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As Leon said those last words and exited the office, Mr. Bates turned to look at Terri with a raised eyebrow, which may have been a sign of his amusement. "We have been getting a lot of newcomers lately," he commented to the redheaded Steepescrambler. After a brief pause, he asked; "tell me my Queen, how can I be of service to you?"
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Terri chuckled as she shook her head once Leon had departed, looking to Mr. Bates. "Yeah, haven't we just. On one hand, its good, on the other, well, I suppose if the Freehold is getting a name for itself then it means Them could be hearing about us also." She sighed and apologised to the Wizened. "I'm just overthinking it, no doubt because of my new responsibilities. Who knew being a Sovereign would be so hard," Terri chuckled again, sarcastically, "I mean, how dumb was I to think its just a matter of showing up to the ball!"
After another laugh, glad that she could still laugh, the Dread Queen turned to the matter at hand. "Well, I have been speaking with several of our Court's members, and have offered them titles. However, I would also like to work out some Pledges for them also, I know that it was a matter Rick promised to do but, well, he never. I was hoping as Ashen Notary, you may have some expertise for such things."
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Mr. Bates listened to his Queen's words, nodding along in agreement. "It is a sensible concern, your Majesty," he said in response to Terri's words about the Gentry possibly having taken notice of the Freehold. "You know what they say; it isn't paranoia if They are really out to get you. And in this case, we all know that They are out to get us." The Chatelaine paused for a moment before continuing. "My apologies if my words have offended you in some way, I was just trying to reassure you about the fact that as a Sovereign, you are not overthinking anything...you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, my Queen." With those words, he offered the Steepescrambler a respectful nod.
As the conversation turned to the titles of their Court and pledges, the Wizened seemed to relax a little. "Of course," he said in response to his Queen. "It would not only be my pleasure, but also my duty to assist you in such an endeavor." Mr. Bates offered Terri a pleasant smile as he said those words. "If you can inform me of which titles you are referring to, I will begin working on the appropriate oaths at once," he added, clearly eager to get started on the task.
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Terri smiled, always glad that Mr. Bates was on her side.
"Well, there's the Paladin of Shadows, Legate of Mists and Lord Scrivener," Terri explains before thinking, "Actually, Mr. Bates, have you or Betony Rue ever taken a pledge for your own titles? I mean, I trust you both implicitly, I mean no offence by it but you have both been stalwarts of the Court, I just assumed HAL may have done it himself."
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The Ashen Notary nodded, jotting down a few things on his notebook as he listened to his Queen. "Good, I will start drafting some pledges for these three," he said, offering a smile to Terri. Then, when she asked about his own pledge and that of Betony Rue, the Wizened raised an eyebrow slightly. "No offence taken my Lady. You are absolutely right about this concern of yours, since the pledges Miss Jasons and I had sworn to HAL ceased to be when he betrayed this Freehold." Mr. Bates paused for a moment before adding, "I'll add those two titles to my list." With a respectful nod to the Dread Queen, he scribbled down a couple of more things on his notebook.
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Remembering all the trouble caused by the former Dread Lord caused Terri to sigh, a shiver running down her back. Pushing it to the back of her mind, Terri smiled graciously to Mr. Bates.
"That's wonderful, thank you ever so much, Mr. Bates. Is there anything I can do to assist?"
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The Wizened offered Terri a polite bow of the head as she offered her thanks. "You are quite welcome, Queen Nutkins," he said to the redheaded Steepescrambler. "I will get working on the pledges at once, and will have them safely delivered to you at Treetop Fashions." The Ashen Notary offered his Queen a polite smile after saying those words. "Unless, you have another preference of course."
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Terri nodded with a welcoming smile. "That would be great, thank you, Mr. Bates." She stood and offered her Ashen Notary a hand. "I think this could be a very prosperous time for the Leaden Mirror. Unity at long last."
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Mr. Bates stood at once, taking the hand offered and shaking it lightly. "It is my pleasure, your Highness," said the Chatelaine to his Queen. At her next words, he nodded in agreement. "I concur. From what I have observed, many of our most recent members seem rather willing to help out and make something of themselves." The Wizened paused as he offered her a brief smile. "And one cannot deny that some of our Court's success comes from having you as its leader," he added after the pause, his smile widening a bit.
As he escorted the Dread Queen to the door, Mr. Bates offered her one final bow. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Queen Nutkins."
End Scene
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