Darzi w/ Family

Darzi took an uncomfortable sip from her wine cup, hoping to delay the necessity of answering Mikhael's mother. The wine burned on its way down, she found herself coughing due to the harshness of it; an unbearably sweet red, and surprisingly alcoholic. She cleared her throat politely, the expectant looks of wives and sisters pressed upon her with increasing urgency. Eventually, she forced herself to speak.

"Well, he rescued me from a group of bandits which had killed my command and taken me hostage, presumably for ransom. The bandits were camped in an old Rhynian ruin in the mountains; at various levels a fortress, mine, prison, and power plant. He had been looting the place when he stumbled upon me."

Mikhael's mother, her name escaped Darzi, nodded her head proudly. "That would be my boy, I raised him properly. To care first for the welfare of those in need." Darzi very much doubted that, but held her tongue. While surely kind, Mikhael could not be described as selfless. In fact, it would be more appropriate to say he suffered from an inflated sense of self.

One of the other wives, the slow one with short, golden hair and delicate features, drew her brow together and cocked her head to the side curiously before speaking. "How did they manage to kill a company of City Guardsmen? The Guard ought to be more than capable of handling a few untrained bandit rabble!"

Darzi shook her head solemnly. "The terrain wasn't in our favor. One of their Vatis collapsed a side of the cliff face onto my command, killing most of my soldiers then and there. After that archers and a Fire Vatis attacked us from above. Finally bandits swept in from around a bend in the canyon while we were trying to take cover in the rubble. It was over quickly; we didn't have a chance."

Darzi sighed heavily, rubbing her eyes wearily. She'd gone over the event a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand times in her head. "I should have had men scouting the rim of the canyon, but it's not a route known for banditry. I wasn't expecting to encounter enemies until much further in. I should have grown worried when my forward scouts did not report in, but they were only supposed to do so if they spotted trouble. I should not have taken such a large force, it only served to attract attention." She shook her head. "I should not have let them take me alive."

Another one of the wives, the one with a constant look of vague disdain, scowled at her. "You grew complacent, and your command died for it. You've none to blame-"

Mikhael's mother cut in. "Nadiyya if you're going to be rude you can run to the cellar and fetch a fresh bottle of wine. Otherwise I can have a servant do it and spare you the trouble. I leave the choice to you."

Nadiyya remained silent, and after a fashion Mikhael's mother waved a hand. One of his sisters, the one with the look of a recruit, stood and made her way to a silk rope hanging from the wall. She gave it a tug, and returned to her seat. Only moments later a door Darzi hadn't seen swung open and a servant in white robes, an older man with a neatly trimmed grey beard and slightly wrinkled features, strode into the room with an unopened bottle of wine. How had he known what they wanted?

Darzi was grateful, but tried not to show it. She still felt terrible about what happened in the canyon, and the aftermath was the subject of frequent nightmares. She had felt better than usual the last few weeks, she used to hardly get any sleep at all for fear of the dreams. Another gift she owes Mikhael for, a gift she'll need to find a way to repay.

"Now, if we're quite done with that unpleasantness I'd like to hear just why it is my son hasn't taken you for his own. Don't give me any of that nonsense about sworn oaths, I know my son. He's loathe to follow even his own father's orders unless they match his own interest. Does he prefer the company of men? I can't imagine there's someone else, he would have brought her otherwise. Not to mention the only other women I saw in your little group were humans or mutants, unfit for a man like my son. Entirely unfit."

Darzi suppresses the urge to scowl. She knew that sort of attitude was common amongst the visaralu but it was still grating, especially when considering she wasn't even 'good enough' for a noble's attention as far as most of society was concerned. Instead of making some clever quip, she cleared her throat and responded as politely as she could manage.

"As much as I might like your son, he's a truly dear friend, I'm simply not interested in him romantically. He's fairly good looking, he's clever, and he's a fair leader. He's also completely and totally insane. He once disemboweled himself merely to allow myself and a friend to learn healing magic, and then slit his throat immediately after. He treats monsters from the void like pets, or old friends. He shares his mind with the ghost of entities which aspire to godhood and-" Darzi waves a hand, cutting herself off. "Well, you get the picture. I really should let him be the one to tell you of his various eccentricities. Needless to say, I don't want to get emotionally attached to a man who may lose his mind at any moment."

Mikhael's mother scoffed. "He seems fine! A bit of a loon, but lucid enough. Certainly could stand to be a little more cautious if what he's told us so far is any indication, but I'm proud of what he's managed to accomplish and he's avoided death so far. Besides, are you not mad as well for following him on these nonsensical adventures of his?"

Darzi shrugged her shoulders. "I owe him a debt, he's saved my life several times over. Until such a time as that debt is forgiven or repaid, I feel obligated to help him in whatever ways I can manage. It just so happens that right now following him about is the best way to help, even if it's not the way I'd like."

Her answer seemed sufficient, attention drifted from her to wine and conversation, but only gradually. Mikhael's mother seemed quite upset that a woman would flout her son's advances, ignoring the fact that Mikhael had made no advances to flout in the first place. Darzi happily joined the carousing until such a time as a servant fetched them for dinner.