(2605)Ale and Kylar

[Alessandra]

Cain remained standing between his Master and the unknown Kindred. He simply watched and waited, as he had done for years.

There was no table beside her, she simply stood there, beside the stairs, hands in the pockets of her leather pants, the tattoos of her torso on display. Her dark eyes simply watch him.

“Before we get to business, I’m curious, what were you writing on at my coat check?” first things first.

[Kylar Stern]

Kylar remained still. He did not reach for the ledger. He met her eyes with total composure.


"I was logging the exact time of my arrival," Kylar stated. His voice was a calm anchor. "After my previous lapse in Sacramento, I have adopted a stricter protocol for my own movements. I document my entry to ensure my punctuality and my presence are never again a matter of chance or debate."


He kept his focus on the Prince.


"It is a personal record of accountability. I intend to be exactly where I am required to be from this night forward."

[Alessandra]

Her face remains expressionless, "You carry around a ledger?” pausing, “Interesting. Though one was not seen in your hands. I don’t like to be lied to, keep that in mind.” Her voice void of any emotion.

“Document whatever you want, if you are not here when you are supposed to, the debate is over. Whatever your book says in null and void, you’ll do well to remember that.” unless it was a Blood Oath, it was useless.

“Now, what was so important that you had to miss a Formal Court, and ignore the questions I asked you the last Court? Those answers are still needed.”

[Kylar Stern]

Kylar absorbed the accusation of lying without a single change in his posture. He did not reach into his coat to prove the ledger existed, nor did he argue. To defend himself against a Sovereign's suspicion would only look defensive and weak. He simply accepted her warning with a silent, resolute tilt of his head.


When she demanded to know what was so important, he delivered the flat truth without wrapping it in a protective lie.


"Nothing was more important than Formal Court, Highness," Kylar said. His voice was a flat, steady anchor. "I had no crisis. I had no competing obligation. I simply miscalculated the timeline of my own affairs and arrived to closed doors. It was a failure of my own discipline, and I offer no excuse for it."


He kept his dark eyes fixed on hers, standing his ground as a man who takes full ownership of his failures.


"Regarding the questions from the previous Court, you demanded to know my clear intentions for the Mekhet and what utility I bring to your domain. My answer is ready. I am here to provide risk management, asset protection, and to secure the vulnerabilities of this city. I seek to earn the position of Priscus to ensure my clan functions as an efficient, orderly extension of your law."


He did not look away from the Prince.


"I am ready to accept whatever penance is required to balance the ledger for my absence and prove my utility to your court."

[Alessandra]

“Clearly there was something more important, your own affairs. You receive one pass for missing a Formal Court, I don’t deal with excuses, especially when one has dragged their own Acknowledgement on as long as you have.”

Then came an answer she wasn’t expecting.

“All those words are fine, but I don’t have a vested interest in who the Mekhet selected as their Priscus. That is Mekhet business, not mine,” a pause, “unless they make it my business of course. So, all those flowery words, mean nothing to me, save it for if you and the other Mekhet get to meet.”

Another pause, “I did not ask you that, not once, nor was anything demanded.” A longer pause, one with weight, with meaning. “Not one for listening when someone talks are you?” she asks.

“Balancing a ledger means that a Boon was offered and a Boon was accepted. Now why would a Boon need to be offered? Have you offended someone? Did you want to take some time to think back on our short conversation? You did seem lost in thought after I asked the questions.” They weren’t difficult questions after all. “It could have been from hunger, having lost feeding rights will do that.”

[Kylar Stern]

Kylar did not let his expression waver. He absorbed the weight of her correction with a slow, disciplined incline of his head. He had miscalculated the trajectory of her previous inquiry, and he would not compound the error by defending a faulty premise.


"I misread the focus of your previous questions, Highness. That failure of comprehension is mine," Kylar said. His tone remained an even, steady anchor. "Regarding the Seneschal, there was no Boon brokered in secret, nor any intent to circumvent protocol. My mention of balancing a ledger was an poorly framed offer to perform whatever additional tasks or duties the domain required to make up for my absence. It was a willingness to work for my standing, not an insult."


He kept his arms still at his sides, his gaze unwavering despite her mention of his restricted feeding rights.


"The hunger is a constant baseline, but it does not dictate my focus. I am listening now. If my recollection of your terms was flawed, I am ready to hear the questions as you intended them."

[Alessandra]

If she was breathing, there would be a deep sigh of disappointment, “Not a misread, you didn’t listen. I’m sensing a problem with you and listening.” Her tone now gaining an edge to it, “If you had been listening and paying attention, which seems to be a very difficult thing for you, I asked if the offer of one was for not making an appointment or for you speaking poorly of the Seneschal very publicly. But it also goes to show your lack of understanding of how Boons work.”

“Not a baseline for me. But then again, if I had my feeding rights completely revoked in a Domain, it would be more than a constant baseline.”

This time, she takes a step closer to him, “You should have been listening when I spoke the first time, I do not like repeating myself, especially for one who thinks he can stand before me and make excuses.” Cain senses his Master and moves as well.

“Have you heard the questions clearly now? Or do you need another month outside the Domain learning how to listen?”

[Kylar Stern]

Kylar stood his ground as the Prince stepped closer. The sudden shift in Cain's positioning registered in his periphery, but his eyes never wavered from Alessandra. He did not pull back. He did not let his posture slouch. He absorbed the full weight of her irritation, recognizing that his previous attempts to clarify his intent had only read as defiance.


A Dragon understands when a system has no room for negotiation. He had failed the simplest requirement of court etiquette. He had failed to listen.


"I have no defense, Highness," Kylar said. His voice was low, hollowed out by the hunger, but entirely steady. "You are correct. I failed to listen to you, and I compounded that failure by trying to explain it away. I apologize for my arrogance and for wasting your time."


He lowered his head in a deep, deliberate bow. This was not a performance for the crowd, but a direct acknowledgment of her supremacy and his own error. He held the position for a beat before straightening his spine, meeting her gaze with absolute, quiet transparency.


"I hear you clearly now. I am not here to make excuses, nor am I here to lose my place in this domain. I do not need another month outside. Tell me what you require of me, Highness, and I will execute it exactly as ordered."