Cover Your Crystal Eyes

[Armand Temi]

"A driving accident!" Thais exclaimed. "How utterly ingenious. Yes, it's settled. If speeders or other types of vehicles collided, and I could blame the contractors? Why that wouldn't tarnish the Kallisto image one bit."

She finally signaled to the server - the same one who mopped up her wine spill - that she was ready to eat. The Princess was served a modest amount of pheasant with some type of black currant side dish. She ate, but kept eyeing him expectantly for a response to her proposal.

And when he agreed to be in her inner circle? For a moment the Princess looked at Crix Meriet as if he had just said, "Sure I'll attend your slumber party!" Her eyes twinkled merrily, and the side of her plump lips curled up in a crooked smile. Then she composed herself and responded, "I hope it's not too much of an imposition, but I would like for you very much to reside with me here at the Palace. Assuming your slaving operation won't be compromised by your absence."

She paused mid-bite and finished, "There are many rooms from which to pick, much larger and grander than your guest room. Or you can stay in Neskroth in an apartment if you prefer. It's completely up to you."

"Completely up to you" was open to interpretation, as most of the time with Princess Kallisto, her whim was the deciding factor for anything - what to eat, what to wear, where to go. But so far, Crix had shown himself to be extraordinarily clever, and his shrewd intellect would serve him well in helping to accomplish his goals as well as hers.

[member="Crix Meriet"]

 

[Crix Meriet]

Crix tipped his head in thanks at her gushing approval. It seemed she was pleased, how nice it was to find someone who could see the bigger picture. what were a few dead slaves in the face of a legacy ? The foolish would call them sociopaths but they were blind.

Then as swiftly as food was refused it was returned. Finally! he was hungry. The first course was laid before him, he let the royal begin first then he started, [member="Thais Kallisto"] certainly laid on a fine spread and indeed if he could be assured of this caliber every night then he might well be convinced to never leave the palace. He smiled genuinely when the princess's eyes lit up in an almost mischievous fashion. Not wholly the porcelain doll he thought. still a foolish child but at least her face moved.

Then as swiftly as humanity had entered her face it left and she was porcelain once more. She wanted him to stay permanently in the palace ... he could subscribe to that even with the ridiculous view. He wasn't about to just bite her hand off , she would have to work for this and it seemed she would do so willingly "Hmm ... I might be persuaded to stay in the palace after all I'm sure it will be no difficult feat to run the operations from here ..." He didn't do much anyway take the profits, abuse a few slaves smooze a few clients. Indeed they might be glad to be rid of him back home. "I will need a proper tour though and some conditions will be attached ... nothing too major of course" he skewered a piece of pheasant on his fork "Perhaps after dinner I could get a guided tour, I'll bring toby too he understands the logistics better than I" That was a lie Toby was a dim whit it was part of his charm Crix just wanted to see which rooms his slave prefered.

 

[Armand Temi]

The Princess bit her lip nervously at the mention of “conditions," but she didn’t pry into it. She figured that when Mr. Meriet was ready, he would let her know what those were. But it didn’t stop her from being momentarily distracted. What was he saying again?

“Yes, a tour,” she said. “Of course. You’ve only seen a few of the rooms, but the palace has many interesting features including an indoor botanical garden since nothing else grows but crystals on Isis. In fact, aside from a few natural tributaries, most of our food and water is imported from elsewhere. It’s why Isis is so reliant on the rest of the galaxy. And also, why the government is so eager to pander to it as well,” she finished with a sneer.

Thais placed her utensils on her plate and gave it all a proper burial by folding a stark white napkin over the plate. At the mention of Toby, her eyes flitted back to Crix Meriet’s face to see if she could read anything peculiar and akin to the emotion she saw him display towards his slave back in the guest room.

“This Toby of yours. How long have you had him in your family?” she asked, leaning her elbow on the table in an un-Princess-like way and cradling her head in her hand. Now that dinner was over and more than a full glass of wine was inside her, she was growing a little tired.

[member="Crix Meriet"]

 

[Crix Meriet]

Crix smiled, the opportunity to look around was not one he would pass up. "Your palace sounds marvelous majesty" he replied in false humility "I look forward to seeing it". He frowned as [member="Thais Kallisto"] mentioned the weakness of Isis's government. "I understand you frustration your grace, the spinless of the galaxy annoy me" That much was true, however his sympathy was less truthful if the princess hated things so much why did she just flounce around doing nothing.

As for his conditions there were a few, mostly minor things, free movement, a good wage a job preferably as slave master but then there were the bigger and more crucial ones. Mostly to do with Toby's welfare. His slave was definitely the most important thing to him. Once she was done he stopped too, he was mostly finished but he knew that when the royal stopped eating so should he. He put his own cutlery on the plate followed by his napkin. "My compliments to your cook"

He smiled a little " Your majesty has already asked that" He got her game, she wanted to know about how much his slave mattered. He supposed he could tell her "I suspect what Your grace meant to ask was how important Toby is to me, The answer is that I care for him dearly" He leant on his arm in reflection f the princess "More so that I should I think, That brings me to my main conditions if I am to be move into the palace I need your guarantee that no one will lay a finger upon him, he is to be answerable only to me and none of your other slave masters are to interact with him except with my blessing. He is also to be lodged with me not in the general slave population" who knows what might happen to him there.

"My other conditions are of lesser concern so we can discuss those later. " He said, his mind drifting onto dessert.

 

[Armand Temi]

Princess Kallisto couldn’t remember asking the question about Toby, but perhaps the wine had gone to her head and now she was repeating herself. Or maybe the nature of their relationship was on her mind more than she cared to admit. But either way, she nodded and said, “Of course, he will not be harmed. And what I’ve seen of his compliant behavior doesn’t make me worry that he would do anything to warrant suspicion or injury. You have him trained well.”

A server did come and bring dessert but Thais, being a young, vain woman who cared about her figure, declined it. It was some kind of pudding trifle-y thing which was placed in front of Crix. The Princess rose gracefully, but put a hand out to let the slaver know he didn’t have to rise with her. She walked around the room but this time, not at such a rapid pace.

“The Kallisto family doesn’t treat slaves the same way other slavers may,” she said. “Of course, the Gutretree cannot escape, but for the most part their lives aren’t too terrible down there in the mines. In fact, since they are a violent race, I would argue that giving them work to do, keeps them out of trouble. They have plenty of food since they eat minerals… which reminds me that the workforce we bring in will need additional imported food. What do you suggest? Do you have contracts with food suppliers as well?”

Thais yawned again, but didn’t make any move to leave the dining room. She wanted to make sure her guest had dessert if he so desired.

[member="Crix Meriet"]

 

[Crix Meriet]

There were three things in the galaxy that Crix never passed up on first was of course Toby, the second was impromptu broom cupboard meetings and the third was dessert. He might have been vain but he also had the metabolism of an olympian that meant he could enjoy dessert as much as he wanted, preferably in conjunction with one of the first two. hmm ... now that was an image. His mind ran for a moment then he remembered where he was and reasoned that this trifle was the only 'dessert' that should be on his mind. In the corner of his eye he saw the Princess rise ... she was insufferable, he wished she would sit still so he could eat trifle. Fortunately for his temperament she indicated he could stay sat down.

He set to work on the trifle whilst [member="Thais Kallisto"] paced again. He watched her with a detached gaze whilst he eat trifle. she was explaining how terribly good the slaves in her mines had it, it was something he could wholeheartedly agree with. Some people were meant to hold whips and some were meant to shrink before them. Those who were made to shrink often got ... overenthusiastic when the whip was absent and that only lead to trouble for the civilised of the galaxy. Told moved onto food for the new workforce. Crix had a rather novel system in that regard " I know a few suppliers Majesty, but I find that a hungry slave will eat most anything and slaves make a very novel system for disposing of kitchen waste" His spoon balanced in his hand as he paused between bites "In addition a meat grinder allows for effective recycling of expired slaves ... Protein is so important for a growing slave after all " He smirked then finished off his trifle. It was utterly decadent, he would have to inquire about getting a doggy bag of it .

replacing the spoon in his dish he stood up to join the princess. He furrowed as she yawned "If Your grace is worn out, I would be more than willing to wait until tomorrow for a tour" How rude this woman was, she could atleast make an effort to hide how tired she was from him.

 

[Armand Temi]

As Crix Meriet ate his trifle, he spoke callously of slaves being ground into meat for other beings to eat. Princess Kallisto couldn't care less about the plight of, not only slaves, but the destitute and unfortunate but even she had her limits.

"It's rather creative, Mr. Meriet, but a bit stomach-turning for after dinner conversation," said Thais with a gentle warning. "Some of us have more delicate constitutions."

She nodded at him gratefully after he noticed her weariness. "Yes I am tired, and I would have Napo give you the tour, but I gave him the night off. If you can wait, I will give you the tour myself tomorrow."

Miss Janine, her handmaiden appeared out of nowhere to accompany the Princess off to bed. As she turned to go, she looked over her shoulder and said, "I'm sure you're anxious to get back to Toby." This wasn't said with any subtle raise of the eyebrows or knowing wink. But the Princess had seen enough tonight that she now knew Crix Meriet's vulnerability. Even the strongest metal will buckle when there is a weakness to exploit, she thought as she walked out of the dining room.

[member="Crix Meriet"]

 

[Crix Meriet]

It was always entertaining to see where people placed their limits. For example [member="Thais Kallisto"] was more than willing to talk death over dinner but she drew the line at cannibalism. It was quaint to his mind murder was at par with cannibalism as a 'stomach turner' but that was immaterial. The delicate constitution of the princess and for that he should apologise.

"Of course Majesty " He nodded humbly "My apologies"

He could make apologies his whole life, he rarely meant them. In this case he definitely didn't mean it, if the princess was upset by implied cannibalism she would not lost long as a slave queen. She then had the audacity to back out of her commitment to show him around. He was slightly irritated but supposed it was his fault for telling her to leave Napo out of dinner. That didn't however alleviate his disapproval.

Through all he smiled however "I understand completely your grace, Good night majesty" He lied, he lied like it was second nature.

Once she had turned her back to leave he returned to the table to finish his wine, he would have calmed in moments had that been all she had done but just as she reached the door she turned back.

'I'm sure you're anxious to get back to Toby.'

He gritted his teeth and smiled up at her, he was simultaneously Infatuated and Infuriated. She had not shown signs of a knowledge of his deeper connection with Toby but her phrasing made it clear that she knew and further that she was going to torment him with it. He was unused to being played like a fool, the knife was painful when it was the other way around.When was sure she'd gone he drank a deep gulp of red wine, it's sharpness burning his throat and his Mixed emotions clarifying into raw anger.

"Pretentious Whore!" He yelled flinging his wine glass across the room. How dare she? The sound of the glass shattering was muffled in his head but had evidently caused some alarm in the princesses server. He glared in the slaves direction "I think you dropped that glass, if you don't want that to be the story I tell princess you'd better ensure some of that trifle makes it's way to my room" He needed Toby and trifle and he needed the former immediately. So he stormed off back to his room without waiting on a reply. On the way up he reflected upon how amusing it would be if the rebels stormed the castle and mounted the royal head on a gate.

 

[Armand Temi]

Crix Meriet took a long sip of wine after his dessert. Good, Thais thought. I won't be the only one to enjoy some of the bacchanalian fruits that our galaxy has to offer. She approved with a nod and finally turned into bed, slumbering in her crisp, white sheets and fluffy, down-filled comforter.

Whatever improprieties and curses and pledges of death to royals were happening in Crix Meriet's bedroom had no imprint on Princess Kallisto. She slept deeply like a child.

The next morning, she called Mr. Meriet to breakfast, not too early to upset any potential activities which were happening with Toby. Once he made his way downstairs to the dining room, where a nice display of fruits, meats and breads were, she said, "Okay, let's start to engineer this accident. The driving one," she said, with a simple understanding of the concept and not the full details as Crix had explained.

"Also do I need to call for your belongings from another planet? And which one would that be?"

She was solidifying the prospect that Crix was now a full member of her court. Her plan was to replace Napo and have Mr. Meriet be her closest confident. But she needed to assess him just a little more before she made that decision as there was an unpredictability about him that she couldn't put her finger on.

[member="Crix Meriet"]

 

[Crix Meriet]

Crix had been livid when he walked through the door of his current bedroom. His normal base desire to hit things had been replaced by an overwhelming urge to flay someone to death. How dare [member="Thais Kallisto"] bring his Toby up to use against him ? His intention had just been to go in and go to bed, Toby was Likely already asleep anyway, or so he thought. He had stepped into the room to find the lights dimmed and a number of candles scattered about the room. Crix had reflected that it was odd the things his slave could do given that Crix hadn't heard Toby talk in just over a decade. He had not had long to ponder the topic though as he had been very swiftly pulled into the room proper. His anger had begun to dissipate very quickly and he became less tense as Took his turn to soothe crix, sitting him down on the bed to undress him and deal with the tension in crix. In a blur of light touches and soft fabrics Crix found himself swaddled in a blanket and snuggled in Toby's arms a soft hand trailing up and down his spine. Before he knew it he too was asleep, he never thought to see if the trifle he'd demanded had arrived.

Contrary to his own representations after one too many sips of alcohol, he was rarely engaged in bedroom activities, not with toby anyway. He found that he rarely became bored of just lying in bed with his head on toby's chest listening to his heart beat. Indeed the princess needn't have worried because that's all the Crix did all morning. It had been once again begrudgingly that crix had got out of bed, he would as stated be more than content to say in bed lapsing in and out of sleep to the tune of Toby's heart, none the less when a royal called the simple folk had to answer.

Crix had been once again alarmed by the decadence of breakfast, was this a gallery or a table? Toby had been struck dumb when he saw the spread. Crix had however once again moved straight to the table without showing any real sign of shock, he had taken a seat on the princesses right once again with toby kneeling on the floor beside him, Crix being unsure of how the princess would take to a slave sitting on the same table as her. Infact crix was often deeply offended when someone invited or condoned a slave to share his table on an equal plateau, Toby was an exception ... always an exception.

The Princess leapt straight to business without so much as a good morning. He had smiled to mask his disgust, the princess it seemed was always rude. "Straight to business I see" He joked with a small fake chuckle " My idea was as such, a sub contractor of a sub contractor will be on your chosen day be assigned to transport goods or indeed wastage down from the mine to the spaceport or dump along the way this transport will succumb to an uncontrollable event, i.e skid on Ice, locked steering wheel or indeed just plain careless driving which will result in his cargo falling from the vehicle and down the mountain hitting a residential slave unit" He paused there to take a drink of water and create a touch of drama "this will no doubt cause catastrophic injury, perhaps a heater will explode or something of an equally dramatic nature, some slaves will die you will of course we alarmed and distraught about this, who wouldn't be ?" He added with a smile, his hand lazily stroking Toby's neck his slave being a sensitive soul. "You will see the dire error of your parents system of ensuring workforce and order an immediate emancipation of the remaining slaves, then at the charity benefit you organise and invite the governor to you propose a new workplace prisoner rehabilitation scheme, if the governor agree to it job done if not well then I have my ways" he winked at the mention of his ways.

then he moved onto her next question. It appeared she was eager to have him moved in, it was rather good really because crix was reluctant to spend more time with his parents than absolutely necessary he was just too picky to move out into anything less than a palace. rather good that he'd found one really. "No need majesty, I will arrange everything, I need to return home this afternoon to hand over day to day management of the compound to my cousins and I will arrange transit of my goods then, I will be able to move in permanently by tomorrow at the latest. " He needed to see how much space he had before he could move in property, particularly the breathing kind.

 

[Armand Temi]

The Princess didn’t bat an eye at Toby sitting at her table. Unlike Crix Meriet who held slaves for all sorts of unsavory reasons, her slaves were miners or servants. No one was whipped, beaten or even reprimanded much in the Palace. If a servant lashed out against Thais for any reason they were promptly executed or sent off to the prison in Neskroff. They were seen and not heard. If they broke the law or angered the Princess, they just disappeared.

Now at the Kallisto quarries it was a different story. There was all kinds of horrible outcomes for the Gutretee slaves who didn't work hard or fast enough. But the Princess rarely spent time in her own crystal mines. She did frequent the workshop in order to check on special jewelry she wanted or valuable commissions from patrons, suitors or customers.

She listened to Crix Meriet’s somewhat elaborate idea of sabotage to the mines by a sub-contractor. Placing a piece of bread and jam into her mouth, she nodded.

“It all sounds very good,” she said, after she chewed and swallowed. “We just have to make sure whoever we hire to crash the transport, or whatever, that they are trustworthy and won’t betray us.”

She put her breakfast back down on her plate and asked:

"Do you have anyone in mind? A mercenary or a company perhaps that would do this sort of thing?”

[member="Crix Meriet"]

 

[Crix Meriet]

The list of reasons why Crix held slaves was long and notably unsuitable for discussion at the breakfast table. Crix didn't quite see the fun in just having disobedient slaves carted off to prison or execution. Disappeared slaves didn't send the same message as a flayed slaved did. No any slave that upset Crix or even slaves who didn't could be assured of a painful time.

Whilst the princess issued her reply Crix set about buttering bread. His hand leaving Toby's neck for a while. He was pleased that she was pleased, he did so hate it when people argued with him on topics he clearly knew more about. Taking half a hunk of bread for himself and passing half to [member="Toby Meriet"] he set about answering the Princess's questions. His hand unconsciously returning to the back of Toby's neck. The princess was right about the trust issue, Crix's plan was not without risk. If caught they would be perceived as monsters and the rebels would kill [member="Thais Kallisto"] before Crix had really gotten chance to make 'proper' use of her facilities.

She was however wrong about the mercenaries, legitimate companies such as hers could be traced, they would need criminal help. Crix thought on Thais's question for a moment before recalling an answer to their issue with a smile. "It just so happens I have a pair in mind majesty, we can't trust to a mercenary band they have too much downside and could be easily traced, we need a scam artist or two" He finished his bread "However it happens that I recently acquired two petty criminals in the republic backwater, terrible people they were before I took them in but they are a pair of sweeties now ... It's amazing what can be done with a chair, pliers and a dramatic manicure" He smiled most likely having just offended the princess's sensibilities again. She had to grow up some time though.

He might have been a monster but he was a freaking fabulous monster

"I think they have one last con in them, I can have them brought over with me and have the 'accident ready to go in a week." Uniforms and a battered old transport were not hard things to come by afterall.

 

[Lief]

Knelt there at his Master's side, head subtly bowed and gaze averted, Toby did his best to ignore the current conversation. It wasn't for his ears, even if he was present, he knew that Crix did not like it when he felt as though Toby was uncomfortable or upset, he also knew that Crix believed him to be more frail of heart than he actually was.

Of course Toby was naive in a lot of ways, but he had also been raised within the Meriet household, as a slave no less, he had experienced many of the things that Crix tried to shield him from, and at times worse. Still, Toby did not wish to shatter the illusions of his Master and so he did nothing to try and make it seem otherwise.

He enjoyed the ever present touch of his Master's hand against his neck, and had to refrain from whimpering each and every time Crix had to release it in order to eat. It would not do to embarrass his Master in such a way by seeming needy and out of his place though so instead he vowed to shower him with adoration the moment they were alone again.

He could smell the warmth of the fresh bread as it melted the butter, and was surprised when Crix offered him down a chunk. It would be wrong of him to deny his Master in the present company, but at the same time it felt wrong to eat in the presence of another slaver. He had learned early on that sometimes other slavers could treat a slave worse than their own Master if they felt they were at fault. After all, it wasn't their property they were damaging, and they could easily pass it off as the fault of the slave.

While torn, his loyalty to Crix came above all else and so Toby ate - though his approach was modest; he kept his head down and remained silent, as if he had any choice but to do the latter. As he felt the fawning touch of his lover against his neck Toby eased up a little, his body physically relaxing though it was not obvious to look at him. He had perfected his act over the past decade or so, he could play the role of lover and slave in unison until only Crix and himself could tell the difference - to everyone else he was simply Toby the mute and obedient slave.

[member="Crix Meriet"] [member="Thais Kallisto"]

 

[Armand Temi]

"I don't like the idea of criminals running around the mines. You know there are extremely rare and valuable gems in the workshop and while they are all -"

The Princess stopped abruptly. One of the things she had been specifically instructed not to do since she was a child was to tell the location of any safes or other storage places where the most valuable of the crystals were on the Kallisto property. She sipped her stimcaf instead. Putting the china cup down, she continued, "But with your help, I'm sure we can find a suitable pair for this endeavor."

Thais glanced momentarily at Toby, watching his reaction to his lover's touch - for the Princess knew they were lovers from her snooping through the keyhole of Mr. Meriet's room the night before. She didn't mind the way Crix caressed his slave's neck, but out in public this may be something that proper company would disapprove of. Perhaps she needed to say something to Crix, but her mind was taken over with other ideas.

"I have been thinking alot," she said, which amounted to thinking all of five whole minutes. "And more and more, I like this penal colony idea for our workforce. I also think we may want to supplement with droids after all. Droids are expensive, but as the mining company grows and we gain more cross-galaxy contracts... the use of slaves is something we will probably have to abandon altogether."

Princess Kallisto was prone to flip-flopping on her ideas, but she was eighteen after all. Indecisiveness just came with the territory.

Her eyes passed to Toby, scanning him up and down again. "However that doesn't mean we can't have them as our household staff."

[member="Crix Meriet"] [member="Toby Meriet"]

 

[Crix Meriet]

"Oh Majesty I fear you have misunderstood " Or more likely he had miss explained "The pair would not go near the mines proper, they can just switch out for one of your waste disposal units on the appointed day they needn't go near anything valuable and even if they did get near a few gems, they would not escape with them I'll ensure the accident is fatal." He'd had his fun with the pair afterall . He hardly noticed that she nearly slipped up and revealed a family secret. He was talking after all and that was the important thing, her own prattle was meaningless. He was cautious not to over step however "I will of course seek out other candidates of a more trustworthy nature and then your grace can decide"

He pretended not to see her looking over Toby, Suspecting as he did that she knew more than she let on he couldn't help but feel some measure of discomfort at her attentions. He was foolish for continuing to parade Toby about near her and especially stupid for fawning over his slave, even only slightly, in her presence but Crix was not a disciplined man. He found it hard to be apart from Toby for any real length of time whilst sober and when toby was near he found it nigh on impossible not to make some form of physical contact.

Crix nodded politely as the princess declared she had to use her words 'been thinking a lot' that was not a good sign. He wondered just how much she had been thinking however she was after all but a child to his eye. A naive, Porcelain child. Thinking was not a strength he would fast apply to her Colouring by numbers was perhaps more her speed. This was of course a grossly unfair assessment but he was a grossly unfair person. He listened with a subtle smirk. Her plan to phase out slavery whilst perhaps the moral choice was not a plan he could get behind but at least she acknowledged the benefits of a penal program. "Yes get rid of the slaves, sounds excellent then perhaps we could toss the family silver from the palace roof and tattoo mug on my forehead to sell me to a circus" he thought to himself. Him and Napo could be a double act. The thought brought an involuntary cackle to his lips. Then realising what that would rightly look like he spoke "Apologies majesty, I was just thinking of what I will do to earn money when the need for slaves dries up ... I always fancied myself an acrobat in my youth ..." He hoped that would avert the damage but perhaps it would not.

Then she added what Crix construed as yet another dig at him using Toby as a weapon. The laughter stopped and he forced a smile. Pressing just a little hard as he cut into a sausage. His fantasies about rebels came back and he had a sudden urge to stab the princess with a fork. He controlled himself if only for Toby's sake.

"Of course, your grace" he forced out.

[member="Thais Kallisto"] [member="Toby Meriet"]

 

[Lief]

[You two are perfectly okay to post around me if you wish, Toby is more like a piece of the furniture right now and I don't want to slow you down!]

Toby kept his head down.

Their conversation mostly went over his head, anyway, he had never had need to learn the intricacies of leadership or plotting the downfall of another. He knew how to tend to horses, temper steel and remove knots from worn out muscles, and that was enough for him. His humble roots were more than enough to sate his taste for adventure. If anything he pitied the rich at times. They had so much more to worry about than those who had not a penny to their name. To the latter, so long as they had each other and a way to eat - most of the time growing their own food - then they were as rich as Kings without the responsibility.

Toby wasn't really either anymore.

A slave by title alone, he had no credits yet he also did not have to worry about the likes of food and clothes. He was no Lord, but at times he lived like one. The lack of responsibility was freeing, although he did not know how to take advantage of it. The middle ground was confusing to the boy who had been raised as a nobody. At times he missed his chores, for otherwise he did little more than lament the time that was wasted without Crix's presence. But his Master would not permit him to resume such menial labour. Instead he did all he could to please his Master. He could've asked anything of Toby and the slave would have done it without a moment's hesitation.

[member="Thais Kallisto"] [member="Crix Meriet"]

 

[Armand Temi]

It dawned her her now that Crix was worried about his wealth and position in the Kallisto court. This was to be admired. First of all, Thais Kallisto required - no demanded - loyalty and dedicated from her staff. But her courtiers were another matter. She needed to keep them happier than her servants. It was one thing to wrangle the Princess into a corset, another thing altogether to help her with her finances, her legal matters and to cover up her mistakes.

"Mr. Meriet, an acrobat is almost a fitting description of what will be required of you in the coming days," she said. "But I see your point, and I will put you on my payroll. What position do you think you deserve at Kallisto Mining Company?"

This was a test to see how ambitious he was. She trusted Mr. Meriet for the most part. His silver tongue, his boyish good looks, his savvy advice had charmed her… but there was something about him that she couldn't put her finger on. Perhaps it was his weakness for Toby or perhaps she sensed a cruelty about him. Either way, she pushed her plate away, eating very little as usual. Thais sipped her stimcaf, hoping it would take away the traces of a headache caused by last night's wine.

As she waited for his response, Thais tapped her fingernail on the edge of the china cup, betraying her impatience.

[member="Crix Meriet"]

 

[Crix Meriet]

It seemed he had been successful in avoiding trouble for his little slip. Indeed [member="Thais Kallisto"] seemed now to have some genuine concern for his future welfare in her own, indignant, self righteous and annoying way. If he closed his eyes he might have pictured himself back at school suffering through his teachers inadequacy. He didn't have his Toby to hand in class like he did now. That made the situation somewhat more tolerable now. His hand returned to grazing the back of Toby's neck halting occasionally to tease his Darling slaves hair between his Thumb and fore finger. the rhythm of his ministrations keeping him calm.

The time had come to chuckle politely after all the princess had said something she likely meant to be amusing and he couldn't have her ego hurt, I mean it wasn't like she was just a child or anything. It was undignified but he chuckled and put on a warm smile "From what you tell me of the half wits in power ..." and from what he'd seen of her "I would bet my fortune that you were right ... " He would not be betting his fortune.
The topic then moved back to where it belonged, Crix's longevity. The princess desired to know what possition in her court she wanted. That answer was simple he wanted her court for his own, he would better handle her crown ... yes he could see it now crown resting on his head Toby by his side and a Harem of other men and women on the side lines for when he felt ... needy. This was of course an inappropriate thing to say to her face.

So in a state of mock humility and with downcast eyes he answered " I would like to think Majesty that in the coming hours and days I would prove my self a skilled right hand but such a lofty title is ... ambitious, I would be humbled if you were to make me master of your workforce " He did of course fully expect to be made her right hand and if he wasn't well then he might stumble and put a fork into her .... right hand.

Totally accidentally of course ... four or five times.

 

[Armand Temi]

"Master of the workforce," she said, considering it. A Mining Foreman currently ran Kallisto Mining Company, and then there were a few administrative positions which she oversaw herself, but come to think of it, there wasn't really an operational head aside from herself and the Foreman.

"I think that can be arranged," she said. "On a trial period."

Thais may have been naive, but her heightened paranoia after her parent's death did help her to navigate this type of decision making. She wasn't a complete fool, although at times, it may seemed that way. But she knew well enough to not hire someone she really just met into such a powerful position in her company.

"After thirty days, the exact time period we have to replace the native Gutretee workforce, if you are excel at this job, you can stay indefinitely."

She rose from the table, presuming that Mr. Meriet was finished also and asked, "Would you, and Toby as well, like to take a tour of the mines and of the Kallisto workshop? Or would you like to get started contacting this... what did you call them? This pair to do what we need them to do?"

The accident that would be "ready to go in a week" as he said.

[member="Crix Meriet"]

 

[Crix Meriet]

Crix nodded, Master of the workforce he could work with that. He might still have an accident with his fork later on. Only if he wasn't swiftly made her right hand that was. The requirement for the trial period was not a major concern. He would ace his trial it was a skill of his.

"Your majesty's most gracious " He smiled, false smiles were easy to him by now but this one had a small ounce of truth he was pleased to be given such power , He could be secure behind the whip here. No father to threaten him, yes the princess might make veiled threats but she was a puppy compared to his father.

Then with little warning she rose from the table crix stopped eating and stood as well and Toby tossed his bread away. Crix had learnt young that when a royal stopped so did her guests, even if she did rise early. He listened to her question and smiled, yes a tour a tour would be good. He nodded "That sounds excellent majesty, my two accidents waiting to happen can wait until this evening I will talk it through with them then, he had to wait for them to be delivered with his other items. "If you'll allow me, thirty minutes to prepare then I will be completely at your disposal." He had to dress properly for the mine and he wanted to make sure toby was dressed properly to. He also wanted to make sure Toby got more to eat than just half a bread roll.