Fall by Degrees [Fortans & Jens...es]

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi perched on the arm of a club chair opposite [member="Maximilian Jens"]. What kind of angle was he playing at now? He wanted her to become a 'part of the Estate'? That sounded unlikely. A "You don't know what you're asking," she said after considering it for a few moments. "I was born here and I thought I would die here, but not as a case of charity. Herevan should have been mine, in a fair and logical world it would have been mine, in my own right. But we don't live in a fair world, so it isn't. It's yours."

The young woman stood up and wend to the bar, where she poured herself a scotch and then leaned over to spray some carbonated water in with it before she went back to the chair and resumed her perch. "Let's not kid ourselves, Cousin Maximilian. We've never seemed quite destined to be best of friends. I would hate to be underfoot here, and I'm sure we have differing views on how best to run the estate, so I think it's best for all of us if I move on, find my own place in the world."

She took a sip of the scotch and sniffled lightly. "I appreciate your offer, but to avoid hurt feelings on either side I cannot stay here."

 

[Maximilian Jens]

[member="Natasi Fortan"]

Maximilian shrugged. He would be as cordial as possible to her, and it truly was his desire to see Natasi remain at the estate, but he was not about to grovel.

"Fair? Perhaps not," He said. "But it is as you said. Life isn't fair, and these are the ways of our people." Women could not inherit for a reason. Imperial social order was rigid and heirarchial, but it had worked for thousands of years. "Still, I would have thought you staying here would be mutually beneficial... for the both of us. I would very much have appreciated your input on the goings on around here. Besides, I will be recalled to active duty soon. Someone needs to ensure that the best interests of Herevan are upheld while I'm gone."

After taking a sip of his beverage, "But I'm not going to force you. You must do what you feel is right, of course."

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi frowned. Active duty indeed. She had little to do but push papercilps around in a bureaucratic hellhole; as a member of the civil service she wasn't obligated to remain in service. So in theory there was nothing to stop her from taking leave to watch over the Estate. She wondered what was in it for Maximilian; they had never been great friends before, having a rather antagonistic relationship until this point.

"Don't you trust Hendersmith and his staff to look after your affairs?" she asked idly before taking a sip of her scotch before cradling it lightly in her lap. "I assure you they are most efficient. Hendersmith began as a hallboy here during the reign of the 10th Earl. He is devoted to this family -- even you," she added, with only a hint of bitterness.

"If I were to stay, I would have to insist upon some level of autonomy," she added, lifting her drink to her lips again and gauging [member="Maximilian Jens"] reaction.

 

[Maximilian Jens]

[member="Natasi Fortan"]

"I trust Hendersmith, but he alone is not capable of running the estate in my absence," Jens answered. "Knowledgeable though he may be, he is only a butler."

Max pursed his lips as Natasi laid out her demands. He imagined that her help would come with strings attached, of course. Except right now Natasi was being vexingly vague, which meant that Maximilian needed to probe further.

"Exactly what kind of autonomy are we talking about here?" He asked. However, it seemed at least that Natasi was beginning to warm to the idea. Perhaps it was the mention of his Naval service, which he figured would get her.

He knew she would hardly shed a tear if he were to never return after being blasted into oblivion somewhere in space.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Hendersmith, who had wandered into the room from behind [member="Maximilian Jens"]' position, just before his new master deemed him only a butler and had the good grace to make no reaction to this declaration other than to lift his bushy eyebrows inquisitively. Natasi sighed, giving the butler an exasperated little sighing smirk before inclining her head at him. "What is it, Hendersmith?"

"We're wondering about luncheon, Your Ladyship--"

"I'm not a Your Ladyship," Natasi corrected him; she thought she noticed the butler rolling his eyes lightly.

"Will you be taking luncheon on a tray, now that you've got company?"

"You'll have to settle that with His Lordship," Natasi said. This time there was a perceptible eyeroll. Hendersmith rounded the sofa to be in front of Max now and bowed curtly. He inquired about luncheon, and when all had been said and done, he went off to make the arrangements Maximilian provided. Natasi moved from the arm of the chair to the seat of it, crossing her legs and smoothing her skirt with her free hand. "If I am to run the estate in your absence, I will need a free hand. I can't have you lording it over me from God knows where."

 

[Maximilian Jens]

[member="Natasi Fortan"]

After indicating to Hendersmith that the luncheon would proceed as normal, Maximilian turned his attention back to Natasi.

"Be mindful, Natasi," He said. "I am perfectly willing to share the duties of this estate with you, but remember who the Lord of Herevan is."

He didn't want to come off too hard on her, especially knowing her delicate situation right now. But Jens couldn't have open insubordination and if there was to be any, it needed to be nipped in the bud. If he was to truly make an attempt at being Lord of Herevan, he needed to act the part and be addressed as such.

"That being said," He continued, "I am agreeable to giving you autonomy over your actions. I would be a fool not to admit that you know more about this Estate than I right now. So, I trust your judgment in my absence."

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi found her teeth gritting, audibly she was quite sure. Yes, yes, [member="Maximilian Jens"], the Lord of Herevan. She could taste the bile rising in her throat. If he expected to treat her as some kind of unpaid agent for the estate, he was out of his mind. She stood and set the glass down on the bar heavily and then walked over to the fireplace, tugging the bell pull hard. "What an unthinkably cruel thing to say at a time like this," Natasi said coldly. "Do you imagine I need a reminder of what I have lost here? Do you have any idea what it's like to be allowed to see your own home because of the generosity of wealthy relations? What it's like to know you don't have a place of your own? No! Of course you haven't -- a fact that allows you to be as high-handed as you like. I'll have you know--"

She fell silent as a footman entered. "Your Ladyship?"

"I'm not a -- for heaven's sake -- His Lordship will need to see Mr. Braxil, the agent, as well as the solicitor, as soon as is practicable. He will need to be briefed on the planting schedule, the livestock, the maintenance schedule of the castle. Tell Mr. Braxil he will need to bring his entire operation. And arrange a speeder for me to the spaceport first thing in the morning."

Natasi saw the footman out and turned back to Maximilian. "The Earls of Herevan have always been noted for their decorum and sensitivity and grace. They were gentlemen, not only by birth and rank, but in the most basic sense of the word. They were gentle men." Natasi snaked a hand into her blouse, plucking a stark white kerchief from her brasierre, and wiped her cheeks where hot tears, fueled by anger and grief, had escaped her lashes. "But as you have pointed out, things change."

 

[Maximilian Jens]

[member="Natasi Fortan"]

Maximilian tented his hands. He could think of at least ten dozen things he would rather be dealing with than Natasi's emotional outbursts. He understood... to a point. But there was only so much he could allow.

"I know this is hard for you, Natasi," He said, in as calm a voice as possible, "But you must remember your own graces. You would not have talked to your father in such a manner. And you may not like it, but the law of our people has placed me as the Lord of this estate. Do I not deserve the same courtesy?"

As usual, the footmen interrupted at the most inopportune times. Thankfully, Natasi did her part in shooing them away.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi inclined her head, looking across the room at her distant cousin with a look of shocked disbelief in her eyes. It was almost difficult to believe that the man was single, given the way he seemed accustomed to speaking to women. "You were made my father's equal by accidents of birth and of death. If my brother had survived the war, you wouldn't have had the social standing to look at him across a ballroom. But you might have earned the courtesy you're asking for by behaving like someone who deserved it."

The would-be Countess dabbed her eyes again and folded it over to dab at her nose. "As I said. My father was a gentleman. You have miles to go before you can compare yourself to him. You may sign your name Herevan as is your right, but you'll be pretending and anyone who knew my father will know it. If you'll excuse me, Your Lordship, I must continue to gather my effects."

[member="Maximilian Jens"]

 

[Maximilian Jens]

[member="Natasi Fortan"]

Maximilian let Natasi go. By now he was convinced that there would be no getting through to her, and he simply did not have the patience to try. He felt as though his proposal was agreeable, and he was prepared to give her what she wanted, but if Natasi wanted to throw it all away on the basis of a few words, then that was her prerogative.

"Let her go," Jens said to Hendersmith, who had remained perched at the doorway the whole time and had heard just about everything. Thoroughly dissatisfied with the conversation and not the least bit thirsty, Max set his drink aside and would not touch it again.

"Hendersmith, I will entrust you with the day-to-day dealings of the estate in my absence, which will be frequent," He said to his butler. "I apologize for what I said earlier. I trust that you and I can work together."

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Imogen spent most of the day walking the grounds. It was something she wanted to do every time she came to Herevan. It was a beautiful place to be, with the river cascading down from the mountains in the distance before winding its way through the county to the estate, where it was piped away underground to irrigate the land, service the stables and other out-buildings, so that by the time it reached the Hold, it was a manageable flow. There, it was diverted through channels under the castle, where the power of the water was used to generate electricity, water the gardens and grounds, and fill the countless fountains that dotted the grounds and castle. Imogen had borrowed a horse -- on her own recognizance, because who would she go to to ask permission? Natasi was busy looting her mother's family's possessions from Herevan Hold, and she imagined [member="Maximilian Jens"] was getting his affairs in order -- and was returning from a ride just as the stable bell rang. They'd be ringing the gong soon, if there was going to be dinner at all, which Imogen very much hoped for.

"Milady," the stable-hand greeted her and helped her off the steed. "How was the ride?"

"Very nice, thank you," Imogen said as she took off her hat. "You were right, the northern ridge is beautiful this time of year. Perhaps I'll visit the village tomorrow if I'm still here. Is the southern pass still open?" When she received confirmation that it was, indeed, still open, Natasi thanked the stable-hand for his assistance and made her way through the gardens and grounds to the entrance. She entered just as Hendersmith was entering from the kitchens stairway. "Ah, Mister Hendersmith -- is there going to be dinner?"

"No one has said otherwise, milady," Hendersmith replied dryly. "Lady Natasi has been having dinner in the dining room since she's been here. And Mrs. Elliston thought it might be nice to make some of her favorite dishes. You know, for old time's sake. And Lieu--that his, His Lordship hasn't said anything so it's business as usual."

"Can you ask Madge to come and help me dress? You know... for old time's sake." Imogen smirked. Hendersmith nodded and picked up the gong stick ringer thing. Imogen took to the stairs. On the way to the guest corridor, she passed Uncle Frejrik's study; the light was on, and she paused, knocking on the door. It swung open, and she saw Cousin Maximilian standing over the desk. "I don't mean to push in," she murmured apologetically. "Are you coming to dinner?" In the background, the gong sounded.

 

[Darth Adekos]

The land speeder ground to a halt on the driveway, causing Gerion to lurch forward in his seat. A brief glance towards his chronometer told Gerion what he already knew- he was running late. Typical that he would underestimate the time it would take to arrive in the system and then at Herevan. Then again, this visit was unannounced and most likely unwelcome. The only other person aware of the time he intended to arrive was the droid currently occupying the driver's seat. The automaton was decidedly more adept at landing shuttles than bringing speeders to a full, comfortable spot.

Gerion opened the passenger door, pausing only to give the droid some new orders. "Park somewhere out of the way. I'll alert you when it's time to leave."

Whether that was in ten hours or ten minutes remained to be seen. Gerion exited the speeder, smoothed out his shirt, and made for the main entrance. From his loose understanding of how these sorts of things went on Galidraan, Natasi was not to inherit the estate. There was a more byzantine system in place that only allowed for men, regardless of how far removed they were, to obtain such things.

On Umbara, things were much simpler. Heirs were either appointed, or someone took it upon themselves to forge a last will and testament to make themselves the heir. After stabbing the person they wanted to inherit things from several times in the neck, of course. Then if they survived the ensuing familial civil war, everything was theirs by right. They might even move up in caste as a result if they did a good enough job of it. Gerion depressed the doorbell, supposing he would have to offer condolences to Natasi both for the loss of her father and that jamming knives into throats was not the acceptable way to move up in society on Galidraan.

Pity, that.

 

[Maximilian Jens]

[member="Imogen Fortan"]

"Of course I am," Maximilian replied automatically before looking up, surprised to see Imogen standing in the doorway. She had managed to make herself scarce for most of the afternoon. "It's good to see you've returned."

Jens stood up from his desk. He was already dressed for dinner. Imogen was indeed a welcome sight, but that was only after an afternoon of dealing with Natasi. "Shall we go down together?" He extended his arm towards Imogen. At the very least, it was nice that not the entire family seemed to hate him.

It was unfortunate that he and Natasi couldn't see eye-to-eye, but Jens was determined to brush it off. Perhaps not today or tomorrow, but eventually, it would be a forgotten care. He had done all he felt he could, and simply had no energy left to deal with her anymore.

Meanwhile, downstairs, one of the footmen answered the door. Its massive hydraulics caused it to coil back into the doorframe in an instant. The footman, eyeing the flaxen-haired [member="Gerion Ardik"], inclined his head slightly. "Good evening sir... are you expected?"

 

[Natasi Fortan]

[Didn't see Max's post... carry on!]

 

[Darth Adekos]

[member="Maximilian Jens"]

"I am not, unfortunately." Gerion replied to the footman after the door had opened after a moment's pause. He almost forgot some people still preferred live servants over automatons. "I was unable to call ahead. If you could inform Lady Natasi Fortan that Gerion Ardik is here to see her, I would appreciate it."

Gerion shifted his posture, clasping his hands behind his back. Here in the Tion Cluster his name was gradually picking up more weight to it. Associating with that loose group of corporate juggernauts based out of Tion would do that. Yet that would be more apparent in other sectors of the Cluster, most notably Allied Tion and the Cronese Mandate. Here in the Thanium Worlds, he may as well have introduced himself as John Doe. Anonymity suited him better anyway, according to one of his peers, at least. Gerion would wait while the conducted the background check if they felt the need to.

 

[Natasi Fortan]

"As much as I enjoy being an awkward third wheel, I had to find something to do with myself today. I might ride down to the village tomorrow, if you'd like to come. But we can talk about it at dinner. I can see I'm behind, with you being ready to go down and I'm dressed for play," she said, indicating her mud-spattered riding clothes. "I'll just go get changed for dinner. Natasi likes us to dress for dinner, don't you know?" Imogen smirked and glanced up the hall as she heard the bell. "I didn't know we were having company," Imogen said wistfully. "Now I'd really better change."

She high-tailed it to her room, oblivious to the goings-on with [member="Gerion Ardik"] below. There, Madge helped her into a rather stylish dark green gown and helped her put her hair in order. Imogen dismissed her and set to work putting on her own jewels, though she knocked a lock of golden hair out of place and had to repair it with her curling iron. After she was quite satisfied that Natasi wasn't going to find anything to criticize her for, she set the hair contraption down on the table, on the pile of gloves she had rejected for not quite working with the dress.

Swinging her way down, she followed the commotion into the library, where she saw a familiar head of hair. "Why, [member="Gerion Ardik"] as I live and breathe, I didn't know you were here." She blanched, becoming even paler than a moment. "Does Natasi know?" She didn't know the circumstances under which Natasi and Gerion had ended their flirtation, or if it had progressed beyond even that, but if Natasi didn't know -- well... "This evening just gets better, doesn't it? What are you drinking? And do you know my cousin, [member="Maximilian Jens"]? He's the new Earl of Herevan."

 

[Maximilian Jens]

[member="Imogen Fortan"]
[member="Gerion Ardik"]

Maximilian smirked. "I assure you, your company is most welcome." He said this with a wry chuckle, figuring Imogen would know what he was talking about. She knew that he had to deal with Natasi today, and as she probably imagined, it did not go well.

Then, Jens turned towards the doorway. "Funny, neither did I," He remarked about the unexpected guest. Lifting himself from his office chair, he adjusted the fit of his black overcoat before waiting for Imogen, so that the two could descend the stairs together. Hopefully, it was no one that would be particularly bothersome about the estate - Jens had done all the work he intended to do today, and now he intended to quiet his thoughts over a fine dinner. Or worse, he hoped it wasn't someone sent by Natasi.

When Imogen introduced the platinum-haired man to Maximilian, he extended his hand. The Lieutenant had almost mistaken him for an Arkanian at first, but upon closer inspection he appeared to be human. "Mr. Ardik, good to meet you," Jens smiled cordially. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

 

[Natasi Fortan]

Natasi swept down the stairs, looking fifteen shades of elegant in one shade of black, and was adjusting her evening gloves as she walked into the library, looking down waspishly. "Are we having cocktails? I haven't had a decent cocktail since the Lotus Club and they've been closed for -- oh, you're here." She stopped as soon as she looked up and saw [member="Gerion Ardik"] standing there, talking to [member="Imogen Fortan"] and [member="Maximilian Jens"]. Her jaw hung open for a moment, staring at him rather dumbstruck for a few moments before she managed to recover herself. The young woman closed her mouth and swallowed audibly before looking over at Imogen and Maximilian. "Isn't anyone going to offer our guest a drink?"

At that moment, at exactly ten to eight, the doors swung open and Hendersmith entered with a tray of cocktails. "Sidecars, Your Lordship?" he bowed deferentially to Maximilian before carrying the tray of cocktails to Natasi. She took one and leaned in to whisper something to Hendersmith, who glanced with a raised eyebrow at [member="Gerion Ardik"] and then nodded to Natasi. Hendersmith walked around, offering drinks to everyone who needed one before approaching Ardik, to whom he offered the choice of Natasi's chosen cocktail or something else -- water, wine, etc. -- and then toddled off to retrieve it and bring it back on its silver tray.

Natasi was nothing if not a conscientious hostess, even to someone she hadn't expected to see again.

Clutching her glass by the stem, Natasi wandered further into the room. For once, she was at a loss for words. In ten minutes, the butler would come in and announce that dinner was ready, but that seemed like an interminable amount of time. She lifted her glass and took a sip without taking her eyes off Ardik.

 

[Darth Adekos]

[member="Imogen Fortan"] | [member="Maximilian Jens"] | [member="Natasi Fortan"]

Gerion was ushered into a library, though he did not remain there for very long before he was found by the estate's residents. Judging from their reactions, the footman had failed to alert them before they found him on their own. Imogen he recognized immediately, but the man she entered with he did not. Judging from the way Maximilian carried himself, Gerion guessed he might have been a military man. Something very prestigious and very Imperial, no doubt. "I'm afraid I never have." He said to Imogen, shaking Maximilian's hand.

"Ah, yes, I was-" He began, but Natasi's timely arrival kept him from going much further.

Silence won out for the next few moments. Gerion didn't turn his head, but his eyes did shift between both Fortans and the one Jens wondering if any of those three would break it first. Natasi recovered first, at which point an elderly butler entered with a tray of cocktails. He continued as the butler moved about. "I had hoped to arrive sooner and pay my condolences to the the family, but..." The butler arrived to him. "Oh, just water. Thank you."

"There were some complications in the Outer Rim and on Lianna that required my attention, however, so I was delayed rather severely."

 

[Maximilian Jens]

[member="Gerion Ardik"]
[member="Natasi Fortan"]

The way in which Natasi faltered before addressing Gerion did not escape Maximilian's notice. It seemed that the two of them had a history together, and the Lieutenant could only guess as to what that was. Max observed his cousin closely as footmen turned up with libations to whet the guests' appetites. Gladly taking one, Jens brought the sweet beverage to his lips and took a delicate sip. It had been a long time since he had indulged in a drink, as the Imperial Navy did not allow for such things.

"Your condolences are much appreciated, Mr. Ardik," Maximilian directed his attention towards him. "The late Earl was a great man. He will be missed by many. One thing is for sure; I have quite a large pair of shoes to fill."

Jens then slid towards Natasi. "What is your family's relationship to Mr. Ardik, Natasi?" And then, back to Gerion, "Please forgive me. Admittedly, I'm still trying to sort through the many relations of the late Lord Herevan."