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Clarissa evidently wasn't kidding in her introduction, her words were decisive and without undue subtext; apparently his qualms about her laying verbal traps were unfounded. If the Deer had any merits, it's that he doubted such rowdy individuals had the tact to weave daggers inbetween their words, and little motivation to do so even if they did. While the Edmund heiress herself may not follow that trend exactly, Auberon was thankful to avoid any politicking. He had enough of that at home.

[color=ffd700]"I appreciate the offer, but I mean it in the nicest way possible when I say that I hope I won't have to take you up on it,"[/color] Auberon responded with a grateful nod of his head. Having a leash to put Jorah on when he needed it was undoubtedly helpful, though needing to rely on it was basically admitting defeat in the diplomatic sphere. It hardly reflected well on his leadership abilities if one uncouth colleague could stymie him completely; he still had naysayers in his own Houses to contend with, both Blue Lion and Galatea. Letting foreign nobles trounce all over him was just disgraceful.

The Archbishop's words, on the other hand, were a surprise. Auberon might've even called them troubling, were he not otherwise certain the situation was well in hand. Not the message about unity; such mediation and encouragement of peace was expected from the Church, even if he personally would've preferred the more competitive flavor of years prior. Nor the bit about them being of great character - of course he was, he bore the Crest of Daphnel and enjoyed the favor of the Goddess that accompanied it. Even the tone sounded far less grave than whatever Professor Roland had been hinting at back in the classroom. But the troubling part was the sheer insubordination of it all; Ioannis had been chosen as Archbishop and ordained under the eyes of the Goddess Herself. Unless the Garreg Mach steeple had been sundered by lightning and the Blue Sea Star had descended from the heavens to reduce Ioannis to ashes for his blasphemy without Auberon's knowledge, he was fairly convinced the boy's appointment garnered no disapproval from on high. He was a child, yes, but a child that spoke with wisdom beyond his years and the Goddess' blessing in every word. The Galatea heir assumed men of faith would have a little more, well, [i]faith[/i].

[color=ffd700]"I'm sorry to hear about your troubles, Your Holiness. I'm sure the clergy's misgivings are in good faith and come from a place of wariness that will be assuaged soon. At least, I'd hope the most holy men in the land are above petty scheming,"[/color] Auberon confessed. Trying to take the Archbishop functionally out of the Church hierarchy stank of power plays and sedition to him, though his own experiences with established figures whispering in a child's ear admittedly might've been biasing him. [color=ffd700]"I'd like to second Clarissa's offer, for what little it's worth. If there's anything the Blue Lions or I can aid you with, please don't hesitate to ask."[/color] He nodded with determination, then turned back to Clarissa to see her off.

[color=ffd700]"Have a good day, it was an unexpected pleasure speaking with you. Tea sounds lovely, though I'll admit it wasn't an activity I've partaken in with any regularity,"[/color] His etiquette was impeccable, of course, but Auberon couldn't say he was otherwise particularly practiced in the art. Tea in his household was reserved for the rare midday meeting with visiting figures of import, not a common occurance to pass the time. Though, Auberon supposed it would be both with the Archbishop present. [color=ffd700]"Still, do let me know when you're free after we've all settled in."[/color] 

Finally, he bowed rigidly toward Ioannis. [color=ffd700]"By your leave, Archbishop, I should be going as well. I lost track of Kellen on the way over here and I'd been meaning to talk to him since this morning."[/color] The fact that Auberon had been more social with the commoners of his House than a fellow nobleman almost sounded like an insult to the Fraldarius. He was also tempted to hunt down one of his classmates that attended to fight to hear what happened, but Auberon had a responsibility to the Lions first and foremost; he could pick up a summary of the day's spectacle at dinner at worst. He had no doubt Jorah would be delighted to regale him with an account of Valerian's folly while he insistently violated the Auberon's personal space. No, that was probably asking for trouble, perhaps he should ask Kayden first.

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