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 Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 8:42 pm
The man nodded for Crystal's question with a smile as he looked over towards her, "Yes, for my next mission. My last dagger was destroyed by my last client so I would like to be prepared whenever my next request comes about. You shouldn't look like that though, I assure you it wont be for many more months. I wouldn't go rushing into battle with these wounds silly," he said affectionatly, reaching up to pinch her nose between two fingers with his good hand. He didn't like the way she was withdrawing into herself, so he'd try his best to keep her from doing it.
At the introduction to the other man, Qadir bowed the best he could before righting himself. "It's a pleasure to meet you my Lord Jewell. As Crystal has said, my name is Qadir Xi, though as long as we're using titles I'd appreciate it if you would call me Lord Xi." Qadir was all smiles and pleasantries, but it was likely Crystal could see how he was hating this conversation if only because of the whole title game. How unnecessary.
Almach flit one of his ears as he listened to the girl talk, whistling at her as he attempted to get a good 'sight' of what she was like. Sensing the new perch being offered to him, the bat flit from Qadir's shoulder to hook it's tiny feet about one of her fingers, shifting so as not to p***k her soft flesh with his sharp little claws. He wasn't hungry at the moment, Qadir had already given him quite the fancy treats in thanks for helping tonight. "Be careful with him my dear, he gets a bit snuggly with girls he likes," Qadir said with a chuckle, not entirely taking his attention away from the Lord before him.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:00 am
"Ah..." Irene wasn't entirely sure how to respond to the straightforward introduction by Crystal and to Qadir. It wasn't anything different from what he had been used to, but on this common ground it felt a little strange, especially considering that he had been watching the two before. He blinked once or twice before extending his hand to the gentleman in front of him.
"A pleasure to meet you, Lord...Xi."
A strange last name, Irene wasn't about to comment on it, but it felt unfamiliar to him. So this guy was one of the "lords" too? That must mean he also belonged to the court of nobles. Although Irene wasn't sure he had ever seen this gentleman before. Shifting his feet together, Irene looked over to Crystal, wondering what the girl was trying to accomplish by having the two men meet. Qadir was obvioulsy close to Crystal...and it was not his place to butt into someone's...affair. The bat that became Crystal's subject of focus looked strange to him. Would that be considered a pet? A bizzare pet indeed...with a bizzare man.
Irene coughed slightly, feeling awkward in the situation. "Uh, if you will excuse me, lady Crystal and lord Xi...I'm afraid that I have another business to attend." Slowly backing off from the two, Irene couldn't help but to say his words in a slight sacrastic and bitter way.
"Please, go on and enjoy yourself. Sorry for my intrusion."
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 10:45 am
The young woman turned her attention from the bat to the person it was perched on, a frown starting to form at his words. However, it quickly turned into some kind of silly looking pout as he played with her nose, not unlike the first time they had met. She did, however, manage to keep the surprise from her face as Qadir insisted upon being called Lord. Crystal knew these games - goodness knows she'd gone through enough of them with Irene - and to see the vampire bending to them was a little heart wrenching.
She didn't have much time to think on it as the bat took her offered perch, to which a delighted grin danced across her face. "Oh, you're a handsome one," she cooed softly to Almach, her voice low and soft as to not hurt the delicate ears of the critter. Using her free hand, she carefully pulled her loose ringlets to one side of her shoulder, leaving the other bare and exposed for the bat. Raising her charge towards her shoulder - which was certainly a more stable perch than her delicate hands - she replied without really thinking, "Oh, that's good. I like snuggling." Keeping her rolling black river of hair to one side, the woman gently pet the bat's chest, smiling at it until Irene spoke.
Grey eyes turned to the noble, her gaze sorrowful from behind wisps of her hair. Crystal could tell he was upset, and she assumed it was with her; she could feel a tug in her chest, an unshown type of pain at his petulant and flippant disregard of her. There hadn't been as much as a 'how are you?' or 'how has the business been?' before the man was ready to leave. It was as though they had never spent any time together, as he was eager to brush them off and return to his lavish life. She had to remind herself that by the way he was dressed, he might be attending yet another prospective wife-party...or perhaps he was already married, which would certainly warrant his sudden attitude...
The flower girl lowered her eyes, unable to look at the noble. Of course he would have more important things to do than enjoy seeing her again. How selfish of her. Crystal didn't know it, but she felt bitter about the situation too. "Very well, my Lord," she murmured through her blanket of hair, moving her eyes to Almach as she stroked his little body, "have a good evening." She didn't offer any words of 'I hope to see you again' or 'it was good to see you;' such things would not be proper for his station, and although they had been using each other's names before, that night had gone and was no longer something she could count on.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 5:18 pm
Qadir was decidedly not in this court of nobles. His so-called mansion was a great deal away from the other mansions of Cyprus City and with good reason. The vampire disliked his own status enough that he didn't need to bump into other people so self assured of their own superiority that they couldn't even act like a real human being, thus why he quite enjoyed coming to places like this with the 'common folk' - you almost never saw nobles in these parts. This one stuck out like a sore thumb and acted like it as well. If there was something Qadir enjoyed, it was getting under other people's skin.
"Oh come now! I'm sure whatever business it is that you've got to 'attend' can wait. Don't you think Crystal? Lord Jewell, I insist that you spend the evening with Crystal and myself," Qadir said with a bright expression like that of a childs. Reaching out, Qadir looped his good arm about Irene's waist and pulled him along, pointing out one cart or another with a nod of his head, for the other arm was otherwise preoccupied, what with being broken and all.
Crystal was left to catch up with Almach as Qadir was now chattering away like an excited school girl to the man that he still had his arm around. Oh isn't that pretty, oh isn't that unique? Irene couldn't just show up and interrupt the time he was spending with Crystal and then attempt to leave, what with Crystal looking so dejected like that. "Well my Lord Jewell, I've just heard so much about you, what from talking to Crystal and my dear Rose. I've no doubt they've talked in circles about me but I assure you I'm not half as bad as they've made me out to be. Honestly, I wouldn't harm a fly if it was brandishing a chainsaw at me if you know what I mean," the vampire said with a laugh, shaking his head before turning slightly to find Crystal and Almach in the dwindling crowd.
If he could catch her eye he'd give her a wink of one of his amber orbs before excitedly pulling Irene over to a cart filled with shimmery bobbles and squawking birds.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:20 pm
"What, I----" Irene couldn't respond fast enough before the other man started wraping around him and pulling him around. What was the matter with him? He looked like a lord, but he certainly didn't act like one...at least not from what Irene knew about the nobles. The young man was now in a slight state of panic, his eyes torn between staring at Qadir with the most strange look on his face and looking over at Crystal, who had turned away from him.
So Crystal knew this person before, and she had talked to Qadir about himself. Irene felt a sore taste seeping out from his chest, unable to decide if he should be happy or angry about the matter. But surely, Crystal had never mentioned this man to him...not even once. Did she...hide Qadir on purpose? Did she not want him to know that she was seeing another man?
Irene shivered at his own thought. Since when did he start to care about what a woman was doing in her private lives, away from the formal courtships? It was none of his business! Crystal seeing...anybody shouldn't have made any difference to him. He was not part of her life, and he had no right to interfere. What was wrong with him now? Why did he stop? Why did he spot her and watched what she was doing? Why did he lose his control? It was something that he should not do, not in public, not because of this little woman over there!
"Why, I am certain that lord Xi is not someone dangerous. But really, I have something important on my agenda that I must attend." Irene gave Qadir a forced smile, trying to keep his composure in midst of his chaotic mindset. He moved away from the man a little, trying to shake off the man's arm on his shoulder.
He needed not to be here. He needed to be...at a quiet place, where he could calm down and sort out his thoughts.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:50 pm
Crystal turned her head sharply as Qadir started to chatter and drag the noble off. If Irene could see her face, he'd know she was just as surprised as he was. She turned her startled grey eyes back to Almach, murmuring to the bat, "Your friend is a tad silly, but I'd have him no other way." The flower girl started to giggle, although it was cut short as she heard the vampire's words wafting back to her, mentioning previous knowledge of Irene and her mother in one sentence.
She looked over to Qadir in time to catch his wink, unable to surpress a grin that it brought out. Even so, the grin did not last long as she saw Irene trying to look for her. Crystal was reminded of the masquerade, and how badly it had ended when one of the guys had tried to be friendly with him. While she didn't fear Irene instigating a fight, she didn't want him to be uncomfortable; she had hoped being near another noble would help, but that seemed to produce a whole new series of thoughts and confusion feelings that she couldn't quite place. She looked at Almach, then back to the two men, feeling that she was missing something.
In a strange surge of emotion, Crystal quickly caught up to the two, slipping her free arm around Irene's waist and over Qadir's arm, effectively trapping the man between them. "Must you?" she asked with the most doe-like eyes she'd ever doned. "It's been so long my Lord, surely you can delay for just a while longer?" She'd managed to surprise herself with her actions and words, seeing as she'd been so concerned with preserving Irene's status just moments before. The woman siddled up snuggly to Irene's side, smiling up at him hopefully, her hand curled over Qadir's arm. She had no idea how awkward the situation could potentially become due to her impulsive decision.
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Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:58 pm
Qadir's bright smile grew wider as the woman slid up on the other side of Irene and wrapped her own arm about his waist, allowing Qadir to re-entangle himself against the noble. "Yes, it's been too long," cooed the vampire in echo of the girl's voice, also inching closer to the man with his cheshire like smile flashing those sharp fangs for the world to see. He was sure this so-called lord will simply have a fit if he knew he was keeping company with a vampire, but the amber-eyed man had a feeling the lord was lost in his own world and wouldn't have noticed a minotaur if it had just challenged him to a duel.
"Whatever it is that you've got to go to, I shall apologize for you later. As a senior your mistakes fall on my shoulders and so you wont have any problems to face. You know? My it's been ages since I've seen any of you stuffed coats...the Jewell family...I'm sorry, I just can't place any of you. Maybe I was here before your time," Qadir mused aloud, more to himself than to the man beside him who was no doubt enamoured with the stunning girl at his side. Atleast, if it had been Qadir he'd be thinking of nothing else.
His fingers brushed against Crystal's side in a sort of silent and un-noticed high five before they curled back around the lord's waist with a quick and friendly squeeze. Most assuredly Qadir was acting as nothing more than an old college friend. Even Qadir wouldn't go so far as to flirt with the man in his arms; that would simply be cruel.
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:11 pm
Crystal's sudden decision to trap Irene in between the two's arms came as a shock to the young noble, for he had nothing to say but to stare and gawk unbelievingly in the middle. His eyes showed bewilderment, and perhaps fear, like a little animal trapped in his cage. Irene opened his mouth several times, but no words came out. The warmth of the afternoon, the many clothing he wore and the fact that two people were close in contact with him made Irene sweat. His cheeks started burning when Crystal came at him, making that pleading face, asking him to stay.
Bold, outrageous! This is insane! Irene blushed heavily at the sudden turn of events. His mind swelled with random thoughts, as if there were headless flies shooting in his brain. He didn't like this, the fact that he was trapped between a commoner and a strange man who seemed to be just too close to him. Stuffed coats? Irene was pretty sure the man was degrading the nobles...and even though he looked like one, he certainly didn't act like one. Who was this man? And why was Crystal acting so strange all of a sudden? This was not the demure and polite maiden he knew before...the change seemed so sudden even though he didn't see her for several months.
It's been so long...indeed. Irene admitted the fact that he'd be more than happy to stay with Crystal, if she was by herself. But with this man at his back...the way he talked, the way he addressed to Crystal...
Realizing that he was being too silent, Irene coughed, shaking his head. The young man gave Crystal an awkward smile and said softly.
"If my lady wishes..."
A hell of a day, that was one thing Irene was certain of.
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:34 pm
The young woman practically squealed with delight, reaching up to press a quick kiss to Irene's cheek. "Thank you," she smiled warmly at the noble, giving Qadir's arm a little squeeze before shifting her hand to rest around Irene's side. Part of her had been uncertain, afraid of what the young man would think of her brazen attempt to keep him near. Qadir had helped her loosen up considerably, and she was able to be more herself than the trained girl that Irene knew. It had only then occured to her that as little as she knew about Irene, he knew even less about her outside of her prim and proper composure.
They must have been quite the sight: two tall men and a young woman, one man dressed in all black with a sling, arm wrapped around another gentleman who was as red as a beet, also in the half-embrace of a woman clad in lavender, complete with a bat upon her shoulder.
Crystal wouldn't keep Irene between them much longer, as she knew from his facial expression and his body language that he did not want to be in this situation. She'd let him go...but not yet. For now, she did the opposite, snuggling into him further, breathing in the rich scent of his expensive coat and another scent she could only describe as being him.
It was being that close to the young man that she realized she was somewhat jealous of not being between the two. The thought made her laugh out loud, startling herself, for what purpose would that serve? Her hand raised again to cup Qadir's elbow from behind Irene's back, effectively keeping in contact with both of them. She felt strange all of a sudden, lifting her free hand to stroke Almach's breast; there was definitely something she was missing, and it was bothering her that she couldn't place it. Crystal glanced over to Qadir and his excited, boyish like glee, then back to Irene, who looked completely horrified and perhaps embarrassed to be there.
She looked to the displays near by. Really, she had no place with the nobles at all, and yet these two she tried to keep as near as she could. Strange.
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:47 pm
The sudden laugh from Crystal made Qadir's brows lift curiously and he shifted to peer at the woman to see if she was ok. People didn't usually start laughing unless there was a joke, and Qadir had not been kidding about the 'stuffed coats' comment. She seemed well enough however and the touch of her fingers against his elbow reassured him that she wasn't about to go off and do something crazy. Likely she was laughing about the man in between the two of them, the single most awkward creature Qadir had ever met to be honest, and Qadir had met a lot of creatures.
The vampire opened his mouth to make some reply or other but all that came out was a small sound of delight and the sudden untangling from the noble. Clearly Qadir had spotted something as he hurried over to one of the carts and getting into an excited conversation with the merchant who ran it. His good hand plucked up a considerably sized dagger with a silver blade carved with intricate characters and a hilt that screamed beautiful modesty. Qadir juggled the weapon in his hand, completely oblivious to the two behind him as he attempted to strike a deal with the man.
"No, I wont pay that many pieces for it. There's no magic on it! I swear I'll put this down and walk away right now if you insist on lying to me again my good man," the two could hear Qadir saying, his voice not full of the boyish fun it had held when he was talking with Crystal and Irene. Qadir knew his weapons and although he didn't want to pay as much as the vendor was asking, he would if the man would just stop lying about its worth.
Finally the merchant gave up and Qadir walked away with a delighted expression and a new dagger tucked into the belt of his pants. "It's a wonderful night for buying things," he joked as he came back to the two, fixing his hair so the moonlight would catch as much of the golden strands as possible. Little vain vampire he could be.
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 6:19 pm
Was what was happening in front of him going way too fast for his comprehension, or was he just plain slow? First he fell off, and then he got tangled up with a man he was not comfortable with, and then he was trapped between two people, and now Crystal was snuggling him and the other man all of a sudden moved away? Irene felt his mind going in circles, more than confused about what was happening in front of him...and even more frustrated that things are going beyond his control.
With the Qadir now moved away, Irene felt relief behind his back. He turned sharply to see what the man was up to, and was suprised by the way he chatted and haggled with the owner. A nobleman don't...huggle...Irene titled his head and raised an eyebrow, somewhat amused by the man's demeanor. A gentle squeeze around his waist shifted his attention back to Crystal, who seemed merry as a little bird clinging onto himself. Irene's face darkened with even more blush, and he let his arms drape down to his side, unable to decide if he should hold the girl back or push her away. He looked down at the girl, felt her warm face against his coat, and her curly dark hair brushing against his chin. Irene was silent for a while, then a demure smile surficed on his face. The young man finally brought himself together, and wraped his arms around the girl's tender back. Then he planted his face onto Crystal's head, leaning his cheek against her soft hair. There he stood without saying anything...or rather, he had so many things he wanted to say that silence was the only way out of it.
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Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 7:37 pm
Crystal watched Qadir go curiously, managing not to scowl as he was excited over a dagger. She didn't like what it meant, and his enthusiasm over the weapon was an ever constant reminder. The flower girl exhaled quietly, eyes shifting towards Almach, reading some type of remark. She'd never know what that remark was, though, as Irene chased most thoughts out of her head by wrapping his arms around her.
Her first impression was to pull back - this was like that time at the Masquerade, only worse, because there were people around to see! Even though her mind screamed, she could not move, she was in such shock. Her head swam as though she was hit with something blunt, her knees trembling. She didn't know what to do, what was she supposed to do? The man that would barely touch her hand was embracing her, in the middle of the lower class, and in front of--
--Qadir. Crystal blinked a few times, realizing that her wide-eyed stare of shock was fixated on the vampire, although she hadn't really seen him until just then. She blinked rapidly, taking a moment to compose herself and stay in Irene's embrace before very gently pulling away. "My Lord," she smiled up at him, her eyes a soft hazy grey with a quiet bewilderment, "you shouldn't be seen like this." She slid her hand from his back to his arm, stopping at his own hand to give him another squeeze. The woman hated that she had to say it, but it was true; Irene valued what he was, and she would not tarnish that. She would try to keep her arm looped with his if he would allow it, and if not, she'd simply let it rest at her side.
Crystal extended her left hand to Qadir, turning her warm smile upon him. "So it is! Even if I don't approve of your choice of products," she considered sticking her tongue out at him, but settled for as adorable of a pout as she could muster. "I still have things I must pick up myself. I hope that's the last of your toys, Qadir." She shook her head a little, glancing to the bat on her shoulder with a smile.
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Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:19 pm
The vampire could see plain as day what was happening and he was right about to simply turn and find another stall at which to preoccupy himself when he noticed Crystal pulling away. Well, she was being truthful, the Irene fellow didn't really seem the type that would allow anyone to see him even touching a commoner, let alone being romantically entangled against her side.
He couldn't help but pout at her rejection of his new toy, which he was still giddy over. Pulling it out he presented it to her (as well as Almach) like a little boy who'd just fished the perfect fish from the pond. "But look how stunning it is Crystal. With some good enchants on it I'll be able to protect myself better. I've told you, I wont be treasure hunting for quite a long time. You know I can't stand to be away from you for so long my dear, the man cooed, slipping the dagger back into his belt and taking her hand.
With a squeeze of her hand he slipped to stand by her side, lacing his fingers in with hers and letting it swing like a high school couple's would. "I insist that you allow me to buy you these things you need to pick up," Qadir said with a playfully stern expression and a raised brow, "And who knows, the night is younge and I quite enjoy buying things for myself. You never know what new toys may be found at such a wonderful fair."
Although he didn't let it show, he could feel his energy level falling and he knew he'd over-done it once more, but since he wasn't bleeding all over Crystal's couch he decided not to let the exhaustion show.
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 11:32 am
Irene was obviously disappointed at the fact that Crystal pushed him away, but he immediately regained his posture in the face of the other man. Did Crystal push him away because of Qadir? The young man felt that sore feeling rising in his chest again. He swallowed, hoping air would push down that ugly emotion of bitterness, which came unreasonably and came from nowhere. With Qadir talking to Crystal he felt as if he was out of place again...but then, he wasn't ever not out of place, considering that he was in a common area of the town, as a noble, and overall, not supposed to be here.
"Ah..." Irene started awkwardly, "is there any particular reason you would like me to be here, my lady?" He looked over to Qadir briefly then back. "It seems that lord Xi has you all covered."
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Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:42 pm
The young woman looked politely at the offered weapon, but she couldn't force a smile; she knew what weapons were for, and judging by the wound that she knew of on Qadir, the things that hurt him knew how to use weapons, too. Crystal did smile as he squeezed her hand, caught in his glee even if she didn't like the reason for it. "I could not let you buy something that isn't meant for me to keep," the flower girl replied smoothly, not at all giving away her intent, "and I'm not one to buy things for myself." It was a simple statement, but true. The only thing she had bought herself in recent memory was an oil scent, most of which had burned up when she had fallen asleep with it lit.
Her grey eyes slipped beyond the bat and lighted upon Irene. She tried to keep her face neutral, but some hurt could be seen in the arch of her brow and the curve of her lips. "If you cannot stay, my Lord, I will not keep you. I've missed you, but I suppose that is not sufficient to keep you from your duties." There was no bite to Crystal's words, merely acceptance as if it was perfectly normal for her not to be important in such things. She was, after all, a commoner when the night was done; she had no right to keep a noble anywhere against his will. Unconsciously, the hand in Qadir's tightened its grip, as if she were keeping the tension there rather than her delicate face.
"Forgive my rudeness, my Lord," she murmured as her arm slipped from Irene's and drifted to her side, as loose and reluctant as a ribbon upon the breeze. "I was simply happy to...see that you were well." The hand within the vampire's grasp trembled before becoming still, relaxing as though the tension never were. "I will try not to waste...Qadir's time similarly." It was hard for her not to call him 'lord,' and she almost slipped, but she didn't want to hurt the man next to her anymore than she did the one she was looking at.
Crystal had the distinct impression of tight rope walking, and she did not like it.
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