Nerini watched Keana for a long moment before she let out a slow breath. "Our Queen Regent has responded to whatever you sent her back. Whatever it was that you said to her, you may have tried her patience, but she's asked me to..."

When he didn't respond in the silence, Nerini turned and paced away from him, processing her words before continuing. "You presume the Nobles of Aupana are 'pure bloods', that we are privileged to be born into our class and I will not try to convince you that my life has not been easier than yours from the get go. I understand the advantages I have from the place of my birth but that's not what nobility means, not traditionally. From the beginning, the oath of a noble family was a sacred promise to serve the nation and the people. Nobility is based around the concept of 'good blooded' meaning that if a noble family is no longer of service to its people, or turns against the Regency and the nation, they lose their title. It also allows for titles to be transferred through adoption and awarded due to service to the crown, among other various customs, titles, and awards that people have forgotten about."
"Fascinating stuff." Kean drawled sarcastically.

But he watched Nerini as she shuffled through the papers on her desk and picked up the envelope from Rael.

"Important stuff, Kea." Nerini wanted to snap at him, though she forced herself to keep her voice steady. "You are being offered Knighthood. Which means she awards you a title for your service to the Regent and Aupana so far. There is a presumption that, through further service, you can be given a full title and estates to promote you into the class you despise so much."

Keana stilled, watching her for a long moment before his eyes lowered to the package of paper in her hands, then back up to her face, searching for more than she had allowed her words to convey. "I could offer my company security, protection and a hope for the future with that. I could raise street rats and assassins into the ranks of these 'good blooded'. Nobles can Knight their own people, under authorization from the crown, my people could advance themselves in a way that is legitimate, legal."

"Yeah, but it's not just a scheme to get you and your people richer, it carries oaths, vows and duty, loyalty to our nation and an agreement to follow the laws of our lands and the decisions of the Regent Queen." Nerini's words came out firmly enough that he narrowed his eyes at her. "Have you been offered this?"

"Knighthood? No... that sort of offer isn't for me" Nerini made a face, knowing that she could not avoid the one thing Keana did not yet know.

Keana snorted, his fury coming out full force in his darkened expression and the clipped tone of his words. "You've sacrificed and served for your Regent how long, how selflessly, but this reward is not for you? And she is willing to offer Knighthood to me, in exchange for my services? Why should I accept something so arbitrarily thrown around, when they can't see a good thing standing right in front of them? If they want loyalty, they have got to start showing it to the people closest to them before trying to buy mine."

Nerini blushed and ducked her head, Keana was loyal to a fault to the people he considered his, she just had assumed that she no longer fell into that category. Clearing her throat, she murmured. "Kea, you misunderstand me. I'm not saying that I'm the messenger, and you're to head down to the capital to be Knighted by Queen Rael and fall into service for her."

Keana's quick mind started turning as he let out a slow breath and watched her with a new kind of calculation. "Then what are you saying?"

"She's asked me to Knight you as one of mine and allow you into my service until you are able to complete such efforts as is necessary to be further promoted." Nerini offered a shrug. "I don't work for the Regent as one of her foxes, Keana. I was the one who designed the Diplomat core and am its Commander. I use it for a cover to gather intelligence for the Queen as well as a couple other things."

"One of yours?" Keana stood and took a few steps towards her, his eyes searching her face desperately, trying to understand. "Who are you?"

She let out a slow breath, preparing herself for the derision she knew he had for nobles. Still, she offered a mocking bow and gave up her last secret from him. "Keana Rothchild, Leader of the Black Cat, I would like to introduce you to Lady Nerini O'Vara, Commander of the Regent's Personal Guards and Intelligence services, otherwise known as Diplomats, or Foxes as you will, Champion of the Alliance Council."

Then she offered him her hand, for a proper shake, like she had always used with him

He blinked at her, letting the words settle in. Nerini could see his expression change as the pieces clicked into place, from the Lansend men's deference to her orders, to her reaction upon seeing the dead men, and her anger at Lord Kannein's disappearance, then back to her appearance and then disappearance from his life. She knew he had filed everything away for a moment like this, but she also knew about his longstanding hate for anyone of her caste. She didn't blame him, even Aupana wasn't fair to those born at the lowest rungs of the social ladder, she had lived and worked with the people who had grown up in the streets. There had been a time when it had convinced her to turn away from her life and family forever.

Nerini was only back because she had no other way to protect those people than to use her advantages.

Keana finally nodded, taking her hand and kneeling as he bowed his head over it. "My lady."

"Don't do that. I don't want that, I don't want your deference or your servitude." Nerini whispered as she shook her head. "I only want us to be friends again, Kea. I wasn't entirely sure if this was a good idea, but if you're serious about it I want us to work together. I have a feeling you're going to be an asset in the battles to come."

"I thought I had to do this, if you were going to Knight me?" Keana grinned up at her. When she just watched him in shock, he pulled one of his swords out and flipped it over in his hands. Then, he offered it to her, hilt first. "Here, I brought this back for you. I know how much you'd hate to lose it."

It was her sword. She had given it up for lost in the woods and had not been willing to tromp around looking for it until she was certain there were no more monsters.

Nerini took her sword from him, giving him a searching look, trying to figure him out.

She wasn't sure if he knew what he was getting into, judging by his casual behaviour towards the entire situation. It was as if he were treating it like a game, and she wouldn't accept his oath if that was his expectation. "If I Knight you, that means you swear fealty to me and can only be released from your word upon promotion or death. Treason is punishable by death. You say goodbye to your freedom, as you consider it. Keana, you have to know that this is something you don't renege on, you can't get bought out of this. This is a contract to serve me, and by extension, the crown for life."

Keana grinned up to her and winked, but she saw the stubborn and serious expression hidden under the cavalier tone. She'd seen him kill people with less conviction than now. "I've been loyal to you since the day I found you wandering the streets half starved, darling. You, I can work with. You, I can be free with. I am your man, and my resources are at your disposal."

Nerini nodded before offering him the papers that were in her free hand. "These are the initial terms of employment for the Black Cat including funding and the decree that you need to sign that grants you these allowances. You should read them."

Keana smirked as he took the package from her. He glanced at them idly before looking back up to her and shrugged in dismissal. "Are the terms fair?"

Nerini watched him incredulously, fighting the urge to give him a shake. Keana was dancing between not caring and utter seriousness with enough speed that she was getting dizzy trying to keep up. "Well, it is twice what you would make yearly while I was working with you."

Keana whistled in appreciation, but he merely put the papers to the side and grinned. "That works. I have already begun closing my external contracts and pulling my company to wait for new direction. I already told your employer that I agreed to the terms, I merely asked to deal exclusively through you, or in a pinch, her. No one else, no matter how important the cronies may think themselves. This, today, is all just formalities."

Nerini pressed her lips together to prevent herself from scowling. "You demanded Privy Council rights? Rael agreed to give those to you?"

"Is that what that's called? I guess you gave me a good recommendation." He grinned and shrugged. "Only if you're not available, darling. So, it isn't a big deal, because I'm going to be working with you most of the time anyway and I have no desire to rub elbows with the Regent. But, enough of this, you're supposed to Knight me."

"We generally only do the formal process in a ceremony in front of people. If the agreement is done in private, all you have to do is sign the forms, then I sign the forms, and then we send them back." Nerini motioned to the paper, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

"M'Lady." But Keana was having none of it, continuing with a stubborn tone as if she had not just told him that the ceremony wasn't needed. "I swear to serve those under my protection, to uphold the laws of this land and utmost loyalty to you. My sword is yours, my shield protects you, and I will fight no foe but yours."

Nerini had to acknowledge them, it would be poor form for her otherwise and she fumed a little. It was clear that he knew more about the customs than he had ever let on. "I accept your vows and fealty, for your services to Aupana and its people, for your loyalty to my causes and temperance to my flaws. I accept you, Sir Keana Rothchild, your family, safety and interests are under my protection."

She then lay her blade on his shoulder, then lifted it, moving to rest it on the other one before stepping back. "Rise now, a servant to this Realm."

Keana nodded and stood in front of her, grinning softly for a moment before he bowed once more. Before she could make a comment, he spread the papers out on the table and grabbed a pen to scribble his name on the correct form.

She turned away from him and found her sword sheath, returning her blade to it. She felt, for some reason, that she had just signed on for more than she had bargained for and the ceremony was not even for her.

Finally, she turned to face him, one hand reaching out to steady her on the bedpost for a few moments before she could manage to walk back to the table.

"I never thought I would see you accepting something like this, Kea." Nerini breathed, glancing to him for a moment, then signing the form and straightening to look at him. "You've hated everything about this part of the world, for probably your entire life. It was one reason I didn't think you'd ever want to find out who I was."

"I was a bit diametrically opposed, perhaps." Keana chuckled as he looked at the paper, then back up to her. "And the concept of birth rights really rankles me, but I'm not opposed to serving my people and I don't think there's another path we could take. This ensures any security that I may be able to provide them and allows me to be able to help them improve their lot. It's the right thing to do, darling, I've always done what I thought was right."

"You've always cared for your people." Nerini shrugged and blew softly on the paper, testing the ink before folding it up and moving to seal it. "Some people thought it was a weakness, but I always figured it was your best quality, your redemption."

There was a knock at the door, pulling him away from answering her. It was then that Nerini appreciated the fact that he was answering the door to her room, as if it were his. She narrowed her eyes as she watched Keana.

Keana opened the door to allow a couple of the tavern staff to enter and to place food on the table as he directed. Then he escorted them out of the room before he turned to respond to her,.

His grin widened as he watched her. "And I see you care for your people similarly. However, I will enact some of my rights as your Sworn Knight."

Nerini felt that sense of realization build, fighting the frown. "And what do you think those are?"
"As your first, and assumedly the only, Knight under your command, I have the exclusive duty of being your protector. Quite literally your shield, as I said. I reserve the right to accompany you and provide such services as to ensure your continued safety, as I see fit." Keana motioned to the chair that he stood behind, clearly waiting for her to sit at it as he gave her a deceptively innocent looking smile. "And I know I must follow your orders, but you would quite literally have to stand me down and unknight to stop me from these duties, which would free me to pursue my own interests, which would be to follow and protect you."

Nerini cracked her knuckles, frowning darkly at the rogue she had so recently turned into a Knight. "You sneaky son of a-"

He shook his head and gave her another sweet smile, motioning once more to the chair, his expression hardening. "If I taught you anything during our time together, it was that no one can truly be effective on their own. You may have killed one of those things, but you would have died if it wasn't for that guard of yours and your horse. I saw what was left of the creature, and the residue of what its magic was. I probably understand it more than you do at the moment and unless you're planning ongoing home and grabbing an army, you wouldn't last a minute against another one in your present condition."

Nerini watched him for a long moment, before inclining her head. He was not wrong. He was a conniving, side-talking rogue, but it wasn't anything she didn't already know. She needed to recover, but she knew that she would need to do something before she was fully healed. She needed Keana and his company, if there would be a chance at finding her brother alive.

"I've never been good at accepting casualties on my side." Nerini murmured, shaking her head. But she walked to the table and sat down with a sigh. "Is it right of me to ask anyone else to face down their terrors and risk death?"

"You need to learn that sometimes you must make those decisions, and they'll never stop weighing heavily on you, but if you take the time to make the best decisions you can, you know the casualties weren't a waste." Keana's tone was serious as he sat down after she did, leaning back in his chair as he regarded her thoughtfully. "We have our best chance together."

"It was taking me back somewhere when I killed it. Part of me thinks I should have just let it do it, but I don't know if I would have been any good once there. I lucked out when I killed it. I want to go back out there and search out that way." She fell into talking as she ate, explaining her thoughts to him. It was what they used to do before, throwing out their thoughts and impressions and mulling them over together.

It was a relief, after working on her own all these weeks. And even longer, there was so much Nerini felt and thought that she didn't share with anyone else. But Keana had always accepted her considerations easily and provided logic and his own impressions to temper them. She had missed that, most of all.

"Then let me send my scouts." He shrugged as he casually ate, though it was clear by how little he consumed, that the food was mainly intended for her. "We've been watching the general area as safely as we can, but show me the direction you remember going, and I'll have them scout ahead. It should give you another day or so to recover."

"Send someone with the contract to Sytheville, get my soldiers, hopefully Thaner will be on his way back by now, but it gives us five more fighters. Do your searching, but during the day, they seem to like the dark better." Nerini murmured softly, shaking her head for a moment. "Keana, that thing was fast, faster than my mind could keep up with. I think it had something to do with the magic, but it was strong, it outmatched me in a way I don't think I've ever been before."

Keana frowned as he watched her. "But, you killed it, Nerini. There was some black blood around the clearing where you fought, leading me to believe that you injured it before that too, which means that we can create a way to fight them, as a group, and take them down."

He was not wrong about that and hearing him say the words allowed her to digest them. They were fallible, whatever they were.

Which meant that they could be fought and defeated.