law is meant to do, to protect those who can't help themselves."
She could see him nodding, and with any luck, he would claim the view as his own when he went on to speak of it with his friends.
After a few more words with this man, he wandered off.
Rinse and repeat, Viviana thought. And if that man's wife and daughters decide that this law should work for them as well, so be it.
The event was being held at a gorgeous museum opening, one for women artists of Khutal through the centuries. If she hadn't been working' she would have enjoyed it quite a bit. As a matter of fact, even being on the lookout for people susceptible to Mikal's message didn't deter her enjoyment. She had met women at the event who were campaigning for the same thing, and she was warmed in a way she hadn't been in a while.
For her work, she was, by necessity, something of a loner. Now she was working for a cause with others who she quite liked, and the difference was remarkable.
"So how is it going with you?"
Long practice kept her from yelping; instead she only turned to Mikal with a small grin on her face. "You are surprisingly sneaky for a prince," she said, "and fairly well. I only want to scream at about half of the men here."
"Ah, that's how I can tell that this is going well for you. At a bad event, you'll want to strangle them all. I wanted to tell you good job. I can scream my views from the tallest tower, and they won't listen to me. Then, I look around and they're quoting bits of my legislation back to me as if they had written it. I imagine that is your doing?"
Viviana grinned, stroking her finger tip along the buttons of his traditional tunic. "That's the problem with men. You have a good idea, and you want to make sure that everyone knows it’s your good idea. I just care about making them see what a good idea it is in the beginning."
Mikal snorted. "So you don't care if people don't know that Midnight Blue and Carolyn's Closet were your brain children?"
She laughed with delight. The two fashion brands were her babies, in many ways. They were designed to offer fashion at a lower cost, and in some ways, she was fairly certain that they were the most important work that she had ever done.
"Impressive," she said. "You've done your homework. All right, I'm a little guilty then. I definitely want people to know that those are mine. I'm proud of them. And I hope that people remember that this is yours too. You can change a lot with this, and a lot of the women I have spoken to think that this will be something that their daughters and granddaughters will remember as being historic."
Mikal glowed with pride.
"If I can't leave my mark as my brother's second-in-command, then I can do it like this."
Viviana started to answer, but then she realized that a man was trying to make eye contact with her across the room.
"Oh god, oh no," she moaned quietly.
She had talked with him for twenty minutes at the beginning of the evening, and though he seemed interested enough, she realized that his eyes were locked firmly on the region of her chest. Some part of her was amused to realize that it didn't matter what women wore, men would find ways to be creeps about it. The rest of her was just irritated and tired of dealing with it all.
"Ah, him," Mikal said with disgust. "There's one that won't change his mind for love or money."
"I can't loose any more brain cells in talking to him," she begged. "I need to get out of here."
"All right, come along then, beloved, we have a gallery to see."
To her surprise, Mikal swept her away, blowing past the man with a casual wave and an insincere apology.
"I thought we wanted to convince as many people to our side as we can?"
"Well, you don't win fights by exhausting your tools as soon as you get them on the field," he said peaceably.
"So I'm a tool?" Viviana said, amused.
Mikal had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "That came out terribly, didn't it?"
"It kind of did, yeah."
"My apologies.
She could see him nodding, and with any luck, he would claim the view as his own when he went on to speak of it with his friends.
After a few more words with this man, he wandered off.
Rinse and repeat, Viviana thought. And if that man's wife and daughters decide that this law should work for them as well, so be it.
The event was being held at a gorgeous museum opening, one for women artists of Khutal through the centuries. If she hadn't been working' she would have enjoyed it quite a bit. As a matter of fact, even being on the lookout for people susceptible to Mikal's message didn't deter her enjoyment. She had met women at the event who were campaigning for the same thing, and she was warmed in a way she hadn't been in a while.
For her work, she was, by necessity, something of a loner. Now she was working for a cause with others who she quite liked, and the difference was remarkable.
"So how is it going with you?"
Long practice kept her from yelping; instead she only turned to Mikal with a small grin on her face. "You are surprisingly sneaky for a prince," she said, "and fairly well. I only want to scream at about half of the men here."
"Ah, that's how I can tell that this is going well for you. At a bad event, you'll want to strangle them all. I wanted to tell you good job. I can scream my views from the tallest tower, and they won't listen to me. Then, I look around and they're quoting bits of my legislation back to me as if they had written it. I imagine that is your doing?"
Viviana grinned, stroking her finger tip along the buttons of his traditional tunic. "That's the problem with men. You have a good idea, and you want to make sure that everyone knows it’s your good idea. I just care about making them see what a good idea it is in the beginning."
Mikal snorted. "So you don't care if people don't know that Midnight Blue and Carolyn's Closet were your brain children?"
She laughed with delight. The two fashion brands were her babies, in many ways. They were designed to offer fashion at a lower cost, and in some ways, she was fairly certain that they were the most important work that she had ever done.
"Impressive," she said. "You've done your homework. All right, I'm a little guilty then. I definitely want people to know that those are mine. I'm proud of them. And I hope that people remember that this is yours too. You can change a lot with this, and a lot of the women I have spoken to think that this will be something that their daughters and granddaughters will remember as being historic."
Mikal glowed with pride.
"If I can't leave my mark as my brother's second-in-command, then I can do it like this."
Viviana started to answer, but then she realized that a man was trying to make eye contact with her across the room.
"Oh god, oh no," she moaned quietly.
She had talked with him for twenty minutes at the beginning of the evening, and though he seemed interested enough, she realized that his eyes were locked firmly on the region of her chest. Some part of her was amused to realize that it didn't matter what women wore, men would find ways to be creeps about it. The rest of her was just irritated and tired of dealing with it all.
"Ah, him," Mikal said with disgust. "There's one that won't change his mind for love or money."
"I can't loose any more brain cells in talking to him," she begged. "I need to get out of here."
"All right, come along then, beloved, we have a gallery to see."
To her surprise, Mikal swept her away, blowing past the man with a casual wave and an insincere apology.
"I thought we wanted to convince as many people to our side as we can?"
"Well, you don't win fights by exhausting your tools as soon as you get them on the field," he said peaceably.
"So I'm a tool?" Viviana said, amused.
Mikal had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "That came out terribly, didn't it?"
"It kind of did, yeah."
"My apologies.
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