Note, this isn't the first time that Ra'am had voiced this conclusion (in front of Heims), and his tone is entirely academic again. Ra'am has shown no lecherous interest in her sexual proclivities, that should be entirely clear in his tone and method of delivery. And neither case has been delivered lecherously suggesting that this is for his pleasure.
Perigrine just indicated she was gobsmacked, not offended. Approaching an academic and asking for an apology for stating a conclusion they've reached based on the facts as they see them isn't going to happen, especially when he's not involved in the conversation.
Ra'am doesn't hear Heims speaking as he's reading, but does sense him coming closer and saying something. "Ahh, Heims, perhaps you can take a look at Tyrion's notes. I've been so busy researching Vis sources and this dwarf contract while Cygna's been studying other things like that map, herself, otherwise I'd ask her."
To be clear, from your description, I didn't get that it was substantially larger (large enough to hold a book within as an amaris). Then there's the issue that commentary made by Ra'am about the bookstand probably shouldn't have happened, based on you bringing the threads of mine and Azura's together at a later post. So, I've been playing Ra'am as having barely seen the bookstand, it ran past as he came up the stairs and jumped out on the second floor. The events, as best I can sort them out is that Ra'am comes in just as the bookstand runs away. Not sure he ever sees the book being taken.
Although Viscaria's sense of the passage of time was a little skewed by her lengthy imprisonment, it feels like the dwarfs had had a great feast with the "special Cijaran vintage" a couple of years ago. Last year, the guards were greatly looking forward to the Midsummer's Bash, and were sorely put out when it didn't happen. Her treatment suffered somewhat for a while after that.
Decide to make an awareness roll to see if Ra'am notices this. Aware (0) +Per(0) + Die 1, reroll, result of 2*6=12. If it's not stressful, then he says nothing and keeps studying not noticing anything, and I'll edit accordingly. I can see it either way.
"Looking up from his reading, noticing everything has kinda gone quiet as everyone stares at him. What?" It's readily apparent that Ra'am has no idea what's going on, just that something is going on.
Seeing the potential for this to get unnecessarily ugly, Azura tries to defuse the situation with inappropriate humour and misdirection. "Oh! We were just debating when it is or isn't acceptable to reference a woman's sexuality. For example, there was this one time I seduced a young Jerbiton apprentice. His master was so incensed when he found out why Optimus hadn't shown up to help him in the lab that day, he threw a summa across the room (and we're not talking any summa but I mean this was a copy of Bonisagus' original Magic Theory text, this particular copy had been scribed by my Founder himself and his penmanship was vastly superior to old Boney's, so really this copy was better than the original). Anyway, as mad as Heinrich had been to find his apprentice in bed with a fourteen-year-old girl, he went to my master and then found himself completely incapable of explaining why he was so angry with me. He just sat there spluttering, "Your apprentice... she... she... she...." Old kraut looked so pathetic sitting there, arguing with himself about how to get recompense for his lost day of research without insulting a lady's honour by talking about her promiscuity, I felt bad for him! So I just told my master right there, "I shagged his apprentice when they were supposed to be doing research," and Heinrich was so mortified he just left and never spoke of the incident again. My master, on the other hand, was so pleased that I was taking such a personal interest in expanding the Founder's bloodline, he gave me a week off of lab duties to go sunbathing at the lake!"
Ra'am blanches at Azura's story and now seems slightly offended himself. "Speaking so casually about one's personal dalliances isn't even close to what we were discussing." And then it dawns on him, looking from face to face.
"Oh, you don't mean...
"I never said she and I..." indicating Cygna.
"I'm happily married.
"Father of two.
"I could never.
"Please believe me, I was speaking about the previous occupant of the sanctum. I was suddenly struck by the fact that security of the sanctum was probably achieved through readily apparent factors and then stated that. The contents of the room.."
And then realizing that no matter what he says will help, he turns beet red and stuffs his nose back into the book, pretending to read. You can tell he's pretending, because you can't hear him speak. After a little bit you hear him speaking in a different language, one Azura will recognize immediately.
Cygna blushes at Azura's ribald tale. [color=red]"Does no-one have any sense of propriety around here!?" Cygna cries to the heavens. She then heads toward the door, obviously exasperated.
Just before she leaves, however, she turns to the library staff. [color=red]"I'll talk to you ladies about this Gilderoy chap later."
Arf, you 2 posted while I was gone... I'll edit... Edited!!!
Ra'am should pay more attention to others.
However he may have said it, it was nonetheless offending to make such a proposition to a noble lady. Offending, too, to treat her like a means to an end. He may be lecherous, or not. But he shouldn't say things like that to a lady, and he shouldn't treat people as if they don't exist.
(Paranoiac OOC: this is Hiems reacting, eh?)
As he sees it:
If it is a lecherous proposition => fail
If it is acamedic => Fail: He tells cygna to debase herself for some vis, like a tramp. The fact that he's willing to "help" only shows him to be attached to wealth instead of people and honor
Plus he ignores her and her feelings => fail.
But, before he may say or do anything
This stops Hiems dead.
He breathes, then turns to Cygna, slowly, looking at her. What was that? What could have happened to her?
Still looking at Cygna, and thus turning his back to Ra'am, he'll wait until Azura tells her baudry story. Whatever, if she's a tramp and a peasant, she's a tramp and a peasant. Still, he recognizes her intent behind the vulgarity...
He'll wait through Cygna's outburst, perfectly understanding her.
Looking at the floor, his skin becoming colder by the minute
Thanks azura. But no. You... Ra'am... Whether you realize it or not, you were insulting to this lady, in more ways than one. I would have challenged you over this, but she has more kindness and generosity than any of us deserve. I suggest you apologize to her whenever you can, and thank her, too.
And with that, he walks toward the exit, with the intent to hole up in his sanctum.
Azura tries to keep a straight face, but gives up, and falls into a heap of giggles. She whispers conspiratorially to Gerald about how ridiculous it is for magi to hold the same silly standards of social propriety as mundane society, before quietly regaling the porcupine with a tale about seducing a Jerbiton maga, just to see if she could succeed.
BTW, Azura is continually monitoring Gerald for signs that his disposition might be improving (or worsening... ) She can't imagine anything worse than losing a familiar or vice versa, and she really wants the cute li'l rodent to find the will to live. Would Folk Ken be appropriate since he's sentient, or would it require Animal Ken (which she doesn't have)?
Animal Ken allows you to speak with a animal, so no.
With a normal animal, you'd have used animal handling, but he is intelligent, so I guess folk ken is the way to go.
EDIT: Checked RoP: M: Folk Ken is for humans. For a magical, intelligent creature, you should use Magic Lore.
"Really! Ra'am says, agreeing with her assessment, "I've seen Magi do some most distasteful things to acquire vis and knowledge. Although, I will say you get more than knowledge out of your adventures," he says fixing her with a disapproving fatherly stare. "Then again, it is the peculiarity of your House that Magi of your founder's line are difficult to come by, so I guess it's understandable. Did you know my majordomo has fathered two gifted children with other Maga?" His tone resumes to the academic nature that is his hallmark.
Her demeanor sobers, and Azura nods in agreement. "It's true. It's a blood lineage and that's difficult to maintain. Magae Merceris are expected to procreate early and often; I've come under scrutiny within my House for mothering so infrequently. My first moon blood was a dozen years ago and so far I've only birthed twice, but it's not like I'm not trying. It's also why I've never married; I have a Hermetic imperative to follow any leads that might help produce more Gifted Mercere, but it would be adultery if I were married." She then leans down to Gerald and whispers, "Remind me to find out who Ra'am's majordomo is so he and I can get better acquainted later tonight. You can hide out elsewhere if it makes you uncomfortable, or you can watch if you like."
(1) Fair enough. I went back and realized that I hadn't described it at all, and actually had been thinking of something more like a podium than a bookstand. So, new (first) description:
The Bookstand of Hespera in Cersei's lab is made of several dozen grapevine cuttings, which are twined around each other in the center like a thick-laid (twisted) rope. Six of these vines extend out from the bottom crown knot to form the legs which it walks on. The top of this column flattens out into a carrick mat.
An extra vine extends out from the top, this coils around the ink pot, quill and magnifying glass when being used for notes. When not in such use, this vine wags back and forth like an excited tail.
Instead of a drawer opening, the carrick mat/top untwisted in the center, and the book was swallowed into the central column, making the Bookstand look a bit like a snake that's just swallowed something big.
(2) Again, my bad. I forgot that Ra'am had arrived just after that scene, not before. However, that just means that he had no reason to suspect it would be in the bookstand in the first place, so his dialogue doesn't need to be fixed.
"Well, I didn't exactly have free reign of the place, you understand. I do know that they seem to use our wine for their Midsummer Feast, and that we didn't deliver last year. They were rather put out by it, and that was when I decided I was unlikely to achieve my goals while passively sitting in their prison. I left about nine months after that."
...and with that, ladies and gentleman, I believe we have done everything that needs to be done before the Council Meeting. While Peregrine has not outlined the specifics of their end of the contract, it seems like we want to renegotiate that anyway.
Ra'am is trapped on the Phoenix side for another day (was brought from Friday evening to Thursday morning). He'll have ample time to query grapevines, warders and or any servants that he can get to come over to the Phoenix side (asking the librarians to fetch one, and then have the last one interviewed send the next one to interview) to try and determine if the dwarves sent something last year, and what the exact terms of their side of the contract were...
~screeches to a halt~ Dammit. I still have the timeline screwed up. I thought I had sent Ra'am from Friday evening to Friday morning. It looks like the mixup is that I had the Team 1 exploring the sanctums on both Thursday and Friday.
Gah. Okay. I think we can ret'con to say that EVERYTHING happens on Thursday, thanks to the neat antics of Cygna and Hiems in the library!
So the order of events is....
Thursday, March 14th, the next morning, Cygna, Amos, and Viscaria scout out possible sanctum/laboratory locations, starting with Cersei's (as it was she who had gathered the vis from the Vintners and had done Cijara's marvelous and world-famous wine, and it's believed that clues, or better yet, notes, on how she had done what would be found there).
Azura Merceris arrives, and is directed to Hiem's Tower. Some Deus Ex Machina happens, and Ra'am's timeline meets up with the party. Hiems, Azura and Ra'am join Cygna and Viscaria in scouting out the labs. Amos gets sick and disappears into the background with an allergy reaction.
They finish investigating the labs shortly after lunch, and proceed to the library. After some miscommunication, Hiems and Cygna depart.
Thursday afternoon, Cygna goes to talk to Marguerite about gathering their Vis, as she has volunteered to take that duty. That is also (later in the day) when she went to the kitchen to try to make arrangements to use the oven and bake some tarts for the meeting that Jaime had called for Friday.
The merchant Abdul al-Faisal arrives at the covenant (as he does once a quarter).
Ra'am ex Bonisagus also arrives, along with his family and entourage. Ra'am gets sent back to the morning by some Deus Ex Machina, but his split timelines resolve themselves by dinner time.
Hiems spends all Thursday afternoon in the remains of Salamandrus's tower, which he has claimed as his own, basically clearing it out, exploring, brooding, et cetera. Later that evening, Viscaria stops off at Hiems Tower to survey necessary repairs, as she has Terram-Fu and Architecture-Fu.
Later that night, Cygna attempts to harvest vis from the grapevine. She garners 3 vis. Viscaria explores her lab. Etienne and Azura hook up.
Friday morning, March 15, Cygna went back to the kitchen. Viscaria discovers that one of her prison-mates, Ursula, longs to be a shield grog -- provided she's given a dwarven hammer.
Friday afternoon, there will be a council meeting before the Sabbath starts.
Saturday, March 16, 1213 - A group of the new covenfolk go out to seek the refugees that have been reported to be camping to the south of Cijara.
Feel free to tweak this to your satisfication, but I really think this whole mess should just be thought of as "the first week of Spring." Micromanaging the amount of time available, when we'll shortly be working on the entire rest of the season, seems pointless.
) She can't imagine anything worse than losing a familiar or vice versa, and she really wants the cute li'l rodent to find the will to live. Would Folk Ken be appropriate since he's sentient, or would it require Animal Ken (which she doesn't have)?