The road to Gervasiel

[Porcelain Fish]

Long practice helped Maduin summon an authentic-looking blush to his cheeks as he laughingly demurred. "That's very kind of you, but I'm afraid I'm really a terrible dancer," he lied before adding in a low, confiding tone. "And in all honesty, I actually sprained my ankle just a bit this morning. I'd really rather not put any more weight on it than necessary. I'm afraid I wasn't watching where I was going and I actually stumbled over a step. I'm trying to put on a brave show for my companions since I wouldn't want them to be unduly concerned, but really what I'd like to do most at the moment is go upstairs and put something cool on it."

Maduin gave her an abashed and somewhat apologetic smile.

It was sort halfway between a lie and the truth. He really didn't want to put any weight on his ankle, though that happened to be due to the fact that he didn't want to dance rather than any genuine injury, and he'd much rather be upstairs, alone.

To his relief, her eyes lit with understanding and sympathy, his little white lie swallowed whole. "Well, just you be askin' if you be needin' some'at then. We got ice down here in the kitchen," she said with a wink, and stepped back to watch the others twirl.

[OOC: Ugh ugh ugh! no lol. No creepy old ladies! /:OOC]

[Graybeard]

"Just relax, it's all right, we're only dancing," Sister Rose murmured as she and Argus moved across the floor, rather more -- tentatively -- than the other two pairs. It dawned on her, however, that maybe this wasn't a good idea. She hadn't considered the possibility that Argus' calcifying shoulder might be hurting from the effort. When her hand touched him on it, his facial expression got ... strained. The problem had to be the damage in the shoulder. Didn't it?

Momentarily, she felt sorry for Maduin, who was left without a partner. (She couldn't blame him for declining Mrs. Hamael's offer, although she was also glad that the old woman had made it.) Of course, if he really wanted to dance, etiquette wouldn't prevent him from cutting in on Brad, or Zeb, or even Argus; an unattached man could do that. I'd really prefer that he not, though ... Wait a minute, what am I thinking? She went back to concentrating on the steps.

And on Argus' face. The man just didn't look like he was enjoying this much. "Do you want to stop?" she whispered, not sure whether she wanted to be heard above the music or not.

[Drannin]

Argus hesitated, took a deep breath, then let it out slow. "No, no... sorry, it's just been a while." The last time I danced was three days before Cirella died. No points for guessing who my dance partner was then. But you know what? Why shouldn't I just relax and enjoy a simple dance? Surely I can't be begrudged that?

Shifting his right shoulder to make sure it wasn't too stiff, Argus relaxed and settled into the dance a bit more. Actually, now that he thought about it, this tune would go well with one of the more energetic dances he'd picked up...

Well, why not have a little fun for a change? With this resolution, Argus allowed himself to start enjoying things.

[Drusia]

The music slows from a jig to a reel, still quite quick, but sedate enough for a somewhat more refined dancing. Which suits me fine, it's so difficult to be sexy during a jig.

The farm hand knows his moves, though. Short though he is, he manages to lead effectively, holding me in strong well muscled arms. And, as much as my mind wants to analyse what those excellent muscles and large hands might do to me in a bedroom, I can't help but notice all the little things wrong.

First, the fact that Mr. Random Farmhand is familiar with elven music. He's also quite a good dancer, which is not usually a skill required on the farm. Too bad there aren't very many variations between elven and human dance; after all, we're the ones who taught them to dance in the first place, so all their styles are derivations of our styles. Besides, this isn't exactly a waltz - hard to really tell the difference between one reel and the next.

Speaking of which, the others have all paired off and joined us. Rose and Argus, Brad and Lillith; leaving Maudin and I as professional third wheels, picking up the locals. Maudin doesn't look particularly pleased with his partner - I'm guessing mine is more his style. Well, if the farm hand - I must have missed his name, and don't particularly care - is more open minded than most humans I've met, I wouldn't mind sharing him with Maudin. Plenty to go around. So long as I get to go first.

The song ends, but Mr. whats-his-name and his ancient elven instrument strike up another song, this one a step slower yet. Probably for the older folk on the dance floor. Even I'm flushed and sweating after that exersion. Lillith looks rather fetching, a fact that Brad would probably appreciate more if he'd look down rather than at her admitedly attractive face.

My dance partner seems to be ready for another spin, but I pull him from the dance floor. "Take me somewhere private," I whisper in his ear. My room, his room, the kitchen, I don't really care at this point. I smile eagerly at him, in a fashion that should leave no question as to my desires.

-- Drusia

[Graybeard]

"Take me somewhere private," I whisper in his ear.

Sister Rose didn't hear what Drusia said, but the expression on Zeb's face explained it all, and she could hear his response. "I be thinkin' I can be mixin' work and play, maybe. Be there anything in your room in need of ... service?" And the two left the room.

Oddly, Rose wasn't particularly bothered by what she was pretty sure was about to happen. Drusia wasn't a human; she was an elf. Her needs were certainly not the same as a human's, nor was her religion -- and based on things she'd seen in the Heretic Knowledge Vault, it was clear that elves had one, although she didn't know much about it. To expect her to be bound by the same moral and behavioral code as Rose herself was simply unrealistic. And as for Zeb, Rose was convinced there was more there than met the eye -- and Drusia's unique "methods" might shed some light on what it was. A quiet conversation with Drusia the morning after the night before, probably best on the road out of town (such as it was), might prove ... enlightening.

She turned her attention back to Argus, but not without a quick glance about her. Brad's face held the same rapturous expression it had had ever since Lillith had accepted the invitation to dance. Lillith herself looked happy as well, although that might be more a matter of the headache having worn off and her enjoying the dancing than anything involving her lovestruck partner. Well, what will be will be. Maduin was watching proceedings with his usual polite smile. And Mr. and Mrs. Handriel ...

That was interesting. The Handriels exchanged a smile as they watched Zeb and Drusia head upstairs, but the man immediately wiped it off his face when he noticed Rose's glance. What was that all about? Rose wondered.

Well, there were other things to think about at the moment. "You know, I'm truly enjoying this," she murmured to Argus as the music swirled around them, and vice versa.

[Drannin]

"It's not bad," Argus conceded. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Sorry for bringing this up right now, but...Is it just me, or does this place have some strange vibes?" Argus had been thinking about it, and he was pretty sure it wasn't just his imagination. This place just had so many things slightly out of whack, just so subtly OFF. It was starting to disturb him enough to actually cut through his enjoyment of the dance.

Harker watched his Boss and Sister Rose dance with a thoughtful expression, and dug around in his vest for something.

[Graybeard]

"Is it just me, or does this place have some strange vibes?"

"A little bit," Sister Rose murmured softly, unwilling to overshadow the music and the dancing. "Let's come back to -- ah."

The dance music came to a graceful end before she could finish the sentence, and Rose released her light hold on Argus and vice versa. Mr. Handriel was smiling again, and this time it was very different, no longer a secret communication with his wife, but now the more open, spontaneous beaming of someone who'd just completed a highly successful musical performance and was prepared to receive the accolades of his audience. Rose obliged, nor was she the only one applauding and making more than merely polite noises about how much they'd enjoyed it.

Brad, she noticed, still had the rapturous glow on his face, yet he looked distinctly disappointed at having to break contact with Lillith as the dance ended. Well, that made sense ... sort of. Lillith herself was facing away from Rose, and her expression couldn't be seen, but she'd clearly been enjoying herself too. (Hadn't she?) Once again, Rose thought to herself, what will be will be, and left it at that.

"Thanks for a wonderful evening," she said to the Handriels, Argus, and anyone else who was listening. "I'm going to turn in. Lillith, I have just a few church things to do before bedtime. I hope you don't mind; maybe you and Brad can stay and talk for a while if you wish." She headed upstairs, watching Brad's eyes light up at the prospect.

----------

Mrs. Handriel turned to her husband. "So what be ye thinkin'?"

The man smiled. "I be thinkin', waste not, want not." The two moved to the place that Drusia had vacated ... and started on her untouched ice cream.

[OOC: I'm OK with a fast-forward to morning, but if anyone else has anything to say -- or do -- by all means say it, or Do It. ]

[Porcelain Fish]

[OOC:Just a little soliloquy. Feel free to skip./:OOC]

Spoiler: show

Maduin lay awake, staring up at the ceiling, arms folded over the red and yellow checkered bedspread, the sleeves of his silk pajamas coming down over his wrists, freshly washed curls spread across the pillow, hazel eyes thoughtful.

The moon seemed huge on the other side of the window glass, as though it had dipped down for a closer look at the world. Its clear argent light was brilliant in the darkness, spilling across the floorboards, glinting on the brass corners of his steamer trunks and gilding the leather suitcases with silver. Its great bulk seemed to hover just above the hills in the distance, a curious visitor observing the night-time earth by its own celestial illumination.

Not for the first time, he wondered what he was doing here. Oh, he recalled the magic and the roads and the wheels and the walking that had brought him here easily enough. He knew the motivations behind his selection as Argus's minder. He was considered the perfect choice by all parties involved, even though some of those parties were unaware that there were more players in the game than they realized. He knew how he'd arrived.

He couldn't help but wonder why.

It had seemed like a grand adventure at first, running off to the outside world, touring foreign cities and lands. Fayna had initially been reluctant (in fact, she was initally flat-out opposed) to seeing him step one foot outside the city. It had taken quite a lot of very subtle persuasion, nibbling at the edges of her resolve for almost a year before she'd finally angrily agreed.

I know what you're doing, and I think it's a mistake, she'd snarled, illusory lightning blazing in her stormy gray eyes.

Of course, once she'd begun to consider it, she'd realized that it was the only suitable course, just as Maduin had known she eventually would. She was an eminently sensible girl after all, and if there was one ally that he could always count on, it was her own desires. From there, it had been the work of a few whispers, the adjustments of tensions, lessening some, reinforcing others, a word here, a hint there, and of course, the gracious acceptance of duty.

He'd worked hard to get here, in pursuit of the one thing that Tsuiraku had never seemed to offer, chasing the promise of more than just a warm body and the sweet lips of a stranger to pass the night before they vanished once more like the morning dew. This was what he'd wanted. The possibilities were endless now. The world was under his feet, its depths waiting to be explored.

So why did he feel like he'd left the very thing he'd been searching for behind?

[OOC:And I'm good with fast-forwarding to morning./:OOC]

[Graybeard]

[OOC: OK, nothing seems to be happening, so on to morning...]

Sister Rose awoke feeling remarkably refreshed. She'd finished her evening prayers and gone straight to bed, falling asleep so quickly that she didn't even hear Lillith come in. Maybe I should do a little dancing or some such light exercise in the evening on a more regular basis, she thought. As for the context of the dancing ... well, that thought could be saved for another time.

Her roommate was still sleeping as Rose got up, did the morning ablutions, took a quick walk around the grounds. All seemed in order ... which actually was a bit strange, when you thought about it. Hadn't this "Leonish" been burned to the ground by the "Siggy-Rum" within the memory of some not-excessively-old people of the region? And wasn't this inn supposed to be in Leonish? Either they weren't actually in the destroyed town, or someone had gone to a great deal of effort to get the town site cleaned up -- and concealed -- after putting it to the torch. Well, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

While she was out and about, she launched a parrot -- not really much to report, other than the little she'd learned about Haniko Goto -- and did a few more prayers, once again getting that creepy being-watched feeling, but without anyone actually watching her, as far as she could tell. By the time she finished and went in for breakfast, other travelers were starting to join her. Drusia didn't seem to need much sleep, which was consistent with what Rose had read somewhere about elves [OOC: Poe said something about this in a comment in the old forum, now preserved in the wiki, and Sarine remarked on it too -- /OOC], and she was already tucked into breakfast when Rose started. "Good morning. Was your night's sleep felicitous?" Rose inquired pleasantly.

Now why did I use that very peculiar turn of phrase? she wondered, as Drusia reacted.

[Drusia]

"Good morning. Was your night's sleep felicitous?" Rose inquired pleasantly.

Interesting choice of words there. Does she know about Maudin's wonderful spell? For some reason I can't imagine her using it, but who knows, maybe Luminosa approves of masturbation.

"No actually," I reply, "But I did sleep very well. After all, I was pretty exhausted from all the sex. I do enjoy a man with upper body strength." All those positions you can never quite get into unless your partner can bench press five times your weight. "I think I came twice before we even reached the bed."

There. That should have scandalized pretty much everyone at the table. Smiling, I get up and, whistling cheerfully, I collect a second helping. Girl's gotta keep up her strength after all.

-- Drusia