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Post by Daos on Sept 21, 2020 15:28:30 GMT -8
"Why should I have to give up my home, when I can just change it for the better?" Unakite asks, perhaps rhetorically. "Besides, leaving for somewhere more free still leaves this place stagnant. Nothing will change if everyone who wants change leaves."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Sept 21, 2020 17:22:29 GMT -8
"I shall be there, one way or another," Ladonna says. Once he is gone, she turns to look at her father. "You wanted to talk about something?"
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Post by Daos on Sept 21, 2020 18:03:52 GMT -8
Once Relken is out of earshot, Jonas nods and moves in closer. He speaks in quiet tones, to avoid being overheard. "Yes, it's about our land," he says. He fishes out a scroll from his pack and unfurls it. It appears to be a map of some kind. "I've been doing some research on it. There's not much there; a manor and a few farmhouses and ranches. But apparently the people living on it haven't been taxed in years, the manor is allegedly haunted, and the entire place has more or less fallen apart. I think we should, sometime soon, head down there and check it out. We can clean things up, introduce you as the new lady of the land, and maybe start collecting some of those taxes we are owed from the peasants living there."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Sept 21, 2020 19:16:24 GMT -8
"WE are owed?" Ladonna asks her father. "And peasants?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.
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Post by Daos on Sept 21, 2020 19:21:29 GMT -8
Jonas deflates a bit. "Uh, well, that you are owed," he amends. "And yes, since you own the land, the people who live on it do so with your permission. You are their liege, so they pay you taxes. Granted, they're just a handful of farmers--maybe a score or more at best--but they work your land and live on it, so they do owe you taxes."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Sept 21, 2020 19:48:50 GMT -8
"Admittedly, I haven't thought much of the land, and I had even considered selling it," Ladoona says "But since that didn't happen, checking it out doesn't seem like a bad idea. Once I see the conditions there, I can start thinking about the taxes. I am not going to start taxing them until I know what is going on."
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Post by Daos on Sept 21, 2020 20:47:58 GMT -8
"Excellent," Jonas says. furling up the scroll. "And even if you do ultimately decide to sell the land, it's better to know how much it's worth firsthand before you do so, to avoid being ripped off."
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Post by HorizonsDream on Sept 21, 2020 21:24:03 GMT -8
"Though, could you not go around calling people peasants?" Ladonna asks. "It doesn't do much for your image," she points out. "Or mine, for that matter."
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Post by Daos on Sept 21, 2020 22:35:49 GMT -8
"Serfs then? In any case, what did you think of Relken?" Jonas asks. "He's newly knighted, like yourself. He hasn't really made a big name for himself, so he doesn't have a lot of options. But we probably can't do any better, with our name in the gutter as it is. This could be the first step in raising it back up again."
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Post by GravityEmblem on Sept 22, 2020 5:35:26 GMT -8
"Why should I have to give up my home, when I can just change it for the better?" Unakite asks, perhaps rhetorically. "Besides, leaving for somewhere more free still leaves this place stagnant. Nothing will change if everyone who wants change leaves." Lillian nods. "You're right. I, too, wish to change Hart, though we may not wish to change it in the same way."
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Post by Daos on Sept 22, 2020 13:19:46 GMT -8
Unakite shrugs noncommittally. "Change is change. I don't particularly care what shape it takes, as long as it happens. Life should be like a song; the tune should lilt. Ups and downs, tenor and bass, but always changing from one note to the next. Tardiff is a single note, held forever. It's not music, just noise. I hear it constantly, drilling into my brain..."
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Post by GravityEmblem on Sept 22, 2020 13:33:44 GMT -8
Lillian nods. "As a bard, I can appreciate the analogy. It was a pleasure meeting you, Unkanite. I'm going to meet back up with Ladonna, now."
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Post by Daos on Sept 22, 2020 15:49:00 GMT -8
"Fare thee well," Unakite says. She starts to walk away, muttering to herself. It sounds like some kind of incantation. Then, her body starts to disappear. It starts with her feet, then her legs, her torso and arms, and her neck until all that remains is here head, which bounces about in the air as she walks. Soon, her head vanishes, as well, leaving nothing but that creepy smile for a few seconds, and then that, too, vanishes.
Searching around in the crowds, Lillian eventually spots Ladonna speaking with her father.
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Post by HorizonsDream on Sept 22, 2020 19:54:45 GMT -8
Ladonna looks towards where Relken walked off, and lets out a sigh. "He seems nice enough," she says. "Kind of boring and predictable."
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Post by Daos on Sept 22, 2020 20:40:24 GMT -8
"That's a good thing," Jonas says. "You don't want someone unpredictable and wild for a husband. He could ruin the family name even worse."
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