364 Reset

"It is wonderful to see you again, Montaug" Diana shook the hand of the dignitary with a beaming smile on her face, equally entertained by the extravagance of the reception and surprised at how expertly spaced the fanfare was from their little party. Clearly audible, impressively so, but not overbearing to the point where conversation was difficult. "Though, I have to say the band is a bit overkill."

"The pleasure is mine, Lady Diana, though I am afraid I must inform you this procession is not for you." He allowed himself a chortle before bowing as deeply as his aging body allowed to the woman astride of Diana. "It is my greatest honor to welcome you to the Sanctum, Archbishopess of Chastity. I am the Montaug, your most humble of servants."

"Oh, please, Montaug, you and I both know the authority of our stations are equivalent!" Monda clearly felt a little embarrassed by this whole show, having elected to don her standard drab uniform instead of something more suited to a ceremony - a choice spurred on by Diana's own outfit. It should have been fairly obvious to her at some point that Diana's formal wear was comfortable enough to wear casually without issue, however this tidbit seemed to have been lost somewhere along the way.

"Be that as it may your holiness, it remains a matter of fact that I am to be your mentor and advisor during your time here. As such I will do everything in my power to assist you in your endeavors." Patting his chest, his attention then returned to Diana. "The same courtesy shall extend to you, naturally."

"Thank you, Montaug. I'll be in your care."

"Hm, then shall we make our way to the barracks? I think it would be wise to discuss lodgings for the both of you this semester."

"Will I not be staying with you, Montaug?"

"If it pleases you then I will not voice an objection, but given the purpose of your visit I would consider the accommodations to be sorely lacking."

"I'm used to squalor, sir."

"Being used to a condition and having to work within its confines are separate matters in their entirety, your holiness. To have our dignitary most high entertain guests as a beggar might would not reflect upon us well."

"But you-"

"My role is a ceremonial one - and as I am certain you are quite aware - sacrificial in nature. I have my luxuries, that much I will not deny, but my primary diplomatic is not to build and maintain connections as you do." The Montaug tilted his head towards her, suggesting a reference to something beyond Diana's knowledge. "Lodgings are a weapon in our trade, as are the furnishings they hold within. I understand you will not be given the opportunity to utilize them offensively with any meaningful degree of frequency, however it is my sincere recommendation that you enjoy their comforts while you are here. Speak with a few of our architects and interior designers when you get the opportunity, you may find their insight and experience more useful than they seem."

"U-understood sir." Monda nodded, cowed by whatever the implication was. "I'll take your words to heart."

"Ah, cheer up, I did not mean to admonish you. Instead I would take it as my recommendation to enjoy the luxuries at your disposal. One such as yourself cannot find themselves awed by them when you begin your duties in earnest, and I think you've suffered on your own for long enough." His demeanor shifted from one of constrained politeness to open geniality, transforming into something more along the lines of a grandfather in an instant. "Consider it training if you must, though the impending festivities are more a celebration of your first diplomatic mission!"

"Were her visits to my domain not missions then?" A familiar head of red hair strolled up to the ramp with an empty glass in hand.

"Drinking already, Cholst?"

"Just a bit of juice this time old man, don't wanna make the hangover worse." The Casanova sighed, making no attempt to conceal his exhaustion in spite of the occasion. "Anyways, is Ilfalia really not considered a diplomatic mission?"

"As there is currently no legitimate head of state, we cannot recognize it as possessing someone equivalent to an Archbishop." Monda smiled at Cholst regardless of his impropriety. Even if his behavior was unbecoming of his status, he was a familiar face. "As such, all of my journeys to Ilfalia qualify as goodwill visits rather than official diplomatic missions."

"Hm. I suppose I'll have to fix that then."

"That we will." An uncomfortable silence descended upon the four of them, though Diana was not entirely certain as to why. She gathered it had something to do with Cholst's father, she'd learned of his story from Donovan, but the details eluded her still. "Bah, another time."

"Indeed, Montaug, indeed. This is supposed to be a celebration! We brought out the band and everything! Can't be spoiling the mood over old wounds." Cholst took Monda's hand an gave it a brief kiss. "Welcome to the Sanctum, Archbishopess."

"Thank you, Prince Cholst."

"Welcome back, Lady Diana." He forewent the kiss on the back of the hand for Diana, no doubt because Donovan was approaching from the rear.

"Thank you, Cholst."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a date to attend to." Bowing to the women, he offered Donovan only a handshake and a nod before returning to a young lady on the periphery.

"Shall move to the courtyard, your holiness? There are a few people I would like to introduce you to." The Montaug took Cholst's departure as his cue to escort Monda. "Donovan, Diana, I think you'll find your friends over by the tables. I look forward to a year of . . . entertaining news, let us say."

- - - - -

"LADY DIANA!!!" A sobbing wreck of a woman wrapped Diana in a great big hug as soon as she entered her field of view, the act surprising a woman who'd been expecting a much more dignified greeting. "I'VE MIZZED YU ZO MUCH!!!"

"There there, Cherry. There there." She brought a hand up to stroke the hair of her most devoted of maidservants, an act which invoked some measure of alarm in Miya. "I'm back, see?"

"I know! I tried to keep the, um, the drink last for as long as possible, but it was so tasty I just couldn't help myselfandIdrankitallinlikeaweekandI'msosorryIshouldhavesaveditforlongerI'msorryI'msorryI'msorry-"

"Calm down." She cut off Cherry's breakdown with a sharp squeeze on the bicep, which had the added benefit of buying her a bit of space. "It's okay, Cherry. I'm not mad at you for drinking it. If anything I'm happy you liked it so much!"

Diana looked down at the young lady with a smile, noting with slight distress that her words seemed to have only accelerated the rate at which Cherry was descending into a complete wreck. Genuine tears of gratitude began to form in Cherry's eyes as her lip quivered, however the real source of concern was the snot beginning to dribble out from her nostril. Under no circumstances could she let that glob get on her clothes, but she couldn't exactly push her away.

"That's enough out of you, Cherry." Salvation arrived in the form of the ever reliable head maid, who seemed to have appeared from the ether to drag her subordinate away by the ear. "Glad to see you back, Lady Diana. It is my pleasure to serve you for another year."

"Ah, Gretts, wonderful to see you again!" Diana could not bring herself to thank Gretts openly lest she upset Cherry further, but the nod hidden in her curtsy should have gotten through all the same. "I take it we aren't in the same building this year?"

"No, but I think you'll find them all to be more or less the same. Biggest difference would be the foliage outside and maybe some of the trim."

"What of the rest of the girls from last year? Will they also be serving us?"

"Naturally. Of course I had to pull a few strings, but aside from one of the girls who got married over the break and a couple of new hires to handle a full barracks, we're all here!" She let go of Cherry's ear, who immediately stood up and offered a sloppy salute. "The old man over there was awfully amenable to the request, as was the Librarian, so I'd give them a word of thanks when you get the chance."

"I will do that, thank you. And send my regards to the one who got married. I'll think of something fitting to send her as a wedding present when I can, maybe something for the inevitable baby."

"She'll appreciate it, not that I expect her to be gone for long." Gretts took a moment to right Cherry's uniform before patting her on the back to send her away. "Her husband will be deployed in a month or so, so I've kept a spot open for her return. She'll need the money, and they can save on housing costs. Spoil her a bit then."

Diana permitted a smirk to form on her face as she deciphered the implication of Gretts' words. Newlyweds to be separated for a time due to work? A desperate need for money and 'housing'? She was going to have to welcome a young woman in a situation similar to Petunia's.

"I'll see you later, Gretts." How fortunate they were to have the Pegasus up and running - presumably there'd be enough time to handle the delivery before returning to Nectar. Perhaps a name change was in order, something like 'Stork' or 'Nufer'. 

"Whenever you so please, my lady." She nodded before leaving herself. "And Donovan, Sir, I'll be leaving the security of my girls' dignity in your hands."

"Understood, madam." He returned her nod understanding why she'd gone through the headache in the first place. Donovan could not imagine any of those in his barracks - who were to be overwhelmingly Holifanian this year - would mistreat the maidservants the same way a noble might, but he would impose his rules upon them regardless. They were to be treated with respect, no questions asked.

"Ah, my hubby~ Colder than ice and harsh as a blizzard, for women and children the ultimate wizard~" Diana leaned into Donovan once Gretts was out of earshot, waxing poetic with a teasing tone.

"Would you prefer the opposite?"

"No, I just thought it a bit entertaining that for all of your stoic and machine-like traits you seem to have a soft spot for the weak." She lowered her voice after placing a kiss on his neck, offloading some of her weight onto him while on the tips of her toes. "Besides, I know how that flips in the bedroom - passionate, animalistic, and a weakness for my soft spots."

"In public?" Titanyana had gone ahead to introduce Miya to Wall and Sanna leaving Donovan and Diana to themselves for the moment, but there were still people nearby.

"Would you like to?" The intentional misunderstanding earned her a frustrated glance from Donovan, who could not do anything with the amount of eyes on him. "I didn't know you had a thing for exhibitionism, but I'm sure I can manage."

"Diana."

"Sorry, sorry." She dropped back down, still hugging his arm. "There's an easy way to make these sorts of jokes stop, you know?"

"Is there?"

"Mhm, you just have to put a baby in me." She needn't see his face to know his eyes were rolling. That said, his exasperation was not enough of a reason to halt her advances. Donovan would have to give in eventually, a fact he was well aware of, and she didn't think it would hurt if he folded a little bit earlier than he wanted. "I can't really ask you to ravage me with a baby in my belly."

"Give it a few years."

"You could give me one for a few years now so you don't have to later."

"Diana."

"Donovan?"

"You really don't know when to stop, do you?"

"I could say the same of you~"

The smile plastered across her face only widened when he sighed, a silent admission of defeat in a verbal spar. She also understood there was likely to be a punishment for this skirmish when there were no longer eyes on them, however it was the sort of punishment she very much looked forward to. Having Titanyana sleep together with them was nice, but their relationship was not one where she felt comfortable doing any other nighttime activities in her presence. To say she was pent up would be an understatement.

"Behave yourself."

"Yes daddy~"

"Diana."

It was impossible to stop her snickers from escaping, so she didn't. She and Donovan might be guests of honor but this was a welcoming ceremony for Monda, something which was evident if one looked at where the attention was being focused. Almost everyone here was a Holifanian, so except for a select few expressing a passing interest in them and their ship, everybody was crowding around or at least trying to get a look at the Archbishopess of Chastity - one of the most important figures in their country. The young men looked to be particularly interested in garnering some form of attention from her, no doubt aiming to be selected as her husband.

Diana pitied such men, assuming Monda would not like such individuals based on their interactions. Monda expressed some interest in Donovan, so it was reasonably safe to assume she appreciated a well conditioned male form, however her meek persona would not mesh well with someone who was a showoff or pushy. A serious, dedicated man who was calm and reasonable would be perfect for the young woman, especially when she considered her occupation. A diplomat would need a partner like a rock - firm, unyielding, steady - not dissimilar to Bishop Kayes . . . which was probably how he ended up as the previous Archbishopess' husband. 

In fact, Diana firmly believed someone like Donovan, if not Donovan himself, would be the perfect partner for Monda. A big part of her reasoning was because she occupied a similar role to Monda, and therefore the perfect partner for her would be a natural fit for both of them. Of course she realized the majority of her reasoning more or less came down to her belief that Donovan was just the perfect man. She could honestly see him with just about every unmarried woman her age she came across. Hell, even the Arboreal Maiden - whom she still felt some level of animosity towards - had a character suggesting a romantic relationship with Donovan could perform reasonably well.

"Something wrong?" Donovan kissed her hair, no doubt concerned that her joyous attitude faded so quickly into contemplation.

"No, I just started thinking about something."

"What about?"

"Nothing in particular." She smiled back at him, suddenly much happier she was the primary object of his affection than she had been before. Nonetheless, she now had a few questions.