[COLOR=#2797EB][h2][center]Lord Emmon Arryn[/center][/h2][/color]

As the dinner party unfolded, and with it the carefully coordinated intrigue planned out by Lady Alyssa, Lord Emmon suffered in silence. He had no major part to play this evening beyond his usual role: the figurehead meant to keep the lords and ladies content and believing that they were not in fact being led entirely by the whims of a maid who by their reckoning ought to have been married and whelping a litter of offspring for some lord by now. Even Emmon was pleasantly surprised by just how competent the young woman was, and he was the one who had fought to protect her right of inheritance. He had his own reasons for that, of course, but her sharp wit made it easy to avoid any sense of guilt or regret over refusing to become [i]the[/i] Lord Arryn rather than the pretend puppet master of Lady Arryn. Many of the more traditional nobles of the Vale would bluntly refuse to consider her worthiness for the position, so Emmon played at being the true power in the Eyrie in order to allow Alyssa the freedom to rule as she saw fit without a horde of concerned lords and ladies second guessing her every move.

Though he wished he had more to do than sit at the table and look lordly, Emmon had to admit to himself that the plan for this evening's work had no place for him. Lady Alyssa and the young ladies who were so often her co-conspirators would be able to manipulate Larys Strong without any need for his input. While he kept an eye and ear on the lot of them, just in case something went wrong, Emmon plied Lady Myriah Waxley with the other half of his attention. By the Seven, she was a dull woman. The only reason he tolerated her fawning and insipid questions was the certain knowledge that before the evening was through she would be warming his bed and, more importantly, his cock. She was just the sort of lady that many a lord would lust after, pretty and pleasant and oh so willing to please, but they were far too easy to coax into bed with a few honeyed words. Emmon of course still took the time to dribble that seductive honey into their ears, and he thoroughly enjoyed the fruits of his labors, but there was no challenge to it. He'd grown fond of pursuing more challenging prey, like devoutly chaste women who guarded their virtue like the Iron Bank guards gold or ladies who seemed like they'd just as soon behead him as bed him, but this evening he was left with few options. Lady Myriah would suffice as this evening's entertainment, as she already had done more than once in the past.

Tension drained from Emmon as Alyssa quickly whispered word of her success into his ear before slipping away. With her plan executed successfully, all that was left for him to do was see to the end of the dinner party. As Lady Arryn and her companions departed, Lady Myriah began hinting in a not at all subtle fashion that the evening was getting late and perhaps she ought to go lay down. Emmon kept her content with lascivious remarks about how she'd be busy with things far more interesting than merely laying in bed, but he remained at the head table as some of the lords and ladies present saw fit to come up and discuss important matters with him only [i]after[/i] Alyssa had left, as expected. He gave them noncommittal answers to their inquiries and requests, making excuses about the hour being too late and his cup having seen too much wine to give any firm response, but in truth he was simply memorizing their issues in order to pass them along to Lady Arryn to deal with as she pleased. As the number of people furtively looking for an opportunity to approach Emmon started to reach its end, he passed a key to Lady Myriah under the table and murmured a few instructions to her. The sudden flush that spread across her cheeks was quite gratifying, as was the fact that she down the remaining half glass of wine before her and immediately stood to go and do as she was told.

When Emmon himself finally left, after standing to thank all those who had attended and wishing them all a good night, he took his time and a winding route to reach his room. They were set to leave in the morning, and their planned destination had him feeling both excited and trepidatious. It was both the culmination of a lot of work and the start of something new. It would likely be the defining act of Lady Alyssa Arryn's reign, and if things went well it would also be the act that forced the lords and ladies of the Vale to view her as the true ruler she was. Only time would tell, and Emmon could only contemplate it for so long before going in mental circles got tiresome. By the time he got to his room, he was more than ready to toss aside tomorrow's worries and focus on enjoying the here and now. The future would sort itself out, one way or another.