His Lordship's drunken animus is growing cruder; what's more, there are an unsettling number of hoots and whistles from the tables on either side, and looks that had seemed warm are now alight with wolfish smiles.
A searching glance up to the dais shows King Saul enmeshed in his document and Queen Hero blowing languidly on her soup. Some in your audience may like you—but, as the moment lingers, you see none are bold enough to openly challenge the propriety of Bisqueath's request.
Which means, you realize, that how you respond to this taskmaster's test is completely up to you. Lord…did Vatch ever face such a room as this?
"Well, speak then, man," says Lord Bisqueath, rapping his knuckles impatiently on the tabletop.