"Indeed. Graven Ashe likes me so far, but one way or another I will handle it."

Nod, nod. "Industry. It has its problems, for certain, but it makes the world greater. I'm terribly scared, I'm sure you understand, but - forward."

...Her stomach growls. She turns her attention to her neglected bread and cheese.

He nods, eats more himself.

"If we're done plotting for now," he says after a minute, "I should check on Verse. After lunch I can get this written down, and we can sign it."

"I have no objections. Except perhaps to the beer, but I'll deal with that later."

"Better than getting the runs once a span," he says, faintly puzzled. But he gets up and leaves the room, mostly in search of Verse but also leaving her time to question his vassals behind his back.

Head meets table.

"...I'm not being obviously stupid, am I? Big talk, big promises, big commitments to make over lunch."

"I've read a lot of treaties, but never seen one negotiated myself. I think... you're obviously threading a needle when it comes to loyalty to Kyros. It's a hard place to be, and a difficult negotiation, when neither of you quite wants to speak your mind in case you're thinking treason. Buuuut, it's not bad."

"As a life-long rebel against Kyros who dearly wants you and Kohl to stand up and succeed? Yeah, I think you're doing okay. Probably he could turn you in and damn the exact words of the Law you'd go down and he'd be rewarded. Probably so could you, if you knew how to get there. But you don't want to, and I doubt he does, and - when I swore to him rather than die, he told me he 'could respect someone who knows when they're beaten'. I think he respects someone who knows when they aren't beat, too, and that's not you today but it might be next year."

"You're young to have this on your shoulders. Even contemplating any of it. But you're thinking clearly, I think. And that's the hardest part, when you don't have anyone looking for you to lead them about it."

(Off in another room:)
("You know it's obvious why you treat her with kid gloves, right? I'm amazed she hasn't noticed you want to fuck her.")
("She's attractive, but I'd treat her no worse than you even if she was a hag.")
("Bullshit, Kohl, I chose to come along and you have life and death over her.")
("I'd have done much like her if I'd been born here. I like her. I also like you, and Kills-In-Shadow, and this Waltana. I don't really want to have scared slaves at my back, I'd rather have allies.")
("And she's your ally? If she thought she could take back the Tiers with a knife to your back, she'd do it.")
("So would you. If you got to keep them once they were took.")
("Tch.")
("Don't fuck with Eb, any more than you would fuck with Kills. And don't fuck with me on this.")
("Still say you're thinking with your dick. But okay, boss. You've earned it.")

"Mmmmh. The way I see it, I can buy things with my effort, and this is the way to get the things I want. Leaping to easy moral judgements or first reactions is just lazy. And possibly cowardly. I have to - exist in ways that get things I want - for all that it might destroy the old me. I'm selling my ease and peace and obscurity to the world, and going to have to keep doing that, and hopefully getting a good price."

"Sounds like you're thinking like a ruler. Maybe like an Archon, but the only one of those I thought I knew anything about surprised me with her cowardice so I can't really say."

"Maybe. Just trying to be as un-stupid as I can be. Speaking of which it's stupid to wish I was still eight years old, and yet."

"Everyone wishes their parents were still here reassuring them, at times like this. Even great rulers."

"And even very old men."

"Well, one of them at least."

And that's the end of the conversation for now, as far as she's concerned.

The two of them start sniping about drama between their schools of magic decades past, as if to prove they aren't friends despite both offering her advice and even agreeing with each other.

But soon enough Kohl is back, with Verse in tow.

"I have some parchment if you want me to write it now, Fatebinder."

"Please do. Unless Waltana has changes to request."

"I'd like to be permitted to make and maintain a weapon for self defense, should I invoke your promise to release me from service. That is all the amendment I want- Seems like it would just get in the way to complicate it much more."

"Oh, yes, of course, granted. It's a dangerous world."

And probably twenty minutes later:

"Here you are."

His calligraphy is as good as someone who's been writing his whole life, though he's not naturally showy and you can kind of see where he's trying to make this a treaty worthy of future Archons and not hitting his target.

Treaties should be easy to read and understand, in her opinion. No excessive floweriness, just serious straightforward talk. So it's probably fine.

She swears fealty to the Fatebinder Kohl and Kyros and Kyros's laws, and will support his interests and so on and so forth. Kohl promises to release her from service in two ways. Firstly, if she wishes it- With the restriction to not make or sell weapons except for self-defense, and not to teach others how to make weapons. Secondly, when Kyros or all the Tiers proclaim her an Archon. When released in service by her request, she remains sworn to him, but he will promise to never issue another order. Of the materials provided to her to build things for Kohl, he promises that up to half may be used on her own personal projects, so long as the projects do not break Kyros's laws. She explicitly intends to become great and powerful through her service to Kohl.

There's a couple things that are worded more formally - 'by announcement of Kyros or acclamation across every Tier' for Archonhood, and there's a formula for talking about the materials allocation that's clearly drawing from something about how goods are valued under Kyros's law (markets: not a big feature in that assessment). But it's basically as she expects; you can get flowery, but Kohl isn't the type, and Lantry knows his audience. His clients? Them.

"Looks good to me," he says, and takes a quill from Lantry.

Fatebinder Kohl, Master of the Mountain and Sunset Spires, Stormcaller of the Blade Grave, Peacebinder of Apex

"Sorry," he says, a few moments after writing the list of titles, "I've been trying to 'act like an Archon' like I was advised, and it's a bit showing you up, here. We can try to add some true titles for you? Lightning-Forger?"