Religious Reign

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Hialeah wakes up as the sunlight filters her room. She rises from her bed and gets ready for the day. Dressed in her robes she goes to the chapel and sets it up for the daily services. “Good morning Father,” She bows politely greeting the priest as he walks in. She is just setting up the candles.

“Good morning Lady Hialeah, I hope Sagia blessed your sleep.” The priest responds placing the book on the altar.

“I slept well, thank you Father, may Sagia bless you.” Hialeah replies as the finishes up. She bows in front of the altar and to the priest before leaving the chapel. Her next destination is the chapel gardens. What started off as a simple plot to keep Hialeah busy as a child, has grown to a full scale garden. The priests encouraged Hialeah’s green thumb and because of her the fruits and vegetables produced by the chapel are known throughout the city.

Hialeah sings as she tends her gardens. Her beautiful mezzo-soprano voice drifts through the gardens. The priests do not push for her to be in the church choir though. It is like they do not want her to perform in front of anyone. It is a beautiful sunny morning as the works on pulling the weeds and watering the gardens.

"Of course they don't." The King says, this time with a slight tone of happiness or maybe even satisfaction. "You're the daughters of your Uncles, as far as they know. That's why I didn't raise you. To keep you safe from them."

Finally, a small maidservant comes up, offering them beverages. She's quite dainty and polite and bows to each of them. Now that the girls are known as his daughter, they are bowing to them, as well. Nisa realizes that some things are definitely going to change around here.

She looks to the King. "My King, Eran is here. He wishes to speak with you urgently. He's...well, he's being his usual self..."

She ends this line off awkwardly and the man turns with a raised eyebrow. Raising an elbow to each daughter, he offers them an escort to their new visitor. Nisa has heard of Eran many times--mostly from the women. Most have the hots for him, though she's never seen him personally. He's from a gypsy tribe from the far north, and is rumored to run it, himself, on the King's behalf.

"Would you two like to meet a Tribemaster?" The King asks as Nisa nods her head with intrigue.

Maria nodded her head at her father. She looks up as a young lady came up to them. It was a different feeling to have someone bowing to her. She looks at her father as she takes one of the drinks. “Thank you miss.” She said to the young woman. Would they be treated different now? She was unsure how she felt about that.

She listens to Eran’s message and looks at her father. She takes his arm after standing up and smiles. “It will be a pleasure to meet the Tribemaster in person. I don’t think I have ever met him before.”

As they leave the vicinity of the master campfire, Nisa takes her father's arm and walks with her newly reunited family (albeit incomplete family) as they move towards another end of the tented town. Although the gypsies prefer to live out in the open where they can feel the wind and smell the fresh air, Nisa has gotten used to living indoors in their little caravan house, since they live far closer to the city.

Seeing so many opened tents that are just left about haphazardly is still new to her, though she has seen it several times before. They pass several campfires with few people about them on this cold morning before getting closer to the campfire with many people crowded about it.

As the gypsies move aside for their king to make his way towards the commotion, Nisa's eyes land upon an odd scene. Jaer is sitting down next to the fire as a rather large man is messing with his son's hair. He's braiding just a few strands of it and the boy is wearing gypsy clothing, instead of what he wore yesterday.

Two council members are here, including Pevil, and they both look quite unhappy. In fact, Pevil is actually speaking to the hair braider with a raised voice at an overly loud volume. Despite all of this "yelling" from just one man, the man just continues to braid the boy's hair and straighten up his clothing and the like, humming softly as he does so with a completely nonchalant and uncaring manner.

Nisa cannot help but laugh at the scene. Almost everyone, including Jaer and his son and all of the onlookers, are flinching from the sound, the annoying complaining coming from Pevil's mouth. Yet, this one man is perfectly normal and fine and she suspects he is used to this behavior from the councilman. Putting her hand to her lips, she tries to stifle her laughter.

The King smiles as the man looks up from attending to the small boy, his blue eyes looking on at Nisa due to her distraction and then to her father and sister.

Eran:

He smiles, standing up finally as Pevil falls quiet due to the King's presence. Pevil was, of course, going on about how this man is "going against order" and is "accomplishing nothing with his foolish ideals."

The King greets him as he comes closer. "Eran! A pleasure to see you again! It's been a few years. How is your father?"

"He is well, my King." Eran says happily, "Now let me solve your problems, today, hmmm?"

The King raises an eyebrow, but releases his grasp on his daughters and then crossing his arms with interest. Eran gestures for him to sit, so he does so, gesturing for his daughters to follow. Nisa does so. This campfire is much smaller, providing less warmth, unfortunately.

"I'm adopting Jaer as my brother." Eran reveals happily, "Which makes this little man my nephew. I can't just have him forced onto a gypsy girl, now can I? I'll keep an eye on him and keep him loyal to the gypsy way, and I'll teach him how to be a real ladies man."

This last part is said with a wink and a mischievous grin, but he continues. "No offense, Jaer, you're sexy and all--even I would do you--but, you're a stranger. Just isn't anything but awkward to push you into a marriage now."

Nisa's looks confused, at this point. She doesn't know what to think of this man. He's...somehow somewhat feminine, and yet he looks so manly. All of the lean muscle and broad shoulders make her think of how any man would appear, but the way he cares for Jaer's appearance is somewhat motherly. And then, of course, he talks of 'doing' a man...what in the world?

The King laughs aloud, his shoulders shaking from amusement. "You really are unconventional, Eran, I just don't know what to say."

Pevil says, "A marriage is the proper way to assure loyalty and avoid spies from being allowed to grow within the--"

Eran cuts in. "You don't really think having Jaer marry a random gypsy girl is really going to make him less of a spy than being my brother?"

Pevil growls, "If you care so much about his life, then follow tradition. At this point, I don't even care if you marry him. A traditional commitment is what gives a man motivation to--"

"Nope. No can do." Eran says, his hands on his hips. His right arm then raises up and points at Maria, "I want to marry her someday."

Nisa gasps. Everything goes silent, suddenly, and it is interrupted by the King's laughter once more. The jovial man is a far cry different than who he was earlier...or even who he was last night. He's obviously much more happy at the moment and she realizes she is grateful to see this side of him. It's not something she has seen before, not in the King.

Rather than commenting, the King looks at his Maria with an amused look in his eyes and a smirk on his face. Eran suddenly blushes and shrugs his shoulders. Nisa giggles.

"Only if I can, ya know, woo her or whatever." Eran says, "Besides, that isn't the point at hand. I'm not gonna let these two lads die and I'm not gonna force strangers to get married."

Maria can hear the noise before she can see it. She looks as the crowed parts for them and covers her mouth to keep from laughing. Pevil is having a one sided argument with himself. She feels like he deserves it after earlier that morning. The man sitting there braiding the boys hair was different. He had pretty eyes and his body masculine yet somehow feminine.

Maria looks him up and down. Erin seems to know her father well, and she is glad for that. She takes a seat beside of her father as Nisa sits down on the other side of him. She is quiet as they talk back and forth with their banter. She is trying to keep from laughing as Pevil tells him that he should marry him. What a crazy thing to see.

Suddenly Maria looks at Erin surprisingly. She had never met him, yet was he trying to make a proposal to her? She can feel her face flushing as she tries to gather herself. She can’t remember the last time she was speechless. She looks at her sister before smirking slightly at Erin. “You want the chance to woo me? I will give you the chance, but only after you ask.”

To be quite honest she was glad that Jaer and his son would not have to marry right away. She was afraid for his life. If there had been no other option she would have given her life to him and his son to protect them. It would not be needed.

The King nods his head with approval as Pevil scowls. "I thought that councilmen were preferred marriage options to tribemasters of the heirs to the--"

"Do you want to marry my Maria, Pevil?" The King interrupts.

Pevil freezes. He looks at Maria with a red face, his arms crossing before his chest as his brows furrow. "W-what?! No! That's proposterou--I mean, I am not that sort of man that jus--I can't just wed a woman because she is beautiful--"

The King roars with laughter for a third time with Jaer, Nisa, and Eran following suit. Several of the onlookers join in, of course, and Pevil turns quickly and marches off. The man clearly has a soft spot for her with that response...now Nisa understand why he's been so cold to her, lately.

"I'm afraid you won't have much of a chance to get to know her," The King says finally, "My daughters have business in the City, soon."

Eran looks up, taken aback. "What? Well, then so do I, so I suppose I shall have to travel with the ladies and protect them."

Eran stands up, placing his hands on his hips with determination once more. His chin rises with pride and Jaer stands up immediately after, his eyes moving to Maria and then the King.

"W-well...I must stay with my brother, yes? So I should go with him, since I am his responsibility, now. My son will be safe here, I know, so there's--"

Pevil comes back, arms still crossed with rage. "No, no, no! This is not acceptable! Jaer must marry a woman and you'll just trouble Maria to death with your ridiculous humor and childish dreams of fanatical heresy!"

The King shrugs, completely ignoring Pevil. "Well, if Maria and Nisa are okay with your company, then so am I. Of course, you will be expected to keep an eye on your new brother as I watch your nephew during your absence in return."

Pevil groans, as all eyes, including Nisa's, turn to Maria with expectation.

Maria smirks as Pevil finds himself between a rock and a hard place. She roars with laughter as everyone else does. She just could not find herself married to that man.

Her arms are crossed across her chest as she listens to her father, Jaer and Eran talk. She sighed slightly as Jaer mentioned coming with, but she was not against it. Maybe it would work out. At least she could get to know this Eran better. She looks at Nisa as all eyes turn to her. “The more the merrier. I have no problems with this as long as Nisa is alright with it as well. It could come with an advantage. Jaer, just remember you will need to keep up and learn fast.

I look forward to getting to know the both of you better.” Maria said.

Pevil marches off in anger, clearly unhappy with Maria's decision. Nisa smirks, feeling as though the man must be jealous. I mean, the two others were hotties and well...yeaaahh. He was an ass, so it's not like he had much going for him. Still, he probably just didn't know how to handle himself around women. Poor man.

The King stands, now, a grin on his face. "Well! Let us prepare supplies for the journey for you four. My daughters know what their mission is and you two know to protect them and to teach Jaer of the gypsy ways. I expect only gypsies to return, whenever that may be."

It takes them several hours to get all that they need, but they do get horses, which will make the return trip shorter than it the trip was to get here. Smiling up at her father, her last goodbye is to him. He looks sad to see them go, but she cannot help but be optimistic. She got her father back...and now, she gets to try to have her sister back, too.

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Karen finally wakes up and goes to find Hialeah. When she finds her in the library, still, she feels bad that the lady had to remain alone for a few hours. Still, it is a relief to see that she is safe. She already received orders from Lord Aldain...he will have them leave at sundown. She will need to make sure Hialeah is ready.

Karen greets her with a bow. "My lady. A pleasure to see you are doing well. I don't suppose you'd be up for a late outing with his lordship at sun down? He wishes to show some things of great importance."

Maria stands and they begin to pack. She wonders how their uncles are and wonders if they miss them. She chuckled. They probably only missed her cooking and Nisa’s cleaning. They take their packs and say goodbye to their father. They then take to their horses and leave the camp.

Maria looks at Nisa as both men lead in front of them. “We have learned so much, yet I feel as if we don’t know everything.” She said. “I only hope we can do this and everything works out for the best.”

Hialeah only wakes up when she hears noises in the quiet library. "Oh hello Karen, I must have been more tired than I thought." She closes the book and sets it on the side table. It takes a few moments for her to digest what Karen tells her. "Oh yes, I need to get prepared. I can't believe I am still in my wedding dress. I will go to my room and get ready." She stands and stretches before putting the book on the shelf. She smiles brightly at Karen. "Thank you for waking me up."

Hialeah goes to her room with Karen in tow. She is still not used to having someone following her. She goes to her closet and finds some dresses. "Lord Kisten thinks of everything. He is so thoughtful." She is still not used to any of this. She pulls out a deep burgundy dress. She holds up it up on her body. It makes her golden blonde hair glisten. She gets a gleeful smile on her face as she sets it on the bed.

Everything she may need is on a side table, her fingers touch the hair brush and comb. "I must thank everyone for getting all this for me. I came here with nothing and now. Now I have everything." She goes over and hugs Karen. "Thank you again for saving me."

With Karen's help she gets dressed for Lord Kisten. She brushes her hair, keeping it long.

Jaer looks to Eran as he explains what an Uncle's duties are to his nieces and nephews. Unlike most other societies, the gypsies take no break when it comes to family care. Rather than just caring for one's children, a gypsy is also expect to care for his or her nieces and nephews, even in minor roles when their parents are perfectly healthy and active caregivers.

Of course, Eran also goes over various gypsy fashion styles and hairstyles, though Jaer is skeptical towards the hairstyles. After all, he was raised to have short hair and to keep short hair--only noblemen had long hair, and even only half of those kept it that long.

As they ride along, Nisa can't help but wonder at how this man, Eran, keeps so positive and energetic. Of course, she is this way on her own, but this man is just...not like most men. It's weird. Still, he has a great sense of humor. Looking over at her sister, she smiles with hope.

She says, "Sister, we have quite a long road ahead of us, but...no matter what, we will always have each other and that is what matters most."

Eran turns around with a grin, "You know, that's the first thing I had ever heard you say, Nisa."

Nisa looks at him, confused. "We've never met before today."

"Not true," Eran says with a shake of his head, "I have seen you two about the encampment when you were young a few times. We never spoke or crossed paths, but I did see you nearby."

Nisa says nothing, as she is uncertain of what to say at this admission. Is that how he had been so sure he wished to marry Maria? He knew more of her than her appearance? That's somewhat relieving.

Eran continues, "You two were...eight, maybe nine? Holding hands and Maria looked sad, for some reason. One of the councilmen had gotten onto her for being too "forward" with one of their opinions, so maybe that was it. Anyway, you had just tightened your grasp on her hand and smiled at her all cute like and told her that you were there with her and that's all that mattered. I thought it was such an adorable display of affection."

Nisa laughs, though she doesn't remember this at all. Her memory never was that great, but...did she really say that kind of stuff a lot? Does she repeat herself a lot? Goodness, she must really be predictable...

Jaer clears his throat. "Well, all siblings are like that, so it isn't surprising."

"But you think it's cute, too. In fact, you're just imaging it right now in your head, right now, aren't you? How precious!" Eran teases him.

Jaer's face burns a bright red as he shakes his head vigorously with contempt. "Of course, not!"

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Lord Aldain prepares the carriage, readying the horses and making sure that the the coach will be free for all of the day. He is unsure how long the trip will be, nor of what all Hialeah will be in the mood for, so he will prepare for anything and everything.

He already takes a blanket and basket for a picnic, of course, as candlelight picnics can be just as pleasant as a picnic in the day...right? Either way, it is worth a shot. Dressing up for the ordeal took longer than it usually takes for him to prepare for any event or occasion, but he is always early, anyway, so this time, he will just be on time.

When he goes to Greet Hialeah in her room, he knocks on the door softly. Karen opens it with a smile and then takes her leave to give the two some space. Looking upon the lady, he grins from ear to ear with a charming expression of satisfaction.

"You look stunning, milady." Lord Aldain says.

Hialeah smiles when greeted. She almost bows to him, but stops herself. "Thank you Lord...Kisten...not only for the compliment, but for providing me with the wardrobe. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness." She smooths out the dress. She hopes he doesn't mind her calling him by his first name. "You look very handsome. I am excited about our plans this evening."

She crosses the room to him. "I hope your sleep was as good as mine. Is there anything I need to bring?"

Maria is trying to remember the day that ERan is talking about. "It has been so long ago. I have always been frank and outspoken with the councilmen. They never did enjoy having a child being so open with them."

She listens to Nisa and smiled at her. "I have always lived by your words sister, and I am thankful that I have you with me. I could not be the young woman I am today without you." She explained.

She looks at Eran and then Jaer. "I don't remember you from so long ago. Is that how you knew me?" She asks.

Lord Aldain smiles. "Only your smile."

Holding out his arm, he escorts Hialeah to the carriage, assisting her with getting seated before taking a seat next to her. The thing comes with a roof, but it is not currently attached, as to allow for more sight via the moonlight. The carriage begins to move after a signal from the Lord and he takes Hialeah's hand in he releases the paper lanterns with his other hand.

The carriage isn't going too fast, so the candles will stay lit from within the paper shells, and the wind of the carriage keeps them floating in the air, held to it only be a string. The paper cylinders have carefully been designed with small patterns of discoloration that form flowers. Caroline knew just how to make them, it would seem.

After a few moments of silence and holding hands, Kisten is wondering if she would prefer to talk or maybe listen to music. He did bring his violin with him, but he is not sure of her musical tastes.

He finds himself, for the first time, entirely uncertain and unsure. It is an odd thing to experience and he is very new to this whole affair. After a few moments, he realizes he has just been silently staring at her. With eyes wide, he clears his voice and looks away quickly from embarrassment.

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Eran chuckles as Jaer looks at him with utter confusion. He's probably asking himself the same question that Nisa is: "Just what is this man thinking?" He's just so odd.

Eran speaks with a mischievous gloating, "Oh, I knew of each of you and of many more gypsies, though most of you did not ever know of me. That's the job of a tribemaster. They go to the other tribes and learn, observe. It is how they improve their own tribe and improve everything that they can for their people."

"Uh-huh." Nisa says, tilting her head to the side with crossed arms awkwardly while holding the reigns, "So, you stalk people. And watch people. For a living."

"You can bet your sweet rice on it, Nisa." Eran says with a wink. Jaer rolls his eyes, shakes his head and looks away. He looks sort of...sad, for a moment. Maybe he's lonely. Or maybe he's just homesick.

"Do you miss home, Jaer?" Nisa asks, curious. "You must be sad to be forced to become a gypsy."

Jaer shrugs upon his horse. "Better than death, I'd say. I just wish I could have had a chance to say goodbye to that life. According to your father, though, they will figure out that I sent a message to you and if that's the case...it would be dangerous to return to my home, anyway."

This last part is said with sadness and Nisa frowns. She feels bad for him and she wishes there was something she could do. Eran pats his shoulder, his arm stretching out as he leans to the side a bit to reach him.

"You may miss your old life, but you will come to love the new one!" Eran speaks energetically, "Gypsies are love and adventure. We are free. And we are a family."

Kisten takes Hialeah to a fancy carriage. It has no roof on it. She has never taken a moonlit carriage ride before. He seems to be preparing the lights. She watches them seeming float as the carriage begins to move forward.

Kisten seems as nervous as she is. "The lanterns are beautiful. This night is so wonderful." She closes her eyes and begins to sing. She does it a lot when she is happy or nervous. When she does reopen her eyes she sees him watching her.

Maria laughs at Eran and Nisa’s talk. “Well at least we know what kind of person he is.” She said. She listens to Jaer and feels bad for him however. “What was your life like before this?” She asked.

“We always traveled around doing shows. It was just our way of life. Only yesterday have we learned who we really were.” Maria said. “It is like a new beginning. You don’t know what to think or what to say, just that you have to take one day at a time. We have always been happy and we will continue to be happy.”

To settle his awkwardness, Kisten reaches down into a compartment under his seat and pulls out the case of his violin. He opens up the instrument with practiced care, preparing to play it, unless she looks unhappy with his idea. So far, there has been no sign of distaste, so he places the bow to the strings and begins to play a soft piece.

As they are farther from the homes of the people, it is no trouble to play at a louder volume, though is careful not to get too loud. A soft piece can be ruined by too much volume, for sure. He hasn't played in a while, so he is a bit rusty, at first, but it doesn't take too long to get back into the motions that he is so accustomed to.

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Jaer smiles sadly at Maria's inquiry, "I was a hunter. My boy would run errands for the cobbler while I worked and brought enough Venison for the people in my neighborhood. We all worked together to feed each other and service each other--we even worked together to pay taxes."

Eran raises an eyebrow, "Is that allowed?"

"Not technically." Jaer says sheepishly.

Eran grins, "I knew you were fun! See, bro? We're gonna get along swimmingly. Did you ever pay your fees to the Church?"

Jaer nods, "Of course. The Church can take away a lot of your land if you don't. We had very little, as it is."

Nisa pokes her sister. "We have to pay fees to the Church to perform in the City Square, don't we? Plus, fees to the city."

Hialeah continues to sing as Kisten reaches down under the seat. She wondered what he was doing when he brings up a violin. She stops singing and watches him place the violin under his chin.

He begins to play. She could not be more delighted. The violin was one of her favorite instruments. She listens to him play for a few moments before starting to sing again. Hialeah gets a smile on her face. There is something about the peacefulness of night time the she loves. This could not happen in the hustle and bustle of the daytime.

She does not know where Kisten is taking her, but for now she does not care. The music they are making is perfect. She only hopes it bodes well for their married life.

Maria nodded her head to Nisa. "If we didn't pay the fee's to play in the square then we couldn't perform. We had to pay both or be thrown from the city. I know where our uncles are staying at they are having to pay taxes on that as well." She explained.

She turned her attention back to Jaer. "That was very nice of you and the people to help one another out. To bad the church cannot see the good in that. They are only out for your money anymore. I don't see how our sister can be so blinded by the truth. They shield her from it."

Time passes, evening falling into darkness as the gypsies travel to the city and the two lovers, now married, make music through the night with a settled contentment followed by a night-time picnic of candles and wine (though, there were other, romantic ties that occurred). Talking, singing, and relaxing, it is almost as if time flies by far too quickly. Soon, the sun is to rise and the gypsies will make their destination and Kisten will be forced to shut himself away from the light once more.

Nisa laughs at a terrible joke that Eran makes, their horses making way to the city's entrance. They are ready to pass through small security checks just as Lord Aldain and his bride return to their estate. Kisten apologizes for keeping Hialeah up for so late as Nisa looks to her sister with interest.

Nisa says, "So...where to? I mean, should we seek her at the Church? It isn't really service time."

Maria thinks for a moment before yawning. "Well it is early. She was staying at the church so I don't see why we shouldn't try there first." She said. "We can go there first and from there maybe find if she has left from there to go anywhere. I doubt that she has though."

She leads her horse towards the stables. "I would think we would need to leave our horses at the stables. The church may not like it if we leave them on their front lawns. Goddess knows they would probably tax us for that as well."

Hialeah had a wonderful time with Kisten. She even drank some wine, a lot by her standards. It is only the second time she had it. She loves the music they make together. He is not only a benefactor of the theatre, but a musician as well. She wonders if they will be able to visit it sometime.

To soon the picnic ends and everything is packed back on the carriage. Hialeah fights sleep as they approach the estate. "No need to apologize, I am not used to staying up all night. I loved the picnic. Thank you so much for a wonderful time."

The carriage stops and the door is opened. The footman helps Hialeah out first. She does not know if it is the tiredness that lowers her inhibitions. She leans forward and kisses him. "I hope you have a good rest."

Nisa crosses her arms, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she tilts her head slightly to the side and taps her toes upon the floor to express her utmost impatience. She can hear Eran chuckling quietly behind her and she smirks as the amusement spreads.

The religious man bows his head in apology, "I am sorry, but she is unavailable until tomorrow. She is being moved to another church, where she will be the new--"

"Yeah, but, unavailable where?" Nisa interrupts. People that are moving in and out of the church are beginning to stare--probably at her obvious gypsy-like attire--but, she doesn't care. If they give her any crap, she'll just say that it's due to her performance attire, like she always does.

"I'm afraid I can't give strangers that infor--" The man begins reluctantly.

Nisa growls, "We're her friends. Just ask her, won'tcha?"

Elan laughs aloud as the man sighs. He bows again and says that he will return shortly and walks away. She looks over at her sister and smiles and Jaer looks quiet and uncomfortable from behind him. He probably doesn't like it here. When Jaer notices Nisa looking back at him to check on him, his eyes dart away from Maria with a blush.

Snickering, she turns back around, her smirk falling from her face in an instant as a cardinal is noticed at the forefront of the church, slowly walking in their direction with the man they had been speaking to just a few minutes before. They are whispering to each other quickly but stop once they get into earshot. Nisa never thought that religious people could ever look so suspicious.

The Cardinal holds out his hand and Nisa awkwardly stares at it until she realizes that she's supposed to kiss his ring or something like that. Eran steps forward past them within a moment, bending low to kiss the man's ring. As he does so, Nisa is both grossed out from him having to do this, but also happy that she doesn't have to do it, herself. She'll have to remind herself later to thank him for this.

"I am Cardinal Geoffrey." The Cardinal says after Eran pulls away, "I am told that you are seeking counsel with the lovely Priestess Hialeah. May I inquire as to what business you have with her?"

Nisa's stomach sinks, filled with dread. They are just dancers to the people of this City, little nobodies. Now they wish to see a Priestess who is apparently getting her own 'order' or whatever and they have to have a good reason....but, what legitimate reason do dancers have to see a Priestess? Dressed as gypsies?

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Kisten smiles, "I won't be sleeping, just yet. I have much more to do about the estate."

Karen and Caroline approach and bow to them. Aldain shakes his head, his smile still there, but with amusement added.

"I told you not to bow." Lord Aldain says softly, "Are all of the windows closed well? Have you both had ample amounts of sleep?"

"Yes," The two ladies say in tandem, bowing once more as if to tease the Lord with his persistence.

"I can make something for you to eat." Caroline offers as Karen says something softly to Hialeah about 'returning to her bodyguard duties' before disappearing into the shadows.

Kisten shakes his head once more, "I always handle my own food; you know that. However, perhaps the lady would love something to drink or a massage, maybe?"

Hialeah backs up. "Is there anything I can help you with? I would like to learn what it means to be a true Lady." She smiles at Caroline and Karen as they approach. She is happy when Kisten tells them not to bow. She wants to have a personable relationship with the ladies. She hides a smirk at their response.

"Actually I am not hungry, what is a massage?" Hialeah raises her eyebrows. "Would it be something I will like?"

Maria covers her mouth to stifle her laughter at Nisa. She is doing just fine and sits atop her horse allowing her sister to continue on what she started. She looks over at Eran as he gets down off of his horse. “Nisa, that was a great job.” She quiets down when the cardinal and the priest comes back. She looks at her sister who is looking at Jaer. She turns to look at him and then blushes. He was a nice looking man but having both of these guys after her was almost tantalizing.

She looks at Nisa and Eran and winks slyly at them. She knows they will play along. Her stomach churned slightly at the thought of what she needed to do, but she knew she could do it and do it easily. “Cardinal Geoffrey, it is a pleasure to meet you. We are part of the traveling troop that has been performing in the square. I ran into the priestess just a few days ago and we were talking about Sagia. My fiancé and I were looking to get married.” She said as she gets off of her horse. She walked over to Jaer and looked up at him. Play along. she mouthed.

“The priestess was so good to me and she made me see the error of my ways. I was so glad to have met her. I want her to the one that weds us. She has taught me so much.” Maria said. She would much rather be doing this with Eran sense he was used to this kind of work, but Jaer had already been staring at her and she knew the priest’s would catch on if she didn’t play her cards right.

Caroline replies matter of factly, "It's the the rubbing and kneading of muscles and joints of the body with the hands, in order to relieve tension or pain."

Lord Aldain nods his head, "Indeed. I could offer to do it, myself, but my hands are always so cold, due to my affliction. I wouldn't wish to cause discomfort, instead of relieving any tension."

Caroline smiles, "Well, either of us can help, depending on the lady's preference. We also have heard news from the Cardinal and your preparations will be ready tomorrow for your new service."

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Upon this declaration of ceremony planning, the Cardinal's eyes widen with surprise as his eyes look the couple over with quiet appraisal. It is everything Nisa can do to hold in her laughter as she watches Jaer's face turn a bright red. Maria's hand moves over to his and it goes even brighter, which Nisa hadn't even thought would be possible.

Eran smirks, leaning over and raising an arm and places it over Nisa's shoulder. He leans on her in a relaxed pose, clearly enjoying this more than he probably should. Nisa's grin is spread wide as Jaer attempts to talk, his shyness getting the better of him.

"I-I would like to have a Priestess that I know to wed us, rather than a stranger." Jaer says, looking down at the floor for a moment before meeting the Cardinal's eyes. "I-if that's o-okay and everything."

The Cardinal smiles, "Why, this is terribly sweet! Tell me, how did you two meet? Have you been engaged long?"