Vulcanus grins. "Work, work, work..."
This conversation got buried under Sexy Time. I'm just going to move forward with Vocis heading to Sigmundo's cave. I was serious about that fire ward request, though.
Actually, I have an idea. Send Vulcanus and Fedora off on vacation. When Vibria returns, I will talk to her personally. But I do not want you to interrupt the negotiations with the dragon and distract her.
And she is not the temper tantrum type. More like the "steal your egg" type. And no matter whatever, there will be no excuse for going all berserk nuts and I will not tolerate it.
It is time to sweep everything along to the start of 1234. Put in your activities for 1230, 31,32, & 33. Four years progress. All Master members would receive 12 pawns of vis during that time, and officers would get another 12. Each year in which you provided an extra service for the covenant earns another 3 pawns per year. That is a total potential haul of 36 pawns. Plus you are owed some money.
Tool them up, apply results on your sheet, and when we are ready we shall open the Winter 1234 covenant meeting in which we swear in the new Journeyman magi.
Is Sigmundo's original copying agreement still valid? I have a season earmarked for copying a Finesse summa and need to make sure that's still happening.
well I suppose it is, unless someone else wants to derail the project 
Sigmundo never brought it up, so I assumed it was still valid. 8)
Is 36 pawns a hard cap? Because I have only worked up advancement for two and a half years, and of those 10 seasons I've already planned, eight of them are covenant service.
you can only earn wages once per year. More service beyond that is just for brownie points I suppose.
Did we decide who gets gets the [strike]suicide run[/strike] pleasure of telling Vibria about Vulcanus and Fédora, and what we're going to do about the newlyweds?
I have faith that Vibria can handle it better than Vocis is fearing. But if he really wants, he can go do it.
For the four years: Vulc draws 36 pawns in wages. The Artifex budget for that time is 46 pawns.
(Breakdown)
18 pawns opening Vibrias armor for enchantment
18 pawns opening Vocis' armor for enchantment
2 pawns turning both armors into Items of Quality
4 pawns putting "Unravelling the Fabric of Terram" into the Knight's Honor
4 pawns making two Unbreakable Aegises for the turb
He does spend two seasons working on an enchantment for himself, but he doesn't claim it as part of the Artificer budget, he pays for it out of his own pocket.
So, Ryu was getting antsy (as was I) waiting for progress in the proper thread. Questions were asked, conversations started, and after a long weekend of way too many private messages flying across the realm, we come up with this.
When Vibria returns to the covenant, she storms to Vulcanus's workshop, slams open the door, and glares at Bernhard and Ludwig. [color=red]”Out. Now.”
She glares at Fédora next. [color=red]”May I have a few minutes of your husband's time, sodalis?” she asks icily.
Vulcanus turns to Bernhard and Ludwig. “No, stay, both of you. We're working.” He then turns to Vibria. “Fedora does as she wishes, and this is her home now, too.”
[color=red]"I see,” Vibria replies. [color=red]”Are you sure you want your men, and your wife,” she says with a scowl aimed at Fédora, [color=red]”to hear this?"
Vulc shrugs, faking a nonchalance that he does not feel. "It's you who will be embarrassed by having witnesses to your temper tantrum."
Ludwig decides it's time for a quick break, and darts out the door.
[color=red]"Haven't you embarrassed me enough, Vulc?” Vibria says. [color=red]”I open my heart, tell you how I feel, and you repay me by running off and marrying the first woman who crosses your path?”
Fédora sidles up, places a hand on Vulc's arm, and says, [color=blue]"He knows what kind of woman I am, and what kind of woman you are. He obviously made the right choice."
"Vibria is a maga of House Flambeau," Vulcanus says, as though that means much more to him than it does to anyone else in the room. "Besides. Comparing yourself to other women is behavior unworthy of a woman of your caliber."
Fédora mutters something in Russian under her breath. It sounds nasty, but she doesn't leave Vulc's side.
"What did you expect me to do, Vibria? Track down the man you love and challenge him to a duel? Because I'm sorry, but that's not how it works. I don't know why you led me on for so long, but if I'm going to be someone's second choice, well…" he looks at Fédora with a strange expression, "At least it'll be with someone who isn't going to LIE to me about it!"
Fédora gets a surprised, confused look on her face.
[color=red]"What man? I was talking about you!"
Vulcanus scowls. "No you weren't. You said you weren't going to let me change your mind, not even your love for your grandfather or for whatever man you were in love with (that whole time when you were flirting with me!), or, I don't even know what you said, but Egon was there and he said you're a whore." Vulc's voice got louder and louder as he spoke, shouting by the end. "I mean, is it a coincidence that you're like, ALWAYS naked!? In front of as many people as possible!? I mean, I try to be a gentleman, but my God, woman, you couldn't keep your clothes on if you tied them on!"
[color=red]"You were about to come to blows with my grandfather when you thought he was insulting my virtue!" she yells back.
"WHAT VIRTUE?" Vulc bellows.
[color=red]"...And do you think I enjoy my clothes getting destroyed! You honestly think I enjoy everyone ogling me, looking at me like I'm a whore?”
"You led me on for months when you were always just stringing me along, for, I don't know, just to prove you could? All the while you were in love with some other guy? Well, you can just burn your clothes off and jump in a lake, okay?! Because I'm through with you making a fool out of me!"
[color=red]"Or having the one man I care for, the only one who's treated me with respect, the man I give my heart to, turn around and storm off calling me names?"
Vibria and Vulcanus are talking over each other, both of their voices raised.
"Well you'll have to sucker someone else into fighting him over you, because I'm not some pawn for you to play with!"
[color=red]"Dammit, Vulc, there is no other man! It was you! You were the one I had given my heart to. And...and...you take it and throw it away because you..."
"...You lie for months and now you throw one more lie into the mix? No. I'm not your fool anymore. Stop lying to me, we have to… we have to live in the same Aegis together. Treat me with some modicum of respect, even if you don't actually have any for me!"
Vibria start to cry, and stands there for a moment before she turns to go. [color=red]"I'm going to my sanctum. Alone. Because nobody cares about me, no one sees me for what I am."
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself. If you want people to care about you, pretending affection for them that you don't feel is not the way to do it." Vulc is no longer shouting, but he's still scowling.
Vibria stops at the door and turns back to look at Vulc, tears streaming down her face. [color=red]"The one man my heart belonged to, his name is Vulcanus of Flambeau. I thought no one could come between us. I guess I was wrong.
"I'm sorry you couldn't see my words for what they were. I'm sorry that you couldn't see how I loved you."
Vulcanus gets really still, and replies simply, "My name is Anselm of Rothenburg."
[color=red]"Anselm of Rothenberg,” Vibria repeats after a moment. [color=red]”I am Elena de Calbinyà." She swallows. [color=red]"I'm sorry that it took us this long to properly introduce ourselves."
"I'm not trying to introduce myself. I'm saying, you weren't in love with me. There is no Vulcanus of Flambeau, that's just a name I made up when I was Gauntleted. I am Anselm of Rothenburg. And that's who Anastasia married."
[color=blue]"Are you going to block our door all evening?" Fédora snaps. [color=blue]"My husband and I would like to have some dinner before it gets cold."
Vulc frowns and looks confused, then finally turns to Vibria. "Elena, this is my wife Anastasia. She is uncomfortable with you being in our home, but you and I can talk later, if you wish."
Vibria looks at the couple for a minute, then smiles. [color=red]"A pleasure to meet you, Anastasia. And congratulations on your wedding. You married the finest man I know, and I wish you all the happiness in the world.
"And, yes, I would like that. We have some misunderstandings to straighten out, it seems."
Vulc cries manly tears a little bit, and Vibria goes back to her sanctum with a heavy heart.
...
The first thing Vulc does when the door is closed is ask Fédora if she believed any of what Vibria said. Fédora looks at the door for a minute, then at Vulcanus. She takes her time before she answers.
[color=blue]“She's the one you were talking about, isn't she? The one you had hoped would bear your children?”
Vulc nods. "Yes. I mean, I pretty much based those hopes on the fact that she's young enough to bear children for many years to come, and she's a Flambeau, and she's got a nice rack."
[color=blue]“She was telling the truth, my husband,” Fédora says. [color=blue]“I don't particularly like her, nor trust her. But you are my husband, and I swore to be ever faithful to you, to myself if not to God.
“If you go to her...all I ask is that you always be honest to me,” she says with her chin up, [color=blue]“and do not forget that you have a loyal wife, and that you have a duty to your wife.” She kisses him quickly on the lips and turns toward the bedroom.
He grabs her arm. "Don't go. ...Please.
"I will talk to her, I owe her that much. The last woman, Gemma... she used me, she played me for a fool, and she left me for my rival, the man who destroyed my parens' talisman, after his own parens slew mine. I won't lie, it means a lot to me that Vibria wasn't trying to use me, or play me for a fool. But..." he swallows nervously, and goes on, "...But it means much, much more to me, that you would tell me the truth, even when the truth might hurt you.
"It is plain to see that I don't deserve a wife like you. But I think that no man ever does, and I will try to do everything in my power to be worthy of you." He touches Fedora's cheek fondly. "I will talk to Vibria, and soon, because I owe her an apology. But I swore sacred vows, to love and honor and cherish you, and I will keep those vows. I would keep them, even if you were not an amazing woman with a true and generous heart. But you are." Then he wipes his eyes off on his apron and smiles. A sad smile, but a genuine one.
Fédora smiles back. [color=blue]"We may not have a fairy-tale marriage...but we have a true one. And I think I could have done a lot worse than to wind up with you.”
"Well, I do have great abs. Have you seen my lats?" He flexes gratuitously.
She hugs him tight and gives him a quick kiss, then whispers, [color=blue]"Now...I suppose you're going to try to invent a spell to give me a rack like hers?" with a teasing smile, then runs her hand across his abs, his lats, and other muscles.
He peeks down the front of Fedora's tunic, and shakes his head. "No. You're perfect the way they are." He coughs. "Uhh. The way you are. Is what I said."
...
Vulcanus goes to talk to Vibria. As soon as the door opens, he blurts: "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I really thought you meant you were telling me that you were already spoken for." He shakes his head sadly. "I care for you, but I swore holy vows before God and men, and I will keep them. But you will always be my sodalis and my friend, if you'll have me."
Vibria nods slowly. [color=red]"Vulcanus. Anselm. In all the time you've known me, have you ever seen me look at another man?"
He shrugs stupidly. "No, but I've never seen you look at me either."
[color=red]"How could you think that I meant someone else? Could you not tell that I was flirting with you, trying to catch your attention?"
"Honestly? Because you said 'the man I love' and we don't know each other anywhere near well enough to speak of love."
[color=red]"I understand. I would never ask you to betray your wife. I would happily be your friend, even if that's all we can be. And I will..."she sighs deeply. [color=red]"I will survive. I will go on, and I will be the stronger for it."
"You'll meet someone someday. A good man…though he won't have my abs, or my lats, or my pecs… let alone my brains. I mean, I'm basically the most brilliant mind in the Order, maybe even the world." His voice trails off as he ponders the likelihood of ever meeting his intellectual equal. "But he'll probably be less oblivious. And have less of an ego...pretty fair trade."
Vibria giggles, then gives Vulc a quick peck on the cheek. [color=red]"I hope so. But I should probably let you be, at least for a few weeks. I wouldn't want your new wife to get jealous."
"She won't be. She's… much more than I expected, and more than I could have hoped. She knows I wouldn't break my wedding vows even if I had married a shrew or a hag. And she's very well aware that she is neither of those things. So if you need a FRIEND," he stresses that word way too much, because he completely lacks subtlety, "I will always be here for you, any time you need me. But don't kiss me again, not even on the cheek, because it's disrespectful to my wife."
[color=red]"Thank you. And I'm sorry if...well, I'm sorry for the way I acted toward you. I should have been more open,and more honest with you. I'll be better in the future.”
He just nods.
Your grandfather cares about you and sees only what a wonder woman and wizard you are 
(end emo moment)
I wonder how Vibria and Roberto will get along when they finally meet? I will be playing him straight from the hip as pure player character, so it should be interesting. I look forward to it 
I do not look forward to the first time Roberto meets Vulcanus. They are not going to get along at all...
Perhaps we should best avoid them ever meeting?
How is that decided?
For exemple, after we discussed the ballista together, as this was for the covenant and gifted to it, I assumed that it was service, with vis provided by Andorra.
But then, some people may have objections about it. If a magus wants to create something for the covenant, who decides it is service? What's to stop someone from taking one of his pet projects and calling it covenant service?
And even then, assuming it is service, how does it work? Do I get the extra vis and pay for the enchantment on my own stores? Do I get nothing of it?
Oh, for another exemple, vulcanus and vibria: How is a magus doing an enchantment for another maga a covenant service?
Not arachné, for sure! She stays faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar away from these two.
Ah Ah Ah! Awesome! What a jerk! 
Excellent Great read overall, thanks!
I assumed Carmen was going to deal with it, one way or the other.
+1 to that. Very good stuff. And for the record, Bernhard thinks Vulc made the right call.
Just decide it. We are kind of loose with things around here. So far. Things may change one day, but for now it is sort of arbitrary.
It isn't. Because the Artifex decided it wasn't. The vis for that enchantment came out of Vulc's own pocket. He took a salary for creating the armor, and the covenant paid the cost of opening it for enchantment and turning it into an item of quality. But as the original posts about it stated, the enchantment he put in it was on his own time, with his own dime.
...Thanks? I think?
I definitely left him lots of room to grow as a person. And the direction stories have taken him is not where I expected. But that's a bit like life, right?
[/quote]
You're welcome, and thank you for the compliments!
Now... Why am I still awake?
Somehow, I was pretty sure he would approve