Test of Patience

It was the testing day.

Nivelir left early to manage the three-ring circus in the city, as only he could. Rosamund demanded that Adanita, Teodolit, and Ekliptik stay in the manor. He had special tests prepared for them, considerably harder and longer. He needed to know the exact breadth and depth of their knowledge before they could proceed anywhere. He had a look at what Nivelir planned for the other pirates, and it was satisfactory enough for sorting out a large group of people quickly and efficiently, but these three specifically were a different story. He had smaller tables set up in his office for the three of them. They were allowed to write for however long they liked, but they weren't allowed to discuss their answers. He provided them with tea and snacks, and they were allowed to go on breaks and return, as long as they did it quietly. They were writing out their answers in silence, while Rosamund was working. The room was filled with the quiet scribbling sounds of three pencils and a quill.

Khamil's finances were... off. They begged for further investigation.

He had other things to worry about first, though, so he set those documents aside. Urgent report from Captain Hexkey. Last night, two pirates got arrested in a drunken brawl. Reading the report, his face grew darker and darker. Adanita and Teodolit weren't in the city today, so the news probably didn't reach them yet. He needed to go to the prison as soon as the testing was done. He sneakily looked at them, but they were going through the papers without a care in the world. Ekliptik's bright eyes stared back at him from under the hat. They know.

And for some reason or another, they chose not to tell those two before the tests. Perhaps not to distract them? Or because they knew that Adanita would march down there immediately, before he found out and got the chance to react. He shuddered at the incident they had barely avoided. He mouthed a thank you to Ekliptik. They shrugged and got back to their test. Rosamund put the report under other documents and took the next thing from his to-do list.

It took them several hours of writing and an occasional break, but the three managed to turn in their exams to him before lunchtime. They were free to go, but decided to hang around while Rosamund took a look at what they wrote.

Adanita had a high reading comprehension, and solved all the math tasks correctly. She was highly intelligent and had a neat handwriting, but it seemed she lacked quite a lot of knowledge, too. She was aware of the general political situation in the world, but it was mostly limited to the countries with access to the sea. He supposed it made sense. She knew very little about art, fashion, and literature. She had a good general grasp of history, though, but it was limited to the past maybe fifty years. Considering the colorful cast of people she surrounded herself with, it was no surprise she was aware of several cultural norms and events from numerous countries. Not bad, to be honest. She was also able to converse in Karpathian, although her spelling was abhorrent. Languages were the last on his list of priorities, though.

Teodolit's test was nearly unreadable, the man's scribbles would be the worst nightmare of every teacher. He wasn't nearly as good at math as Adanita, but his general knowledge was on par with a scholar. History and geography were not a problem for him, and considering the advanced texts that he saw in his house, he was no stranger to magic and natural sciences. His grasp of Bretonian language was about as good as Adanita's, but to his surprise, the man spoke two other languages too. Rosamund didn't expect that, he spoke Bretonian with no accent whatsoever.

And then there was Ekliptik.

Yes, they were able to read. And write. And even do math, as limited as it was. But some of the answers they gave to the questions about the world were shocking. Franac minister Renoncule, who died in her sleep some twenty or thirty years ago, was - according to Ekliptik - murdered by the Mletak's guild of assassins Mercanti di Morte. Was this a confession? And they even gave a name for the person behind the mysterious disappearance of two Karpathian nobles a few years ago. Not to mention numerous outrageous claims about who made profits from falls of nobles, and how some people that he had previously met with, face to face, reached their positions. Were they making this up? They wouldn't, would they? This knowledge spanned perhaps two hundred years into the past - questions on things farther than that were mostly left unanswered. He looked up at them, skulking about in a corner of the room. They stared back, waiting for him to get to the urgent topic.

He collected the papers together and set them aside before speaking up. "Last night, Pronyscher Zaum and Cinda were arrested by the guards during a drunken brawl. We will go there after lunch," he strictly said, since Adanita and Teodolit were already getting up, "so that we give Captain Hexkey the chance to gather all the guards and witnesses that were involved into this. The order for him was already sent out. I will sort this out this afternoon. You have my word."
"Do you know what happened?" Adanita asked.
"We will find out when we get there. Captain Hexkey has issues with writing detailed reports." Or, possibly, he didn't want to put into writing something he couldn't confirm. Rosamund could respect that.

Adanita seemed at least somewhat calmed, but Teodolit was still on edge. "No deaths were mentioned in the report," he said, in an attempt to calm him down.
"Lovely," he mumbled. "Were you aware of this?" he asked Ekliptik.
They shrugged awkwardly.
"Let them be," Adanita ordered.
"Yes, sir," he snarled. He pushed his hair out of his face and silently fumed with his arms crossed.

"In better news, I am quite impressed with your test results. But, hm. Ekliptik," they jumped, "we will need to talk about yours later."
"Mm... alright."

The sad attempt to improve the mood did nothing for the trio. Rosamund got up. "Let us eat," he said. They will feel better afterwards, and have the time to think before they act recklessly. He was happy that they at least had enough faith in his authority and abilities to not run to the city immediately. He led the way through the hallways in tense silence. It seemed small talk will be off the table today.

Pun.

A distressed maid made her way to the group, but before she could open her mouth, he heard shouting from the direction of the foyer downstairs. It seemed that this will be another day when everything is happening. He recognized the voice and raised his hand before she could say anything, trying to make out the words that echoed off of the marble and glass.
"Captain, with me. Young lady, please take these two to the dining room. You may start eating without us. Have tea for two brought to the red drawing room quickly. I will take care of our guest," he said quietly, heading down the hallway.
"For two?" Adanita asked, following him. "Then why am I coming along?"
"A show of force, nothing more," he quietly answered. "I want to shock him, but I can handle him myself afterwards." He flashed her a reassuring smile. "Nothing to worry about, just play along for a minute. Feel free to go and eat immediately after this."
"Who is-"

She didn't get to finish the question. Staring down from the top of the staircase, she immediately recognized the shouting man. She tightly gripped her swords, her distaste clearly showing on her face.

"Vice Admiral Khamil," Rosamund raised his voice. The man flinched before looking up at the two of them. His face went pale when he saw the wound on Rosamund's face, and completely white when he realized who the woman standing next to him was. Rosamund continued in a quieter voice now that he had his attention. "It is always a pleasure to have an uninvited guest over. I hope you have a good reason to interrupt us while we work."
"You have a lot of nerve, Lord Governor!" the blonde man shouted back. He already caught his balance in this situation, the rat. "You've returned to the city after that debacle, and instead of coming to meet me like a man, you begin spreading baseless accusations against me! Not to mention arresting my men - I demand their release this instant!"
A music to his ears, truly. He wouldn't be this upset if the investigation into his finances wasn't onto something. Rosamund carefully kept his face expressionless. This was no time for celebration. "Is this why you've come to scream at my majordomo?" he gently asked.
The tone of his voice made him flinch again. He stepped away from his servant, who breathed a sigh of relief. "I was upset because your men," he spit that word out like a curse, "would not let me come inside. Despite my rank and the business I have with you, they'd have stopped me at the front door!"
"Are you telling me you fought your way inside?"
"Pushing a nuisance out of my way is hardly assault," he hissed. Red spots were forming on his face. "I have the right to be here!"
"I believe it is I who will be the judge of that, Vice Admiral."

Khamil took another step back, finally realizing who he was speaking to. The man may have had backing in the Admiralty, but they weren't in their homeland at this time. Rosamund had been sent here by the Queen Herself. Until she personally removes him, this colony was as good as his alone. The pond was not a big one, but while they were limited to this archipelago, Rosamund was the largest fish around. And Khamil came directly into his house. He wasn't going to arrest the man for slander just yet, but even his patience had limits.

"Captain Vervain, I fear we will need to continue our discussion at a later time. Please excuse me while I deal with this situation," he said. And action!
"You are excused, Lord Governor. Let me know if the situation needs another pair of swords to manage it," she said, not bothering to hide the hostility in her voice. "I do not appreciate these distractions during our work."
Cut! Perfect. "Unfortunately, this distraction refused to announce itself in time. I promise you that during our next meeting, you will have my undivided attention. You may take your leave now, Captain." She gave him a nod and turned on her heel, marching away.

He started walking down the stairs, slowly and with intent. Even when he reached the ground floor, he was looking down at the shorter man. The height difference was a psychological weapon, one he never shied away from using. "Mister Bluebell, I trust you are well?" he asked.
The old majordomo bowed his head next to him. "Yes, my lord. I was not struck by Vice Admiral. He merely pushed me and threatened to - ahm - kick my decrepit teeth in if Lord Governor does not come down this instant. Pardon my language, my lord. I am only quoting Vice Admiral."
"Very good, Mister Bluebell. You may take the rest of the day off. This is not among the hazards you should be facing while on duty. I will take care of everything."
"Thank you, sir."
"This way, Vice Admiral," he said.

He led the young man towards the red drawing room, a nicely set meeting place on the ground floor. It was also comfortably close to the entrance to his manor, so at least he won't need to deal with the man for too long. Having his back turned to him made him uncomfortable, but what was he going to do? Attack the Governor in his own home? Unlikely.

The room was already set as he ordered. Yes to tea, no to snacks. He was observing the etiquette that demanded he serves something to the man, but he'll be damned if he gives Khamil any excuses such as an unfinished plate of sweets to stick around for too long. He took a seat on the comfortable red couch, and Khamil sat down on the couch across from him, deeply frowning. He came here dressed in his uniform from the Admiralty, clearly trying to give off an aura of confidence and authority. His short curly hair was combed away from his tanned face. His sharp violet eyes were squinting in anger, trying to intimidate him. Unfortunately, this young man was not the first person Rosamund had angered. There was no fear that those eyes could ignite.

"Have you calmed down, Vice Admiral?" he asked.
Khamil made a disgusted noise, grabbing his teacup and leaning back on his couch.
There were limits to the disrespect Rosamund needed to suffer. Khamil was coming dangerously close to the point where he could simply throw him out, and nobody would blame him for it. He wondered if he was aware that he had long crossed the line of his patience, and that his presence was allowed simply because Rosamund needed to be a good host. "I will take that as a yes. Let us talk about that slander you've mentioned. Something about me ordering you to sail into a storm?"
"Speaking only the truth is one of the noblest goals a man can have in life," Khamil replied. "You should know that, as one of us. The things you accuse me and my men of are a stain on your honor, my lord."

Outrageous.

Rosamund kept his expression calm. This was hardly his first meeting with open hostility like this. Liars, he decided, deserve their own circle in Hell. From what he recalled, Dante put them all the way down into the Eighth Circle, and honestly, he was petty enough to think that Khamil deserved it. He sipped his tea, clearing his head. It was encouraging to know that the artists of old agreed with his opinions.

"Quite an interesting accusation, Vice Admiral," he said. "But I am afraid you have left me confused. You have accused Rosamund Alsop en la Dale of a very serious crime. I, with my authority as a Governor, cannot ignore the possibility of incompetence that could have led to manslaughter. As such, I, Lord Governor, have dedicated myself to investigating your claims. I have questioned the people who made them and I also had your crew interrogated. Sadly I couldn't reach you, but I asked Rosamund Alsop en la Dale many questions about the events that have transpired instead. Everyone's testimony seemed to clash with yours, so I, Lord Governor, needed to dig deeper. Strangely enough, that somehow led me down a path of missing funds and mismanaged ships. Now that you have found yourself before me, what can you tell me about the state your ships were in before the storm?" Translation: People know you've lied about me. What did you do with the missing money, you idiot?

He scoffed in disbelief. "I have already spoken to the Admiralty, Lord Governor. They are rallying! They will have you removed in no time!"
"And I," he said, setting his cup on the table, "have spoken to Her Majesty. She is very interested in the case of the missing funds. Not to mention that accusing the man She Personally appointed stains Her reputation as well as mine. You should know that Her Envoy will arrive as soon as Mage Master is done with the teleportation circle, and once they are here, it will be too late for confessions. So I will ask you again - what do you think you are doing?"

That shut him up. They both had several weeks to stack their decks, but unfortunately for Khamil, Rosamund's cards were stronger. He doubted he could manage to get Duchess Almukantarat's help in this matter. Now he was too close to the cliff. Dorja was a lot of things, but she certainly wasn't going to be stupid enough to fall with this man. She will simply find someone else to throw at him later, and he will deal with them too.

"If you think I will be intimidated just because you are the Governor, you are dead wrong," Khamil said.
"You are testing my patience, Vice Admiral. I may just take this as a threat and throw you in with the rest. If you'd prefer to avoid this fate, I recommend you leave my house this instant." He gave him a smile. "Your tea has cooled, after all. And somehow, I have run out of servants who would be willing to pour you another cup."

The porcelain shattered in Khamil's hand. Luckily for the man's dignity (and clothes), he was just about to set the cup down. The reddish stain was spreading on the polished wood of the table, mixing with a few drops of his blood. In his head, Khamil was raging like the sea. Rosamund curiously waited to see what his next move will be, but Khamil only took out a handkerchief and wrapped it around his hand. He had more self-control than Rosamund expected. Or, perhaps he was too much of a coward to take a shard and strike at him. He managed to say goodbye, although he couldn't contain the anger in his voice, and Rosamund responded with a nod.

Once the man had left the room, he finally exhaled and allowed himself to start trembling.

A few minutes later, he calmed down. He finished his cup and went to join the pirates for lunch.