Negotiations by the Lake

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

The Festival was proving an excellent cover for his political agenda, allowing the Duke of Indigane unimpeachable opportunities to conduct subtle aspects of business under the guise of socializing and networking. Spencer Lancaster appreciated those priceless moments whereby a wise man could solicit alliances, conduct negotiations and pursue financial as well as political gains. Any means whereby the politically and economically influential of Demeria could gather in a single, convenient place was excellently aligned with his purposes.

This one proved no different; if anything, the Festival at the lakeside was tailor-made to his intentions. Not only had the Lady Rose emerged from her self-imposed isolation to mingle with her fellow Dukes, but the recent acts of piracy and barratry brought one of Linten's dukes to their shores. Not even he could have orchestrated these happenings, but Spencer was shrewd enough to seize the advantage the machinations of Fate offered him. Now that his daughter's future was tentatively assured, he could pursue other avenues of interest with a relatively free mind.

Knowing that the sea-bourne miscreants shifted their base of operations to his duchy, the Lord of Indigane deemed it high time that he had a more private and intense conversation with his Lintenese counterpart. Issuing a polite invitation to join him for a brief sail on the lake, Spencer wished to probe the man's mind and begin weaving an elaborate net in which to catch the slippery fish once and for all. Standing on the dock, he patiently awaited Lord Cerevotos's arrival, inspecting the small sail-craft for sea-worthiness.

Lord Alejandro Cerevotos

[Lord Alejandro Cerevotos]

Normally, for such meetings, Alejandro would have dressed his finest. However, the man had invited him to a sail. Wearing such nice clothing near water could be disastrous. After all, Alejandro was rather fond of his attire! To have it ruined by water, even fresh water, was a horrid thought! Thus, Alejandro opted to dress more plainly and practically. The clothing consisted mostly of cotton in dark colors. The weave and quality of make, however, made it clear of his wealth and station.

The Lintenese duke made his way down the lake shore with a confident expression and a friendly smile. He was having a rather lovely time in Demeria and hoped that it would continue. Granted, the pleasurable company of a certain blonde woman enhanced the experience, but there was no need to publicly comment on such things. "Lord Lancaster," he announced finally. "My greetings to you and thanks for the invitation."

The man's dark and intense gaze flicked out toward the lake. "Demeria is fortunate to have a lake so large that you can sail on it. If we want such pleasures, we have to tempt fate with the mistress that is the sea."

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

There were times to display one's wealth and influence via one's attire. A simple sail on the calm lake waters was perhaps not the best opportunity to do so. Spencer was dressed plainly in tunic and breeches, with sandals on his feet in lieu of boots that did not welcome the touch of water. Seeing the Lintenese duke on approach, he affixed a pleasant expression to his features as he returned the greeting cordially. "Lord Cerevotos, good day, and my thanks for accepting." He chuckled softly. "The lake is admittedly one of the great pleasures of Demeria. If you'll allow me, I hope to provide you with a calm and easy sail."

Gesturing for Alejandro to step into the small craft awaiting them, Spencer smiled. "That aside, how are you finding Demeria so far? I know it was not your intention to make a... prolonged visit, shall we say?"

[Lord Alejandro Cerevotos]

"Indeed," he agreed with the idea of the sail and carefully made his way aboard the little vessel. He sat toward the front, knowing that Lord Lancaster wished to be the captain, so to speak. The trousers were straightened as he did this allowing him to time to think of how to answer the question. "Demeria is an interesting country. Very different than my native Linten. You are a far more calm people... on the surface, at least. One could also argue you are more civilized in that way."

The mention that the stay was prolonged quietly amused him. "No, it was not. I was hoping to resolve this mess quickly and be on my way home. However, that is not to say that I regret the change in path."

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

Once his passenger was comfortably seated in the bow, Spencer leaped lightly into the stern and reached to loose the hawser holding the small craft at dock. Pushing off with a foot, he smiled before he tooled the lines and raised the foresail to guide them towards the center of the lake as he listened respectfully to Lord Cerevotos's words. "Some of us moreso than others, that much is true, but plenty of Demerians share Lintenese blood and the passions that accompany it. It makes encountering those people both interesting and a little exciting." His smile was wry, inviting Alejandro to the joke.

Pleased that his comment did not offend his passenger, Spencer chuckled dryly. "If you will forgive my humor, Lord Cerevotos, isn't there a saying about the best laid plans often going astray? While I am sorry that your departure has been delayed, I cannot say I find it regrettable for I welcome the opportunity to know you better and to gain a better understanding of your homeland. Tell me, you are a landowner as well, I understand?"

[Lord Alejandro Cerevotos]

"Oh, I don't know about that," he waggled his finger at Spencer. "I would argue that the Lintenese Court is far more, ah, adventurous. In the past, during my father's time as duq, dueling was permitted right there in the Castle. However, La Reina managed to finally convince her husband that it would best be done outside. She used multiple arguments to present her case, not the least of which was the staining of irreplaceable tapestries. Never mind the loss of life, of course, though she did eventually bring that up." The chuckle was bemused one, shaking his head.

"Oh, si, plans going astray, yet we love to lay them. We love to rein in chaos and control it. If we could, I know we would trap the weather and even time." He smiled in thought for a moment, "Si, I am a landowner. My lands border Dona Rose's and the de Lacs'."

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

He merely smiled at the mention of the Lintenese Court's notion of adventure. "There was a time when such conduct was permitted in the halls of Triadon Castle as well. True, I was a boy in those times, but the King quickly formalized the concept of dueling when he took the throne. Your Queen sounds a very wise woman, pointing out the lesser aspects in favor of protecting the greater." Spencer did not chuckle, tooling the lines to guide them along the shore for a stretch as he looked back at Alejandro with interest.

"Ah, you have inherited your father's lands," he noted aloud, as the reference to the father was spoken in the past tense. "I am sorry to hear of your loss. I have visited those lands, and know them to be verdant. What is it you pursue in your duchy, if I may ask?"

[Lord Alejandro Cerevotos]

"Oh, it was a few years ago, but I thank you for your condolences," he said with an appreciative nod. "We are in the arduous task of producing various lumbers, particularly for ships. Our forests are quite large, but as you well know, trees are exactly renown for their fast growth rates. We've had to scale back on cutting them down, but we still make a respectable income despite needing to let the forests regrow."

He wondered what was cooking in the man's mind to be curious as to his products. "Your own reputation as a man of paper and ink is renown, Lord Lancaster." A smile formed, then.

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

A thoughtful nod acknowledged the products that were the mainstay of the Cerevotos duchy, though he could not deny to himself that he was interested in matters of trade. Adjusting the tiller to guide them more towards the deeper, amber waters. "They are indeed, and from what I recall from my misspent youth," Spencer turned a slightly mocking smile to his passenger, inviting him to laugh, "the wood is of excellent quality. Hard woods, if I recall correctly?"

Guiding the conversation was pleasant enough, despite treading with care. He trusted that Lord Cerevotos was no fool and likely accepted that his interest was not merely academic. "Tell me, Lord Cerevotos, do you or your people do any ship design or building?"

[Lord Alejandro Cerevotos]

"Oh, but here you are now. I could argue that it most certainly was not misspent," he chuckled at the man before nodding, "Yes, hardwoods. Difficult to harvest, take a very long time to grow to maturity, but are consistently of good quality. We are blessed in that we have a large enough forest with which to work." It had been ingrained in Alejandro from the beginning to be very careful in selecting appropriate harvests to suit the demands of their costumers, the king included.

"My family does not build ships, but we do supply the lumber. Many of the ships in our fleet come from my forests," he stated with a touch of pride. "We are the premier shipbuilders in the world, if you ask for my humble opinion. It is the goal of Linten to finally tame the seas, but ... between you and me, I know that will be fruitless. Still, that won't stop us from trying."

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

He inclined his head with humor at the compliment. "You are kind, but as you yourself have learned, experience can often be a harsh teacher. Still, I have been blessed, as I imagine you account yourself so as well." A thought was spared for his children, a reminder that he needed to gather them for a family dinner, the better to gauge their respective progresses and to simply enjoy their company. Spencer strove not to take his children for granted; they were Felice's legacy, one he continued to protect.

The talk shifted to hardwoods and ship building, as well as the capriciousness of the sea. The Duke smiled thinly, a nod of concurrence given to the younger Duke's words. "The seas are nothing if not a constant challenge, though I have not been able to sail very much of late. Regardless, I should like to see your ship, if that is not too much trouble? I am most interested in investing in new ships, you see."

[Lord Alejandro Cerevotos]

"Espada?" He asked for clarification and then rose eyebrows while cocking his head to the side, "Certainly, of course. I would be happy to give you a tour of the vessel, but she is presently in harbor at Twinport. Yet, I'm certain arrangements can be made for it to be brought to Indigane." Since they were going to have to venture out there soon, anyway. "I can begin making arrangements for such today, if you'd like."

The fact that he wanted to buy ships, though, truly caught his attention. "I'm pleased to hear that. It would be refreshing to have a customer that is not El Rey for once. One of my fellow Duqs has the best shipyard in all of Linten and I consider him a friend. It is from he that I purchased Espada."

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

He brightened with the prospect of being able to tour a genuine Lintenese ship, curious if it was more a ship of war or one of trade. "So far, word from Indigane is that all is quiet, but it is a calm I do not trust. One hopes that our opponents will remain at bay until we are able to head for the shore. How long a sail do you think it will be for you to reach Indigane once you have your ship again?"

It was a firm reminder that while the Festival was intended as a time of fun and frivolity, the business of the realm remained close at hand. He would need to check for correspondence from his steward and see where matters stood in his duchy. That was for later, his attention returning to his companion in time to hear him speak. "Oh? And which Duq might that be, if I may ask?"

[Lord Alejandro Cerevotos]

"Don de los Santos," he replied smoothly, "One of your generation, actually and just as gracious. I think the two of you would get along splendidly, now that I think of it. He yearns for the days of more civilized interchange." He smiled in thought before nodding in confidence. "I don't know if he would come to Demeria, unfortunately. I rather loves his duchy and homeland."

"Oh, no need to worry about such details. My man, Carlos, can captain the ship just as well as I can and have her there by the time we reach your home, my Lord." The smile was one of promise and confidence.

[Lord Spencer Lancaster]

The name held a familiar cast to it, prompting Spencer to sift through his memories. He recalled a certain de los Santos and his rather exquisite daughter. Had he not been betrothed to Felice... "I shall write to him by means of introduction and invite him to enter a correspondence with me. Perhaps if circumstances permit, I will travel to Linten."

He chuckled softly, amused at himself for thinking almost eagerly of travelling once more. "I look forward to seeing her. I am sure she is magnificent. But that brings me to the pair who have recently arrived. Friends of yours?"