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This was an exercise in deja vu, a violation of the norm a second time over in the span of less than a month. Were she a different woman, she might think herself somewhat cursed to have to do what she disliked not once but twice over in such a short span, but that was somewhat dramatic to her taste; easier by far was to find herself annoyed by the same unpredictability to the situation and acknowledge a fundamental truth: everyone did things the would rather not to do at times. After all, look at Mihail, look at Thea, look at Evras. Perhaps it was high time she take a turn and be grateful that she was clever enough not to be manipulated into it unlike either of them.
She could hold on to that at least, that last time had been an errand she was happy to run in that it was her manipulation come to fruition in part, and this time it was an errand of necessity. If she did not speak for their father, or at least get a firmer grasp on what the intended course of action was, no one would either for lack of strength or lack of desire.
The cause might have been completely different, but their last meeting had done nothing to rid Nethis of the suspicion that if she tried to arrange a time and place for a meeting, the very act of doing so would drag on forever, a diplomatic hell hole of purposeful procrastination. After all, she had never managed the art of endearing herself to Vangelis, something that was both easier and harder to accept with confirmation that Thea and Vangelis had been more a consistent coupling than she had initially thought, and their last conversation had done nothing to better it. So be it, she supposed, but the added difficulty made her dread this, just a little. She’d be damned before she let that show, but it was there, all the same, a consequence to awareness that this conversation was going to be a lot harder, personally.
Yet, a visit to her father’s rooms and the ever-present Kotas guards were certainly reminders enough to motivate her toward having this conversation, toward repeating arrangements that returned her to Kotas property.
Upon arrival, she found herself confronted with—almost laughably—the same guard, only compounding the sensation of walking her own footsteps. It made her shake her head slightly, not quite in disbelief, but in some kind of dark amusement. Still, she minded her words more (better?) this time, if only because she had hardly cared who she irritated last time but this time, well, it mattered, no?
"If the crown prince is here, can you see if he will spare me a few minutes? I—unfortunately—have business to speak with him about again."
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This was an exercise in deja vu, a violation of the norm a second time over in the span of less than a month. Were she a different woman, she might think herself somewhat cursed to have to do what she disliked not once but twice over in such a short span, but that was somewhat dramatic to her taste; easier by far was to find herself annoyed by the same unpredictability to the situation and acknowledge a fundamental truth: everyone did things the would rather not to do at times. After all, look at Mihail, look at Thea, look at Evras. Perhaps it was high time she take a turn and be grateful that she was clever enough not to be manipulated into it unlike either of them.
She could hold on to that at least, that last time had been an errand she was happy to run in that it was her manipulation come to fruition in part, and this time it was an errand of necessity. If she did not speak for their father, or at least get a firmer grasp on what the intended course of action was, no one would either for lack of strength or lack of desire.
The cause might have been completely different, but their last meeting had done nothing to rid Nethis of the suspicion that if she tried to arrange a time and place for a meeting, the very act of doing so would drag on forever, a diplomatic hell hole of purposeful procrastination. After all, she had never managed the art of endearing herself to Vangelis, something that was both easier and harder to accept with confirmation that Thea and Vangelis had been more a consistent coupling than she had initially thought, and their last conversation had done nothing to better it. So be it, she supposed, but the added difficulty made her dread this, just a little. She’d be damned before she let that show, but it was there, all the same, a consequence to awareness that this conversation was going to be a lot harder, personally.
Yet, a visit to her father’s rooms and the ever-present Kotas guards were certainly reminders enough to motivate her toward having this conversation, toward repeating arrangements that returned her to Kotas property.
Upon arrival, she found herself confronted with—almost laughably—the same guard, only compounding the sensation of walking her own footsteps. It made her shake her head slightly, not quite in disbelief, but in some kind of dark amusement. Still, she minded her words more (better?) this time, if only because she had hardly cared who she irritated last time but this time, well, it mattered, no?
"If the crown prince is here, can you see if he will spare me a few minutes? I—unfortunately—have business to speak with him about again."
This was an exercise in deja vu, a violation of the norm a second time over in the span of less than a month. Were she a different woman, she might think herself somewhat cursed to have to do what she disliked not once but twice over in such a short span, but that was somewhat dramatic to her taste; easier by far was to find herself annoyed by the same unpredictability to the situation and acknowledge a fundamental truth: everyone did things the would rather not to do at times. After all, look at Mihail, look at Thea, look at Evras. Perhaps it was high time she take a turn and be grateful that she was clever enough not to be manipulated into it unlike either of them.
She could hold on to that at least, that last time had been an errand she was happy to run in that it was her manipulation come to fruition in part, and this time it was an errand of necessity. If she did not speak for their father, or at least get a firmer grasp on what the intended course of action was, no one would either for lack of strength or lack of desire.
The cause might have been completely different, but their last meeting had done nothing to rid Nethis of the suspicion that if she tried to arrange a time and place for a meeting, the very act of doing so would drag on forever, a diplomatic hell hole of purposeful procrastination. After all, she had never managed the art of endearing herself to Vangelis, something that was both easier and harder to accept with confirmation that Thea and Vangelis had been more a consistent coupling than she had initially thought, and their last conversation had done nothing to better it. So be it, she supposed, but the added difficulty made her dread this, just a little. She’d be damned before she let that show, but it was there, all the same, a consequence to awareness that this conversation was going to be a lot harder, personally.
Yet, a visit to her father’s rooms and the ever-present Kotas guards were certainly reminders enough to motivate her toward having this conversation, toward repeating arrangements that returned her to Kotas property.
Upon arrival, she found herself confronted with—almost laughably—the same guard, only compounding the sensation of walking her own footsteps. It made her shake her head slightly, not quite in disbelief, but in some kind of dark amusement. Still, she minded her words more (better?) this time, if only because she had hardly cared who she irritated last time but this time, well, it mattered, no?
"If the crown prince is here, can you see if he will spare me a few minutes? I—unfortunately—have business to speak with him about again."
The absolute last thing that Vangelis wanted to do right now was speak with the Lady Nethis.
Sitting in the study that had now been re-appropriated by his father and yet had fallen into a sort of dual use by the both of them, Vangelis looked up from his work to stare at the servant that had been sent with the message that the Lady Nethis was waiting at the gates for an audience with him.
Likely, the woman knew, nor would care not if she knew that Vangelis had a fair amount resting upon his shoulders just now and the considerations and concerns regarding the Thanasi's best interests were really not high on his list of priorities. Not the least of which because Nethis had delivered the news regarding Thea's pregnancy with all the compassion and consideration of a sledgehammer to the face. And enjoyed it.
Yet, his hands were tied now that he would be forced to marry the woman's sister. Unable to allow Thea to birth an illegitimate child that bore his blood but not his name, Vangelis had already set wheels into motion to have the engagement settled before he left for war. Then, if he was killed in battle, the child could at least be claimed into the Kotas claim due to the betrothal of marriage that had existed between his parents. There was no time now to have a wedding ceremony actually performed, so he would just have to trust in his family and Thea the blood rites of his offspring and do his best not to perish by an Egyptian sword.
Due to leave the following day, settling sail from the capitol down towards Taengea along the fastest wind that the Master of the Sea had been able to predict for the next two weeks, Vangelis had a lot to see to before the time of his departure became imminent. Another reason why he could do without the interruption of a woman whose presence was as welcome to him as the origination of the plague.
But... if Thea was to become his wife, then Nethis was to become his sister-in-law and as much as he had never envied Zanon of that position, he could also do little to avoid it now. Which meant, if he wished to keep any form of peace between the families, he would sacrifice his time now for a longer-term period of calm.
He hoped.
With a quick order to permit her inside, Vangelis stood up from behind his desk, stretched out his frame in a manner that set sections of his spine cracking and then left the room, ensuring that it was locked behind him. He was then quick to stride down the corridors, in his full length dark red chiton and sandals and take up residence in one of the meeting rooms.
Little more than a sitting room or parlour with cases of books and reading tomes, Vangelis was pleased for the fire that had been stoked as the months were waning on towards the end of the year when the weather would turn colder and blustery. It was there that he waited for the arrival of the woman who demanded his presence and, instead of taking a seat, he remained on his feet, his arms folded and his soles braced as he witnessed her escorting into the room.
"Nethis." He greeted coldly, dispensing with any formal title or honorific. He didn't particularly feel like donning the viper as a 'lady' today...
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The absolute last thing that Vangelis wanted to do right now was speak with the Lady Nethis.
Sitting in the study that had now been re-appropriated by his father and yet had fallen into a sort of dual use by the both of them, Vangelis looked up from his work to stare at the servant that had been sent with the message that the Lady Nethis was waiting at the gates for an audience with him.
Likely, the woman knew, nor would care not if she knew that Vangelis had a fair amount resting upon his shoulders just now and the considerations and concerns regarding the Thanasi's best interests were really not high on his list of priorities. Not the least of which because Nethis had delivered the news regarding Thea's pregnancy with all the compassion and consideration of a sledgehammer to the face. And enjoyed it.
Yet, his hands were tied now that he would be forced to marry the woman's sister. Unable to allow Thea to birth an illegitimate child that bore his blood but not his name, Vangelis had already set wheels into motion to have the engagement settled before he left for war. Then, if he was killed in battle, the child could at least be claimed into the Kotas claim due to the betrothal of marriage that had existed between his parents. There was no time now to have a wedding ceremony actually performed, so he would just have to trust in his family and Thea the blood rites of his offspring and do his best not to perish by an Egyptian sword.
Due to leave the following day, settling sail from the capitol down towards Taengea along the fastest wind that the Master of the Sea had been able to predict for the next two weeks, Vangelis had a lot to see to before the time of his departure became imminent. Another reason why he could do without the interruption of a woman whose presence was as welcome to him as the origination of the plague.
But... if Thea was to become his wife, then Nethis was to become his sister-in-law and as much as he had never envied Zanon of that position, he could also do little to avoid it now. Which meant, if he wished to keep any form of peace between the families, he would sacrifice his time now for a longer-term period of calm.
He hoped.
With a quick order to permit her inside, Vangelis stood up from behind his desk, stretched out his frame in a manner that set sections of his spine cracking and then left the room, ensuring that it was locked behind him. He was then quick to stride down the corridors, in his full length dark red chiton and sandals and take up residence in one of the meeting rooms.
Little more than a sitting room or parlour with cases of books and reading tomes, Vangelis was pleased for the fire that had been stoked as the months were waning on towards the end of the year when the weather would turn colder and blustery. It was there that he waited for the arrival of the woman who demanded his presence and, instead of taking a seat, he remained on his feet, his arms folded and his soles braced as he witnessed her escorting into the room.
"Nethis." He greeted coldly, dispensing with any formal title or honorific. He didn't particularly feel like donning the viper as a 'lady' today...
The absolute last thing that Vangelis wanted to do right now was speak with the Lady Nethis.
Sitting in the study that had now been re-appropriated by his father and yet had fallen into a sort of dual use by the both of them, Vangelis looked up from his work to stare at the servant that had been sent with the message that the Lady Nethis was waiting at the gates for an audience with him.
Likely, the woman knew, nor would care not if she knew that Vangelis had a fair amount resting upon his shoulders just now and the considerations and concerns regarding the Thanasi's best interests were really not high on his list of priorities. Not the least of which because Nethis had delivered the news regarding Thea's pregnancy with all the compassion and consideration of a sledgehammer to the face. And enjoyed it.
Yet, his hands were tied now that he would be forced to marry the woman's sister. Unable to allow Thea to birth an illegitimate child that bore his blood but not his name, Vangelis had already set wheels into motion to have the engagement settled before he left for war. Then, if he was killed in battle, the child could at least be claimed into the Kotas claim due to the betrothal of marriage that had existed between his parents. There was no time now to have a wedding ceremony actually performed, so he would just have to trust in his family and Thea the blood rites of his offspring and do his best not to perish by an Egyptian sword.
Due to leave the following day, settling sail from the capitol down towards Taengea along the fastest wind that the Master of the Sea had been able to predict for the next two weeks, Vangelis had a lot to see to before the time of his departure became imminent. Another reason why he could do without the interruption of a woman whose presence was as welcome to him as the origination of the plague.
But... if Thea was to become his wife, then Nethis was to become his sister-in-law and as much as he had never envied Zanon of that position, he could also do little to avoid it now. Which meant, if he wished to keep any form of peace between the families, he would sacrifice his time now for a longer-term period of calm.
He hoped.
With a quick order to permit her inside, Vangelis stood up from behind his desk, stretched out his frame in a manner that set sections of his spine cracking and then left the room, ensuring that it was locked behind him. He was then quick to stride down the corridors, in his full length dark red chiton and sandals and take up residence in one of the meeting rooms.
Little more than a sitting room or parlour with cases of books and reading tomes, Vangelis was pleased for the fire that had been stoked as the months were waning on towards the end of the year when the weather would turn colder and blustery. It was there that he waited for the arrival of the woman who demanded his presence and, instead of taking a seat, he remained on his feet, his arms folded and his soles braced as he witnessed her escorting into the room.
"Nethis." He greeted coldly, dispensing with any formal title or honorific. He didn't particularly feel like donning the viper as a 'lady' today...
It was almost sad, but this return and a possible second conversation was already going better than the recent first. Nethis imagined this was more a matter of keeping the peace and convenience that allowed her inside the Kotas Archontikó this time rather than having a second conversation in the courtyard as she had imagined she might, when viewing this from all sides, but ultimately the cause hardly mattered. What mattered was the effected, what mattered was that this might lead to be better behavior overall from Vangelis—though she was hardly fool enough to expect it—which would be useful. Considering she intended to try herself, being met somewhere in the middle, or closer to it would be nice.
Upon entering where guided, she took several seconds to get her bearings, quickly realizing this was a very neutral space—which was a good thing rather than a bad one—but also one somehow neutered. It lacked any authority to back Vangelis’ position, which struck her as interesting, but it tracked considering their previous interaction. Lacking trappings of power was not how she would do things if she was forced to deal with herself, but then, it was inherently obvious that they rarely did things in a similar fashion.
After a few moments, she settled her gaze on him. "Vangelis," Nethis echoed, her own greeting made no warmly than his own, and fashioned the same. If he saw fit to dispense titles, she could and would follow suit. She favored the disrespect of ignoring his when and where she could, and truthfully, she was long accustomed to a specific brand of disregard for it overall because she had never seen how she could have it both ways; if she refused to conform to conventional behavior expected of her due to the title, she could hardly stand of the ceremony of continuously demanding it, at least amongst those technically equal or set above her.
A second moment’s hesitance followed as she spared a thought for power dynamics. She could do this standing, she would if he refused to sit himself, but the idea exhausted her in some fashion. She had her own strength and she knew it well, but that hardly meant she was particularly eager to exercise it here; truthfully, she didn’t want to fight with him. She merely wanted the unknown better defined.
"I apologize for the inconvenience." These words would ring false to him, or so she assumed considering she thought he gave more credence to rumor than reality when it came to her, but oddly enough she did mean them. She was sorry. She was sorry for this whole situation and a little angry with herself; hindsight was always more accurate and if she had known what would occur she would have fought harder to prevent Dionysios from coming instead of shrugging and figuring the whole thing harmless.
It was one meal, what was the worst he could do? Too much, altogether too much and look at her the fool for underestimating him.
"I know you have other concerns, I have no desire to keep you long"—Gods help them if this conversation ran long; it would devolve and she knew it—"but I was hoping we could speak about my father." It was phrased as optional, far more optional than their last conversation, but was it really? "The situation as it stands is not exactly... sustainable."
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It was almost sad, but this return and a possible second conversation was already going better than the recent first. Nethis imagined this was more a matter of keeping the peace and convenience that allowed her inside the Kotas Archontikó this time rather than having a second conversation in the courtyard as she had imagined she might, when viewing this from all sides, but ultimately the cause hardly mattered. What mattered was the effected, what mattered was that this might lead to be better behavior overall from Vangelis—though she was hardly fool enough to expect it—which would be useful. Considering she intended to try herself, being met somewhere in the middle, or closer to it would be nice.
Upon entering where guided, she took several seconds to get her bearings, quickly realizing this was a very neutral space—which was a good thing rather than a bad one—but also one somehow neutered. It lacked any authority to back Vangelis’ position, which struck her as interesting, but it tracked considering their previous interaction. Lacking trappings of power was not how she would do things if she was forced to deal with herself, but then, it was inherently obvious that they rarely did things in a similar fashion.
After a few moments, she settled her gaze on him. "Vangelis," Nethis echoed, her own greeting made no warmly than his own, and fashioned the same. If he saw fit to dispense titles, she could and would follow suit. She favored the disrespect of ignoring his when and where she could, and truthfully, she was long accustomed to a specific brand of disregard for it overall because she had never seen how she could have it both ways; if she refused to conform to conventional behavior expected of her due to the title, she could hardly stand of the ceremony of continuously demanding it, at least amongst those technically equal or set above her.
A second moment’s hesitance followed as she spared a thought for power dynamics. She could do this standing, she would if he refused to sit himself, but the idea exhausted her in some fashion. She had her own strength and she knew it well, but that hardly meant she was particularly eager to exercise it here; truthfully, she didn’t want to fight with him. She merely wanted the unknown better defined.
"I apologize for the inconvenience." These words would ring false to him, or so she assumed considering she thought he gave more credence to rumor than reality when it came to her, but oddly enough she did mean them. She was sorry. She was sorry for this whole situation and a little angry with herself; hindsight was always more accurate and if she had known what would occur she would have fought harder to prevent Dionysios from coming instead of shrugging and figuring the whole thing harmless.
It was one meal, what was the worst he could do? Too much, altogether too much and look at her the fool for underestimating him.
"I know you have other concerns, I have no desire to keep you long"—Gods help them if this conversation ran long; it would devolve and she knew it—"but I was hoping we could speak about my father." It was phrased as optional, far more optional than their last conversation, but was it really? "The situation as it stands is not exactly... sustainable."
It was almost sad, but this return and a possible second conversation was already going better than the recent first. Nethis imagined this was more a matter of keeping the peace and convenience that allowed her inside the Kotas Archontikó this time rather than having a second conversation in the courtyard as she had imagined she might, when viewing this from all sides, but ultimately the cause hardly mattered. What mattered was the effected, what mattered was that this might lead to be better behavior overall from Vangelis—though she was hardly fool enough to expect it—which would be useful. Considering she intended to try herself, being met somewhere in the middle, or closer to it would be nice.
Upon entering where guided, she took several seconds to get her bearings, quickly realizing this was a very neutral space—which was a good thing rather than a bad one—but also one somehow neutered. It lacked any authority to back Vangelis’ position, which struck her as interesting, but it tracked considering their previous interaction. Lacking trappings of power was not how she would do things if she was forced to deal with herself, but then, it was inherently obvious that they rarely did things in a similar fashion.
After a few moments, she settled her gaze on him. "Vangelis," Nethis echoed, her own greeting made no warmly than his own, and fashioned the same. If he saw fit to dispense titles, she could and would follow suit. She favored the disrespect of ignoring his when and where she could, and truthfully, she was long accustomed to a specific brand of disregard for it overall because she had never seen how she could have it both ways; if she refused to conform to conventional behavior expected of her due to the title, she could hardly stand of the ceremony of continuously demanding it, at least amongst those technically equal or set above her.
A second moment’s hesitance followed as she spared a thought for power dynamics. She could do this standing, she would if he refused to sit himself, but the idea exhausted her in some fashion. She had her own strength and she knew it well, but that hardly meant she was particularly eager to exercise it here; truthfully, she didn’t want to fight with him. She merely wanted the unknown better defined.
"I apologize for the inconvenience." These words would ring false to him, or so she assumed considering she thought he gave more credence to rumor than reality when it came to her, but oddly enough she did mean them. She was sorry. She was sorry for this whole situation and a little angry with herself; hindsight was always more accurate and if she had known what would occur she would have fought harder to prevent Dionysios from coming instead of shrugging and figuring the whole thing harmless.
It was one meal, what was the worst he could do? Too much, altogether too much and look at her the fool for underestimating him.
"I know you have other concerns, I have no desire to keep you long"—Gods help them if this conversation ran long; it would devolve and she knew it—"but I was hoping we could speak about my father." It was phrased as optional, far more optional than their last conversation, but was it really? "The situation as it stands is not exactly... sustainable."
The lack of power and implied authority in the Kotas manor was less a deliberate choice of decor and more a symptom of the unchecked strength of their household. With a reign that was here unto unmarked by rebellion or serious usurpation, the men of the Kotas manor had never felt the need to display their power in so obvious a manner.
The king who has to remind others of his authority, is no real true king... as his father liked to say.
To Vangelis, however, it was simply home. And he wasn't about to analyse it in the same way that Nethis might upon her entry to the chamber.
When she turned to greet him, Vangelis' pride was hardly weak enough to take issue with her informality of address. Given that he had done the same to her, he was expecting the response and cared little on whether he had the fake respect of a woman who cared nothing of his position, nor his person.
Instead, he simply folded his arms and waited for her to detail the reasons behind her visit. Which, knowing Nethis, she would surely do in her own time and neither before nor after.
When she did, the subject was not what Vangelis had expected. With the recent change in status between their families, it had been all Vangelis could focus on to consider the ramifications of his new planned union with Thea. Any other Thanasi business had passed to the back of his mind. Yet Nethis wasn't about to let the advantage she had secured now through Thea's pregnancy to stand; she was ready to take advantage of it as soon as she possibly could, which Vangelis was hardly surprised by.
With a glance away from the woman and a near eye roll, Vangelis shook his head as his arms unfolded and his hands found his hips. His entire manner was that of disregard.
"No, but it is necessary." He responded to Nethis' appropriate comment of her father's entrapment being only a temporary solution.
There was a moment of thoughtful pause, his eyes trained on the wall to his left, before Vangelis permitted a long exhale and then raised a dismissive hand.
"I will see to it before I leave." He told her. There was nothing he could do about the fact that the Thanasi household was now intrinsically synonymous with Kotas. One marriage had been a single tie. But a second union, this time with the crown prince, made Thanasi near untouchable when it came to legalities. Especially against those who were now to become their own kin.
"He'll be contained for a period of a month." He told her. "Any less and the nobility of Colchis will not accept the consequences of an attempt on the king." He paused as he continued additional requirements. His gaze swung to Nethis. "At the end of the month, Thanasi will issue a formal apology to the House of Kotas. And we'll reciprocate with a formal pardon. But-" The word was punctuated with a single raised finger and Vangelis took several steps forward to place himself in Nethis' personal space, his height and weight towering over her. His eyes flashed a dangerous light. "-if I or my brothers find any evidence to suggest that your father planned the murder of mine and that it wasn't simply an old fool making a bad mistake, then I swear to you Nethis that the bonds between our family will not save him. Are we clear?"
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The lack of power and implied authority in the Kotas manor was less a deliberate choice of decor and more a symptom of the unchecked strength of their household. With a reign that was here unto unmarked by rebellion or serious usurpation, the men of the Kotas manor had never felt the need to display their power in so obvious a manner.
The king who has to remind others of his authority, is no real true king... as his father liked to say.
To Vangelis, however, it was simply home. And he wasn't about to analyse it in the same way that Nethis might upon her entry to the chamber.
When she turned to greet him, Vangelis' pride was hardly weak enough to take issue with her informality of address. Given that he had done the same to her, he was expecting the response and cared little on whether he had the fake respect of a woman who cared nothing of his position, nor his person.
Instead, he simply folded his arms and waited for her to detail the reasons behind her visit. Which, knowing Nethis, she would surely do in her own time and neither before nor after.
When she did, the subject was not what Vangelis had expected. With the recent change in status between their families, it had been all Vangelis could focus on to consider the ramifications of his new planned union with Thea. Any other Thanasi business had passed to the back of his mind. Yet Nethis wasn't about to let the advantage she had secured now through Thea's pregnancy to stand; she was ready to take advantage of it as soon as she possibly could, which Vangelis was hardly surprised by.
With a glance away from the woman and a near eye roll, Vangelis shook his head as his arms unfolded and his hands found his hips. His entire manner was that of disregard.
"No, but it is necessary." He responded to Nethis' appropriate comment of her father's entrapment being only a temporary solution.
There was a moment of thoughtful pause, his eyes trained on the wall to his left, before Vangelis permitted a long exhale and then raised a dismissive hand.
"I will see to it before I leave." He told her. There was nothing he could do about the fact that the Thanasi household was now intrinsically synonymous with Kotas. One marriage had been a single tie. But a second union, this time with the crown prince, made Thanasi near untouchable when it came to legalities. Especially against those who were now to become their own kin.
"He'll be contained for a period of a month." He told her. "Any less and the nobility of Colchis will not accept the consequences of an attempt on the king." He paused as he continued additional requirements. His gaze swung to Nethis. "At the end of the month, Thanasi will issue a formal apology to the House of Kotas. And we'll reciprocate with a formal pardon. But-" The word was punctuated with a single raised finger and Vangelis took several steps forward to place himself in Nethis' personal space, his height and weight towering over her. His eyes flashed a dangerous light. "-if I or my brothers find any evidence to suggest that your father planned the murder of mine and that it wasn't simply an old fool making a bad mistake, then I swear to you Nethis that the bonds between our family will not save him. Are we clear?"
The lack of power and implied authority in the Kotas manor was less a deliberate choice of decor and more a symptom of the unchecked strength of their household. With a reign that was here unto unmarked by rebellion or serious usurpation, the men of the Kotas manor had never felt the need to display their power in so obvious a manner.
The king who has to remind others of his authority, is no real true king... as his father liked to say.
To Vangelis, however, it was simply home. And he wasn't about to analyse it in the same way that Nethis might upon her entry to the chamber.
When she turned to greet him, Vangelis' pride was hardly weak enough to take issue with her informality of address. Given that he had done the same to her, he was expecting the response and cared little on whether he had the fake respect of a woman who cared nothing of his position, nor his person.
Instead, he simply folded his arms and waited for her to detail the reasons behind her visit. Which, knowing Nethis, she would surely do in her own time and neither before nor after.
When she did, the subject was not what Vangelis had expected. With the recent change in status between their families, it had been all Vangelis could focus on to consider the ramifications of his new planned union with Thea. Any other Thanasi business had passed to the back of his mind. Yet Nethis wasn't about to let the advantage she had secured now through Thea's pregnancy to stand; she was ready to take advantage of it as soon as she possibly could, which Vangelis was hardly surprised by.
With a glance away from the woman and a near eye roll, Vangelis shook his head as his arms unfolded and his hands found his hips. His entire manner was that of disregard.
"No, but it is necessary." He responded to Nethis' appropriate comment of her father's entrapment being only a temporary solution.
There was a moment of thoughtful pause, his eyes trained on the wall to his left, before Vangelis permitted a long exhale and then raised a dismissive hand.
"I will see to it before I leave." He told her. There was nothing he could do about the fact that the Thanasi household was now intrinsically synonymous with Kotas. One marriage had been a single tie. But a second union, this time with the crown prince, made Thanasi near untouchable when it came to legalities. Especially against those who were now to become their own kin.
"He'll be contained for a period of a month." He told her. "Any less and the nobility of Colchis will not accept the consequences of an attempt on the king." He paused as he continued additional requirements. His gaze swung to Nethis. "At the end of the month, Thanasi will issue a formal apology to the House of Kotas. And we'll reciprocate with a formal pardon. But-" The word was punctuated with a single raised finger and Vangelis took several steps forward to place himself in Nethis' personal space, his height and weight towering over her. His eyes flashed a dangerous light. "-if I or my brothers find any evidence to suggest that your father planned the murder of mine and that it wasn't simply an old fool making a bad mistake, then I swear to you Nethis that the bonds between our family will not save him. Are we clear?"
Nethis had assumed, consider his distaste for her, the cold informality of how this began and the topic at hand, that it would be far more of a fight to get him to elaborate on what the intentions going forward were. However, she was wrong, and for once she was actually rather pleased with that fact. Funny how that worked, how this was the moment for it when she could not remember the last time it had happened before this one.
Of course, she was pleased too that her instincts had been right, that the gamble was well played;
"On that you and I do not disagree," she returned with a quick shake of her head. It was necessary, though they likely thought so for different reasons. Only, it seemed a moot point in that Vangelis’ attention drifted from her to the wall, as he obviously gave this a moment’s thought.
Interesting.
She understood he obviously had other priorities, that Thea had made herself a problem for him, that there was impending war effort drawing ever closer that was his responsibility, but she would have assumed that he had spared a moment’s thought what to do with the man who tried to kill his father before now. Were their positions reversed, she certainly would have. It was stupid to do anything less.
But then, maybe Vangelis only proved himself capable of matching her at times; it was not a steady, consistent thing, and his motives were different than hers perpetually. The combination of the two likely explained the difference. Or at least, so she assumed. Still, that didn’t stop her from offering superficial gratitude in the form of a quiet, "I appreciate that."
The initial pronunciation was less than she expected or dared to allow herself to hope for even in her most optimistic imaginings. Eyes narrowed just slightly as he settled on a month, wondering what the catch was; there was no way there wasn’t more because as Vangelis aptly said in not so many words, this was the bare minimum and what Dionysios had tried to do could be (should be) punished in such a worse fashion.
Only, she didn’t have to wait long for the rest of it to come. His gaze found hers and he started to lay out the rest and as he did so, she understood why he made a point of returning his gaze to her, made a point of remaining standing. It was not nothing for him to invade her personal space; that was decidedly something but she didn’t even blink at it the way he might have hoped. She would not have earned the reputation she had if she displayed discomfort every time she was threatened or her personal space was encroached upon.
Plus, the threat wasn’t exactly for her anyway, something that became obvious the longer Vangelis spoke. Yes, he raised a finger in her direction and used his height to his advantage, but at the end of the day, she wasn't even the one being threatened. Still, selfish as she was, considering the point of this conversation, she actually took the threat seriously, confident that it would be followed through if proved necessary but also confident that it would never prove like so.
There had been no forethought involved in this. That was the problem.
"Very clear," Nethis offered, giving him the answer he obviously wanted first because it was true and because it was easier to lead off that way, "Only, it would be useful if you could elaborate on what a satisfactory formal apology looks like in this context." She could have paused a moment to give him a chance to do just that, but she had a feeling if she didn’t contextualize well, he was just going to think she was being contrary and difficult for the sake of it and that wasn’t the reason for the request. "Genuinely, I am not trying to be difficult. I just..."
Here, she trailed off and wasted a moment on a sigh, allowing her eyes to shut for a moment as she swallowed hard, steeling herself to say what she had to next despite the fact that doing this was difficult and hurt a little to say. "Much as I wish differently, old fool is not an entirely inappropriate description these days"—it was a quiet admission, but a necessary one and she wanted to leave it at that, but experience had taught her that Vangelis tended to be a little bit dense so she was better off spelling out what she was trying to get at—"and frankly, I cannot guarantee he will be able to deliver a particularly coherent or sincere verbal apology. It would help to know if that is truly the expectation." Yes, she was admitting without quite saying the words that there was going to be some manipulation in this resolution, but what was the point in hiding from the truth now considering just how intertwined their families were becoming?
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Nethis had assumed, consider his distaste for her, the cold informality of how this began and the topic at hand, that it would be far more of a fight to get him to elaborate on what the intentions going forward were. However, she was wrong, and for once she was actually rather pleased with that fact. Funny how that worked, how this was the moment for it when she could not remember the last time it had happened before this one.
Of course, she was pleased too that her instincts had been right, that the gamble was well played;
"On that you and I do not disagree," she returned with a quick shake of her head. It was necessary, though they likely thought so for different reasons. Only, it seemed a moot point in that Vangelis’ attention drifted from her to the wall, as he obviously gave this a moment’s thought.
Interesting.
She understood he obviously had other priorities, that Thea had made herself a problem for him, that there was impending war effort drawing ever closer that was his responsibility, but she would have assumed that he had spared a moment’s thought what to do with the man who tried to kill his father before now. Were their positions reversed, she certainly would have. It was stupid to do anything less.
But then, maybe Vangelis only proved himself capable of matching her at times; it was not a steady, consistent thing, and his motives were different than hers perpetually. The combination of the two likely explained the difference. Or at least, so she assumed. Still, that didn’t stop her from offering superficial gratitude in the form of a quiet, "I appreciate that."
The initial pronunciation was less than she expected or dared to allow herself to hope for even in her most optimistic imaginings. Eyes narrowed just slightly as he settled on a month, wondering what the catch was; there was no way there wasn’t more because as Vangelis aptly said in not so many words, this was the bare minimum and what Dionysios had tried to do could be (should be) punished in such a worse fashion.
Only, she didn’t have to wait long for the rest of it to come. His gaze found hers and he started to lay out the rest and as he did so, she understood why he made a point of returning his gaze to her, made a point of remaining standing. It was not nothing for him to invade her personal space; that was decidedly something but she didn’t even blink at it the way he might have hoped. She would not have earned the reputation she had if she displayed discomfort every time she was threatened or her personal space was encroached upon.
Plus, the threat wasn’t exactly for her anyway, something that became obvious the longer Vangelis spoke. Yes, he raised a finger in her direction and used his height to his advantage, but at the end of the day, she wasn't even the one being threatened. Still, selfish as she was, considering the point of this conversation, she actually took the threat seriously, confident that it would be followed through if proved necessary but also confident that it would never prove like so.
There had been no forethought involved in this. That was the problem.
"Very clear," Nethis offered, giving him the answer he obviously wanted first because it was true and because it was easier to lead off that way, "Only, it would be useful if you could elaborate on what a satisfactory formal apology looks like in this context." She could have paused a moment to give him a chance to do just that, but she had a feeling if she didn’t contextualize well, he was just going to think she was being contrary and difficult for the sake of it and that wasn’t the reason for the request. "Genuinely, I am not trying to be difficult. I just..."
Here, she trailed off and wasted a moment on a sigh, allowing her eyes to shut for a moment as she swallowed hard, steeling herself to say what she had to next despite the fact that doing this was difficult and hurt a little to say. "Much as I wish differently, old fool is not an entirely inappropriate description these days"—it was a quiet admission, but a necessary one and she wanted to leave it at that, but experience had taught her that Vangelis tended to be a little bit dense so she was better off spelling out what she was trying to get at—"and frankly, I cannot guarantee he will be able to deliver a particularly coherent or sincere verbal apology. It would help to know if that is truly the expectation." Yes, she was admitting without quite saying the words that there was going to be some manipulation in this resolution, but what was the point in hiding from the truth now considering just how intertwined their families were becoming?
Nethis had assumed, consider his distaste for her, the cold informality of how this began and the topic at hand, that it would be far more of a fight to get him to elaborate on what the intentions going forward were. However, she was wrong, and for once she was actually rather pleased with that fact. Funny how that worked, how this was the moment for it when she could not remember the last time it had happened before this one.
Of course, she was pleased too that her instincts had been right, that the gamble was well played;
"On that you and I do not disagree," she returned with a quick shake of her head. It was necessary, though they likely thought so for different reasons. Only, it seemed a moot point in that Vangelis’ attention drifted from her to the wall, as he obviously gave this a moment’s thought.
Interesting.
She understood he obviously had other priorities, that Thea had made herself a problem for him, that there was impending war effort drawing ever closer that was his responsibility, but she would have assumed that he had spared a moment’s thought what to do with the man who tried to kill his father before now. Were their positions reversed, she certainly would have. It was stupid to do anything less.
But then, maybe Vangelis only proved himself capable of matching her at times; it was not a steady, consistent thing, and his motives were different than hers perpetually. The combination of the two likely explained the difference. Or at least, so she assumed. Still, that didn’t stop her from offering superficial gratitude in the form of a quiet, "I appreciate that."
The initial pronunciation was less than she expected or dared to allow herself to hope for even in her most optimistic imaginings. Eyes narrowed just slightly as he settled on a month, wondering what the catch was; there was no way there wasn’t more because as Vangelis aptly said in not so many words, this was the bare minimum and what Dionysios had tried to do could be (should be) punished in such a worse fashion.
Only, she didn’t have to wait long for the rest of it to come. His gaze found hers and he started to lay out the rest and as he did so, she understood why he made a point of returning his gaze to her, made a point of remaining standing. It was not nothing for him to invade her personal space; that was decidedly something but she didn’t even blink at it the way he might have hoped. She would not have earned the reputation she had if she displayed discomfort every time she was threatened or her personal space was encroached upon.
Plus, the threat wasn’t exactly for her anyway, something that became obvious the longer Vangelis spoke. Yes, he raised a finger in her direction and used his height to his advantage, but at the end of the day, she wasn't even the one being threatened. Still, selfish as she was, considering the point of this conversation, she actually took the threat seriously, confident that it would be followed through if proved necessary but also confident that it would never prove like so.
There had been no forethought involved in this. That was the problem.
"Very clear," Nethis offered, giving him the answer he obviously wanted first because it was true and because it was easier to lead off that way, "Only, it would be useful if you could elaborate on what a satisfactory formal apology looks like in this context." She could have paused a moment to give him a chance to do just that, but she had a feeling if she didn’t contextualize well, he was just going to think she was being contrary and difficult for the sake of it and that wasn’t the reason for the request. "Genuinely, I am not trying to be difficult. I just..."
Here, she trailed off and wasted a moment on a sigh, allowing her eyes to shut for a moment as she swallowed hard, steeling herself to say what she had to next despite the fact that doing this was difficult and hurt a little to say. "Much as I wish differently, old fool is not an entirely inappropriate description these days"—it was a quiet admission, but a necessary one and she wanted to leave it at that, but experience had taught her that Vangelis tended to be a little bit dense so she was better off spelling out what she was trying to get at—"and frankly, I cannot guarantee he will be able to deliver a particularly coherent or sincere verbal apology. It would help to know if that is truly the expectation." Yes, she was admitting without quite saying the words that there was going to be some manipulation in this resolution, but what was the point in hiding from the truth now considering just how intertwined their families were becoming?
Vangelis watched as Nethis stood her ground in a position that he had seen hardened men cower. If he didn't dislike the woman so much, he might have been able to respect her. But respect was for those who used their power for the benefit of all, not the benefit of one, and Nethis was hardly known for her compassion. Everything she did had an end goal that would only ever benefit herself or the Thanasi as a whole. Never anything beyond that.
And now he was stuck playing to her whims because he couldn't very well sentence his future father-in-law to death by beheading for attempted regicide. Not without clear and valid reason. And given that that was the only satisfactory punishment for such a crime, the only way to avoid it was to ensure that Dionysios had never committed said crime.
Given that his men and investigations had turned up nothing of any pre-planning regarding Dionysios' attempt on Tython's life, not to mention the aghast expressions on the faces of all the Thanasi - even Nethis - when the act had occurred before witnesses of the Court, he had been fairly convinced, over the last week or so, that Dionysios had never intended prior to that moment to murder the king. Instead, he had clearly been taken in some way that had skewed his mind, vision and intentions. And a public acknowledgement of that is all that would be able to prove such a thing – to render the lack of capital punishment permissible.
"Written would be acceptable." He commented, when Nethis admitted the difficulty in getting her father to speak in public a formal apology over something he was clearly not repentant of. "Signed by your father." He added. His gaze was true and clear: She could write whatever she wanted... but it had to be signed in Dionysios' hand and with his seal.
"Whether it is apologetic enough will be down to my brother to decide." For he would be in Egypt by the time the month was up and the public letters of note would be read in the central squares of Midas. "And if it fails to meet with his expectations, Dionysios will be trialled for regicide."
Vangelis chose his words carefully, ensuring that Nethis' hands were tied. If she didn't wish for her father's neck to meet with a chopping block, she would have to err on the side of caution in how she wrote that apology. One hint at cynicism and duplicitous or snide meaning and her father would be sent to the underground jail of the capitol and then summarily removed from this life for his crimes against the crown. And Zanon would be in charge of ensuring that the apology was repentant enough – a man who was not her biggest fan.
Of course... Dionysios would never sign something so prostrating and humble in the first place. So, Nethis had her work cut out for her.
"I'm sure your rumoured conniving skills will ensure the procurement of such a document, Nethis." He stated. And if a curl to his lips had been loosed upon his expression, the comment would have turned silky and almost... despicable. Yet, he kept his expression as he always did - the Stone Prince for all to witness.
It was high time that Nethis’ ploys started to work in Kotas favour.
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Vangelis watched as Nethis stood her ground in a position that he had seen hardened men cower. If he didn't dislike the woman so much, he might have been able to respect her. But respect was for those who used their power for the benefit of all, not the benefit of one, and Nethis was hardly known for her compassion. Everything she did had an end goal that would only ever benefit herself or the Thanasi as a whole. Never anything beyond that.
And now he was stuck playing to her whims because he couldn't very well sentence his future father-in-law to death by beheading for attempted regicide. Not without clear and valid reason. And given that that was the only satisfactory punishment for such a crime, the only way to avoid it was to ensure that Dionysios had never committed said crime.
Given that his men and investigations had turned up nothing of any pre-planning regarding Dionysios' attempt on Tython's life, not to mention the aghast expressions on the faces of all the Thanasi - even Nethis - when the act had occurred before witnesses of the Court, he had been fairly convinced, over the last week or so, that Dionysios had never intended prior to that moment to murder the king. Instead, he had clearly been taken in some way that had skewed his mind, vision and intentions. And a public acknowledgement of that is all that would be able to prove such a thing – to render the lack of capital punishment permissible.
"Written would be acceptable." He commented, when Nethis admitted the difficulty in getting her father to speak in public a formal apology over something he was clearly not repentant of. "Signed by your father." He added. His gaze was true and clear: She could write whatever she wanted... but it had to be signed in Dionysios' hand and with his seal.
"Whether it is apologetic enough will be down to my brother to decide." For he would be in Egypt by the time the month was up and the public letters of note would be read in the central squares of Midas. "And if it fails to meet with his expectations, Dionysios will be trialled for regicide."
Vangelis chose his words carefully, ensuring that Nethis' hands were tied. If she didn't wish for her father's neck to meet with a chopping block, she would have to err on the side of caution in how she wrote that apology. One hint at cynicism and duplicitous or snide meaning and her father would be sent to the underground jail of the capitol and then summarily removed from this life for his crimes against the crown. And Zanon would be in charge of ensuring that the apology was repentant enough – a man who was not her biggest fan.
Of course... Dionysios would never sign something so prostrating and humble in the first place. So, Nethis had her work cut out for her.
"I'm sure your rumoured conniving skills will ensure the procurement of such a document, Nethis." He stated. And if a curl to his lips had been loosed upon his expression, the comment would have turned silky and almost... despicable. Yet, he kept his expression as he always did - the Stone Prince for all to witness.
It was high time that Nethis’ ploys started to work in Kotas favour.
Vangelis watched as Nethis stood her ground in a position that he had seen hardened men cower. If he didn't dislike the woman so much, he might have been able to respect her. But respect was for those who used their power for the benefit of all, not the benefit of one, and Nethis was hardly known for her compassion. Everything she did had an end goal that would only ever benefit herself or the Thanasi as a whole. Never anything beyond that.
And now he was stuck playing to her whims because he couldn't very well sentence his future father-in-law to death by beheading for attempted regicide. Not without clear and valid reason. And given that that was the only satisfactory punishment for such a crime, the only way to avoid it was to ensure that Dionysios had never committed said crime.
Given that his men and investigations had turned up nothing of any pre-planning regarding Dionysios' attempt on Tython's life, not to mention the aghast expressions on the faces of all the Thanasi - even Nethis - when the act had occurred before witnesses of the Court, he had been fairly convinced, over the last week or so, that Dionysios had never intended prior to that moment to murder the king. Instead, he had clearly been taken in some way that had skewed his mind, vision and intentions. And a public acknowledgement of that is all that would be able to prove such a thing – to render the lack of capital punishment permissible.
"Written would be acceptable." He commented, when Nethis admitted the difficulty in getting her father to speak in public a formal apology over something he was clearly not repentant of. "Signed by your father." He added. His gaze was true and clear: She could write whatever she wanted... but it had to be signed in Dionysios' hand and with his seal.
"Whether it is apologetic enough will be down to my brother to decide." For he would be in Egypt by the time the month was up and the public letters of note would be read in the central squares of Midas. "And if it fails to meet with his expectations, Dionysios will be trialled for regicide."
Vangelis chose his words carefully, ensuring that Nethis' hands were tied. If she didn't wish for her father's neck to meet with a chopping block, she would have to err on the side of caution in how she wrote that apology. One hint at cynicism and duplicitous or snide meaning and her father would be sent to the underground jail of the capitol and then summarily removed from this life for his crimes against the crown. And Zanon would be in charge of ensuring that the apology was repentant enough – a man who was not her biggest fan.
Of course... Dionysios would never sign something so prostrating and humble in the first place. So, Nethis had her work cut out for her.
"I'm sure your rumoured conniving skills will ensure the procurement of such a document, Nethis." He stated. And if a curl to his lips had been loosed upon his expression, the comment would have turned silky and almost... despicable. Yet, he kept his expression as he always did - the Stone Prince for all to witness.
It was high time that Nethis’ ploys started to work in Kotas favour.
Nethis had been expecting a fight, but instead, this was a conversation of careful wording, which as always suited her taste. It struck her, for a second time, that if she didn’t hate Vangelis so much both via learned distaste for his family name and for the sake of his personality (and a third small component that could be sourced in an old rejection neither of them cared to discuss and she preferred to forget entirely) she’d actually quite like him for this.
It was circularly useless to dwell on this though when there was something more tangible that needed to be addressed and taken care of. Careful attention was paid to the responses given, looking for loopholes and finding few but not none. Vangelis specified clearly that it had to be signed by Dionysios, and she imagined he thought that was a stopgap to thwart her, but as a stipulation, that was mere child’s play.
She could fight with him about it, she might if Dionysios was of right mind given all that had happened recently and what undermining had earned her, but forging the man’s signature and stamping the document with his seal was a laughably easy demand to fulfill. She had done it before and she anticipated that she would do it again before the man died.
Still, she let him stipulate there and elsewhere, only greeting pronunciations with nods, at least until the end.
A smirk half curved lips in one corner as he flatly insulted her, or at least intended to, by her interpretation. See, the thing was, another woman would find the implication insulting, but he wasn’t wrong. She would do whatever was necessary to see this ended quietly and Vangelis (accidentally or otherwise) only made it easier for her.
The fact that it was Zanon who had to put a final stamp of approval on it actually only served to make it easier. In some fashion, it was more difficult in that Zanon was more emotional and more overt in his hatred of her and Dionysios but Evras was a factor and she was not above manipulating him via her. As such, if necessary, there was a conversation to be had with Evras, an odd thing in that it came in the form of needing her within it just a little, but given what Nethis had recently done for her, she suspected it would be simple to get what she wanted from her. Either Evras would simply tell her what she wanted to know, or she’d bare her back, tell Evras what she did for her and make it plain that she was owed something for choosing her and Thea over their father’s desire and in some looser fashion the family as an entity.
But that was several steps farther down the line than she ought to be considering. Writing the apology was a monumental task on its own, considering she was sorry for nothing (what did she have to be sorry for?) and Dionysios was anything but too.
"About time you acknowledge what I am good at," she returned, owning it plainly, perhaps if only because it was just the two of them and she knew he would neither believe her if she denied it nor humor her if tried to draw him into a game with it. She paused a moment then, before adding assurance of her own. "It will be finished before your return." Gods help her if it wasn’t.
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Nethis had been expecting a fight, but instead, this was a conversation of careful wording, which as always suited her taste. It struck her, for a second time, that if she didn’t hate Vangelis so much both via learned distaste for his family name and for the sake of his personality (and a third small component that could be sourced in an old rejection neither of them cared to discuss and she preferred to forget entirely) she’d actually quite like him for this.
It was circularly useless to dwell on this though when there was something more tangible that needed to be addressed and taken care of. Careful attention was paid to the responses given, looking for loopholes and finding few but not none. Vangelis specified clearly that it had to be signed by Dionysios, and she imagined he thought that was a stopgap to thwart her, but as a stipulation, that was mere child’s play.
She could fight with him about it, she might if Dionysios was of right mind given all that had happened recently and what undermining had earned her, but forging the man’s signature and stamping the document with his seal was a laughably easy demand to fulfill. She had done it before and she anticipated that she would do it again before the man died.
Still, she let him stipulate there and elsewhere, only greeting pronunciations with nods, at least until the end.
A smirk half curved lips in one corner as he flatly insulted her, or at least intended to, by her interpretation. See, the thing was, another woman would find the implication insulting, but he wasn’t wrong. She would do whatever was necessary to see this ended quietly and Vangelis (accidentally or otherwise) only made it easier for her.
The fact that it was Zanon who had to put a final stamp of approval on it actually only served to make it easier. In some fashion, it was more difficult in that Zanon was more emotional and more overt in his hatred of her and Dionysios but Evras was a factor and she was not above manipulating him via her. As such, if necessary, there was a conversation to be had with Evras, an odd thing in that it came in the form of needing her within it just a little, but given what Nethis had recently done for her, she suspected it would be simple to get what she wanted from her. Either Evras would simply tell her what she wanted to know, or she’d bare her back, tell Evras what she did for her and make it plain that she was owed something for choosing her and Thea over their father’s desire and in some looser fashion the family as an entity.
But that was several steps farther down the line than she ought to be considering. Writing the apology was a monumental task on its own, considering she was sorry for nothing (what did she have to be sorry for?) and Dionysios was anything but too.
"About time you acknowledge what I am good at," she returned, owning it plainly, perhaps if only because it was just the two of them and she knew he would neither believe her if she denied it nor humor her if tried to draw him into a game with it. She paused a moment then, before adding assurance of her own. "It will be finished before your return." Gods help her if it wasn’t.
Nethis had been expecting a fight, but instead, this was a conversation of careful wording, which as always suited her taste. It struck her, for a second time, that if she didn’t hate Vangelis so much both via learned distaste for his family name and for the sake of his personality (and a third small component that could be sourced in an old rejection neither of them cared to discuss and she preferred to forget entirely) she’d actually quite like him for this.
It was circularly useless to dwell on this though when there was something more tangible that needed to be addressed and taken care of. Careful attention was paid to the responses given, looking for loopholes and finding few but not none. Vangelis specified clearly that it had to be signed by Dionysios, and she imagined he thought that was a stopgap to thwart her, but as a stipulation, that was mere child’s play.
She could fight with him about it, she might if Dionysios was of right mind given all that had happened recently and what undermining had earned her, but forging the man’s signature and stamping the document with his seal was a laughably easy demand to fulfill. She had done it before and she anticipated that she would do it again before the man died.
Still, she let him stipulate there and elsewhere, only greeting pronunciations with nods, at least until the end.
A smirk half curved lips in one corner as he flatly insulted her, or at least intended to, by her interpretation. See, the thing was, another woman would find the implication insulting, but he wasn’t wrong. She would do whatever was necessary to see this ended quietly and Vangelis (accidentally or otherwise) only made it easier for her.
The fact that it was Zanon who had to put a final stamp of approval on it actually only served to make it easier. In some fashion, it was more difficult in that Zanon was more emotional and more overt in his hatred of her and Dionysios but Evras was a factor and she was not above manipulating him via her. As such, if necessary, there was a conversation to be had with Evras, an odd thing in that it came in the form of needing her within it just a little, but given what Nethis had recently done for her, she suspected it would be simple to get what she wanted from her. Either Evras would simply tell her what she wanted to know, or she’d bare her back, tell Evras what she did for her and make it plain that she was owed something for choosing her and Thea over their father’s desire and in some looser fashion the family as an entity.
But that was several steps farther down the line than she ought to be considering. Writing the apology was a monumental task on its own, considering she was sorry for nothing (what did she have to be sorry for?) and Dionysios was anything but too.
"About time you acknowledge what I am good at," she returned, owning it plainly, perhaps if only because it was just the two of them and she knew he would neither believe her if she denied it nor humor her if tried to draw him into a game with it. She paused a moment then, before adding assurance of her own. "It will be finished before your return." Gods help her if it wasn’t.
Vangelis held little interest in Nethis' smugness when she proclaimed him finally able to see her worth. It wasn't a determination of inferiority that had Vangelis dislike the woman. It wasn't the fact that he thought he inept that had his distaste for her rise bile each time she entered a room. If she were useless, he would care little for her. She wouldn't even factor upon his social understanding of the courts of Colchis. He only held the dislike he did because she was talented in the manipulations and ambitions that she held. You didn't care for a worm in your boot. But a snake was another matter entirely.
Offering her absolutely no response to her little quirk of ego - not in action, word or expression - Vangelis acted as if she had said nothing beyond a simple nod of her head and an obedient acceptance. He offered no credence to her words, simply through a lack of reaction.
"In which case, we are done here." He stated with a bald determination and a step to one side so that she might exit the chambers before him.
He let her pass without further response. Despite his knee jerk reaction to bite out that he had more important things to do with his time, just to have her father's significance knocked down a peg or two, Vangelis just wasn't the kind of person to get snippy when emotional. Instead, he shut down. And the last few days had raised a level of emotion and stress within him to have him blunt and efficient beyond anything else...
Ensuring that Nethis left the room and the Kotas manor ahead of him, Vangelis only then turned his back on the closing front door of his family's estate, now that the unwanted visitor had been removed from the premises. Only a fool turned their back on a snake.
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This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Vangelis held little interest in Nethis' smugness when she proclaimed him finally able to see her worth. It wasn't a determination of inferiority that had Vangelis dislike the woman. It wasn't the fact that he thought he inept that had his distaste for her rise bile each time she entered a room. If she were useless, he would care little for her. She wouldn't even factor upon his social understanding of the courts of Colchis. He only held the dislike he did because she was talented in the manipulations and ambitions that she held. You didn't care for a worm in your boot. But a snake was another matter entirely.
Offering her absolutely no response to her little quirk of ego - not in action, word or expression - Vangelis acted as if she had said nothing beyond a simple nod of her head and an obedient acceptance. He offered no credence to her words, simply through a lack of reaction.
"In which case, we are done here." He stated with a bald determination and a step to one side so that she might exit the chambers before him.
He let her pass without further response. Despite his knee jerk reaction to bite out that he had more important things to do with his time, just to have her father's significance knocked down a peg or two, Vangelis just wasn't the kind of person to get snippy when emotional. Instead, he shut down. And the last few days had raised a level of emotion and stress within him to have him blunt and efficient beyond anything else...
Ensuring that Nethis left the room and the Kotas manor ahead of him, Vangelis only then turned his back on the closing front door of his family's estate, now that the unwanted visitor had been removed from the premises. Only a fool turned their back on a snake.
Vangelis held little interest in Nethis' smugness when she proclaimed him finally able to see her worth. It wasn't a determination of inferiority that had Vangelis dislike the woman. It wasn't the fact that he thought he inept that had his distaste for her rise bile each time she entered a room. If she were useless, he would care little for her. She wouldn't even factor upon his social understanding of the courts of Colchis. He only held the dislike he did because she was talented in the manipulations and ambitions that she held. You didn't care for a worm in your boot. But a snake was another matter entirely.
Offering her absolutely no response to her little quirk of ego - not in action, word or expression - Vangelis acted as if she had said nothing beyond a simple nod of her head and an obedient acceptance. He offered no credence to her words, simply through a lack of reaction.
"In which case, we are done here." He stated with a bald determination and a step to one side so that she might exit the chambers before him.
He let her pass without further response. Despite his knee jerk reaction to bite out that he had more important things to do with his time, just to have her father's significance knocked down a peg or two, Vangelis just wasn't the kind of person to get snippy when emotional. Instead, he shut down. And the last few days had raised a level of emotion and stress within him to have him blunt and efficient beyond anything else...
Ensuring that Nethis left the room and the Kotas manor ahead of him, Vangelis only then turned his back on the closing front door of his family's estate, now that the unwanted visitor had been removed from the premises. Only a fool turned their back on a snake.