The weather is nice, but not so nice that people are spending a lot of it outdoors at night right now. It's too late into the autumn season for this. Instead, everyone has moved indoors. Guests arrive here and there, it's a pretty relaxed affair all told. Cristoph isn't even standing by the door! Or aggressively bothering the people trying to set things up. He's dragged a comfortable chair over to the hearth and he's lounged in front of it, one elbow is on the arm of the chair and he's enjoying some mulled wine. Rupert lingers nearby, speaking quietly to him.

Mabelle is all dressed up and this week its a smart purple set of a gown and boots of tweed and the cutest hat you've ever seen. She spies Cristoph's position and after greeting a few caspers, she notes, "When I first met you back in the city, you were sitting just like that"

Ryhalt often comes as a guest to Laurent events, so today is no exception. Though, when he walks into the hall, seeing no one else except Cristoph and Mabelle, he squints with *mostly* playful suspicion at Mabelle. "Lady Mabelle, you didn't arrange this as a trick meeting between Dukes again, did you?"

"I think I remember," Cristoph replies to Mabelle as his conversation with Rupert wraps up. "Braden was still with us then." There's a flash of something somber that rests on his expression but then he sighs and shrugs it off. "Anyway! Look, Duke Farshaw is here. Come, take a seat. Yes, she's tricked me into sitting in a chair in my own house. A much more difficult thing to manage that you might imagine."

Mabelle rolls her eyes, "For once, this has nothing to do with me", she grabs a chair and settles down, crossing her legs, "If anything, he tricked me into co-hosting an event no one came to. Clearly my reputation is going to take a hit", she grins at Cristoph, welcoming Ryhalt to join them.

Wry and sympathetic, Ryhalt grins as he takes a seat near them. "Then we will have to celebrate her achieving a rare and difficult feat." So ignoring Mabelle's protest she has nothing to do with this! "If no one came to it, how would anyone know that no one came to it and thus negatively affect you?"

"It's not very nice to call our guest /no one/, Mabelle," Cristoph chides his cousin teasingly and in good humor. When both have taken a seat, he makes a little gesture to one of the passing servants to bring along something to drink. There's a low chuckle when the other man begins talk about how no one can spread anything negative if they were never here. He angles a smile over to Ryhalt, "I saw Lord Kastelon today and we spent our entire breakfast contemplating all sorts of interesting things. I think I have a few good ideas in the works. We should meet sometime to talk about it."

Mabelle quirks her lips aside to Ryhalt, "Well, you cannot tell or we wont let you leave. Cristoph has naughty people locked in the storage room." She nods and then huffs at Cristoph, "No reason you cannot talk about it now. Unless its secretive. I can cover my ears"

Mabelle has joined the an extravagant divan with soft silken cushions.

Ryhalt laughs quietly, looking between them. "Lady Mabelle and I were talking that subject the other night, but now I'm more interested in the adventure of escaping from the Laurent dungeon, er storage room." He hides a grin, but isn't so successful with a chuckle. "Who to tell, who to tell..." When Cristoph brings up something of potential interest to discuss another time, he nods in agreement. "I look forward to talking about it. I like all manner of interesting things. Will any of them make Lady Mabelle blush? I'm all for talking about those ones right now!"

"Yes, I'm constantly imprisoning people," Cristoph comments as he accepts a messenger and skims through the contents. "Sometimes seven or eight a day." He gestures for some paper to be brought to him and he scrawls out quick reply, sending it off with Rupert. "I don't know if our ideas are going to make Lady Mabelle blush but they're definitely going to be well thought out schemes that couldn't possibly backfire at all." He looks between the two of them, bringing his wine to his lips and take a healthy swallow. A shake of his head to his cousin, "Certainly not. We'll do it far beyond your listening ears."

Mabelle picks the plate with the biggest piece of cake she can find and lies through her teeth to Ryhalt as she begins to fork it, "I do not blush that easily". She regards Cristoph for a bit and quips, "Oh that's why I keep hearing screams at night, that must be it". After eating a few bites of the cake in a very not ladylike manner, she mumbles, "Fine, do not tell me. You made me voice, I will find out eventually", she huffs/

"So many, that's impressive. Doesn't sound as if there'll be room for me." Ryhalt grins widely, sounding cheerful, as if he had been worried about it at all. "Well thought-out schemes that couldn't possibly backfire and won't make Lady Mabelle blush, more and more interesting." He chuckles at Mabelle. "You wanted us to get closer as friends and now you're all grumpy we're leaving you out?"

"Yes, it's all of the prisoners," Cristoph returns to Mabelle, flashing her a particularly broad smile. Then he hooks one foot over the opposite ankle and stretches his legs out. "No, no. Don't worry, Ryhalt. I'll make sure that there's space for you. I'm sure we could let a couple of them go." From this dungeon or storage room that may or may not exist. "She's just worried that our plan could be as well thought out as the hunting trip she sent us off on."

Mabelle remarks to Ryhalt after some consideration, "Oh I do not mind you leaving me out. One of you will tell me later. Likely you", she eyes Ryhalt with a particularly impish grin before turning to Cristoph, "That was a particularly well planned hunting trip. Petal's apprentices spent days stitching all those bears". Oh wow the cake is gone already.

Ryhalt laughs loudly as Cristoph offers 'release' prisoners to make room for him. "There's Oathland's hospitality and then there's Oathland's hospitality!" He grins widely at Cristoph. "But, I'm afraid that I'll have to decline because Lady Mabelle just confessed that she'll torture our devious plans out of me, I'll have to stay out of reach to protect our interests." He tries to put on a straight face, but he's trying too hard not to laugh to make it stick. "Well thought out hunting trip? That was mostly Maurice stalking us through the woods and being creepy."

"That's unfortunate," Cristoph drawls as he looks between Mabelle and Ryhalt. "I'll just have a dozen extra guards assigned to Duke Farshaw with the explicit instructions that he not be tortured by you or anyone in your employ. It's the least I can do!" Another sip of that wine before he starts chuckling to himself. "Yes! I was talking to Lord Kastelon about that moment where Maurice popped out and Duke Harlan screamed. It's one of my fondest memories in this life."

Mabelle purses her lips, looking unconcerned as she leans into the back of the couch, "Yes, yes. You will avoid me forever", she glances at Ryhalt, "And you will put guards on him", she nods to Cristoph, "Sounds like a solid plan that will crumble like a cookie that sees me. Oh Kastelon was there too".

Ryhalt chuckles at Cristoph's offer. "Oh, the extra special guest treatment." He loses himself in laughter at Mabelle's reply, though. When he recovers his composure, he shakes his head. "Hire five new bakers to keep Mabelle too busy with cookies to interfere." He nods, but it's uncertain if he's helping his capture or not. He chuckles at Cristoph's favorite memory of that trip. "I think my favorite was the sign. That part was definitely well thought out. Then I think Maurice took over and it turned dark."

"I have some very solid plans. I plan on approaching this from multiple angles, you'll never see it coming." Except for the part where Cristoph is talking about it extensively?? Including with one of his co-conspirators right there?? "Good idea! Five new bakers is a great plan." He laughs at the idea of Maurice turning dark. "I just want to know how he was trailing us so effectively the entire time..."

Mabelle glances between the two men and sighs, "You two deserve each other. Is that what Dukedom does to a man? Makes him downright evil?". She straightens and lifts her chin, "You will never be able to outsmart me, but you can try, it would be amusing". As for the question of Maurice, Mabelle notes, "It was a the thick of the woods. Someone always follows you in the woods". Well that's a thought.

"Me too." Ryhalt nods in agreement to desiring to know how Maurice was so good in the woods. "But, a baker? Is he secretly some super ranger in disguise?" He just nods in agreement that becoming a Duke makes one evil. "Always making someone upset."

"That's exactly what it does. One minute you're just some shining lord with your whole future laid out in front of you and then you're a duke, throwing seven or eight people a week in a dungeon and contemplating schemes against your cousin." Cristoph suddenly pushes off from the chair and drains his wine. "Do you all want more? I'm going to take care of that, I'll be back in a minute."

Mabelle regards Cristoph and Ryhalt, "I think I will let you two go on and scheme and I will go get beauty sleep. So you can commiserate together on being Dukes who's all lives got ripped off".

Ryhalt laughs at the pair of them. "Oh, is this the signal to run or get stuffed into the storage room?" He unfolds himself from his seat and starts to back slowly towards the door. "Nothing to see here."

Does he escape? Check out next week to find out.