[center][h3][color=C0392B]Rudolf Shilage[/color][/h3][/center]

[color=c0392b][i]Alright, money where your mouth is, Izayoi...[/i][/color] Rudolf thought darkly, swiping his own foot into a warning tap against the Samurai's shin in a rare reversal of their punitive dynamic. For as anxiety-riddled as the Viscount was, Rudolf had already experienced firsthand the sharpness of his instincts— and the hair trigger they sat on. Naked bloodlust of the type Izayoi had resurfaced for his father was going to set a land speed record in tripping [i]every[/i] alarm in the former SEED's brain[sup]1[/sup]. Never minding the implicit agreement with his skepticism.

In roughly the same time as the opposite half of the table had elected to run their forms of interference, Rudolf mustered an affable chuckle, nodding along as his provisional spouse-to-be said her piece. [color=c0392b]"Ahahaha, it's true, she's very dramatic— so protective of me, it's like I've found a second mother."[/color] he conferred, glancing towards the new entrance that Halvor quickly rose to meet, speeding through his apologies for any potential slight this brought. Okay, good enough— best Rudolf could do was leave him with a final note reassurance as he headed out the door. [color=c0392b]"I'm sure things [i]won't[/i] need to come to that."[/color]

The door shut, and they were all afforded a moment to breathe. Telling the whole truth, he had near as much cause to worry about that line as their high-strung host— his estranged family were not a monolith, he knew that, but against the marauding Limbtaker they surely would be. The thought of her roving down to their home provided quite ample concern— even ignoring the man named, there was no chance she'd get to him without first having to cut through he wasn't [i]half[/i] as upset with.[sup]2[/sup]

At the second mention of 'sickly and bookish', Rudolf perked up out of his quick dalliance with the realm of the hypothetical, and raised his glass a touch to acknowledge Anders' interjection as Halvor worked the doorknob. The old boy was sharp as a freshly-stoned blade, that much was clear— if it were a better time and place, Rudolf might have asked if his scars were earned in duels or the field proper. He didn't exactly begrudge either answer, these days— but more important was offering some of his own.

[color=c0392b]"You have the right of it, sir. And I've been hard at work the past five years to try and shed those descriptions of theirs, as well— but they can be quite the gadflies about it."[/color]

Exhausting, talking like this, more than he'd bargained for. Part of having Lene across from him that he didn't expect was the different ease with which she seemed to navigate the amelioration, the polite upspeak, the works. The difference between second children that stayed in the family and those that didn't, you could say. He'd thought himself to have maintained a fair majority of his etiquette schooling in the time away from "performing nobility", but once he was out of familiar waters and left stranded far from his favored taciturn, staccato military necessity when it was around unfamiliar people... It was proving not [i]quite[/i] as simple as slipping on an old hat. 

He blinked, and catching the look, exaggerated his feelings a little once he heard the story Esben was spooling up.

[color=c0392b]"You [i]rogue[/i], Esben."[/color] the burned man accused, letting a small hint of betrayal hang on the end of the vowel as his eyes narrowed to a glare. [color=c0392b]"Don't bring that up [i]now[/i], Chisato wasn't there for it either— she'll lord this over me for a fortnight!"[/color]

Chisato, naturally, had barely spared this entire dinner two words more than she needed. But this part was theater, and every hand on stage could be leveraged.

... He missed Robin.

[hr][hr]
[list]
[*][sub]1. And here we, both of us, foolishly, took her at her word three weeks ago, when she said we'd be mutually ignoring that house, us and them. Her and him. Mom and Dad.[/sub]
[*][sub]2. Says here that they'd all be stoked to take their swing at her. Maybe, let her do you the favor. You're terrible at this "accepting gifts" thing, it bears repeating.[/sub]
[/list]