Dacian lowered the mug from his face. The tea burned his tongue a little, but he did his best not to react to it. Giving a small smile in response, he nodded. It was good to hear these things from the king. The worried feeling was shrinking a little in him. "My pleasure, Your Majesty," He said, bowing his head afterwards. "I hope that they serve some use to you." He lowered his eyes while drinking from the mug.
Evander nodded a bit, going quiet as he sipped at his tea and enjoyed the peace and quiet for a bit. He knew he might have angry nobles to deal with later; he always did, after a night of the creature. He still didn't know what to do about it. None of the reading he had done had ever given an answer for how to get rid of it, save killing the host. Killing himself. And he didn't want to do that. Both because he wanted to live, and because he had no heir at this point. If he died, the country could very well fall apart. So, if it came to it, he'd get married, have an heir, and then find some way to die and free everyone else from this creature.
Quietly, he would drink from the mug. The tea was helping him not feel as drowsy as he felt before; maybe he should start putting a little bit of sugar in his tea. Dacian chuckled to himself quietly and kept drinking it. Every now and then, he would glimpse over at the king. He wondered what was going through King Evander's mind. He wondered if the king was perfectly fine. A few questions did float around in his mind, yet he managed to keep them from turning into more inquiries. Thankfully his worries were dwindling down as well. The image of the monster was still present in his mind, causing him to sigh to himself.
Evander stayed quiet for a while longer, before he spoke. "Do you have any other meetings today, ambassador?" he questioned. He thought maybe Dacian had said something about having one, but he wasn't sure. Evander had other meetings, but not for anohter 30 minutes. There was a clock in one corner of the room, ticking the time away quietly.
"Just two," He responded. Dacian lowered the mug from him then cleared his throat. "But the first one does not start for another hour or so." Turning his head, he looked over his shoulder at the clock. If his memory served him right, it would be another hour, but maybe less. His eyes flickered back to the king. "If I am keeping you from something, I could leave, it is fine. Am I?"
"No, it's fine. I have another meeting in half an hour, so you'll have to be going by then, but I have nothing until that meeting. I just wanted to ensure I was not keeping you too long." Evander replied, incling his head towards Dacian as he spoke.
"Oh, well of course." Placing the mug down, he swiftly took a glimpse over at the clock again. Half an hour. Did they even agree on a time for their meeting to end? Dacian sat up as he stared at the king. "Perhaps I can leave in fifteen minutes, that way you will have fifteen minutes by self to relax alone or to do whatever you may like, Your Majesty," He smiled. "I do really appreciate you seeing me on such short notice. I will do my best to schedule any future meetings with you ahead of time."
Evander inclined his head again. "Of course. It's alright, I had time to fit you in. Though, yes, setting it up a day or more in advance is helpful." he smiled faintly. "And, it wasn't a very…stressful meeting, either. It isn't as if you barged in here to demand things from me."
Dacian picked the mug back up and took a sip. Immediately, he pulled it away from himself then sat it hand. He waved his hands and shook his head. "Oh no no, I can also promise you that I will never simply barge in here and demand things," He assured. "My father and brothers do that all the time, but I always find it to make things worse for everyone. I should be making things easier for you after all, it is a part of my job."
He studied Dacian for a moment. "Your job is to be a conduit of communication between myself and your king, but thank you, ambassador." he replied, looking at the other man with careful, watchful grey eyes. "Some of the other nobles and ambassadors are much less…thoughtful." he settled on the word after a slight pause.
Slowly, and unsurely, he gave a simple head bow. "It is my pleasure, Your Majesty," He said. When making eye contact with the king, a chill went down his spine. Dacian sat up then covered his mouth with his arm as he coughed. He mumbled an apology before saying, "Is that so? Perhaps I should talk to them and, as they say, 'give them a piece of my mind'…What a silly phrase that is." He chuckled for a moment before stopping himself. Staring back at the king, he smiled.
A faint laugh left the king's mouth as well. "That is not necessary, ambassador." He replied. "I'm used to dealing with them. It's just nice to have a break from that, I suppose." He smiled a little as he looked over at Dacian.
Chuckling quietly, he did his best to be loud by biting his bottom lip. His shoulders lightly bounced. Dacian took a deep breath before staring back at King Evander. "Very well. If you ever want another break, Your Majesty, you know where you can find me." He laughed again. "Well that is, if you see it fit to give me a piece of your mind."
He nodded. "Yes, of course." he replied, taking another sip of his tea. The mug was now empty, so he set it down with the intention of refilling it whenever he wanted a bit more. "I shall keep that in mind in the future. My thanks, ambassador."
Dacian smiled, then simply gave a swift head bow in response. For a brief second, his mind drifted off somewhere far. He thought that he was fine and out of the cycle of replaying this morning's horrors. A chilling sensation ran down his spine causing him to sit up. His hand reached over, grabbing the journal. Quickly he looked back at the clock. "Forgive me, Your Majesty, but perhaps it is time that I should leave," He said. "I forgot that I need to run through with some things with my assistant before my next meeting. Is it alright if I go now?"
Evander inclined his head. "Of course, don't let me keep you. I'll see you later, ambassador. Thank you for your kind words and support." He watched as Dacian left, quiet and leaning back in his chair with a sigh. He was always stressed in these times, and extra pressure from ambassadors was no help.
As he stood up from the chair, he gave a simple nod along with a smile. "Of course, and again, thank you for meeting me so soon. I hope I haven't been much of a bother to you, Your Majesty," Dacian said. With the journal in his hand, he walked over to the door. Before he left, he turned around and bowed. He waited till he was far from the room, then he let out a deep sigh. Running his hand through his hair, he shook his head. He truly wondered if he was being any help at all to King Evander or even doing his job well. All he can do is hope, that is all.
Evander was quiet, pouring himself some more tea and taking a sip, thoughtful. Dacian seemed like he was a good ambassador, at least, which was good. Too many ambassadors were…well, a bit more demanding about things. Demanding time and attention from the king.
Dacian went back to his quarters. There was still enough time for him to relax before his next set of meetings. After placing his journal on the desk, he began to pace around as he went back into deep thought. His mind went back and forth thinking about this morning and then thinking about King Evander. Eventually, he stopped then sat down on the side of his bed.
(timeskip?)
Evander had a little time to himself, and then his next meeting began. He kept a calm, easy facade throughout the meeting; after all, it wasn't good for anyone if he lost his temper at someone he was in a meeting with.
(Yes please!)
His eyes kept wandering over towards the window curtains. Even as his assistant was talking to him, Dacian found himself staring at them. The guilty feeling washed over him, but he couldn't tell what it was for. When his assistant had asked him what the matter was, he simply shook it off. Then he was left alone for a while. Before his assistant came back, he tied the ropes of the curtains, and left the quarters.
(alright, to when?)
(I'm not sure. Possibly to another time where they meet again?)
(yeah. Another meeting? Or they run into each other in the gardens, or the sparring grounds, or?)
(Maybe they run into each other in the gardens?)