"Exactly," said Andre. He looked impressed for a moment. "You know those words? I mean, what they mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "Demesne is the land your house is actually on, as opposed to all the land you own. Agrarian has something to do with farming. Unless that's 'egregious.'"

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 06:34 PM
He rolled his eyes. "Demesne is the land your house is actually on, as opposed to all the land you own. Agrarian has something to do with farming. Unless that's 'egregious.'"

Andre blinked. "I didn't mean to be insulting," he assured the boy. "It's just...not what I expected."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 06:47 PM
He gave Andre a cocky little grin. "Sometimes I pay attention, is all. Nialla went through this kick of makin' sure I knew all this stewardship stuff."

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 06:54 PM
Andre smiled back at that. "So do you want to do that someday?" he asked. "Or did you just go through the motions for your sister's sake?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 07:03 PM
"Maybe. It's somethin' to fall back on, anyways." He shrugged. "You know, something always happens. You lose a leg or you get a price on your head and have to hide out for a few years until they get bored and go after someone else. Or . . . well, one of these days I'm gonner have to get married, so I might as well have a house."

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 07:32 PM
"You're going to have to?" Andre asked. "You make it sound like it's being forced upon you."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 07:36 PM
"It's expected. For the glory of Ebhot, and what-not." He rolled his eyes again. "I've three women all intent on marryin' me up in society. Nialla I can sort of understand, she's like that. My mother was the real surprise."

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 07:37 PM
"Three women?" Andre asked. "Don't tell me your grandmother cares about that sort of thing. And from what I heard, I thought Ebhot wasn't all that glorious?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 07:40 PM
"Grandmother," he said icily, "was the one who slept around with Neely O'Niall in order to get a shot at gettin' one of her kids on the throne. Don't think she won't hesitate to shuffle me around for property."

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 07:48 PM
"Ah," Andre said. "I forgot about that. Good luck staying out of the viper's pit, then. Do you suppose they'll make you marry the new Queen?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 07:51 PM
He snorted. "I doubt it. Queen's not much interested in Ebhot either. Besides, Nialla promised me ages ago that I won't have to marry anyone I don't at least like first."

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 07:57 PM
Andre gave the boy a long look. "I hate to bring Elaine up again, but...not that I'm saying you're old enough to marry, or that I want you to marry at your age...what happens when your sister decides she has someone she'd like you to marry?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 08:06 PM
"Simple. I just say I don't like them and Nialla has to keep her word," he said with satisfaction. "But so far she hasn't been tryin' real hard to find anyone and no one's tried real hard to get me, so I'm safe."

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 08:18 PM
"Well, you're young," Andre replied. "D'you think she'd let you marry someone you chose for yourself?" he asked. "What if she wasn't of the right status?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 08:36 PM
"My status is about as low as it can get without still bein' a peasant," he said. "I am the lowest baron to ever baron a barony. If she finds even a slightly less-poor baroness who's willin' to have me, I'll have done about ten times better than I am now."

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 08:38 PM
"Oh, good," Andre replied, grinning at the boy. "You know Elaine was all set to marry a Count?"

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 08:42 PM
"Aye, yes, I've heard all about this Count. Came recommended on account of he had all his own teeth, or something." Starling had stopped being impressed with nobility ever since he had become one.

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 08:45 PM
Andre snorted. "Did he? That's better than I thought. Anyhow, I'm only saying it means she would be acceptable. One would think. If a count would have her."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 08:58 PM
"I know." He shot a quick look up to Andre's face, trying to spot the trap before he walked into it. "Except for that I'm not old enough to think of marryin' and you wouldn't want me to marry at my age."

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 09:00 PM
"Of course not," Andre replied. "I wouldn't want to marry you at any age. I'm not...as I said, I'm not encouraging it. But it's nice to know this isn't going to be one of those horrible deathless romances you teenagers like so much."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 09:08 PM
Starling gave him a rather dry look in reply. "Look," he said. "Barrin' any cautionary tales of your own wild and rambling youth, do you have any idea how really irritating it is to get constantly told you're just kids, you'll grow out of it, oh how good you're not really in love when you're right in the thick of it?"

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 09:09 PM
Andre gave the boy a confused look. "Did I say any of that?" he asked.

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 09:10 PM
"Also when people say they didn't say any of that when they're strongly implyin' all of it," he added.

Posted by: Andre Romain Feb 11 2010, 09:16 PM
"Er...I wasn't trying to imply it," Andre replied. "If anything I was worried you'd think I was taking this too seriously what with the talking about marrying."

Posted by: Starling O'Dowd Feb 11 2010, 09:26 PM
Starling spoke slowly and clearly. "Neither of us want to get married. Right now. To each other." He paused. "I am pretty sure of that. It wouldn't be . . . " He groped around for the word. "Um, practical. To say the least. Put it this way." He looked Andre in the face. "Her, I take seriously. This--" he gestured around them "--will probably pass."

"Er..." Andre hesitated, looking confused. "What will pass, exactly?"

"You know." He looked embarrassed, and a bit regretful. "All this. One of these days she'll be the sea-witch and up to her eyes in Aquitaine and one day I'll go back to Ebhot and be a baron and by then I'll probably even like it." Spoken as if this were, somehow, a fate worse than death.

Andre nodded. "That's very reasonable of you, son," he said approvingly. "And if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but if it does...you'll figure it out as you go."

Starling gave every impression of waiting patiently until Andre was finished, then cleared his throat. "I should probably go speak to Elaine. About the ghost."

"Ah. Right," Andre agreed. "You can go do that, and I'll look in on Willie again," he said, giving the boy an awkward smile.

Starling nodded politely and managed not to scurry out like a rat. But he wanted to. Although, in a strange way, it was comforting to realise that other people's parents were as weird as his own.