Stormbringer wrote:Both men downed the last of their vodka.
"I suppose we ought to get back to the party."
"I wonder if the honorable Grand Duke has ever spoken with a Floater in private," a lightly accented voice broke in from the door back to the party.
The two men turned around to see a middle-aged man wearing entirely anachronistic eyeglasses, and with a face and body language that could be described with two words--stony and heavy. It was someone that many of the party-goers disliked: Slavic Foreign Minister Fyodor Alexandrov.
"No, I have not had the pleasure," the Kokander said acidly, "and I do not expect that I ever shall."
"Then it is curious to ask which party is guilty of prejudice," Fyodor replied, then turned to the Emperor, "I must ask you, your excellency, why you chose to invite the former Grand Prince of Tsaritsyn to this party."
The emperor frowned, "The man is a personal friend of the Royal Family."
"Very well. I do not presume to tell you your own affairs, Emperor, but I suggest that you remove this man from the gala before he ingests any more alcohol than he has already imbibed," the minister inclined his head slightly, "Good evening, gentlemen."
Hood sneered at Alexandrov's retreating back and performed an excellent mimick of the Minister's accent and manner, "I must ask you, your excellency, why the Slavs chose to send the so-called 'Stone Arse' to this party." He reverted to normal speech, "The man is intolerable. He may have the characteristics of a good negotiator, but he makes it difficult to enjoy this gala."