She arched a brow but did not look back at Sordis. It wasn't uncommon for him to be honest about his thoughts, but she was always a little impressed when he didn't pander to her mother's sensibilities. Vivi knew better than to assume that made her behavior right, but it did make her feel better to think she could count on the knight always be in her corner. "I think it's funny. She acts like we need a man to run the place, but you know she sees herself in charge too. Sometimes, I think she's at a loss when Father is home." Vivienne hummed, voice dropping to something vaguely conspiratorial. The Whitespire holdings, and the stretch of the border that it covered, were undeniably her father's domain. However, this manor was just as blatantly her mother's. She supposed the idea of marriage might have been less awful if she could be sure she'd have such an amenable husband as the current Earl of Whitespire. Vivienne didn't feel confident, though. She was being paraded in front of third, fourth, and fifth sons. The latest children of powerful men always seemed to have the biggest chips on their shoulders. It left a bad taste in her mouth, picturing her beloved home under the fist of some power-drunk man child.<br/><br/>"I'd trust you to run Whitespire before that Marquess himself. Let alone his snotty son." She declared, though the description was probably unfair. The Marquess' son had been a quiet and well-mannered young man, some two years Vivienne's senior. If prodded, Vivi would have clarified that his demure presentation had been her hardest sticking point. How could a spineless man keep watch on the kingdom's precious border? Didn't any of these nobles understand the responsibility? "You can't trust a man with such ridiculously small feet." Vivi added. "Or his children." An unrefined snort failed to choke back another giggle.<br/><br/>In the stables, she went through the motions of saddling her favorite gelding like it was a meditative ritual. Often enough, Vivienne was prone to going on rides when she wanted to clear her head. It was, of course, unsurprising that her feet had brought her here today. Unfortunately, it was still in fairly direct opposition to her mother's punitive instructions. The stable boy, Roman, had the gelding's tack ready for Lady Vivienne when she went looking for it, but his uneasy expression said he was unsure whether or not he ought to be relinquishing it to her. In the end,  he didn't have too much say in the matter. "Hurry up, Sordis. Take Storm or Cricket, and let's go." Vivi said, impatiently flicking her reins so that her handsome bay mount, Flight, danced a few steps to and fro. Vivi had girded her skirts in a quick and practiced motion before swinging up onto the horse's back. She'd been riding since she was very small, and had often dreamed of patrolling with her father then.<br/><br/>"Did you like him? The Marquess' son. I didn't hate him. I think we could have gotten along alright, but he didn't seem to have much of a sense of humor. I certainly wouldn't marry him." Vivienne asked. She often asked for Sordis's opinion on people. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether it was because she trusted his judgement, or she was just hoping to have someone agree with her. One way another, she seemed to like being able to speak with him on easy terms. Sordis was always respectful, but Vivienne seemed not to perceive it as distance. It was hard to, when he'd been such a constant in her life.