forum Broken Betrothal (O/O Closed)

Started May 06, 2022 by @Twoex group

tune

(thanks!)

The servant, who didn't seem quite Human and was likely half-human and half of something else, blinked silently at Kené for a long moment, taking in the sight of the two Esokans. The servant was an older man, and he seemed hesitant. His hands came up and flickered a few sign motions, before he sighed minutely, and held up a finger to them in a gesture to wait. This servant, rather unluckily for all three of them, was mute, and could not speak. He walked down a small side corridor, and came back after a few moments with a younger servant, a young woman who was certainly not human. Possibly a kelpie in human form, judging by the shape of her eyes and the tilt of her chin. "Joss says that you are the Esokans that the Imbers have been expecting?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at the two brothers. The older man, Joss, stood slightly to the side and behind of the young woman, his hands flickering a few more signs when she looked over at him. She nodded faintly, looking to the Esokans again.

"The Eoiali?" she asked, pronouncing their family name slowly and not quite correctly. "I'll show you to the throne room, then." she turned away, clearly expecting the two to follow her. She had been a bit brusque for a servant, but not outright disrespectful.

Eve and her parents were waiting in the throne room, seated together. Her mother, as predicted, had not been happy with Eve's dress or lipstick, but they all knew that they did not have time for Eve to redo it all.

"Mori, it will be fine." her father comforted, giving his wife a soft smile. "Better that they know of the tattoos earlier anyways, if they are such a deal breaker. It isn't as if you could ever convince Eve to get rid of it."

Her mother sighed, conceding to her husband's words. "You're right, of course you are." she replied, shaking her head a little bit. "It still is not the best look for a first meeting."

"Look, mom, I could have dressed like a hustler. Would that be better?" Eve challenged with a smirk. "Little, short dress that leaves nothing to their imaginations? After all, we could get married today and go straight to the wedding chambers. Speed through that whole thing." she waved a hand, teasing her parents with that.

Mori took a deep breath, fixing her daughter with a gaze that had been known to fell lesser folk than her family. "Everia Imber, you will keep a civil tongue in your head while we have guests about."

Eve rolled her eyes, laughing a little bit. "Fine, mama." she replied, crossing her legs and letting out a faint huff.

Sars patiently watched the servants scuttle back and forth, letting Kené deal with the communications. "Yes, yes, we are the Eoiali family. Minus Mother and Father, of course," The younger of the two Esokans confirmed with a pleased smile. He was happily following the servant not a moment later. Sars stayed behind Kené's shoulder like a shadow.

If his assumptions were correct, this was the first time Sars met a kelpie in its human form in person. He'd met one once before in its house form. When he was young, maybe twelve, their tribe had travelled close to the coast, and his mother took him out to a seaside village to buy spices from that got shipped in all the way from Qéo. Sars didn't remember much about the trip, but he did remember climbing down the rocky cliffs to reach the tidepools. There, a sea green and black horse had stared at him with eyes deeper than the ocean itself. It ran back into the ocean where it came from. Sars never told his mother about that little encounter, she would've given him a good scolding for getting near a kelpie as he did.

"Are you going to walk in there all haunting like that? You're silent-walking." Kené interrupted his thoughts, spurring a frown from Sars. He had to intentionally relax his grip on his Esokan ability in order to make audible footsteps. Kené grabbed and pulled down Sars' face scarf before adding, "You look like you're planning to assassinate them." It was true, Sars didn't exactly have a friendly looking face with his sharp features.

"Who says I'm not?" Sars challenged with a small smirk, earning a slightly alarmed glare from his brother, before he obliged, "It's not on purpose." Though the mention of assassination did have him double checking the location of his knives strapped to his chest, legs, back, and hips that were hidden beneath his cloak. Sars didn't plan on any deaths during this little trip, but he wasn't going to be ignorant and ignore the possibility. Especially as they neared the throne room.

(my apologies for leaving out the accent marks on their names; my computer doesn't let me do them)

The young woman opened the doors of the throne room and walked the two down the hall, closer to the Imbers. "Lord and Lady Imber, I would like to present to you the Eoiali brothers." she bowed to the three Imbers, then turned on her heel and left again, leaving the Imbers and Eoialis in the throne room. The three Imbers were seated, Mori's hand resting on her husband's. Each wore a very simple crown; more a reminder of status than anything else. Lord Imber was tall, even sitting, with tanned skin and long dark hair the same color as his daughter's, with irises the color of earth. His ears were tipped, rather than rounded, and his cheekbones were high and sharp. Lady Imber, on the other hand, was about the same height as her daughter, and her hair was cut to her shoulders. Her eyes were that same brilliant blue as Eve's, while her hair was a pale blond. Unlike her husband, she did not have that tan, though she did have freckles scattered across her face and her bare arms.

"Sarsonil and Kene Eoiali, of the Esokans, welcome to Esol'a Vera." Lord Imber said, standing and giving them a small bow. "As I am sure you likely know, I am Lord Markos Imber. This is my wife, Lady Moriana Imber, and our daughter, lady Everia Imber." he gestured to Mori, on his right, as he introduced her, then to Eve as he introduced her as well.

Eve inclined her head faintly as she was introduced, biting back the urge to correct her father; she preferred to be introduced as Captain Everia Imber. Because a captain she was, and she very much would rather be at sea than here, even if she loved Esol'a Vera. Though, to be sure, perhaps that longing for the sea was merely a longing to not have to be married to one of these young men before her. Even if they were good-looking in their own right, she still had no wish to marry them.

(You're fine, accents are such a pain to type haha, I always have to copy and paste Kené to get the é)

As soon as the throne room opened, Sars' eyes immediately darted between the three Imbers. The crowns on their heads. The daughter, the one who his younger brother would marry if all things went 'well'. Everia Imber. She was beautiful, with eyes as blue as an oasis and dark hair comparable to a newborn ox's fur, but the thought of his brother being wedded to a pirate just seemed wrong. She looked nothing like an Esokan woman, she wouldn't understand their way of life.

Kené bowed in greeting, but Sars did nothing of the sort. He would not bow to someone whole did not, would not, rule him. "I am Kené Eoiali, second born son of Chieftess Eilleis and Roano Eoiali," Kené said as he stood upright, a bright smile on his face, "I'm happy we can finally make your acquaintance."

Sars was thoroughly unimpressed. His brother could be as polite and diplomatic as he wanted, which he supposed was probably a good thing, but Sars wasn't the type to dish out respect until someone actually earned it. "Please call me Sars," Sars said curtly as he dragged his stare across the Imbers. A stare that would usually send his opponent running. His death stare lingered on Everia for a moment longer.

Kené cleared his throat, and the corner of Sars' lips curled upward as he gave his brother an oh-so-innocent look. "Thank you for welcoming us into your home. Esol'a Vera is quite beautiful, I've never been in a castle like this." Esokans lived nomadically, herding oxen across the dunes of Pillax. "Our parents send their regards."

(haha yeah makes sense)

Mori exhaled faintly, her gaze moving between the two brothers. "Thank you." she said. "Esol'a Vera is one of our oldest holdings, and we are quite proud of it." she reached up to rest a hand on her husband's shoulder, giving the two brothers a soft smile. "Are you tired? Hungry, perhaps?" despite the kindness of her words, her reputation was of a woman more powerful and perhaps even more merciless towards enemies than her husband; of the two, her reputation was certainly the one many had heard of, Markos overshadowed by his wife time and time again. He certainly didn't mind that, and she reveled in her reputation.

Eve noticed the death glare, and cocked her head to the side, eyes narrowing as she returned the look. Her own was just as withering as Sars' had been, though hers lasted only a few moments before she looked to her parents, still unspeaking.

Kené didn't waste even a second at the mention of food. "Both, and very much so at that. Our journey was a long one." It was true. Their tribe very rarely kept horses for travel, so they often walked wherever they needed to go. It usually wasn't much of a trek, particularly when it came to walking to nearby villages for trading posts, but the two Esokans had travelled for three days to make it to the coast. Sars' affinity for water made the trip much easier.

When he was young, Sars' mother used told him that even with the demons, dragons, and worst of all, necromancers, the true danger of the desert was dehydration. If Sars didn't have an affinity for water, they would've had to purchase a mule to pack gallons of water on. Chieftess' sons or no, their tribe didn't have an Esokan with a water affinity to spare. The only other was an older woman named Sheiiba, and she needed to stay with the tribe to provide water for them. His mother was hoping one of the younglings would develop an affinity for water so they could continue to rely on themselves for water rather than wedding someone into their tribe, but Sars didn't have high hopes. The Esokan bloodline has been getting watered down over the past century, and the water affinity has been getting rarer and rarer. Some other tribes that they were aligned with got much luckier, but a problem would arise one day when the Esokans would be unable to live safely in the desert. He highly doubted they would be very welcome in other regions, not that they would even move in the first place. Such a big part of Esokan culture was rooted in the dunes, it was not a place they could just up and leave without remorse.

Mori's mouth twitched into a small smile, and she nodded. "Of course. I will have a servant show you to your rooms, and we shall meet for dinner in an hour and a half." she replied. She gestured to a servant who had been standing quietly in the shadows, who bowed quickly and then came over to Sars and Kene. It was a different servant than the Kelpie woman this time; this young man was tall and rather gangly, all long limbs and angles. He had red hair and a freckled face, and was more than likely just a regular human.

"If you'll come this way." he said to the Eoiali brothers, voice accented but still clear enough to understand. "I'll show you to your rooms."

"If there are any problems with the rooms chosen for you, let us know." Markos added, eyes on the two young men.

The servant led the two from the throne room and down a corridor. Once they were in the corridor, the stone floor was now covered with a soft carpet, as they were far enough from the entrance that water would have dried by now. The young man led the two up a flight of stairs, down a second hallway, and then gestured to a pair of doors. "These'll be yer rooms." he said. "Lord 'n Lady Imber gave you sea view rooms." these, as the name suggested, were rooms that were situated against the cliff, and therefore looked out to sea. If either of them was going to be cynical about it, they were also some of the rooms further from the entrance, and more difficult to escape from. He opened the doors. "Yer rooms open t' each other. You've each go' yer own bathroom and a closet. If yah need anythin', yeh can ring one o' yer bells, and someone'll be up t' help." he stepped back so that the two could go in.

The rooms were virtually identical; one was decorated in red, and the other in blue. Other than that, they were very similar. Each had wooden furniture, a thick mattress, soft blankets. A plush carpet, to keep their feet warm. Each also had a desk and a chair, as well as an armchair, and a fireplace, along with bookshelves. Along the rooms' shared wall was a door, which was clearly the one that led between the two. On the opposite wall, a pair of doors; one for the closet, one for the bathroom. Only one wall had windows, and that was the same wall as the one that the head of the bed rested against. The windows were rectangular, and looked out to the sea. The waves crashing against the cliffs could be heard, a constant soundtrack to the goings-on within Esol'a Vera. Each room had two windows, one on either side of the bed, and light streamed in through them.

"Thank you very much," Kené said politely before they departed from the throne room. Sars didn't do so much as wave goodbye before following behind his brother swiftly. He was sure the younger male probably noticed, and probably wasn't appreciative of his less than polite behavior to his potential future wife and family, and that would have to be an apology for another time.

For now, Sars focused on the way to their rooms. Up two floors, down the hall, only so many rooms passed before they stopped… Sars took to memory the way out. Just in case. "Thank you, sir," Sars said quietly to the servant that led them here before striding into the red room and shutting the door behind him. His brother went into the blue room not a moment later, but it was no surprise when the door between the rooms opened up. He could feel his brother's presence, even more so when heat, just a smidge away from actually touching flame, flared behind him.

Sars turned with a deadpan stare to find his brother with a wide stance, remanent flames dancing along his hands. "Sarsönil," The younger Esokan said through gritted teeth, "I know you're all cranky about being here and this whole betrothal thing, but seriously? You didn't even try to be nice. You aren't even getting into an arranged marriage." Sars opened his mouth slowly to respond, but Kené's flames flared on his arms as anger leaked into his voice, "Did you even realize what family you were talking to? I know you like to live in your little bubble of 'Esokans are so perfect out on their own in the middle of nowhere and they don't need to respect anyone else', but those people are powerful whether you like it or not. You're acting out of your own mind, brother!" Sars began reaching into his pool of magic and using it to pull water up from the ocean. It was like pulling up sand with his fingertips and trying to keep it from falling out. "Moriana Imber, Sarsönil. Even though you believe you're invincible, we are on her home turf. What if she came after our tribe? What do you think would happen? Would you being willing to take that risk?" A bucket's worth of water was rising from the ocean, gaining speed with each second. Kené's flames grew with every bit of irritation and anger he was letting out. "Even if we did kill every person she sent, even if we killed the Imbers themselves, do you know what that would do to Father? Do you think he would-"

"Enough." Cold ocean water gushed through the cracks of the window, flying through the air and dousing the younger Esokan with water. The flames were immediately extinguished. The younger male's eyes flared, about to go on, but then he really saw Sars. The pain on his face, the nerve that he pressed. "I'm sorry, Kené," He said quietly, drawing in the water off of his brother's clothing into a floating orb beside them. He made sure not to get a speck on the carpet, mostly because he didn't want the servants to be blamed. "I was acting very immature in there. I didn't consider that you're trying to start good relations. You're making a sacrifice for the future of the tribe, and I let my pride and selfishness get in the way." Sars bowed his head and held out both of his wrists to his brother, the Esokan way of asking for forgiveness.

Kené was silent for a moment, his lips moving to form words but stopping before they got out. He finally settled on grabbing Sars' wrists and turning them inward against each other. Sars lifted his head. "I'm sorry too. I- I didn't mean the words I said in the way that I said them," Kené told him gently, and his sincerity shown in his dark brown eyes as he released Sars' forearms. They were both silent for a moment before Sars' hold on the water orb began to slip and he sent it back out the window to crash back down to the ocean below.

"Let's get changed into dinner clothes," Sars said softly to break the silence between them and slowly peeled away his Pillaxian cloak. He wore a simple dark brown tunic and light brown parts beneath, but he pulled a slim black pack off his back that was hidden beneath his cloak to retrieve the rest of his clothes. They were made of light material, so they packed away easily. His brother mirrored his motions, and they both changed into a fresh set of formal clothes. Kené chose a light short sleeved tan tunic that showed off his tattoo and rust pants, the color matching his leather neck wrap and the leather bracelet he always wore. The tunic had some small burn marks on the edges, but nothing too noticeable. Sars favored a simple black tunic and black pants, the tunic with sleeves that went down to his elbows, but both his arms were covered by dark brown leather wraps. He untied and retied his long hair, putting it up to a bun tight against his head. "I am going to lie down until dinner. Let me know if you need anything," Sars told his brother quietly, grabbing his pack and cloak. He was going for the blue room- the only reason he took the red was because he knew his brother wanted it.

Just before he shut the door connecting them, Kené spoke up, "Sars, I really am sorry about what I said. You're not out of your mind." Sars only nodded in response and closed the door behind him before slumping on the bed. He didn't show how much his brother's words eased his heart.

"They certainly seem like interesting young men, though I believe we'll need to keep an eye on the older one." Markos said, once the two brothers were gone. "Sarsonil, I believe his name was? He seemed none too happy to be here." he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, then looked over at his daughter and narrowed his eyes. "Though I am disappointed that you rose to the bait and glared back at him. Don't think I didn't notice that, Everia."

Eve sighed faintly. "He started it. And I only glared for a minute." she adjusted her dress, crossing her arms and looking over at her parents.

"Eve." Mori raised her eyebrows at her daughter, giving her a look that had killed lesser men. "You will not be marrying him. Ignore that behavior and focus on the other one." she paused for a moment, considering. "But if either one is inappropriate, you are of course allowed to defend yourself."

Eve shrugged a shoulder. "I was already planning on that. Any hands in the wrong places and I'm going to get to castrate one of them." she grinned at her mother, thinking of the metal in her piercings that could so quickly turn to blades in her hands.

"Eve. Keep a civil tongue in your head, especially at dinner. If I hear you threatening either one of them, or regaling them with a tale of death at sea…" Mori trailed off, still giving her daughter a quelling look. "You will keep your conversation appropriate and correct for this dinner."

Eve sighed faintly, but nodded. "Fine, mother." she replied.

(I love Eve more and more haha)

Sars rested his eyes for nearly twenty minutes before he couldn't stop himself from getting up and opening the window. It was a long drop down to the water below, but the walls of the castle were something to consider. With proper equipment, they might be able to be scaled. If they really had to bail, jumping into the water and hoping he would be able to ease them into the ocean with his magic was the best bet. It wouldn't be ideal, but it was still possible.

A knock on the door between his room and Kené's sounded, interrupting Sars from his escape back up planning. His brother walked in a moment later, not waiting for a welcome. He looked more fidgety than usual. "How much do we tell them about us, Sars?" Kené asked, already beginning to walk back and forth in the room.

Sars turned to face his brother and hoisted himself up to sit on the window ledge. He considered the question for a moment. "The less they know the better. They must already know that we are some type of threat, they wouldn't be considering a marriage if they didn't know that. They might know about our elemental affinities. I don't think they truly know why we have our dangerous reputation." Most didn't. Only those native to Pillax had a strong knowledge of Esokans, even then it wasn't common. Sars had only met a couple of outsiders that knew the threat that Esokans were, and those people -the ones that were still alive- were not people he wished to encounter again.

"What about Everia?" Kené asked, plopping onto Sars' bed while his foot began to bounce rapidly. Was Kené truly this nervous for a simple dinner? Sars knew his brother tended to get fidgety easily, but this seemed irregular for him. They had had a meal with much more important people and Kené hadn't looked concerned in the slightest.

When the younger male didn't elaborate, Sars spoke, "What about her?" She was just another one of the Imber's, there was no reason she should know. Not until they were getting closer to an actual marriage, and even then, that was a conversation to be had in Pillax. On Esokan territory.

Kené's leg bouncing stopped as he looked at his brother. "Doesn't she deserve to know?" At the sight of Sars' continued confused expression, Kené frowned slightly. His voice was unnaturally steady like a feather dropped onto water as he said, "What about Analite?" Oh. Oh. That's what this was about. Sars' eyes drifted to the leather bracelet on his brother's wrist. Analite was someone very special to Kené. Sars had watched the two of them grow closer for many years.

Sars thought over his words very carefully before opening his mouth, "You will tell her before your marriage, but marriage isn't really a sure thing quite yet. We still need to get acquainted to the family. Everia is a pirate, Kené, not Esokanise. We all know what it's like, the possibility- you will tell Everia in due time. But until then it doesn't concern her." Kené bit his lip, and Sars put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "She won't be hurt, Kené. Let that thought slip away from your mind." Kené went through a lot surrounding Analite, and it was still a soft spot for him. No matter Sars' feelings on the betrothal, he wouldn't push that memory. They all had their broken wounds that needed stitching.

The younger Esokan stood up, and though less bouncy, he still seemed unsettled. At least until he put on that perfected smile. "Thank you, Sars. I'm starving, let's go down and find the dining room. I'm sure the Imbers would appreciate meeting the nice, respectful brother of mine," Kené told him with a new grin, and Sars couldn't tell if it was real or not. He hoped it was real as he followed his brother out the door to the room to find their way through the too-big castle of Esol'a Vera.

(:D thanks!)

They headed to dinner after a little while; Eve didn't change into a different dress, as she saw no reason to. The dining room was not as large as it could have been, and while the table could certainly have fit more people, it was not overly large. It was almost cozy, though not quite. It was just slightly too large to be cozy. Markos sat at the head of the table, with Mori to his right and Eve to his left. The two brothers would be across from each other, one beside Eve and the other beside Mori.

Eve settled herself into her chair, having to take an extra moment to arrange her skirt. It was rather irritating, to try and sit with it on, but she had had enough practice. It was fine.

With a few more unnecessary turns, only a small amount of brotherly bickering on where to go, and asking for directions from a servant, the two Esokans entered the dining room. Sars took his seat next to Moriana, leaving Kené to sit next to Everia. "Thank you for serving us this meal and providing us lodgings," Sars said as he laid his hands flat on the table, and he glanced over each Imber. His eyes were not cold, but they weren't warm either. His mother always said an apology was never complete without change, and Sars held to that.

"I second that statement, the rooms are wonderful. The view is breathtaking," Kené added with a smile, a childlike glimmer of joy and wonder flickering in his eyes as he looked around at the decor of the room.

"You are welcome." Markos replied. "And I am glad you like the view. Our sea view rooms are the nicer ones in Esol'a Vera. The ones overlooking the town have a less pleasant view." and, occasionally, an odor. In spring, when everything began to warm, the smells that wafted from the town were often less than pleasant.

Eve glanced at Kene when he sat beside her, but didn't speak or do anything over than give him a quick, faint smile. She shifted in her seat just a little bit, gaze flicking about the small group gathered around the table.

Kené hummed in agreement. "Do you all live here most of the time, or out at sea?" The younger Esokan asked as he shifted in his seat slightly to look at Everia without having to turn his head directly toward her. Sars watched the two. They didn't look like a good match, in his opinion. Kené needed someone who would go back to the deserts, start a family, and help him make wise decisions. Everia Imber… she did not look like that kind of woman. She looked like a lady who wouldn't let a thousand miles get in the way of her taking big risks and living life to its fullest, and a bit rebellious to norms and expectations if the dark lipstick meant anything. Too bold for Kené. She lived untethered, and Kené needed a tether. Sars didn't want to watch his brother slip into complete frivolity and impulse. He honestly doubted that Everia would be able to handle the weight that all Esokans carried purely because of their bloodline.

(should clarify, the lipstick isn't black, it's just darker lol)

"My husband and I divide our time relatively equally between the land holdings and our ships, but Eve prefers her ship over the land, generally." Mori replied, gesturing to a servant to begin the meal. A few servants brought out the platters, setting them on the table so that the family and the Esokans could serve themselves from the platters.

"I prefer the sea." Eve agreed, gaze moving from her mother, past Sars, and then over to Kene. "Land is stagnant. It's always been here and it always will be, and it doesn't change. The ocean is different by the hour, and there's always something new." and she loved the pirating, too, but she had told her mother she would be civil. And she did love the ocean and being out on it, so it wasn't as if her words were a lie.

(Oh whoops, my bad! More so a deep red shade? Or like a blue-ish / purple-ish colored one?)

Kené listened attentively to Everia while Sars favored to watch the food come in on platters. It didn't look to be food that he was used to, as he family often relied on raising and harvesting Pillaxian oxen, and sparsely purchasing foods from nearby towns. Esokans were blessed with a low metabolism to sustain their lifestyle in the desert, and his mother managed their tribe's funds conservatively to be prepared for the worst. There was a decent number of accidents, a significant portion caused by Sars himself, that needed covering up or a debt paid.

Distrust flashed in Kené's eyes as Sars opened his mouth, "I would agree," His eyes were focused on the food rather than the woman across the table, waiting for the Imbers to serve themselves before he would grab the food for himself. "Your land is quite stagnant." He felt Kené's foot touch his own in warning. "The desert is something else. It only takes a storm to roll through and the dunes are completely reformed. And being constantly on the move helps too, of course, with the whole desert to roam free on," Sars said, a small smile dashing over his lips as he talked about home. His eyes finally moved up from the table to look at his brother's potential bride as he asked, "What do you do while trapped on a little ship for so many days at a time?"

(like,,, you know the lipstick tones that are kind of a matte brownish tone? like that)

Eve raised an eyebrow at Sars' words, clearly taking them as a slight challenge. "What do you do while trapped in a caravan for days?" she countered. "And my ship is not little, either." sure, she was not an overly large ship, but Eve's ship was nothing to sniff at. "As for what we do aboard her…" she shrugged a shoulder. "We do whatever we like. Clearly, you have never jumped from the side of a ship and swam in the ocean. Free of land, free of anything but just you and the ocean and the currents around you." she clearly loved being aboard her ship and out on the sea, even if Sars thought it sounded like a terrible place to be.

(Oh, sort of like this?)

Sars tipped his head to the side, making himself take a breath through his nose before responding, "We do not live in caravans. We live under the stars, in tents, we travel on our own two legs from day to day," Sars would've gone on to say how she clearly never walked so far in the desert that everything looked the same until the stars blossomed in the pit black night sky, but he caught himself as he felt Kené's stare.

Any opportunity to change his mind about holding his tongue was taken away when Kené cut in, "You know, Sars would probably like that quite a bit- he has an affinity for water magic. Just as I can control fire." While Sars doubted he would like that, and his pride roared at the surrender to the challenge, he told himself it was a good thing that Kené took control of the conversation. The younger brother was much better at placidly diplomatic dialogues.

(yeah, exactly!)

"How exhausting." Eve said dryly to Sars, in response to his comment about walking on their own two legs. Then her gaze moved to Kene, taking in the younger Esokan's words. "I see." she replied. "Well, perhaps if we ever get the chance, we can go out on my ship at some point. See how well you and your brother enjoy it out on the ocean." she lifted her glass, playing with it just a little bit, though her gaze remained on Kene. The earrings in her ears flashed in the lighting, metal glinting.

"That sounds amazing," Kené said immediately, a bright smile appearing on his lips while his foot bounced beneath the table. Sars would only come to protect his brother, and that was that. Despite his brother's joyful attitude, Sars was not here for a vacation.

The older Esokan turned his attention to Moriana and Markos Imber. "Given the contexts that this arrangement goes," Sars waved his hand in a circle for a moment as he grabbed the right word, "well enough, what would be expected of my brother and his presence in your territory? Would he needed to live in your land holdings, or on your ships, would he have any leave to go back to Pillax?" He asked, his sharp eyes narrowed slightly more. He knew his brother wouldn't love the change in topic, but it was something he needed to face one day anyways.

Mori exhaled softly. "Dinner is perhaps not the best time to try and iron out all of these details." she said. "However, your brother would likely live with Eve aboard her ship, most of the time, or on one of the land holdings. He would of course be welcome to visit Pillax, but the expectation would be for him to be here the vast majority of the time."

"With all due respect," A few words added purely because Sars was trying to be a bit nicer than their first meeting with the Imbers, "I don't like to waste time." Sars pick off a bit of meat to chew on, sending a careful glance towards his brother. Kené was an adult, he could make his own decisions, Sars had to remind himself. Even if his brother's face showed no hesitation, or second thoughts, at the sound of leaving home, leaving the Esokan way of life. Sars didn't like this version of his brother. So willing to listen politely to a family from outside their tribe, so willing to admire this beautiful castle and the ocean only a short walk out the door. Sars had hardly ever been this close to water, so close to limitless uses of the magic in his veins, and he didn't feel the slightest bit inclined to stay here. Sars didn't want to die here. He doubted, if the younger Esokan actually put some thought into it, that Kené would want to die here either.

The night before his ritual, when he was about to turn twelve, Sars' mother took him out away from camp to lay down on a dune and look up at the clear night sky. It had been unusually cold that night, but his mother had just wrapped him up in a cloak and told him she had a story to tell. See, up there? The four stars, in a perfect square. She had been pointing out a constellation that most people did not know the story of. That's Tréöliz. See those stars next to him? That's his arms and his legs, and beside him that line of stars in the horns of a Pillaxian ox. The story of Tréöliz was one dear to most Esokans. Death came after his heart. But Tréöliz looked death in the eyes, and said 'no. I control you.' Then he grabbed death by the throat and put him in a little bottle. Tréöliz put that bottle in the center of his square chest, right next to his heart. Every Esokan knew the story of how Tréöliz found his lover while wandering the endless desert of Pillax. But when the time came to give each other their hearts, Tréöliz's lover could not reach into his chest, because death was guarding his heart. So you know what Tréöliz did? He set death free. He said that there was no better place to die than home, and he finally found it when he gave his heart to his love. It was said that Tréöliz didn't die for another century. Since then, death patrols these dunes, and makes sure we will only meet him while we are home. Sars would hate himself if any place but the desert was his home. Pillax was a part of him, and he knew that he would come to rest there and only there when death came for his heart.

"Of course not." Markos interjected, giving his wife a soft smile, before looking over at the two Esokans. "No one likes to waste time. However, I don't believe a meal spent getting to know each other is wasted time. It is merely time spent differently. Not all of our time needs to be spent hammering for exacting details and working out the exact proposal and plan. First we have to ensure at least some level of compatibility." Markos also knew that, at some point, they would have to ensure that Kene and Eve were actually capable of, well, reproducing together. There was the worry that the genetics would be just different enough that a child would not be possible. Of course, that was not something he was going to bring up just yet. It wasn't a good topic for dinner.

Eve sighed very faintly, shaking her head a tiny bit. Sars was already getting on her nerves.

"Sounds like something our mother would agree with," Kené said gently, cutting himself off a portion of the meat and taking a bite. Sars supposed it was true. If their mother were here right now, she'd probably be asking them all sorts of questions about the culture in Islilia, the Imber family, their governmental system… He didn't know how she could do it- be so invested in other people's lives like that. "She's a very patient woman, but that's a trait my brother didn't inherit," Kené said with a sly grin growing on his lips.

Sars rolled his eyes but kept himself focused on the food instead as he said, "Oh please. Who was it that could hardly sit still while I was summoning us water during the walk here?" Kené waved him off with his fork before cutting himself another bite, but Sars now turned toward Markos and Moriana. "If we are to talk more pleasantries, hopefully you could humor us by telling us what got your eyes pointed towards our people in the desert in the first place?" If they were to get to know each other more, Sars wanted to know why.

Markos's glance moved to his wife, so that she could answer the question. Mori exhaled faintly. "We wanted a family that had some power. Markos does not have close enough ties to any powerful Azfel, what with their being…well, very clannish. I am from Islilia to begin with, and therefore don't have many ties outside of it. We wanted a family from outside of Islilia, that had enough power for a close to equal match." she skirted around the fact that the Imbers had more power, and so all of this was slanted in their favor. "The fact that you are from the desert was not a deciding factor in our talks." Markos had been the one that had been the harder to bring around to it. He had wanted someone from Islilia, or from Azfel, rather than a stranger from another land. But he had come around to it eventually, as Mori had known that he would.