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Post by buffyandbramble on Feb 2, 2021 16:05:22 GMT -6
Setting: Between White Wyvern events I & II
Whispers were growing louder. Metaphorically of course, though sometimes it felt literal. Lux had continued to keep to himself for the most part, remaining nothing more than professionally cordial with most of his Adviser colleagues, but embers still lingered in his mind just waiting for that little breath of thought to burn brightly. Isador had two Advisers that seemed headed for insurrection, both ones that he had picked himself. Lux couldn't help but question the King's judgement in that sense. That he had selected one Adviser that was willing to turn against him was perhaps just unfortunate, but two? That seemed a very unlikely coincidence. He had to wonder if Rosalba and Oberyn had always held resentment for Isador and now simply had an alternative avenue they could take, or if it were a more recent change of allegiance... If so, what could have triggered that change?
And then there were the other Advisers. For once Lux found himself regretting his negligence when it came to networking with his peers, for he realised he knew very little about them outside of a professional setting. Where did they sit amongst all of this? How much did they know? He was beginning to suspect that Isador was truly ignorant of plots against him, instead of playing the long game, which would be risky anyway given the intent of the plot. Leave it too long and its roots would be too well established.
There was no real way of finding out the allegiance of the others, not without revealing his own hand and at this stage he was content to maintain a veil of ignorance. Such matters had to be handled most tactfully, to reveal your allegiance to the wrong person would make you incredibly vulnerable and just as he did not know them, they did not know him. Such information was presently out of his grasp.
Simply a better understanding of the individuals, however, was not. It simply required a little more effort on Lux's part to network, which was by no means his favourite task but undeniably worthwhile. Even outside of recent revelations, getting to know influential coworkers was a sensible thing to do.
"Adviser Aleksei," he greeted when he spied the golden toned unicorn in a hallway, increasing his own pace a little to catch up and fall in step. "I was wondering if I might interest you in a game of chess sometime, if you play of course." Chess was a favourite past time of Lux's, he found it an enjoyable challenge of the mind, and it could be oddly telling about a horse as well. It seemed a suitable activity to begin getting to know his fellows outside of a work context. "Later today perhaps, or another time at your convenience? I'm afraid I have been lacking in opponents of late, and could do with a change of pace."
Post #1
WC: 488
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Post by ThatDenver on Feb 3, 2021 14:49:06 GMT -6
ALEKSEI
He was so busy these days that when he did have free time, he hardly knew what to do with himself.
Acting natural, acting like he knew nothing and simultaneously knew enough to advise and be trusted with matters of governance – not that Isador trusted much to his Advisers these days. In all honesty, the King seemed to be up to very little overall, seemingly content to let the government roll on with its own weight, and listening to reports from the front or other countries.
It was almost suspiciously peaceful, and it bothered him, but it was not as if Aleksei could really engage Isador on these matters. Isador was still King, and Aleksei couldn’t afford to show himself too early – even if knowing when was too early seemed almost impossible in this game.
As he was passing through one of the many familiar hallways of the Hearthstone Palace – a place he still sometimes caught himself thinking was his home – he was accosted by a less-than-familiar face.
He knew Adviser Lux, of course, but not like he knew the other Advisers. He was one of the ones Isador had selected recently, like Oberyn and Rosalba, but unlike those two, Aleksei had no knowledge of his allegiances or interests.
This could, then, provide to be an interesting opportunity, although he had a feeling that perhaps Lux’s thoughts were similar.
”I do play, although I’m afraid that I am very rusty”, he said honestly. It had been a while since he had the opportunity to play, at least with any kind of seriousness.
”Later today or even right now would suit me fine”, Aleksei continued with a nod: ”I’ve already finished my tasks for today.”
Word count: 284
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Post by buffyandbramble on Feb 6, 2021 17:51:10 GMT -6
"Now would work well I think," Lux said, pleased that the invitation had been accepted, and not about to suggest they reconvene at a later time if they both were available now. Seize the moment and all, though that did sound a little dramatic for a simple game of chess and the idle chatter that would likely accompany it. "I could use the mental change of pace."
Lux didn't object to his new role, even if it were not something he had originally aspired to, but he did find it taxing at times. It wasn't so much the volume of work, as he'd much rather be busy than idle, but rather the sheer tediousness of some of it. Small minded nobles and their concerns could be most wearing at the best of times, but there was a common theme amongst many discussions he'd been having of late and Lux was getting tired of hearing and repeating the same things over and over. Something else to occupy his mind, something that he had chosen to do because he found it interesting in some facet or another, would be a welcome break.
"I keep a chess set in my office, do you have a preferred place to set up? The library maybe, or perhaps outside if the weather is holding? I confess I have not looked outside recently today." He put the offer before Aleksei, rather indifferent himself so long as the location was relatively quiet and a neutral third party space. He was not particularly inclined to host a more casual interaction in a more personal space. Whilst his office was hardly close to his heart he preferred the precedent that a more communal space set. His intent was to get to know Aleksei better as an individual, not as a professional.
Post #2
WC:301
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Post by ThatDenver on Feb 18, 2021 13:47:23 GMT -6
ALEKSEI
”I would prefer to be outside. The gardens are quite beautiful this time of year”, he responded easily. The dusty great libraries of the Palace may have been more Lux’s speed, but if given the choice, he would always opt for the gardens if asked. Being able to access it freely was one of the great perks of being an Adviser in Aleksei’s opinion – even regular Eminents could not go there without being invited, so prestigious and cherished was the garden.
And for him, feeling close to nature, and feeling all the living and dying things around him was by now as natural as breathing.
He waited in the hall while Lux went to retrieve the chessboard, and then headed with them towards the gardens. The large double doors opening to the courtyard were guarded by three Chevaliers, who simply nodded at the two of them, and allowed entrance without question.
The garden was beautiful – the main section they had entered was a traditional Aodhian garden, blooming with flowers and plants from all over Eithne. A large fountain bubbled away nearby, and sculptures of gods, kings and heroes were scattered about within view, organized to tell stories to those who walked the gardens in the right way.
Somewhere, a phoenix was singing.
”I do love the gardens”, he said almost gently, spotting a table suitable for setting up the board. They were alone, as expected – it was possible a gardener was working away somewhere deeper into the garden, but if so, they were not near enough to overhear anything.
Word count: 259
Post #2
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Post by buffyandbramble on Feb 21, 2021 14:18:40 GMT -6
Lux had spent little time in the gardens, if any. They were quiet and peaceable, but that wasn't something he couldn't achieve in an enclosed space so he saw little point to relocate away from resources for the sake of backdrop. He also didn't understand the point of such grand gardens. Well, he did, it was primarily to show off your wealth for it took great investment to maintain such spaces. It was the need to show off wealth that he didn't quite understand.
Still, he could appreciate the care that was put into them, and there was something pleasant about the soft scent of the plants. He paused a moment to take it in before following a step behind Aleksei as the younger spied a suitable table. He set the chess set down and cast a glance at the unicorn as he expressed his appreciation for the gardens, looking around them once more.
"They're certainly impressive," he said, turning his focus back to the board as he began to set out the pieces, placing the pair of Kings before Aleksei in a silent offer to choose a colour. "Though how greatly the styles can differ by region never ceases to fascinate me." It went far beyond the simplicity of differing climes and available plants and to Lux it was interesting, truly, how plants became as much a fashion as the adornments upon a person. "And that spaces like this exist within New Valore," he added. "It feels almost a world away..."
"Did you grow up in New Valore, Adviser?" he asked.
WC: 262
Post #3
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Post by ThatDenver on Feb 21, 2021 15:55:10 GMT -6
ALEKSEI
Aleksei smiled, and picked the black king, setting up his side of the board. His eyes were more on the gardens than Lux, observing each thing within eyesight hungrily. In their immediate surroundings, a few drooping blooms rose, reinvigorated – this magical gardening that bit back at death now almost second nature to him.
”If you enjoy the style, you ought to take the time to see all of the gardens some day”, Aleksei noted with a smile: ”It takes hours to see it all, and there are all kinds of special areas – there’s biomes themed after Sirith, Sedo, Aquore and even Onea, although that one is probably the least exotic. The thing is a marvel. You can only admire the dedication of the gardeners to keep it all healthy and thriving.”
And, Aleksei added in his mind, the amount of blessings and imbued items needed to even make it possible. After all it wasn’t exactly natural for all of these plants to grow here, not even with regular cultivation and skilled gardening. He knew from personal experience that you needed magical assistance, and quite a lot of it. That was what made the garden so valuable in the first place; that and the fact that many of the plants were exotic, hard to replace. Political gifts from foreign leaders, or simply seeds and sprouts purchased from traders from faraway lands.
”Yes, I did. I grew up here at Hearthstone, actually”, Aleksei responded easily, wondering if Lux truly did not know, or if he was looking for something with this question. Aleksei’s past was hardly a secret in the noble circles.
”My father was First Consort to Solaris. We spent more time here than at my family home in Cinder Hall”, he admitted, before adding: ”We did take the occasional trip to all the usual places, of course. Haven, Bloom, Opulence. That sort of thing.”
Word count: 314
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Post by buffyandbramble on Mar 4, 2021 16:29:05 GMT -6
Pale eyes lingered on the black king a moment, a prompt for thought, though there was only so much that could be read into a choice of piece. It could be strategic, it could be merely sentimental. Either way it was the same choice he would have made, he himself preferring to move second simply to give time to observe, to plan. The early bird got the worm, but the second mouse got the cheese. Very interesting. Already he was beginning to consider potential strategies to deploy, though his thoughts were not particularly on winning, merely testing reactions. If he were to create an opportunity, would it be taken? If he were to play aggressively, what would be the response? There were many things that could be learned here today.
One of which was the younger adviser's fondness for the space they were in. Aleksei's love of the gardens was clear, and Lux turned his attention back to the plants for a moment trying to look at them with a new perspective. The knowledge of the other biomes was actually quite interesting. The individual plants themselves he was less interested in, but to learn a little more about the environments in which they lived and thrived? How the other herds lived? Well, he'd be remiss to ignore that opportunity.
"Yes, quite the effort indeed," he agreed. "I shall have to make the time to see them," he said, ernest in the intent.
With the board set up and sides chosen, Lux opened play, opting for a common strategy to begin with.
He nodded ever so slightly as Aleksei spoke broadly of his upbringing. He had been fairly involved in royal life then, beyond just the necessary. Lux was never all that trusting of official statements or the commonly accepted understanding, for the truth could be worded in many different ways if one so desired and no one was ever going to advertise if a King and her First Consort did not get along. But that Aleksei had grown up here, rather than in his own ancestral home or anywhere else? It told more than a statement might.
"Quite a place to grow up," he said, before huffing slightly in amusement at the mention of the usual places. "Of course, the Aodhian tour. It's a rite of passage is it not?" A strange game of noble bingo, ticking off influential cities one by one to prove one's culture and refinement as an expensive tourist. "Did you ever have a favourite?"
Post #4
WC: 419
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Post by ThatDenver on Mar 5, 2021 12:22:52 GMT -6
ALEKSEI
”I rather enjoyed Bloom, personally. It’s a bit more of a cultural place, no?” Aleksei said casually, responding to Lux’s standard openings with a defensive near mirror. He made his move rather quickly, without too much thinking, showing that the game was fairly casual to him – that he was playing because he thought it might be fun, not so much to flex any kind of strategic muscles over Lux.
”As a child I dreamed I might study there, but it turns out I do not have an artistic bone in my body”, he added somewhat humorously.
”What about you, Adviser Lux? House Nitor is an artistic family, as I seem to recall?, Aleksei asked casually, mentally browsing over the countless lectures he had attended on the nobility of Aodh – both the Houses that were long since gone, at least in the legitimate line, and the ones that still existed in the modern day. Solaris had wanted him to learn about the Lesser Houses too, and some of the old Gentry families – it was a matter of respect, she had always said, with Lucillius nodding in the background.
Aleksei hadn’t really understood then. It was a bit much for a tween to take in, after all.
But at least he remembered most of it.
”I suppose you wouldn’t be terribly fond of Haven”, he noted. Noble families were good at holding grudges, after all, although he supposed that Lux didn’t exactly strike him as the usual noble type.
Word count: 247
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Post by buffyandbramble on Mar 5, 2021 15:32:02 GMT -6
"Cultural is one word for it," Lux hummed as he considered his next move before opting to go on a riskier offence rather than drawing it out tentatively testing the waters and different strategies. Aleksei was playing fairly casually and Lux could learn just as much from the conversation that allowed to flow. More pretentious chess has its place, but that wasn't here.
He nodded as the other adviser referenced Nitor's heritage. "For the most part, yes, though I'm afraid I lack the creative spark to have followed such pursuits." Technical skill he had to an extent but technical skill could be taught, refined through practise. What Lux had always lacked was the gut instinct that gave something it's 'soul' - why did people favour something with flaws in it over a technically correct piece? He had never understood that, and had accepted that he never would. It was something intangible, ineffable. A strange quirk of personality and nature. He didn't consider it a great loss, he'd also never managed to understand the sheer amount of energy some would commit to their craft. He was very unsuited to a career in the arts. "I studied at New Valore, myself."
At the mention of Haven he found himself smiling almost sardonically. His family's dislike of the tourist town was still infamous then, which he supposed wasn't all that surprising. They hardly kept it a secret. "I can't say I've ever been," he answered with some humour. Whilst visiting wasn't expressly forbidden, it might as well have been. A petty grudge born across generations, meticulously maintained by every subsequent head of house. "Would you recommend it?" he asked, genuinely interested. "Or would you have," he corrected himself, considering the town's current state. "I had planned to visit at some point, before everything happened." He wasn't bothered about breaking a long-standing family tradition of not setting foot in it, it was a town for Ignacio's sake. Someone had died there a long time ago, it was a ridiculous reason to avoid an entire location and the fact that it was forbidden was the very thing that made it interesting. "Maybe on day, Ignacio willing." Ignacio would have a will a lot to make that feasible, but it was something to look to.
Post #5
WC: 378
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Post by ThatDenver on Mar 5, 2021 16:00:30 GMT -6
ALEKSEI
”Not a fan, I take? I’m sure some Nitor’s have been professors there, with your family history”, he noted about Bloom, and watched Lux move towards a more risky, aggressive offense. Aleksei responded with defensive moves, and when he managed to execute on his plan, moved quickly – the defensive playstyle swiftly became a quick blitz of an offense, claiming a few of Lux’s pawns in a few strikes. Sure, he lost some of his own pieces as well, but the momentum carried him nicely through his plans, before settling back to a more secure waiting position after his push.
”Well, it was a beautiful town. I’m not really knowledgeable on architecture, but for me personally the stone gardens and the geysers were much more interesting than the buildings”, the Adviser mused, tapping his jaw with one of the fallen pieces.
”I suppose it is strange to say this, but it felt like many of the resorts and villas were simply competing with each other in pompousness, rather than using the natural beauty around them to their advantage”, he said with a smirk, and looked at Lux with bright, almost boyish eyes. He remembered the trip particularly well – it had been a family visit under the pretense of a royal visit, so naturally they had been afforded the greatest luxuries imaginable.
And he could imagine plenty, which was saying a lot.
”Well, if Ignacio has a personal interest in any town, it would probably be the volcanically active one, wouldn’t it?”, Aleksei asked, with a touch of irreverence, before correcting himself with a smooth and socially appropriate: ”Not that it is for us to judge his ways. The fire is a mysterious element, after all, ever changing and growing.”
Word count: 288
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Post by buffyandbramble on Mar 7, 2021 13:52:11 GMT -6
"We've had professors here and there," he agreed, and he could practically feel Alcippe twitching all the way back in Bloom, as if they could sense his indifference. It wasn't a lack of knowledge on his part, Lux was fully aware of notable names that had enjoyed the prestige of teaching at Bloom University, he just wasn't one to take pride in the accomplishments of those that came before him. They were not his accomplishments, and he felt no more connected to them than he would a total stranger. "I just find places lose some of their lustre when you grow up there." He'd spent a lot of his youth exploring Bloom, likely more than he was ever supposed to, but it had a tendency to lessen the novelty of the place.
He sat back a moment to contemplate the chessboard, contemplating his options before changing tacts. The offensive strategy had failed which had always been a good possibility, but now Aleksei didn't seem to be pushing the momentum as much as he could have done. He'd made good ground, was in a strong position and could have continued on the offensive but now he seemed to be... waiting. For a mistake? An opening? Well, Lux thought, he could provide an opening. Changing tact he opted to split his pieces and create two baited openings. One risky, but his return and another safer, but less dramatic. It was unlikely to give Lux a particular advantage on the board and could hardly be described as a winning strategy, but right now Lux might argue that knowledge was the real victory here, not who knocked over a carved chess piece.
Pale eyes met boyish once, Lux's gaze unreadable a moment before he huffed in amusement, a slightly quick of a smile sitting at the corner of his mouth. "I don't think it strange at all," he said. He could only imagine the extremes that places would go to in order to compete. "I know of a few people that subscribe to the notion that beauty must be manufactured." Maybe it was a strange kind of narcissism, or maybe it was simply an artist trying to justify their existence, threatened by the existence of a 'natural' beauty. It also seemed a prevailing ethos of the cosmetics industry, but now he was being a little cynical.
"May His light continue to guide us," Lux replied politely, almost automatically. He kept his attention on the chessboard, wondering if that had been a touch of derision he'd heard there. It was difficult to tell with these politically-fluent horses, and right now Lux wasn't quite willing to pull at that thread. Religious devotion was perhaps a topic for another time.
Post #6
WC: 453
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Post by ThatDenver on Mar 7, 2021 14:33:15 GMT -6
ALEKSEI
To grow up in Bloom? Well, he supposed he wouldn’t have been particularly fond of that prospect either, but it was perhaps a matter of what one was used to, more so than anything else. Aleksei had been raised in luxury, but also with the rather busy lifestyle of New Valore. A somewhat sheltered childhood to be sure, but even then there had always been placed to visit, parties to go to, Courts to quietly attend as the shadow of an Adviser or his father. He had been taught that this was the kind of a life he should expect to lead – one of constant socializing, of political games and making friendships based on shared interest.
And that if you did manage to make a friendship that went any deeper than mutual benefit, you should cherish it.
For a brief moment, Aleksei thought back to his father and Solaris. Their friendship, their co-parenting, even though they had never been in love.
How Lucillius had died to protect his family, even though in the end, it had helped little.
The air around Aleksei shimmered, reality beginning to warp before he caught himself in the act, and stuffed his power back down. He had been so on the edge as of late; he had to focus and regain control, even with all these memories that this whole thing had brought back into his mind.
”Well, as beautiful as our artwork is, I don’t think anyone should assume to compete with the gods. Seems like a dangerous path to take, in all honesty; hardly something a mortal can hope to win in””, Aleksei noted, moving his pieces now to take advantage of the riskier path, even though he could see that Lux’s pieces were well-positioned to cause some casualties to his side of the field.
”Then again”, he said, pushing hard to gain advantage, losing some of his own pieces, but pushing through, taking up positions that made a check possible: ”Very little can be achieved if one is not willing to pursue their passion.”
Word count: 342
Post #6
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Post by buffyandbramble on Mar 7, 2021 16:39:59 GMT -6
As the air began to shimmer, Lux instinctively stiffened. It was easy enough to understand as a Blessing but which one, and why it was active? That much he did not know, and when it came to Blessings that could be dangerous. Logical thought quickly caught up to instinct; the likelihood of an actual threat was slim and to think otherwise would be irrational, practically dangerous in itself. He also wasn't completely defenceless himself, though he wouldn't particularly care to test the limitations of his control of his own Blessing.
Aleksei didn't offer anything on the topic, so Lux felt confident in assuming it had indeed been the unicorn's Blessing and not that of a third party, which he suspected might have warranted at least a mention. Instead, the other continued their conversation, speaking of gods and mortality whilst Lux stared, his own mind pondering what could possibly be going through Aleksei's. Sometimes it would be very convenient to be a mind-reader, but he supposed that would take away the air of mystery to people now wouldn't it?
"It is important to pick one's battles," he said almost carefully, his tone measured as he looked back to the board. Aleksei had opted for the higher risk strategy, which he found interesting. He had half been expecting the other to opt for the safer option, guard his pieces a little more and wait for a more solid opportunity down the line. "Though victory is not everything." The battle, the losses, the very price of that victory? They were all equally important. Horses throughout history had a bad habit of holding victory as the finest prize, the only prize. Life was never so simple. Victory need not be the only end goal. What even was victory, one could argue, but this was not the conversation for splitting such hairs.
Check was imminent, that much Lux could see, and began to move more defensively, drawing pieces back. He might have already cost himself the game with his earlier experiments but likewise the game was not over yet. Giving up was currently the only absolutely certain defeat.
"Passion is a powerful thing," he agreed. "So long as it does not become all-encompassing. Blinding, rather than guiding." There was no other realm that passion could sit other than fire, for it was like a flame itself. When properly managed it cut a path through darkness, but improperly managed it was dangerous, consuming all it touched and leaving naught but ash behind. "If you do not mind me asking, do you have a particular passion, Adviser Aleksei? You've achieved a lot already, have you not?"
WC: 439
Post #7
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Post by ThatDenver on Apr 7, 2021 13:55:52 GMT -6
ALEKSEI
”That is true”, Aleksei responded: ”Victory is not everything. What is gained by winning should be more than what it cost to win – and so, a favorable compromise may sometimes be the best.”
He smiled at Lux, raising his brows. The other Adviser was the closest to him in age out of the lot of them – all the others were in their 40s, he was fairly sure. Lux, on the other hand, was at least relatively speaking more Aleksei’s own age, and yet, he was clearly not a typical noble of their age bracket.
”But there are also times when compromise is simply not possible”, he stated the obvious, and watched as Lux changed his gameplan to take up more defensive positions. Aleksei, knowing that momentum was often what, in the end, won these games, pressed his gained advantage, although less rashly than before. His strategy shifted from high risk and high reward to a constant, oppressive pressure, slowly closing in on the remainder of Lux’s pieces, and knocking them off of the board whenever any of them became isolated.
”My passion?” Aleksei asked, and chuckled: ”You sound like one of my foalhood teachers.”
The reply was clearly good-natured, however – Aleksei was not offended by the question, although it certainly felt more directly probing than the ones that had come before it.
”I suppose my one true passion is my family”, he responded, and it was true enough. There was very little Aleksei wouldn’t do for his family – both the ones alive, and the ones already gone. He was, in the end, a man of legacies and inheritances, keenly aware of what had been and what could be.
But as a reply, it was innocuous enough. Being passionate about ones family pride and lineage was hardly uncommon, and Lux could take the words any way he liked, without any real confirmation one way or another as to how deep this passion ran.
”But I suppose you are right. I have achieved much for my age. Few are Advisers at my age – or yours, for that matter”, Aleksei noted.
”Check”, he added.
Word count: 351
Post #7
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