"Ansaldo, but you know that."
Her newly enobled Lady Ventrua of the Heysan Estates lay back on her brother's finest sofa. Silver hair cascading like a waterfall across the embroidered fabric, she was a picture of new entitlement and pride. Nearby a chestnut-wood, four-legged and perfect square table held a large cerafe of wine along with a stained goblet. Three large glasses had she guzzled already but her spirit did not seem emboldened in any way.
Eyes flickering around the room, Ventura circled around the small sitting area (small compared to the rest of the house's rooms anyway), briefly re-discovering the chandelier, the panelled walls and the plush carpet. Roving past the two other long, plush armchairs in the room, she came to settle her site on the stiff-backed armchair that had now been permanantly inserted into the corner. And sitting in there, as per her usual Tuesday tradition, was the crow-humanoid being known as Stare, a huge leather-bound book on her lap, whilst her hands worked over a pile of papers on the table beside her. Every so often a quill was dipped in ink, and something was written in the tome.
"You are so boring, sometimes, Stare," Ventrua frowned deeply. "Here I am, telling you the story of our planet and you ... sit there. Writing."
"You know very well, my lady, that I am doing the house's accounts," Stare answered back, her deep dark eyes never leaving the pages. "Like I do every Tuesday afternoon. Which you know."
"You know," Ventrua waved out a hand and gestured at the kenku, dressed in a simple, long-sleeved tunic, but looking as finely combed, cleaned and neat as the rest of the nobles. "You really should watch your tongue. I am a lady now, and your master ..."
"If you came in here asking me to do your new estate's accounts again, the answer is still the same," Stare suddenly moved, her eyes flickering up to lock onto Ventrua's green ones. "The story of the planet I never was even more on ... I guess, thanks for telling me it, but you need to hire your own accountant. You have been left a mess of an estate to drag back into profit, one which you willingly took on. You wanted a business and a title, Vitruvion got them for you." The large beak clacked shut together for a moment, letting the sound echo around the room, before she continued. "Deal with them yourself. That is what he has said, that is what I am saying. For me to even begin to think about it ... it would leave me unable to actually do anything else useful for a full two weeks."
Ventrua watched Stare for a while, her painted lips hanging open for a moment. At first she seemed overcome, confused as if a dull wave had hit her into stupidity - but then she shook herself. Moving, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and began to sigh.
"But it is basically your responsibility. You killed Thesus Heysan. You ruined his family. You or that demon, whomever actually gave the final blow. Vitruvion - my brother and your master bought up and gave me the remains of the business, only because I wanted a project. But I did not know it was going to be in tatters, I did not know how much was going to be destroyed in my brother's thirst for vengeance."
An empty pause. Silence, except for the small, sharp scraping of a feather pen on parchment.
"Well?!"
"The Heysan Trading Estate was already ruined before we brought about the final collapse that left him bankrupt and ruined. For the last time, my lady Ventrua, no, I cannot help."
"But-"
