Aliss Clevereyes and Eurigmewn'niwl Godchild:
Aliss was not going to the mummer's ball.
No chance.
As much as she loved this new pride, she was not the type to frolic or tell stories around fires or... or any of that nonsense. Yes, she had loose morals when it came to where her wares originated. Yes, she liked to hear stories and gossip. Perhaps she even did like to dance, but gods forbid in public!
Still, she wouldn't have minded to hear new songs.
A song came to mind unbidden, one she had heard from a distant cousin or uncle or some such, she couldn't remember anymore. He had been one of her favorites, the only relative who had ever wanted to listen to her fanciful stories. Ka'rel had been an absurdly proper gentleman when he wanted to be, but with her he'd always been full of nonsense and dreaming. Mother always said he was a bad influence.
Unable to resist the memories tugging at her, Aliss started to hum as she sorted gems and trinkets. Soon the humming changed to mumbling, then to a soft, sweet murmur of a song.
"Will you walk a little faster, said a whiting to a snail. There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail! See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance. They are waiting on the shingles, will you come and join the dance? Will you, won't you, will you, won't you join the dance?" Her tail was thumping to the beat of the song, back and forth behind her. The urge to stand so she could twirl in a small circle nearly brought tears to her eyes. Of all her family, Ka'rel was the only one she truly missed.
"My ears play tricks on me. Surely the cleverest eyes in all the gypsies aren't accompanied by a singing voice as sweet as an angel's. That's just not fair to the rest of the world." Godchild's voice behind her nearly sent Aliss out of her skin and she spun around, a flush spreading over her face. She wished her scarf was wrapped around her face instead of her neck; she couldn't hide her look of stunned horror this way. His charming smile immediately had her turning back around, her paw idly trying to sort out the scattered baubles.
"I didn't hear you come in. Did you have some reason for intruding on my work?"
"Oh, my dear, you wound me! I had no intentions of intruding, simply to come fetch you for the mummer's ball, as I assumed you would be as hard-pressed to attend as my nephew."
"Yes, well, you assumed correctly, I have far too much to do to attend tonight." She felt him move behind her and then around, gently nudging her chin up with one paw.
"Come now, it won't be that bad. You might even enjoy it."
"I really cannot. Please leave, Godchild." His face fell slightly at her persistent denial. Did he truly wish for her to come with him? Yes, he flirted with her and she had reciprocated to a degree, but she had thought it was all in good fun, that he wasn't truly serious. Had she assumed wrong? Had she given him too many ideas?
For a moment, she thought he glanced up, as if something over her shoulder had caught his eye, but perhaps it was just the setting sun flickering through her den. His smile returned as he leaned down, pressing his cheek to hers in a gesture so unexpected and improper that she didn't have time to react. His maw was near her ear when he spoke again.
"Very well, my dear. Perhaps the night will be more fortuitous than the evening." With those parting words, he drew back with a slow nuzzle and moved away before she could gather her wits about her.
Euri left poor little Aliss sitting there like a rock. He knew he shouldn't have done that, but, well, jealousy was a hell of a motivator. He paused as he locked gazes with his friend, his head tilting to one side, mouth quirked in a smirk.
"Sorry, old boy. I couldn't resist a taste of that flower's delectable honey." He didn't even wait for a reaction, much less a response to his insolent statement before he set off at a lope for the beach and the festivities ahead.
Reginault Hatter:
What was he doing here? Why was he going to her den? He had no reason to go there.. But he felt himself being drawn there just the same. Maybe she would have more baubles to donate to the cause of art. His paws approached her den as he tried to think of what he would say.. Then he heard voices.
The one voice was clearly Euri... He was in there, talking to Aliss. Mentioning the Mummers Ball. He felt the envy inside him almost seep out of his ears.. He wasn't sure why he was jealous. But that didn't stop him from feeling it.
He poked his head inside, looking to see if he should perhaps leave. He saw the rather.. intimate gesture that Euri was exhibiting with her. He felt his face turn red, the red deep in his body. He wasn't jealous now.. he was rather angry.
Then he left, though making sure to make the final comment about a flower and it's honey. Hatter growled, his lip raising a little as he glared at the other lion.
Hatter tried to calm himself, before poking his head inside.
"Aliss?"
Aliss Clevereyes:
Aliss jumped again. Would it never end? She never got visitors this often. And never ones that weren't looking to trade. She turned and frowned to see Mr. Hatter there. At least he hadn't heard her singing. He'd never let her live it down if he had. What was he doing here?
"Mr. Hatter? Is there something you need?" She tried to keep her voice calm, but it sounded strained. Good gods, had he seen what Godchild had... No, certainly not. And besides, it hadn't been anything... No, she couldn't let it be anything. The next time she saw the rogue, head fortuneteller or no, she'd set him straight. She wasn't one of the ladies that didn't care who she wagged her tail at. And she certainly wasn't interested in him!
Reginault Hatter:
When she turned and saw him, his ears flattened and he gulped. Why was he here anyway? Oh yes.. To ask her if she would attend the mummers ball with him. Now he remembered.. But now he was starting to feel as if that was a very, very bad idea. Because rejection was bound to happen.. It was Aliss after all.
"I saw him leave. I hope t'was okay I approached." He said, having a moment of manners that he didn't usually seem to master in.
"Good evening, Aliss." He said with a bow of his head. Thackery had laughed when he had told of his intentions. So he'd left the infuriating hare at home. Though the thought now brought a red tinge to his cheeks.
Aliss Clevereyes:
Aliss felt the flush again. Oh, he had seen Godchild, how- No, wait, he'd said he'd seen Godchild leave. Ohthankgoodness. That also meant Mr. Hatter probably hadn't heard her singing either. If he had, he probably would have... teased... her. Wait. She blinked at him, first when he hoped it was okay and even more when he gave her a very proper greeting and even dipped his head. In fact, goodness, where her eyes fluttering??
She put a stop to THAT as soon as the thought occurred to her.
What on earth was going on? Was there a blue moon out tonight? Were all the males in the pride acting strangely?
"I-" she tried to say something but paused, her slightly-dumbfounded look slowly shifting into confusion, and maybe even a little bit of concern thrown in. Her mouth, which had been almost gaping moments earlier, softly closed and her brows drew together over her eyes.
"Mr. Hatter, I'm really not sure I'm in the mood for games right now." When was she ever?
Reginault Hatter:
Growing a bit more bold, he almost smiled. "Well tis a good thing I'm not here in a playful manner." He was far from it. He never got so nervous in his games. His games made him forget what nervous even was. And here he was acting as if he was some adolescent. Aliss had always irritated him and here she was doing it without even doing it. He was irritated he felt this way, but clearly it was her wiles.
"I am not sure if this was what.. he was wanting." He started. "So if it's off the table, do excuse me." He was talking quickly now. As if he said it quickly it would be over quickly.
"I find Thackery is far from a reliable date to a ball, and I've decided to stray outside of him this year." He teased.
Aliss Clevereyes:
"Then are you ill?" She couldn't think of any other reason why he would be so polite. Or come see her, period. She'd seen him annoyed in the past, and crazy, but this... this was completely new.
"What who was wanting?" Of course, even when he wasn't raving or teasing her, Aliss still had trouble following him. Date, Thackery? Ball... Ball. Disbelief rose as her startled blinking returned. He wasn't... No, surely not. Hatter had not just insinuated that he had come here hoping that she would come to the Mummer's Ball with him. It was... Well, frankly Aliss couldn't find a word for what it was. Laughable was good, but just didn't seem quite right.
"I'm sorry?" she asked, her tone saying that she didn't understand what he'd meant by his last statement. Hopefully he'd explain, because clearly she just wasn't following him very well.
Reginault Hatter:
Hatter gave a disgruntled sound before looking at her. His exasperated expression clear on his features. She really needed this spelled out? Oh gods, he didn't have the courage for that, surely. He gulped before closing his eyes tight.
He held them closed for a few seconds before opening them and stating even quicker than before.
"Aliss Im asking if you will go to the Mummer's Ball with me." Once it was said he hissed inward as if he had been hit. The realization of what he had asked, quite a bit to bear.
Aliss Clevereyes:
What? He really was asking her to the Mummer's Ball? This had to be a joke or something, but he really did look sincere. Something inside her felt a little... fluttery.
Aliss mentally shook the sensation away and shook her head.
"No, I was in the middle..." She paused and looked back down on what she'd been working on. "I'm not attending." There, she said something. Why did it seem more difficult to tell him that than it was to give Godchild her empty excuses?
Reginault Hatter:
"Ah," he said simply. His eyes fell, and his face turned another shade of red. He cleared his throat, standing and straightening the hat that was atop his head.
"I'm sorry for bothering you then, Aliss." He said and stopped for a moment trying to figure out how he didn't have an escape plan for something like that.
Aliss Clevereyes:
This was Hatter. She shouldn't feel bad about telling him no. Then why did she? He'd never looked like that before, maybe that was why she actually felt sorry.
"You didn't... I mean..." What was she doing? She scrunched her muzzle a little bit and shrugged. "I wasn't bothered."
Okay, so maybe she was, just not in the way he was talking about. He wasn't wasting her time like Godchild had. But on the other paw, he had certainly thrown her off-balance, and that was distinctly bothered.
Reginault Hatter:
He looked at her, his face genuinely trying to read hers. Did she mean it? Would it matter if she didn't? He smiled a little.. Thought it didn't quite meet his eyes.
"Are you sure?" He asked with an eyebrow arch. She didn't seem bothered.. And he wasn't sure why he asked for confirmation. Like he needed to push his luck..
At least she had turned down Euri too...
Aliss Clevereyes:
"Well, perhaps a little. If I was intending to go to the ball, I would, no need to have someone ask me." Much less two someones in nearly the same heartbeat. But she had been doing anything she could to avoid going. It wasn't like he was really wasting her time. Gods, she should be doing something, be productive.
Why was he acting so normal?
"I'm sure you'll want to leave now," Aliss finally said after the silence nearly became unbearable. Granted, that wasn't all that long. "I'm sure you'll want to get down to the beach."
Reginault Hatter:
When she hinted it was time for him to depart, he was actually thankful. This awkward conversation had been.. Well.. Awkward. He felt happy he had tried but that tinge of rejection was toying with him.
"Yes, yes. Before Thackery burns the place down." Thackery, he has forgotten about him. He'd have to clobber the bunny for being right.
"Have a good evening, Aliss." He said with another bow of his head. Sheesh where did these manners come from??
Aliss Clevereyes:
She looked back down at what she'd been working on, separating the more valuable trinkets from less and so on. She smiled a little bit when he mentioned the hare, just a tiny quirk at one side of her maw.
"Probably a sound plan," she replied. No telling what the crazy thing would do left unattended.
She did, however, glance up when he said his farewell. Really, what was going on with him?
"Ah, good evening to you, too, Mr. Hatter," Aliss replied, even going so far as to waving one of her paws. The end of the scarf she wore, the one she'd traded to him and kept rather than trading away to another pride member, ended up draped slightly over the leg she'd raised to wave.
Reginault Hatter:
He smiled at her, a genuine smile that was rare from him. He nodded at her and turned to leave. He had tried, and maybe he hadnt bombed. But he had a bit of an inward giggle when he thought of her response to Euri.. Yes, she has been much kinder to him. He's accept that.
