I'm not convinced V'neef will be at the meeting. She's definetly busy, Ambraea isnt actually that important, and she knows Ambraea personally dislikes her. We're definetly gonna get an offer from her but L'nessa might be delivering it solo
Having Mnemon meet Ambraea once and snatch her out from V'neef after she spent 7 years courting her would be a major blow to V'neef's reputation, which is something she can't afford with the dragon throne on the line.
And L'nessa would never forgive you. Maybe in a different, less volatile time she might have understood, but now, when her family must have a very real worry of what Mnemon might do without the Empress to restrain her? You have no doubt of exactly how badly she'd take it. L'nessa is not your Hearthmate, but she is still a dear friend, and you can't bring yourself to dismiss the concern out of hand. "I'm certain you're also aware of the ties I have been building to House V'neef. Your disagreements are public knowledge."
There is a reason Ambraea is concerned about L'nessa's reaction. Even if it isn't a direct scheduled meeting, V'neef concluding business early and making time for her see daughter and taking over the tale end of the meeting is an entirely reasonable thing to happen that doesn't seem heavy handed or desperate.
To be clear, I'm not actually sure where people are getting the idea that this is somehow Mnemon's standard offer
I think mainly because the benchmark we are using is Rulinsei, another imperial daughter she adopted into her main family and gave roughly what she's offered Ambraea. A person who, for all their many accomplishments across a long life, approached Mnemon as maimed 16 year old hounded by assassin's and with no one to turn to, and no great accomplishments to her name at the time.
Ambraea is more accomplished, has survived things Rulinsei wouldn't have, and has far more options, so it feels reasonable that her more solid foundation warrants greater investment from Mnemon than Rulinsei got. Maybe there is nuance and context we are dismissing about Ambraea connections and origins that make this a harder thing for Mnemon to offer than it was for Rulinsei.
Maybe we are spoiled from having read so many pov's of Ambraea while she had only grandiose expectations of her future and the bleaker views of late have been lost somewhat in the romance and emotional Hearthmate drama, or maybe we just hoped we could have our cake(Mnemon tutelage) and eat it too (A degree of flexibility to maintain our connections).
This was kinda what I was trying to get at with my thematic reading but maybe I got up into the weeds: that Mnemon is gonna "elevate" and "honor" Ambraea... and then what? What's gonna happen to her in the wake of Mnemon's tide? I keep going back to that conversation about how Mnemon never left one single of Rulinsei's projects untouched, never let them stand on their own worth for good or ill, even if her modification was a strict improvement. Of course, survival and prosperity is paramount in this moment, but this is also illustrative of how such a relationship will work, and I think its also something Ambraea does and will care about, and probably resent, given how she has reacted to similarly cordial gestures from V'neef in a much less obligating situation I have drawn a parallel between them, that gonna give them gray hairs
This, I must clarify, is not me expressing my opinion or preference or what I consider is happening or will happen, but rather simply my reading on one of the facets of the dynamic at play and how characters may choose to see it and present it. Think of it as one of the destinies our convention is currently reviewing.
It's a very prudent one. Mnemon, a fairly rigid, pro immaculate order and immaculate text Matriarch, is offering Guidance in sorcerous art to Ambraea. This does not begin and end at showing her some tricks to manipulate earth essence and the best ways to exploit dragon lines.
Mnemon will have very set in her way views about how one conducts business with spirits, about the directions Ambraea would be best served taking her sorcery, and how much one should associate with the likes of necromancers and other less than acceptable practitioners of sorcery. Keric & Deizil's situation in particular comes to mind.
After how hands off first DCP and heptogram instructors have been I'm not sure how well Ambraea would handle such an overbearing mentor, and having all she does just ever so slightly interfered with by Mnemon would certain grate on Ambraea's pride more than on Rulinsei.
Rising tide lifts all the ships.
I think tide analogies don't quite suit Mnemon. Ore works better. Is Mnemon sturdy jadesteel capable of holding the realm together, or is she some other overly ridged and brittle alloy with too little give to not shatter, or perhaps an overly heavy and impractical metal that restricts movement and limits the realms options? Whatever the case, we have to keep in mind the differences between her and Ambraea and which of them will have to suffer the others opinions and demands in this situation.
