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 Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 5:35 pm
"No, no other pets." Laura murmured absently, and almost seemed to cringe when she heard what Rem had said.
Taking to sipping her drink once more, it wasn't long before the alcohol was starting to catch up to her. The first warning was a hiccup, and it didn't look to be the last.
"Rem, do you really need to talk about someone whose being gossiped about? It makes you almost as bad as an old bird." Not normally one to insult a man's honor, she was running out of ways to try and sway the topic to something else.~*~*~*~*~*~ Chirping quietly, Leolin edged closer to pluck a piece of meat from the tray and swallowed it with a bite. These little bits wouldn't fill him up alone, and was glad that there were so many.
"Uh, Kedri?" Leolin asked, looking to the woman with a sheepish expression. "You really don't have to stick around with me, if you don't want to. I-I'm not a noble's pet, after all... so I'd understand." The poor griffin didn't believe he was worth the female's time. His bland colors and owner's lack of a lavished lifestyle certainly didn't do much more than give the griffin an inferiority complex.
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 7:38 pm
A smile. A flick of the hand to a shock of white. Red hair and a cat-eyed desire. Mmmm...watching and waiting, a unity of two destinies on the horizon. Oh, what a treat.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Iris found herself distracted by an old breeding friend, one who she had consulted on many an occasion regarding purchases that she was unsure of. And in that time frame, Mal had apparently wandered off, and found Deste, judging by what she saw when her friend departed.
Standing atop the stairs, she watched the two men, noting the looks on their faces...and the fact that Lenore was being led off. Mmmm. One woman she..could stand not encountering tonight. Oh, she would deal with it if she had to, but now she would make every attempt to keep such an event from occuring. Why? Well, their history wasn't exactly friendly. The b-..witchy woman seemed to delight in keeping Iris away from Deste. Granted, she could do that no longer, but old wounds didn't exactly close easily for the Nefretiri daughter.
Ah, but Deste was in fact there, and that made her feel better. She missed him. However, her desire to actually talk to and be with him that evening would have to wait. Mal and the Prince seemed to be discussing something rather..engaging, it seemed. Hmm. She saw him glance up for a moment, and smiled at him before he went back to speaking. A quick sweep of the eyes over the gathering told her that no one else really interested her for the time being, and getting another glass of her favorite champagne would be..more of an adventure than she was willing to amuse herself with right now, she turned and pushed open the doors of the balcony - which was, in all reality, large enough to seat more than just herself. So, taking care to greet and chat with the other members of this exclusive little balcony group, she moved to the side to stare out over the landscape. The griffin's holding place caught her eye for a moment, but then...
"So, have you heard of this Lansing character?"
"Yes, actually. Delightful little story. Word has it he's actually a member of the Rosaylen family."
"Indeed...strange, I think it is. But..."
Iris stopped listening after that. Hah. Malcolm certainly had weaseled his way into the easily-swayed upper-class gossip chain. The woman wondered lightly if he had any idea what he was really getting himself into. People were vicious - she knew that he was aware of that much. But it was so much to take in sometimes...and now, he would certainly have the wrath of Lenore upon him. At least, that's what she figured. As much as she didn't like to think that Lenore was anything more than a bitter - righteously bitter, in some respect - and hateful woman, Iris knew that she held power in many different ways. Much like Iris herself, in fact. And, well, long story short she wouldn't wish that woman on anyone.
Too bad she couldn't do much about it now anyway. He wanted the rumors to circulate. So be it.
T'would be very, very entertaining if he encountered Lenore tonight, though. That might be something she needed to see.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Ma'at trilled lightly, hearing a voice she recognized. Kalei! Abandoning Elrok once more, she began trotting over to the male...before slowing, lifting her beak to the air. An unfamiliar smell. Of course, this place was FILLED with unfamiliar smells, but...this scent was different. Weird, in the not-so-interesting, bad way. But as soon as she turned to try and find its source, it was gone.
...ah, well.
"Kalei!" she chirped, trotting up to her old friend, blue eyes alighted by the equally-hued gems around her neck and that playful little twinkle. Her friend was here! He was the one who she hurt that one time, when they first met...but, as Iris and Deste grew closer, so did they. He was her favorite other griffin, even out of her 'family members'..mostly because Sekhmet was angry, and Elrok was too calm and...fathering, almost. Kalei was fun. She liked him.
"How are you?" she questioned, cocking her head at him.
-_-_-_-_-_-
This was all too amusing.
The red and white bird lifted his head, feeling himself smile as he watched all the goings-on. Such drama! Intrigue! Romance! It was like an entire mini civilization had formed itself in this small area. Perhaps he should participate. After all, Ma'at was ignoring him almost completely - she said he hovered too much...he hadn't even moved from his spot! - and it wouldn't hurt to make a new friend or two.
He spotted two griffins near the food that he had been watching. One, he overheard, was Leolin, and the other...something that started with a K. Ah, well, he would figure out soon enough.
The great bird lifted himself and trotted over to the food, careful to give a polite bow to the two before addressing them. Big as he was, with muscles that were built for a nice balance of power and speed, and a proud arsenal of razor-sharp talons and teeth...not to mention his lovely feathers, which he was quite proud of...the griffin was so disarming that few saw him as a threat. It was almost impossible to! Why, he was such the gentleman - or, he tried to be - without an openly-agressive bone in his body. That is, unless he needed to have such a thing...but if no threat was presented to him, then he was not going to be a threat himself.
"Hello! My name is Elrok," he said, shifting his wings a little. "I do hope you don't mind, but I saw you two and thought I'd come over and introduce myself, since it wouldn't be fitting to not try and make a few new aquaintances on a night like this."
The male hoped that they did not mind, and that he was not interrupting anything..he simply wanted to be friendly, after all.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Uugh! Blasted windows...this was becoming ever-tedious.
Making her way though the small 'opening' she had made in the glass, the black bird slipped out of the home. Now...to find out where exactly she was going.
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Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 9:34 pm
He snapped up another hunk of fresh meat, savoring the taste of blood. Ah....Balsem had left him with a fine herd of bovines. Most of which, by now, had stampeded in a frenzy towards the more open plains. It was lucky for him that the animals were stupid - it made them easier to find and catch. Stretching, the black beast launched into the warm night air and began flapping lazily after his next meal. Three or four more, and he'd have his required 13 to feel at least relatively satisfied. Then, he would go find his one-handed acquaintance...
------
Shane sipped at her straw carefully, leaning against an arm propped up by the elbow on the bar's service counter. The expression on her eyes-closed face said something of a cross between solemn and lofty reflection. But what she was currently wondering about was not the question that the gentleman had asked her about rumors, but the strange little chill that had done up her spine a few seconds prior.
He couldn't be here. He wouldn't put the effort into coming here.
Would he?
Hmmm....She wondered if the Princeling had felt the same shock. Well, she was probably wrong anyway. It was weird though....She honestly hadn't slipped anything into her water (yet) so she shouldn't be having any tingles. Well, anyway. "Yup, a certain 'Mal' Lansing, and some big rumor going on about him being related to one of the Abinian noble houses. The Crest of the Roses, I think," the woman said, pulling out another bottle of cherry cordial for the girl who had asked.
"I think it's a big deal for most of these people because that house just got into the 'inner circle' of Albion's true royal bloodline, thanks to the crowning of a certain new queen and her son."
Shane opened an eye to scan again for the Princeling. He was talking with someone...being social? Gasp! Amazing! She'd have to call him over for a drink and see if he'd actually be more friendly.
....Though, considering that, unlike the older brother, Deste had a habit of merely passing out....Which could be entertaining in its own right also....Hmmm...She should call him over~
Taking a deep breath, the woman gave a sing-song call. "Oooh Princeliiiiing!"
------
Kalei pricked his ears upon hearing his name. Looking about as he resettled his wings, the brown griffin spotted another male approaching, and recalled that he had been the one with the shiny bells that Ma'at had been playing with a while back. Unfortunately, the name eluded him...Erm...
"Hello!" he offered brightly, lightly flicking his tail at Auster so she would be polite and introduce herself as well. "Ah...I'm sorry, I forgot your name." the male commented when his crested companion had turned to meet the tawny-colored male, sheepishly puffing up his feathers a bit. "But this is my friend, Auster."
The female bowed her head, her plumage bobbing at the motion. "How do you do?"
Kalei was about to comment on Auster's habit of being formal, when he heard a more familiar voice call his name. Turning excitedly, the brown male perked up when his old friend trotted over to him, and whistled a greeting. "Hello, Ma'at!"
He didn't mean to completely disregard the griffin whose name he still couldn't remember, but, well....He liked his sand-colored relation. The had been together since fledgling-hood, and she, in return, was also probably his favorite griffin among those he knew. "I'm doing well, better since you came!" he chirped, reaching out to nibble at her ear affectionately, reminding that the injury she had originally given him was a bitten ear.
He still had a tiny scar from that, actually. Not that it really mattered.
------
Deste raised a skeptical look at Mal's explanation of what house he really belonged to. Argol? He hadn't heard of them, which meant that if they actually existed, they were obscure, and likely to be considered 'upper-middle class' by those of his current social status. Hmph...it was stupid, really, though it admittedly made sense from the perspective of the 'higher' noble or politician. But years of seeing people in either one of three positions had bred into him the fact that there were no gray areas. One was either with the powerful, powerless, or the type of person that could tip the scale either way.
He'd been one of the latter, before. Most people in his former profession were.
"Falsified documents?" he questioned softly - not wanting anyone to overhear - looking the man in the eye with an even gaze. Deste wasn't disapproving of it, if that was indeed the case. People did what they needed to do to get by. If Mal wanted to actually get into the society Deste himself would rather not be a part of, then fine, don't get caught while sneaking in.
Honestly, he had been hired to steal personal documents - mostly items with signatures on them - and other effects such as family crests and seals, by clients in years past. It wasn't all that uncommon to want those things when one was in the business of forgery.
"Oooh Princeliiiiing!"
....s**t.
Deste's demeanor instantly turned back to the norm of enigmatic irritation upon the hearing the familiar sound of his associate's favored nickname for him. It occurred to him then that talking with Mal actually hadn't vexed him - a first for the night. Hmph...and then the most annoying human creature in the entire city had to notice him. Granted, said annoyance had probably seen him long before he had seen it. Shane had always been an observant one...and considering that his attendance at the party was on the opposite spectrum of his normal tendencies, she was probably already gathering up gossip.
Turning to glance in the direction of the bar, he gave a scowl in return at the woman's cheerfully inviting wave. It looked as though she was in conversation with someone....She was leaning nonchalantly on the counter near three people, two women and a male. Hmph, ironically enough, said male happened to sport hair the color of Mal's stalker, according to his description.
...It'd be best not to ignore Shane right now, though, unless he wanted Iris questioning him about why he'd had a girl with red-blond hair clinging to him for a good portion of the evening. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'm being summoned." The irritation in his voice was thickly evident.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 12:35 am
Mal met Deste’s gaze with the honest, true and steady look of a real liar. “They’re real enough for me,” he said easily. That could have meant, ‘nyah, nyah, I faked them and you can’t prove it’ or ‘I have absolutely no idea and I’m an innocent, as unlikely as that seems’. Mal liked being able to put intricate messages into language while still actually only saying four or five words. It always kept people guessing.
Still, he had to wonder how the rumors had magnified into this. The ones he had spread all concerned obscure Houses, the ones that absolutely no one paid attention to. How had it gone all the way up to Rosaylen? Or, for that matter, when? Ah well, it didn’t matter. The proof---well, fake proof--- showed that he was of House Argol and that was that.
It had once been a prosperous House, but several gambling debts, a bad choice of investments, and a rash of diseases left it almost desolate, at least by Xuan City nobility standards. This basically meant that they were still rich enough by the commoner’s standard, but no longer were mentioned in everyday conversation, which was bad by noble standards.
Well, there was a rose on the crest… so, maybe that was where Rosaylen came in. Funny that.
As the cry of ‘Princeliiiiing’ came over, Mal couldn’t help but look over at the bar. Oh, right. Deste. Of course… the last thing Mal needed was a new rumor about him being complete royalty. While he was well-aware of the dangers of looking too long at any particular man, old habits kicked in and he looked over the sitters casually. Aw, just two women and one man.
…
Say, that man was kinda blonde, wasn’t he? And he looked sorta familiar in that ‘can’t-quite-put-your-finger-on-it’ sorta way.
Probably wasn’t important anyway. He shrugged, and started wandering away in search of something a bit more interesting.
…
It took him a whole five seconds to realize exactly who the blonde man reminded him of. He blanched visibly. Every cell in Mal’s body cursed in unprintable---as if Mal could spell the words anyway---language as he made a beeline for the stairs.
~.~
The look of perplexity that came over Rem’s face at the rumor was completely genuine. “Mal a noble? No, that’s just… that’s just not right…” he thought out loud. The man could hardly spell his own name, for crying out loud! Not to mention, thanks to certain… umm… sources, Rem knew that the man had never even met his own parents. How could he know who they were?
Which was probably why everyone was so easily believing this whole ‘noble’ thing. Suddenly, Rem wished that he drank if only because he really needed a drink right now.
More likely, Lansing was simply trying to wrangle a new place in life. It seemed the man’s style: enter with a lot of flash, do something completely unexpected, and then run away with lots of loot. No doubt, that was his plan here. The fact that he was planning on making idiots out of the nobility probably only fueled the b*****d on, just because it was his way. If he got the money, he was happy. If he got to make someone else look stupid, he was even happier.
“Honestly, what’s with you, Laura? You usually don’t care about this… you feeling alright?” Genuine concern from Rem? Better believe it! Was it possible that Laura had encountered Mal? Or maybe this was just Laura’s way of telling Rem just how uncomfortable she was here. Or just that she was uncomfortable with him gossiping.
Not noticing Deste’s approach, Rem went on explaining to Laura, “Lansing’s an old… friend of mine. Sort of friend. Kind of.” ‘not really’, he wanted to add, since that would be truthful and he was, by nature, a truthful person. But, if he did add that, he knew he was in for long inquisitions about just what he was trying to find someone he wasn’t even friends with. No need to explain that. “We were fought in the war.”
There. That explained everything. The ol’ ‘War-Buddy-Bond’ was famous for things like this, right?
Never mind that they had been on opposite sides during the war. And that Rem’s side had won. And that Mal had ended up in prison and was probably rather tetchy over that. Or that this had all happened three years ago.
Yep. No need to explain that at all… it really wasn’t any of their business anyway, right?
~.~
Now that smarted… he had gone through the trouble of remembering Kalei’s name, but the young male hadn’t remembered his? Then again, it made some sense… Kalei was a lot smaller then…
“Aeron,” he said, just to remind Kalei. Oh, and introduce himself to Auster. “Is Sekhmet here?” He asked hopefully, taking just a few steps closer to the rapidly growing group of gryphons.
Now that he was closer, Aeron couldn’t help but notice just how lovely Auster was. And what an interesting crest she had… tilting his head to one side, Aeron made absolutely no attempts to hide his examinations of the female. It was all part of his newest flirting scheme…
Shameless modesty!
No, no! Bad Aeron! No flirting!
“Sorry, I just never have seen a gryphon like you before,” he said to Auster, just to explain his staring. If he was flirting, he would have included ‘pretty’ or ‘beautiful’ or some flattering word like that at least once. He hoped that Sekhmet was here tonight. He missed her. Flirting with every female in this place seemed so… pale against the chance of flirting with Sekhmet just once.
Damn, now he sounded like that poet that Mal was always mocking, the one who ‘fell in love’----or, as Mal said, ‘fell on his head’---at least once a week with someone new.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 6:39 am
"Aw, that's sweet. Well, I certainly am happier now that you're here. Most of these griffins aren't that fun."
Ok, so...she hadn't really given the others that much of a chance, but still.
Ma'at squawked playfully and rubbed her face into his feathers for a moment, before shaking her head and taking a seat next to him. Oh! It wouldn't be proper not to address the other griffin with Kalei. "Hello, Auster. Are you well?" she voiced, noting that this was the griffin belonging to that mean Lenore lady. Ma'at wasn't sure if she liked that lady or not. Iris didn't like her - but then, she didn't seem to like Iris. Ah, well. The affairs of men didn't always have to interlace with the affairs of their kind.
The blue-eyed griffin cast her glance at Aeron, who...heh, wanted to know if Sekhmet was there. How cute. Resisting a smile, Ma'at answered - though she wasn't sure if the question was directed at her or not...oh well - kindly, "No, she is not here...though, I wouldn't put it past her to try and get here. Don't get your hopes up, but I would be on the look-out."
Turnig her attention back to Kalei, she nipped at his ear playfully. "Deste needs to leave you at our house again, soon, so we can spend some time together!"
-_-_-_-_-_-
The ebony bird squawked as she found herself near an area that she knew was good for hunting. Hmmm....a small pit-stop wouldn't hurt.
-_-_-_-_-_-
"Oh really, now?"
Varun leaned casually on the counter, facing the woman in the peacock feathers and glasses. He smiled lightly, then stood to give a grand bow. "'Ell, my name is Varun Loknath, 'erchant extrordinair." he said, lifting his face to look at the girl. "And you are...?"
-_-_-_-_-_-
Uugh. All of this was useless. Come to a stupid little party to talk to converse with ignorant people, and most often equally ignorant griffins. Though, there was one griffin at this gathering that looked almost identical to her. He was red and white, while she was green and white....perhaps they were related. Perhaps not. Whatever.
Lunelai examined a talon, before lifting herself and stretching out her wings. She had stayed primarily to herself - and still planned to do so - but decided to look around a little. Walking with an effortless gate over to the various trays of meat, she snapped up a few and looked around. Nothing too interesting...several groups of griffins talking, others just wandering around or lounging about, as she had been....but there was one black griffin in the corner. He had very unique markings....hmm. There was a brilliantly hued green-and-black griffin approaching him...
She had a feeling this would be entertaining.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 3:01 pm
The smile on Brighids' face grew slightly wider, but not by much.
She watched and listened closely as Varun introduced himself, with quite the grand bow as well. It was only polite to return the curtesy; she bowed right back, lifting her dress slightly in her hand. "... I am Brighid Halo Omega, Sea-fairing Royalty Extrodinaire..." She had a sly grin on her face now as she looked at Varun. ".. And yes, my night has indeed gotten better....."
----------------------------------------
As Fernandi drew closer to the male, she noticed that he'd taken noticed of her trotting. You know, seeing as how he'd huffed himself up in a sitting position. Fernandi had glanced at the faded-blue undersides of his wings, very beautiful. She could certainly say that she'd never seen THAT colour before, but it was kinda nice having someone pay attention to her. He was irritated, which; will rovide some entertainment for her. Eheheheheeee~
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 4:33 pm
Nyhali thought for a moment. What to do? Every time this Lansing person was brought up she turned redder... and apparently she wanted to do anything but talk about Lansing. What would get her mind off of it? Ah! "Laura, can we go look at the griffons? I want to see Leolin in his duds."
It wasn't much, but maybe it would help Laura relax.
~~~~~
Kedri tilted her head and chirped curiously. "Why would it make a difference if you were a Lord's pet or not?" It's not like it would make him more male or more of a griffon if he were. Silly Leolin. "Honestly, you are so silly sometimes. Nyhali and I haven't always been part of the nobility! The only thing about me that changed at that point was that Nyhali got better smelling soap to use on me."
Then a new male inserted himself into her presence. One that actually wanted to talk to both of them! Perfect. "Ah... Greetings, Elrok. My name is Kedri. My companion here is Leolin. Please, join us! We're both rather new to these gatherings, a new acquantance would be wonderful." Not at all threatening the way Aeron was, this one. Elrok would hopefully help put Leolin more at ease.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 5:04 pm
Embaressed at what Rem said, Laura took her drink and sighed deeply. "I just thought it was beneath men to gossip." She murmured, trying to hide her discomfort. "Would you really like people to talk about you behind your back?"
When Nyhali spoke, the woman nodded her head gratefully. Removing herself from her seat, she took her drink with her to take with her. Now she could actually take the time to taste her drink, and glanced to her drink before turning to look at the barkeep. "You said it was chocolate, didn't you?" Something that was a delight for nobles, she'd never tried it before. This new sensation was certainly worth exploring further. Pity the woman said she'd need to break.
Taking a sip of her drink once more, Laura offered a more calm smile to Nyhali. "Let's go see them, shall we?"~*~*~*~*~ Once again the griffin male blushed, and moved closer to Kedri. Not having met such a female, Leolin leaned nearer to preen just behind her ear in a show of affection. Almost like the griffin's first kiss by how tenitive he was acting; then again, he could just be worried about rejection.
When Elrok appeared, however, Leolin jumped. His feathers puffed up like a cat pulled out of a dryer, and the griffin was red in the beak once more. "H-hello..." He murmured timidly, shrinking slightly as his shoulders haunched in his embaressment. Not only was this griffin striking, but he was also strong looking-- making Leolin all the more worried Kedri wouldn't wish to keep him company. Clingy? Perhaps; but he wasn't a very social griffin to begin with.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 5:46 pm
He trilled upon learning that he was welcome in their presence...well, at least by the female, the male seemed worried. Elrok thought about asking why..but he didn't want to seem nosy, or to embarrass anyone. Best to leave it alone.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kedri and Leolin...and thank you! T'was rather boring, sitting over there by myself." he said with a small laugh. "You're new to 'these gatherings', hmm? Are you two enjoying yourselves, then? I remember when I first accompanied my owner to such a 'party' as this - I was shocked at everything!"
Indeed. He was jumpy and curious..and, actually, still a bit wary of Iris. But she won him over with one good belly rub, and he was fine ever since. The glitter and glamor wore off quickly...but these two were new. They must be having a good time, since they didn't seem as wary as he was...right?
-_-_-_-_-_-
" 'Uite a name!! Ye must be royalty, then, 'ith such a splendid 'ame!"
He was aware that, along with worsening as he drank, his accent changed with every statement - it came with being to so many places...but the ladies seemed to like it, so he made no attempt to change it...and why that thought crossed his mind, he had no idea. Maybe he needed another drink.
"So....'oyalty, ey? Then why is a lassy such as 'ourself talkin' to a guy like 'e?" he said, grinning yet again. He noted that her smile had widened a little, and that she seemd to be paying close attention to him...he liked this one! She seemed fun. And he liked the fun ones....only, usually, they didn't end up liking him. He had yet to figure out why.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 6:42 pm
After making sure the Princeling was indeed heading her way, Shane went back to answer the cherry-girl's (no pun intended on her current complexion) question. "Yup, some sort of cocoa powder was probably added to this stuff when it was bottled," she said with an affirmative nod, tapping the bottle. "Getting the stuff imported isn't cheap, so you enjoy that!" the woman concluded with a friendly smile. But it looked as though the two ladies were getting ready to leave. So, she added as a final note, "We have plenty left though, so if the two misses want more when they come back, call me over!"
"Being the good bartender tonight, are we?"
Oh, and here was her token of interest for the evening. Gasping in mock utter delight, Shane sidled over as Deste walked up. "Why Prince Deste! What a pleasure it is for you to grace me with your presence! Please, have a seat!" she exclaimed, pointing to the seat next to the man who had been asking after the Lansing character.
The look on her Princeling's face was priceless - 'I hate you.'
------
Abaddon smelled someone invading his hunting ground. Another griffin.
Hissing lightly, the beast veered southwest. He really didn't need to pick a fight...but neither was there was no reason not to.
------
"I'm fine standing, thanks," Deste muttered, ignoring the stares of both the party attenders around him, and the people Shane was working with for the night. It was impossible for this particular human being to be anything but outrageously flamboyant, but he requested anyway, voice dripping with sarcasm, "Would it be possible for you to be any less discreet?"
"Well of course! But, for the moment, I'm all yelled out."
Lucky him. Sighing, he asked with as much of an even tone as he could manage, "Do you have something of importance to tell me?" She probably didn't, considering the lack of sincerity in her entire current character. It was likely her reasons were either gossip, the want to ply him with alcohol, or some other ridiculous idea. He watched her with irritation as the bartender leaned across the counter conspiratorially, her face 'secretive.'
"....Can I get you something to drink?" she asked in a whisper. For the love of...."No, I'm fine, thanks."
She sniffed in faux sadness. "You're making my job so hard!"
Putting a hand to his face, Deste replied through slightly gritted teeth, "Shane, if you honestly have nothing to say, then-"
"I know, I know, you need to go off and find your little beloved. A warning first," she said, pausing for a moment. Her demeanor shifted slightly, and this time, her eyes were reflecting seriousness. "Watch your back tonight. I got that funny tingling feeling a minute or two ago."
He gave her a look that he knew reflected, 'Are you sure it wasn't some convenient white powder?'
"Deste, I'm serious. I don't see how he could be here, but don't think he's given up on you yet. Your whole public fiasco gave him a very good lead as to where to find you."
"I know, I know..." he voiced quietly. "...Fine, let me know if you get another...feeling."
Shane bounced back immediately to annoying as soon as the words had left his mouth. "Right-o! Now, on to more important matters." Gossip, she meant. "Who was Princeling being social with?" she asked with the slight hint of a leer.
Snorting lightly, Deste said, "An acquaintance of Iris'."
------
A streak of black-tipped white winged its way across the treetops, sniffing at the scent of blood. Someone, something...had made many heavy kills. How very...disturbing.
Eranthe saw a black creature in the distance. Hm...another of her kind. Smaller than the striped creature herself, though....
------
"Hello, Aeron. It's a pleasure to meet you," Auster said politely, falling into silence when the tawny male proceeded to simply...stare at her. Ah....Alright....So she proceeded to stare back at him, shifting her wings a bit at the silence stretched on.
He was a rather handsome male though. Much lighter in color than her other male companion, she found his wing coloration particularly fascinating. And the shining pieces of metal adorning various parts of his body. They looked like...Bells?
Snapping back to attention when this Aeron fellow finally said something, Auster shook her head lightly at the apology. "No offense taken. I'm not bragging...but my owner often says I'm one of only two of my breed in the area. She calls me a 'Crested' griffin."
------
Kalei whistled an apology to Aeron. In all honesty, the avian didn't retain names very well, especially of others he'd met only once. "Sorry, Aeron. I'll remember from now on."
Turning his attention back to Ma'at, he chirped in agreement to his sandy friend, flaring a wing to place around her when she sat next to him. "I'd rather be left with you. Deste has to go see a lot of people, lately...And he gets kind of annoyed. And it's really no fun for me."
------
Zephan merely stared as the green-painted female approached him. At the corner of his vision, he could see another griffin watching him....Irritating. Couldn't they just leave him alone to sleep?
Grumbling slightly, the big male reached under his right wing to ease a misplaced feather, then looked up to stare again until the other griffin reached him. After a moment of hesitation, he clicked his beak in greeting, and said, "Good evening."
....Yeah, there was really nothing else to say at that point. He really wasn't the type to introduce himself right off the bat.
------
"Bum-bum-buuum, a rival appears! What will the Princeling do to keep his true love?"
She watched the irritation suffuse his face, and grinned nonchalantly. "Just kidding, just kidding. I would hope that this Iris of yours is faithful, after what you had to-"
"Let's not talk about that," he snapped. Oooh, touchy. Alrighty then. "Sooo, does this character you were talking with have a name? Some wonderfully delightful story that you gleaned from him?"
"Depends on what you mean by 'wonderfully delightful'."
Poo. "You're no fun, Princeling. I mean...gossip! Would he happen to have anymore stories about that Lansing character?" she asked flippantly, though in a way, she knew that the serious air around Deste and the person he'd been conversing with was anything but about gossip. Didn't hurt to ask, though. "Cause y'know, this gentleman right here," she continued, motioning to the water-guy a foot or so away, "Seems to be interested in the man."
"Well...that was him, actually."
She blinked. "What?"
He gave an irritated sigh. "That was him. Malcolm Lansing. He wandered off when you called me over here, though."
Oh.
"Heheh, well, at least I got a glimpse of the famous man of the night."
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 7:55 pm
Sekhmet felt an eerie, dangerous presence..that actually made her feathers and fur stand on end. It was another griffin, she knew that much...but it was a very, very hostile griffin. Even more so than she. However, being of the personality that she was, though, she kept moving closer to the food..albeit at a slower pace. What an odd presence...it felt bad. Bad as in not a good thing for her to be nearing.
...thankfully, after a hiss that made her stop dead in her tracks...the presence faded. Hmm....
Another presence! This one wasn't threatening. Looking up as the sound of beating wings hit her ears, she caught sight of a white griffin. Well...white, with some black. Maybe. It was very far up and a ways in the distance, AND it was dark....keen as her vision was, it wasn't that good, so she wasn't completely sure. But it looked to be white, with black stripes. Hmmm....that sounded, and looked, familiar...
Sekhmet lifted her forelegs off the ground, opened her wings, and let out a shrill call to the sky, beckoning the griffin to the ground. She was sure that she knew this bird, but..if she did..maybe said bird knew the way to the party?
-_-_-_-_-_-
Ma'at trilled lightly...unsure of whether to blush a bit or not. Kalei was so sweet to her. Scooting a little closer to him, she smiled and dipped her head in accordance to his words. "I can understand why he would be annoyed. He doesn't seem to like his new job..maybe I can convince Iris to convince Deste to let you stay with us for a while? You can help!"
Really, getting Iris and Deste to do that would be wonderful. She and Kalei would have so much fun! And she'd probably be in a better mood for a while. Not that she was often in a bad one..she was only in a bad mood when something bad had been done - it was an odd sort of justice complex. However, instead of being in that calm, even mood, she'd be..probably euphoric! She'd be able to play with him, and make Sekhmet and Elrok leave her alone!
....yes, she was still a bit of an adolescent. Kind of. He made her feel like that, at least, especially when they hadn't seen each other in a while.
"I'm sorry it's not fun, though..where all have you been going?" she questioned.
-_-_-_-_-_-
Ah, so he saw her. Smirking inwardly, the green and white griffin -rather obviously- feigned ignorance to it all, looking elsewhere and pretending as if she was looking for some other particular griffin. Those intelligent eyes soon returned to the lone-wolf and his antagonist, however, delighting in the fact that the green and black griffin had yet to leave him alone. How amusing...she, too, was rather antisocial, but he was the one being bothered...
...better not think that too much. She didn't want to jinx something, and find herself being pestered by some juvenile, or something. The griffin liked her solitude.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:35 pm
Rem stuck out his tongue at Laura slightly, a very immature gesture for the normally perfectly mature and elegant noble. Maybe that sparkling water was a bit much for him. “Beneath me or not, I still want to check up the news on my old acquaintance,” he informed her. “Still, you’re right. I ought to go talk to him directly instead of asking other people what the latest from the rumor mill concerns… Go on and go look at the gryphons, Laura.”
Lightly and affectionately, he pushed Laura in the direction of the garden, having heard a few gryphon squawks from out there. Really, it was important for her to get out more often and meet new people. Rem wasn’t exactly poster boy for the Most Social of the Year award, but even he recognized the importance of holding disdain for new people!
…
Meeting. For meeting new people. Yes. Nothing about disdain.
Tuning into the conversation on his other side, a perplexed look crossed his features once more as the barkeep teased Prince Deste about having a ‘rival’. ‘Iris’ sounded like a woman’s name to Rem, but, really, it wasn’t for him to judge… Mal wasn’t any sort of rival for a woman’s affection, that was for sure. But, once again, it wasn’t his place to tell. If Lansing hadn’t told anyone about his… his tastes, then he didn’t want anyone to know.
Then again, listening to the rumors floating around about him, it seemed that Lansing wanted everyone to know every thing. Not ‘everything’, but ‘every thing’, even if ‘things’ happened to completely cancel each other out.
“Famous only because he probably engineered it,” Rem couldn’t help muttering in response to the barkeeper’s words. They weren’t directed at him, but he had to say it. Everyone who knew Lansing would automatically think it. He didn’t even bother looking over for Lansing. As soon as the barkeeper yelled out, everyone would have looked towards the bar, then Lansing would have seen Rem and probably ran away. There was no rush, as far as Rem was concerned.
Lansing was a military man. He would go for the high ground, despite the fact that there really was no escape from the high ground.
~.~
As a matter of fact, Mal was trying that very tactic. There were several stories in the noble’s home. Most of them were technically ‘off-limits’ to party-goers, but that wasn’t really the way. What ‘off-limits’ really meant was ‘don’t go here unless you’ve got hunching with your lover in mind’. Mal didn’t have this in mind, but he did have the need to get away.
It seemed likely enough to him that the lieutenant wouldn’t want to come up here for fear of Mal jumping out at him, arms wide and lips ready. He would come up here eventually, but by that point, Mal hoped to have an actual plan ready. He slowed a little outside of the bedrooms and lightly rested his fingertips on the door closest before making a face.
Ick… by the vibrations inside, someone was hunching with someone else. Hopefully, they were protected. He moved onto the next room and then the next until he found one that was unoccupied. Time to plan.
~.~
Noticing Auster’s stare, Aeron promptly rearranged the bells closest to him so they could catch the light just a little bit better. Nice and shiny. He couldn’t hide his disappointment as he was informed of Sekhmet’s absence; that sort of put a damper on his spirits.
“A Crested gryphon? My food-provider calls me a nuisance or a waste of flesh and feathers.” These words were said with a peculiar combination of pride and affection. Obviously, Aeron was fond of his owner (or food-provider). Crested gryphon. Well, that would explain the crest, obviously. Radiating charm, he bowed at her slightly, with his fascinating wings spread wide; it was basically his signature bow. “You’re a true exotic beauty, Auster.”
Some annoying little voice in his head pointed out that Sekhmet was more fun to flirt with, but he silenced the voice by pointing out that Sekhmet wasn’t here. He wasn’t about to put his social life---well, flirtation life---on hold just because she wasn’t here.
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Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:07 pm
Brighid let her grin stay alittle longer, and kept a good eye on Varun. She snickered slightly to what words spill out of his accented mouth. " Oh, I don't know. What's a rough lad like yourself talking to some ' dainty young thing ' like me..? " Brighid deliberately worded her sentence like that, for the mere fact that she was being playful. There was something about Varun that Brighid liked greatly, but at the same time something warned her about him. She didn't know what it was, but at the moment she really didn't mind. Brighid found that her grin was still there, and that was rare.
--------------------------
Fernandi watched the male put an unruly wing feather back into place, and then address her. The green painted female could tell that the male wasn't one to outright introduce himself, that was a bit of a duh. Fernandi didn't feel like sitting at the moment, so she stood in a typical 'female ' stance.
"..Good Evening to you as well..."
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:51 pm
Nyhali walked outside with Laura, relieved beyond reason that no one attempted to intercept them for "conversation" on the way there. She really wanted to just go, honestly, but if she left too soon and without a good reason no doubt several nasty rumors would be started... This place was utterly rediculous sometimes.
The fresher air in the garden brightened her spirits considerably, and it was probably visible on her face. Ah but it was a beautiful night out... it seemed such a waste to spend it inside. Ah well. She started scanning griffons to see if she could find Kedri and was rather amazed at the variety of colors. You'd think it would be easier to spot a brown-based griffon in all that... wait, there she was sitting by the food trays in the company of two other griffons. One was brilliantly white with bold red markings and the other...
"Ah, looks like Kedri and Leolin already found one another and decided to make some more friends tonight." And oddly enough Kedri didn't appear to be trying to provoke the two males into fawning over her. Perhaps she was still feeling out the area first?
~~~~~
Kedri clicked her beak softly with an amused look on her face. "No, I don't suppose sitting all by oneself would be much fun. I didn't like it at least." She nudged Leolin gently with her wing. "I assume you didn't like it since you came and found me."
She looked around at the surrounding pomp and glitter and trilled. "Ah... I've seen places sort of like this before. They weren't as shiny... but they had the same air of "I am somehow more important than anywhere else" about them. Which seems quite silly, I've had prettier views from up in the air. Then again humans can't fly unless we let them so I suppose they try and make up for it how they can."
She spied two humans walking out into the open while she was spying on the scenery. She immediatly recognized her human, but it took her a moment to realize who the other was. "Leolin, is that your human? She looks quite different!" She nudged both of the males and stood. "Come, come, you can meet my human." It seemed the two women would be saved the trouble of wading through all the griffons to get to the ones they'd been looking for.
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Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 3:08 pm
Quietly sipping her drink, Laura peered at all the griffins around in the courtyard. "Poor Leo... He's got to be so uncomfortable." She murmured quietly, knowing how upset Leolin tended to get when he was around so many bright colors.
"Looks like they're headed our way, Nyhali." Offering a warm smile to her griffin, she started over to Leolin and kissed him on the beak when she was close enough. "Hello Leolin, have you been good?"
Leolin chirped cutely when Kedri nudged him, and trotted after when she started to walk. Giving a bow of his head to Elrok in passing to be polite, however.
"Nice meeting you, please excuse us." He said pleasently enough. Kedri was a nice griffin, but his partner was composed and collected. Even if she dressed a little oddly for a female. Yes, no way on earth she'd embaress him in front of Kedri.....
Turning bright red when Laura kissed him, Leolin fluffed up in surprise. What happened to calm, cool, and collected?! Feeling ashamed of his partner both for how she was dressed and how she acted, Leolin sat down in front of her and half-opened his wings to try and hide her from Kedri's sight.
"Erm, maybe we should go try the food a bit more? Let the humans chat some more?" He hoped she'd buy it.
"Leolin! What's the matter with you?" laura asked in confusion, not knowing just what to make of his actions. "You seem like you're embaressed to be seen with me..."
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