Once the three women were alone, Shavra hugged both Folli and Kyou with fierce affection, tossing her silvery mane as she remembered the looks traded by Dias, Crimson and Scarface above her head.

"Ohhhh!" she cried, walking arm-in-arm with the two women towards the direction of her suite. "Wait till I get Crimson Kai Sink out on the training field!! My swordcraft is in dire need of exercise, is it? HA!"

"My, my, my," soothed Folli in amusement, as Shavra seethed. "All this fuss and fire! One would think Crimson had offered you a mortal insult."

"Hmph! He and Scarface will be the death of me," sniffed Shavra. "Not two days before I began dressing for this meeting, he allowed as how I had mastered his latest sword pattern to perfection. Now the King tells me he has it on Crimson's authority that my swordcraft is in dire need of exercise? How. Dare. He!"

Folli laughed outright as Shavra threw open the doors of her rooms, sending her maid-servants scurrying to attend her. The faithful Livana relieved Shavra of her formal cloak, and Shavra excused herself while she changed into the clothes she favored for daily wear.

Upon her return to her reception room, Shavra called for cool drinks and warm food, and soon the three women were esconsed on cushions by the wide bay window that afforded a generous view of the city and the lake. The thunderous expression on her face only lasted as long as it took for the food and drink to appear, and after inviting her guests to eat, the Lady Holder settled back on the cushions with a sigh.

Timidly, Kyou asked, "Is the prospect of spending time with us not to your liking, Shavra?"

Shavra shook her head, giving Kyou a quick hug. "It is extremely to my liking, Kyou! There is nothing I enjoy more than to visit with you on the island. But I would have wanted this particular visit to be on my own terms. As it is, it feels like that devious, manipulative, scheming bastard of a sevalle named Scarface Vy Low has been making common cause with Crimson to get me out there. Just so he could throw me into Dias Ragu's company."

Kyou's lovely eyes gleamed in understanding. "And is that so distasteful to you, then?"

Shavra shook her head after taking a long draught of fruit juice. "Indeed not! After all these years, nothing could please me more than to be in his company again. But good heavens...knowing that Crimson and Scarface will be hanging about?"

Folli's laughter rang clearly through the room, as Shavra shook her lovely head in a manner that tumbled her silvery locks into marvelous disarray. The older woman lifted her cup in salute. "Yes, I see your point, Shavra. My deepest sympathies."

"Scar-sama will be teasing me so that I won't know where to look, and in front of Dias, as well, " pouted Shavra, though the laughter in her eyes gave the lie to her words. Suddenly her expression shifted, and a smile slowly curved her mouth upwards. "On the other hand...two can play at that game, and I do know that I am not the only one whose devotion to the Black Wing is beyond question."

Folli caught the look in Shavra's eyes and her own widened in speculation. "Shavra, you wouldn't."

"Not on the same level as my lord Scarface," chuckled the Lady Holder. "But I do intend that my esteemed swordmaster will know what it means to slight my swordsmanship lightly."

/tbc