A mirthless chuckle escaped Vesa's lips when she made mention of wanting to make a trip to his little corner of Burlia, or at least, the general region. "My lady, Burlia's northwest has little to see." He said, and immediately felt his heart grow slightly heavier. It must have seemed unprofessional - traitorous, even - for him to talk about his land in such a way, but the truth was the truth. Raikkavar, and the surrounding lands, had little to offer. "Unless you enjoy the cold, snow, and barren rock for as far as the eye can see, I cannot recommend that you make a special trip there."

He paused for a moment, feeling as if he needed to say something good about his homeland. "The fish, however, is exceptional. Fresh from the northern sea." 

Cassiopeia's mention of her feigned expertise on Burlian culture almost brought a grin to Vesa's face. However, he kept his expression neutral, and merely nodded. "Knowledge is power, aye." He agreed. "Though I know little of areas outside of Burlia. Not enough for me to hold my own as you had done earlier, in any case. I am not flattering when I say that had you not told me that you were feigning expertise, I would have not known. You sounded..." He trailed off for a moment, thinking of the proper word or phrase to use. "Like you had authority on the subject."

Vesa did not answer her next question immediately. Instead, he finished his drink and placed it on the empty tray of a passing serving girl, thanking her as he did. Almost immediately, he picked up two small tarts from another passing servant's tray. Everything seemed so convenient here, with food and drink moving to the people rather than the other way around. The tarts were strange to Vesa, being filled with a yellow substance, almost like hard pudding. He took a bite out of one before offering the other to Cassiopeia. "Tastes sweet, so I suppose it is good." He said.

Only then did he answer her question. "As for why I am here," He began, looking down for a moment. Just how was he supposed to answer that question? He had no doubts that outing himself as a bastard would be a bad idea, even if he could assume that someone as high up as a duchess would have undoubtedly heard of a bastard ruling an obscure corner of Burlia. Neither did Vesa want to make himself sound like some sort of sour grape; that would leave a poor impression, as well. He was rough around the edges in terms of etiquette, but he was not completely lacking in terms of social grace. 

"With pirates and bandits in my march, you are right in saying that I'm busy." He admitted, and looked back up at her. That was as much truth as he was willing to share for now, and he kept his face impassive as he continued, "But it has been a very long time since I had time to myself. My family has also been badgering me to..." He trailed off once more, gesturing with his free hand to the rest of the ballroom. "You know, whatever it is that nobles do, and so I decided to kill two birds with one stone."

([@Kaalee])