[D4 E] Teach Me

[Kaliya Redding]

Kaliya approached the Maester's pavilion, her hands tucked into the hanging sleeves of her Dornish dress to try and protect them from the chill. "Maesterr Oswell?" she called, "arre you busy?"

[Maester Oswell]

There were sounds of slurping, coming from the Maester's tent, noises that stopped when Kaliya called out to him.

"No, not at all. Please come in milady." Oswell called back as he put down the hearty bowl of soup he was tucking into and wiped his face of the mess he tended to leave behind. As Kaliya well knew, the Maester was a messy eater.

[Kaliya Redding]

Kaliya entered the tent, withdrawing her hands from her sleeves and curtsying. "Good evening, I trrust that you arre well this evening?" She glanced at the table, "my apologies, I have disturrbed yourr dinnerr, should I rreturrn laterr?"

[Maester Oswell]

"Don't be silly, an old man's belly can wait. Even cold this is better than I grew used to eating at the Citadel." Oswell pushes his bowl away and turns his chair to face Kaliya. "I hope you don't find the tent too cold, but there are a number of blankets if you wish for one, I prefer them to a full fire."

[Kaliya Redding]

With a gentle cluck of her tongue, "please, do not put off yourr meal forr my sake," and Kaliya indicated for him to continue eating. "I thought to take you up on yourr offerr, if you carred to indulge me, a discussion of herrbs and theirr uses and prreparrations?"

[Maester Oswell]

"Sure, let's discuss." Oswell says as he picks up his bowl and takes another spoonful.

"Needs more bay leaf." He speaks up after savouring the stew. "Or is that not quite the sort of herb you had in mind."

[Kaliya Redding]

She laughed warmly, "I do not think I could cook a brread rroll if my life depended on it. Though I can brrew a delightful tea forr a grreat rrange of situations. Why not starrt therre?" She paused, watching the maester eat, "and if that grrows tirresome, then we shall just have to think of something else to do."

[Maester Oswell]

"You'll forgive an old man his eccentricities then." The Maester replies as he puts down his bowl once more and simultaneously lowers his voice while raising one eyebrow. "I find talking of the subjects we may be referencing tends to ruin one's appetite. Now whom would be entertaining with this particular...blend you wish to discuss?"

[Kaliya Redding]

"Forrgive me if I have misunderrstood, maesterr. I thought this to be an exchange of sharred knowledge and mutual interrest." Rising to her feet, "my deepest apologies if I have spoiled yourr meal."

[Maester Oswell]

"Oh sit down you damnable woman. We both know what we're talking about and you know my interests run parallel to yours. In fact if you hadn't kept this so close to your chest we could've had this conversation years ago."

"If you want to walk back out the flap then go right ahead, I'm too old to go chasing after you like those young lads you've been torturing at the lists so don't even bother waggling that biteable ass at me on your way out if that's the route you want to take."

[Kaliya Redding]

Laughing at his crotchetiness, Kaliya sat once more, folding her arms, generous breasts resting on her forearms. The skin on skin of her arms against the plunging cut of her dress felt cold, reminding her how tiresome she found the lingering winter weather. "The fact that it puts you off yourr food is why I have kept this so quiet. You arre a man of learrning, and a man of cerrtain lascivious skill, if the topic rrepulses you, then you must underrstand how anyone else might rreact."

"I had alrready ceased to need such things by the time you joined House Dunn, it had not even come to mind until the tourrney," she added with a shrug.

[Maester Oswell]

"You misunderstand my dear. It doesn't repulse me, the fact that you've thought so far ahead actually intrigues me. Talking about additives though, always makes my over active noggin wonder about exactly what's in my food. I logically know there's nothing in there that shouldn't be, but..." He offers a casual shrug.

[Kaliya Redding]

"Say what you will about Dorrne, but they teach theirr daughterrs well." She reached over and picked up the spoon that the maester had abandoned, taking a mouthful before licking the utensil clean with pointed thoroughness. "It tastes all rright to me."

[Maester Oswell]

Oswell just tuts in amusement.

"Your copious talents, while visually appreciated, are unnecessary with such an audience m'dear. Even your assuredly masterful tongue cannot raise the dead, not even with the able assistance of your tea chest, as well stocked as it is."

"But I am well pleased that education is not withheld from the fairer sex in your homeland, that is one aspect of life here that I feel is rather backwards." Oswell adds, speaking his mind on the topic of education by merit rather than gender.

[Kaliya Redding]

Kaliya pouted playfully, "no need to spoil my fun, maesterr. The dead may not rise anymorre, but that did not seem to botherr you the otherr night."

"Many things are not withheld from the woman of Dorrne," she said pointedly, "spearrs, daggerrs, theirr rrightful inherritance."

[Maester Oswell]

"Not meaning to spoil it at all. As I said, I can still appreciate the show, just wasn't sure if you had an off switch." He almost laughs but then thinks better of it. "If your performance is for your benefit as much as mine then by all means proceed, but as you noticed I don't exactly need the standard...preparations. I'm much more of a giver than a taker."

"Most of Westeros is a rather patriarchal society isn't it. Rather short sighted but it'll take countless generations to make any sort of dent in the current mindset - at least on a grand scale. Individual cases could possibly make the exception though I imagine."

[Kaliya Redding]

"I have an off switch," she purred teasingly, "but it is such a trricky thing. You should know, you took a mighty fine crrack at it."

"Shorrt sighted, yes. But change must begin frrom somewherre. Brringing Dorrne into the fold and rrecognising that Dorrnish law shall always rrule in Dorrne was a good firrst step. Not sparrking warr against my kin would be a solid second step."

[Maester Oswell]

"Practice makes perfect," Oswell teased in return. He wouldn't turn down a second chance at the buxom wench given the opportunity, he was jolly good fun and not as repressed as so many of these 'proper' noble women. But that was not the current tone, there was serious discussion to be had.

"You have my support on peace, especially after recent developments. It seems that the Reach may have all the war it can handle soon with our Eastern neighbours without needlessly seeking one out with Dorne as well."

[Kaliya Redding]

Kaliya composed herself as fitting for such matters, "aye, a prroblematic situation at best. Though I am hopeful that the distrraction may serrve ourr purrposes. If the Marrcherrs find theirr attentions divided between the Storrmlands and Dorrne, they may fail to gain enough momentum against eitherr."

[Maester Oswell]

"And thus caught between the Hammer and Anvil the Reach was sundered and its bountiful lands shared between the lords of Sunspear and Storm's End." Oswell mimicked reading from a book of histories.

"Or so the Maesters will record it, a future I'd much rather not see come to pass. So the question then becomes with Lord Dunn's approach, how do we convince him to turn his gaze from his historic nemesis to this new threat? Do you think an order from the new Lord of Highgarden, Lord Percaval Tyrell would sway him?"

[Kaliya Redding]

"I think a worrd from the new Lorrd and Warrden will stay the Lorrd Commanderr's intentions, rregarrdless of whetherr our Lorrd's hearrt can be swayed."

"Tell me, maesterr, what will happen to the Laughing Stag? What is fitting punishment forr the crrime, and what is fitting punishment forr a man of his standing arre most disparrate things indeed. Is therre a middle grround that will... well, not satisfy, but at least mollify the mob?"

[Maester Oswell]

"It all depends on how those who are to pass judgment find on the matter of intent. I can't speak to the man personally, but the way he looked in the saddle, it was like he was there but not. Be it alcohol or drugs or whatever the cause, but to see him on the field of battle, there was nothing impeding the way he swung that axe. So it is somewhat of a blurred situation in my eyes."

He reached to the table behind him and produced a skin of water, offering it to his guest first.

"As for the eyes of the people. They're Reachmen, I'm sure they'll allow their new Lord his rightful role in all this, and as long as he is satisfied with the end result, so shall they be. Personally, I expect a large financial restitution but the Lord Baratheon will keep his head."

[Kaliya Redding]

Kaliya accepted the drink and digested his words carefully. "Has the Stag's squirre been apprrehended? Surrely the man will be able to shed some light on the state of the man when he took up the lance? Orr has he fled in hopes of rreaching Castle Black beforre he loses his head?"

[Maester Oswell]

Oswell shrugs in ignorance.

"You're talking to the wrong man if you're looking for that sort of information, Kevan might have the clout to pester Lord Ashford for such information, but I couldn't speak as to what steps have been taken. All I know is that sell sword with the foreign blades was thrown in the cells after the fight."

[Kaliya Redding]

Furrowing her brow, she wasn't sure she recalled a sell sword in the melee, but she had worked so hard to prevent seeing much of anything after the horse had gone down. "I saw the Silent Sisterrs this morrning. Somehow it seems morre rreal to me now. I had neverr met the late Lorrd Tyrrell. I suppose it would be wise if I should make time to meet his successorr."