Vodka in a Teacup [Naelona]

[Naelona Ezel]

Marrying off Anolean to anyone would be a truly difficult task. On one hand it was something that needed to be done, yet on the other it wasn't a task Naelona's heart would be into, if her father's success was any indication. Fortunately for all of them, she didn't listen to one of those. She'd stopped listening to such whims and bent her ear more to the voice of logic and reason years ago.

"Convincing my brother may seem like a simple task compared to finding one." 'Suitable' was in the mind of the considerer. Women were innate with their flaws and ultimate downfalls. An inevitable result for the most of them, as sand trickling from a glass When it came to the female race, even an 'acceptable' example was hard to come by.

"I would." Naelona took a slice of lemon from the bowl, letting the tart liquid dribble into the cup beneath the pressure of her fingers. Pausing a moment she tasted the cup, before adding a bit more of what the slice still held. "There is a considerable shortage here, Father. But she doesn't need to be strong willed." Naelona didn't need another 'Ezel' to be butting heads with, even a fake one. "Just one smart enough to tug him by those little heart-strings he has. You know they exist." Well, they existed for his sister, at least. The twin doubted their existence for anyone else.

"Father, I detest women. I always have, and I always will. They all have their flaws even more so than the men. However the detriment to that is men do not carry on names, but the women do." Were she to consider the other sex, this endeavor wouldn't look so bleak. However the name proper would end with the twins alone, and that would never do. At that she took another drink from the cup. What a bothersome topic. She'd known it had only been a matter of time before this would arise. It was necessary, yet bothersome all the same.

"I can consult my records, create a list if it interests you in doing some visitations. But -" she paused again for another sip "-do not expect the list to be long, nor promising. You would have better luck finding a young thing and see that said.. promise.. is henceforth molded to desired specifications." The girl could be a fraction of Anolean's age, but a purpose was a purpose. A valued offer for some families. All there would be to do until that fated time would be to make sure Anolean didn't ruin himself before then.

But first matters were first, and a list needed to be made. One didn't set about making a quilt from scratch before thoroughly checking the closets first.

[Kazn Ezel]

That she would consult her records at all was a great favor as far as Kazn was concerned. However, the matter of whether it was a favor to him or a favor to her beloved brother was an entirely different matter. It was a matter that mattered not, so long as it was done and done well. He straightened out the gloves on his hands for a moment before turning his attention back to the tea set in front of him.

"A shortage of appropriate candidates or not, it is a matter that must be looked into at some great depth. Your cooperation in this matter is appropriate." After all, she would hardly benefit from Kazn marrying Anolean off to some horrid woman with far more vices than virtues. Kazn could already think of a few women who would be absolutely horrific choices. True, they have power or influence in the world around them, but none of them were truly of the right mind. "Anolean is still young and there is time to be thorough." The truth at the heart of the matter was that Kazn was still young enough to consider remarriage. Many Boogies were far older than he and were without formalized mates.

Certainly, there were many who had lived thousands of years and failed to take advantage of having a live as rich as Kazn had experienced in a short millennium. Perhaps it was that simple fact that justified why Kazn felt that the majority of his peers were wastes of time, space and resources. They would have accomplished more if they were made into slaves and died within a decade, as blasphemous as that particular thought was in this day and age.

"As you will be attending to that and other duties it occurs to me that you will be very busy." Kazn calmly squeezed a few more drops of lemon into his own cup as he stared his daughter in the eyes. "Should you desire competent hands to delegate tasks to, mine are available." Competent hands felt something of an understatement. After all, who was it that had inevitably taught Naelona what she knew of her current job? It had been Kazn's instructions, even if they had been intended more for her brother than for her. Accidental instruction was still instruction, after all.

[Naelona Ezel]

"At least this is not a rushed affair." With time on their side, Naelona didn't need to make it an utmost priority. Now in the future, once her brother had been taken care of, the trick would be to ensure the same scheme wasn't turned upon herself. A detestable fate, in her mind. It was the path to madness, insanity, and peculiar habits. Wonderland didn't need any more of those, Anolean would be a handful enough once they kicked in for him.

"I am very busy as it is, Kazn." It was the simple truth. Naelona always had a full plate to deal with, and no matter how hard she worked at it, it never quite seemed to actually decrease. Still there was the delicate matter of his recent dismissal. "I.. will accept your assistance, it will be most useful in reviewing your old records, but in this I will not have your name attached with mine."

That last bit might as well be unavoidable, given he was her father and she his daughter. Still he was in ill standing with the Elders, the very boogies she didn't need any trouble with, though she already suspected there would be. She wouldn't go so far as to refuse his help, but nor was the Ezel going to flaunt it. As if she ever flaunted anything - save a temper.

"Also.. who is all aware of the Elders decision? Am I the only one?" It would pose an interesting circumstance if that were the case. At least slaves were purposely left in the dark when it came to most of these matters of hierarchy and power. "What I do here was never offered to me, Father. I merely saw a need and took it." Indeed she had asked no-one. Ironic how, now, no-one dared to question her. "There are ample things you could likewise take.. or I can delegate to you." Management of the South Wing was a time eater for one. Hmm.. yes.. perhaps he could take care of that one.

No-one there would dare give him guff for it either - if they didn't want a flowery demise at least. Ugh, too much thinking. Naelona took another sip from her cup - or three. Ezel business was a wearisome one. "Save perhaps there is something specific you might prefer?"

[Kazn Ezel]

Kazn filled the cups once more with the steady hands that years of practice had given him. Tea parties were ritualized affairs and terribly pretentious, but this had been the set most readily available to him. Pretense was thrown down the drain as he simply gulped down an entire cup at once and refilled it. After a certain point propriety lost its value. The Elders had never valued Kazn's propriety, after all.

"It is good to see that some will still listen to reason." Naelona refusing her father's help would have been both insulting and foolish, and while she could afford one of those benefits now, the other was still too high a price for her to pay. "I make no promises in regards to whom may lay claim to the fruits of my labor, but I shall not boast of any of my own achievements." Kazn did not boast. Not in public, anyways. Boasting was the practice of loud-mouthed imbeciles who had little talent, save at shouting.

"This matter is a private one. They know and you know. Others might figure it out eventually, but I shall not be the one to tell them, save if they ask." Truth was that Kazn would be able to behave much in the same ways he always had and no one would ever question it. Only the truly observant would note that he had to be a little more careful about stepping on toes.

"If I am allowed to select what tasks I shall be set to, then it would be appropriate and justified for me to attend to details regarding the hospital and upkeep of other facilities such as the library and music room." Those were areas that Kazn had personal interest and expertise in, which would make him a natural choice for management of those areas. "I dislike working with slaves, but I would not object to working on South Wing details." After all, it might mean that he still had a chance to work in a disciplinary sense. That was very close to one of his old side duties as a liaison.