Purely Hypothetical

[Darastrix]

After several weeks of questions weighing ever heavily on his mind, Zack was finally ready to ask them. Or, more to the point, Erebus was tired of his human asking HIM all these silly questions about human relations. Yes, he was a cat and wiser than humans as a rule, but he was still a little cat and hadn't been around them long enough to know about all of the things Zack was entertaining in his mind.

~You're talking about human laws and stuff, Raven,~ Erebus had said. ~We live in the PALACE. Talk to your King. It's not like you don't ever see him.~

That was true enough. Zack had thought about seeing Twilight, but with recent events, Dusk was, understandably, staying close to him. She'd be so more now that Midnight was gone to Maelstrom. He didn't want to interrupt their private time with something Sunray could answer as well, so he marched his way to the King's study and knocked.

[Kender Bard]

Sunray answered the door, a book clasped against his chest in lieu of a bookmark. He smiled and beckoned Zack inside. "Good day to you, Zack," he greeted and hunted around for the quill he liked to use for his bookmark. "How are you today?"

[Darastrix]

"As well as I can be this time of year," Zack said, pulling a slight face as he stepped inside. "If you're not too busy, I'd like to ask a couple things on the behalf of a...friend."

[Kender Bard]

"I'm free," Sunray remarked. He pushed one of the chairs closer to the small fireplace the room had, sitting back down in his own chair. "Go ahead."

[Darastrix]

Zack settled gratefully into the chair by the fire and tapped his cheek for a moment. "One of the folks from the Bard Guild is pretty well taken by one of the native Anarlinans, and the attraction goes both ways without a doubt. Well, you know bards." He grinned a bit at Sunray. "And I'm not talking about the tavern-hopping and wenching. The thing is, the other party is very highborn, and though my bardic friend doesn't care a whit about what anyone else might think if they were wed, there's a bit of concern about possibly being forced into a corner as far as being expected to share certain responsibilities and title."

[Kender Bard]

Sunray struggled not to smile. A friend indeed.

He cleared his throat. "While it's generally considered a bit... odd to not share that responsibility. However, the decision is between the couple. If the lord or lady doesn't wish to share the burden of rulership with their spouse, they need not. Tell your friend to be warned, however. If there is no heir of age to inherit the estate upon death of the lord, and nobody else has been designated, the title and the responsibilities will fall to the spouse."

[Darastrix]

Zack was quite firm in the opinion that nothing like that was happening to Zira for a very, very long time, and just rolled his eyes slightly at Sunray.

"Give it up, Sunny," he said with a rueful chuckle. "I can already tell that I couldn't be more transparent if I was made of glass."

[Kender Bard]

Sunray laughed openly, then, lightly and amused. "Ah, I'm sorry Zack," he apologized. "It was a good try I suppose. I wouldn't worry too much about the matter. Even if something did happen to Zira, you could always pass on the title to someone else."

[Darastrix]

"I guess," Zack mused, letting his head drop back against the chair. "He's just more suited to that kind of stuff. I'm best with kids, music, and women. But I've got three signs, not something you see a normal bard with. Eventually that's really going to get out, and there will be expectations on that alone. I love Zira, and I want to ask him to marry me, but at the same time I don't want end up feeling caged just because I happened to wed a lord."

[Kender Bard]

"People can expect all they want," Sunray replied lightly, moving his head to stare out a window. "You have only to do what the law requires of you and, really, that's nothing. People love weddings, for their own reasons, and any engagement is going to cause a buzz, words, what have you. It's just how things happen. But let them say what they want; you're not required to do anything but be happy, even if you have three signs. Hell. Twilight has three signs now, did you know?"

He sighed.

[Darastrix]

"Yeah, I did. And Dusk has a Water sign," Zack murmured. "It's amazing what can happen when the stakes are high enough." He didn't really like focusing on why the Queen and Twi had new signs. Twilight had nearly died, and from the retelling he'd heard, Dusk and Midnight might have as well if that Storm sign hadn't appeared when it did.

He shook himself out of those thoughts. "Eh, I'm probably explaining myself poorly. I'm not dead-set against anything; I probably could do some things, and in a way, I'd like to. And if I don't have to, that's a definite relief. I guess after this long avoiding being responsible for much of anything, willingly putting myself into anything remotely the opposite has me acting a bit storm-shy. Hang the court vultures, I don't care about them. I care about messing something up for Zira or any of the people I do care about, or getting in way over my head with no way out."

[Kender Bard]

"Then you're worrying needlessly," Sunray replied firmly. "Just focus on being happy. When Zira returns, propose to him. I'm quite certain that neither of you will regret it."

[Darastrix]

Zack gave Sunray a slightly foolish grin. "I will. It's just a matter now of finding a balance between causing a bit of a scandal and not embarrassing Zira too much." A little was good for the younger man, but he just wanted Zira a bit flustered, not shamed.

~I told you so,~ came a smug remark as Erebus slunk out of his hiding place under Zack's chair and hopped up in Sunray's lap.

[Kender Bard]

Sunray smiled, petting Erebus gently, scratching behind the kitten's ears. "Ah, taking advice from the oh-so-wise cat, Zack? Well, I can't talk. I've begged my books to reveal their secrets more easily to me at times. At least Erebus talks back. Tell me, cat of wisdom, how do you propose I find a lady love?"

He was mostly just curious to what a cat's point of view would be.

[Darastrix]

~Go to where the ladies are,~ Erebus said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. ~I don't get bits from the cook by staying away from the kitchen.~

He got treats from Zack that the bard occasionally filched from the kitchens (though Zack was careful not to nick anything that was ready to be used or out of season), but if Zack wasn't around, a kitten had to take matters into his own hands, so to speak.