Standing before the door that led to the dining hall Roger made quite a sight. Still dressed in his hunting clothes, the victims of three days spent hunting, he was covered in mud and dirt. A pair of pheasants were draped comically over his broad shoulders and a shotgun, breech open, rested idly on his arm. Worse still, his normally well-kept mustache and meticulously trimmed beard had flourished in the forest, safe from all manner sharp things, and were now quite evocative of the wilderness. He would have much preferred a change of clothing, not to mention a proper bath and a good shave before presenting himself to the head of the order. However, he did not expect Monsieur Adam was calling an early morning meeting over trifle matters and as such a breach of etiquette was an acceptable consequence of an expedient if belated arrival.
Knocking heavily on the door, Roger waited for the talking on the other side to die down before entering into the usually bustling dining hall.
"Forgive my lateness, sir," Roger said to Adam as he strode into the room. Caught off guard by the amount of food assembled on the table, Roger struggled for a moment against the ingrained habits of his former life, he expected Monsieur Adam was not one to appreciate salutes and military manners. Instead, Roger allowed himself to observe the other individuals gathered around the table and offered a polite smile before securing the birds and weapon in a corner of the room with the well-practiced ease of a former military man.
Finding a seat at the table, his eyes were drawn to the croissants neatly arranged in a basket. His amazement at discovering that Monsieur Adam retained a chef capable of mastering the fine intricacies of French baking in the heart of Hungary had not yet abated. It was but one of the many benefits of membership in the society, which the humble Frenchman could have scarily imagined before he joined. He could forgive the eccentricities of the wealthy, sometimes, at least when it ensured that he had comfortable lodgings and food fit for a king...not to mention wine.
"I did not wish to inconvenience you or your servants with my coming and goings, and as such I did not think to inform your man Ren that I would be hunting," Roger explained as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "If it is not too much trouble perhaps you can fill me in on what I have missed and what has lead us to this welcome if early meeting?"