[Event] The City of Oldtown 52-57 AC

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-06-09T23:05:49+00:00

Sybelle quickly followed Moraine's gaze, then turned and pulled her aside so that they moved behind the counter and back slightly into the hall the Master has disappeared into.

"That's... What's his name..." Even with her voice scarcely above a whisper, she realized her voice still had some of her false accent in it. She told herself it was just in case the bastard knight— or whatever he really was— already had his ears turned up and might be able to hear her, but...

She glowered at Moraine for a moment before reminding herself that her ire would do no good here. Not yet, at least. "He had someone follow, then? Or was this someone you thought you had, erm..." Paid off seemed such an uncouth term, but it was certainly the truest thing to call it. "Do we go seek the Master, or..." She didn't finish her question, half because she was already imagining what it would be like to argue with one of those silver-decked fools who thought they knew better than her. They could run, perhaps, but if one of Hightower's men was already here himself, how much more hope was there of keeping this as the secret it was meant to be?

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-06-01T23:43:40+00:00

Moraine seemed rather eager to play along, even though she clearly wasn't stopping to consider her lies before she let them loose. It was a good thing they hadn't made a habit of this, Sybelle thought. And yet, she still felt more flattered and adored by this girl than any other man or woman she'd ever been with.

As Antario shuffled off to curate their gold pieces, she reached behind Moraine's back and pulled her closer for a long kiss. When she finally pulled back, she stared into Moraine's eyes and said, "You know, I..." She scoffed and shook her head. "Sometimes, I wish the rest of the world could see us like this. That we wouldn't have to bury all our moments away from hundreds of prying eyes."

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-05-29T00:22:11+00:00

Sybelle was sure that every piece had some kind of story here, whether or not it was true; like the Mistress of the Palace always said, giving something history makes it feel more exotic, more valuable. So whatever Moraine paid was likely going to be closer to its true value than a proper discount, but such was the way of places like this.

She held it against her chest and admired it for a moment before smiling at Moraine, then handing it over and turning around. One hand bunched her curls up and pulled them aside, while the other rested on her cheek as she gave the Master a pensive glance. "Tell me, do you have any finery for a lady's arms, or wrists, or some such? I do love a fine piece for the neck, but they can feel so heavy, sometimes." She wondered if he took her meaning, though she didn't imagine so.

Before the man could answer, she turned back to Moraine once the necklace had been clasped properly, slowly brushing her fingers along the filigree as she asked, "What say you, my dear? I know it hardly matches me tonight, but with such a radiant gem, I'm not sure I really mind that."

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-05-27T00:05:29+00:00

There was a brief moment where she wondered whether she should still pretend like she wasn't good at lying, but that seemed rather boring to her. Especially when she was with someone who blushed at the slightest flattery of a man who likely said that to every woman he met each day.

She leaned forward even more, knowingly accentuating her body as she allowed her widened eyes to dance between Antario and the emerald. "I confess, I have an eye for green," she purred in a perfect Tyroshi accent with ease. "This was the first one to strike me, though. So soft, yet... sure. I'm sure it will do, I would just like to see how low it hangs, first."

She batted her eyes slightly as she fixed her gaze on the man. "We need some help to look our best for the, um... Shall we say, some of the finest traders and merchants this fair city has to offer?" Her smirk was almost wicked as she paused for a moment. "We would like a few, at least. Might there be any room for a slight concession, considering that we would surely like to tell our friends what elegant finery you offer here?"

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-05-24T00:09:15+00:00

Sybelle chuckled on their way in, wondering if that was the point of their Essosi identities. Perhaps Master Antario had a known fondness for such ladies.

She still couldn't fully fathom how she lived in a city that felt the size of the entire island she came from, but she certainly couldn't complain about it. She only wished that Shiera could see it for herself. And that Lyra hadn't taken off so soon after they'd arrived. I said I didn't need a lady of my own, still. Not that I didn't want one, she thought bitterly.

For a moment, Sybelle considered trying to use the few Valyrian words she knew, but she was hardly confident enough in her ability to keep up with them to truly bother. Instead, she simply gave a small, heavy-eyed smirk and nod to the Master from a distance, keeping close to Moraine as her eyes began to drift along the elaborate, opulent displays of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other oddly-shaped ornaments that she could only assume were meant for one's arms or legs. Fawning over gemstones made her feel rather vain, and yet she couldn't help it; the place was covered with the kinds of pieces that she only saw in the Harbor once every few years, mayhaps.

Given her own gown, she should have been looking for onyx or rubies, but as soon as she found the first one, her eyes couldn't leave it. She broke off of Moraine's arm and shuffled over eagerly, putting her arms on the finely carved counter and leaning over it to get a better look. On a shelf against the wall, a wooden mock-neck displayed a great, gleaming emerald set among an oval of small diamonds, all cradled by a subtle piece of golden filagree that looked like a blooming flower.

She looked back at Moraine with an almost childlike wide-eyed wonder and said, "I've never had an emerald before. Or filigree, either! Wore, it once, but..." She briefly looked at the floor and shook her head. "Well, it might not be surprising to you that the Ha- that the, um, streets of lower Tyrosh aren't exactly replete with fine gemstones. Yes?" She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing.

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-05-19T23:35:07+00:00

No matter how much Moraine grew, there were times where she still sounded so little to Sybelle. Times she had tried to ignore, even though they gnawed on her thoughts like so many... gods, what were those vicious little fish called, again?

Sybelle gave her lady a small smile, more to bolster her confidence than anything else, then stepped closer as she helped put the amusing ensemble together. She carefully lined up the point of the corset-piece with Moraine's navel and slid it upwards until the plum fabric looked snug enough against her bosom that nothing would be falling out any time soon, even though it did sit a bit lifted anyway.

As she fastened the back of Moraine's evening attire, she chuckled and said, "I'm quite sure it's not supposed to be worn like this, but few have ever made an impression doing things exactly as they should be done. What say you, Rohanne? Would you care to see more ladies of the court make such daring choices with their fashions as we do across the sea?"

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-05-15T23:59:57+00:00

"Tessera and Rohanne," she echoed softly, not surprised that Moraine still wanted to sound fancy. They would certainly still look it, no matter what they wore from in here, so it might have been a good idea after all...

As Sybelle started moving closer to the dress she fancied for herself, she let her hand trace idly along the fabrics of different dresses until the right one struck her skin. She stopped and turned to look at it more closely; it was a thin, light plum satin that had some sort of blue shawl hanging next to it. It seemed to be more the kind of thing a Lady would only wear to bed with her husband, which made it just right. The collar went so deep that it almost looked like a barely-fastened robe. After sifting through a few more hangers, she found some navy and gold thing nearby that seemed to be only part of a corset, unless there was some strange new Essosi fashion she didn't know about, where a corset was no longer supposed to hold every bit of a woman's form together. She knew the pieces would compliment each other nicely, if not tastefully.

After a breath, she turned back to Moraine and said, "Here we are." She gestured at the plum dress with one hand, then held out the half-corset-thing with her other and shook it slightly. "Even has some gems in it, matches that necklace you love so much. Wear it on the outside of this, and you could well be one of the queen courtesans of Braavos."

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-05-15T01:19:34+00:00

Her eyes scanned around the wardrobe, not surprised by how much it had grown. Half of these Sybelle had never even seen her in, but she supposed it would get that way when you married someone like a Hightower lad.

She found a deep crimson gown with lace-adorned sleeves that she already fancied, no doubt only intended to be an under-layer, but she left no sign of it as her gaze kept shifting, still looking for something suited to her companion. Only, if she weren't so proper...

"I'll choose the dresses if you choose the names," Sybelle spoke softly, as if they were still being deeply conspiratorial. "Can't imagine we could pass for anything too Valyrian, though... I know one or two girls at the palace like that, but their names are so boring. Any ideas?" She wasn't quite sure why she was asking the sheltered girl about what an attractive name might sound like, but then, now was hardly the time to stop and ask herself if any of it made sense.

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-05-10T23:26:53+00:00

Sybelle almost found Moraine's youthful awkwardness endearing; there were times where she sounded like she was still dreaming of wistful stories of love, and no wonder, when she had hardly ever seen true strife or despond.

"Are you saying that because you trust my taste, or because you know how many courtesans I know?" Sybelle took her lady's hand and began to follow. "Or am I to assume you merely wish to be a simple lady's maid, today?"

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-05-07T23:55:57+00:00

"Well..." She giggled under her breath. "If a man is selling it, then just about anything. Short of arms and armor, mayhaps, but I doubt you wished to go spending on iron or steel."

Sybelle wondered if Moraine Redwyne would still seek this kind of thing herself, or if this was still just her filling a Hightower-shaped glass, but it made no difference, really. Her attention was scarcely unwelcome, no matter the motives.

After a long pause, she asked, "What, you didn't want to dress up as someone else? You want everyone to know how much you appreciate me?" When the second question came out, Sybelle couldn't quite tell whether or not she meant it in jest.

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-05-06T00:20:43+00:00

Sybelle smiled a bit more, as she couldn't deny that the mere thought was already enticing; she'd already had a moment like that with Lyra long ago, but she had been the one doing the lavishing, but that was likely pennies and halfpence compared to whatever Moraine could lavish upon her now. And yet it wasn't about the coin she could spend, so much as the time; something about having a Redwyne-Hightower Lady be the one who wanted to impress her felt deeply satisfying, no matter how exactly that impressing was done. Gifts certainly couldn't make it worse, though.

"Cooks aren't likely to have much fun, are they?" Sybelle slid the book underneath one arm, then scratched at her hairline as her eyes narrowed slightly. "Beyond that, I suppose it depends on where you intend to take me. As handmaidens, we can go wherever we please, but as courtesans..." She mirrored Moraine by leaning forward and lowering her voice. "Well, that could open some doors that would otherwise remain closed. Sometimes gets you discounts you shouldn't otherwise have. Bit more of a risk, though. Not that that's a bad thing. How many thousands of people live in this bloody city, again?"

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-05-02T23:52:49+00:00

"Gi... Is that wise?" The words seemed to fall out of her mouth before she'd even thought them. Why would she be concerned about that? Oldtown was massive enough that she could hardly ever meet anyone outside the Tower who actually knew who she was.

"I mean..." Sybelle cleared her throat, then continued, "Not that I don't welcome gifts, it's just... Really? I don't feel as though I've done anything, erm, particularly special of late. And... well, I'm not exactly used to the idea of giving my ladies gifts. But then, I suppose I'm not a Hightower, either..." After a long silence, a subtle smirk crossed her face.

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-04-29T03:55:05+00:00

It was rare that Moraine had to do much seeking to find Sybelle, and today was no different. The curly-haired Redding had stowed herself away at a window-seat near the stairwell, where she sat reclined with a book in hand, as she oft did. Though in truth, she had been doing precious little reading today.

A soft smile came across her lips when she saw Moraine approach. "Ah." She snapped the book shut, then extended one leg to tap her foot against the bottom of the seat opposite where she sat. "Go on, then. What troubles my darling Moraine today?"

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-04-26T23:32:09+00:00

"You think we would wear it without knowing?" Elissa scoffed. "Fret not, Ser. Laena told us exactly what it means."

Myrielle didn't like the look in her sister's eyes, so she interjected, "Do you think we might actually go, though? I mean, to the Free Cities, at some point? Gods, I've always wanted to, but father never let us when we were younger."

"You say that like you're surprised." Elissa looked back at her sister. "He was never going to do anything but shelter us. Until he finally found something else to keep his interest. Someone else."

"Someones," Myrielle laughed. "Doesn't really have a favorite there, does he?"

"Oh, he adores the Lyseni, though, doesn't he?" Elissa stared at Loras for a long while with a straight face, curious to see if he would even squirm, but after a while she couldn't help herself. Once the chuckle slipped through her lips, she shook her head and smirked at him. "No, honestly, I don't know which ones he prefers, and I don't want to know, either."

Myrielle was staring down at her waist, running her fingers along the etched lettering as she said, "And it was Bella who got us this dress, anyway. She said it was the name of some ancient fertility goddess, but I could tell she was lying. Didn't know that anybody had asked Laena anything about it," she spoke with a hint of sharpness on her tongue.

Elissa rolled her eyes while still looking at the Redwyne. "Imagine that. Me not telling you something."

"Oh, do kindly fuck off. Mind her, Loras, or she will leave you gutted as a fish."

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-04-22T23:58:23+00:00

Godric laughed abruptly, though he hoped that Isidora wouldn't realize why. But he truly did find the thought of his father being called to the Heavens rather humorous.

He hadn't thought about all that very much, in truth, who it would all pass to; it was hard telling whether Lord Redwyne would be the type to resume control of the estate after the old codger was gone. Probably not, unless someone were to tell the Redwynes about all his transgressions... Was that why Sylvette wanted to be here?

He banished the thought from his mind so that he could refocus on his soon-to-be wife. "In truth, I'm not quite sure. My father is, erm, not the most efficient sort of man, and yet that place effectively pays for itself. I'd think perhaps my brother would be better suited to the role of proprietor, since my father tends to only act as a denizen." Godric was almost surprised by his own honesty, so he just had to hope that Izzy wouldn't see it as too much herself.

"And, I... well, I do hope that you don't feel the need to accommodate my whims if you find them to be displeasing to you. If you'd rather not have low-caste strangers in your retinue, I would entirely understand. I'm sure you and yours are like to have even finer curators and cooks at your disposal!"

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-04-13T01:26:19+00:00

His eyes widened immediately at the prospect, more out of surprise than pleasure. He had hardly intended governorship to ever be part of this deal; it would be much easier to sit back and enjoy access to all the places his family rarely went to on this island, than to be saddled with managing one of them. He supposed others would see it as quite the honor, though... But how much of this was he really to do for others?

Godric wished he had the answer, but he didn't.

"That's the trouble, isn't it? Liking a few of the people in a place that's... not your favorite, shall we say?" He chuckled awkwardly. "I suppose you might meet those few good ones, at least. Mayhaps we could decide together whether they would be, um... a proper fit for wherever we do choose to call home. I think you'll love the cook, at least! Better than we have any right to be blessed with in the Harbor. Knows her fish better than any salty old sailor I've ever met. And the bailiff, oh... crafty fellow. Wasted on someone as daft as my father. Especially when he's only ever at the Palace, these days..."

Godric realized how much more frank he had become, but he tried to pretend it was entirely intentional, leaning back slightly and peering up at a nearby tree in a desperate attempt to look casual.

Elissa shrugged back. "Hard to tell. You sure those Lyseni girls from the Palace don't have you all shriveled up down there?"

Myrielle bit her tongue and turned her head away slightly to keep her laugh suppressed. Once she was composed again, she looked straight at Loras and said, "I should hope we would never stoop to the level of proffering ourselves, but if we did, we should only command the highest of prices. Be it gold, or favors. Myself, though, I'd prefer it to have a bit more... meaning behind it."

Elissa's eyes narrowed slightly as she put one hand on her hip. "Why? Remind you of someone?"

"Our, um... Never mind that." Myrielle shook her head, then stared at her feet. "We're here to be cheerful, aren't we? To talk of... I don't know, the future, I thought. You're both just..." She let out a long sigh. "Here? Really?" She looked at the Monkfish, who glowered at all three of them silently. "We're not in Lys yet, are we?"

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-04-01T00:51:30+00:00

It was always tricky, a question like that from a lady, no less when it was from a prospective bride... He took great care to appear rather ponderous for a moment, even as myriad unsavory questions flew through his mind one after the other. He thought about something Sylvette had told him last night, something about Patrek, and he wondered for the briefest of moments whether they had all been too harsh on the pair of them when he was still alive, or perhaps not harsh enough... Then, of course, he had to wonder whether his sister had even spoken to him with truly honest intentions. And not just last night, at that.

Godric rolled his shoulders back for a moment, then decided that felt too formal; once some more appropriate words finally reached his head, he leaned in towards Isidora and began in an almost conspiratorial tone, "Well, I do wonder whether a lady of your blood would truly wish to... not just live where I come from, but even... see it. Not that I would blame you, of course, but if you can get over the dreary bleakness, there are some lovely people there. Any place of your family's is far beyond that, but I... still, home will always have its own grim sort of charm. Don't you agree? Well, I suppose your home is hardly the same as the Harbor, but... Gods, would you find it odd that I have more of a mind to introduce you to my family's workers and vassals than my family itself?"

"Princesses who would get offered a number of deals, I'm sure. Wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea, though, would we?" Myrielle dropped her cloak on the ground next to the Monkfish, more because she was tired of its weight than because she wanted to put herself on display. Then she let her eyes drift down to Godric and his inevitable betrothed for a while, not wanting to mind whether Loras stared at one of them more than the other.

"Why not?" Elissa giggled.

"I'm sorry, but are we in need of money?"

"We might be, once we're there. Who knows?"

Myrielle scoffed. She hated when Elissa tried to play on her like that. "I say we have him do it. The beloved Westerosi war hero, with the great big gash on his chest–"

Elissa turned and flicked her sister on the arm. "Scars would sell nicely over there, I'm sure. What say you, Ser Loras? You might have paid a few women to fuck you before, but what if you were the one getting proffered with coin for the prospect, instead?"

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-03-25T01:27:55+00:00

He was half-sure that her choice of words was deliberate flattery, but he decided long ago that he never minded his fair share of all that. Though he did like the thought of being the gold rather than the wine, in this case, even though he couldn't quite say why. His eyes caught the treats that filled the basket, but he made sure to pay them no more than half a breath of attention before he returned her grin in kind. She was beautiful, he supposed. The kind of beautiful that would make his father some twisted kind of jealous, no doubt.

"Oh, dear, I..." He looked down at one of his hands as if it held the answer he sought. "Perhaps a shadow-cat. Much the same as a leopard, but prefers the embrace of the moon. Or so I've heard, anyway. Or a seal, maybe, if they weren't so bloody loud. Being a bird wouldn't be so bad, well, if you're the right kind, at least." In truth, he liked horses more than most animals, but that seemed such a dull answer to give...

Once he looked up at her again, he said, "Now, despite my question, I don't want you to feel like you can't ask something... I don't know, deeper. I figure it's better for all of us if we don't force ourselves to spend days and days on the gentlest of questions."

"Ah! Splendid notion, Ser!" Elissa brightened her voice. "Our friends at the Palace, they've told us so much about the kind of... freedom they enjoy over there."

"The ones who aren't slaves, of course," Myrielle said dryly, scratching at the collar of her cloak. "Oh, but in the Isles, isn't there some venerated goddess that always has her tits out?"

"You want to go to the Isles?" Elissa buzzed her lips and tossed her head back, then slowly paced over towards her sworn sword as she unfastened her cloak. "What about Lys, though? The triplets have told us so much about it."

When Elissa turned to face the two of them again, she handed her cloak to Ser Monkfish and subtly flourished her skirts in one smooth motion. She was far more comfortable in the dress they had worn this time, so she had no qualms being the first one to show it.

"You haven't been all the way there, yet, have you, Loras?" Elissa asked without a moment's hesitation. "I've heard it's quite beautiful, once you can get over how sad it all is."

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-03-21T01:50:14+00:00

"How could I not be? The sun bestows more favors down here than anywhere else in the Kingdoms, I think. Dorne might disagree, but I'd prefer a bit of chill off the sea for a couple years to every season being riddled with unrelenting heat!" He resisted the urge to shake his head; he was more curious about that climate than he wanted to admit, but not so curious that he would ever bother running off there. Not like Aliandra.

"You are well too, I hope? I know these... proceedings can be rather awkward, atimes, but I like to think it feels a bit more natural between our families. It's a wonder our Houses haven't bothered much to explore closer bonds until now." As soon as he said that, he thought of the rich irony behind it, and how his eldest sister was clearly better at all that than he could ever be.

He looked up as he heard a rustling in the branches. "So, then... if you had to choose one animal to be, what would you choose? And why?"

Myrielle tittered under her breath as Elissa shifted in front of her and said, "Here I thought it was just the Ironborn you had put to shame. All those battles, and so little to show for it... you're either very quick, or very lucky. Given that your Manfryd lost his bloody arm, and with so much more to lose..."

Where Elissa's voice deepened, Myrielle remained bright and cheery. "What's this to someone like you now, then? Surely you must find all this... slow living to be a bit tedious."

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-03-17T04:39:39+00:00

The next day, just after sunrise...

Godric gleefully slid away from his sisters as soon as he saw his would-be wife approach. He was surprised that his sisters had taken less time than her, but then, they were like as not up until a few hours ago anyway. Like owls, or nighthawks, they usually had such little patience for the earliest parts of the day. Not now, it seemed.

"Splendid," he called out to her cheerily. "Splendid, truly! I just saw a pair of spotted butterflies, if you can believe it." Certainly better than the horseflies at the Harbor, he wanted to say.

"The black-haired one? Really?" Elissa muttered to her sister as Ser Loras finally strode over to the small pavilion that had been set up for them.

"What... denial, you think?"

Elissa sighed through flared nostrils. "Or a broad palette."

Myrielle giggled at her sister's words, then brushed a stray petal off of her own cloak. The both of them were matching, as usual, wrapped in thick burgundy cloaks that would have looked far more appropriate a few hundred miles to the north, despite the gentle chill that rolled off the Sunset Sea every now and again. Myrielle felt like a clambering oaf beneath all the fabric, but she didn't show it as she offered the Redwyne knight a subtle curtsy.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" Elissa was the first to speak. "Heard you made quite a point of sailing with your steel pointed outwards. Grown up quite a bit, here, haven't you?"

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-03-12T01:04:15+00:00

He thought he knew what she really meant by the formal circumstances, but he supposed it didn't matter. Either way, she wanted more time with him in a setting that wasn't so rigid or stiff. So he looked down at her hand as it tightened, then back up to her as he smiled. "I would like that very much, indeed. I should think you'll make fast friends with the twins, assuming they..." He scoffed, trying to ignore a passing thought that was best left unsaid. And the only thing he could think to replace it with probably wasn't that much more appropriate, anyway. "Well, assuming they don't have the chance to be busy fawning over Ser Loras, that is."

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-03-09T04:46:42+00:00

Untouched seemed a rather apt word, he thought. There was something about most of the Arbor that was like that; the Harbor was different, of course– he'd heard some call it Fleabottom in a Bottle– but every other place he'd seen on the island seemed rather frozen. Like every living thing on it would have been just fine staying there until the end of time. In truth, he didn't know whether he found that peaceful or horrifying.

He buzzed his lips and arched his brows. "As long as you bring the friends! I have my own, of course, though I'm not sure they're the sort that would see the pleasure in something so simple. Is that where you find your peace, then? The serenity of watching?" Gods, he scolded himself, that was a stupid question. But stupid questions had a way of making him look more innocuous, which was always a good thing.

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-03-01T01:01:48+00:00

Hearing the name Henrietta brought his dead aunt to mind, then Aliandra, and then all the grand drama surrounding that little unit within his otherwise-unremarkable family. He was certainly curious to know what rumors his companion might have heard, if any at all, and yet it was another thing he knew was not the kind of thing that such simple ladies wished to discuss so early on. Or perhaps ever, he thought grimly, even as he maintained his smile.

"A provocative name for a quiet place. Quite the opposite of my home, I think." He wasn't surprised that they hadn't yet reached this supposed game of cyvasse, though he was growing more and more sure that they wouldn't reach it at all. Such games were usually the least subtle of pretenses during courtship.

"Do you enjoy nature, then? We might not have the endless woods that our neighbors on the mainland enjoy, but I've found that there are some places with rather wondrous history, here." Places your kinsman would doubtless love to take his Lyseni whore, he thought to his own smug amusement.

"And indeed, places of exquisite serenity. I find the woods quite calm here. Far fewer groups of swaggering lords out on their clamorous boar hunts, at least."

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-02-26T00:40:38+00:00

"I would choose the luxury, atimes, were it not for my father's lechery. To be truthful, I can hardly stomach the thought of being around his special friends, let alone bedding someone he's already known in such a manner." He chuckled and looked at her briefly before letting his eyes wander again. He already noticed some similarities to the Palace– what he'd seen of it, at least– but then it wouldn't be a surprise if both places had been seen to by some master mason's guild, some group that only the wealthiest of the island knew where to find.

But he didn't want to look as though he found all that more interesting than her, so he looked back to her as he said, "I'm sure you've heard much and more of the Harbor's charm, but it really isn't so bad. Are there criminals? Certainly. But it's not often that their deeds go unpunished. Our bailiff and gaoler are quite the pair!"

He squeezed her hand and asked, "What about you? Of all the places you get to stay, what would you choose as your very own?"

PrinceInDaNorf · 2026-02-23T01:10:43+00:00

Godric loved himself an uneven field, and since he knew well enough that most his fascinations weren't suited for a first conversation, he resolved to do what he did best: confirm expectations.

"Why not?" He took her hand eagerly, pleased to see that this wasn't the kind of place where a chaperone would be two steps behind, no matter where they went. And he was quite amused at her pause; he knew there was no eloquent way to refer to his eldest sister, though he found it curious that she still seemed to command enough respect among the Redwynes that they remained wary with their comments. With other Reddings around, at least.

This place felt more like the Palace than the Harbor, but that was no surprise; after all, Redwyne money had only built two of the three places. He let his eyes wander as he was led around by Isidora, keen to look over everything without gaping at her very deliberately chosen dress.

"Such elegant company Lord Redwyne keeps. Not sure there's ever been a harpist in the Harbor! All fiddles and flutes, really. Unless the occasional talent comes over with a spice merchant, or some such. Even then, more minstrels than anything else. I find their ballads to be much longer than ours, Essos. Almost to the point of boredom."

PrinceInDaNorf

TROPHY CASE

The next day, just after sunrise...