Lorenzel, Part 2

[Sareth]

"Maybe." Lillith seemed recalcitrant, but there was a hint of doubt to her voice, as though she was considering the things she had seen. "Maybe. But... He's a little late."

[Graybeard]

"Better late than never," Rose said, simply.

[Sareth]

"Maybe," Lillith replied. She sniffled a little, then leaned over, resting her head on Sister Rose's shoulder. "I've never had a father. How am I supposed to act now?"

[Graybeard]

Sister Rose inclined her head toward Argus' room, smiled softly, and with a hint of irony in her expression. "Funny -- I think Argus is having the same problem."

[EDIT: Retconned. There seems to have been some confusion over exactly where this exchange was going on. Let's assume it was in either Lillith's or Rose's room, which is contrary to what I understood when I wrote the earlier version of this, which assumed it was Argus' room.]

[Drusia]

Drusia:

I stare blearily at the ceiling for a few hours before giving up on the whole sleep thing. I'd hoped that exhaustion would outweight other issues, but apprently that was wishful thinking. With a sigh I get up and put on some clothes - not my armour, but my cloak. Don't want questions about the ears tonight.

I head downstairs. The tavern isn't very busy, but I wasn't looking for a party anyway.

Was I? Even after washing off, I can still smell him on me. Maybe having sex with him wasn't such a good idea. Makes it too easy to remember his face. Then again, he'd probably have killed me if I hadn't caught him in a vulnerable moment, so....

By the gods, I need a drink. Several, in fact.

I take a seat at the bar and put a couple of the coins my target paid me on the counter. The barkeep comes over and looks at the surprisingly large amount of money I'm offering him. "What can I getcha?" he asks.

"I'd like something hard enough to put me on my ass," I tell him, "but sweet enough I won't notice it happening." He nods and takes the coins. A few minutes later he produces something cold, purple, and smelling faintly of berries and paint thinner. I take a sip. It sets my head spinning. Perfect.

Now, the trick is to drink enough that I can close my eyes without seeing his face, but few enough so I don't end up getting robbed, gang-banged, or violently ill. Or all three. ...again.

-- Drusia

[Graybeard]

OOC: Notice that there's a significant retcon to the last thing I wrote for Rose, resulting from a lack of shared understanding as to exactly where the exchange between Rose and Lillith was happening. I've edited to resolve that; it would be appreciated if people would look at the edit and pick up the action from there.

[Drannin]

Argus stared at the ceiling of his room from his position on his bead. Harker stood over the supine mage, looking down. "Y'allright, Boss?"

"...Better. I think I have a handle on things."

"Whatcha gonna do?"

"...I don't know. I don't know if Lillith will accept me as her father."

"Do you want her to?"

"Yes. She's my blood." Argus frowned up at Harker. "Are you saying I shouldn't?"

"I didn't say that. If you wanna get to know your own blood, that's fine. But yer gonna have to commit to it. This... is gonna be an uphill struggle, Boss."

Argus sighed. That was an understatement.

"... Boss, how's Fayna gonna react to this?"

Argus just groaned.

[Graybeard]

"Lillith, tell me one thing," Sister Rose said. "You must have dreamed, when you were a little girl and probably for the whole rest of your life, about what your father was like. What were your dreams?"

[Porcelain Fish]

Maduin sighed as he invoked a minor magic that straightened his hair and his raiment. It was the sort of magic that one was supposed to use before returning to the party after a rendezvous, not before the party had even started. He wasn't quite sure what was going on with the others, most of their conversation being held behind closed doors, but he was fairly confident it was going to take a while.

Well, he wasn't the sort to get all dressed up with nowhere to go, so he decided he might as well get going.

"You all seem to have things in hand here," he said genially to Miguel. "I'm going out for a little something to eat."

A brief inspection had revealed that the men who brought over his luggage from the abbey earlier in the day had indeed brought all of it, with the odd but ultimately irrelevant exception of one of his dozens of handkerchiefs. He locked the door, swept gracefully down the stairs, and five minutes later a rented carriage was taking him to one of the more upscale restaurants in the city, the Gliding Fox.

He'd no sooner paid the driver than he felt eyes on him, and he turned, glancing down the street, only to let his smile fade into a mildly puzzled frown as he realized that there wasn't anyone there. The doorkeep ushered him in with a stiff, professional bow, and the concierge assured him that he'd have a table in no more than five minutes.

“I'd consider it a pleasure if you would dine with me,” said a male voice with just the right depth to send a delicious shiver up Maduin's spine. He turned, coming face to chest with a formal button-down shirt in dark maroon. His eyes rose to a strong chin and green eyes beneath thick, short-cropped brown hair with just enough pomade to give it a tight look without being greasy. The formal coat and slacks were black, the shoes perfectly polished, and his ruggedly handsome face had just a shadow of a beard.

“Mr. Wolf, it's always a pleasure,” the concierge said, smiling faintly now. “Your usual table has been held for you.”

Maduin smiled up into those vivid green eyes as deep and mysterious as primordial forests. “I'd be delighted to.”

[Sareth]

"I..." Lillith sniffled again, then rubbed at her eyes a moment. "Well..." She took a deep breath.

"He was tall, and handsome. Kind and gentle. Strong and protective. He would guard me, and carry me on his shoulders, calling me his princess." Lillith gave a wan smile. "But I stopped having that dream when I first came into my menses."