The Drow Queen of Glaley [Very NSFW]

[Zevran]

"Prima and Segunda," Zevran says quietly. "Nox, Lux."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Do you expect her to honestly care for males and... and inferior issue?" Cedric hesitates, doubt and fear written in his eyes. "Would she not be more like to destroy them or... or use them as her pawns?"

[Claudia Emerison]

"Prima and-- you have children already?" 

"Yes, two daughters; an aasimar and a teifling. Ah, old enough to be walking, talking and planning mischief." Zevran shrugs a little, untroubled by his inability to judge children's ages all that accurately. "Nox and Lux are their fathers, one each."

Claudia blows out a breaths, fingers tapping once more. "Not drow, sure, but aasimar and teifling are valued too. Plus, you know, daughters. And their children could be drow."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Primera is eight, and Segunda five." Cedric hesitates again. "They are... they are wonderful girls. But they are with my ex. And she will not easily let them go. Do you think...?"

[Claudia Emerison]

"If she accepts you in as family-- and she will, I'm sure of it-- then your children will be her family too. And you said they're still well under-age? Then doubly so; children are sacred, even below ground. Matriarch Feythal will absolutely want to bring them home," Claudia says firmly.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Even though they are not yet Named?" It's not contradictory so much as it is pleading. 

[Claudia Emerison]

"Huh?" Claudia looks confused for a second. "No, of course not, that's-- It's mostly because they're not yet Named that the Matriarch would be as willing to work to recover them. Do you not know the reason why they're not named?"

"Even if she does, I do not," Zevran puts in. I'm sure Noire might but Cedric..?

"Right, okay. So. In drow culture, even-- No, I'll focus on Robijin right now. So anyway, children are sacred. It's not unheard of for children to be exchanged or fostered by other family or even another Familgia. It's really rare but not forbidden, legally or socially, to kidnap children. Though if you want to avoid being shamed or blacklisted, you need to quietly explain why without actually admitting to it. And, obviously, the explanation has to be good. But if the child is hurt or worse, then you're done. Like utterly fucked done. Anyway. The naming thing is because of how fluid parenthood can be for drow children. Naming something implies it belongs to you. Not like ownership, just... with you. Of you."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Yes," says Cedric, eyes intense. "She said that we do not name the children because we cannot be sure they will remain ours. A custom, of course; nothing that belonged to her would be removed from her care easily. But. Why would she go to the expense of retrieving our children when she could simply breed more from us? Myself and Zevran, I mean."

[Claudia Emerison]

"Well," Claudia hedges carefully, "I mean, if nothing else, if she doesn't, then she doesn't have all the great-grand-- uh, common doesn't have a catch all for nieces and nephews, but, uh, oh! All the great-grandchildren of her twin brother. So exclusivity?"

[Coquette Blacquin]

Cedric's shoulders slump. "So it's a calculated risk. Still, she's unlikely to wish them harm -- correct?"

[Claudia Emerison]

"Absolutely," Claudia says with clear and honest conviction. "Matriarch Feythal is an utterly ruthless bitch with few ethical limits and even fewer fucks to give, but she loves her family above all us. Rusty cogs, she led a coup-- a failed one granted-- forsook her deity, gave up incredible wealth and authority and fled her homeland for the sake of her twin brother. She's not going to be willing to allow harm to come to his descendants."

[Coquette Blacquin]

Cedric nods, then nods again. "Alright. So. We lean hard on the relationship to her brother, and we do mention the girls. Anything else to keep in mind?"

[Claudia Emerison]

"Don't try and control the conversation; stand up for yourself-- politely, duh-- but let her take the lead. Protest indirectly. Be upfront and direct about what you want out of this, but be subtle while negotiating. Speak drow if you can. Infernal or draconic are okay. Undercommon is good. Elven is a huge no. Common... if you have to. Use her title, not her name or her name and title. She'll probably try to test you, see the quality of your nerve. And possibly your understanding and comfort with drow culture, especially sexuality." She trails off there, trying to think of anything else.

[Coquette Blacquin]

Noire?

"Low or high Drow? I can only speak smatterings of High," Noire asks in fluent low Drow. 

[Claudia Emerison]

The merikos gnome stares a moment, then lets out a soft sound of understanding. "High and Low drow are fictions," she explains with a grin. "Low drow is called Undercommon by everyone else... that isn't in earshot of a traditional drow, that is. They claim to have created the language but of course they would, right?" She shakes her head, obviously amused by the thought. "So yeah, Undercommon is good."