"Taelian, come," the woman said. Her voice called to him: not through lips, nor through the corridors of the estate, but through some chasm she had placed within his own mind; a rift through which she could channel these whispers whenever she so desired.
Before long, the man sat before her at a long table, an ornate wooden piece meant for dining with all manner of fine guests. The elite of society who he found himself increasingly belonging to, whose presence he'd become more and more acquainted with through each passing day. The grateful urchin had become a conspiring cynic, enthralled by the games of the bourgeois; games Eloise loved to play, so much so that the Customs -- her manuscript -- had become her way of life.
As the man settled and sat across from her, the two sipping at tea, the bronze-skinned half-Elf leaned over to peer at her progeny. "Wylen truly made you handsome," she said. "Not that you weren't a sight before -- but ever more so, you attract the eyes of suitors and refined Ladies alike. A tall man, a Thespian tied to the organization effectively commandeering this land -- what a prospect. You have met Wendell, yes?" she asked.
The mage shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Eloise," he replied.
"Ah," she nodded. "Lord Venger is a brilliant man -- an Artificer of ours, and a Celebrant. His estates are mostly in Breven; he is our one foothold in Lorien outside of Brandt. He was meant to be a point of contact for you when you first came here, but -- we settled for Konrad instead. A more muted approach, to allow you to seek out your own ambitions. Wendell would have overpowered you with his inquiries, his desires," she called them. "One such desire has come to me from the lips of the man himself. He came to visit us only last eve; he is still here, in fact. I would like you to meet him this eve."
"Alright," he replied. "And this 'desire' of his...?" Stephan inquired.
"That you and he marry," the Umpire replied. "It would be a mutually beneficial transaction. Of course -- you will have the chance to discuss it with him and decide whether you wish to commit to such a thing. He is a handsome young man, and a rising star in our organization, much like yourself. He is also as pragmatic as he is idealistic: a man who cares for others, one who wields a good heart. He wishes to pull Breven away from its path of zealotry and onto a path of peace, and growth. There is much to him you would admire," she declared.
"And what of Riven? I thought--"
"It won't affect your relationship with Riven," the woman sharply replied. "This is a different country; nothing will change in Atinaw, in Ard Sgiath. This is a political arrangement. If you two do take to fancying one another, then... that will be your concern to bear. But that is not an essential portion of this deal."
