EXSILIUM - contact.

[hostage]

UNIT№409



_“ Hey, it's me. Wait for the thing. _”

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[hostage]

[If it's any consolation, he looks really, really sorry.]

That... yeah. If it keeps happening when you stop drinking wine, then we should try something else for your sleep.

[ensorceler]

[ Why are they talking in the kitchen, this is so crass. WHY IS SHE STILL STANDING. Maybe she ticked him off waking him up like that... ]

I see. Then I suppose I will take a greater care with when I have my drink. It would be best for me not to need such aid, but I must be grateful that there are remedies at all.

[hostage]

[Because the couch is currently serving as someone's bed (UNIT 409 LYFE!!!), and it seems weird to sit on it even when that person isn't home. But mostly, Jesse is too high for manners.]

I promise the water's clean. I test it all the time, 'cause I need it pure at work. You don't gotta worry about drinking it.

[ensorceler]

[ She raises an eyebrow curiously; teasing, though no less serious about the water. ]

You promise me... As you once promised not to look?

[hostage]

[That makes him laugh.]

Well, that... I mean, you wanted me to look.

[ensorceler]

That is quite the presumption.

[hostage]

Oh really? Well, my apologies. I just wanted to give you what you wanted, at your service and all, Your Majesty. Now I know better.

[ensorceler]

[ With a chuckle, some of that naturally going over her head, Anne turns to look towards the living area, to see more how it differs from her own. ]

I have already traversed on past bandit fiance and bandit duchess to move on towards bandit queen? That would make you a king now.

[hostage]

[Structurally, of course, the living room is the same. But Jesse's acquired all kinds of entertainment technology, and the living room is, well, lived in - so it's cluttered with six people's belongings.]

Weren't you a queen already? Maybe I was always a king, too, and you didn't know it.

[But he notices her looking, which he finally takes as a signal that she wants to get comfortable. Which is fine by him, really. He starts ambling out of the kitchen, in a subtle way forcing her to chase after him. Slowly.]

[ensorceler]

Ah, but when countered with the threat of another king seeking my hand, you said nothing of the sort!

[ She'll move to follow, because kitchen why. ]

I cannot be a queen if I do not have a king of mine own, unless I feel so inclined to usurp a kingdom. Yours, perhaps!

[ This kingdom of...glorious crap. ]

[hostage]

[It is. It is glorious crap. Jesse sweeps the blankets and pillows aside to clear space on the couch. (Sorry, Jules. He'll fix that up later.)]

Ahhhh, so you're not married yet. Good to know. You're totally free to usurp my kingdom.

[...If you know what he means. He settles onto the sofa and pats the spot beside him. Because that's the proper way to invite a noble lady to sit.]

[ensorceler]

[ She'll sit further down on the couch, because gosh, laughing at the very idea of being married already. Actually it's not so outlandish, she's pretty old to be a maid, but still. ]

You thought me to be married...because I made mention of another? Why, you merely could have inquired. It does not matter, however.

[hostage]

Why not?

[ensorceler]

His Majesty would not see kindly to any calling at my door, be they lords, poets, or bandits. For now this is the way.

[hostage]

Is he here?

[ensorceler]

No. I pray His Majesty never suffers such indignity of the people and horrors of the land.

[hostage]

No, yeah. Definitely.

[ensorceler]

[ Stellar addition there, Jesse. She looks to him curiously. ]

Is your wife here, or have you none?

[ Can't imagine any wife letting a place look this cluttered. ]

[hostage]

No, I don't... do that. I mean - I got a number one. She lives here, with me. But she's not - we're not... She doesn't do, like, settling down. You know? Or... Maybe you don't. What I'm saying is, I'm not somebody anyone would marry.

[ensorceler]

[ A 'number one'. Anne actually looks mildly offended by the bluntness of the wording... No matter how many mistresses he has, that's a little crass, but there are stupid words and phrases she's learning every day from future people. Especially Jesse. ]

You mean you have not sought out a lady to marry. You are more than eligible with your esteemed work and status alone, and you also suffer the burden of beauty. I cannot imagine many would turn down an offer of marriage.

[hostage]

[She's definitely misunderstanding him. He shakes his head.]

I'd marry her in a heartbeat if I could.

[ensorceler]

[ Suddenly this is Donny all over again. ]

Are you not courting her proper?

[hostage]

[He assumes Anne means like giving her presents and stuff.]

That's not the problem.

[...because he bought her a mansion once.]

I mean - It's not a problem. It's just how she is. She wants to be free.

[ensorceler]

[ So she wants to go be a whore? Well, all the power to her... It's not like Anne wasn't having her own dalliance before she had to end it because of Henry, although she did want to end up married and esteemed. Does. ]

She is lucky to have it. Women would not be...so free and yet so well treated in my time. But it saddens me that she wishes to be free while you wish to have her.

[ She'd tell him to stop being dumb and move on, or amp up the romance to lure her in, but Anne's not privy enough to the situation to begin lecturing on love lives. Well she can try to cheer him up. ]

You may still find your Guinevere.

[hostage]

[Jesse tries to imagine what Anne would think of Lisbeth if she met her, but he can't. It'd be more shocking than what he's able to describe, that's all he knows.

But he shakes his head, trying to reassure her while she's reassuring him:]

I'm okay. Really. I don't think anything more than this would be good for me, anyway. I'm bad at all of it. I mean, not the sex, but the rest of it.