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 Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:37 pm
In that way, Calypso was quite easy to read. He never thought to lower his manners, save towards those who so obviously did not deserve to be treated with such respect -- people like Hunter who themselves held no respect for others. It was not a matter of class or intelligence, but a matter of what respects Calypso received from others. A courteous pauper was deemed more worthy of good graces in his mind than did a pretentious, snobby aristocrat. Though Calypso had more than once been labelled as such by others, he always maintained the utmost courtesies.
Calypso hadn't missed the faint seed of anger that sparked in the other -- his dark eyes were highly trained in perceiving such things, after all. But he could dismiss such ill wishes -- he was used to the angers of those who, like most not gifted with good money or blood, immidiately categorized him as a spoiled rich boy who never sullied his hands. Oh, how wrong they were. Of course, Calypso never spilled his own blood, but that of others was quite a different matter.
The ivory-haired youth glanced up as the owner served the tea, giving her a faint, but kind, smile. The lady looked rather confused as the girl shoed her away -- perhaps she was a new waitress, as Calypso had no idea that she was the owner. He thought nothing of that.
What he did think something of, however, was the other's immidiate handling of the more than hot tea pot. The boy himself would never have tried to touch something so obviously hot -- what with his Ice powers, he was more than succeptible to heat, though his Water could quite easily quench it. And yet, he knew the manerisms of normal people quite well -- he had studied them for such a long time so as to have a discerning eye for the disparities between those with and without magics. This woman most clearly had an abnormall high tollerance for heat and, though he could as of yet draw no conclusions, she just might be a Fire user -- and therefor a member of one of the other two Houses. Not Dragon, of course, for she otherwise would know him simply by his appearance unless she was a particularly new member.
"It is very nice to meet you, Celia," he replied courteously. Desite the other's presumptions, however, he had no qualms with revealing his name. Half the city knew him, if not by name then by appearance, anyway. It wasn't as if he could hide and it wasn't as if he needed to, either. "My name is Calypso," he said, a sweet smile on his lips. That name alone was known by many of all the Houses -- whether it was because it had been rumoured that Calypso had murdered the previous leader of the House of Phoenix or because of those mysetrious disapearances last week of some of the House of Earth's highly treasured spies, or perhaps simply because of his prestige within his House. Whatever it was, his name was one quite unique and well-known.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 2:07 pm
"Hm?" Vaughn looked up from his cup, where he had currently been peeking under the lid to see if the tea was ready. If he hadn't been wearing a wig, his ears would have perked up as well; did he just say what he thought he said? Calypso, the House of Dragon's second in command, the person who was to have murdered the head of the House of Phoenix? But he was so young - younger than him at the very least. He knew these were hard times, what with the three houses fighting for dominance and all, but to take a kids' innocence... It made his stomach twist uncomfortably.
Maybe he was just so sensitive because he himself had never seen death, felt it's touch, yes ( he had lost comrades to this fight, both by the hands of Phoenix and Dragon ), but not first hand. He had always learned of it afterward and grieved and lashed out in private. Needless to say, he couldn't keep many personal items close to him while on assignment for fear of burning them to ashes.
But, there was a time and place for all things and now wasn't the time to be thinking of fallen comrades, especially when their murderer possibly sat right across from him... the perfect distance away to set him ablaze without harming himself. He was even in arms reach, making wringing his neck as simple as reaching across the table and-.. Wait. Now he really shouldn't be thinking this way. He wasn't a killer. He wasn't a spy. Hell, he wasn't even Vaughn, proud member of the House of Earth. He was Celia - simple, sweet, inconspicuous - and she wasn't the type of person who would lash out at a boy she just met. Even if he was an enemy...
As the shock of having tea - sharing the same air with someone so dangerous, someone he hated with all his might, sunk in and settled on the surface of his mind, Vaughn made sure to keep all of it from seeping into his expression, voice, body - Celia in general. That's what good spies do, after all. Well, the ones that still live anyway.
"Really? That's such a cool name!" Vaughn beamed, his green eyes brightening with excitement. "You're parents must be very interesting people to give you a name like that. I use to think my name was interesting - I've never met someone with my name - but it sounds so dull compared to yours," and as he spoke he rested his chin on his palm again, a pout on his lips, pretending to sulk about the uninteresting name his fictional parents had given their bouncing baby girl some unknown number of years ago.
"Oh, wait - wait!" Vaughn said, his demeanor picking up as suddenly the thought had struck him; the three Houses ruled Lapis, Phoenix and dragon more so then Earth, and were practically royalty to the common citizen. The more he thought about it, the more Celia was developing into a very fickle person emotionally. One minute she was angry, the next she was sulking, and the next she was so overly excited that most people would find it difficult to be in a bad mood around her.
He wagged his finger at Calypso and forced an expression of strained remembrance, as if the information was on the tip of his tongue but he just couldn't express himself properly. "You.. You're from the - the Lizard House!" Vaughn couldn't resist the urge to insult the noble house of Dragon, even if it would be seen as an accident. Where he wanted to smirk, he forced himself to look embarrassed and apologetic as he replied, scratching his temple with the end of a purple painted fingernail, "Sorry, sorry. I mean Dragon, House of Dragon."
He smiled and pulled his cup of tea closer to him. "I can't believe this is happening. I never thought I'd be standing in the same district as royalty, let alone being saved by one. Oh my - and I asked you out to tea. That was so rude of me! This can't possibly be as good as the tea you must drink." Vaughn was rambling intentionally and although it sickened him, acting like an awe-struck and gracious commoner was at least a good distraction from the angry fire burning in his chest; he had to concentrate in order to keep himself from unleashing it. He liked this place too much to go an destroy it.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 2:25 pm
The change in the other was quite conspicuous. The small blaze of anger that penetrated his outward appearance, and then the quelling of it.... Well, Calypso was quite sure now. This woman was not at all ordinary -- any ordinary human would have looked upon him with fear, should they know of his actions, deep respect if they only knew of his heritage and wealth, or a deep loathing if they had been more closely associated with the happenings of Houses.... He had received a small taste of the latter, but it had soon been hidden. All in all, it was becoming increasinly likely that she was a member of one of the other Houses.....
"Really? Well... thank you," he replied slowly, though the smile had slipped from his lips. "I suppose my parents were quite... interesting people, if that's how you choose to phrase it...." he replied slowly. Were. Of course, both his parents were long since dead. Even Calypso wasn't quite sure who had killed them -- not Earth, he knew, for there was nothing of their technique in the attack.... but it could have easily been someone from Phoenix or perhaps someone from Dragon masking his own movements to mirror that of the House of Phoenix. Though he had never voiced the opinion, he had always rather suspected that if it had indeed been a member from Dragon, it would have been his own brother..... Who else could possibly have been strong enough? No one, that was who.
He winced slightly at the (quite intentional) misnaming of his House. "Yes, the House of Dragon," he replied slowly. There had been something slightly... saddened about his appearance ever since the mentioning of his name -- and his parents. It was so incredibly subtle, though, that it took quite a discerning eye to notice.
He offered the other a small smile, though it looked slightly pained. "No.... I'm not quite a prince. Monarchy died long ago in this land though, I suppose, for lack of a better word I am something similar.... And I'm quite sure the tea will be perfectly wonderful. I'm not nearly so fine as you seem to think." Truthfully, the other's new display of Celia's personality grated quite nicely against Calypso's nerves. He had prefered her before... she started bantering on about the wonders of said "royalty." He wasn't too fond of the whole awe-struck girl act, and with good reason.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 3:23 pm
According to public record, monarchy may have died hundreds of years ago, but as far as Vaughn was concerned it lived on in the hierarchy of the older houses. With the despicable way both Phoenix and Dragon treated the House of Earth one would think they were both large, powerful kingdoms bearing down on it's smaller ( though no weaker as far as he was concerned ) neighbouring country. And at the top of each country sat the heads of Houses, ruling over everyone else like Kings. Unbeknownst to them, however, the little country wasn't going to take their abuse any longer; the House of Earth was going to fight back and overthrow the arrogant pigs of Phoenix and Dragon while they were too busy fighting each other.
"You're close enough," Vaughn replied as he removed the lid from both cups; if he let the tea brew any longer it would become bitter and it should be a crime to waste such fine blend. "The Dragons' control half of Lavania and if that's not power then I don't know what is."
If he hadn't noticed the faint wince when he "accidentally" got the name of Calypso's house wrong, then the fact that he was no longer smiling was enough of a signal. He eased up on the rambling school girl act, if not because it seemed to make the boy uncomfortable then because he feared he would make himself sick.
Vaughn picked up his cup with both hands, one holding the bottom and the other wrapped around the side, and raised it to his lips; it was still too hot to drink, for a normal person at least, but Vaughn wasn't too concerned with that little detail now. Since he had already hinted at a possible immunity to heat by handling the tea pot earlier he would look suspicious if he tried to pretend it bothered him, like he was hiding something. He took a small sip of the steaming liquid; it was earthy, soothing taste with a hint of sweetness that Vaughn had never been able to place. He could have sworn it was honey, but the herbs didn't smell like it - he had checked numerous times before brewing the tea.
"Is there something wrong?" Vaughn asked as he lowered his cup, but didn't put it down on the table. When he was younger, his Master had told him that one of the most important rules about being a spy was to "know your enemy. Understand him better then he knows himself and you will ensure the success of the mission." As a result, Vaughn became adept at reading people so, the subtle, pained smile Calypso wore spoke volumes.
Perhaps the only other rule his Master had taught him that was more important then that was "Don't get caught," which Vaughn had always considered a no brainer. For any true spy being caught while on a mission meant death and if it didn't lead to that then it put shame on your House, your Master, which was a Fate far worse then being dead.
"C'mon," Vaughn pressed lightly, still smiling. "You can tell me. Hell, if it makes you feel better, you can ask me anything you want. I'm an open book."
'And a fantastic liar too,' he thought as he raised the cup to his lips and took another sip.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 3:54 pm
Calypso only smiled in return. It was true, after all -- Dragon did hold quite a lot of prominence. The other's sudden amount of knowledge on the subject as opposed to her earlier slip-up, however... well, Calypso was growing much more suspicious, though he let on nothing to that fact. He had spent years with a blank expression; now was no different, save that he wore a small smile. Dark eyes studied the other's hands as the psuedo-woman handed the very hot cups. Really, this woman quite undoubtedly used Fire magic.... He wasn't sure why she was allowing him to know -- perhaps due to her prior slip-up or maybe she was simply clueless? And there were still many cases of those who held dormant magic, regullar people who had somehow gained magical ability.... Still, though, despite her silly babbling, he didn't think that possible. She seemed a bit too... careful for that.
Calypso himself did not try to handle the cup of tea. It was much too hot for him and he knew it, though he could very well have cooled it had he wanted. But he wasn't one to make unneccessary shows of magic... After all, he was not himself at all impacient. Everything had a way of flowing and the cooling of tea, the white steam gently rising from the open cup, was no different.
Dark eyes returned to the other's emerald hues as "she" once more spoke. "No... I am perfectly fine," he murmured, a light smile on his lips. He looked no different now than he did usually. The matter of his parents, though distressing, was something he could push aside. Calypso had found it surprisingly easy to push anything aside. He did not hold his anger now as he had as a child -- he could control his temper, which was now mild, and detatch himself from it.... usually, that was.
"Really. I am fine. And I do thank you for your willingness to share your life with me... but I am afraid that I am not nearly so open as that." It was a small burn -- Calypso didn't much approve of "loose" women and, though Celia did not seem that type... he did wish for her to keep her own privacy so that he could keep his. Questions would lead him nowhere, after all, as he had learned that the difference between the truth and what others said was often too great for speech to be given any attention at all.
"And I am quite certain that you, as well, would be much better off not displaying your life to a complete stranger. I'd feel rather bad for being the bearer of such information, as I have been under the impression that most ladies prefer to keep at least some small bit of secrecy." Again, that smile. It was so incredibly... sweet. It was no longer tender, but neither was it pained. It seemed Calypso could pull out his own small bits of falcity when he so pleased.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 4:46 pm
Vaughn giggled, "You speak as if I'm asking you to bare your soul. I just wanted to know what was wrong, but since there's nothing I can sit here and enjoy my tea." He took another sip before finally putting it down on the table. "Besides, I have my secrets just like the next girl."
He resisted the urge to run a hand through the long brown hair of his wig, which was a habit of his to show he was confident in whatever he was doing or said. If he was too careless he could move aside too much hair and where someone would expect to see two fleshy ears they would see nothing at all. Even though he could hear perfectly fine with his ears pressed down against his skull, it didn't make him appear any less human.
No ears = Not human, which naturally leads to the only logical explanation: Enemy. Simple as that.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 4:54 pm
"Yes, well, only heavy matters will ever get me down," he replied, that same light smile on his lips. Baring his soul? That was comething Calypso would never do. No one could be so dear to him as to fully understand him -- the woman who had been so dear and loving was long since dead. His smile faultered again.
Don't think of that, he reminded himself.
And less than a moment later, the smile had returned, memories and feeling quelled and pushed aside. He would feel them later. Maybe. But it was so much less painful to simply let them be pushed aside and to never again examine them....
The tea had finally cooled to the point where Calypso could drink it. He slowly raised the cup to his lips, blew on it once, and took a careful sip before he set the cup back in its proper place. It really was quite good -- better than most teas he had encountered when accompanying people less fortunate in monatary concerns than he.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:07 pm
Hunter smiled as he now sat on the lounging couch in the center of the hang out, on his second glass of ale that night, Normally he could drink 4 glasses at lunch and 6 for dinner and wake up with a splitting headache and do that same thing over the next day. But now he was fishing for information, and it surprised him how much information was among the house.
He'd talked to the bartender; they were always a wealth of information, even for the 'classified' information. Oh, even this high ranking members talked when they were drunk. Hunter was lucky, when he was drunk, he was happy to tell a joke and flirt with people, all people. He didn't have to talk of his own life since he could play on others. That was really his own defense that he didn't have to think about. He didn't talk about himself, he loved to play the fool, because no one thought of the fool thinking for himself. Plus he got to play so many fun tricks on people and be care free. If someone actually caught him being serious, completely serious, they wouldn't know who he was.
Apparently, from the information he'd gotten, the boy he'd met was none other than the assassin Calypso from the House of Dragon. Hunter didn't think much of it at first, then it did sort of fit... though the ice user didn't seem much of a threat to him, just a stuck up brat. And from the sound of it, a stuck up brat.
So... he spent the afternoon with an assassin... cool, and he was still alive. That counted as a good thing. Being alive was good, very good. He smiled and lounged back on the couch. He would wait around to see if he could get any more information from people on this Calypso
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:46 pm
Pale fingers brushed back chin-length, red waves from bright golden eyes. He had snuck into the bar by accompanying some man a bit older than Alex himself was -- he had charmed his way, if not to the other's heart, then at least to his libido, for the man had soon allowed him the guise of his "date." Alex had soon ditched him, though, in search of more interesting haunts. He wasn't on any mission at the moment and so had decided to assume his usual appearance -- well, usual meaning real -- to come. It was really just out of curiousity -- he had never before been in either of the other House's bars and he really did want to know just what it was like. He was all expectations.
And so, when he finally saw it, he was both excited and disapointed -- disapointed because it was just a dive like any dirty bar, but excited because of all the different people and the high potential for danger. Alex lived off thrills. Pale ears caught the sound of a certain subject -- they were talking about... Calypso. Alex, of course, knew the name. How could he possibly not? Half of his spying missions involved the boy in one way or another, after all.
A small grin formed on his features as he headed towards those talking of the boy, pale fingers once more easing through silky strands of wavy red hair. He knew he could easily attract the attention he wanted at such a place -- he had complete confidence in his body, his shirt rode a bit high and his pants clung low. What else could people wish for in a vision -- well, not quite beauty, but Alex knew he was hot.
The redhead made his way over to the bar, feeling more than just a few eyes on him, and sat down, though he didn't order anything. He didn't feel much like getting a drink at the moment, but the eyes around him seemed quite thirsty. A slight grin slipped onto the teen's lips as he glanced along the rest of the bar, his eyes resting on the figure of the man nearest him -- a man who was currently searching for news on Calypso. Interesting.
((Yes, he's nothing at all like Calypso. 8D;; ))
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:09 pm
[*Claps* ^_^ Nice, I like this Alex]
Hunter paused only for a moment while speaking to the new bartender, who had begun her shift not too long ago. It was hard not to sense the person beside him, especially with everyone at the bar (Which slowly grew more crowded during the night) growing more hushed. He could also feel the heat radiating off the other and the smell of heated wind. He finished his small conversation with the barmaid and then looked to the person beside him. He smiled; oh, now that really was a pretty sight to drink in.
"Hello there." Hunter said smoothly, really playing his charm card tonight. He was resisting all body temptations and playing nice that evening at the House of Earth, "Come here often?" His tail swayed back and forth behind him, not hiding anything of his lemur like features; he never did. And most of the ladies loved men with tails; or so he had learned a while ago. He couldn't tell visually what Alex was, but he smelled male, so he went was that assumption.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:25 pm
((Thumbs up for the sexually ambiguous! 8D;; ))
Alex glanced up from the study of one of his own pale hands to find the other's gaze upon him. He replied with a soft smile and a "hello," yet again leaving it up to the other to decide just what Alex was. He didn't much mind either way -- he could always give himself female charicteristcs if needed, as his magic really could alter any of his physical traits. "Mm.. no, tonight's my first time," he said sweetly, bright golden-amber eyes traveling up to the other's ears and then down to his tail. A real unabashed Earth man. Alex wasn't the usual sort of Phoenix; he had spent so much time immersing himself with commoners and the like and had himself grown up in a middle class family so he felt nothing of the hierarchy most thought the older Houses held. He didn't particularly look down upon Earth, though he didn't particularly like it, either. He was simply curious about everything. He didn't himself hold any grudges and only kept up with the family tradition because it was entertaining and because it alliviated him of much of his tenacious desire for knowledge.
Alex glanced back into the crowd as a man whistled at him and he offered the man a small wave and a smile, though he made no move to get up from his seat at the bar. He leaned over across the counter, tilted head resting gently atop a pale palm as golden eyes glanced up at the other male through a veil of red eyelashes. And Alex smelled nice, too. He smelled of cinnamin and sweets and autumn -- an alluring, intoxication aroma. Really, from his head down to his toes it was almost as if one was seeing the epitome of sweetened Lust, for he let none of his charm be hidden -- and, as he could be taken as either a man or a woman, he could fulfill the fantasies of either. He even had red hair to match the image.
((Yes, so, I did make him with that particular sin in mind... It is much of his job, after all. 8D;; ))
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:49 pm
Hunter smiled, "Well for some who hasn't been here before, you already have a few admirers." he said and he took a deeper breath of Alex, taking in the sweet and spice, making his tail curl in interest and amorosity. Oh yes, he'd love to take that home for the night. He might have been punched once tonight, but that didn't denture him from trying. And he really wanted Alex to be that one now.
"Can I buy you a drink?" Hunter asked, touching his ale glass. This was his third, throughout the day so he was still very alert. His lemur creature blood seemed to filter the alcohol quickly so he could ingest more than a normal man his body type.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 10:57 pm
Red-pink lips turned up at the corners, creating a smile that fitted the youth perfectly. Alex too glanced around the bar, golden eyes met with quite a few gazes -- most of which didn't faulter as he met their eyes. Really, men (and women) from this House were quite forward, weren't they? It was almost surprising... Perhaps it was all the animal traits... or maybe it was just because Alex was fresh meat in a grungdy bar..... Most bars were like that.
Again that same, sweet, lovely smile. "Mmmm... I don't really drink very much...." Alex replied, his bright eyes returning to the other's face. Alex's smiles were always delicious. The part about not drinking was in fact true, though. Though he never grew sick from drinking (he could, after all, rearange his insides to suit his needs) and it was sometimes neccessary to drink for a job, he didn't much like drinking. He prefered to keep a clear mind.... Besides which, Alex had quite a large sweet tooth and not much of a desire for anything else.
"But if they serve anything sweet here, then I might have that...." he aded after a moment, golden eyes glancing from the man and to the barmaid. Only two minutes inside and he'd already been offered a drink. It wasn't his best record but it was good enough to suit his pride.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 11:09 pm
"I'm sure they have something," Hunter said and looked to the barmaid. He was not one for sweets, but then again, he wasn't the one going to eat it, though he might be tasting it later, "Oi, Can I get a slice of peppermint cake, honey?"
"Keep your pants on and you'll have it in a minute." She called back and Hunter looked back to Alex.
"I hope you don't mind peppermint cake." He said. He didn't mind peppermint, it wasn't overly sweet, and the barmaid had said it was best in the house so he took her word for it, "So, if you're not here to drink, what else are you looking for in a bar like this?" He was curious. Alex didn't seem like a normal House of Earth member.
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Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 11:25 pm
"Sounds delicious," he replied. But anyone would tell the redhead that what was really delicious was Alex, not some dish. In the time it had taken the other to make his -- or rather, Alex's -- order, the teen had once more swept his gaze round the place, drinking up everything about this foreign bar and its highly different inhabitants.
Golden eyes flickered back up to meet the other's and he shrugged slowly. "Curiosity. I've never been here before, you know, since my parents don't really approve of it.... So of course I had to come," he murmured, offering the other a small, charming grin. Really, there were more than a few either casting a jealous gaze upon Hunter for being the one currently consuming the beauty's (or really, hotty's) attention while others simply stared at Alex. It was true that there was no one quite like him in the House of Earth.
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