|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:07 pm
Nyhali smiled at Rem's introduction. He might be a noble but he was also a military man, and Laura it seemed was just a friend along for the ride. "Military, huh? And Laura, think nothing of it... you had other priorities at the time than pleasantries. Sensible of you, given the situation. I'm glad you're here, in fact, I was starting to lose hope of finding anyone sensible to talk to tonight." She grimaced slightly but it quickly smoothed itself away. "Honestly, you'd think people would have better things to talk about than... well, some of things I've heard tonight." One of them being that supposedly "someone" saw Colonel Varin wearing lacy pink undergarments, but she wasn't sure this was the appropriate crowd to be mentioning that to. "They're like children with shiny new toys trying to convince us all that they're the best because of it and everyone else is a horrible despot. They're just taller."
She felt safe enough saying things like that to these two. Remiel at least was probably of similar opinion. Laura seemed overwhelmed; Nyhali wasn't sure if her blunt observatoin would help or not, but what was said was said.
It was starting to get a little crowded around them. Whether it was simply the flow of the room or the other noble's attempts to inconspicuously examine the new arrivals it was hard to tell. She had noticed that Remiel seemed to be looking for someone, too... "Would you two care to join me by the bar? They have some excellent wines available. And non-fermented juices." She grinned sideways at Rem for a brief moment. "Excellent vantage point, too, oddly enough."
~~~~~
Kedri preened quietly at Aeron's words. "An arrogance well earned it would seem, Prince of the Wilds. Few are gifted with such power and grace in both body and mind." She griff-smiled at him charmingly. "I am called by Kedri..."
If there was anything to come after she told him her name it was cut short by Leolin's arrival. "Ah, Leolin! I was wondering if you were to attend tonight." She smiled charmingly at him too. "And I suppose whether or not I am busy would depend on how one defines "busy", so I am perplexed as to how that queery should be answered."
She had somehow managed to discover a particular posture that conveyed mild confusion while both complimenting her looks and seeming completely unintentional, and she used it now. In all truth she was quite amused by Leolin's choice of entrance. And ah, but they were both fine specimens, one of power and one of speed. Decisions, decisions. Ah well, the game seemed to be afoot now. "Might I introduce you to my new acquaintance? This is Aeron." She gestured to the other male whom Leolin had seemed to be hoping he could ignore. "Aeron, this is Leolin." She was both entertained and slightly fearful of what might possibly ensue between the two males. Hopefully she could avert any physical harm that might be inflicted, but she couldn't be sure.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:10 pm
Rem didn’t mind Laura’s movements at all; in fact, her actions were rather appreciated. Perhaps walking around with Laura on his arm would give the idea that he was ‘taken’ and would make some of the pushier women step back a little. At the same time, he wasn’t entirely sure that he wanted Nyhali to have that impression… He couldn’t ignore the fact that she was a beautiful woman, after all. He nodded a little sheepishly at her recognition of his military status. Really, what was he supposed to say to her?
“Sensibility and nobility rarely seem to go together,” Rem said casually with a small shrug. In a land where people cared more about who was sleeping with whom than what country was getting more powerful, this description seemed rather apt to him. There was simply something wrong with a country when that sort of thing happened, he felt.
Hmm… well, he didn’t drink, but she had mentioned juices. And it would be the sort of place that Lansing would automatically gravitate towards. As Rem recalled, the sergeant had a liking for alcohol. Whiskey especially. “Ah… what do you think, Laura?”
While his natural inclination was to jump at the chance to talk to Nyhali in a slightly more relaxed situation, he wasn’t so crass as to abandon Laura. That would simply be rude.
~.~
Aeron glared at the newcomer with venomous golden eyes, clearly wishing that the other male would die a particularly painful death, possibly involving melons. If there was one thing that Aeron could not abide, it was other males trying to muscle in on his flirtations. Actually, there were quite a few things that he could not abide.
Eyeing the other male---Leolin was his name, apparently---contemptuously, Aeron decided he wasn’t a real threat. Leolin was scrawny. Not the type of scrawny that came with hard times, but the type that came with sheer speed. By contrast, Aeron was a mass of lean muscle, the type that came with living in the wild. His feathers puffed out, making him look even bigger, especially with his extensive wingspan spread. Try to ignore him, would he? Well, Aeron was a difficult gryphon to ignore.
Lunging forward, he snapped his beak sharply at Leolin; he didn’t actually attempt to bite the other male. It was simply a warning of the type of treatment his rudeness would earn him.
“You know, it is very rude to interrupt a conversation, Leolin…” he hissed quietly, oozing anger from every pore. It wasn’t just the part where Leolin had interrupted his flirting with Kedri that bothered the wild-bourn gryphon. It was also the part where Leolin had ignored Aeron.
That bothered him a lot more, actually.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:10 am
Was Rem... flustered? Laura was slightly surprised by this turn of events; this noble woman she'd met earlier was definately more chatty now, and Laura tried her best to keep to a quiet, nonchalant attitude to blend in. A rather stark difference when Laura had nothing to flaunt but her own figure, and she was not about to do so.
"I wouldn't mind a small drink." She, apparently, would have no trouble with a bit of alcohol. "The only nobles I know of at all are you and Rem, Madame. I could not make a guess as to what others are like."~*~*~*~ Leolin's foot snapped out of the way before Aeron had a chance to bite, and gave a shrill noise of surprise at the sudden attack. Standing once more, Leolin moved nearer to Kedri, almost seeming to frown at the behavior.
"You should be ashamed to act that way in front of a lady. I thought a Lord's pet would be better mannered..."
He turned to look at Kedri, bowing his head slightly in respect. "Would you like an escort to the dining trays, Kedri? I wouldn't want something to happen to you... It's not as safe here as I'd thought for a lady."
Surely labeling Aeron a brash brute would help his standings- after all, Kedri was the only female who'd ever paid attention to him. If he could avoid a fight- especially while wearing the bridle and bangles that he'd been decorated with- Leolin hoped to win the girl over. Extending a talon in a formal human gesture, Leolin thrummed deep in his throat as he looked at Kedri pleasently. "After you, Kedri."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:03 pm
"Well... most of them don't have the common sense present in a blade of grass. The ones that do are the ones you have to watch for, because they tend to be the ones with the most power. Just smile at them and nod politely and duck away as quickly as possible, that's what I do." Nyhali grinned and started leading them toward the bar, which oddly enough had quite a bit of space between it and where the guests were trying to mingle. Apparently it was alright to stop by long enough to get a drink but not to stand too close for an extended length of time.
"And please, Laura - is it alright if I call you Laura? - don't call me Madame. One, I hate titles, and two, it makes me feel old... Here we are!" She quickly claimed them a spot where the three of them could sit - or stand if they felt like it - comfortably while they waited for a server. She smiled at the both of them. "I hope you don't find my behavior too strange; I'm just getting very tired of," she waved her hand to encompass the room, "them. It's relieving almost to the point of being ludicrous to have found someone I recognize. If you hadn't shown up I probably would have found my way outside to watch the griffons soon... at least they make sense."
~~~~~
Oh dear, that certaintly wasn't the sort of thing she'd been hoping for at all. All the fun went out of it when one of the males she was speaking to got snappy, especially so soon and with so little provokation. She fluffed up slightly, not angry per say but quite taken aback. "Do you snap at every male who gets between you and a female or do you just make a habit of trying to drive off their friends? I'll not even attempt to defend his entrance, he was rather rude to you, but I dare say you just surpassed him in the category of who is more ill mannered, Aeron. Both of you, honestly, acting like adolescents..."
She wasn't quite ready to go running off with Leolin yet. She was fond of him, certaintly, but she hadn't know him all that long. And Aeron, well, he was attractive and well spoken, but he was just a bit too aggressive. She didn't want anyone to get hurt because of her, not at a party like this where everyone was supposed to be having fun. "I do think I'd like to sample more of the food." With that she stood and pranced playfully over toward the food without actually waiting for Leolin to escort her. She did flick her tail tuft across his chest as she passed, however, so he wouldn't think she was unwilling to let him accompany her. Aeron, though... he'd have to get back in her good graces before she'd really sit and talk with him again, and she was fairly certain he'd sooner go find another female to flirt with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:33 pm
Coconut.
It was a start to bigger things. "Yes ma'am, one moment please!"
Turning away with a cheery air in her movements, the woman glanced up, down, and then side to side along the tall shelves of liquor in front of her. Hm...to the far left were the traditional reds and whites, with neighboring shelves filtering through ports, sherries (dry and sweetened), and champagnes. Brandy and whiskeys were in the center and drifting to the right - Shane wondered if these were organized according to the level of alcohol in them - and then...Ah, the rum!
....And of course, the tropical flavors had to be at the top. Arranged neatly and untouched on the highest shelf were bottles displaying rum, with tastes such as the requested coconut. Pursing her lips in amused exasperation, Shane collected herself a footstool and shimmied on up the shelves. Squinting at each glass bottle as she scrutinized the make and year, she carefully stuck fresh bottle of hopefully-good quality liquid under her arm, and hoped that this wouldn't be the only person she'd get to serve it too, after exerting the energy to actually retrieve it.
Setting the bottle on the counter when she returned to her customer, the bartender rummaged around for a glass, and took the opportunity to ask, "Would ya like this neat or on the rocks?"
She noted, though, that the orderer of the coconut rum had become somewhat distracted by a man she had seen getting some liquor once or twice, so the woman took the opportunity to address a trio of new arrivals - two females and a male - with a friendly grin and question. "Can I get anything started for you folks? We make anything and everything, though that extra shot of rumors will cost a coin or two more."
------
Zephan was glaring other chicks - and their parents - off when he saw an even more-outrageously colored griffin than he heading his way.
Why others couldn't leave him alone, he didn't know. Unlike Shane, the black male didn't really find any use in being social. So, he didn't tend to waste the energy required to do so....Though, with all the sleeping he did, he honestly probably could spare a few minutes or two if he wanted. What a shame that he didn't.
However, the approaching creature was an adult - a female, if his sense of smell didn't fail him...mistakes could be made though, with all the perfume wafting about on feathers sprayed silly by wealthy nobles. But maybe she'd be less annoying than a newly hatched chick. Grumbling slightly as he picked himself up into a sitting position with a small huff, Zephan stretched his wings, flashing the faded-blue undersides. Hmph...Shane would be proud of him for making the effort to talk to someone.
[Insert Rain getting distracted by her rubik's cube here]
That had been the third gossiper to ask her about the Rosaylen House's alleged new family member.
The first had been a question about whether or not the boy was legitimately her father's son - making him her blood-brother, at least by half - leading to a brief, heated discussion about the fidelity of the former head of the House. Deste had been merciful enough to drag her away before...something happened, and for the next twenty minutes or so, Lenore had put the thought in the back of her mind, socializing on professional terms with other royalty, businessmen, and the few scattered griffin breeders attending the party.
Then, the second, equally outrageous inquiry sprang before her. Was she getting married?! The gall of it! Her escort's quiet command to calm down was unheeded for a while, as the girl could tell that the Albion Prince had found the question highly entertaining. Hmph.
The surprise had gone missing from the latest interview, considering that the youngest Rosaylen had been expecting it...And apparently was now expecting an older sibling, a son who was "sent away in order to protect the well-being of the family."
Honestly, how utterly ridiculous could these people be? She expected inflated, fluffy rumors, but to gossip about personal family matters....She expressed her stiff opinion to her cousin.
"...What else do you expect them to talk about?"
Lenore's lids closed in a sigh of annoyance over blank eyes. "I suppose you're right..."
"I'm interested in meeting this Lansing character that keeps shadowing us, however."
Deste was rarely interested in anything related to politics, though in a relative perspective, he always kept his own reasons for whatever he did, so it was no good for her to speculate on why. So she asked. "What for?"
"I believe...he as an acquaintance of Iris."
"Oh?" Her affirmative question prompted a subtle shifting on his part, but his posture remained relaxed. He was confident about that particular aspect of his life, then. Lenore paused, balancing between holding her tongue and provoking him. It would be better to stem an argument, but it was likely that he would feel the need to introduce her to Lansing if simply to prove that he wasn't a threat. And, she knew Iris was here, as the pair had greeted Amun Sr. earlier that evening.
Lenore shifted her arm interlinked with Deste's, touching his palm with a quick series of taps that spelled out, "Rival?" It would be better using their little means of communication, rather than say it verbally, have another overhear, and spread a new rumor that the fiancee to the new Albinian noble was already looking elsewhere. Despite not...liking Iris very much, the woman wasn't so vindictive of character that she would stoop to that level. If nothing else, she wanted to refrain from incurring the wrath of the Royal House, as well as her own.
His response was a solid "No."
Very well then. "Do you see him?"
Her answer came when she was tugged gently away a few seconds later.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:23 pm
While Mal had started out many rumors that evening---including a few concerning his heritage---he had not mentioned House Rosaylen. Nor did he spend his time ‘shadowing’ that family either, figuring that he had more important things to do. Oh, and he wasn’t interested in incurring the wrath of that particular family, on the basis that he didn’t want to piss off Deste. In general, Mal didn’t really mind provoking people. In general, he had ways of making himself just slightly more valuable alive than dead. This wasn’t a general situation though. He had yet to get himself entrenched here, so he was still vulnerable.
Still, it was no matter. So long as seemed harmless, no one would bother expending the energy to have him killed or worse. After making small talk with Iris for a few more minutes, Mal caught sight of the familiar blonde prince. Well, somewhat familiar… they had met once in a far less formal situation. Hmm… was there any particular sort of way he was supposed to approach the other man? There probably was. Ah well. That was the nice thing about being a commoner in pretty clothes; everyone expected you to be uncouth.
Putting on a bright grin, Mal made a circuitous path towards the prince. No reason to rush, after all. What would Deste do? Run? As an added bonus, by the time that Mal got there, someone else had led the woman away, allowing him to speak ‘privately’ with Deste a few moments.
“Good evenin’, Deste.” Of course, this wasn’t really the proper way to address a prince. Then again, Mal would always blame that on not knowing who Deste was, which was a complete lie. Still, no one would be able to actually know the truth. And it would paint Mal as being ‘harmless’. Ah, what a tangled web this was…
“Say, is your brother around? I really need to ask him to stop stalkin’ me. It was sweet at first, but after nearly a month I’m gettin’ a mite twitchy…” His voice dropped lower as he mentioned this. No need to spread any more rumors. He would have whispered, but anyone who actually had real experience with whispering knew that it carried further than a low voice.
~.~
Rem wasn’t sure he liked the idea of just smiling and nodding and then backing away. It simply wasn’t him. Sure, he knew when to retreat during battle, but that was different. That was obvious. That was direct. If you were being beaten by someone else, you would move back until a more fortuitous moment. Conversation was less obvious. Subtle words and gestures would go right over Rem’s head unless they were as subtle as a flying brick, in which case there was a fifty-fifty chance that he might get them. In other words, it was difficult for Rem to tell exactly when to start smiling, nodding, and backing away.
He followed the women a little forlornly, feeling oddly lost once more among the nobility. Oh, and acquaintances. He didn’t actually know any of these people except for Laura and now she was being monopolized by Nyhali.
“Gryphons? Do you have a gryphon too, Nyhali?” Since the woman had indicated a dislike of titles, he figured it would be safe enough to call her by her first name.
Turning to the girl operating the bar, Rem once again seemed on edge. “Would water be a possibility?” He hoped it would. It wasn’t that he got drunk easily or anything. It was simply that he didn’t want to take the chance that it could happen.
~.~
Aeron ruffled even more at the reactions of the other gryphons. In the wild, a movement like that snap would have earned the tawny male instant respect. Kedri and Leolin just seemed annoyed. Maybe if he actually bit Leolin it would work? He blinked his golden eyes before shaking his head slightly. No, because then Mal would get angry.
“I am no Lord’s pet,” he hissed at Leolin, his neck ruff puffing out at the very idea. A PET! Him?! Of course not! The word insinuated a sort of helplessness that just did not sit well with the proud gryphon, as well as a sort of lap-dog mentality. Holding his head up proudly, he turned sharply from the pair, deciding that the female wasn’t really THAT attractive anyway. She was probably some pet anyway, and therefore unsuited for his soul.
Yep. Looked like Kedri had just fallen out of Aeron’s good graces as well, which is a pretty difficult thing given that he would flirt with nearly any female gryphon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:22 am
The woman took a seat beside Nyhali with a nod. "I haven't a title, so there's little to call me but my name." She said with a chuckle and a small smile.
"Oh yes! You have that oaken colored girl with the gold accents, don't you? She was gorgeous when I saw her. I can only imagine how she looks for this sort of event." Laura's face lit up at talking about the birds she loved, and scooted herself a tad closer to the other woman. "Poor Leolin, he had to get dressed up. He's self-conscious about not being a very bright colored bird."
Poor Rem, Laura was certainly easily distracted when talking about griffins.~*~*~*~*~*~ Leolin again didn't seem to take notice of Aeron as he pranced after Kedri. The griffin trilled happily as he caught up to her, seeming to grin contently at having won the little scuffle without so much as a ruffled feather.
"You really do look nice tonight, Kedri. Almost glowing." Sure, he wasn't as good with words as the other male, but at least what he said was sincere. That couldn't be duplicated easily.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 11:05 am
Nyhali beamed at both of them. Kedri was one of the few things she took pride in; more how well she took care of her friend than the fact she "owned" a griffon. Nyhali considered Kedri to be her best friend; almost a little sister. Kedri was not a pet. Pampered a bit, but well looked after. In all honesty it was very difficult to "own" a griffon if they didn't want to be there. "Kedri never goes out in public without at least preening. I haven't quite figured out if she's vain or self-conscious even if I have had her for years now. And she's especially fond of her scarlet feathers... she won't let any human but me touch her wings, she's a bit silly like that." She looked amused at Laura's comment about Leolin needing to get "dressed up". "Ah, he's a lovely griffon though! I found his subtle coloring rather charming, myself. He stands out for it; flashy griffons are a silver piece a dozen, so to speak."
She turned her green gaze to Remiel. "What of you, Lieutenant? Do you have a griffon? Or perhaps other pets?" Kedri wasn't adverse to other people having non-griffon pets, but she was rather picky about the company that "came home" so to speak. Nyhali had one large hound when Kedri was a chick, and that particular animal was the only other one she'd ever been agreeable with when it came to sharing Nyhali. It was cute after a fashion, though she would have liked another dog or two.
She turned to the serving woman for a moment, tapping a finger on her chin while she considered her order. "I don't suppose you have something... blue? I'm not sure what I want, but blue sounds interesting."
~~~~~
Kedri was tempted to glance back toward Aeron while Leolin was looking at the food, perhaps to express some form of mild apology. Not that he'd accept it even if he was looking. She felt rather protective of Leolin for reasons she wasn't able to identify, and now that she'd had time to think about it, it wasn't so much what Aeron had done as it was who he'd done it to. If it was any other male she probably would have been quite flattered. She might have regretted what she'd said, but there was little point in it, as it was said and couldn't be undone. But Leolin was here and the food looked good so she kept her attention forward rather than back. Perhaps she'd have a chance to speak with the barred male again later, not that she thought ammends could be made at this point. Ah well.
"Hmm... what shall we dine upon? There is so much to choose from." She griff-smiled charmingly at her companion. "Or shall we just try a bit of everything?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 11:34 am
Now smiling fondly at the thought of talking of her dear friend, Laura chuckled at hearing about Kedri's habits. "That's adorable. But she should show off those red feathers! Red and brown look very nice together." She complimented before turning to the barkeep herself.
"No rumors, please." She said a little sheepishly. The last thing she wanted to know was rumors of others, when she knew it would be obligatory for one to be started about her for snooping. "But if you have something cherry that would be lovely. Thank you."~*~*~*~*~ Leolin looked a little self-conscious as his sashes swayed when he walked beside Kedri after a moment, and nervously adjusted the ones on his flanks. They started to hide the bars on his legs, and out of habit the griffin made sure they were seen.
When Kedri spoke to him, he quickly lifted his head to smile sheepishly at her- the pink skin over his beak turning red as he blushed. Must not fidget in a lady's presence! "The beef was pretty good." He said hesitantly, bowing his head slightly in hopes of avoiding her eyes.
Certainly not suited to the scene of nobility, Leolin's ears folded back against his head in what looked like near shame. Kedri was so kind to him, and he surely was looking like a fool.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 5:52 pm
It seemed as though the very act of speaking of Iris' new acquaintance had summoned him to the ex-thief. How very ironic. Luckily, Lenore had just been escorted off in another direction by one of her fellow breeders for some discussion over griffins. So, Deste was left in relative peace - at least for the time being - and at ease to deal with Mal as he wanted to, without having to act to social standard.
The prince inclined his head to the man at the greeting, actually thankful that someone was addressing him on informal terms. "Your Highness" had begun to sound very, very irritating, and even though Mal wasn't exactly on familiar terms with Deste, at least he had avoided being a further annoyance.
That is, until the mentioning the elder brother. "Dante?" the man asked with a slight hint of perplexity coloring his tone. "He isn't here. He left for Albion early last evening."
It wasn't so much that his half-sibling wouldn't be prone to make an attempt at following someone who was an interest to him, but being the noble he was, Dante wasn't likely to actually do the work himself. And on the other hand, the heir to the Albion throne would be more likely to let the individual being followed...that they would be followed. From the way Mal was speaking, it seemed like the type of stalking would be the kind Deste would have done in the past.
And he certainly hadn't been stalking Lansing. "If you don't mind the question, why do you think my brother is stalking you?"
There...was that other fact that Dante hadn't been openly present in Xuan for the last month or so. He and Norene had been traveling in the southern part of the country for a chance to experience the "hot climates."
------
Something didn't feel right.
Ruffling his feathers a bit, and once again fidgeting with the sash at his neck, Kalei took another good look around. It felt as though someone was watching them...and 'them' meaning not just the large group of griffins gathered about, but himself and Auster. Why he felt that way, he didn't know, but there was the itchy feeling in his belly that said that he should be ready to fly.
Auster seemed at ease, though, or as relaxed as she allowed herself to get. Currently, the tawny-brown female was talking with others of their kind, whom had introduced themselves as the 'offspring' of breeding. So, Lenore's business associates' pets.
At the moment, the grey-bellied male had no interest in the small talk. There was a nasty feeling that he had, and he wished to tell Deste about it. But, he would upset his caretaker if he tried to get into the big house. Hm....
Maybe he was just being...what was the word....Paranoid?
------
...Water?
No. Seriously. Who ordered water at a bar, unless they were underage (in which case said persons shouldn't be wandering within fifty feet of the structure)?
And such an extravagant and alcoholic's-dream bar at a top-of-the-class party, too.
Whatever.
"Hm, yeah. Rumors haven't been that great tonight," the 'tender said with affirmative agreement to one of the women, accompanied by what probably looked like an over-the-top, holier-than-thou sage nod. "Only thing even relatively interesting," she continued, though, leaning conspiratorially on the bar counter, "Is something flying around about some 'Lansing' character."
Though the only reason Shane was even paying any attention to anything about that was because a few strands of lies had been turned onto the Lenore girl, currently being escorted by the princeling. "Anyway," she said, over exaggerating in her 'going back to being professional' as she straightened, "glass of dilute, something blue, and cherry....Hm, hold on one minute."
Uncorking the bottle of rum that had been previously ordered, Shane dumped the light-colored liquid into a class containing precisely three pieces of ice - take the middle road when one didn't know the exact path - and shoved the bottle on the back counter while she went off in search of the trio's wishes.
The woman returned about a minute later with three bottles. "I found some cherry-chocolate cordial for the miss," she said, setting said glass container on the counter, followed by a smaller glass with bright blue liquid inside. "And this imported blue stuff called Hpnotiq...." she said before setting down the man's request with a bit of an 'I'm-so-offended' attitude. "Sparkling water for the gentleman."
"Oi, Tespia!"
Looking to her right, she replied, "I heard my name?"
"We need a Lady Killer on the rocks, light on the gin!"
"Got it! 'Scuse me, let me know if you need anything else later!" she said to her current customers before dashing off to find the necessaries for her next creative masterpiece.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 6:41 pm
Oh. Well, that was slightly annoying. Only the briefest flash of this emotion showed on Mal’s face before being replaced by that smirk of his. If someone was stalking him, Mal felt that they ought to do the thing properly and do it at all hours, not disappear to other countries when he was finally ready to confront them. How rude! Didn’t these nobles have any idea of how the thing was supposed to be done?
Still, he had only gone away last night, if Mal understood correctly. That still gave him plenty of stalking time. Or, at least, plenty of time to hire other people to follow Mal around, which was what he suspected had been happening more recently.
His smirk faded and became a slightly more reflective and pensive look as he considered Deste’s question, clearly wondering about the possible consequences---both positive and negative--- of telling Deste the truth. In all honesty, he couldn’t think of very many of either one, except for the possibility of the prince telling his half-brother that Malcolm Lansing was a paranoid b*****d who had delusions of being stalked by Dante.
And, really, that wouldn’t harm his reputation at all.
“Not too long ago, when I was speakin’ to Iris about something or other---gryphons, as I recall----I saw someone. Didn’t get a good look at him, but he was blonde. I thought he was keepin’ an eye on Iris at first, since she’s… well, Iris. After a li’l bit, it became pretty clear that he was followin’ me. You were the first guess, to be honest, but after a little while, I decided it couldn’t be you. Wasn’t careful enough. Your… reputation suggests that you’re a mite more cautious than this man.” And, of course, Mal liked to keep a finger on the pulse of the streets. Not many had been hired to tail him, but he found those ones soon enough.
No names, just a rough description of a man who knew absolutely nothing about the seedy underworld.
-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Actually, that fit Rem pretty damn well. He knew absolutely nothing about hiding his emotions, or, if he did, he was lousy at it. The proof of this was how he reacted to the word ‘Lansing’. Instantly, he lost all interest in the conversation around him and focused on the girl attending the bar.
For a moment, it seemed as if he would stop her from rushing off to prepare the drinks, but she was too quick for him. Again, he tried to ask about these apparent rumors, but, once again, she was too damn quick. He ignored the somewhat ‘I’msooffended’ aura he got from her, mainly because there was nothing to be offended about. So what. He liked water. It was good for you. He would just have to wait for a chance to ask her about these rumors later.
Lansing probably arranged this to happen. Damned paranoid b*****d with his habit of leaving clues deliberately in hopes of being followed…
Conversation! He switched his focus reluctantly back to the two women he was supposed to be drinking with. “Gryphons? No, I don’t have any myself. I’ve got three dogs though: Trillion, Agility and Flash. Some local stray cats have sort of moved in. Can’t say that I actually own them though. And a horse as well.”
Ordering a drink by color? Well, that was new… was that a general practice in this country?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 12:15 am
Deste considered for a moment, attempting to think of any possibilities as to why his half-sibling would want to stalk this man. And the fact that he could think of no reasons made the idea of Dante keeping an eye on Mal rather absurd. "I can assure you that I haven't been following you, and to my knowledge, neither has Dante. He hasn't been in Xuan for more than a day, roughly, for the past few months."
The prince didn't really mean to offend, but he could see no gain in trying to follow the individual before him. If the man knew anything about his elder, he knew that it usually took an event of great importance for Dante to even consider the effort to execute such actions. The last time had been getting a certain, annoying old acquaintance to keep track of Deste when he had first taken root in Xuan.
Speaking of her, he'd seen her attending the bar earlier, and he was sure she had seen him. Bah. Best to avoid that area for now.
"By the way, Mal..." he said after a few moments, rather curious about the subject he was about to bring up. "I don't suppose you've been listening to the gossip going around about your relation to my cousin?"
Then, something clicked. So, maybe Dante did have legitimate reasons for wanting to watch Mal.
Wait, no, no. Rumors and fact were separate things. Damn it all, he was getting caught up in the political frenzy again...
------
Shane returned to her trio of color-coordinated customers, brandishing a bottle of sparkling water herself, and made a flourish of popping the cap and sticking a straw into the neck. She'd honestly rather have something light and fruitful right now, but regulations said that the barkeepers could not get drunk themselves....At least not until the party was over. Aaah....five hours yet, at least.
"Sooo...." she said slowly, leaning on the counter to one side of the three. Her drawl was intended to strike up that conversational tone, and she was intent on finding out just why the male of the three had looked so excited when she had said the name 'Lansing.'
"...I don't suppose you actually are interested in hearing about some gossip, sir?" she asked with a bright smile. "I've got a ten minute break, if you've got five minutes worth of time to listen."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 8:10 am
Laura's face turned near as red as the cherry she'd asked for, and turned away with a mumbled 'thank you' to sip her drink. Thankfully Rem hadn't been there the day of the race, but she certainly didn't plan to tell him.
Her distracted state left her with little taste of the drink she sipped on; having wanted something to keep from talking to either of he two companions until the topic changed. Though for the moment, it seemed it would be rather drawn out.
Taking a moment to compose herself, Laura looked up to the barkeep with a very fake nervous laugh and batted a hand at the thought. "No one needs to talk about some unknown character. Really, what point would there be to it?" Poorly evaded, Laura still retained some of the blush on her face before finishing her small drink. "Can I have another dear? It was really quite good." This didn't seem like it would fare well in the long run...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 2:32 pm
Nyhali grinned. "I like animals... they're more reliable than most people. Not all people, but most." She sipped at the strange bright blue drink and her eyes widened. Well, that was a lot stronger than she'd expected. She'd finish this one but she didn't think she'd be ordering another.
Laura seemed uncomfortable. Nyhali could understand in part, but she still wished to alleviate some of her new acquaintance's discomfort. But what to do? Small talk worked sometimes. "Well, Laura, what about you, do you have any pets aside from your griffon?"
~~~~~
Kedri pranced over to the beef and sniffed at a piece before picking it up delicately. These were boneless cuts and were just about snack-sized, so she swallowed it daintily. "Mmm. That's quite lovely. Had you tried this one?" There were, after all, many different cuts of beef, along with venison, mutton, pork, even small game fowl... This party really was quite a treat. She'd have to be careful not to gorge too much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 5:12 pm
For the second time in so many minutes, a surprised look came over Mal’s face, along with a certain amount of discomfort. Something wasn’t right in his plans. He could tell that now. If he was quick enough, he would probably be able to get Aeron and then get out of this city before anyone discovered his exact charade, but… well, if he ran when there was no risk at all, he would then prove that he had been doing something wrong. Then again, this was probably similar to anyone who just learned they were being stalked by someone they didn’t know.
Or, even worse, by someone he did know. It was hard to decide which was worse. There were several people---and, yes, a few of them were blonde men---from his past that Mal did not want to encounter again. They could very easily complicate things.
“Yes, I’ve heard that one…” he said, his voice laced with wariness. Now there was one he didn’t start. He had been very careful to stay away from such suggestions, on the basis that he didn’t want to piss off anyone too powerful. Pragmatism was his watchword. Or it would have been, if he could spell it. He shrugged, as if that answered everything that Deste could have asked. “’Course, I’ve also been called the son of at least thirteen other Houses since I’ve walked in the door, so one more isn’t really that strange. It really seems… y’know. Fairy-taleish. Some unknown young noble comes in an’ everyone assumes that he’s not what he appears.”
Actually, that was pretty accurate in some ways, which was exactly why it worked as far as Mal was concerned.
“Like I told you and Iris, as far as I know, I’m a son of the House Argol and no more.” That is, that’s the House he meant to con himself into. He had everything prepared. Love notes to his ‘mother’, who he was pretty sure actually was his mother, the seal was perfect according to his contacts, and even the names were right. If his contacts were correct. If they were telling the truth.
Of course, Mal was pretty damn sure none of them had a good reason to lie to him. He was more valuable to them alive than dead. Mostly, anyway. He knew he was. The only question was did they know…?
~.~
Apparently, Rem wasn’t the only one who was as transparent as glass. He looked oddly at Laura, wondering just what was wrong with her. It wasn’t often that she blushed. Well, ok, so there were a few times that he could recall, but normally it took some actual actions to get her to blush. She didn’t blush at just someone’s name. Although, Lansing had talents at making people uncomfortable… could she have encountered him before?
No, of course not! She would have mentioned it to him, right? Unless she was too embarrassed to talk about it. That was possible… still, Rem wasn’t about to ask Laura about that here. She would only get more embarrassed. Since Laura and Nyhali were busy talking, Rem decided to take the opportunity to gossip with the barkeeper just a little.
“Lansing? This is Malcolm Lansing you’re talking about, right?” No harm in making sure it was the right person. Although, it didn’t seem likely that it was someone else; it wasn’t a common name, especially out here.
Not even here for half an hour and already there was intrigue. Most likely, whatever rumor this barkeeper had was started by Lansing himself. The man had a habit of doing things like that, just to keep people as ignorant of the truth as possible.
What a paranoid b*****d…
~.~
Aeron’s perked up a little as he heard a familiar voice not too far away. It was a voice that he automatically associated with Sekhmet, if only because the first time he had met the dangerous female gryphon was when she was with a few others. Forgetting completely about Kedri and Leolin, he trotted towards the origin of that familiar voice, a younger male gryphon with spots on his wings and a gray stomach.
Now what was his name again? Something with a ‘k’ sound, Aeron remembered that much. And an ‘e’ sound. Kardy… Kali… Kaley… Kalei! That was it!
“Kalei?” Hmm… there was a female with the younger male. Perhaps another chance for flirting? No! Must… resist… urge to flirt! What would happen if Kalei told Sekhmet about the flirting?! Normally, Aeron didn’t care if a female learned that he flirted with everything that could lay an egg. It was a little strange that Sekhmet should bother him so much…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
