In which there is a state visit (RPF Smut Crew)

[guardiansverse]

Doma Amika rubbed her temples, face turned away from the squirming soldier. "I thought, Captain, that we had reached certain agreements regarding Frowe van der Schpitz's establishment," she said into the room at large.

Saul couldn't blame her for her weariness, when there had been such a stunning amount of delicate diplomatic work around Ranna Vandavern's first official visit to the Hyemi capitol. But duty called, and really she was a glutton for punishing duty. "You'll want to hear this, doma."

"I question your definition of want."

"Let him say his piece. It's no easy task I set him to." The man in question was showing fascinating patterns of an embarrassed flush contesting with mortified pallour. Saul rarely felt much if any particular attachment to his troops, but even he had to admit he owed that one a debt. Or he had better: if the man had got any enjoyment of his assignment, Saul would tie his ballsack in a knot. "Speak up, man. Your Land's Own is listening."

The man actually glared daggers at him, clearly not needing that reminder. He coughed. "It's that, ah... I happened to be there yesterday, frowe. Incognito, as the Captain's ordered, and I saw..."

Amika interrupted, "Incognito?"

The man swallowed, shifted his glance to Saul as though from the rock to the hard place, and continued, "Captain wanted to know what other soldiers, uh, frequented..."

"Sun's love. Spare me. Please. Yesterday, you saw...?"

"It was Frowe Vandavern. She was speaking with Rinken, the Lansikaan. They seemed to get along well. She, ah, looked at, ah. Wares."

Amika gave a strained huff. "Yes, that would be Ranna," she said dryly. "Diplomacy cannot bow to palatability. Since we respect Schervo as an independent land and an ally, we must respect its leader's proclivities - "

"They spoke," the man abruptly continued, in the distant voice of a man beatified by resignation to his mortality, "of export policies."

Still as a pool of clear water, in the crispest, most refined of accents, the Land's Own Guardian said, "Fuck."