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Nikolias had not needed to relax so badly in a long time. The fakery, bribery, and gossip, in addition to his not being able to understand body language, was getting to him. He needed to relax so badly that his head was honestly buzzing from disconnect today. He needed something to drink, like wine or ouzo, a nap, a vacation, and likely all three. Surely now that the traitors had been called out by the Senate, some rest and relaxation was in order. Even for just one day, it would be nice.
Perhaps Gavriil of Dimitrou would like to go along. Wilderness or forest, he didn't really care where they went at this point. Just so long as there was some good old-fashioned silence, and the company of someone who might understand his need for it. Surely Gavriil wasn't always happy being a Senator either.
He just had to propose the idea now. Maybe over a glass of wine or ouzo, he thought as he stepped up to the house. When a servant let him in, he smiled, though his eyes were tired.
"Hello. Rough days lately, hmm? Care for a few days away from it all? Or is that just me?"
For the sake of his family rank, he had to pretend to be someone he was not almost constantly, and it was well past beginning to wear on him. Then again, he was probably a little dehydrated as well. He wondered how Gavriil dealt with it all.
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The city residence of the Dimitrous was not as fine as the rest of the residences of the barons. Now that his daughter, Dorothea was older, the house did get more use but it was like pulling teeth to get her to come into the city with him. She knew perfectly well that his sole aim in dragging her here was to get her married. Being that his being here at all had been to attend the Senate meeting, Gavriil hadn't asked her to come this time. It wasn't that she would fight him or make a scene, but she did have a clever way of avoiding things that she didn't want to do and he wasn't going to parade her around town this time anyway.
After the Senate meet, he was glad he hadn't brought her. The chaos this move of Irakles's had caused was worrisome. He hadn't sent word to Condos to come, but he wasn't surprised when the man showed up at his door either. Gavriil met the man in the main room of his home and walked with him to an inner room where the house was cool and shaded. Cross breezes kept the room from getting stuffy and while he had a cup of watered down wine for him on the low table in front of the the lounging couch, another was easily produced by a servant and poured for Nikolias.
"I would love to get away from it," Gavriil admitted gravely as he went to sit on the couch he'd been occupying. Motioning to the opposite one, he waited until Nikolias was seated. "Alas, the Egyptian envoy is here and I am growing concerned with what they will see. Our king on house arrest and our prince performing the duties instead? Perhaps they will take offense..."
Though he was not afraid to go into battle, he was a sane man and one who wanted to live. The easiest way to do that was to maintain peace with one's neighbors. In this case, Egypt. If Egypt didn't like what was going on in Taengea, or, perhaps saw them in their vulnerable state, war might be an issue. The Egyptians were known to be volatile and near constantly at war with their neighbors. This peace that Greece was enjoying was tenuous at best.
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"Ah yes, I'd nearly forgotten. Too absorbed with my own problems, I guess. Lucky bastards, the Egyptians," Nikolias commented. "It must be nice to think everyone is at your beck and call and that all you have to do is snap your fingers and you'll automatically get people to do your bidding." He smiled ironically. "Even if you're only visiting for awhile."
Nikolias sighed. "All that aside, you're right. It isn't very convenient timing, though. None of this was. I wish...never mind, I don't know exactly what I wish. Just that things hadn't turned into such a mess. What kind of a circus was all that, anyway?" he asked, referring to the fight after the Senate had reached its decision.
He paused to consider Gavriil's point. "I'm concerned with what they'll see, too, but it's hard to know if they'll take offense. Who takes over their country when their king is at war? And as far as I'm concerned, with the king being on house arrest until further notice? The less they know about the real causes, the better. Besides, even if they did know and take offense, what do you think we could do about it?"
What he wanted to say was sometimes it didn't matter if you did everything in order to not cause someone to take offense. They often did anyway.
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