Gearoid was a little unsure how he should feel. Okay, so the big meeting with the Aquatinians hadn't gone so well, but that was to be expected. But with the Duke suddenly gone missing, his plan to try and get a little freedom for Dierdre was in dire need of replanning.

Because if the King was going to get killed, it was going to be a lot easier to keep her out of if she wasn't in the dungeons.

He didn't like going over his head. But since he'd decided to disappear for gods-only-knew-why, he could at least get the Queen's thoughts on the matter. A little backup for when he returned couldn't hurt. Besides, a chance to endear himself a little more on Formerly-Lady Pepita was attractive on its own. She considered him, at least as near as he could tell, at least as not someone who she actively disliked.

Which was handy when you had a new Queen.

He adjusted his tunic and glamoured on just a little bit of scruff here and there to make him look a little better if touched with iron (never hurt to look a little nice) and knocked thrice on the door to her room.

"Hello?" Pepita asked, looking out the door. "Oh! It's you, Laird Gearoid! How are you?" Pepita asked. "Are those Aquitaineans still bothering you? Weren't they just awful? And red! What a stupid color for military to dress in! It doesn't blend in with your surroundings, ever!"

Wow.

He always forgot how much her personality just jumped out at you and clubbed you in the face.

"Nothing of the sort, Your Highness," he said with an easy laugh, "I think they were disgusted enough by the fact that they haven't conquered the country or married that serving-boy to you as yet." And it was just heartening to see she didn't side with tallfolk. "I imagine the red is because they don't think they have to blend in, maybe?" He dismissed the thought with a shrug before smiling at her. "Though you handled them with skill, Your Majesty. One would think you'd taken classes on diplomatic superiority from Titania herself."

Pepita frowned. "I thought my mother's idea of diplomacy was just killing people?" she said, looking as if she wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or an insult. "Was that supposed to be a compliment, or an insult?" she asked, verifying the expression on her face. "I don't think I handled them well at all. I think I did very badly. I don't know enough about my own country!"

"Erm, well I guess when I think about it, it wasn't the clearest compliment I could give." He smiled weakly, "A turn of phrase from before your time, my Queen." He bowed a little to show he meant his apology, "I merely meant that, despite how much you feel you do or don't know about the country, you did a very good job of putting us in a stronger bargaining position if the Duke decides to take them up on their offer."

He coughed into one hand and smiled, "In short, an excellent job for one of your first attempts foreign diplomacy. The details will come in time, but until then your position was one that does us no end of good."

Pepita frowned, looking almost as if she were about to cry. "Are you just being nice?" she asked. "Because I...I thought that went terribly! I felt like all we did was talk at each other and make no progress past what we had when we all sat down! And they all thought I was a child!"

Well.

In the future he'd have to remember to not praise her. Or at least wait for a full victory.

Doing his best not to repeat the Unseelie representative's mistake, he gently touched her shoulders--ensuring that no part of him touched her breasts--and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze, "Oh, don't be so hard on yourself, Your Highness," he said as soothingly as he could, "Diplomacy and trade negotiations take a long time by their nature. You often don't know anything at all happened until after the fact." Bobbing his head a little to try and make eye contact with her, he smiled as endearingly as he could, "If the Duke does decide to go with this one limited trade offer, you--you yourself and no other--likely saved him no small amount of funds that he can use to help his people. You have shown them the strength of this Kingdom and how little we take to foreign diplomats looking down their noses at how we do business. You have done more in one brief conversation to cement our strength than the Duke had managed in two meetings."

He smiled broadly at her, "And, truly, anyone foolish enough to mistake you for a child is dealing to their disadvantage. You proved a razor wit in there. You needn't worry so."

Pepita frowned. "I have an idea," she said. "How long would it take to get diplomats from another country here? One that is independent of Aquitaine? I mean a human one, one that we can also do trade with to make an example to the Aquitaineans of how we trade with people who are friendly to us? If we're going to try to open our borders and extend a hand of friendship to other countries, we should be showing that we do that or Aquitaine is going to tell everyone we are just as shut-in as always."

Gearoid blinked a couple times and dropped his hands to his sides, thinking on it. "I don't know, my Queen. A month at the most would be my guess. Depending on the speed and quality of messengers sent. And assuming the Aquitinians don't assassinate them along the way."

Because if Gearoid was going to attempt to corner the market on any place, he'd make sure they were as isolated as possible. "Do you think someone else could get us a better deal?"

Oh, please say it was a better deal...

Pepita shrugged. "I don't think it matters if it's a better deal, do you?" she asked. "It's worth paying for friendship, if we can prove that we are not backwards and mistrusting like everyone says we are."