FIC Proposition
Apr. 12th, 2008 10:22 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jessara40k_ljTitle: Proposition
Fandom: FFVII Cetra Restoration AU, linked here
Rating: PG
Warnings: semi-arranged espousals, reference to a threesome including an espoused couple, negotiations
Ian finished his sword form and sheathed his sword before turning to Jackie and beckoning her forward.
“Yes?” He spoke as she moved to meet him.
“Your parents asked me to inform you that you have a visitor. They’d like you to change into something decent before joining them in the salon. It’s Adryan Wraith, that’s why they want you to look good.”
“Thank you.” Ian appreciated knowing that his visitor was a low noble, even if Jackie was clearly reading something into her presence he’d missed. It didn’t matter; he’d resigned himself to never being good enough at reading people and understanding their motivations to join the family business. That was why he’d worked so hard on his fighting; even if he wasn’t as good as Rowan he did have at least one true solo kill to his credit. He’d like to have more, but his parents tended to shelter them a bit, and he usually travelled with the trade caravans - or with a partner.
He showered quickly, letting the water clean his hair at least a little too - he kept it short enough that it would be dry by the time he got dressed, unlike the way Rowan kept her hair verging on a boast. Armour would take too long, and it wasn’t appropriate for a meeting in his parents’ home anyway. Black fitted trousers, with black socks and loafers, then a white linen shirt which Ian tucked in before fastening a black leather belt around his waist.
“Mother, father, my lady.” Adryan was the one he held his hands out to, offering his wrists up and bowing his head in silent apology for speaking to his parents first.
“Ian.” She gripped his forearms from above, allowing him to grip hers briefly from below.
“My lady Adryan. It’s good to see you.” He looked into her eyes with a smile, carefully not commenting on her decision to wear even a divided skirt.
“You look very good...it can’t be more than a month or two until your power activation ritual.”
“Three actually.” Ian shifted, feeling a bit uncomfortable under her appreciative eyes and smile.
“I see. But you are old enough to court, so long as your parents are willing to allow it.” She was after that? Ian stepped back without really thinking about it, getting out of easy reach for her. Adryan looked offended, and his parents looked displeased by his rudeness.
“I apologise for my undisciplined reaction, and I am fully aware of the honour you do me. I simply had not thought of being courted at all, let alone so soon.” On some level Ian realised he’d assumed his parents would find someone with the mercantile skills he lacked, or someone who could use his fighting talents and ‘suggest’ he court her. “And I cannot see how I could be worthy of your courtship.”
“You are very good looking, I think I said something about that earlier, although, in all honesty I’d find you more attractive if you kept your hair slightly longer, at least long enough that I could tell what colour it is.”
“Red-brown, like my mother’s, only a little lighter.” At least that was the colour it had been three years ago before he’d started wearing it so short. Adryan blinked, obviously she hadn’t expected him to answer the question, but she continued speaking readily enough.
“Of course I had no way to know how attractive you are when I came here.” He hadn’t actually needed to hear her say that, he was a bit oblivious, not an idiot. “I’ll be brutally honest with you. My father was a high noble, and I fell a rank. Your sister became a high noble this year, and I’m hoping you’ll take after her, or that your children will, and I want that potential for my own children. Then too I thought I could diversify a bit by investing in your family business, and courting you is a good way to let your parents make their own assessment of me.”
Ian swallowed unhappily on hearing that. Once again he was being compared to his sister, expected to live up to her example. He just hoped he wouldn’t fail in this the way he’d failed in becoming even passable as a merchant.
“Was there nothing about me personally that brought you to make this offer?” He sounded pathetic, he knew it, and he hated it, but he couldn’t seem to help it.
“You’re an impressive fighter for your age, for the fact that you haven’t gone through your power activation ritual yet. More impressive in some ways than either of your sisters were at the same age.”
“But Rowan had killed a Midgar Zolom by my age! All I did was...”
“Kill a Kalm Fang by getting up close and personal with your sword instead of using a bow to do most of the damage from a distance and only moving in to finish the kill with a sword after it was crippled.” That wasn’t a fair assessment, and Ian knew he should object, but he couldn’t bring himself to defend Rowan, even though he knew she’d defend him if someone had talked about him the way Adryan was talking about her.
“Thank you, I’m glad my work has paid off then.” He waited to see how Adryan would respond to that.
“So then, you will allow me to court you?”
“Yes, if my parents approve.” It was a good offer, he wasn’t committing to anything but letting Adryan court him.
“There are a few questions I need answers to before I could consider allowing this.” His mother had been the one to advise Thorne on which families would offer a good alliance in terms of connections when she’d decided she wanted a spouse seven months ago and she’d gone with Rowan as ‘moral support’ when she was buying her first concubine.
“Go ahead and ask then.” She seemed confident enough, and Ian found that appealing, very much so.
“First, do you have a consort?”
“No, not at the moment.”
“Good.” His mother smiled, far more coldly than Ian had ever seen her smile before. “Keep it that way while you court him.” Adryan looked shocked by that, Ian couldn’t imagine why - after all if she was courting him she needed to focus on developing a relationship with him, and a new consort would get in the way of that.
“I...if I find someone I want to take as a consort, if I fall in love while I’m courting your son I’ll break the courtship off. Will that be enough?”
“We can’t really ask for more, can we Marian?” Even though his mother would probably lose a fight to a properly trained human she’d always been the more aggressive of his parents and Ian thought he recognised this as a negotiating tactic.
“I suppose not.” She was reluctant to acknowledge his father’s point, but she did accept it. “You do understand that until Ian is an adult we can and will send a chaperone with him?”
“And if I’m rude to his chaperone you’ll call it off, yes.” Adryan had thought about this issue. “Did you have someone in mind?”
“Yes. Roseline, our human lover. She is also part of our family, legally.” Rowan would have told Adryan that she was their ‘second mother’ now, but Ian wasn’t that militant about Roseline’s status.
“I appreciate the honour.” Ian had missed something there, and he could ask now, because it did concern him, and he certainly didn’t want Adryan to assume he could read innuendo the way his parents could.
“I don’t understand. Why is it an honour?”
“Because usually a chaperone is a trusted servant, not part of the family.”
“I see.” Ian appreciated Adryan’s explanation, and that she didn’t make him feel stupid for not already knowing.
“You said you hoped Ian would prove out to be a high noble, will you still continue to court him if he just ends up a low noble, or remains a commoner?” Ian recognised the danger in his mother’s quiet voice, and he could see that Adryan did as well.
“Of course. As long as he’s willing to let me. If he’s a noble of any sort he’ll outrank me, and I’ll teach him all the formal manners and stuff. I’d also like to give him his first concubine as an espousal gift if he is a high noble.” Ian blinked in surprise; he knew how intimate an offer that was. “If he’s a commoner as an adult...I still have reason to hope for my children.”
“And supposing your children fail to become nobles as well?” Ian didn’t understand what his mother was getting at with that question, or how it was related to allowing Adryan to court him.
“I can support my children - provided I keep to a reasonable number - and provide whatever training they need. Although I would hope that if they have both the desire and suitable talents you would be willing to see if they could fill any places in your business.”
“Or our successors, if we have handed control over to Thorne and her spouse by then.” Ian couldn’t imagine that happening so soon, but he knew better than to interrupt. “Yes, that should be possible, it is always best to rely on family first, wouldn’t you agree Warren?”
“As long as you actually know them, and it isn’t family in name only.” His father’s response was pretty pointed, and Ian was glad Adryan looked like she understood what he meant.
“You want me to commit to fostering their children for a while, with Thorne and her spouse fostering ours in return then?” Ian could certainly understand the disapproval in Adryan’s voice, that was something Thorne and her spouse should be arranging themselves.
“To making the offer, yes. That or choosing a home near enough to theirs that they will know your children without any need to foster them.” Adryan glanced at Ian’s mother before answering his father, and he could see that something was confusing her.
“This all seems a bit premature, but I agree that both you and Thorne need to know my children if I expect you to offer them places with you as adults. Still, doesn’t this sort of agreement belong in negotiating for an espousal, not a courtship?”
“Yes, it does.” Ian’s mother sounded approving now. “But you were the one who brought up the issue of your offspring joining our business as adults. I just wanted to make sure you were prepared to accept the very strong possibility that they would be commoners.”
“Hmm...that wasn’t quite how I understood it. Do you have any further questions?” Adryan sounded almost angry for some reason.
“No, no more questions now.” Ian recognised the hint of resignation in his mother’s voice. “Yes, you may court my son.”
“Thank you, and you Warren, do you have any objections?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Thank you as well. Ian, is there anything I should consider when I select a restaurant for our first meal together?”
“Ah...no seafood please.” Roseline was allergic, and Ian didn’t like the taste.
“As you wish.” She offered a shallow bow to the three of them in farewell, and left - a bit awkward in managing her skirts, at least compared to Roseline.
“Should I escort her out?” He’d be able to catch up easily enough.
“That won’t be necessary. You should study up on what being courted entails, and inform Roseline of Adryan’s offer.”
“And that she’s stuck chaperoning me? Yes mother.” Ian offered his parents a quick bow before he left to follow his mother’s advice.
Fandom: FFVII Cetra Restoration AU, linked here
Rating: PG
Warnings: semi-arranged espousals, reference to a threesome including an espoused couple, negotiations
Ian finished his sword form and sheathed his sword before turning to Jackie and beckoning her forward.
“Yes?” He spoke as she moved to meet him.
“Your parents asked me to inform you that you have a visitor. They’d like you to change into something decent before joining them in the salon. It’s Adryan Wraith, that’s why they want you to look good.”
“Thank you.” Ian appreciated knowing that his visitor was a low noble, even if Jackie was clearly reading something into her presence he’d missed. It didn’t matter; he’d resigned himself to never being good enough at reading people and understanding their motivations to join the family business. That was why he’d worked so hard on his fighting; even if he wasn’t as good as Rowan he did have at least one true solo kill to his credit. He’d like to have more, but his parents tended to shelter them a bit, and he usually travelled with the trade caravans - or with a partner.
He showered quickly, letting the water clean his hair at least a little too - he kept it short enough that it would be dry by the time he got dressed, unlike the way Rowan kept her hair verging on a boast. Armour would take too long, and it wasn’t appropriate for a meeting in his parents’ home anyway. Black fitted trousers, with black socks and loafers, then a white linen shirt which Ian tucked in before fastening a black leather belt around his waist.
“Mother, father, my lady.” Adryan was the one he held his hands out to, offering his wrists up and bowing his head in silent apology for speaking to his parents first.
“Ian.” She gripped his forearms from above, allowing him to grip hers briefly from below.
“My lady Adryan. It’s good to see you.” He looked into her eyes with a smile, carefully not commenting on her decision to wear even a divided skirt.
“You look very good...it can’t be more than a month or two until your power activation ritual.”
“Three actually.” Ian shifted, feeling a bit uncomfortable under her appreciative eyes and smile.
“I see. But you are old enough to court, so long as your parents are willing to allow it.” She was after that? Ian stepped back without really thinking about it, getting out of easy reach for her. Adryan looked offended, and his parents looked displeased by his rudeness.
“I apologise for my undisciplined reaction, and I am fully aware of the honour you do me. I simply had not thought of being courted at all, let alone so soon.” On some level Ian realised he’d assumed his parents would find someone with the mercantile skills he lacked, or someone who could use his fighting talents and ‘suggest’ he court her. “And I cannot see how I could be worthy of your courtship.”
“You are very good looking, I think I said something about that earlier, although, in all honesty I’d find you more attractive if you kept your hair slightly longer, at least long enough that I could tell what colour it is.”
“Red-brown, like my mother’s, only a little lighter.” At least that was the colour it had been three years ago before he’d started wearing it so short. Adryan blinked, obviously she hadn’t expected him to answer the question, but she continued speaking readily enough.
“Of course I had no way to know how attractive you are when I came here.” He hadn’t actually needed to hear her say that, he was a bit oblivious, not an idiot. “I’ll be brutally honest with you. My father was a high noble, and I fell a rank. Your sister became a high noble this year, and I’m hoping you’ll take after her, or that your children will, and I want that potential for my own children. Then too I thought I could diversify a bit by investing in your family business, and courting you is a good way to let your parents make their own assessment of me.”
Ian swallowed unhappily on hearing that. Once again he was being compared to his sister, expected to live up to her example. He just hoped he wouldn’t fail in this the way he’d failed in becoming even passable as a merchant.
“Was there nothing about me personally that brought you to make this offer?” He sounded pathetic, he knew it, and he hated it, but he couldn’t seem to help it.
“You’re an impressive fighter for your age, for the fact that you haven’t gone through your power activation ritual yet. More impressive in some ways than either of your sisters were at the same age.”
“But Rowan had killed a Midgar Zolom by my age! All I did was...”
“Kill a Kalm Fang by getting up close and personal with your sword instead of using a bow to do most of the damage from a distance and only moving in to finish the kill with a sword after it was crippled.” That wasn’t a fair assessment, and Ian knew he should object, but he couldn’t bring himself to defend Rowan, even though he knew she’d defend him if someone had talked about him the way Adryan was talking about her.
“Thank you, I’m glad my work has paid off then.” He waited to see how Adryan would respond to that.
“So then, you will allow me to court you?”
“Yes, if my parents approve.” It was a good offer, he wasn’t committing to anything but letting Adryan court him.
“There are a few questions I need answers to before I could consider allowing this.” His mother had been the one to advise Thorne on which families would offer a good alliance in terms of connections when she’d decided she wanted a spouse seven months ago and she’d gone with Rowan as ‘moral support’ when she was buying her first concubine.
“Go ahead and ask then.” She seemed confident enough, and Ian found that appealing, very much so.
“First, do you have a consort?”
“No, not at the moment.”
“Good.” His mother smiled, far more coldly than Ian had ever seen her smile before. “Keep it that way while you court him.” Adryan looked shocked by that, Ian couldn’t imagine why - after all if she was courting him she needed to focus on developing a relationship with him, and a new consort would get in the way of that.
“I...if I find someone I want to take as a consort, if I fall in love while I’m courting your son I’ll break the courtship off. Will that be enough?”
“We can’t really ask for more, can we Marian?” Even though his mother would probably lose a fight to a properly trained human she’d always been the more aggressive of his parents and Ian thought he recognised this as a negotiating tactic.
“I suppose not.” She was reluctant to acknowledge his father’s point, but she did accept it. “You do understand that until Ian is an adult we can and will send a chaperone with him?”
“And if I’m rude to his chaperone you’ll call it off, yes.” Adryan had thought about this issue. “Did you have someone in mind?”
“Yes. Roseline, our human lover. She is also part of our family, legally.” Rowan would have told Adryan that she was their ‘second mother’ now, but Ian wasn’t that militant about Roseline’s status.
“I appreciate the honour.” Ian had missed something there, and he could ask now, because it did concern him, and he certainly didn’t want Adryan to assume he could read innuendo the way his parents could.
“I don’t understand. Why is it an honour?”
“Because usually a chaperone is a trusted servant, not part of the family.”
“I see.” Ian appreciated Adryan’s explanation, and that she didn’t make him feel stupid for not already knowing.
“You said you hoped Ian would prove out to be a high noble, will you still continue to court him if he just ends up a low noble, or remains a commoner?” Ian recognised the danger in his mother’s quiet voice, and he could see that Adryan did as well.
“Of course. As long as he’s willing to let me. If he’s a noble of any sort he’ll outrank me, and I’ll teach him all the formal manners and stuff. I’d also like to give him his first concubine as an espousal gift if he is a high noble.” Ian blinked in surprise; he knew how intimate an offer that was. “If he’s a commoner as an adult...I still have reason to hope for my children.”
“And supposing your children fail to become nobles as well?” Ian didn’t understand what his mother was getting at with that question, or how it was related to allowing Adryan to court him.
“I can support my children - provided I keep to a reasonable number - and provide whatever training they need. Although I would hope that if they have both the desire and suitable talents you would be willing to see if they could fill any places in your business.”
“Or our successors, if we have handed control over to Thorne and her spouse by then.” Ian couldn’t imagine that happening so soon, but he knew better than to interrupt. “Yes, that should be possible, it is always best to rely on family first, wouldn’t you agree Warren?”
“As long as you actually know them, and it isn’t family in name only.” His father’s response was pretty pointed, and Ian was glad Adryan looked like she understood what he meant.
“You want me to commit to fostering their children for a while, with Thorne and her spouse fostering ours in return then?” Ian could certainly understand the disapproval in Adryan’s voice, that was something Thorne and her spouse should be arranging themselves.
“To making the offer, yes. That or choosing a home near enough to theirs that they will know your children without any need to foster them.” Adryan glanced at Ian’s mother before answering his father, and he could see that something was confusing her.
“This all seems a bit premature, but I agree that both you and Thorne need to know my children if I expect you to offer them places with you as adults. Still, doesn’t this sort of agreement belong in negotiating for an espousal, not a courtship?”
“Yes, it does.” Ian’s mother sounded approving now. “But you were the one who brought up the issue of your offspring joining our business as adults. I just wanted to make sure you were prepared to accept the very strong possibility that they would be commoners.”
“Hmm...that wasn’t quite how I understood it. Do you have any further questions?” Adryan sounded almost angry for some reason.
“No, no more questions now.” Ian recognised the hint of resignation in his mother’s voice. “Yes, you may court my son.”
“Thank you, and you Warren, do you have any objections?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Thank you as well. Ian, is there anything I should consider when I select a restaurant for our first meal together?”
“Ah...no seafood please.” Roseline was allergic, and Ian didn’t like the taste.
“As you wish.” She offered a shallow bow to the three of them in farewell, and left - a bit awkward in managing her skirts, at least compared to Roseline.
“Should I escort her out?” He’d be able to catch up easily enough.
“That won’t be necessary. You should study up on what being courted entails, and inform Roseline of Adryan’s offer.”
“And that she’s stuck chaperoning me? Yes mother.” Ian offered his parents a quick bow before he left to follow his mother’s advice.
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no subject
Date: 2008-04-12 10:46 am (UTC)Oh that really was an interesting one
*Snickers*
poor Ian, though I understand him XD
*never notices hints, too*
I really liked to read this and I think it gave a good idea of the family and such
*Hands cookies*
You did a wonderful job again~
no subject
Date: 2008-04-14 08:41 am (UTC)Glad you think so.
poor Ian, though I understand him XD
*never notices hints, too*
Neither do I, but being able to read people is an important skill for a merchant, and it's one he simply lacks. It would make him a bad gambler if he ever tried that too.
I really liked to read this and I think it gave a good idea of the family and such
Rowan's supposed to come from a healthy, if slightly unconventional family, and this was meant to illustrate that, as well as let me explore the world from a bit closer to ground level.
You did a wonderful job again
Thanks.
I've had one person ask me a lot of questions about Sephiroth in my 'three things' meme post, so if you want to read more about him you can find it here (http://jessara40k.livejournal.com/58370.html?thread=265986#t265986)
no subject
Date: 2008-04-14 03:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-04-14 08:50 am (UTC)Yes he does, but he isn't as sensitive about his fighting prowess as he is about his lack of aility as a merchant.
Beware of Mama Tiger.
Marian is definitely the dominant partner in that relationship, and the senior partner in the clan business (it's turning into a clan, especially since Jackie married one of the healer caste partners).
Why would Adryan say a reasonable number of children?
Because she couldn't support say seven children to the same level she could support three, and she's hedging her bets in case she turns out to be hyperfertile.
What is the normal number of children that most negotiate on having?
Number of children isn't really negotiated in most cases, although here I think Adryan will have the financial sense to insist on a 'cap' on the number of children she has, after which one of three things will happen; she'll go to a human doctor for a contraceptive implant, she'll get herself sterilised or Ian will get himself steriliesed. The fourth option, which she won't really consider, is for them to stop having sex with each other, except for oral sex and use of toys.