Edward listened quietly, though after a moment his brows drew together. "I am afraid I do not understand the phrase, ah…dancing with the buds and thorns? Perhaps it is a saying that you have in Spain, but I am afraid that it is not one that I understand or know." he replied. "But, other than that, I am glad to know more of you. Thank you for telling me all of these things. I like to know about my ambassadors and consuls; it helps with treaties and such to have a more personal knowledge of the men I am working with." the phrase about buds and thorns was the only thing that had bumfuzzled him. Why was Sabbas dancing with flowers? That did not make any sense. Perhaps he meant that he was a gardener?
The left corner of his lip curved up. His peepers flickered back to what the king's confusion. He hid his lips with the elixir of tranquility cup as he proceeded to then drink from it. Dancing with the buds and thorns; an expression that he came up with himself to describe his rather sensual palette. Sitting the cup down on the saucer, he let his arm drop on top of his lap. "Well, Your Majesty, I will gladly teach you what it means," He grinned. "Dancing with the buds and thorns is an expression about life, you know. Ahhh….One may say that the buds are like the sweet and delicate roses while the thorns are ahh…like firm yet swift silver stabby-wabbies, you know?"
Sabbas could not remove the smile. It stayed regardless of how much he wanted it to go. Even as he bowed his head in thanks, it remained. Oh Lord have mercy, why is it staying? "My pleasure, Your Majesty. That is an intelligent move on your part; a little detail to make you a great monarch. I am happy to have the time to sit down with you and talk, it is wonderful if I may say."
(fgkbdh poor innocent Edward–)
Edward still didn't quite understand the metaphor, but he figured that that was alright. It meant something to Sabbas, and that was all he really needed to know about it, was it not? He took a small sip of his elixir of tranquility, and nodded slightly. "Of course." he gave the consul a quick smile. "I am happy to have the time as well. It is well that I was able to fit you in to my schedule; it seems to always be full these days. My advisors ever find more ways to fill my days." and attempt to fill his nights. Some pressured him to sleep with his queen more often; others said to find a mistress. Others said both. It was confusing. He did not want a mistress, but then, he did not want his wife, either.
(zsafjhsafj, Sabbas really is quite something)
Sabbas stared back at King Edward, trying to figure out whether or not the monarch was bumfuzzled or contemplating. Maybe both, it is typical of a king to do such a thing. Although, he knows very well it does have to do with his words. It is amusing when one thinks about it. He bit down on the inside of his lips. Pushing the saucer and cup away, he reclined into the chair with his hands folded above the right leghinge. His groundhands were pointed towards the king. Eventually he titled his head while listening, taking in the features of the monarch's grin. "Oh, that is but a shame." His lips pursed as he gave a solemn nod. "Your advisors should let you relax properly and enjoy your days and nights alike. They will burn you out like a candle wick, but I digress. I am only your consul after all, Your Majesty. In a way, I am your Spanish advisor. Let us enjoy this time now and think of it as an opportunity to relax."
(love how we somehow ended up with Edward being this innocent, inexperienced person, and Sabbas just,,,, not lmao)
Edward shrugged his shoulders a little bit. "I must take care of my country, and I cannot take care of it well if I am not doing my duties." he replied. "I do get days to rest and enjoy, it is only that I am so often busy that my days tend to be filled no matter what." he kept his gaze resting calmly on Sabbas, watching the Spaniard with a slightly contemplative look in his peepers. "This will be a good time to relax, though." provided, of course, that Sabbas had not been sent as an assassin. It had been known to happen. Send an assassin in the guise of a consul or ambassador, and when they had a council gathering alone…the assassin would strike. The thought made Edward sit a little straighter, though he didn't otherwise show any outward signs of this brain bubble.
(Yeah, I was planning for Sabbas to be a bit sensual but he just took his own course lmao; he lowkey chaotic now. I love the dynamic tho)
The loyalty of His Majesty to his nation is quite impressive. It does not seem as if the monarch is more so for himself rather than the empire as he initially assumed. Perhaps he is more prejudice than he thought. Fascinated by the king's words, he sat forward a little, resting his index finger on his lip; he did end up recling in the chair though. "Yes! We should, Your Majesty, but only if you allow and desire it so. It is sunny and the day is good, why not enjoy?"
Sabbas remained relaxed even as he watched the king sit up. The question as to why the sudden adjustment did pass his mind, although he didn't think much about it. He just kept smiling back at His Majesty, regardless of the possibility that the monarch was thinking he might be an assassin. Clearly he doesn't know so here he is grinning for fun.
"Are you interested in fencing, Your Majesty?" He asked. "Does Her Majesty fence as well?"
(lol yeah he is. I love it too!)
Edward nodded a bit. At the question about fencing, he thought for a moment. "I am, yes, though Marie does not." he was a touch bumfuzzled as to why Sabbas thought the queen fenced. Women did not generally fight. Not with silver stabby-wabbies, in any case. Perhaps crossbows, but even then it was not a very feminine weapon. Women did not fight; they stayed safe whilst the men did the fighting.
If it is not his diplomatic duties, power, or his favorite nightly activities that were on his mind, then fencing would be the next thing. Along with power, the sport is very important to his family, even the women enjoyed watching it or even secretly practiced it. Now of course, he really cannot say that to the king; it is certainly different here than in Málaga. Sabbas nodded, "Splendid. While I am not sure if you have a partner or not for it, I would be glad to have the honor to fence with Your Majesty. It is quite the activity for men like us."
He hesitated for a moment, cocking his head as he studied Sabbas. He was slightly worried that fencing with Sabbas could have political repercussions; after all, if the Spanish ambassador were to beat the English monarch…would that not be taken as a sign that the Spanish government was more powerful than that of the English? And that could have far-reaching consequences, whether or not it was true. "Perhaps." he finally said.
The sport could provide a great opportunity to impress King Edward, that is what he hopes. A sport both parties enjoy that can help bring the two empires together. There is diplomacy in fair competition after all. Although, he is not sure if he is better at fencing or if the king is. Even so, Sabbas should let the king win, especially if others watch. "In my opinion, it is an opportunity for diplomacy to flourish, even in it being a highly active and competitive sport," He stated. "Your Majesty appears to be a good fencer, if I may say. We do not have to if you so wish, my king, it is alright."
(sorry for the wait, I was really busy yesterday!)
Edward smiled a little. "I am unsure what information you are basing this off of, but yes, I am a fair fencer." he replied, taking a sip from his elixir of tranquility. "And as for us fencing against each other, it could well be an interesting or even helpful thing to do. However, I am not sure that we have the opportunity to do so today."
(
, it's all good! thanks for the response!)
Sabbas shrugged with a light scoff slithering off his tongue. His hands left the sides of the chair, motioning to King Edward before resting back on the chair's arms. "Well, if I may say, with the way you carry yourself and the manner of your physique, I assume that you are the exceptional fencer, my king. I do not need information from one's tongue to determine a person, whether that be their fencing ability or not." He shook his head, slightly waving his left hand. "Please, Your Majesty, let us not worry about that now. We, or even I, shall take care of that on another day. Like fencing, the matter is the current moment at hand; the opportunity of here and now. So let's enjoy it, shall we?"
"I see." he replied, then nodded slightly. "And of course; we shall enjoy our current moment, and save our fencing for another day." if it happened. He would have to speak with his advisors about all of this. After all, he did not want to get into a fight that he would not win, not when that could reflect badly upon his very country.
"Fantastico! Thank you, Your Majesty." Sabbas lightly chuckled before picking up his elixir of tranquility cup. His left index finger traced around the edges of it. The detail in the cup left him in wonder for a bit as he stared at it, appreciating the fine china's beauty. No words had come to his mind. All he could think about was the set of blue peepers in front of him and the same ones painted on a portrait. Both ad fine as the teacup. He smiled while taking a sip.
Edward nodded again. "You are welcome, ambassador." he replied, setting his own teacup down and letting out a soft, slightly tired breath. "I take it from your words that you enjoy fencing, then?" his question was soft, without pressure to answer if Sabbas did not wish to answer it. Edward had no wish to unduly pressure the other man.
Softly, he laughed a little while nodding his head. Sabbas moved forward in his seat to place the cup down. "Ever since my father made me take lessons, I suppose. He believes it to be a rather important skill to have, not just just fighting purposes of course." The question was fine in his opinion. There were plenty of more obscure ones that he is also fine with answering, although, ones about his personal life and background required more time to think, naturally of course. "It helped learning French a bit easy on my part as well." He chuckled while relaxing in the chair.
"Ah, of course." he inclined his head slightly. "Fencing is the gentleman's art, and as gentlemen, we must learn it." he smiled a little bit. "I was not cognizant you spoke French, either. Does that mean that you speak three languages? English, French, and of course your native tongue of Spanish?" that was rather impressive. Edward himself was fluent in both English and French, but only spoke Spanish passingly well; it had not been seen as a priority in his education, and what he did know he had mostly learned since becoming King.
Spanish, French, English, and little bit of Arabic, that is all that he knows. Not to be a bit of a bragging type of course; well, maybe there is nothing right with being a bit cocky. Sabbas rubbed the back of his neck. Lightly grinning back, he nodded. "Ah yes, I am fluent in those three. I did my best with learning Arabic since I had wished to work in the Ottoman Empire as a diplomat." He gave a slight shrug, still smiling. "Que sera, sera, it is more than alright. I actually quite love it here as a matter of fact. If Your Majesty ever needs a Spanish tutor, I will be more than gladly be of service. It is not much different from French more or less."
Edward hummed very faintly. "I may take you up on that offer; I am afraid my knowledge of Spanish is quite lacking. It was not focused on while I was being tutored. My tutors focused on French, instead, due to my bride." his French wife. He had been engaged to her since they were both very small children; he had never had a choice on whether or not he was going to marry her.
Teaching the king on reading, writing, and speaking Spanish could help with relations; it would be an educating, as well as interesting, experience for them both. For him, learning French was feasible. Sabbas grinned, giving an understandable nod. "Ah, but of course, Your Majesty. You must be a delightful husband to Her Majesty for learning French. I take it that you speak the language wonderfully as well."
"She appreciates it. I had no choice in the matter of learning it, but it is good that I know it." he replied, smiling back at Sabbas. "I speak it quite well, which is good. For me and for my wife, and for the French that I work with." he shrugged his shoulders just a little bit. To tell the truth, he enjoyed learnign.
"It is indeed," He added. "Would you be interested in conversing in French with me at this moment?" Sabbas sat up for a moment, only to cross his leg before leaning back into the chair. His head slightly tilted as he let his gaze linger on the king for a moment. The grin persisted. "I take it that you are quite the catechumen, my king; you must enjoy learning, yes? Is there any particular subject that fascinates you or catches your peeper?"
(love that I managed to misspell learning lmfao)
Edward raised his eyebrows a little bit. "If French is a language that you are comfortable conversing in, then, oui. Nous pouvons converser en français." he smiled over at the consul, then switched back to English. "I do enjoy learning, yes. I enjoy languages, and lastpast yesteryear, though I am not choosy about what precisely I am learning about."
Sabbas laughed. It was low but silky and gentle. After a momentary pause, he spoke, "Quelle que soit la langue que vous décidez d'utiliser, j'utiliserai la même, mon roi. J'ai l'air plus natif en français qu'en anglais. J'espère que mes deux accents ne sont pas terribles." Once the final word waltzed off his tongue, he chuckled again. Switching between languages was still something he was learning to do, and he admits that he is not the best at it. At least he can listen in another better. "Ahh, I see. lastpast yesteryear is a rather extensive subject, but a critical one to know. same goes for languages," He finally said in English. "When you think about it, Your Majesty, someday we will be subjects of lastpast yesteryear that men like us will be fascinated with. In fact, one can argue that we are right now as we speak."
Edward inhaled very slightly at that laugh, peepers flickering up to the ceiling, then back to Sabbas. "Vos deux accents n'ont pas à rougir. Je suis sûr que mon propre accent en espagnol sera quelque chose d'atroce." he replied, laughing a little bit himself. His own laugh was soft and gentle, his mouth tilting up at the corners as the laugh left his lips. He took in Sabbas's words, nodding faintly. "Yes, you are correct. Someday, my name will be in the lineage of monarchs, and yours shall be recorded as an ambassador and lord." he replied.
"Non non non, Votre Majesté. Je peux vous assurer que votre espagnol sonne aussi bien que votre anglais et votre français. De plus, avec la bonne langue pour vous guider, vous réussirez, rassurez-vous." He could not help but laugh again, although this time, it was because he enjoyed hearing King Edward's. To laugh along with the monarch is as much pleasure as it is an honor to him. And to be etched into lastpast yesteryear, it as well, an honor. He bowed his head. "That will be an interesting day for the both of us. Our children and grandchildren shall remember us as the greats of our time, that along with the descendants of our great empires respectively. I just wish that I can learn of our lastpast yesteryear now the way they will; it would a be a wonder to, wouldn't you agree, my king?"
"Ah, mais sir Valiente, comment pouvez-vous m'assurer une telle chose alors que vous ne m'avez jamais entendu parler espagnol ? Cela semble tout à fait la tâche impossible, à la limite de purs mensonges flatteurs." he replied, laughing again and smiling over at the ambassador. "It would indeed be a wonder to learn of lastpast yesteryear the way they will. But, sadly, we cannot learn of it that way."
"Eh bien… mon roi, votre français est exquis. Et en tant qu'Espagnol de souche, je peux vous assurer qu'avec votre espagnol, ce sera aussi exquis. Ne laissez pas de petits changements d'accent et de grammaire vous décourager, Votre Majesté." Sabbas beamed, laughing along with the king. "En effet, je les envie d'une certaine manière….." He stopped. Lowering his chin, he chuckled to himself. A slight tint of red blushed his cheeks. "Ah forgive me, Your Majesty. I am great at many things, but switching to English is still a struggle for me. Hopefully lastpast yesteryear will not record that."
"Ah, eh bien, je suppose que vous devez avoir raison. Ou, à tout le moins, j'espère que vous l'êtes. Cependant, je crains toujours que ma grammaire ne soit atroce." he replied, shrugging his shoulders. At the faint flush on Sabbas's cheeks, Edward cleared his throat and nodded. "Ah, of course. It is not a problem, ambassador. I can move between French and English easily, as I learned them both from a very young age, but if it is a problem for you, then we can converse in solely English from this point forward, if that would be better."
"Pas de soucis, mon roi. La grammaire est comme le cuir, vous pouvez l'étirer et la porter jusqu'à ce qu'elle soit parfaitement ajustée." It is true after all, or at least with his experience it is. He only knows so much after all. Leaning forward, he took ahold of his cup and drank from it. "Only if you say so, Your Majesty," He added. "I still have to learn switching from Spanish and French to English, and there's no better way than doing so in real life. I am not sure how you approach learning, my king, but I find it that learning as one grows is a beneficial one. Not only does it apply in certain studies, but in life as well."
