Meeting Alexander

[ishineon]

[Säde waits in the Club castle foyer, hands held behind her as she examines her surroundings, matching them with what she remembers of her last visit. She has caught a nearby Four, sending him to summon his King. No hurry. She came unannounced, after all.]

Comments

[livebytheclub]

[When Adrien knocks urgently, Alexander bids him enter. Hearing his message, the King considers how best to receive his guest. From what he's heard she is no delicate flower, but does have a strong sense of decorum. He decides to meet her in the great study, larger and more open than the office he actually uses, and more befitting a visitor without being too formal. Adrien bows quickly and leaves with the order]

[ishineon]

[Säde follows him without fuss, her eyes taking in the varying Clubs they pass in the halls. As has been reported, many appear to have been training their fighting skills. Some conceal weapons, others ear small injuries, and yet more have gained muscle.

She enters the study, immediately zeroing in on the man she recognises as Alexander. She walks in front of him, not too close, and inclines her head in respect, but nothing more. She examines him subtly as she speaks:] Good day to you, King Alexander. I am Säde, the Ace of Diamonds.

[ishineon]

(ooc: bluh, that's bear, not ear /facepalm)

[livebytheclub]

[Alexander is a quick judge and sees Sade as potentially very dangerous. Her eyes are the kind that see a great deal, but her face is impassive and totally controlled. That kind of mind operating such a clearly well-tuned body could be quite a hassle if handled poorly]

"Well met and welcome. To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

[ishineon]

Why, I wished to pay you my respects, in your new role in the Clubs. I neglected to after your coronation, and for that I apologise. [Upon closer examination, she's tired, but much of it is hidden by her makeup.]

[Alexander, she can tell, is as militaristic as she has been told. Weapons close at hand, and a body used to fighting often. It sends an unwelcome chill down her spine.]

[livebytheclub]

[She isn't afraid, he can see, but wary. Not at all uncalled for when visiting an unknown person of power. He bows his head in a gesture of gratitude]

"I thank you for your consideration. You were missed at the coronation, but we all know that duty must come before ceremony. I am glad to speak with you now.

Can I offer you some refreshment? No doubt your travels have been tiring."

[He expects her answer to be telling. Traditionally, accepting refreshment makes one a guest and therefore safe from harm. On the other hand, most everyone had violated that custom at least once and some poisons are both slow and rather hard to trace. Would her suspicion of him be enough for her to reject a King's hospitality?]

[ishineon]

A cool drink would be lovely. [Her smile is sharp and not as pleasant as it ought to be. What ruler would be so foolish as to risk ruining the balance between the Suits by felling one of their best at their first meeting?]

It's rumoured of how different you are from Andrew... I daresay you might just live up to his name. [Or not. An insult, a compliment, or a prediction? Her tone is quite ambiguous.]

[livebytheclub]

[Perhaps she isn't familiar with the same herbs he has seen put to use. Whatever might she mean about 'living up to his name?' In any case, he signals Adrien to prepare a drink]

"A new direction is both most needed and most readily taken when the crown passes under such circumstances as these. It is my duty to make the best possible use of the authority entrusted to me."

[He looks grave at first, but a most predatory grin curves his lips as his last words]

[ishineon]

[She spares some attention to ensure the ingredients going into her drink are ones she's familiar with.] But surely stability is needed in any crisis. Do the Clubs not feel at ease with their new leadership, their new direction, as you say?

[livebytheclub]

[Curious that she openly questions leadership decisions in another suit. He certainly doesn't mind, but it's not what he's come to expect from the court regulars]

"Objects continue moving as they have been unless acted upon. Naturally there is always some resistance to change. However I find that with correct presentation and incentive, those who count can be brought to a certain understanding."

[ishineon]

[Testing boundaries with an unknown variable is something Säde feels necessary. Information from other sources can only tell her so much.]

I'm sure they'll eventually come round to your method of ruling, once you've settled into your kingship.

[livebytheclub]

[there might be wisdom in those words. He did, after all, blow in like a storm with purely his own expectations of how things should be done. Perhaps he expected too much of his people, no matter how obvious the need for change was to him]

"One does one's duty as it is possible. Tell me, how are things in your court?"

[ishineon]

Everything's as usual. Our king is, as always, healthy, and our queen likewise. [That the Diamond royals were distinctly unenamoured with each other was an open secret in the Deck.] There's been little of interest to tell.

[livebytheclub]

[Or nothing for his ears?]

"No news is often good news."

[ishineon]

[Well, she would hardly tell him that.]

Often. And just as often, it could mean stagnation, or a plot brewing borne of old rivalries. Or simply that everyone felt well enough to be civil to each other.

[livebytheclub]

[He laughs]

"Always possible. Do you know of any such plots? No one ever tells me anything."

(occ: I use brackets to describe character thoughts and actions and parentheses for comments. fyi)