[Jaeyi] Nice robe, prick.
RL Date: 5/15/10
IC Date: 10/4/22
Esraval's Chambers, Fort Weyr
Posh. Luxurious. Fancy.
This morning, Esraval's asked for breakfast to be delivered to his quarters and he's asked that his favorite baker bring it to him. Lately, Lord Fort's been a busy man. Meetings. Lots of of them. At all hours. He's also had to spend a fair bit of time with his wife and son. Could add up to a bit of a reprieve for Jaeyi actually, just not this morning apparently. It's one of those gorgeous, clear, fall days, the morning sunlight slanting through the windows of Esraval's rooms which of course, have been traded up since he stepped up into his nephew's and brother's shoes. He's up, but not dressed this morning, sitting at the very nice desk in his sitting room, peacefully writing letters.
With absolutely no cause to complain about the reprieve, Jaeyi has even helped out by going the extra mile to absent herself from Lord Fort's presence as often as possible. That's not to say she's not here when bidden, mind, but she hasn't exactly turned up voluntarily in a while, ostensibly because she's respecting Esraval's need to work and spend time with his newly expanded family. But, so as not to arouse suspicion (her job is to arouse other things, see), she appears on cue, looking fresh and bright and cheerful with a cart of breakfast-y things-- eggs and sausage to counter-balance the french toast, waffles, doughnuts, and crepes, a medley of tooth-rotting, gut-expanding gooeyness. "Are you decent?" is the coyly lilted greeting, the door opened just enough to peek into the room.
The door opens, Esraval sits back in his chair and blue eyes lift to take in Jaeyi appraisingly. "I am, mostly, but could easily not be," is the 'charming' answer as Lord Fort sets down his pen. That robe he's wearing is prussian blue sisal, very fine and somehow manages to make him look very handsome in that rich-boy, indolent way. Only he hasn't really been terribly indolent lately, very dedicated in fact, or so it seems. He rises, the folds of sisal draping attractively around him, fluttering a little as he walks. Yeah, that's all he's wearing as he comes over to pull the door open and examine both baker and breakfast more fully. "And you my pet? Are you decent enough for serving your Lord?"
Having already been to work, evidenced by the spread on the cart, which is probably an elaborate version of what's out for breakfast for the masses-- minus crepes and doughnuts, likely-- Jaeyi is actually /dressed/, though one can assume she's stopped along the way to primp a little, put on stockings and make sure she's wearing Esraval appropriate underwear or something. "Really now," she begins as if primly, hands folded behind her back, big wide eyes blinking with comical innocence, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day, my Lord." Gag. "You ought to worry more about whether or not your meal is decent, not your Baker. That's a nice robe, though." Which, if she wasn't standing in the hallway still, might have been phrased as 'you look sexy.'
"It's very important to start the day right," Esraval agrees and holds out a hand to her to draw /her/ into the room. "As for my meal, I'm quite certain it's beyond decent, since you made it," the Lord remarks with indulgent praise. "And thank you, it's very comfortable as well." A pause follows as he takes in Jaeyi's appearance more closely then takes a look at the cart's contents. Once she's within, he'll reach out with a lazy arm to shut the door. "I've missed you, my sweet," is his next remark, lightly voiced, though his gaze is back on her face. "You haven't come often, lately."
Jaeyi's, "Is it?" is fringed with playful disappointment, one hand swept along the lapel of the robe and then away to wheel her cart in, instead, explaining, "Well, that's a shame. If it /wasn't/ comfortable, we'd just have to get that off you, but--" She'll just sigh sadly instead. There's a glance around the room once she's actually inside it, head tipped to look beyond Esraval to his desk, his papers, all of it playing into the nod she delivers at his last observation. "You're busy, lately. Let's have breakfast and we'll catch up, hmn?" The last brightly, like they have sooooo much to talk about.
Chuckling huskily as her hand sweeps along fine fabric, Esraval's gaze tracks Jaeyi-and-cart inward. He turns to the door, closes it firmly and turns the key in the lock, removes it and pockets it then stalks after his Baker to casually slide an arm around her waist. His chin aims to clear her neck of the fall of dark hair so he can press a line of inviting kisses along her skin. "Mmm, catching up sounds like an excellent proposition, though I think perhaps you're definitely not decent for a morning spent with me," the Lord murmurs in a low tease. Yes, he's getting handsy already, fingers trailing after fastenings to get her out of her to layer of clothing at least. "And my desk hasn't had a good work out in far too long, between complaints from various holders and dealing with other concerns. I've been preoccupied with Astivan's health lately and I could use a little ... fun, to take my mind off of things."
Jaeyi's sigh, this time, is blissful in response to the kisses. At least Esraval's not /physically/ repulsive. Still, resolute if more coy than actually firm, she insists, "Breakfast first." Though she catches at his hand, twines her fingers to draw his away from her clothes, she adds with a lashly look up at him, "Every time you take a bite, I'll undo a button, hmn? That ought to work out to a good meal, I think." Releasing his hand, she walks her fingers along the edge of the desk, finding its contents with a casual glance, her tone turning more serious to add, "I heard Astivan wasn't feeling well, the poor boy. Do the healers know what's wrong with him?"
"You know me too well," Esraval teases, though he does make a bid for another kiss before she slips away, resolutely drapes himself back into his chair to watch her move around. "Jerenan said it was some kind of stomach flu, but you'd think that would have passed by now," he says with a note of dissatisfaction in his voice. I'm hoping the new one might have a fresh view on it. Otherwise I'll be asking for the Masterhealer to take a look at him personally." On the desk is the half-finished letter he was just working on, beneath it some other papers and a scattering of maps, color-coded. Depending on how good Jae is at maps, she might be able to pick out that there's more than Fort's immediate area there: Boll and Ruatha represented and a close-up of the western coast of both Fort and Boll.
Certainly, "Nobody has the stomach flu for this long. With everything he's been through--" Jaeyi doesn't expressly elaborate on the whole dead father + stolen Hold, but it's implied in her sympathetic tone. "--it's no wonder he's a little under the weather, but it's been so long now." Ruatha, she'll utterly fail to recognize that unless it actually says RUATHA in big-bold-letters on it, but Boll's familiar enough that her eyes linger on the page for a moment before she's offering, "Shall I clear this all away? Or do we want to risk getting syrup on your maps?" She slips between the Lord's chair and his desk, hitching her bottom up on the latter, hooking the cart with the end of one foot to wheel it the rest of the way over, not graceful but it does grant her occasion to peer at his letters, too. She's getting good at this whole pretense thing!
"Exactly, that's what worries me," Esraval says with a little frown though he takes the opportunity to slide his hand up her thigh as she perches on his desk. "Syrup would be tragic and probably cause Lord Ruatha to think less than highly of me," Esraval quips though he's fixing rather an intent look up at the baker and though his chair inches closer and his hand higher, he reaches over to sweep the pile of papers aside tidily enough so they're out of the way, but more stacked together now. "There's so many things I'd like to talk to you about, but my appetite' been whetted, best to feed it first."
"Oh, please," Jaeyi says with a theatric roll of her eyes, reaching forward to find a small plate on the cart and array a quick, small meal upon it. "I doubt a little syrup is going to make Lord Ruatha look down on Lord Fort." With the latter title made more grandiose in tone, Lord Fort /so/ much more impressive. "Though, I'm curious. Do you two just write little friendly notes or...? Mmn, what does one Lord have to say to another?" Her foot finding its way to the edge of his chair, permitting her skirt to climb along with his hand at least to knee height, she tsk-tsks as if specifically to counter the riding fabric. "To slake your whetted appetite," she insists, now plucking his hand away to coax it toward the plate, meaning for him to take possession of it.
"He's very particular, Lord Ruatha is," Esraval replies with some humor. "As for what we have to say to each other ... well it behooves us to make sure our roads are safe all the way through, for example, doesn't it?" That hand climbs with fabric, fingers tracing along skin. Briefly he looks peeved by the plucking up on his hand, but it's followed by an indulgent smile as he takes the plate and starts eating, gaze expectant on her buttons. "And once again, you prove your talents," he extols the virtues of her cooking.
"A Lord who's very particular? Who would have thought." Jaeyi, with a look around the immaculate suite, playfully accuses Esraval of this very same crime. Briefly, having forgotten her promise about getting undressed if he'll eat, she settles for a thoughtful knit of her brows, asks, "Does Ruatha have guards at the little holds and waystations, too? I mean, it's not all coming out of just /your/ pocketbook, is it?" The pointedness of his gaze reminds her a bit belatedly, has her shifting enough to pull her blouse out of the waist of her skirt, starting at the bottom of it. "Mmn, I do aim to please." Or at least keep him interested till something irrefutable comes to life, anyway.
"There's liking things nice and then there's Giarnon," is Esraval's take on this subject. He takes another bite of his breakfast like a good little boy though he's definitely watching the popping of that button when it happens. "That would be the subject of this letter, I'd like to make sure that Ruatha's got things set up properly 'over the border' so to speak," Fort's Lord claims though he's also extending his hand to trace her newly expanded decolletage. "You always please me, my pet," he compliments sweetly.
This is news to Jaeyi. Not that Esraval's paying attention to her neckline; that's kind of a given. The matter of Ruathan guards, though... "And Boll? My goodness, you boys'll have the whole region under patrol soon, won't you." Buttons, buttons, buttons, yes, followed by a further chide, "Apparently not pleasing enough for you to pay attention to your breakfast. I worked very hard on that, I'll have you know," with a pretty pout.
"Visrain ... doesn't agree about the methods," Esraval remarks lightly. "But I'm hoping to persuade him, given how effective it's been," he continues and makes much of taking a big bite of his food. "Best donuts I've ever tasted," the Lord remarks quite deadpan and licks a bit of sugar off of his fingers, brows up. That better?
Jaeyi, merely curious, certainly not evincing any of the suspicion she's been carrying around for months, asks with her head cocked, "What methods? I mean, if they're working, seems like Visrain should just sign off on it, hmn?" As a reward for the big bite, she leans forward-- enjoy the view-- and plants a kiss in between his lifted brows, maintaining that balancing act between keeping him talking and keeping him from noticing how much he's talking. And about what. "Finish," while she shrugs out of the blouse, lets it land on the desk behind her.
"Guards spread out along the roads from waystations and in any small hold that requests a presence," Esraval describes. "I'm not sure what he'd prefer, though he seems to favor independence." A negligent gesture of his free hand follows. Leaning forward though, drops his palm back down to her thigh to hike her skirt up more and fingers go a-walking up her front. "Mmm . .. not quite yet," he murmurs teasingly on the subject of finishing, but he does pop the last few bites into his mouth.
"What will you do if he doesn't agree to do things the same way that you are? It won't do much good if Fort is perfectly safe only for everyone to get robbed as soon as they reach Boll, hmn?" Jaeyi's frown is brief, an honestly thoughtful expression that she chases away promptly to play the proper interest in his busy fingers. "My goodness, no wonder Astivan's sick if this inability to finish a perfectly good meal runs in your family. The boy's probably starving."
"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it," is Esraval's distracted answer as he edges a bit nearer, intent on getting more contact with Jaeyi's skin. "I'll finish the rest in a moment," he says firmly, pushing up to his feet, apparently intending to push the Baker down onto his desk with persuasive hands. "If only it were that, I'd prefer that explanation to the alternatives," Esraval remarks about his nephew, again with a brief furrowing of brows. It doesn't last though. He's got a blouse-less Jaeyi on his desk he's intent on ravishing.
No further than, "But--" Jaeyi doesn't get any further with her questions about Visrain's response, the quirk of her lips briefly pestered by his renewed insistence, though she's quick enough to mask that by lowering her attention to the knot that keeps his robe closed. Her fingers slip on the fine fabric briefly, evidence of a lackluster first attempt (T'rev? She'd have had undressed ten times over by now. Esraval? Meh, the robe's almost more than she cares to bother with.), manages it on a second go, and makes no further protests about finishing his breakfast. She's here to have sex on his desk, she's aware of that, no point putting it off any longer.
'But' will have to wait. Esraval has needs and he wants them attended to. Now. Lackluster as her attempt to disrobe him might be, it doesn't seem to matter, because he shortly deals with his robe himself and the rest of Jaeyi's decency. Somewhere in there, the Baker might actually find herself with a very good view of the papers he shuffled to the side earlier, even if they're half covering each other. Esraval is suitably distracted at the time what with all the screwing going on, which could afford an opportunity to get an eyeful of the pretty phrases he was using to write to Lord Ruatha, offering assistance from Fort with setting up 'appropriate measures' to 'protect the roads of our region' from the 'pernicious effects of the lawless'. There's a lot of dots on those maps, though what those dots /are/ might not be immediately obvious as the emplacement of guards throughout the area. There's also rather an interesting draft tucked in beneath the letter to Ruatha. Just enough visible to possibly grab attention. Something about the status of Fort Sea and elevating her status, though there's probably a frustrating number of words blocked by the other letter.
Yeah, the words blocked by the letter aren't the frustrating part. The frustrating part is trying to read all that, without being noticed to read all that, while having sex. Jaeyi's done a fair few weird things in the sack by now, but fucking someone on his desk so she can sift through his mail in the process? Pretty much takes the cake. Let's just assume it's a little more plausible afterward, when she'll coax him on back to his chair to finish his breakfast, when she'll enthrone herself upon his lap to feed him that breakfast with a clear view to that stack of papers. It's easier to file away useful tidbits of information then.
Esraval doesn't seem to notice any distraction, certainly, he's quite happy to cuddle the Baker up in his lap after what he probably considers to be round one. Blue eyes are shut for a little while, Esraval's head lolling against the chair's back while one hand wanders along Jaeyi's body in negligent, but possessive fashion. "We'll have to make up for lost nights," he's murmuring softly, a little smile on his face. "I've missed my nightcaps with you, sweetness. Paperwork is cold comfort indeed." A little pouty there. Energetic pursuits have conspired to slide the letter to Ruatha to the side which might reveal the subject of the other letter a bit more plainly. The gist, if fractured by the still incomplete view, seems to be promoting Fort Sea from a minor hold to a major one.
Jaeyi, finishing a bite herself to free her fingers, trails them idly along the line starting just between Esraval's eyebrows and down to the end of his nose, lightly back up again, down again. It would, except for the ulterior motives, be a light, almost fond gesture for what are surely tired and overworked eyes - which should stay restfully, obliviously shut. So she can read, just brave enough to reach with her other hand and shift the Ruathan letter just a touch more to the side, leaving only a corner to obscure the page beneath. "You'll have your wife back soon, don't forget," she adds in a heartening tone, poor poor Esraval. "Between paperwork and Isobel, when will you find time, I wonder."
"Isobel doesn't have your stamina, my dear girl," Esraval says with self-satisfied condescension after a few moments of enjoying being petted with apparent fondness. That letter? Definitely about elevating Fort Sea's status to what it ought to be and it's addressed to Rivellan. The language is on the edge of being overly flowery and appeasing, but manages to fall just short of that. Thanks for the holder's staunch support is also expressed along with a promise to 'make good on all prior arrangements to the mutual benefit of our holds'.
"Or pastries," Jaeyi points out with the cheerful brightness that keeps her painted as pretty, pleasant enough to talk to, not so bright as to be anything to worry about. Certainly not so clever as to necessitate the hiding of things like florid letters to co-conspirators. Having had time enough to realize the letter's contents, having nowhere she can put it at the moment to walk out with it later-- damned nudity-- she shifts the Ruathan letter back to its previous location. "When you haven't got so much work, you'll have to come and visit me again, mhmn. You seem tired, though." Whether that's sympathy or hope, it sounds sad for him.
A low chuckle starts somewhere deep in Esraval's chest and his eyes open after a moment, what passes for a fond look caught on his face as he lifts a slow, lazy hand to her hair to tuck it back gently. "What a precious thing you are," he tells her, like that's some kind of compliment. "Don't worry, my dear, I'll be visiting regularly again soon," he promises her with a wide smile. Drat him.
Oh yay. Jaeyi's precious. Hopefully Esraval will remember that when she smothers him with a pillow some night. In the meantime, she'll just go on being pretty and pleasant long enough that she can finally justify putting her clothes back on and leaving. Shortly after she finishes scrubbing herself (and her player's brain; he's really kind of a prick) with lye soap... she'll have to figure out how to get back in there and get that letter. Hmmmn.
Bring on the lye. As for Esraval, he'll go about his day with smug satisfaction, enjoy the rest of his food and usher Jaeyi out with further reassurances of how much he enjoys her company and how much he's looking forward to resuming evenings with her shorly. Blech.
IC Date: 10/4/22
Esraval's Chambers, Fort Weyr
Posh. Luxurious. Fancy.
This morning, Esraval's asked for breakfast to be delivered to his quarters and he's asked that his favorite baker bring it to him. Lately, Lord Fort's been a busy man. Meetings. Lots of of them. At all hours. He's also had to spend a fair bit of time with his wife and son. Could add up to a bit of a reprieve for Jaeyi actually, just not this morning apparently. It's one of those gorgeous, clear, fall days, the morning sunlight slanting through the windows of Esraval's rooms which of course, have been traded up since he stepped up into his nephew's and brother's shoes. He's up, but not dressed this morning, sitting at the very nice desk in his sitting room, peacefully writing letters.
With absolutely no cause to complain about the reprieve, Jaeyi has even helped out by going the extra mile to absent herself from Lord Fort's presence as often as possible. That's not to say she's not here when bidden, mind, but she hasn't exactly turned up voluntarily in a while, ostensibly because she's respecting Esraval's need to work and spend time with his newly expanded family. But, so as not to arouse suspicion (her job is to arouse other things, see), she appears on cue, looking fresh and bright and cheerful with a cart of breakfast-y things-- eggs and sausage to counter-balance the french toast, waffles, doughnuts, and crepes, a medley of tooth-rotting, gut-expanding gooeyness. "Are you decent?" is the coyly lilted greeting, the door opened just enough to peek into the room.
The door opens, Esraval sits back in his chair and blue eyes lift to take in Jaeyi appraisingly. "I am, mostly, but could easily not be," is the 'charming' answer as Lord Fort sets down his pen. That robe he's wearing is prussian blue sisal, very fine and somehow manages to make him look very handsome in that rich-boy, indolent way. Only he hasn't really been terribly indolent lately, very dedicated in fact, or so it seems. He rises, the folds of sisal draping attractively around him, fluttering a little as he walks. Yeah, that's all he's wearing as he comes over to pull the door open and examine both baker and breakfast more fully. "And you my pet? Are you decent enough for serving your Lord?"
Having already been to work, evidenced by the spread on the cart, which is probably an elaborate version of what's out for breakfast for the masses-- minus crepes and doughnuts, likely-- Jaeyi is actually /dressed/, though one can assume she's stopped along the way to primp a little, put on stockings and make sure she's wearing Esraval appropriate underwear or something. "Really now," she begins as if primly, hands folded behind her back, big wide eyes blinking with comical innocence, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day, my Lord." Gag. "You ought to worry more about whether or not your meal is decent, not your Baker. That's a nice robe, though." Which, if she wasn't standing in the hallway still, might have been phrased as 'you look sexy.'
"It's very important to start the day right," Esraval agrees and holds out a hand to her to draw /her/ into the room. "As for my meal, I'm quite certain it's beyond decent, since you made it," the Lord remarks with indulgent praise. "And thank you, it's very comfortable as well." A pause follows as he takes in Jaeyi's appearance more closely then takes a look at the cart's contents. Once she's within, he'll reach out with a lazy arm to shut the door. "I've missed you, my sweet," is his next remark, lightly voiced, though his gaze is back on her face. "You haven't come often, lately."
Jaeyi's, "Is it?" is fringed with playful disappointment, one hand swept along the lapel of the robe and then away to wheel her cart in, instead, explaining, "Well, that's a shame. If it /wasn't/ comfortable, we'd just have to get that off you, but--" She'll just sigh sadly instead. There's a glance around the room once she's actually inside it, head tipped to look beyond Esraval to his desk, his papers, all of it playing into the nod she delivers at his last observation. "You're busy, lately. Let's have breakfast and we'll catch up, hmn?" The last brightly, like they have sooooo much to talk about.
Chuckling huskily as her hand sweeps along fine fabric, Esraval's gaze tracks Jaeyi-and-cart inward. He turns to the door, closes it firmly and turns the key in the lock, removes it and pockets it then stalks after his Baker to casually slide an arm around her waist. His chin aims to clear her neck of the fall of dark hair so he can press a line of inviting kisses along her skin. "Mmm, catching up sounds like an excellent proposition, though I think perhaps you're definitely not decent for a morning spent with me," the Lord murmurs in a low tease. Yes, he's getting handsy already, fingers trailing after fastenings to get her out of her to layer of clothing at least. "And my desk hasn't had a good work out in far too long, between complaints from various holders and dealing with other concerns. I've been preoccupied with Astivan's health lately and I could use a little ... fun, to take my mind off of things."
Jaeyi's sigh, this time, is blissful in response to the kisses. At least Esraval's not /physically/ repulsive. Still, resolute if more coy than actually firm, she insists, "Breakfast first." Though she catches at his hand, twines her fingers to draw his away from her clothes, she adds with a lashly look up at him, "Every time you take a bite, I'll undo a button, hmn? That ought to work out to a good meal, I think." Releasing his hand, she walks her fingers along the edge of the desk, finding its contents with a casual glance, her tone turning more serious to add, "I heard Astivan wasn't feeling well, the poor boy. Do the healers know what's wrong with him?"
"You know me too well," Esraval teases, though he does make a bid for another kiss before she slips away, resolutely drapes himself back into his chair to watch her move around. "Jerenan said it was some kind of stomach flu, but you'd think that would have passed by now," he says with a note of dissatisfaction in his voice. I'm hoping the new one might have a fresh view on it. Otherwise I'll be asking for the Masterhealer to take a look at him personally." On the desk is the half-finished letter he was just working on, beneath it some other papers and a scattering of maps, color-coded. Depending on how good Jae is at maps, she might be able to pick out that there's more than Fort's immediate area there: Boll and Ruatha represented and a close-up of the western coast of both Fort and Boll.
Certainly, "Nobody has the stomach flu for this long. With everything he's been through--" Jaeyi doesn't expressly elaborate on the whole dead father + stolen Hold, but it's implied in her sympathetic tone. "--it's no wonder he's a little under the weather, but it's been so long now." Ruatha, she'll utterly fail to recognize that unless it actually says RUATHA in big-bold-letters on it, but Boll's familiar enough that her eyes linger on the page for a moment before she's offering, "Shall I clear this all away? Or do we want to risk getting syrup on your maps?" She slips between the Lord's chair and his desk, hitching her bottom up on the latter, hooking the cart with the end of one foot to wheel it the rest of the way over, not graceful but it does grant her occasion to peer at his letters, too. She's getting good at this whole pretense thing!
"Exactly, that's what worries me," Esraval says with a little frown though he takes the opportunity to slide his hand up her thigh as she perches on his desk. "Syrup would be tragic and probably cause Lord Ruatha to think less than highly of me," Esraval quips though he's fixing rather an intent look up at the baker and though his chair inches closer and his hand higher, he reaches over to sweep the pile of papers aside tidily enough so they're out of the way, but more stacked together now. "There's so many things I'd like to talk to you about, but my appetite' been whetted, best to feed it first."
"Oh, please," Jaeyi says with a theatric roll of her eyes, reaching forward to find a small plate on the cart and array a quick, small meal upon it. "I doubt a little syrup is going to make Lord Ruatha look down on Lord Fort." With the latter title made more grandiose in tone, Lord Fort /so/ much more impressive. "Though, I'm curious. Do you two just write little friendly notes or...? Mmn, what does one Lord have to say to another?" Her foot finding its way to the edge of his chair, permitting her skirt to climb along with his hand at least to knee height, she tsk-tsks as if specifically to counter the riding fabric. "To slake your whetted appetite," she insists, now plucking his hand away to coax it toward the plate, meaning for him to take possession of it.
"He's very particular, Lord Ruatha is," Esraval replies with some humor. "As for what we have to say to each other ... well it behooves us to make sure our roads are safe all the way through, for example, doesn't it?" That hand climbs with fabric, fingers tracing along skin. Briefly he looks peeved by the plucking up on his hand, but it's followed by an indulgent smile as he takes the plate and starts eating, gaze expectant on her buttons. "And once again, you prove your talents," he extols the virtues of her cooking.
"A Lord who's very particular? Who would have thought." Jaeyi, with a look around the immaculate suite, playfully accuses Esraval of this very same crime. Briefly, having forgotten her promise about getting undressed if he'll eat, she settles for a thoughtful knit of her brows, asks, "Does Ruatha have guards at the little holds and waystations, too? I mean, it's not all coming out of just /your/ pocketbook, is it?" The pointedness of his gaze reminds her a bit belatedly, has her shifting enough to pull her blouse out of the waist of her skirt, starting at the bottom of it. "Mmn, I do aim to please." Or at least keep him interested till something irrefutable comes to life, anyway.
"There's liking things nice and then there's Giarnon," is Esraval's take on this subject. He takes another bite of his breakfast like a good little boy though he's definitely watching the popping of that button when it happens. "That would be the subject of this letter, I'd like to make sure that Ruatha's got things set up properly 'over the border' so to speak," Fort's Lord claims though he's also extending his hand to trace her newly expanded decolletage. "You always please me, my pet," he compliments sweetly.
This is news to Jaeyi. Not that Esraval's paying attention to her neckline; that's kind of a given. The matter of Ruathan guards, though... "And Boll? My goodness, you boys'll have the whole region under patrol soon, won't you." Buttons, buttons, buttons, yes, followed by a further chide, "Apparently not pleasing enough for you to pay attention to your breakfast. I worked very hard on that, I'll have you know," with a pretty pout.
"Visrain ... doesn't agree about the methods," Esraval remarks lightly. "But I'm hoping to persuade him, given how effective it's been," he continues and makes much of taking a big bite of his food. "Best donuts I've ever tasted," the Lord remarks quite deadpan and licks a bit of sugar off of his fingers, brows up. That better?
Jaeyi, merely curious, certainly not evincing any of the suspicion she's been carrying around for months, asks with her head cocked, "What methods? I mean, if they're working, seems like Visrain should just sign off on it, hmn?" As a reward for the big bite, she leans forward-- enjoy the view-- and plants a kiss in between his lifted brows, maintaining that balancing act between keeping him talking and keeping him from noticing how much he's talking. And about what. "Finish," while she shrugs out of the blouse, lets it land on the desk behind her.
"Guards spread out along the roads from waystations and in any small hold that requests a presence," Esraval describes. "I'm not sure what he'd prefer, though he seems to favor independence." A negligent gesture of his free hand follows. Leaning forward though, drops his palm back down to her thigh to hike her skirt up more and fingers go a-walking up her front. "Mmm . .. not quite yet," he murmurs teasingly on the subject of finishing, but he does pop the last few bites into his mouth.
"What will you do if he doesn't agree to do things the same way that you are? It won't do much good if Fort is perfectly safe only for everyone to get robbed as soon as they reach Boll, hmn?" Jaeyi's frown is brief, an honestly thoughtful expression that she chases away promptly to play the proper interest in his busy fingers. "My goodness, no wonder Astivan's sick if this inability to finish a perfectly good meal runs in your family. The boy's probably starving."
"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it," is Esraval's distracted answer as he edges a bit nearer, intent on getting more contact with Jaeyi's skin. "I'll finish the rest in a moment," he says firmly, pushing up to his feet, apparently intending to push the Baker down onto his desk with persuasive hands. "If only it were that, I'd prefer that explanation to the alternatives," Esraval remarks about his nephew, again with a brief furrowing of brows. It doesn't last though. He's got a blouse-less Jaeyi on his desk he's intent on ravishing.
No further than, "But--" Jaeyi doesn't get any further with her questions about Visrain's response, the quirk of her lips briefly pestered by his renewed insistence, though she's quick enough to mask that by lowering her attention to the knot that keeps his robe closed. Her fingers slip on the fine fabric briefly, evidence of a lackluster first attempt (T'rev? She'd have had undressed ten times over by now. Esraval? Meh, the robe's almost more than she cares to bother with.), manages it on a second go, and makes no further protests about finishing his breakfast. She's here to have sex on his desk, she's aware of that, no point putting it off any longer.
'But' will have to wait. Esraval has needs and he wants them attended to. Now. Lackluster as her attempt to disrobe him might be, it doesn't seem to matter, because he shortly deals with his robe himself and the rest of Jaeyi's decency. Somewhere in there, the Baker might actually find herself with a very good view of the papers he shuffled to the side earlier, even if they're half covering each other. Esraval is suitably distracted at the time what with all the screwing going on, which could afford an opportunity to get an eyeful of the pretty phrases he was using to write to Lord Ruatha, offering assistance from Fort with setting up 'appropriate measures' to 'protect the roads of our region' from the 'pernicious effects of the lawless'. There's a lot of dots on those maps, though what those dots /are/ might not be immediately obvious as the emplacement of guards throughout the area. There's also rather an interesting draft tucked in beneath the letter to Ruatha. Just enough visible to possibly grab attention. Something about the status of Fort Sea and elevating her status, though there's probably a frustrating number of words blocked by the other letter.
Yeah, the words blocked by the letter aren't the frustrating part. The frustrating part is trying to read all that, without being noticed to read all that, while having sex. Jaeyi's done a fair few weird things in the sack by now, but fucking someone on his desk so she can sift through his mail in the process? Pretty much takes the cake. Let's just assume it's a little more plausible afterward, when she'll coax him on back to his chair to finish his breakfast, when she'll enthrone herself upon his lap to feed him that breakfast with a clear view to that stack of papers. It's easier to file away useful tidbits of information then.
Esraval doesn't seem to notice any distraction, certainly, he's quite happy to cuddle the Baker up in his lap after what he probably considers to be round one. Blue eyes are shut for a little while, Esraval's head lolling against the chair's back while one hand wanders along Jaeyi's body in negligent, but possessive fashion. "We'll have to make up for lost nights," he's murmuring softly, a little smile on his face. "I've missed my nightcaps with you, sweetness. Paperwork is cold comfort indeed." A little pouty there. Energetic pursuits have conspired to slide the letter to Ruatha to the side which might reveal the subject of the other letter a bit more plainly. The gist, if fractured by the still incomplete view, seems to be promoting Fort Sea from a minor hold to a major one.
Jaeyi, finishing a bite herself to free her fingers, trails them idly along the line starting just between Esraval's eyebrows and down to the end of his nose, lightly back up again, down again. It would, except for the ulterior motives, be a light, almost fond gesture for what are surely tired and overworked eyes - which should stay restfully, obliviously shut. So she can read, just brave enough to reach with her other hand and shift the Ruathan letter just a touch more to the side, leaving only a corner to obscure the page beneath. "You'll have your wife back soon, don't forget," she adds in a heartening tone, poor poor Esraval. "Between paperwork and Isobel, when will you find time, I wonder."
"Isobel doesn't have your stamina, my dear girl," Esraval says with self-satisfied condescension after a few moments of enjoying being petted with apparent fondness. That letter? Definitely about elevating Fort Sea's status to what it ought to be and it's addressed to Rivellan. The language is on the edge of being overly flowery and appeasing, but manages to fall just short of that. Thanks for the holder's staunch support is also expressed along with a promise to 'make good on all prior arrangements to the mutual benefit of our holds'.
"Or pastries," Jaeyi points out with the cheerful brightness that keeps her painted as pretty, pleasant enough to talk to, not so bright as to be anything to worry about. Certainly not so clever as to necessitate the hiding of things like florid letters to co-conspirators. Having had time enough to realize the letter's contents, having nowhere she can put it at the moment to walk out with it later-- damned nudity-- she shifts the Ruathan letter back to its previous location. "When you haven't got so much work, you'll have to come and visit me again, mhmn. You seem tired, though." Whether that's sympathy or hope, it sounds sad for him.
A low chuckle starts somewhere deep in Esraval's chest and his eyes open after a moment, what passes for a fond look caught on his face as he lifts a slow, lazy hand to her hair to tuck it back gently. "What a precious thing you are," he tells her, like that's some kind of compliment. "Don't worry, my dear, I'll be visiting regularly again soon," he promises her with a wide smile. Drat him.
Oh yay. Jaeyi's precious. Hopefully Esraval will remember that when she smothers him with a pillow some night. In the meantime, she'll just go on being pretty and pleasant long enough that she can finally justify putting her clothes back on and leaving. Shortly after she finishes scrubbing herself (and her player's brain; he's really kind of a prick) with lye soap... she'll have to figure out how to get back in there and get that letter. Hmmmn.
Bring on the lye. As for Esraval, he'll go about his day with smug satisfaction, enjoy the rest of his food and usher Jaeyi out with further reassurances of how much he enjoys her company and how much he's looking forward to resuming evenings with her shorly. Blech.