((Cool, thanks everyone for indulging Tranquillina - all us players knew this is the way it would go down.))
((Also it makes me feel a little better knowing there is an Aegis on the regio side too - I wasn't quite sure of that. At least these mysterious mighty men might not be running around the hallways outside Tranquillina's sanctum ))
Tranquillina glares at Marcus, sputtering at the logic of the same man who successfully butted heads with Aristarcus at the Tribunal. To be honest, in Tranquillina's eyes Marcus acts so much like a Flambeau that she often forgets (perhaps willfully) that he is a member of House Tytalus. Unfortunately, he seems to have a keen understanding of the way Cumhachd is playing this game - and, currently, winning. In the end, finding no support from the Mons Electi council, Tranquillina lapses into a petulant silence and lets the matter drop.
Further endearing herself to the covenfolk, she keeps a grog with her at all times, including outside her bedroom when she sleeps. For two more days she tries to go about her daily business, studying their Finesse summa in the library; but her skin constantly crawls with the knowledge that there is an enemy laying siege to her castle.
((What does she hear from Loys about Cumhachd's activities over those two days?))
Loys is barely around, over the two days (I'm assuming he sleeps in her lab or somewhere nearby) and seems eager to get up every morning and help Cumhachd out, as Tranquillina had previously directed, and he comes back late every night. When questioned about what she's doing he says, she's not doing anything that he can tell...
(( Gerg, I'd like to do a small scene between Stultus and Tranquillina. Stultus wants to help Tranquillina, but I don't want to scene hog -- and if the conversation goes pear-shaped, as it's almost guaranteed to, it'll give him an IC reason to butt the hell out in the future. Would you (and JL)be OK with us doing so, perhaps in a separate sub-thread?))
(( Also, on a completely unrelated note.... Qcipher, are there any defenses on Alexei's lab and/or living quarters, beyond a stout door and a lock? ))
Stultus sticks his head into the library. "Tranquillina. Just the person I wanted to see. Am I interrupting?" He knows damned well he isn't interrupting, since he's timed his entrance about five minutes after Choiniere took in the tray with Tranquillina's lunch, but it's polite to ask.
((The down side to having a real job...by the time you get home, the scene's all but over ))
Fiona looks at Tranquillina sternly. This is a side of her sodalis that she's not seen before, and it catches her quite by surprise. [color=blue]"I'm sorry...who are we talking about? Is she a hedge wizard of some kind masquerading as a Hermetic maga? Is she indeed trespassing?" she asks. [color=blue]"Or was she permitted access through our Aegis to the Tribunal Grounds...which, if I understand correctly, are only nominally 'ours', and are not covered by an Aegis. And has she shown any ability to ignore our Aegis, or could she simply be blowing smoke out her arse to get a rise out of you?"
She looks around the table. [color=blue]"Did she, in fact, simply waltz in over our protests and against our will, or was she invited in? Or at least allowed in without protest? These men that are 'blocking' access...I had no problem bypassing them last night and this morning."
Fiona silently mouths "Ah" then looks to Tranquillina. [color=blue]"Tranquillina," she says softly in Gaelic, [color=blue]"I know you and this Cumhachd have a history. Is it possible that you're letting this history color your judgement?"
((I think this thread is just particularly fast-paced at the moment. Gerulf, for all intents and purposes, slept through the general alarm. These things just happen, especially if you work a lot of hours.))
((It is, and I thank you all for it!
Also - Jonathan, it's good to have you back. ))
((Let's just summarize by mentioning the related ideas of bears and poking Tranquillina will have to take a moment tomorrow or the next day to apologize to Fiona for her reaction to this comment. ))
"What do you mean nothing, boy?" Tranquillina snaps at Loys. "Is she continuing to set up a laboratory? Is she exploring the surroundings, building something, writing letters, casting spells, spying on the castle, sitting and reading? I need details...." She frowns at him, concerned about the fact that he stays there until so late. "Tomorrow, go do the same thing you've been doing; but an hour before sunset, excuse yourself - you are needed at Mons Electi. Do not tell her earlier in the day that you will be leaving early - only at that moment. Meet me on the top floor of the castle half an hour before sunset."
Tranquillina has been instructing the kitchen to make her comfort food these past few days. She has just taken her bowl of hearty stew to a side room away from the valuable books; she inhales the comforting aroma and is lifting the first spoonful to her lips when she hears the question. The spoon drops back into the stew, and she does a terrible job hiding her frustrated eye roll as she turns to face the dwarf. ((Prs 2 + Guile 3 + stress die 0 (no botch) = 5.)) "By all means, sodalis," she responds with slightly gritted teeth, answering the question asked.
Stultus responds to the eye roll with an oddly sympathetic look. "Don't worry. This probably won't take very long." He leans against the door-jamb, looking down as he talks.
"First of all, I wanted to apologize to you. I had been meaning since the day I met you to sit down with you. Put our heads together and figure out ahead of time what we were going to do about Cumhachd when she showed up. Come up with a plan, a strategy. But the subject never came up, and... I was content to let it slide." His head comes up, eyes meeting Tranquillina's eyes square-on. "And now we're out of time. My inaction -- my reluctance to force the issue -- has cost us both, and I'm sorry."
Tranquillina meets Stultus's belated gaze for a moment. "It is kind of you to apologize," she offers in a neutral tone. Then she turns back to her meal and continues: "It is kind of you to apologize for - let me understand this - for not informing me that I was incapable of surviving a visit from your mater, and for not aiding me by providing the brainpower I lack to deal with her presence. You are sorry for not saving me, in other words. For not rescuing this damsel in distress, as a knight in shining armor of your own." She casts a calculated peripheral glance back over her shoulder. "Other than the 'shining', I daresay you do not quite fit the part."
Pleased with her little performance, Tranquillina takes that first bite of her stew. For some reason, the taste is bland and not at all commensurate with the delicious smell she savored a moment before. Irritably she strengthens its peppery taste with a quick cantrip. ((Base 1, +1 Touch, +1 Diam. Sta -3 + Mu 12 + Im 10 + aura 5 = 24, fifthed is 4, good enough even to alter the smell should she wish.))
((Poor Stultus We might as well retitle this thread "Tranquillina Is A Bitch To Everyone" and get it over with ))
"Of course, sodalis. I should have realized this right away. Of course you're capable of dealing with a visit from Cumhachd by yourself, calmly and rationally, without first addling your mind with Mentem magic. My mistake." He shrugs. "As Cumhachd always said -- the problem with teaching a pig to sing is that it wastes your time and annoys the pig. Good day, Eskil." He turns on his heel and walks out of the door, closing it behind him with perhaps more force than is strictly necessary.
Roberto is glaring at Stultus the entire time, also remaining silent.
Angry silent.
Until now.
I made a mistake in letting Payaso use his discretion in the matter. This is no longer a Tyatlus thing. It has become a Flambeau thing. I shall see to it she is evicted, with prejudice.
(it is a fast paced thread. That last comment should be inserted right after someone informed the council entrance to the regio is being blocked.
So Stultus, don't leave just yet!
Stultus shakes his head. "Don't do this, Roberto. To expel someone who has asked for guest-right and been granted it, after the fact, we would need a rock-solid reason and undeniable proof that she means the covenant harm. The consequences otherwise would be unconscionable."
((IMO, as I'm reading the thread, several of the voting members of the council have said to leave her be, for the time being, which basically means it is not a Flambeau matter. I certainly don't see this becoming a majority choice to evict her. If Roberto and Tranquillina want to evict her, it probably would now come up as a formal vote. Tranquillina, by bringing this to the council, and letting them have their say certainly suggests that Roberto cannot now act as he would desire. Tranquillina would have been better served by going to Roberto directly to try and evict her, but she brought in the whole council. Which, I love, it's the passive-aggressive action that is going on in this thread that it is making it so awesome.))
Loys appears cowed, and somewhat annoyed, but doesn't voice any resistance to Tranquillina, "You misunderstand me. She has a fully functional lab setup in the villa, at least so far as I can tell.. I'm not sure what she's doing in the lab. When I'm there," Loys seems really reluctant to say anything, "we talk about things. Discuss Plato and other stuff." When she tells him to be back an hour earlier, he displays a slight smile, "Yes, maga."
((Oh, I feel bad, cunningrat! I'm sorry Tranquillina isn't receptive to a scene with Stultus right now. It was nice of you to try ))
As her stew slowly cools, Tranquillina sits steaming before it, the muscles in her neck tight as a ship's halyard. She tries to continue eating, but the dish is flavorless and dull; she magically intensifies its taste again, then a third time, until it is actually physically harming her tongue. Disgusted, she shoves the meal away, not even half-finished. She repairs to the main room of the library (she has to pull twice on the door, it's a little stuck) and turns a hundred pages or so later in Threading the Hermetic Needle, finding the chapter "Optic Species". Her practice for the afternoon consists almost exlusively of crafting images of Cumhachd being executed or murdered in all the ways she can think of. At some point, Alexandria becomes unable to tolerate the angry "Ha!"s interjected every now and again, and has to leave the library completely.
After yet another night spent more awake than asleep, the first thing Tranquillina does after rising and raising her Parma Magica is to go to one of the wax tablets in her laboratory, cast By His Works on herself, and slowly make a tally as she verifies her recollection. ((Sta -3 + Cr 6 + Me 10 = already high enough to spont the Level 5 spell (HoH:TL page 73); botch check negative.)) After catching her breath and rubbing her eyes, she turns her cloak into a serviceable dress and storms into Yves d'Aurillac's carrel. "Good morning: I would like you to take the following dictation," she says in a tone conveying the task's non-optionalness. "Address it to Stultus ex Tytalus, from Tranquillina Bonisagi ex Max - no, just Tranquillina Bonisagi. 'While the first sixty words of your response to me yesterday in the library were not kind, you were within your rights to say them. Where the sixty-first word was concerned, however, you were not. I expect you to apologize.' No salutation, no complimentary close; simple wax seal. Have one of the servants deliver it to his sanctum." She departs without another word.
Gerulf returns from lunch and settles back down with The Stag, The Hound, and The Prince of the Seven Crowns. He remains focused on his work save for a few concerned glances, and the two study in something of a cold silence with only Tranquillina's occasional outbursts cutting through the thick air. He watches as Alexandria leaves and observes that it is near to suppertime anyway. He quietly closes the book but leaves it in place for tomorrow's studies. As he approaches the door, he turns to say something just as Tranquillina emits another 'Ha'. The sudden stop seems to cause him to reconsider, and he quietly shuts the door behind him as he leaves.
((Hopefully Tranquillina will realize this and store it as a tactic for next time ))
Tranquillina isn't pleased with Loys's reluctance to give details, but lets it go for now and dismisses him. After a moment or two, the full significance of his report sinks in. Her lab - already functional? That's ... some serious magic, to get that set up usably in less than a week. A drop of admiration for the magical task is quickly drowned in a torrent of outrage over Cumhachd's unwanted presence.
If nothing happens by the next sunset: Tranquillina will be waiting in the ceremonial casting chamber. Her undisguised face makes her look all of fifteen years old; her dress is not at all revealing, but might be a little tighter-fitting than completely necessary. She has definitely used her cloak's Aura of Ennobled Presence effect on herself. When Loys arrives, she instructs him to report on Cumhachd's activities and words for the day.
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Tranquillina will have to take a moment tomorrow or the next day to apologize to Fiona for her reaction to this comment. 
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We might as well retitle this thread "Tranquillina Is A Bitch To Everyone" and get it over with 
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