"For being in the wrong place when you got caught, more like, I saw what happened." He straightens up, leaning on the walking stick. "Is that what nobles are like here? More concerned with their feelings than their people?"

"I am quite concerned with my ladies' feelings! That is why this careless maid must be made to know her error! She has cost those lovely ladies both, the priceless affections of Guiche de Gramont! Now step aside, sir!"

"No, I think not." He doesn't move.

Guiche blinks in surprise, like he actually expected that line to work.

(Siesta, meanwhile, has ducked behind Raafi's back.)

"Well, I, er..."

He fumes impotently, glancing around for some way out of this predicament.

Then he fixes his gaze on Scyelen. "Of course! Obviously the Zero would sit by helplessly while her familiar misbehaves! Just look at him, interfering in a matter of honor so brazenly! Truly the Zero is useless to allow such unruly behavior in her familiar!"

This gets a chuckle from the peanut gallery, but the crowd seems less than actually on Guiche's side, here.

Raafi steps forward while he's distracted and puts his hand on his shoulder. "Boy, what honor do you think you have, treating a defenseless servant that way."

"Unhand me, old man! I don't know how things work in whatever backwater you preside over, but here in the heart of the Brimic lands, we take honor seriously!"

He tries to pull out of Raafi's grip.

He lets him pull away. "You wouldn't know honor if it struck you with lightning."

"As if a foreigner would known anything of true honor."

Guiche turns and stalks off, shooting a murderous glare Scyelen's way as he goes.

He glances sternly around the gathered crowd before turning to Siesta. "Are you all right?"

"Oh! Um. Yes?"

She shakes herself, and looks at him with some small amount of hero worship.

"Thank you very much for stepping in, sir. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It's all right, it wasn't your fault. Do you think there's a chance he'll try to bother you later?"

"...I wouldn't expect so, sir. I would be more worried about Miss Scyelen. It looked like he might hold a grudge."

"Mmhmm, I'll keep an eye on that, too. Let me know if he does, though, and I'll see what I can do about it."

Siesta beams, nods, bows, and scurries off to resume her duties.

And Raafi goes back to Scyelen. "Sorry about that. Where were we?"

Scyelen has her face in her hands.

"It's okay. I don't blame you for wanting to stop that. Guiche can be really thoughtless sometimes."

"Mmhmm. Hopefully he'll learn something."

"He... flirted with me, that one time, back at the beginning of the year, before everyone started calling me Zero," Scyelen volunteers in a small voice. "I was.. and then he... and then I... and then he threw me out," Scyelen whispers. "But he never told anyone. So he... can't be all bad."

"I suppose that does meet some kind of minimal standard of decency. Not a very good one, though."

"He might be mad enough to... say things... about me, now. Horrible things. Maybe even true things."

Scyelen is very red, but she gets up and starts heading toward the outer wall.

"I think I'd like to go practice my aim for a while. It's the only thing my wand is good for, and it's nice to pretend like I'm accomplishing something."

"All right. I'll see you at lunch - I have some spellcasting to do, I'll be in your room for it."

"Okay? What're you... what spellcasting?" she inquires curiously.

"A message spell, back to my world. Nobody will be missing me yet but I'd rather not worry them."

"...right. That. Makes sense. Good luck?"

Maybe if she had more self-esteem she wouldn't feel so guilty about the fact that, of course he left people behind, when she summoned him, but she in fact doesn't have enough self-esteem to not feel horribly guilty about that.

"Mmhmm. And it's all right, really. This won't be the first time I've disappeared on them. You were lucky that way."