[center][color=33d6c2][h3][i]Saisri Tyalanthe[/i][/h3]
[sub]Bride of Exon Xe’Jah [@Ellion], sister-bride to Nadia Parnel [@Vesuvius00][/sub][/color][/center]

Saisri had glanced at the other brother, whom had seemingly collapsed in a laughing fit. For a moment she stood over Atreyu, looking down at him, then backed off a distance, put off by the hatred in his eyes.

When Exon came back with the smaller bride in tow, Saisri met his gaze evenly, allowing him to move her around as he sought her (nonexistent) injury. He focused his unsettling stare on her, and she focused one right back on him, turquoise eyes shimmering softly and a faint smirk on her lips.

[color=33d6c2]“Only that I seem to recall you directly ordered him to not lay hands on me, [i]my lord[/i] and the moment he threatened to do so, I felt that I needed to act out of loyalty to you and convince him that it was not a good idea.”[/color] Her voice was calm and even, and her gaze continued to linger on his, with only a brief glance at Nadia to ensure the small Fire gem was alright. [color=33d6c2]“So what is your verdict, my lord?”[/color]

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[center][color=f0a446][h3][b]Siadamkiru Beneni[/b][/h3]
[sub]Wife of Sorrin Lucielle [@WeepingLiberty] and accomplice(?) of Valence Sayal [@WilsonTurner][/sub][/color][/center]

Sia listened to the small Earth gem, a faint smile on her face. [color=f0a446]“It is a lovely dream, Sorrin. Maybe not one that we will realize at any time in this life, but maybe you’re right, and maybe our gods will reconcile themselves. By the way, Sorrin, though most of my household prays to the Drakken pantheon, I do not expect you to follow in our worship; if you would prefer to follow your own methods of religion, I will not force ours upon you.”[/color] Sia also failed to mention the miniature altars to each of the four Gemminite deities that were scattered around the house as shrines that her mother and aunts had worshipped at. Though they hadn’t been used in forty years, Sia had kept them impeccably maintained in tribute of the Gemminite women whom had been part of her household. She knew that many of the servants also prayed to the Gemminite gods. Not that she really cared, it was just a matter of course that she had to know about to know how to phrase certain things to them.

Hearing Valence’s suggestion, the Drakken woman frowned, considering. Lowering her voice as well, she said, [color=f0a446]“I will, at the least, hear you and your people out. I will not reveal your presence, and even if we cannot come to an agreement I will deny that I ever noticed anything out of the ordinary. It will arouse suspicion if we were to leave Shadow Worth tonight as the passes will be frozen over and its traditional that the males break their brides in here on the same night as the claiming.”[/color] Sia looked back to Sorrin with a half-smile. [color=f0a446]“Another thing you won’t have to worry about, Sorrin.”[/color] Then she looked to Valence again, her amber eyes serious. [color=f0a446]“If your people are safe and comfortably encamped, where they will not die of frostbite in the night, then would a meeting tomorrow morning be acceptable?”[/color]

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[center][color=fda5e7][h3][i]Aerienna Cassiel[/i][/h3]
[sub]Bride of Lugft Huron [@agentmanatee], sister-bride to Atallia Faeron [@NarcissisticPotato][/sub][/color][/center]

Aery resisted the urge to crumble away from the Drakken as he hissed the words in her ear. Oh, gods, this was so backwards. She was revolted, on the one hand, but on the other, a sort of warmth spread up her body at the sexually charged words, at the impossibly strong, yet gentle grip around her waist, the hand cradling her face.

It was with a confused heart that she said, [color=fda5e7]“Of course… but I do not feel as though [i]Darling[/i] is exactly the word you want me to use… perhaps you would like for my words to be a little more… charged? Perhaps…. Hmm… How does this epithet suit your dignity, [i]Master[/i]?”[/color]

Her body pressed against his tightly, her words breathily sensual, a flame of desire in her blue eyes.

The golden-eyed girl looked at her, and perhaps the way her body wrapped around Lugft’s, perhaps, or perhaps her sing-songy voice, was enough cause for rage that the girl’s golden eyes went blood-red and her face set in a murderous scowl.

[i][color=fda5e7]“I was TRYING to help you! Play along and he’ll go easier on you!”[/color][/i] Aery barely breathed the words, then balled up the air and flung it at the fire gem’s head. Of course it was just an air current so it wouldn’t be so easily noticed by everyone, but it would still (hopefully) convey the message. That had been the one part of air magic that Aery had been absolute rubbish at.

The small girl hissed in… pain? Annoyance? Excitement? As her new husband’s massive hand ran across her lower back and then even lower, rubbing, taunting. Her body arched against him against her will and, though her voice was the one making the sound, it did not feel like her mind that whispered, [color=fda5e7]“I do believe that I am hungry… in more ways than one.”[/color]

The girl internally recoiled. What was WRONG with her? She shouldn’t be clinging to this massive Drakken, she certainly shouldn’t be… attracted to him. She’d heard enough horror stories about brides to know that any sort of… intimacy with a drakken was often excruciatingly painful for a girl, and that was a normal-sized girl. Being such a small girl with such a massive Drakken, she figured it might be possible for him to kill her just in that first moment.

So why was she here, breathing heavy, face flushed, eyes smoldering, desire making her limbs weak?

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[center][color=c2a5fd][h3][i]Aymiria Cassiel[/i][/h3]
[sub]Bride of Zakroti Unalim [@darkwolf687], sister-bride of Kasari Liesma [@WeepingLiberty][/sub][/color][/center]

This was NOT how Miry had envisioned that comment being received. Maybe a bit of a raised eyebrow from Zakroti or from his grandfather. Certainly not this…

The small girl hissed in pain as two guards seized her arms roughly, and a burning line of pain traced down her spine. It took a second for what had just happened to catch up with her, and by that time her dress had been ripped off of her body and incinerated, and pressure was being exerted on her to get her to drop to her knees. She didn’t intend to go easily but the Drakken forced her down with an embarrassingly small effort. Certainly she did not like the posture she had been forced into, every inch of her body on display to the gathered crowd. Though every instinct in her body screamed for her to cover herself the girl forced her arms to remain loosely clasped behind her (no sense bringing another guard down on her back) as Nastaki spoke to her.

The tone of his words and the look in his eyes. Miry would never forget it. He looked at her as if she was, as if she was nothing. An unknown quantity; was it more worth it to keep her alive, or to kill her? Right now the Drakken lord’s expression indicated he would sooner kill her and have her out of the way than he would ever tolerate her.

Miry murmured, [color=c2a5fd]“Of course my lord, forgive me for my impudence. I mean no disrespect to you nor to your household.”[/color] Then as he turned away she exhaled sharply, her mouth forming the words, [color=c2a5fd]“You are nothing more than a bully and I will never respect you for it.”[/color]

She dimly realized Zakroti was helping her to her feet, and Ayltam was offering her cloak. Miry took it with a mumbled thanks and wrapped it around herself.

There was at least one good thing about borrowing a Drakken’s cloak; it was long enough to wrap entirely around Miry and encase her from neck to feet. As Zakroti and his two guards took her up the stairs, she noticed she was shivering, trembling so hard her teeth chattered, though she couldn’t tell if it was from rage or fear or cold or all three.

When they got to the storeroom and Zakroti confronted the thief, she cowered behind him. She was distantly ashamed of her cowardice but… she’d suddenly realized that these drakkens were every bit as brutish as they’d been painted as.

A bit of a thought wormed its way into her head. She ignored it, for the moment, as they entered the storeroom. She was quick to find her own belongings; apparently the rabbit in the wicker basket had been odd enough to be set aside. Bunny cringed away from her as she opened the other side of the basket, the side that she had her few changes of clothes in. And also her flute.

When she pulled the cloth satchel out of the basket, her heart almost stopped in relief. The looter, just because he’d put things back, might not have put [i]everything[/i] back, and Miry’s flute, with its ornate engravings and elegant design, would have been a pretty trinket to sell or to give to a sweetheart. 

She clutched the flute satchel to her chest, then realized she was still nude, and alone in the room with her husband. So she rummaged through the basket more until she found the loose long-sleeved white tunic and skirt that she had been looking for. Unfortunately she didn’t have another corset with her, though she hardly had enough in the way of feminine assets to really need one. She also didn’t have another pair of shoes, which might have wound up being a problem.

Oh. Zakroti had asked her a question. [color=c2a5fd]“I just… I just wanted to defend you. Us little people, we have to stick up for each other, because no one else will. Why do you… um… Why do you allow him to grind you down into the ground? He’s a bully, that’s all. I don’t like bullies.”[/color]

Miry turned her attention back to her clothing; no sense dithering anymore. She put the tunic and skirt on, then, after a moment’s hesitation, slung the flute satchel over her shoulder. She paused for a moment and unwrapped the protective cloth from around the halves of the flute, fitted them together, and held it up to the light. It was a very pretty device, about a foot long and made of ivory. The ivory was marked with ornate patterns of flowers and trees and streams, and an elaborately curled letter “M” on the mouthpiece. A flute that would have cost a small fortune, but had been a midwinter gift from Anny when they had been… 10 or 11? It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Satisfied that her flute had not been lost or damaged, Miry disassembled it and put it back in the satchel, nestling it among the folds of soft cloth that she used to cushion it. One day she really would need to see about getting a wooden case made for it…

The idea that had sprung into her mind suddenly became clear, and the girl smiled, running her hand along the flute satchel. Then she blanked her face and went back to the door. [color=c2a5fd]“I hope this outfit is acceptable… besides the one dress I didn’t really bring anything flashy… and I hope it’s okay that I’m bringing my flute. I just… if there was one looter in here there might be more before the night is done and, well, my flute is special to me.”[/color] She smiled nervously up at Zakroti.

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[hider=summary]
[color=33d6c2][b]Saisri:[/b] Plays with flattery and spins a bit of a tale against Atreyu…[/color]
[color=f0a446][b]Siadamkiru:[/b] Indulges Sorrin’s naivety and agrees to meet with Valence’s people.[/color]
[color=fda5e7][b]Aerienna:[/b] Plays a game of seduction… doesn’t really know what she’s doing and gets super-confused by the conflict between her conscious mind and her unconscious one.[/color]
[color=c2a5fd][b]Aymiria:[/b] Stripped naked and humiliated by Nastaki, telling Zakroti that “little people need to stick together” (can I get some d’awww points please?) and coming up with a plan [s]to ruin the banquet for everyone[/s][/color]
[/hider]