We may have a little bit of a problem...[9/30, just after sunset, Lex and Victor]

[Lex Castell Rivers]

Lexington walked to Victor's study, where he assumed he'd find his cousin. He tried to think over ways to start the conversation he had to have, but everything sounded stupid. His best bet, he figured, was to just go in and be straight with him. Express his concern, tell Victor why he thought to tell him, and proceed however he was instructed.

He arrived at the door and stood before it for a moment before raising his fist and knocking sharply. He waited to be called in, and then entered, bowing before his cousin before stepping too far in the room.

"Good evening, my Lord. I hope I'm not interrupting you from anything too important, but I feel there's something happening on the ship that needs to be brought to your attention."

[Victor Castell]

Victor looked up from his desk, ready to wrap up of the evening, when a knock at the door disturbed him. He called out for the person to enter, and took note of his cousin Lexington. The expression on Lex’s face made clear the man had news... news that Victor was not going to find pleasant at all. He hoped this wasn’t about Larson, and the conversation they’d had.

He rose and moved around the desk, clasping Lex on the shoulder. “Anything important needs to be brought to my attention. Let me pour some Brandy and then you can tell me your news.”

He retrieved the alcohol, one glass for himself and one for Lex, and then motioned for them to take a seat across from each other in the chairs and sofa just off the side of the room. “What is happening?

[Lex Castell Rivers]

Lexington watched the expressions roll over Victor's face, noting each one. His cousin wasn't emotive, exactly, but if you paid attention there were usually little cues. When he wanted you to see them, that is. Still, he didn't seem too put out by the late arrival, and Lex had to admit that the brandy sounded like a wonderful idea.

He took the glass offered to him and then settled in the seat offered, taking a moment to just sit. His mind had been moving a mile a minute, and he took the first sip of brandy slowly, savoring the burn. Victor always had the best booze, bar none.

"It involves Lady Rivers and a member of her guard. I'm not sure how familiar you are with her personal entourage, but there's a man named Samuel Bavar who considers himself something of a personal guard. He apparently acted in such a way that caused Lady Rivers to relieve him of his services, and he hasn't taken that well. Some threats have been made, and she is concerned for the wellbeing of herself and the rest of her staff."

At this moment Lex stopped, wondering how much to tell Victor. Should he come right out and say that Sam got pissed because he saw Cassie and himself steal away into a parlor? Does he wait and see if Victor asks? But if he does that, then what if Victor questions Sam? He would surely tell on them, and then Victor would be pissed for Lex having withheld information. And maybe pissed because he was cavorting with Cassandra. Or maybe just pissed that he was caught doing so.

"Nothing has happened yet, to my knowledge, and I've informed Lady Rivers to come to myself or Larson if she feels significantly unsafe at any one moment. I'm not sure what this man is capable of or if it's just Lady Rivers overreacting, but in such closed quarters I want to keep you abreast of any situation that may turn volitile."

There. He'd let Victor mull that over, and if he didn't ask what pissed Sam off, he'd tell him straight out. Now to see how his lord cousin reacted.

[Victor Castell]

Another mess for him to deal with. Couldn’t his damn family stay out of trouble? Between Loralynn, Evelyn, and Larson, he’d had enough messes to clean up, and he still had to go through the horror of burying his lady mother. And now Cassie was an issue, or this strange guard of his.

“If Lady Cassandra has relieved him of her services, then he no longer needed. Toss him over board for all I care, just see to it that she is safe. She is the only surviving heir of Taerna, and I intended to see her wed and bed to someone with loyalty to our house. I’ve enough to deal with Fletcher’s lack of an heir and House Rosin dying out. You know how our family feels about wedding old blood.”

He paused to take a sip and then looked back up at Lex. “And what exactly prompted this guard of hers to go crazy?”

[Lex Castell Rivers]

Lexington nodded, showing he was listening to what his cousin was saying. "We're doing our best to keep her surrounded by our own people as much as possible, my Lord. I am under the impression that the man is quite crafty, and significantly...unhinged to begin with. Nobody's really sure what he's capable of, or what he's willing to do."

And then there was the million dollar question. Now Lex began to get nervous...he could tell Victor was in an unpleasant mood, and although he figured under normal circumstances his cousin wouldn't think twice about any male in his family chasing skirts, the fact that he'd been seen (more spied upon, really)...that was where he figured Victor would find him at fault.

"Well, my Lord, Lady Rivers decided that she wanted to kiss me, and she did so after catching me completely by surprise while I was on my way back to my room." He paused, taking a sip and letting this sink in a little before continuing. "I was not at all aware that anyone was even nearby, much less watching. I took her into a parlor to explain to her the error in her behavior, and I'm led to believe that her guard assumed other activities were going on." His eyes never wavered from his cousin's as he spoke. "She remains as pure as she was when she came to us, however, so his assumption is false." I nearly had to pry her off of me, though... he thought, although he didn't add it. Pointing that out would certainly reflect poorly on Cassie, and she didn't need Victor thinking worse of her than he already did.

[Victor Castell]

“Then get rid of him. Between you and your brother I imagine you could easily take him out. Lady Cassandra has much to learn, but I suspect she’ll come around. I do hope she’s treating you well, Lex.”

He listened then, to Lexington’s explaining. And then his face fell. First she acted like a man, now she acted like a slut? “Does the girl have no sense at all?” He grumbled, wondering if perhaps Cassie was a lost cause. He needed to wed her quick, so a child could be had. Then if she had an accident, at least he had an heir to the house. “So the crazy guard thinks you took her virginity. It’s not his business to care. He’s to protect her life not her virtue. Her virtue is my job. Like I said, get rid of her. And then...”

What to do about Cassie. “I need to get that bitch wed before she makes herself more undesirable.”

[Lex Castell Rivers]

Lexington's face grew brighter at the permission to off Bavar. Now if he could only find him...to be honest, he wasn't even sure if he'd ever seen the bastard before. He would have to rattle his brains and try to figure out what the fucker looked like, and then get with Lars about a gameplan. This bastard was going down.

"She doesn't seem to have much sense, no," Lex said, chuckling. "She really has no idea how the real world works. I've been doing my best to answer any questions she poses to me, and I dearly hope she's been paying attention to Lady Castell, but..." He trailed off, not really wanting to finish that thought. "I don't think she's utterly hopeless, though. She seems eager to learn, at least."

"We'll do our best to track him down and get rid of him, my Lord." Gods, but that was a daunting task. They were stuck in an enclosed space, sure, but there were countless places to hide, and it would be all too easy for this man to blend in with the guard, servants, and crew. Lex took another sip of brandy, savoring the flavor, trying to figure out the proper response to the last thing Victor said. "The poor girl is so disillusioned about marriage, I feel bad for whoever you choose for her. He'll certainly have a handful."

[Victor Castell]

“Her father should have sent her to ward when she was a girl,” Victor muttered. Too late now to fix that mistake, he could only hope she learned while with them now. Cassie had been nothing but a headache to him, one that persisted just along the forehead and radiated back straight through the head. And never went away. He couldn’t wait to wed her off and send her home just to be rid of her.

“Lex, I’m less concerned with how he handles her and more concerned with how he manages the castle and lands. Specifically, with loyalty to me. Rest assured when I choose, it won’t be because I have her in mind.”

[Lex Castell Rivers]

"By the sounds of it, her father didn't consider her a girl at all," Lex said, shaking his head at the utter absurdity of the entire situation. "If she'd just been born a man, it would have saved us all the headache." Or shoulder ache, as was the case with him. His hand subconsciously moved to his shoulder, rubbing it as had become a habit of late. The wound had closed, barely, but it was still red and angry and sore. He'd have to do some serious work to get the muscle back into shape after having been idle for this long.

"I bear little concern for her future, either," he said, the lie coming easily and naturally and thus rendering it undetectable, "but her husband will have to watch his back lest she decide she's unhappy and want to off him. A woman with a skill in weapons can be a dangerous thing, made even moreso by the way she was raised." He really could see her hauling off and killing a man if he was awful enough to her. And, secretly, he was proud of her for it. Not that he would ever let Victor even see a hint of that.

[Victor Castell]

“If you think she is that dangerous, then perhaps wedding her, bedding her, getting an heir off her, and killing her is the best option. Whoever I choose to take the place of Lord Rivers will be loyal to the core, and the last thing I need is to lose another good man,” Victor mused, his thoughts more for his own benefit than for Lexington’s. He looked back up to his cousin and nodded, “See to it that she is kept away from weapons. If she’s off her rocker, she might turn them on someone who matters, instead of this... man.”

He lifted the glass to his lips and took a sip. “The problem of House Rivers will be dealt with after Donovan weds. Until then, I expect you and Larson to keep her safe. Find her a lady friend to have tea with, or shuffle her off with Celeste for sewing lessons. Keep her hands busy.”

He rose and walked to the window. At least his deal with the Letalis’ seemed to be falling into place. The rest of the people in life were managing to make all his plans difficult. He still had his sister to deal with now, a mother to bury, and an Aunt who would no doubt find reason to point out every mistake. “Lexington. We must do a better job of securing the province. I will need to rely on you more than I have before. Your brother has... managed to put us in a poor position with House Mallory, who thinks themselves high enough to deny me. I’m not pleased, but the situation needs to be remedied.”

[Lex Castell Rivers]

"I don't honestly think she's capable of that sort of behavior," Lex said, remembering a little too late that Victor wasn't really a sense of humour type of man. "There are ways of controlling any woman, and she is no different." That, he knew, was a statement of the obvious for his cousin. Victor knew everyone could be controlled, and usually knew how to do so. Or at least that's how it looked from the outside. Victor had such a bravado, who would ever know if it was all a lie?

"She'll continue her lessons with Lady Castell, of cours," Lex said, trying to figure out who else he could send her off with. "And Jocelynn has become more friendly with her, so perhaps between the two of them they can keep Lady Rivers busy and teach her a few things in the process." If things were different, he could spend time with her himself, but since that was the catalyst to all this mess, it seemed like a bad idea to push their luck.

Lexington took another sip and watched his cousin as he walked to the window, not missing the presence he carried even when he was just walking around his office. "Whatever you need of me, cousin, all you need do is ask. I'll help you in any way I can." He didn't comment on the situation with Larson...he knew of it, but had no idea what he could possibly do to fix the problem. If Victor had something in mind, Lex knew he'd know of it when he saw fit and no sooner.

[Victor Castell]

“Then control her Lexington. I have my hands full with your sister, and Donovan’s wedding is coming up, and then my mother,” He paused. His mother had never been a strong woman, but she had loved Victor all the same. She’d comforted him in private, at the times in his youth when he hadn’t been as strong. She’d kept those times a secret from even Victor’s father, never letting the world know that even Victor Castell could break down. “Cassie is your responsibility,” he continued in a hard voice. “Your mess to clean up. I expect you to do so.”

Victor turned back around, “As for your brother, I want him to wed Amelie Mallory in Solbra. I don’t care what he has to do. Kidnap her if you must, find some lowborn Alathian priestess. I’ll preside over the vows and she can pour the oil and it can be done. Amelie Mallory must return to Trista with us when we leave Solbra. Her brother must understand that you do not say no to Victor Castell. I will accept nothing else, Lexington. Your brother waltzed into Christopher’s world and offered himself and his information on a silver platter, only to have Christopher spit a denial in his face. The insult is not taken lightly, and it’s worse now that he’s Regent of Svavel.”

[Lex Castell Rivers]

Lexington listened to Victor, absorbing the words. It was hard to imagine Victor becoming weighed down...he seemed to rule his world so absolutely that things piling up as they were seeming to was something nigh on unimaginable. But Lex nodded, almost feeling the weight of his new responsibility on his shoulders physically. "I'll continue to keep you informed, my lord, but I'll do my best to get this taken care of quickly and quietly."

Victor's next words caught Lex off guard. Larson was to marry Amelie, without Christopher's consent?! That was a dangerous move, even for his cousin. That they were given permission to kidnap her...it sat wrong with Lex, but he took solace in the fact that at least Amelie would go probably go willingly. He wasn't sure if a priestess would perform a ceremony of such a manner, either...not that she needed to know, he supposed. The whole thing seemed risky, though, and Lex dearly hoped that Victor had thought of everything that could go wrong before demanding his pride be avenged. "Yes, my lord," was all he could really think of to say. He shifted the glass in his hands and considered how they were going to get this done without angering the Mallory family more than they probably already had.

[Victor Castell]

Victor caught Lexington’s hesitation at his command, but the lord cared little. The twins would do as he asked, because that was their job. Those born of the house, never to hold the title of lord, were meant to serve as their lord asked, regardless of their own opinions on the matter. And Larson had asked for his help in securing Amelie. Victor was not going to ask Christopher Mallory for her again.

“Very good then, Lex. I know I can trust you on both these matters.”

[Lex Castell Rivers]

"Indeed, my lord, I shall do everything I can to prove myself worthy of that trust." It sounded wierd to hear Victor calling him 'Lex'. Only those familiar with him called him that, and Victor...well, he didn't fit into that category. But he didn't let on at all, only nodded to show he understood. Finishing his glass, Lex set it on the table beside the chair and stood.

"By your leave, my lord, I'll leave you to your evening business. I have some people I would like to question about Bavar before it becomes too late." He bowed deeply and made his way to the door. "Good evening, my lord." He stepped out, startling the guards that were keeping watch outside the door, and turned toward the lower decks, intent on asking some questions and doing some snooping.