If he had thought the journey to Taengea had been awful; the return had been a nightmare. There had been some horrific weather which had knocked the boat from side to side, and that had been utterly frightful when paired with the lack of comfort these boats provided. Papa should buy some ships and have them made up specifically for leisurely travel purposes, else Rafail was almost positive he would not survive a future journey.
Having arrived back in Athenia earlier that morning, he had retired to his chambers almost immediately upon return to the Marikas home, taking the opportunity to nap for a couple of hours and clear his head. He'd then bathed, the kind of long hot bath he'd missed on the return journey, enjoyed a goblet of wine and a facial and dressed himself up in all his finery. He would not be stopped from dressing as elegantly as usual just because he had been suffering that morning. Once Rafail was sure he looked stunning in a dark blue with golden accents and hair swept behind his ears, he had left his chambers to make his way down to lunch with the rest of the family.
It seemed the rest of his family were not so eager to see him, however, as Rafail was the only Marikas in the dining hall. Hmph. As soon as he came across any of them, they would be informed just how little he thought of their lack of excitement to see him, especially when he had gone through the effort of dressing himself up so. He would have at least expected Sofia to be present!
Dropping himself with some frustration into the seat at the head of the table, Rafail heaved a deep sigh, reaching out to pull off a chunk of bread. Honestly, if people weren't going to be appreciating his presence the way he both deserved and expected, then something was severely wrong. He simply required constant praise and the sheer fact that he had arrived early for lunch was no excuse whatsoever for the current lack of it.
Daniil let out a long sigh. She was restless but could not put her finger on the why of it.
The house was quiet, too quiet for her current mood, though she ha heard that her uncle would be returning soon.
She was sitting in the house garden reading when she heard the sudden scurry of feet that usually announced that someone had either left or come home.
She was sure that it was Rafi, but she also knew better then to welcome him right off because he would likely be in a cranky mood. She had made sure that the stores were well stocked with ointments and such to help with ailments like muscle strain and other such pains.
One of the servants approached her and said, "Mistress? Just thought you should know that your Uncle is returned."
Daniil nodded and waved her away. She knew what that meant. Either the early or late meal would be with the family. She shivered, worried that something would go amiss.
She worried what would happen and prayed silently, asking Athene for aid. Lady of the Grey Eyes, please let us all enjoy one meal in peace?
She picked up her scroll and made her way back into the house. She made her way to her room and debated which of the gowns she wanted to wear.
Her servants helped her settle on moss green one. It would bring out the green of her eyes and complement her dark looks.
She took a bath, the water scented lightly with the lavender that many associated with her. She had to be every inch a lady, and she would be.
Thoughts of Linos floated through her mind as she soaked and she found herself laughing in the pure joy of it. If only her uncle could hear that.
Her servants did her hair in a nice upsweep with a matching ribbon woven in her dark hair.
Daniil came into the dining room and stopped just inside the door and just watched, an actual smile playing across her lips.
Her uncle was a sight to behold in his deep blue trimmed in gold. He was always a sight to be seen but rarely did Daniil let down her guard to tell him so.
She did not see any other members of the family in the room. I wonder if they realize that Rafi is back home or do they not really care? she asked silently as she watched him. She could tell that he was not all that happy.
"Uncle, tis good to see you home." she said still smiling and her voice carried a note of actual joy.
It was true that, generally, Rafail preferred to take his meals alone. He enjoyed them in his chambers without the potential of other people irritating him although, that said, he rarely objected to a family dinner. It may not have been obvious, but he did like his family, for the most part. Pavlos was a nuisance only due to his age and in that way that brothers always were, and his nieces could irritate him with their feminine (or otherwise) nonsense. There was rarely anything as bothersome about Sofia or Papa - most of his troubles appeared to come from Pavlos's side of the family - but they had their moments, as anyone did.
Despite everything, he had been looking forward to seeing them again after his trip, which was the sole reason why he had come down for lunch. It was enough of a nuisance that nobody appeared to be present, but that stress was increased when he heard that familiar voice and glanced up to see that the only person who had joined him for the meal so far was his youngest niece, Daniil. She had been neatly dressed up in a bright green shade, her hair done up carefully and made to look like an actual lady. It was a look that was rare on her, but he appreciated the effort. Evidently, his constant comments on just how she should be acting had sunk in.
"If it is so good to see me, I would have assumed the rest of the family would come to greet me," Rafail responded, a pout on his face as he waved an arm to gesture his niece over to take a seat. He couldn't have her awkwardly hovering in the doorway while they attempted to have a conversation: as ever, he required the girl's full attention.
Leaning back in his seat, he reached out for a goblet of wine, downing it easily before he turned to speak to her once more. It had been a long while since he was last home and, surely, a lot must have happened. Of course, it was entirely plausible that without Rafail's presence everything had slowed to a halt in the Marikas household, but he did have some hope that his family knew how to keep things interesting.
"I know that life without me is so dreadfully dull but I imagine something of interest must have happened? Did they take good care of my horses?"
Daniil stood in the doorway her hazel eyes alert and she knew that if family wanted to be there they would have either all ready appeared or would be screaming at her back for her to move.
"Uncle, I cannot speak for them. I for one, am glad that you are home. I must say you look very handsome in that shade of blue."
There we go, play to his looks, get him to relax some. Besides when he pouted he reminds me of my so-called-father. she thought, a momentary flicker of irritation appearing in her eyes. Aloud she added, "That pout does not become you. I would rather see you smile Uncle. You look much more handsome that way." Her tone was very gently and held no reproach or anything else in it. He looked much more handsome when he was smiling.
Daniil could not recall the last time that it was just her and her uncle in a room. She crossed the room and joined him at the table with a soft smile.
"Your horses are fine Uncle. I made sure of that. As to happenings...." her voice trailed off and she shifted her gaze in the hopes of hiding the blush that began to climb up her cheeks. She took a breath her mind a whirl. Gods..... no no no no! Don't let him see that. she begged whichever of the divine twelve was listening.
Taking a deep breath and working to control her emotions she finally said "I spent a good deal of it studying and helping with the house when needed." she told him reaching for her goblet and taking a sip. Her eyes trained on him gauging his reactions to her words.
Life with her uncle was at times like walking a tight rope, but she was willing to walk that rope because he was also the one person that did not treat her like she was some kind of plague for being a woman. It had been a fight in fact for him to get her to embrace her femininity. In time she became more comfortable in her own skin though she still kept up on her sword work and horsemanship. Rafi did not like the fact that his niece could use a sword, but he also did not seem to be upset that she could ride a horse as he loved his own collection of them.
"Are you implying that my family does not care for me?" Rafail objected, his eyes turning stormy at the mere suggestion that that could be the case. He knew for certain that everyone in the family thought very dearly of him, if solely because any other option seemed ridiculous. He cared for them, despite how little he might have done to show it, hence they should care for him.
Daniil clearly knew that this was a subject that should not be brought up, however, as she quickly covered it up with a compliment, knowing full well that he would not be able to resist it. He did look incredibly handsome in the shade of blue he had chosen to wear that day - it was the same colour he had worn for his first meeting with the Leventi girl, the sort of colour he wore when he had intentions of making himself look twice as good - and he was pleased that his niece could recognise that in him. It would do her good in life if she could learn to speak to all men in such a nicely subservient manner. "I do look stunning," he agreed. "And I suppose you're looking quite pretty yourself, for once. If you wore that kind of gown more often, it would do you wonders."
It seemed her ladylike manner would only be lasting a moment, however, as Daniil almost immediately ruined herself by attempting to tell Rafail that he should smile more often. Yes, of course, he knew he could have chosen to show off his smile and hence look more handsome still but he preferred to save his grin for more exclusive occasions. If one simply threw around their smile as carelessly as that, then it was hardly special, and he wanted it to be special. "I will smile when I wish to. It is not your place to tell me how I look my best. Focus on making yourself look better. You're twenty-one, aren't you? You should be married by now. Perhaps if you were to improve your own appearance, you might be able to secure a man more easily."
Once she was seated and had answered his query about his horses - honestly, that was all Rafail really cared about - his gaze naturally turned away, running over the rest of the room. It was lucky, perhaps, that he had not been looking at her, else he might have noticed the redness in her face as she answered his question. The answer she gave, however, was not so exciting as that blush might have implied. Studying and helping with the house? If she had nothing interesting to say, then why even say it?
"Well, at least you're doing something appropriate. That's quite the change. I almost expected you to claim you had spent the time doing nothing but that fighting you know I loathe. I suppose that much is commendable."
As soon as the words left her uncle's mouth Daniil flinched as if he had hit her. She closed her eyes for a few moments and tried to fight the urge to either find a hole to go hide in or run.
I would have rather you hit me then those words.... she thought fighting to stay in control.
She took another breath and then opened her eyes and looked at him for a moment and then her gaze moved to the wall of the room. "I didn't mean that Uncle. I am sorry."
She bit her lip hard. She had not meant for any implication of the sort. She adored her uncle even if she often played otherwise. Her gaze was glued to the floor until he spoke again an his words made her blush to the roots of her hair a deep shade of red.
Her voice came out as squeak. "Thank you Uncle. And again yes you look stunning. His next words made her flinch again and she went back to biting her lip. Don't you dare start crying in here. Don't give him the satisfaction. she silently screamed at herself.
At his question she nodded and she looked back at him and said "Yes Uncle."
Inside the storm raged. She was not about to loose her temper in front of him. I am waiting for the day that I do find someone so I can throw your words back in your face! she thought.
Daniil nearly dropped the goblet she was holding at his words, but at the last moment her grip tightened on the stem, but not enough to break it.
So is that what you really think? That all I do is sit on my hands while you are not here? Wow. And as to the fighting, if you men would stop with the stupid notions that we women were stupid and only good for sating your carnal needs, then maybe things would be better. she hissed at him silently.
She blushed again at his words, but didn't trust herself to speak aloud. She was in no mood to give him the delight of an I told you so if she admitted that she was able to focus on her studies with there being more peace in the house and other chores were actually more enjoyable. She understood, she hoped, why he enjoyed peace and quiet.
Rafail had never liked it when people claimed 'they didn't mean to'. It was a pathetic excuse as far as he was concerned because people tended to mean every single thing they did. Rafail did, at least, and he preferred not to make stupid excuses like that. Whenever he did anything, he made clear that everyone was aware of just how proud he was to have done it.
"Don't make excuses for yourself. If you have done something wrong, then you accept it, and you apologise, and you say nothing else. No man wants to listen to his wife rabbit on about how 'she did not mean' to make a mistake." He, at least, knew that he did not plan to spend the rest of his life listening to a woman ramble about her errors. The girl's only saving grace was that she knew when to compliment others, and he was almost incapable of resisting a compliment. "Pav should really have you taking lessons in how to behave. I cannot fathom why he allows this sort of behaviour."
His niece's frustration at the situation was palpable. Her face had darkened to a shade of deep red which was hardly flattering, and her expression was somewhat put-out. Rafail could not help but find it mildly amusing, expression twitching into a smirk as he took another sip from his newly-refilled goblet. There was a certain appeal when people were so trying, and you managed to put them down so quickly and more so when they did not have it in them to argue.
That said, the silence was growing dull very fast, and especially so because Rafail had none other to speak with. Had Papa or even Sofia been present, then this would have been a different matter, as he could have completely ignored the girl - if one could even call her a girl at this point - but given that neither of them was present, he supposed he was forced to interact with her.
"Are you going to sit there in complete silence for the rest of this meal?" he questioned, reaching out to take some more food for himself, filling his plate with some cheeses and olives, and a small quantity of bread. "Has no one else in the household done anything of interest since I was last home?"
Daniil took a sip from her glass not saying a thing right off. She just listened. He had a point in his words.
"It would be nice if people would make up their minds on what they want. Gods Above between you two is a wonder I am still sane!" Daniil said. She didn't raise her voice at him but she was tired of feeling like she was being pulled in many different directions at one time. She took another sip from her goblet. "Really?" It was like she couldn't believe that he had just dragged her father into the conversation.
Has it escaped your notice Uncle that Father might as well be a ghost to his daughters let alone his wife? Apparently not if you said that. she thought as she fought to control the rage that was now loose in the room.
"Uncle? When was the last time you saw my father in the same room with any of his family, other then special occasions?"she asked slowly. She took another breath and remembering his chastisement, said softly. "I am sorry for my words Uncle, but in all honesty. I feel like I am being pulled by opposing forces, each wanting me to go their way... You want me to be a woman and yet my own father barely pays me any attention, and he is also not really paying attention to any of his other daughters. We might as well not exist to him." She reached for another grape and bit it in half. "Agathe and I will not likely ever get along. She has disliked me from the moment I was born. Had I been born Father's cherished heir, things would have been different for us all." She was trying to be honest with him and to have something more then a fight with him.
She took a sip from her goblet and picked up a piece of fruit as she tried to swallow the bitterness that rose in her throat. "As much as it may hurt to hear or for me to say, you have been the closet thing to an actual father that I have." She looked at him. The tears were close but she was not going to shed them, at least not here.
All either one of you want is a puppet that you can foist onto another house for an alliance. she thought. I would love to do nothing more then to wipe that smirk off your face and put you on your ass. she thought as she munched the grape.
She was never going to make either man happy, and she knew it then.
When he commented on her silence she smirked some. "From what I have heard, Elena is doing well on her music, Mother is well and Agathe is, well, Agathe, but truth be told we don't really talk unless its just useless chatter. I've spent most of my time when I have been studying outside the house in the garden or I have been taking in the city. Oh and yes, you might be surprised to find that I have managed to catch the eye of a young man. And I have been studying philosophical fallacies, which I must say are interesting." she said in a calm and normal voice. She was careful to leave out the mention of her arms training nor was there any mention of her father. There would likely never be unless her plan came to fruition.
"I know full well what I want, and especially so when it comes to you. There is no mind that need be made up; this is quite the simple matter. I suppose it is more complicated for a woman to understand given that you do have a lesser grasp on the world." The man shrugged, drumming his fingers on the tabletop and he listened to the rest of his niece's ranting, her nonsense about how her father did not care for her. Of course, Rafail was not stupid. He knew his brother had little interest in any of his daughters, and he fully understood why that was. It must be such a terrible disappointment to have had three children and have all three of them be female. Papa had only had one daughter, he could hardly relate, and Rafail himself had none and planned to have none. He would have nought but sons. But he supposed he could put himself in the position of his brother.
Daniil was quite the pessimist and, although he would never have labelled himself an optimist, it was quite frustrating to handle. "I do not care how you feel. Pavlos has spoiled the lot of you to become irritating and whiny and to complain near endlessly about your gender." Rafail raised his gaze to meet hers, eyebrows furrowed together in obvious irritation at her words. "I am your Father's heir. I shall be Head of this house after him. You can silence yourself with all of these silly fantasies of being a man."
Now, of course, his niece was attempting to go for the sentimental card. He ignored the comment and the way she looked at him, waiting for the conversation to move onto something less boring. Less sentimental. Rafail had never been a fan of such mawkishness: he could barely recall crying unless it was because he'd wanted something. This nonsense about him having been a father to her, it was nothing more than just that, sheer nonsense, and he made his thoughts on the matter obvious with a derisive snort.
"A man?" Rafail repeated, naturally surprised to hear such a thing from his youngest niece of all people. Had it been Agathe who had found a romantic interest whilst he'd been away, well, he would hardly have questioned it but Daniil? If anything, he would have expected her to favour the fairer sex. The increase in his level of interest was obvious as he raised an eyebrow, pausing a moment from picking at his food to see exactly what she had to say on the subject. Naturally, he wanted to make his own decisions on this young man before his niece settled on him. "Who is he? You are aware there are certain standards you are expected to live up to, aren't you? I don't want to hear my niece is marrying some poor idiot. Papa would never allow me to marry down, and I don't expect anything less for you. You still have the potential to be of use."
Welcoming home a family member from their various travels was regular and customary in the Marikas family, but never was it quite such a draining affair than when said family member was Rafail. He expected the world and more, from everyone he came across, and treated his family no different. Panos knew that he contributed to this deplorable state of affairs, but for the time being, he could see no benefit in righting that wrong.
It was bothersome, however, that the boy (and yes, Panos insisted on reffering to his youngest son as a boy in his thoughts) had all but blown his nose and wiped his ass with the union himself and Pavlos had worked hard to forge with Evangelina. Naturally, there was fallout from his actions, and Panos and Pavlos were now left scooping up the ashes and trying to repair what was left.
Not that Rafail cared.
What that meant was today's family affair was going to be trying on everyone. Rafail's moods were troublesome at the best of times, but the added consequences of the boy's actions added an extra strain on Panos' ability to remain patient and tolerant of his antics.
Panos spent the morning dealing with some urgent business with the senate, and said dealings took far longer than he had anticipated. As such, he was late to the family lunch.
He made his away from his study to the lunch, servants quickly opening doors to make way for him as he walked swiftly down the main corridor. He entered unannounced, but even before he had arrived he had heard Rafail's voice, complaining about something most likely, the sweet contrasting, and maybe a little strained voice of his granddaughter, Daniil.
As he entered, his ear did not fail him. Rafail sat at the head of the table - his brother's seat. This irked Panos slightly, but he ignored it. "Rafail, my son. Welcome home. I trust your journey was pleasant and swift?" He didn't look his way as he spoke, he could barely muster a smile, instead making his way toward Daniil. Reaching her, he put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed affectionately. "Granddaughter. Are you ill? You look a little flushed, my dear." There was some concern in his voice as he assessed his granddaughter as he walked around the table.
"And where is everyone else?" He was surprised to find he wasn't the only one late to the occasion.
Daniil took a long breath and let it out slowly and then slowly she raised an eyebrow in a silent question in regards to Rafail's mention of plans when it came to her.
We all have plans Uncle dear though what you have planned for me makes me curious, even though I should really not be by the dictates of our society. Oh yes, keep the house birth the children, but for the sake of the Gods keep your mouth shut. I love you but really you could do with a few swipes at your backside. she thought with a odd mix of irritation and amusement.
She loved her Uncle, and when he was in a good mood he was a joy to be around. But when he was in a mood he was now, he could make any person want to either wring his neck or put a foot up his rear. The only thing that stopped her was her ingrained respect of the man.
"Forgive me Uncle." she said softly. She was not about to openly admit that he was correct, openly, that she had done a good deal of complaining, but she could only hold it in so long before the family's famed temper took over and exploded like lava from a volcano. She took another breath and then reached for her goblet and took a sip.This gave him the chance to continue his rant against her, which, not surprising, he did.
Like Hades I will stop altogether, Uncle. she thought silently bristling. In your dreams Uncle. Aloud she set down her goblet and nodded. "I will endeavor to do better Uncle." she said. She didn't miss the snort he gave a short time later in result of her rant, but she chose to act like she did.
She could not help but smile as her declaration surprised her uncle and he showed it. She watched his eyebrow creep up as she took the time to actually fix herself a plate of food. She was actually enjoying the moment.
She was about to answer when she heard footsteps. She shifted to look at the doorway as she set down her plate. She waited and then suck in a breath at the sight of her grandfather Panos. Thank the Gods! Grandfather you are a sight for sore eyes! she thought giving him a genuine smile.
She scanned his face and new almost instantly that he had likely heard a good deal of her raging and there would likely be a chastisement coming at some point.
"Grandfather! Tis good to see you, and apologies, Uncle Rafail and I were just having a discussion and it got a little heated." her hand moved to rest on top of the one that he placed on her shoulder and she gave it a squeeze.
Daniil took a breath and said "Late sir, but they should be here soon."she said gently before she turned back to her Uncle and answered his question.
"You seem surprised and indeed I am aware that you have to approve of him Uncle, and I will abide the choice if you have other ideas, though I would be most curious as to whom you would match me with if not this one, if you would humor me Uncle."she said to him. She gave him a soft smile.
She took another breath and looked at her grandfather for a moment before returning her gaze to her Uncle.
A small smile started playing at her lips and a blush began to work its way from her neck to her cheeks, as she said, "It is Linos of Nikolaos "
For once, it seemed Daniil was heeding his words, and Rafail chalked it up to the fact that, clearly, at some point in the past few minutes of conversation she had had some epiphany, and had come to the conclusion that it was just better to take a deep breath and accept what he was saying rather than continuing to fight. He nodded his approval of her apology, watching to see if she had anything else to say or any other battles to fight. It seemed not to be the case, however, and even if she had intended to say anything, it was quickly interrupted by the arrival of another family member to the lunch. At last. Rafail had almost been inclined to think his entire family hated him, given how slow they had been in arriving.
"Papa," he'd greeted his father when he'd entered the room, his posture naturally straightening up from respect as he grinned at the man. Of course, he'd noticed the way his father had practically ignored him save to ask about his journey, instead focussing all his attention onto Daniil, and his expression had been practically begging to turn to pout, though he somehow kept it bright and courteous. It felt like Papa was always paying attention to other people now. Mama would have never done that to him. Still, he waited for his niece to finish answering before he too spoke. "I don't like boat travel. They don't have any respect for any of the luxuries required for such long journeys, and they don't care about my needs. You should buy boats and have them designed specifically for travel. Uncle Keikelius doesn't have that. You'd be better than him." At least, Rafail was quite sure his uncle didn't have it, and he was convinced his father would at least appreciate this newfound business acumen. It wasn't as though the man hadn't ever happened to comment on how he wished him to be more like Pavlos in the past. That said, he wasn't a thing like Pavlos, and he intended to make that clear whenever possible. "Speaking of my return journey, it's been a whole week since I last had the chance to go out and enjoy myself and I do so miss Athenia. I want to go shopping this afternoon. I need drachmae. A hundred, maybe."
Yes, the rest of the family were late, and Rafail couldn't say he approved. He had ignored the comment, drumming fingers on the tabletop while Daniil answered, and only giving any expression of acknowledgement once she began to respond to him about the man on her mind. "Linos of Nikolaos," he repeated, recognising the name. At least it gave him a reassurance that she was choosing well. Rafail had met the Nikolaos lord a few times before his trip abroad and, well, he supposed he liked him enough. He could already imagine plenty of uses for him, and a link through his niece was always beneficial. "I have met him a few times. He seems...good enough, I suppose. What do you think, Papa?"
There was a very good reason why Panos held this tongue and actively ignored the fact that indeed he had overheard some of the argument between his son and granddaughter; he only caught some of the end before he interrupted them with his presence, but he knew if he had heard anymore he may not have been able to contain himself toward Rafail. It was the main reason he hadn't yet looked at him.
His smile at Daniil was a little strained when she greeted him and admitted herself that they had been having a heated argument. He half-wished she had not. It made it all that more difficult for Panos to ignore it, like most of his other personal problems.
As Panos walked around the large table, listening to Rafail drawl about his trip. The suggestion that he should build a maritime empire to rival Keikelius' was absurd, and naturally, Panos ignored it. In all honestly, he ignored much of what his youngest had to say. Rarely it was of any consequence.
Panos wasn't surprised by the request for coin. Rafail asked for and spent the family drachmae almost as often as he opened his mouth. Panos let out a heavy sigh, finally bringing himself to settle an apathetic look toward him. "As you please."
Panos took a seat opposite his granddaughter, regarding the spread of fruits, foods and drink before him. Once seated, Daniil seemed to resume the conversation they were having before he had arrived. He was surprised, and had assumed it would be dropped, or at the very least, resumed later on in private. He looked up at Daniil, listening, piecing together her words with what he had heard down the corridor.
"It is Linos of Nikolaos."
Panos stared at his granddaughter, the color gently slipping up her neck at the mention of this boy's name making him slightly uncomfortable. She liked this boy. It was clear. Panos did not know much about love, but he knew the basic signs.
Drink. I need a drink.
Panos' hand reached out for the closest goblet of wine, and slowly brought it to his lips so as not to betray his inner turmoil. It was only a matter of seconds before-
"What do you think, Papa?"
Mid-sip, Panos looked from his granddaughter, to his son briefly, and then to the table as he gently put his goblet down, swallowing the wine. Fuck.
He knew the family. They were nobility, and a respectable family, but they were not royal. This was a problem. House Marikas was one of the oldest Athenian royal bloodlines for many reasons; intermarrying with noble families was not one of them.
The time ticked by slowly, stretching painfully. He looked back up at his granddaughter across the table, his dear, sweet granddaughter. "Have you spoken to your father about this?"
Daniil reached for a handful of grapes and munched on them while she listened to the men talk. It was better that way for this afternoon. She wondered what the other missing members of the family would have to say for themselves then they joined the rest of the family for lunch. Uncle Rafi tended to become out of sorts when he was not the one on center stage, and their lateness meant that for the brief time after their arrival, that he would not be the center of the universe and that would sour his mood.
The sight of that ever so rare smile on her uncle's face made her smile as she slid a grape in her mouth. Why can't you do that more often Uncle? You have the most amazing smile. Instinctively she felt her body mimic her uncle's straightening up in response to the arrival of her grandfather.
Her attention shifted to her grandfather and she noticed that his smile at her was not the normal bright and happy one. It was strained. Instinctively she dropped her gaze and chewed on her lower lip. She knew by his expression that he had likely heard a good deal of her spat with Rafail. He won't say it, but you are in for it when he is able to take you aside. Be glad that Father has not yet arrived and likely not heard you, or he would not be so gracious about tanning your hide, His daughters were not banshees. she thought to herself.
She watched her grandfather move around to his seat at the table. She had not missed his expression at finding Rafail in her fathe's seat at the head of the table. She bit her tounge to keep from saying anything when she saw it upon her arrival. Granted, yes he was the next male in line as the head of the family, but in her mind that did not allow him access to that seat before his time.
She fought the need to smile outright as she saw his facial expression slowly begin to slide towards a pout. Really Uncle? The world does not revolve around you, even though it is fun to watch your reaction to one receiving attention when you are not."
So it seemed that her uncle disliked travel by boat. Not surprising considering what she knew of the ships that she had seen in her recent visit to the cliffs overlooking the harbor. Those vessels were not made to be comfortable she surmised, so anyone travelling on them would not be comfortable on their journey. Daniil quickly popped another pair of grapes in her mouth as she heard Rafail complain that those on the boat did not care about his needs. The need to laugh became a war as she heard her uncle suddenly demand that Panos should by boats just for travel.
She noticed that Pranos did not react to much, if at all to Rafail's suggestion of a fleet of travel boats. Not that she was surprised by that reaction. There was one thing she knew about her family. Some were very well versed in hiding their feelings or not saying directly what they meant when they spoke. And at other times they came right out and were as blunt as they please, and she imagined that Ares took notice as did Zeus at those moments.
Now on the surface, the idea was not a bad one and Daniil understood and even agreed with the idea. The family had enough rank and power that it behooved them to travel in some modicum of style and comfort befitting that rank and power. Under the surface, she knew that this was her Uncle's way to get what he wanted. Nice move Uncle, yes create a rivalry of sorts between Grandfather and his brother so that you get what you want. Bravo. she thought in amusement.
And then what if you are wrong Uncle? Wouldn't you be wiping a good deal of mud from your face. she found herself thinking as she dropped two more grapes into her mouth.
She heard his fingers slowly drumming on the tabletop. He did that when he was, if one was lucky, only paying partial attention the the speaker. The sound of that annoying tap, tap, tap of Rafail's fingers against the table was quickly becoming a pet peeve.
Hearing that Rafail was in a mood to go shopping, Daniil broke into the smile she had been keeping at bay. She looks at him and took a risk. "Uncle? Would you like some company when you go?" She missed doing things like that. She also dearly missed the days when the pair would saddle their horses and just ride. She wished that they could o that again.
No surprise. Her grandfather agreed to the shopping spree though his expression showed indications that it was done grudgingly if at that. Pranos was not at all amused.
She watched her grandfather cross to take a seat across from her an once he was seated she gave her uncle the answer to his question. She knew that it was very likely that he would not be happy if she refused to give him a reply, though she could have also held her tongue until they were alone and back in private. Truth be told, the young brunette had no issue with hearing her grandfather's opinion of her proffered suitor. She prayed a quick prayer to Aphrodite in that moment that neither had any ideas about her antics at the cliffside. Please Lady....let this stay a secret.
She could not face Pavlos' wrath if he found out and fear began to grow as she thought of what the two men in the room might say or do if they knew.
She tried to block out his finger tapping as she reached for where the bracelet should be and she found that it was not there. A quick expression of a frown appeared on her face. She could have sworn that she had laid it out to wear to lunch in the hopes that Rafail would see it and make some kind of comment about the fact that she was receiving gifts from a secret admirer. She know that would have led to a evening of questions, and some of them would not likely be all that comfortable.
She tilted her head as she watched and listened to his reaction to her news.The way he said Linos' name made her wonder what scheme he had rolling around in his head. Her hazel eyes trained over his face in an attempt to gauge his reaction. She got her wish moments later.
She reached for her goblet, bringing her hand up from under the table, and took a long sip. She nearly choked at his next words. He seemed good enough? Uncle I am very curious as to whom you would have me marry if I had not suggested him?
She had the grace to blush as Panos looked at her and then looked at Rafail. From under her long lashes she watched her grandfather set down his goblet and she braced for the inevitable as she sucked in air as she tried to keep calm. To be sure she reached for her goblet and took a long drink.
Moments later the room swam in front of her as she heard his question reverberated in her ears. She took another drink before she lifted her hazel gaze over her goblet rim. She took another breath and said in a near whisper, "No Grandfather, I have not. I was honestly hoping that he would join us so that I could seek counsel from all of you on the matter."
Papa had not said anything in response to what Rafail had considered a truly brilliant business suggestion, and he frowned further at the way the man sighed so deeply and appeared uninterested in what he had to say. In the seven short years that he had known her, Mama had always been interested in everything he wanted to tell her, even before he could form coherent phrases and only babbled his nonsense at the woman when she held him in her arms. But Papa rarely seemed to care for his wonderful ideas, acting as though what he said was ridiculous and didn't matter in the slightest. It was endlessly frustrating but he supposed he could manage it, given that Father otherwise appeared to care for his wants.
Speaking of his wants, he had taken the request for drachmae rather well, and he smiled in some appreciation, attempting to appease the man since he seemed so irritable. "Thank you, Papa," he grinned at him, a final attempt to get any kind of positive acknowledgement from his father for his uncharacteristic brightness, although perhaps it was almost obvious that he knew his father had heard at least part of his tirade at Daniil and was not all too pleased by it.
His niece spoke then, a request to attend his shopping trip alongside him, and with Papa now sitting opposite her, it was hard to find any reason why she should not do so. Rafail shrugged, acting as though the suggestion did not matter him all that much. "Yes, I suppose you might be able to come on my trip. I'll have to ask Balius to attend us, I don't suppose Deucalion shall be much use if end up in any kind of danger." Not that he really expected anything particularly dangerous to occur but you could never be too careful, especially when you bore a name as prestigious as Marikas. There were plenty who might wish to attack them. "I will be looking at some lady's jewellery anyhow so I'm sure we can find you something suitable."
Rafail continued drumming his fingers on the tabletop as he watched Daniil and Papa speaking on the subject of her romance. His query was a reasonable one, and Rafail supposed he too should have asked about whether or not Pavlos was aware of her interest in Linos but, frankly, he didn't care what his brother thought because he knew full well what he would say. It was the same thing Papa was silently saying, the same thing Rafail would have said if he had not met the man and already seen some kind of future use in him. Despite Pavlos not being present to give his opinion as both Daniil and Papa willed, therefore, he chose to share his own thoughts on the matter, reaching out to take some of the grapes that his niece seemed to so enjoy before he spoke.
"Aside from his absolutely atrocious taste in gifts for women and his noble name, I see nothing wrong with that man. I suppose you're entitled to a few dalliances before marriage." It didn't seem unreasonable to him, especially given the number of affairs Rafail had enjoyed, and he was nowhere close to being married just yet. He had even enjoyed some whilst he was on the trip to organise a potential betrothal. There was absolutely nothing wrong with a little fun. "Though nothing too serious. I would not want my wife to be so used. It's not ladylike."
He popped a few of the grapes in his mouth and picked up his goblet once more, leaning back in his seat and watching the pair of them with an almost smug smile on his face. "But we should really see what Pavlos has to say on the matter. He is your Father, after all. I'm sure all his decisions are truly brilliant." The sarcasm would not be lost on either of them, Rafail was sure, but for once he was not all too bothered. His thoughts were just as valid as his elder brother's and he would have them acknowledged. After all, he was to be Head of House someday, was he not?
Agathe had spent the previous night sweet talking secrets out of a minor nobleman. Of course, his “secrets” had proven to be useless and she should have left immediately, but the young blonde had enjoyed the chase so much so that she was willing to offer some leeway with the caveat that he keep the wine flowing and she would stay as long as she remained entertained. And so the eldest child of Pavlos and Sera was still buried deep in her collection of quilts and linens as the sun burned at its apex, even as her beloved uncle returned to the Marikas estate after his exciting overseas adventure.
Just as her dream seemed to reach its peak—featuring a handsome man and plenty of riches, of course—she was rudely ripped from Hypnos’s embrace by a servant calling her name. Agathe shot up, ready to chastise the intruder, and immediately regretted her decision as her eyes were assaulted by the light streaming in via the all too numerous windows in her private chambers. She grasped at her head as it throbbed and threatened to split in half. A small ceramic cup was shoved into her hand as the servant explained the brew as black nightshade and horehound, “For the pain, my Lady.”
She softened and sipped the concoction before climbing out of bed. She gently combed the sleep out of her hair while her servant selected a chiton from the wardrobe. Agathe glanced at the woman’s selection and nodded her approval at the deep blue of the cloth. The servant made quick work of dressing her and twisting her hair out of her face. Agathe selected a lapis lazuli pendant set on a silver chain and long enough to rest at the center of her chest, to subtly draw the eye to the gentle curve of her breasts left exposed by the low neckline of her gown.
A fervent knock at the door finally brought Agathe out of her chambers. She knew she was late, but she was not concerned. Rafail often liked to dawdle with his drawn out personal care rituals, she would be surprised if he was even in the dining room by the time she arrived. The doors to the room were quickly opened by servants who marked her arrival and she swept through to join the rest of her family. Agathe scanned the faces before her, only mildly surprised to see her uncle had in fact made it to the meal before her.
”Grandfather, Daniil. Elena will not be joining us today, mother has taken her to Corinth for some lesson or other,” she greeted, taking a seat beside Panos before turning her attention to Rafail, a wry smile playing at her lips. ”Uncle. I see you have decided to return to Athenia. I thought you would have found Taengea to be most compatible.”
Panos could see the distress in his granddaughter's eyes as his question, but there was nothing to be done. Panos could only assume the emotion was due to the fact that she knew she should have broached the subject with her father in private before letting the situation become so...progressed. He continued to look at his granddaughter, thinking , calculating.
Rafail, naturally, gave his two drachma on the subject, and Panos turned an unimpressed look on the boy. "You opinion is quite irrelevant, my son. You are not the head of this house, despite where you deem yourself worthy to sit-" Panos eyed the chair his son currently occupied before continuing to stress his point, "-and Daniil is not your daughter." He spoke simply, unemotionally, as he always did when restating clear and absolute facts to his insolent son.
More and more in recent years, and especially lately, Panos' tolerance for his son's pugnacious tendencies had began to wear thin. Sometimes he found himself wishing he had taken a more active role in the boy's upbringing, because clearly leaving it to the nursemaids had a drastically different effect than it did with Pavlos. As he got older and especially after the death of Justana, he had thought having Pavlos take a more active role as his older brother would have some kind of impact, that maybe Rafail would see a role model in him, but that, too, didn't have the desired effect. And so he thinks to himself sometimes, in the small hours of the morning, he would be a very different man now if Panos had introduced some discipline in the boy's life, a mistake he was living with now, and retroactively trying to make up for by introducing said lack of discipline now. Better late than never, he supposed.
He turned back to Daniil, his eyes a little kinder, but no less serious. This was indeed a serious matter. "You will speak with your father about this. It is his counsel you need, and the only counsel that matters beside my own." He paused, knowing his words were strong, maybe too strong, but they needed to be. "We will not speak of this anymore today, at least not for the rest of lunch." And that was that. He took another sip of his wine to support the finality in his voice.
Moments later, Agathe arrived, announcing the absence of her sister and mother from this event. Panos drank a little more deeply from his wine, waiting for the whining to resume from Rafail about how no-one cared for him, or some such along those lines.
There were times when plans oft went awry, as they did today. Elena found herself--dare she say this?--pleased that she would miss the family lunch and would have to accompany her mother to Corinth. 'Twas nothing against her family; it was the idea of gatherings that made her blanch. Small talk was not a thing she liked to partake in, no matter the occasion, no matter who she was with. But the gods saw fit to muddle with the plans for today, as her mother fell ill and it left Elena with no other choice than to grace her family with her presence today at lunch. She silently mumbled a prayer that her mother might bounce back to health and make some kind of miraculous recovery...to no avail. Now she was forced to have to talk of dull and listless things unless one of her beloved family said or did something to interject what they considered excitement into the proceedings.
She enlisted the help of one of her servants to help her change from traveling clothes to a light, cream-colored gown. Simple, elegant, and befitting of her station. It would do for a simple family lunch. Her hair, she left the same: long, with a few tendrils framing her face. She knew she wouldn't be chastised for being late, as she wasn't expected to be there to begin with. But nor could she dawdle for any longer than necessary, and Elena was sure one of the servants already informed her family that she would be down shortly.
"Time to get it over with," she muttered under her breath, and made her way to the dining room, where she paused in the entryway to make note of who was there...her sisters. Grandfather. Uncle. Father...absent. As expected. She gave a small sigh, and masked the sigh with a small smile.
"Good afternoon...Grandfather, Uncle...sisters. Mother fell ill and could not accompany me to Corinth, so it looks like I am able to join you for lunch after all." Her eyes scanned the empty seats. "Where should I sit?"
Daniil took another sip from her goblet, her grip tightening as she tried to keep things in check. She watched her uncle’s face as she waited for his feedback and reply to her request to join him in shopping. She broke into a smile as the answer came, her goblet landing on the table with a soft thud. “Maybe you could teach me how you are able to choose so well when it comes to jewelry Uncle?” she asked as a way to smooth over his ruffled feathers, and she would get to see how he went about choosing something for her as a lesson of sorts. Bonding between niece and uncle seemed to come over the most unique things, and things that did not seem to be normal for that kind of bonding.
Absently, Danii plucked more grapes, passing a handful to her Uncle before she dropped a few into her mouth as she listened to her grandfather. She grinned as Rafail munched away before he added his thoughts on the matter.
His words made her blink. Ladylike be damned to Hades. She thought. Her mood shifted again back to irritation at his suggestion. Sorry uncle, I am not my sister or you, both of whom seem to be content to be the sluts of the court. One of these days someone is going to wipe that smug look off your face and I hope I am there to see it! She thought. She caught his sarcasm and rolled her eyes heavenward for a few moments and then looked back at those at the table. It take a miracle or a disaster for him to take the coveted spot of Head of House from her father, and he would likely see it passed to a grandson before it was passed to his younger brother.
Danii found herself holding her breath moments later when her elder sister Agathe entered the room. These two daughters of Pavlos tended to bring drama that went above and beyond their uncle’s antics when they got into it. The days when they did not fight left the whole house breathing a huge sigh of relief. She inclined her head to Agathe in greetings and then motioned a loitering servant to attend to her needs. She was mildly amused that their younger sister, Elena, had been dragged off by their mother to Corinth for lessons in gods know what.
Her grandfather’s next words came as a rebuke to her uncle, which surprised her only mildly so, yet rang true for her uncle as well as herself, though the latter was delivered in a gentler matter. She nodded and gave her grandfather a small smile as she said, “Of course Grandfather.” And with that the matter was dropped.
She braced herself for her uncle’s reaction to the rebuke and watched her sister from under her lashes as she slowly ate her lunch. Then to the surprise of everyone, Elena appeared to join them citing illness on their mother’s side as to why she was now debating where to sit. Danii motioned to an open spot near Panos and then motioned to a servant to see to Elena’s needs. Then she turned back to her lunch and peace descended in the room like a falling feather.
His day was like pretty much any other day before it. He had grabbed his tunic of a creamy brown coloration that was lined at the edges in cyan blue and gold. His body freshly bathed and washed with a gentle swab of olive tree stems and orange peels. Using the reflection of the pooling water below he fixed his appearance until it was just right. His throat felt a little harsher today as he had spent the remaining hours last night yelling at his men to learn new skill sets. One who was an understudy in the art of weapons altogether was not so bright in the head. He could not hold a bow properly, and nor could the man even do a protective stance in the guard of a long sword attacking him from above and at his side. It was truly a madness to deal with such a dull creature. But then again it gave him something else to do other than watching his men throw their weight around during training nights. It was now half past noon as the sun was nearing the curve of the horizon from his balcony. He was already late as it was, and the head of the house should never be late - well perhaps sometimes maybe. Huffing at the thought of having to mingle with family instead of trying to train the new men over and over. He stands at his doorway - grimacing deeply in thought. The day was starting to slip and he needed to get something finished first. He heads out from his home after replacing his earlier attire to a beautiful cyan himation with a sky blue and gold chlamys thrown over his shoulders and pressed it to leave his left arm hidden beneath the fine fabrics. Within his hand, he had grabbed one of his stems from his house garden of many trees - trees that he prided himself over second to his horses. This stem he would hold onto today was one from his pear tree - a young budding plant soon to grow proud and big.
Pavlos would place his shoes upon his tanned feet and make his way past the corridor of rooms on either side of his hall. Seven rooms to be exact. He flutters into one whispering to the handmaid's in the kitchen "I will be most upset by the fact that, if by the time I return and there is no wine...someone will be gone from this room." He gives little to raise his voice - he points his eyes to the head maid as she bows and dips her body forward to him. "of course sir, right away." He loved his wine just as much as his father did. Holding in his other hand papers on his next property to the south for his oldest daughter - he would head from his home and to where his family should be awaiting him. The sounds of horses in the background rang in his ears as he popped into the barns to make sure his horse was ready to head out. A beautiful white and smokey grey dapple sire about as tall as he was. He mounts the stallion and without so much as a peep ushers him into a light canter. It doesn't take Pavlos long to reach the destination in which his brother and daughters would be waiting for him. And when, upon arriving he notes the faint but clear smell of wine, he knew his father had just arrived. Climbing off his horse and walking it to the back where he would secure the tie graciously to a post against the wall of the building, Pavlos would twist on his heels and walk to the doors.
'You will speak to your father about this. It is his counsel you need, and the only counsel that matters besides my own'.
Oh dear, what was going on here? Pavlos held an expression of sheer confusion at the topic at hand, after all, he had just missed what they were talking about. He happened to look down at his body and noticed he was in a ruffle. Without so much as a batting eye, he was quick to fix his clothes. Leaning his back just ever so gently to hear his other daughter welcoming herself into the party and waited to hear his brothers reply to the situation. But so far nothing - his eyes were still glued to his stallion as his ears sucked up what they could from before the doors. His wife was ill so it seemed and thus they were all here but himself. Huffing and clearing his throat he makes his way effortlessly past the door frame. Papers in hand and the other holding onto his stem beneath his chlamys. He does not walk fast into the room but instead takes his time to head into the hallway where a slave stands and nearly plummets herself in a quick bow of her head. "no need." he tells her, his voice a bit louder noting his presence to the room. "Wine, and only wine." He tells her. Ah but then on second thought, Pavlos grabs the woman by her wrist "No, bring me a dish of southern eel and shrimp. But don't forget my wine.." He would not stress it enough to her. She was let go and bounces away. Pavlos heads directly to the room and firstly to his father who was downing more wine himself. He could smell it on his breath already from just behind him. "Afternoon, papa." He kisses the top of his head before moving to the table side and addresses his daughter. "You, Elena, will sit beside your sister." He doesn't even look her in the eye, he simply looks to Daniil with raised brows.
'Maybe you could teach me how you are able to choose so well when it comes to jewelry Uncle?'
That he would nearly scoff beneath his breath as he turns to Daniil, yet again, and replies to her "You are better off buying jewelry from your mother than choosing any of that your uncle buys." he tells her with a click of his tongue. "And what is it that needs my attention, so much so, that it brings my brothers to face to sport such a look?" he then looks to his daughter in question. He would sit silently waiting until his plate arrived before him. He doesn't wait to grab his meal and starts to eat it after a much-needed sip of wine from his cup. He awaits his brothers' reply, which to him he believed would either turn into a verbal battery on how his jewelry was much more appealing than that of what Pavlos would ever wear. And or a mockery on how he had no right to even talk about picking jewelry and aiming to poke more fun at him over his appearance. Better yet, Pavlos felt that now that he was here, his brother would smack ideals on how his daughters should dress and act - as always that he would - but Pavlos didn't want to hear any of that tonight. "Daughters, you look radiant," he says with so little of a glance from his plate. After a few more bites Pavlos would lay out the papers from his hand to the table tops as he huffs loudly in annoyance. 'I will need to sell the eastern ship and buy a new one I guess...' he tells himself as he looks over the cost of what it would take to either fix up the broken trireme or sell it for a much needed updated one. He glances around the room before grabbing his wine and pulling it to his face as he waits for the chatter to rise again.
