Wise Advice

Writers: Avery, Eimi
Date Posted: 19th October 2008

Characters: Penryn, Ishek
Description: Penryn finds the Lord Warder drunk again and gives some good advice.
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 12, day 4 of Turn 4

The Steward set the pitcher of cool water on the Lord Holder's desk. "I
thought this would do you more good than more klah. Your body needs
water."

"Thank you Penryn." Ishek said gratefully, pouring it and swallowing it.
"At least I fell asleep in my office this time." Small consolation, but
at least it wasn't as public as the kitchens.

"Yes, I suppose that's a positive," Penryn muttered as he began picking
up empty glasses. "I take it Kiomo was here?"

"We were playing chess." Ishek agreed. He wondered how Penryn had known
so quickly; Kiomo wasn't there every night, after all. (Though, a part
of his mind added, it was starting to become most nights.)

"And using shots of Sapphire Meadow whiskey as playing pieces?" he asked
fishing an empty bottle from under the table. It wasn't hard to figure
out who had supplied the alcohol. After a visit with Kiomo the Lord
Holder always looked a little worse for wear. And yet the holder seemed
surprisingly steady on his feet...

"No, not as pieces." Ishek blinked at the bottle. "Did we really drink
all that?"

"What does your headache tell you?"

"That we did drink it all." Ishek admitted, slightly ashamed. "It's just
so sharding easy to lose track of how many glasses, when they keep being
refilled."

Penryn turned the bottle over in his hand thoughtfully. It certainly
sounded like Kiomo had no sense of caution when drinking with the Lord
Holder. He had come to their Hold with impressive credentials after
spending turns at a Lord Holder's side. Surely he should know that
keeping Ishek in a drunken state was dangerous, not only for the man
himself for the whole Hold. Did he not care? Or was there something
more going on? What was Kiomo playing at? "Perhaps Kiomo is not the
safest drinking partner for you."

"It gets so lonely..." Ishek said, half to himself. He didn't want to
give up the nights of companionship. And yet...and yet, Penryn was
detached from the situation, and he did give good advice. "But perhaps
you're right. I fear I've been neglecting things."

"If it's loneliness that bothers you, Ishek, perhaps you should start
seriously considing taking another wife." Penryn knew it was a painful
subject from his own personal experience, but he had managed to fill his
own life with work rather than alcohol, and the Hold had only benefited,
not suffered, from his obsession with easing his loneliness.

"Miralani has suggested the same thing." The Lord Holder sighed. If they
only knew about his interest in Gilsha, which helped sometimes- but
shards, it could never be permanent! "I just don't know how to pick
someone. The most advantageous match possible? What if she doesn't make
me happy? If I do the wrong thing, will it hurt the Hold? Is that worse
than no Lady?"

"You are surrounded by people who only want the best for you and your
Hold, Ishek. We wouldn't let you take an advantagous match that would
make you miserable." Such a match, after all, could hardly benifit
anyone in the long run.

"I shall trust in your wise advice. Especially if it includes
suggestions on how to meet good prospects, rather than just reading
about them from a list someone provides." he joked.

"Well, my first advice is spend more evenings reading than drinking."

"That, I will do." Ishek agreed. His head was aching badly. He did enjoy
Kiomo's company, and yet... He didn't know how he would say no, the next
time, but he would need to find a way.

Last updated on the October 23rd 2008

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