[ImpChancellry] Cedant armae togae (Private, Alicia Gil'dae)

Alexis Sapientia · September 21, 2007, 11:59 PM

Timestamp: Immanis 8, in the First Era of the Regency of Milo L'Evienne, XIV Post Fractum

The Chancellory was a busy place at the best of times, but the offices of Alicia Gil'dae were a small bastion of calm in the bustling efficiency and borderline over-exertion of the Chancellory.

In the Imperial Palace, of course, was the office of the Chancellor. She worked here each brightening, usually to be found in her offices. Upon approaching the dark oaken doors that Alicia insisted were kept open in order to be more inviting, two guards could be seen. One human, one elf stood, stock still and to attention at all times outside the door of the Elven Chancellor. They carried swords and paid close attention to those who came in to the vicinity of the Lady Chancellors offices. To the side of the open doors, secured to the wall was a simple and elegant plaque bearing her name.

A letter had been sent before darkening of Immanis the Fifth, giving inclination to the Minister's acceptance of her proposals. Succint, as always, this is what it said:

Secrets :

On the appointed brightening then, so did the Imperial Minister arrive, borne on his carriage and suitably attired, with the confidence of a young man about town, but with the demeanor of one upon whom numerous pressures bore heavy. Clad as he was in his dark Minister's uniform, he most certainly looked it.

It was an ancient saying, after all, in civilized society. Arms always yielded to the gown.

It was his orderly--curiously enough, bearing the uniform of a Cencoris in the Alyssans--that knocked on the Imperial Chancellor's door and announced his presence:

"His Imperial Excellency the Imperial Minister of War, Alexis Sapientia."

Alicia Elsdragon · September 22, 2007, 08:08 AM

On the appointed brightening, Alicia Gil'dae was ready for the Minister of War. She had documents in neat piles on her desk and on the small table in her office, low and pleasant and surrounded with low comfortable chairs, was a selection of cold meats and breads, fruit and vegetables, all accessible to be eaten as they worked. She looked up as his orderly announced him, her eyebrow raising slightly at the sight of an Alyssan, the very order that she had herself belonged to when once, so long ago, she was a soldier.

But at his announcement Alicia stood and smiled a greeting to young Alexis. He did indeed look young but rather tired, she thought. She had steeled herself for this meeting in more ways than one, but nonetheless her smile was a genuine one as he arrived.

"Your Imperial Excellency, it is an absolute pleasure to see you!" she said.

She stood and moved forwards to greet him. This brightening Alicia wore a long black skirt that fell to the floor and swayed gently as she moved. Over that was a white blouse, loose and billowing but held in place by a black belt which accentuated her tiny waist. She looked perhaps a little tired, but other than that her greeting was genuine.

"Come in and be welcome. How are you?" she asked, genuinely pleased to see the young man that Motito was so fond of.

Alexis Sapientia · September 23, 2007, 03:05 AM

"Quite well, Lady Gil'dae, quite well," exclaimed he with truly genuine pleasure, the smile very significant, the warmth of his touch as he took her hand to--oh so gallantly--kiss it, sufficient proof of the genuine esteem with which he held the Imperial Chancellor of the Allerian Empire.

"The defense of the Realm is quite the challenge these brightenings, but we manage to keep the barbarians out, just so." The grin on his face, as always, was irrepressible.

Most meetings within the Council of the Crown tended to be quite the long-drawn affair, such elaborate stageplays set for the amusement of the few to the detriment of the many, but thank the Gods that such drama had soon passed. They had a beer-and-meatpie Regent with them now, which, while stultifying to many the pedigreed plutocrats, was quite refreshing to the cives in the inner city. One of them was on the Throne, now, albeit temporarily, but after eras of many a badly-diluted descendant of the Lylles being seen few and far between, the very visible man with the human touch was just what the Empire needed.

"I know it's been awhile," said he with preamble, taking a ready seat as soon as he was able, crossing his legs as he did so, regarding the Lady Gil'dae with a friendly eye, "...but it is quite pleasing to be with someone whom one can trust with one's life, and who seeks no personal harm."

A sigh came, followed by a wan smile. "Alas, such is not so in my corner of the Imperial City. I should rename my portfolio the Ministry at War, instead of it. We have more territorial rivalries than the gangs of Riparia, but I'm making some headway there," said he, with a faint twinkle in his eye.

"It helps to have a baton with which to administer discipline, sometimes," exclaimed he, brandishing the ornamental ivory cylinder, catching in lightly in his hand.

"So...how are things in the Imperial Chancellery?"

Alicia Elsdragon · September 23, 2007, 07:00 AM

At his kiss to her hand she dropped a curtsey and grinned a wicked grin at him "Well, it is a pleasure and a delight to see you" she said and then her smile deepened at his words and she returned the expression known as an irrepressible grin "It's good to know that there are young men such as yourself up to the challenge, I'm sure" she quipped back and then sat across from him, sinking happily into one of the soft chairs as he spoke of his Ministry. She was not sure whether he was entirely serious for a moment but, as always, the young man had a twinkle of mirth in his eyes and so she assumed that things were not quite as awful as he perhaps painted them to be.

"Territorial rivalries are good for efficiency, I always feel." she retorted quietly, smiling at him "Stops anyone getting too comfortable and ensures that they're all too busy looking over their shoulders that they dont see you with your baton until it is way too late..."

That said she opened her hands palm-upwards in a slight sweeping gesture. Things in the Imperial Chancellory are well enough. My staff are working on information gathering at the moment and are quite irritated to have me back, I think. I'm not sure if you know but I've been away a while - got cursed, nearly died, all's well now though" she said with a slight grin "Whilst it may not be becoming to be quite so blase regarding near death, all is genuinely well now with me and the curse is gone." There. That would tell him all he needed to know about her previous absence, should he have heard of it. She had an answer ready for the almost-inevitable question about her love, but she wanted to answer these questions before they began and to steer the young man in front of her away from the topic as soon as she could without him realising that he was being steered at all.

So saying, she motioned to the table on the other side of the room, this one small but of a similar height to her desk, not the low table they now sat around. Atop it was a steaming kettle, just brought in, and some other paraphernalia concerned with the age old custom of sipping hot water infused with various items.

"Can I offer you some tea? Or maybe some coffee. Please don't tell anyone but I have grown quite a taste for that foul brew. I blame His Most Imperial Excellency myself" she grinned and stood up fluidly, moving over to the table and then looking back at Alexis with a smile, waiting for his order.

Alexis Sapientia · September 24, 2007, 01:44 AM

A delighted laugh was elicited from the young man, nodding his head in agreement as he did so. "That's him, indeed...what perhaps happens when you get a beer-and-meatpie Regent instead of some stultifyingly archaic De Lylles from the old country. Makes for good variety, without a doubt, and the scandal of it is more than sufficient entertainment."

"Tea would be excellent, thank you," nodded the Imperial Minister of War as he did the Imperial Chancellor's bidding, steering himself, as it were, to where it was she wanted him to be --- specifically, the table on the other side of the room, small but of a similar height to her desk, bearing accoutrements consistent with the typical tea-taking fashion.

"...Got cursed, nearly died, all's well now though," parroted he rather dryly, but still with the same infectious grin, "...sounds about par for the course. The last Minister we had, Arkahn Tha'lashar--or however it is you pronounce his name--seems to have been poisoned and hasn't been able to recover to consciousness, yet."

A slight pallor came to his face, shadowing his youthful features just as the memory of what had happened to his wife, the Governor of the Principality of Prime, entered his consciousness, unwittingly leaving a memorable silence, and, unwittingly, giving Alicia Gil'dae an opening.

Alicia Elsdragon · September 25, 2007, 06:11 PM

The smile that Alexis gave was infectious indeed and the description of Milo as a beer and meatpie Regent. It was a fair assessment she considered and she flashed him a soft smile as he spoke so fondly of Milo.

She raised an eyebrow however, at the knowledge that Arkahn was unconscious "Really?" she said, quietly "I didn't know. I'll be sure to send my regards. I don't know him well but I do know him. Thats very sad.."

She looked up at Alexis at the silence and handed him a cup of tea as she did "How is Liselle?" she asked, quietly. She had heard what had happened, of course. Palace gossip was not quite so good when one wasn't in work, but thatparticular piece of news had greeted her immediately upon her return.

And sitting back down she looked at him calmly. There was an empathy in those ageless Elven eyes. Maybe in time Alexis would look back at this conversation and understand that right at this moment Alicia understood him perfectly. The sight of one's love in mortal danger and injured and in pain? That was something that she understood far too well indeed.

And tell me, Alexis... how are you? she asked, quietly, stirring her coffee and looking at him with misty-grey eyes that for a moment, just a moment, allowed a deep and abiding emotion to cross them.

Alexis Sapientia · September 28, 2007, 01:25 AM

Her words, 'I don't know him well but I do know him', were sufficient enough to cause him to raise an eyebrow in reply and direct a steady gaze of ceruleans her way, save for the fact that the timing was too...

...perfect, for just as ceruleans locked on hers, so did she manage to blindside him with quite the question, but not so brutal as other insiders in the Court of the Imperial Crown would have.

A fair question, to be sure, and one he was most willing to discuss with her, of all people.

Tea was left untouched, bonhomie, evaporated. There was nothing left to do but set suddenly-cold hands atop the linen of the table, and let the pain, the concern, and the fear, take hold.

"She's fine."

Which was more that could be said for him, he who had to endure not only the shock of almost losing her, and at such a supposedly joyous ocassion, at that, but to have to bear the brunt of reality, knowing full well that with their newfound status in society, now, they were both, very wonderful targets.

A sigh escaped his lips as his features seemed to lie flat, the memory of her in that state just plain unbearable. He lost his hunger all of a sudden, with the room seeming to cave in and seem smaller. Thank goodness that the door was closed.

His silence was comment enough, but on onset of her second question, Alexis Sapientia, husband to one, and father to three, just had to raise eyes to meet hers.

"Holding up. Or trying to, that is," proclaimed he in almost a whisper, shedding the trappings of his office just as profoundly as he felt the weight of his responsibilities manifest themselves almost immediately on his shoulders.

Thus did he take a deep breath, and set tired eyes on hers, pain in his soul, evidently manifest, his hands balling into fists and unclenching involuntarily.

"I..."

Closing his eyes as he swallowed his throat, so did he begin absentmindedly tapping the table hard, evidence of the stress releasing itself.

"It's just that..."

Another deep breath, and another swallow, before he leaned back and attempted to take control of himself, but the empathy evident in her eyes just made him--just this once--let go.

"It's just so bloody difficult, you know, always used to having her beside me, being able to hold her close when I feel the need, being able to tell her how I spent my brightening," paused he as he took another breath, almost aware that he was on the verge of losing his professional composure.

"It just...it just makes me so angry. Why hurt her? I should have been the one. I'm a legitimate target."

Survivor's guilt, it was most probably called, labeled, as it was by some wizened thaumaturgist on staff at the Alyssa Chrysinaria Memorial Hospital, right here in Prime, though the Imperial Minister of War knew it not yet. After all, who was there that he could truly confide in?

His children? Their Avia, of course, but he just didn't want to burden her right now...she had more problems of her own.

Taking a deep breath again, so did he bury his head in his hands, wiping his face of its anguish as he did so.

"It's never stopped. The nightmares. I see her...she just lies there, unmoving. Nothing happens, and my worst fears are realized. I wake up with a shock at darkening, and I just can't sleep. I think of my children. They're too young...and...gods!"

So did he stand up abruptly, pushing the chair away from the table and beginning to pace the interior of the Imperial Chancellor's office, hands on his waist.

"I'm the Imperial Minister of War. It's so easy. I've been tempted to ride to Fortress Anna in the darkening, or perhaps to the Black Tower, pick up some unfortunate who's murdered some female, and just lash them to pieces. That would help. It would eliminate the sheer frustration I have with the slowness of the investigation...and thank the Gods that the law is tilted in our favor..."

What was that that was said about absolute power?

Alicia Elsdragon · October 1, 2007, 04:28 AM

That Liselle was fine caused a smile and a soft gentle inclination of the head from the Lady Chancellor. The Lady Governer of Prime had suffered a dreadful physical assault as Alicia heard it said, and she was pleased that she was well.

But this young man? Alicia rather suspected that he was not doing so well as he appeared to be and true enough, as she asked him how he was, the truth came out. While he spoke she did not speak to him, but rather she let him speak. For if she was any judge that control that he illustrated so clearly upon her questioning of how he was (although she was quite sure that he would think that in the matter of control he had none!) had been holding him together and stopping him from allowing himself the freedom to... well, vent, she rather supposed.

So, she watched and she listened and she did not judge. That was all she could do for the young man right now. Except when he had finished speaking, she looked up at him and spoke quietly and calmly, her voice soft and understanding but not sympathetic "I spoke to Milo earlier. He feels that its his fault what happened, that by nature of him putting you and Liselle in the "firing line" by awarding you office, he somehow is to blame. He's wrong, of course. He picked the right people for the jobs and could do no better than that." she leant forwards and picked up her tea, sipping it gently and then put it back down.

"I'm more than a little sure that Liselle has told you that she's sorry.. that she should have moved faster, seen something, been somewhere else. Somehow done better? She's wrong too, as we both know" she said looking at him calmly.

"And you're wrong Alexis.she said, quietly "The anger that you feel is understandable and right ~ and the frustration at how slowly the wheels of justice move is too, I believe that's part and parcel of being a victim of a crime and not yet having had it solved. But the anger you feel at yourself? she stood up and moved over to the window, looking out at the Imperial Gardens "You might as well shout to the wind to stop blowing. It is how it is." she sighed gently, wrapping her arms around her waist "Because we are all soldiers, Alexis. You and I, Motito and Liselle, Milo and Nell. All of us. And we are all soldiers because we have joined up, signed up as readily and as willingly as you signed up on your first day, and as willingly as I did on the day I signed up to the Alyssan Guard" she smiled gently, looking at him "I was awful at it"she confided "I killed a man in combat and I could not stomach it. But here my actions or inactions have probably caused more damage to more people than I could ever hope to achieve with a sword or spell" she shook her head "Liselle is a soldier too, and the only person who is responsible for what happened to her is the one who took the shot, and the group behind them."

She glanced over at him and smiled slightly "I can't give you answers, Alexis. Sometimes life is just plain unfair. Sometimes good people die and bad people live and sometimes the most heinous of acts goes unpunished. But none of that is the worst crime." she turned and looked him eye to eye, ageless eyes watching him "The worst crime there is on this soil is to be so afraid of death that we forget to live. Liselle is fine. Wake up next to her and see her breathing, Alexis. ANd know that one brightening that will stop, but for now, for this moment you have each other. Tomorrow is just a promise, after all"

She shrugged slightly, then and shook her head "Forgive me. I enjoy the sound of my own voice too much. My apologies. And if it helps, I can assure you I don't take my own advice at all" she added, turning to the window once again and glancing out, hiding the expression that crossed her face as she considered how she had fought so hard against Motitos death, rather than accepting it and moving into the last brightenings they had together.

No... she wasn't good at her own advice at all.

Alexis Sapientia · October 10, 2007, 07:34 AM

A long silence greeted her reply, one that was almost deafening in its eloquence. A long time had passed since anyone of stature had seen fit to correct the headstrong youth known as Alexis Sapientia, though the manner in which the Imperial Chancellor did it was sufficient cause for the words to sink in, and make him truly listen.

That was marveling, in itself. That Alexis, in this time of trial, truly took the time to take heed and listen.

The moment her ageless eyes crossed his, he knew. They were of a kindred, Alicia Gil'dae, and he. For the strangest reason, he felt she knew, she really knew what she was talking about, and that, somehow, she'd felt the pain he now felt deep in his gut. She'd empathized with him, sympathized with him, and now, saw fit to unparalyze him.

Thoughts lay heavy on his head, his mind still lost in her deeds, and words.

"You..."

He cleared his throat, and looked up, yet again, into those emotion-filled eyes.

"...You were an Alyssan?"

Alicia Elsdragon · October 15, 2007, 03:09 PM

He stood and he considered, and that was good. As much as Alicia felt that the sound of her own voice was something that she enjoyed listening to, as much as she felt that she gave advice without listening to it, this young man in front of her was a young man in need and she could not, never had been able to, let that pass without trying to help.

And for one split second he saw her. Truly saw her. Saw her emotions, her pain, her knowledge that her love would die and soon. He saw the woman that she was, not the woman that she was pretending to be and just in that moment she thought that maybe, just maybe, this young man, the Imperial Minister for War would be alright after all. He would take time and he would reflect, he would feel the anger and the hatred but he would simply feel it, not be consumedby it. And that was the key.

And then he cleared his throat and voiced his uncertainty at her being an Alyssan. She smiled and a small chuckle escaped her throat "Hard to believe isn't it?" she said. "Were it not for a man attacking me and my Sergeant whilst we were training, I might have developed the stomach to be a soldier and who knows where I'd be now? But instead I killed a man as much in panic and by accident as by any form of skill. And I knew then that the blood on my hands would never wash away... to snuff out hope in one move, no, that wasn't for me."

She shrugged, then, looking at Alexis calmly "But at least it means I have a little skill with that sword that Hannas Darkblade left me. And you never know when it pays to surprise someone with that bit of knowledge."

She looked at him and smiled. "But you know, so we say, that once an Alyssan, always an Alyssan, and I would certainly take up my sword again should the need arise. Don't tell anyone but I'm fairly sure I can still present myself enough that even General Onoath wouldn't have anything to yell at...." she shrugged and chuckled before moving back to sit down.

She looked at him and grinned "Surprised, Master Sapientia?"she asked, teasing him slightly now as her twinkling eyes matched his "The Lady Chancellor once held a blade and wore the uniform with pride? It's good to be surprising, you know. Very good indeed."

She thought that perhaps things would be well between the two of them, that they would, in fact, be friends firmer from this encounter. She sat and watched, wondering what he would say.