>>5656410>>5656336>>5656293It's better to play the ditz than to accidentally blunder into saying something wrong. You say:
"Oh, do excuse me - I was so distracted by observing the sun set, I'm afraid I didn't catch that last bit."
Alejandro is quick to help out in your predicamen:
"And who can hold it against you, my beautiful? The sunset is indeed breathtaking. As we were discussing, we turned to gemstones and their beauty, and we would hate to infringe upon the expertise of a lady in that regard. We were wondering if you could enlighten us - which gemstones are considered the most pleasing to the eye? I can't think of a better person to ask in matters regarding aesthetics."
Giuseppe, a particularly fat Viginti merchant, chimes in, though his Francian is quite broken:
"Most ladies say diamonds as first choice. Wonder why that is!"
People around the table laugh. You quickly answer, with a quite innocent smile:
"That tells us nothing about jewels and everything about the kind of ladies that keep you company, Giuseppe."
Giuseppe bellows with laughter, and the table follows suit.
*So you would-be merchant princes want to discuss gemstones?*, you think to yourself. *shall we talk about crystals of amorphous sillica and light diffraction, perhaps? Or about the process by which corundum is extracted? Or the prices of sapphires on the Hanseatic stock market since the blockade took effect?*
But you stop yourself. It wouldn't do to tip your hand. You fan yourself coyly, and continue:
"Diamonds are *so* late-VIII century. So are emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. Haven't you heard, gentlemen? It is the Archimedean revolution. Ladies are now allowed to like a bit of flair, a bit of colour! In the courts of the Continent, it is considered somewhat of a *faux-pas* for nobility below the ducal rank to wear precious gemstones. What with the blockade and all, they have grown more expensive recently, and not every countess can afford to wear them. So what is a poor baroness to do? We are forced to improvise with semi-precious ones. Amethysts, moonstones, vivianite, corundum, chalcedony - a girl is spoiled for choice. Back home, I myself own a wonderful 30-carat rainbow opal that I reserve for court outings."
That is a bold-faced lie. You *used to have* a 13-carat orange opal, and you pawned it off years ago. You proceed: "It is beautiful enough to wear, yet safe enough to not upstage the more *important* noblewomen".
"Stucked up bitchings, the lot of them!" roars Guiuseppe, and the table echoes with laughter again. His cheeks are red, which might be a concern with some men, but you have long ago classified him in the "harmless when drunk" category.
