| River Interlude |
| Summary: | Anais and Lucienne discuss the status of things at Riverrun. |
| Date: | 23/11/2011 |
| Related Logs: | Riverrun Logs |
| Players: |
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| Riverbanks — Riverrun |
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| A lovely riverbank. |
| November 23, 288 |
It has rained off and on for most of the day, which has made the library even more unbearable. And as large as Riverrun's library is, three people spending all day every day for several days pouring through it is enough to run through a fair chunk of the relevant literature. Which probably explains why Anais has managed to slip away from it for a little bit, making her way out of the keep to a cultivated patch of riverside with thick green grass and the occasional flower. Clouds still litter the sky, threatening more rain, though they've let up for the moment. Given the damp curls escaping Anais' chignon, she's probably already been out in a drizzle. With a few guards nearby, she sits under the branches of a willow, smiling quietly to herself as she watches the river flow by.
Lucienne is ignoring her handmaid, as much as one can ignore the girl who is holding one's parasol when rain threatens overhead. Looking dry and properly groomed, she's elected to step outside for a breath as well, sharing a short conversation with one of the guards accompanying her that abruptly ends as her goodsister comes into view. Lifting her skirts a little higher, she surges ahead of her little party to approach, offering nothing to announce herself save the damp brushing noises of her feet in the wet grass.
One of Anais' guards clears his throat, giving her some quiet warning of the approach, and she twists a bit to see who it is. When she sees Lucienne, she smiles faintly, raising one hand to wiggle her fingers in a wave. "Goodness, both of us free at the same time?" she asks, teasing. "Please tell me you made Jacsen at least step out for a bite to eat before you left?"
"I told him I had a headache," admits Lucienne with a guilty flush of colour to her cheeks, a smile of the same quality suppressed to just the corners of her mouth. "Might I sit, for just a moment? I won't be a bother, I promise."
"I can't imagine it was less than the truth," Anais murmurs ruefully regarding headaches, even touching two fingers to her own temple. "Please, have a seat," she invites. "The grass is soft here. The ground, too. A bit damp, though," she cautions. "You might want to put down a blanket." Absently, she tucks a loose curl behind her ear, smile lingering. "I don't suppose you've found anything new?"
Absent a blanket, Lucienne brushes a hand over the back of her skirts and submits to a damp seat next to Anais. Hattie hangs back with the parasol, and conspicuously avoids eye contact with all of the guards. There's a long sigh from Luci as she settles, and she shakes her head. "Never have I spent so long looking at books for little reward. My patience is surely being tested. Do you honestly think we will find anything?"
"Not pertinent to the current issue," Anais admits with a soft sigh, shaking her head. "When Jaremy and I were first betrothed, I looked through the library at the Roost. I even went back to the initial tax agreements, hoping that maybe it would name the Terricks, rather than the more open 'liege lord' in regards to where the taxes should be paid. But it didn't. We might find something with more generic language here, but with the other in existence, it would just be another issue of conflicting documents."
Lucienne nods her agreement, her expression slightly pained at having to do so. "I'm not optimistic, either." She shifts an uncomfortable look out toward the water, seeking some sort of comfort there and finding none. "The testament never mentions that Isolde should have Stonebridge. Only that she should marry Jaremy."
"Well, it's a bit late for that," Anais murmurs. "Though I have to admit…Why did no one ride straight to Riverrun when they first heard that Valda had agreed to marry Isolde to Ryker?" she asks, turning to face the other woman more fully. "If nothing else, it was a failure on her part to approve the marriage through her liege lord, let alone the fact that Jaremy and Isolde were already betrothed."
Lucienne takes a deep breath, measuring it out slowly. She turns her face back to Anais, beginning her reply with the exception: "Jacsen was in Seagard at the time. But even the loudest of voices go unheard by deaf ears."
Anais tilts her head slightly, letting those words and all of their implications sink slowly in. Eventually, she nods, chewing at her lower lip for a moment as she looks back to the river. "I wish it was just over with, either way," she admits. "Not that Riverrun isn't lovely, of course. I've slept better here than I have in months. And it's busy. The other day I heard a minstrel from the window. Just someone passing through," she sighs, wistful. "But we need to know what the answer is in order to move forward."
Lucienne shares in that sigh, her shoulders sagging a little. "I'm right there with you," she admits in a wearied tone. "Even after the decision comes from the Lord Tully, I think there'll be a way to go before it's truly over. Just thinking about it all is enough to give me a headache." There's a breath taken, and she bites back something else, leaving an awkward pause in the conversation.
"You see? You didn't lie to Jacsen at all," Anais smiles faintly. She leans a little closer at that pause, reaching a cautious hand toward the other woman's forearm. "Is there something else, Luci?" she asks quietly. "Anything I can help with?"
Lucienne hesitates a little, her eyes darting down to Anais' hand and then back to her goodsister's face. She shakes her head, and summons a grateful smile. "It's nothing. Thankyou for letting me sit with you, Annie, but I might hop back inside before the rains start up again."
Anais watches Lucienne closely for another minute, then simply nods. "Glad to have you, Luci," she says softly. "I'm sure I'll be back soon, as well. And if you ever do want to talk about it…" She trails off, leaving the offer open.
"Thankyou," comes from Lucienne before she moves to hop back up, brushing off her damp derriere with a wry smile. "I'll see you again shortly." She bobs a quick curtsy, and points in the direction of the castle for Hattie's benefit. Off they go.
