Kiernan/Mag
Kiernan kept an eye on the Blades when Mag asked him about Aspel's sister. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Aspel's sister? Not sure if I have." He thought a moment, reflecting on the girl who had won the date with him from the auction months ago, and wondered aloud, "Is that young woman related to Aspel after all?" The thought of it terrified him. He liked Aspel quite a lot and he always had a good time with her, but damn if she didn't scare him sometimes.
"Well," he finally decided, since he felt he had to give Mag something. "That over there--" He pointed to the blonde speaking with Darius. "--is Lady Seloria Cassul. Don't know if there's a relation to Aspel. Faram, I hope not." The date had been bought and won, though. It was not as though he had asked her out or anything. There was some comfort in that.
There was also comfort in this pina colada that Kiernan now had visual confirmation was untouched by saliva or illegal substances.
The girl Kiernan pointed out didn't resemble Aspel at all, Mag thought at first. The shock of long, almost-white hair cascading down her back was so different from Aspel's short dark hair. But when she looked a bit closer, she started to notice some similarities in Seloria's features. Still, had Kiernan not pointed her out to Mag, she would never have been able to identify her as Aspel's sister on her own.
"That has to be Aspel's sister. How many Seloria Cassuls can there be in Emillion?" Her interest in Seloria herself took second place when she heard Kiernan's tone. "I'm sensing a story here," she teased, an impish smile on her face. Seloria was far too young for Kiernan, Mag reckoned, but now he sounded uncomfortable; there had to be a reason for that.
With a conspiratorial wink, she added, "Come on, I won't tell Aspel." Though if something had happened with Seloria, Aspel must not know about it, or there would have been consequences.
Kiernan groaned at Mag's confirmation. "So her sister's name is Seloria, great," he mumbled as he took another swig of his drink. He sighed and decided to explain to Mag, that way if this ever got around to Aspel, she could speak in his defense and Aspel would actually listen. Hopefully.
"It's not what you're probably thinking," he said with a sigh. "It was probably about three or four months ago now. It was the first time the docks came under attack. Well, first time in recent history, probably. District got battered really hard so some nobles got together to hold an auction, and the main event was the auction for dates. I offered myself up, because hey, free food--" And a chance to sleep in a bed. "--and it was for a good cause. That Lady -- Aspel's sister, I guess -- bid on me and won." He shrugged. "Nothing ever happened, though. So if this ever does get back around to Aspel, you'll speak in my favor, yeah? Honest to Faram truth, I promise!" He flashed a grin at her.
Mag took a swig from her glass as she listened to the story. "I didn't really think anything had happened. Seloria's what, seventeen? Eighteen?" No doubt Aspel's sister would grow up to become a gorgeous woman, but as it was, Kiernan was old enough to be her father; something Mag decided not to mention, as she knew Kiernan had been thinking of his approaching birthday with dread.
"An auction for dates?" Mag raised her eyebrows, amused. She imagined a dozen men and women from the guilds standing in a row while a bunch of people with more money than they knew what to do with checked them out and tried to outbid their competitors. The mental image was more than a little surreal; indeed, such an extravagant venture could only have been orchestrated by the nobility.
"I'll speak in your favor if word gets round to Aspel, don't you worry." Mag patted his arm and nodded. "But first," she added with a wicked grin, "you have to tell me: how much did you go for?"