that father decides to marry me off."
Aedhwyn shrinks a bit at The Look and cannot help trying to shush you herself as you laugh, her cheeks taking on a brighter hue. She says in Cruithne, "I'm not sure what you mean but perhaps you will get lucky as I did and find that you do not dread neither the handfasting nor the fulfillment of duty." She lowers her voice all the more, "If anything I think I look forward to failing many times." She /is/ being bold this evening.
Zabien grins as Aedhwyn shrinks down and looks at her. "Being an Princess of the Blood means that you have very few people that you have to answer to and the Baron Beaufort is not one of them." The young man shrugs, "I suppose that I could be as lucky as you, but I fear that more likely I will not. I will be married off purely for political marriage, hopefully in Terre d'Ange. Nothing against Cruithne, mind you, but I do not think that I would enjoy being married off to another nation, especially if I become a representative for Terre d'Ange."
Aedhwyn speaks softly, "It may be the case the I've very few people to which I answer but I will generally be judged more harshly and am seen as a representative of my people." She shrugs a bit, "Perhaps but that is not much different than my circumstance. It was fortunate there was a second son and while the Dauphin is lovely to look at, I must admit that I prefer Agathon. But even if he and I did not suit, it would not have changed my duty." She looks to you, "It is difficult being far from home but there is beauty to be found in new places, friendships to be made, cousins to tease."
The performance is not terribly long, only about five pieces long, presenting a local composer that is picking up a following. As the final performance finishes up, the audience gets up to start socializing with one another. Zabien continues his conversation with Aedhwyn, "I can see how you are judged harder, as the Ambassador and not as a Princess. You just tell me if anyone gives you a hard time, and I will speak to them." He grins. "Yeah, yeah. I guess so. You were lucky though. Lucky that you like Agathon, lucky that Agathon likes you, lucky that Agathon is so … energetic… and lucky that you met me." He grins. "But I just do not think that I would do well forced to live elsewhere. Maybe I will go off to the universities, like a proper noble man's useless third son and become a philosopher."
Aedhwyn shakes her head, "I am afraid that if I point someone out for you to talk with them you will have them quaking in fear of the next time I felt they needed to be nicer." She just can't help but tease you a bit though your comments do cause her ti make a bit of a face a t you, "I swear by the gods below if you ever tell him I said so I will send you through the thorny briar to have your soul and flesh sheared from you piece by piece." She wraps her hand around your arm, "You also can't go off to university, I would miss terribly and then I would have noone to save from the perils of expiration. Though living elsewhere is not so terrible, it allowed me to choose things I might not have otherwise had opportunity to do and I certainly wouldn't have even had the pleasure of a kiss before we had been handfasted."
Zabien cocks his head, "Because I would make sure that they understood messing with you, was like messing with me, and that the Shahrizai would not look kindly of disrespect to me." At the threat, "Oh, do not worry, Cousin. I shalln't say a word of it, to none.. but you." He grins, "And I swear I will tease you about it to no end." He sighs, "Oh come on… let's go find something else to do. Now people rub elbows with each other, figuratively, not literally, and discuss the performance and other such… " He looks around, "There are few here that I wish to talk to tonight… Let's go talk some more over a bottle of wine… perhaps Eoghan will share a glass of wine with us… Hugh might, if we were safely in one of our quarters and it is just a single glass." Before she can even answer, the young Shahrizai starts walking, arm in arm, dragging Aedhwen if he must.
That is not a valid player.
Aedhwyn laughs, giving your arm a bit of a squeeze. "I do so enjoy having an over protective cousin." She laughs a bit and is not necessarily a slouch in the threat department either. "I am certain you will but you would do well to remember your skin before you do so." She can't help but tease and laugh, "Now let's go find these people you wish to introduce me to and I shall endeavor to charm them or frighten them depending on which suits better. That there will be wine is all the better." She doesn't get a chance to tease any more before she's dragged towards the first of the courtiers wish to have audience .