After last nights events it was late before we left this morning, although neither I nor Edwin got a great deal of sleep. Urrula woke him three times with her screaming although she wouldn't allow him to sleep in her bed and forced him to sleep in the chair. I on the other hand was woke around 4 by the maid after Halwin regained consciousness. She was very confused over the whole set of events yesterday and couldn't remember anything after being pulled into the water. It took a little while to explain things and for her to go back to sleep. Satisfied with her condition I sent the maid to bed.
By the time everyone was awake and breakfast had been served piecemeal it was nearly 10:30. With everybody assuring me they were fit to ride I had the horses re-saddled and brought round to the front.
By the time we reached the school it was approaching 1 o'clock. Our arrival caused something of a major commotion and I sent the others off to re-stable their horses whilst I sorted everything out with the Head Mistress, Deputy head, House Masters, and Form Tutors. This took more than a little doing, and whilst they could do very little about me, there were going to be words with the others, letters to parents, and a ban on riding excursions for a month or two. I returned to my lodgings intent on spending a quiet afternoon and evening meditating.
I was interrupted shortly after 7pm by the arrival of Palrity and her House Mistress. Palrity need to talk to me but she wasn't allowed out alone. The House Mistress had initially wanted to wait but Palrity wouldn't tell me openly what she wanted, and I had to read her mind to find out. I then managed to get her to return to school on condition that I escorted Palrity back before 10 o'clock. Palrity had needed to talk to me because she wanted some advice on what had turned out to be this mornings bedroom activities, something she felt she couldn't discuss with anyone at school. Apart from the obvious lecture on contraception and S.T.D.s she wanted advice on practicalities. After my installed engram this morning had been a complete let down just as I'd predicted. I told her she'd have to learn those herself but not to rush things. I did drop a hint that older men, ie those beyond teenage years tended to be much better. I then took her back to school.
When I called Llewella this evening as we'd originally arranged she inquired as to whether I'd managed to retrieve my sword or not. When I said I had she wanted to know what I'd done with the perpetrator and surprised that I'd just sent her back to school. She couldn't see why I hadn't just cut her head off, especially as she was from the Courts. I told her that wasn't the way I worked. She was also pleased that I felt I was getting close to being able to meet the criteria she'd laid down for the commencement of my trump training. However, this would now have to be delayed by a further day, Amber time, as she had commitments for tomorrow. The decision as to whether or not I returned to Amber in the meantime was down to me.
Well I have now completed my first course at the school, have my four example pieces and a realization of how little I actually know and how bad at sketching I really am. I've said goodbye to Palrity for the time being although she has presented me with a dilemma in asking me to visit her in the Courts if she's graduated by the time I return. I've also advised the school and my lodgings that I intended to return some time during the next, local, year to do additional courses and expand my knowledge. When I do return I've been asked to bring with me a whole gamut of supplies as their last shipment is running low. Given this I'm actually looking for a way of making a supply run and wrapping up any order for Dave's at the same time. The problem is that Neraveraine is land locked and the closest port is some 150 miles away. I'm just going to have to factor this in. Exactly when I can get around to either a supply run or a return for further training depends on Llewella and how quickly or not my Trump training goes. In addition there is also the Random factor and whatever tasks he has for me to do. Since I've got free time I've decided to return to Amber in the morning which will make the time there slightly more civilized. Hopefully I can sort some of this out, whilst Llewella is busy.
The one thing I've missed whilst I've been on Neraveraine, that the pool sort of made up for, is the sunken pool which occupies half my bedroom. Having returned to the castle, made my way to my room, unpacked, and rung the service bell to order breakfast, I realized I had little to do and time to kill. That usually meant bathing of one form or another.
Now the question I'd like an answer to, apart from why doesn't he ever wait for an answer after knocking, is can he smell the fact that I'm naked in the bath with a fresh pot of coffee available. The fact that I was also eating scrambled eggs and toast at the time just complicated his arrival.
In many ways it was a repeat of his entrance on my first morning here except now I was in my own suite which is supposed to offer me a little privacy, and whilst he did arrive in his usual bouncy manner, he was a little more subdued and did start by apologizing for his behavior over the Dakota incident, although I couldn't get him to repeat it. Apart from winding me up by interrupting my bath he wanted to know what I was planning on doing. I told him I was going to Dave's later to collect the shopping list resulting from him drinking the place dry. After that I was going to wander about town for a bit may be do some shopping, go and see Gerard and get a Royal Pennant, so I didn't have the same problems as I did last time, then I wasn't sure. I had an appointment to see Llewella in the morning to sort out my Trump training so things were a little fluid until then.
He responded by asking me if I would do him a favour and go to Ashan. He had been going to send Isla but as I was back and as I was half Chinese and spoke the language fluently and had caused all the problems by making xxxxxxxx Ambassador I would be more suitable. I asked him if he was sure he trusted me not to cock this one up, to which he responded that I was to stop being stupid and that he wouldn't be asking me if he didn't trust me. I retorted with "Yes but you said you trusted me to resolve Dakota and then sent Gerard in to fuck things up." "You're going to keep stuffing that in my face aren't you." "Maybe. Trust works both ways and at the moment I don't trust you further than I could kick you." "Alright. Alright, point taken. If you decide to go be in the Council Chamber in an hour. I'll brief you on the paperwork then. There's a dinner at the Ambassadors you'll need to attend, so take something appropraite to wear for that. You'll need to walk the Pattern to get there, otherwise you won't get there, or even back in time."
I mulled things over. Dave's shopping would wait, after all I wasn't going to be in a position to do anything about it for several days. A day out in Ashan would be nice although I doubted very much I'd get any time for sight seeing. So it was I packed two dresses, with appropriate changes of underware into my pack, dressed for walking the Pattern and made my way to the Council Chamber. Isla, Benedict, Gerard, and Random were there in discussion. Random and Isla both said hello. Benedict looked up acknowledging I was there and Gerard just ignored me. "You've decided to do this for me then?" "Yes. What do I need to know.?"
Random produced a satchel of paper work then went through what plans I was to set in motion. There were two basic thrusts. The first was to get the Embassy in Dakota rebuilt, and the second was to get a trading port established on the Dakota coast. The work on the latter would be jointly done by Amber, Nancheng, Lapid Umal, and Dakota. The first steps were to establish layout, size, capabilty, and expasion options if things went well. I was to brief the Ambassador and set the wheels in motion for a meeting of parties interested in bidding for work in Amber in a months time. Having concluded the briefing he said that I'd said about getting a Royal Pennant from Gerard. Gerard wanted to know why I needed one, to which Random responded "So that she doesn't get arrested by your fleet captains and then have to drag you away from the whore house on the docks when she sails in on a ship not of the Royal Fleet." Gerald glared at him then said I needed an emblem so that he could get some pennants made up. When I asked about the emblem he said that each member of the family had one which meant they could identify who was on a given ship. I asked if there were any constraints. He said just to keep it simple, most of the family used animals of one sort or another as their emblem, for example my father's was a raven, Flora's was an otter, his was a bear, and Random's was a coyotte, whilst Benedict's was an upright silver arm with a sword gripped in a clenched fist. I said I'd get back to him as soon as I could, then headed for the Pattern Room.
My next problem was where to patternport to. Although I'd been to Ashan I'd never been to nor bothered to locate the Embassy. The only places I knew were the <Frolicking Lion>, the Port Master's Office and house, and a rather interesting bath house. Faced with the limited choice I opted for the courtyard at the Frolicking Lion where I'd exercised that last morning with Yousheng and Lin Wu Tai.
My sudden arrival therefore caused something of a stir frightening one of the maids half to death. I booked a room and ordered coffee, orange juice, and a plate of sweet cakes. I had these sent to the bath house as I needed a soak and a rest to clean up after the exertions of walking the Pattern. Having bathed and changed into my "day" dress I made my way into the bar. It was devoid of both yobs and the person I sought. I enquired amongst the waitresses as to where I may locate him. After much confering they said he was most likely to be found at the <Geisha> house on cherry blossom street. I had them order me a kiaotsu.
My arrival at the <Geisha> house again caused a stir - it was not the sort of place well bred ladies were to be found. At one of the gaming tables I located Lin Wu Tai. He was playing Mah-Yong. I waited until the hand completed before interupting. He said he'd come and find me at the Embassy when the game concluded. I told him that if he wasn't there before 5 o'clock then not to bother. It would cause problems with Yousheng but I didn't have all day to wait. With nothing else to be gained I had the kiaotsu take me to the Embassy.
Whilst the Ambassador was expecting a member of the household he'd been given no definative time and thus was "fitting people in" until the said person arrived. This meant that although I reached the Embassy a little after 11:30 it was after 12 before he was able to get free. After introductions, as we'd never actually met, although he had a vague idea who I was from attending the Mai Ball, we set to discussing the two projects and where Nangcheng could contribute to each of them. We broke for lunch about one and resumed a little after two, finally concluding about 4, mainly due to the fact that I'd kept Lin Wu Tai waiting for about 40 minutes by then.
The delay in being able to meet Lin Wu Tai meant I had to start proceedings with an apology. I also enquired how his game had gone which turned out to be good from his perspective, ie he'd come out considerably ahead. He then wanted to know what had happened to Yousheng since he'd left with me 26 days ago. I explained that it was in connection with Yousheng's current position that I was here. However, before I was able to continue I needed to know firstly if he was prepared to work for Yousheng and secondly if he was willing to be effectively working for the Royal Household of Amber. This caused him to hesitate. Sensing his difficulty in responding I told him that Yousheng had specifically requested he be given first refusal for the job. He wanted to know what the job was. I remained silent. There was a specific way this game had to be played one that my cultural background gave me an advantage with. If he accepted the job then he implicitly trusted Yousheng's judgement and implicit in that was that Yousheng would not ask him to do anything he would not do himself. If he refused the job then for whatever reason he would be unable to work with him. I sat still and waited. I sensed this could take sometime.
It was nearly 20 mintes later that he gave me his answer. He stood bowed, then knelt in the bodyguard position and said "it would be an honour to serve". I told him it was not me he was serving but the Ambassador to Dakota and that his position was to be Embassy Steward, effectively responsible for the day to day running of the Embassy and responsible only to the Ambassador, his wives, select members of the Royal Staff, and family members. He was somewhat taken aback by that and was about to commit the cardinal sin of backing down before I reminded him exactly who had thought him capable of the job. He broke down in tears a this point and I waited until he'd regained his poise and apologized before continuing. There were two things that needed doing immediately, firstly the Embassy needed a new guard unit. Yousheng insisted that 50% were to be drawn from graduates of the Cailong Temple whilst the remainder were to be recruited from Dakotan natives and Wolfen and Humans living in Dakota. The total guard were to number approximately 60 but he needed a dozen Cailong guard immediately infact yesterday would be a good idea. Transport would be one of the ships of the Royal fleet which would arrive tommorow afternoon and depart on the late morning tide the day after. The relavent details were contained in two scrolls which I gave to him. The first laid out the particulars relating to hiring of the guard including wages, positions, meritorious promotion, and relocation expenses including relocating immediate family, whilst the second invested him with the relavent authorities and gave him power to draw monies to cover any necessary expenses. There was also a second job that needed executing in the same time frame. The current embassy was to be rebuilt and its garden relaid out. Yousheng wanted Liu Heming to undertake the work. He was to recruit her for the job in the same time frame. He was completely stunned by this, shook his head and said "A beach it is possible to move but a mountain cannot be moved." "Ah, but a beach is but a mountian worn down by time. You are to give her this scroll." He bowed again. "Is there anthing else?" "Yes. I have to attend a dinner here tonight and swords and dresses don't go particularly well together. I could do with a body guard principly to ensure my sword is within easy reach. Would you do me the honour?" "I would be honoured but you have given me much to do. I would be happy to find somebody for you." "A Cailong warrior?" "Yes" "Have him meet me at the <Frolicking Lion> at 7:15" "You're not staying here?" "No. I prefer the freedom that not staying here gives." "I understand. It has been an honour." "Blessing on your house and convey my blessings to Yousheng when you see him." He bowed and backed out, the ambassador striding in as he did so. "Can I ask why Lin Wu Tai was here" "Yes, but you need only know he now works for the Royal Ambassador to Dakota, that he has certain tasks to perform and that you will assist him in carrying them out. A ship of the fleet will dock tomorrow afternoon and will board him and the men he has been tasked to recruit. If they have families you will need to make arrangements so that they can relocate to Dakota at a later date. There are also likely to be a number of other relocations for craftsmen and their families if he is successful with his second task. You will also see that they are expidited." He looked like he was about to argue with me. "If you do not like the decisions that have been made you can be replaced. Now I need to go and change for this evening's function. I will see you at 7:50 this evening." I rose and left the room without giving him any further opportunity to respond.
The guard, a woman by the name of xxxxxx arrived promptly at 7:15 in full cerimonial armour. Having exchanged greetings I explained what was required. She had no problem with the assignment or the fact the fee would be settled later by Lin Wu Tai. I handed her my sword which she slung over her back and boarded the Kiaotsu. The trip to the embassy was uneventful but my arrival did cause something of a stir for two reasons, my body guard and my dress. Whatever the repercussions of hiring from the Cailong they would work themselves out later one way or another.
Prior to dinner being served I had the usual round of obligatory introductions to endure coupled with the standard meet and greet, pat on the back, intelligence gathering circulation through the assembled guests. Unlike a ball there wasn't a chance to slink off somewhere for an hour or pounce on some unsuspecting Lord or Merchant's son. Dinner itself was rather stuffy and because of my status I was forced to sit on the Ambassador's right, next to an equally boring self opinionated merchant. The two people I had wanted to talk to were seated a long way down the table on the left. I made a note to either talk to Wu Tai directly if he was around the <Frolicking Lion> when I returned or get xxxxxxxx to do so on my behalf.
The next couple of hours dragged by with me having to make polite conversation, before guests started to adjourn and things started to break up. It was gone midnigt however when I was able to leave myself, and shortly before 12:45 when we reached the <Frolicking Lion>. Having dispatched the kiaotsu I asked xxxx if she would join me in the bar. Thinking she was still 'on duty' she agreed and followed me in. Heads turned to watch as I made my way across the room to where Wu Tai was sitting with 2 other warriors. They all stood at my arrival. I told them all to sit down. They weren't on duty. There was a complete look of puzzlement. This was beyond 'normal' ettiquette. I told ordered them to sit down then had to do the same to xxxxxx. I was then forced to explain a few rules that would apply certainly when I was about and also when certain other members of the family chose to join them, the bottom line being that normal rules didn't apply and they were to treat us as equals not superiors. They still looked very unsure. I told them they'd get used to it in time. Having been forced to drink wine all evening I ordered beer for eveyone. Having finished my first one I ordered another round. xxxxxx looked nervous, having hardly drunk any of her first one. I was forced to reiterate that she was off duty and was under no obligation to stay, and if she did she was under no obligation to drink or if she didn't like beer she could have something else. She took the opportunity to excuse herself.
By the time I neared the end of my second beer I'd decided I needed to be going. If I stayed for a third then I'd be there all night as I suspected would the others, an Wu Tai certainly had work to do the following day. Before I left I told him they should invite xxxxxxxxxx and xxxxxxxx to bid for some of the upcoming work on both the embassy and port projects as I suspected they wouldn't be on any lists proffered by the ambassador. I also suggested that using their own local knowledge may also yield more suitable contractors at more favouable rates.
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