Dinner: Natalia had met Penelopé before, and, although she did not exactly dislike her, the effect of having Rosza and Penelopé in the same room was like performing fire elementalism in a gunpower factory.
She sat quietly, caught between the two cousins and their comments, hoping to stay relatively safe. She answered comments directed at her as best she could, but with the two ermines at the table, conversation constantly flowed that she had to rarely say a word.
"Madonna Vieuxpont, it has been a while since we last met. I hope you are doing well?"
'...so I guess that's why Guillaume disappeared like he did...I still wonder about the story of her kidnapping him...neither he or Rosza would mention any details...'
At the call to dine, Ceallach changes attitudes immediately. He obviously was hungry.
Upon arriving at the table, however, his attitude changes to dismay: what were all these things for?
Settling into a chair, his hands awkwardly hover over the utensils, trying to decipher their meanings, until he finally gives up and asks his seat mates "Um...what is this for?" He holds up a fine fork, obviously confused.
As they arrive at the frigidarium, he simply hops in. The water is certainly cold, but no colder than in the wilds of Cell lands. His brief reminder of home ends too soon, but he swiftly learns to enjoy the warmer water of the Caladarium.
At the mention of fisticuffs, his ears perk up, and he shuffles his way over to the large tiger man.
"Unarmed fighting? You mean claw techniques?"
Dinner
Quinn just ignores the utensil, not catching it's purpose until too late, and instead pulls out a rather nice pair of chopsticks to use. She makes light conversation with whomever sits next to her, actingg more at ease then she feels, and keeps an eye on that other tiger. Something about him raises her hackles.
Baths
Quinn spends as little time in the cold water as possible. Bathing should be done in hot water. She feels much better when she gets to sit in the warm water, though she wishes it was a touch hotter but it feels well enough. She generally stays quiet in the bath though, just enjoying the water.
Dinner was good, Javiera made sure to say her prayers before eating. She didn't seen to completely stuff her face with all the foods there, everything in moderation for the Paladin. When Penelopé arrived and began her verbal sparring match with her cousin, Javiera tended to pay it no mind, family squabbles should remain in the family.
The baths were interesting. She'd carefully set her outfit and the dagger that came with it aside, before entering the cold one. She still wore her silver necklace with her holy symbol on it. One might wonder if she ever took it off. When she relaxed in the hotter tub, her eyebrow raised at the comment about fun. She really didn't want to have to box anyone's ears tonight.
"Mm. It could be, but...well, I should start at the beginning. I've recently acquired some property in the Docks. Father owns plenty there already, ware-housing mostly, but as I lead my own business apart from his input or influence, I must of course acquire my own holdings. All that aside though, the craftspeople I hired to resuscitate the place have reported all manner of frights. One of them, I hear, went screaming to the Cathédrale, though if they've done anything I don't know about it, and so I doubt it's even in their minds. If an invested Finder were to discover the cause of and verity or falsehood of such a haunting though...well. I should be grateful. Do tell your colleagues, would you? One can never be too cautious when dealing with those beyond the Veil, no?"
He pauses to respond to a sudden assault of water by an acquaintance, his powerful tail lashing its own fusillade until the offender is defeated and back to his other pursuits across the pool. It's a frequently played game judging by his smile, but then he's a lion and attention is his strong suit.
"Enough on dreary things for now, plenty of time for that later...I do say, you really are golden! I've never heard of such a thing among the procyon species..." He trails off and for a moment his gaze is disconcertingly intense, but the sudden clap on the back dispels the feeling. "I saw you engaging in discourses with Mother Agnella and her rather striking accompaniment earlier. Do you know them well?"
"Hm. Claws? Sometimes I suppose, though mostly in desperation for lack of a weapon. More things like this."
He stands straight and limbers for a moment, completely unconcerned at his nudity or the small space or the surrounding people, instead leaving the pool and beginning a short, deft kata of well-practiced moves that come within a hair's breadth of striking any number of real and imagined bystanders. You recognize immediately that this is some form of stylized combat you've never encountered, but the strikes that would have seriously injured or killed his invisible opponents seem familiar enough. They're just not done with claws or...anything that could actually kill someone in your experience.
After ending the kata with a short, formal bow, he seats himself in the water again to applause and wonderment, inclining his head to speak to you once more.
"By your markings I suppose you would be one of the ah..."Phe-lan," yes? I heard quite a few stories about your kind in Thanon, though none charitable and all focused on "berserker rage" and a number of uncouth and unlikely practices. Do your warriors really give themselves over to their bestial sides entirely?"
"If one can call the state of our House "well" then I suppose one must apply the label where it fits. If I weren't so favorably inclined to Uncle's ability where accounts and connections are concerned I should be doubtful of the fiscal health of mine family, though I grow increasingly sure that he is, in roundabout fashion, attempting to curb my freedom in preparation for some dreadful attempt to "make a proper lady" of me. At least that's what all the other girls think and I really have no reason to disagree! Honestly though, what is being young and Noble for if not to make trouble and remove obstacles to one's desires? Well...I suppose it is to learn the necessaries to lead the House in the future, but the de Vieuxpont are not quite the first in line for the "crown" of the Lissemanteau after all...but it's possible I suppose. That would make it bearable I think."
A number of the others around nod and commiserate with her congenially, though one or two certainly seem more like vipers tasting the air.
"What about you, hmmm? Don't tell me you're still spending your entire youth locked up in that dreary old hall and tower they call a College? Such a waste!"
Natalia sunk a little bit lower into the bath. Talk of Penelopé having 'fun' as she lounged about with her figure just reminded Natalia of their differences.
"You forget that my family, while also not in line for leadership of our House, is still Repense. The study of the heavens is expected for everyone," she commented tartly.
For some reason, as eager as she was to tell Rosza of Luigi, she is just as eager not to mention it at all to Penelopé. If Penelopé wanted to think of her stuck in a boring tower, that was fine with Natalia.
Usually Del's bath-time conversations at the Cathedral consisted of requests such as 'Pass the soap.' or 'I need a towel, please.' And it was nothing like bathing with Master Adolphous, who hid himself behind a screen, and had Del do the same, one at a time.
Bathing was one thing, making it an event was new.
Then Rouchàrdon had to get close enough that in every-day situations, Del might be discomforted. Oddly, though, the talk of business normalized the whole experience, which may not have put Del at total ease, but it kept him from becoming nervous enough to show at first glance.
"Well, now, Master," Del in fact smiled, as he spoke. leaning back against the edge of the tub, finally stretching out to let the warmth soak all in. Del also tried to keep his voice low in respect to his Host's own whisperings. "I could look into your worker's report. I am certain someone at the Cathédrale wrote it down, it may contain important details." In a moment of thought, Del risked a glance to Caellach, who seemed to be doing quite well, which meant he could relax even more, and focus on the task at hand, "I can investigate without writ from the Order, if time is essential. We can meet after the party, as there are a few details to be discussed."
Being so near ground zero when Rouchàrdon is splashed pulls a laugh from Delroy, who retaliates by squeezing a stream of water from between his hands to squirt at Caellach from across the bath.
"Well, it's a rare colouring, Some of us are darker, almost sooty, and some of us are rust hued. We Blondes, as a rule, are seen as gifted in the Arcane, though if it's by natural talent or tradition… That is hard to answer. Same way as 'The Reds' tend to fight well, for having bad tempers, or so we say." Del either 'forgot' to mention what line of work 'The Black' 'coons are groomed for, or he was interrupted in matters of geneology and caste by Rouchàrdon's sudden new interest.
"Thank you, I had been trying to remember her name. Javiera, you've met, of course, and while she is lovely, I wonder if you mean Gwenn?" As much as Del had been hoping that his friend Gwenn might pick up some information on the sly for him, he began to wonder just what Rouchàrdon knew, and thus what he should say…
"We often studied together in Supernatural Theory, and Combat training. An Orchomencer at heart, she is. Experience is its own Wisdom. I was more fun than her predominantly Penitent peers. We never got too close, however. She seemed to worry I wanted more than friendship, given certain rumors regarding the heterodoxy, and I did my best to respect her space, even if I may have erred on the side of caution."
Del neglected to mention he saw Gwenn as 'one of the guys', or of their escapades while being schooled… But if Rouchàrdon was as attentive as he seemed, Del didn't want to give too much away, but he didn't want to even attempt a lie, something he was never good at.
The rabbit belies her kind's flighty reputation, sizing the strong, fit tigress up...as a rival? Or just envious of the attention she received? "That 'coon introduced you last of all your party. I'd think that meant ye were important somehow, but I've never heard of your house, and me and mine have had plenty of dealings with your people, strange as you may be. Who are you then that you command such attention?"
"An Orchomene? Ah, a believer after my own heart! Why deny ourselves experiences when by doing so we deny ourselves the knowledge, the learning of ourselves and our lives gained therein? But we speak of your Gwenn, not of my beliefs. You say that she was suspicious of your motives, and that you distanced yourself, perhaps too much in hindsight, because you wanted to assure her that you weren't...well, those kinds of reputations are rather hard to kick.
"The question I have is...is there good reason for such distance? Do I smell a tale of drama and young romance brewing there? Hmmmmm?"
He seems to realize that you might not want to talk about it (disappointing as such a thing would be!) and clears his throat, brushing his mane absentmindedly. "I suppose I can't force you to talk about it though. Light knows I was sensitive enough at that age despite the entourage father's wealth brought all of us."
"As for good reasons? The only one that matters to me is my respect for her. Gwenn's motives are not mine to question… Or guess, for that matter. I have not seen her since I received my badge, so finding her here was quite a pleasant surprise." Mostly because he was certain Gwenn would not make it past the door…
"It may be best to simply wait and see. In such a dangerous occupation as mine, I can not simply thrust myself into a relationship. I am still young enough to not be in a rush… What of yourself? Are there any heirs in your future, Master? Someone with the success you command is surely in a position to pick and choose the choicest fruits?"
"My house hasn't interacted much with foreign lands until very recently, that's why you haven't heard of it. My house is one of the oldest houses in the Fu region and we focus on our long held traditions of warriors, smiths, and artists. Though most of our artists work on buildings or arms and armor. We only make our traditional swords though, each takes almost two years to make, never need sharpened, and sharp enough to cut a single strand of fur longways. Such blades are rarely traded away by whomever commissioned them. So indeed it would be surprising if any calabrian had a blade made by my house." Quinn hopes that satisfies the rabbit, as she has no idea why she was named last and this rabbit's question is the only that really brought to mind the possible significence of it.
In response to the tiger's question Ceallach says "I doubt anyone in this city would call my people anything nice. You can blame the Bisclavret for making these people fear mine. They chose to abandon our ancient ways to be more like the foxes that run the city, and choose to call us savages simply because we like to live as we were intended to live. While some of us are berserkers, that technique is better left to the northern bears who invented it. The truest of our Fiann, or soldiers, are called atavists. I am told that the word means 'to draw out the inner beast'. The art, which is one that I practice, is to seek mastery of the feral nature that each of us carries inside themselves. Not to find a rage, but to express the purest form of natural abilities. Some atavists can leap over walls with a single jump. I have seen one of our war leaders shrug off a cleaving axe blow as though delivered by a child with a weak branch. I have seen a scout find the trail of a thief seven days after he left, and under heavy snowfall. I have also seen a master of our techniques seeking his innermost wisdom survive with no food or water for nearly a moon cycle. There are many strange ways that can be found, if you are willing to seek them."
Ceallach shrugs, unsure of how to explain the deeper mystery of atavism.
The pudgy girl wrinkles up her nose and flicks her long ears to one side. She looks unsure as to whether to be offended by your matter-of-fact manner or if she should be relieved that you speak Calabrese well enough to answer so thoroughly. In the end, she settles on a bit of both. Offering a perfunctory gesture of acknowledgement of a House with long history and status...even if it's a foreign house of tigers. Afterward she crosses sits again and crosses her arms under her bosom, as though she hadn't even bothered with recognizing Quinn. The pettiness of Noble Houses isn't limited to the Kingdom of Earth, it seems.
"Tsk, that sounds like the Ilaires, younger and elder, always angling for some advantage no matter where it's found. Not seeing why he'd have anything to do with you then if your bankroll-ees aren't in the business of wares to sell though. You came in with that motley crew of scruffs, did ye fall in with the Lissies by chance?"
His questions sound rhetorical, and he's not really looking at you when he asks them so much as looking at you. Difference.
"And those markings...are they of significance? Some practitioners of our styles adopt affectations and dress by which they can be recognized, but marking the skin so deeply as to color the fur growing from it...incredible."
The other men around don't really seem to find it so interesting, and they fall to bickering about local politics, this tariff, that deal, who's screwing who behind their spouses backs, that sort of thing.
Once his fit is over the lion does his best to answer. "Eheh! Hooo! Hee! Oh my boy, you've not dealt with the lioness much at all, have you? Oh...let me keep it simple, it's not a subject complex nor particularly one I truly care for. The lion is majestic, radiant, and personable. The lioness is hard-nosed, practical, often dour, and the twain do not often meet. Hearing the same game is difficult enough. No, if father finds a connection advantageous he must have amongst our kind, and if they have a daughter willing, then we will likely draw up a contract for the relationship between the families...and I would breed her, and if we had a son he would go to me once of weanable age, and a daughter would stay with her mother."
He seems both resigned to this arrangement, and sad. "It is a mostly loveless thing, relations between our people, young Delroy. Still, if I wish the family to have third generation of success and wealth, it is something I must abide with."
He stares into the middle distance then, but soon shakes it off, putting an arm around you and shaking vigorously. "Ahhhhhhh, the curiosity and energy of the newly-made man! I think we shall get on well, young Callidus. If you still wish to talk business without delay then ask the service for my room after the festivities, I shan't like to indulge my competition in their thirst for a failing on my part."
"I tend to take my vows seriously, Mother Agnella. Probably why I do not get invited to such events. Unless someone is going that the church wants to be guarded." Javiera replied, as she shrugged a little. "So, I try to remain as virtuous as I can in every way I can." Perhaps it was a little old fashioned, but she'd given herself mind, body, and spirit to her job.
Mother Agnella clucks her tongue and shifts herself a bit closer so as to speak without drawing undue attention from volume, something entirely out of character with what you've seen of her behavior so far.
"Daughter, first remember that your Oath tasks you to combat evil, and this is not it, truly." She smiles indulgently like her title implies. "And secondly, let me tell you a little story, hm? Have you heard of Saint Dominique of Lire? A woman of the Avoirdupois lands, so devout she was canonized within her own lifetime, though unrecognized as such in other lands until well after her death. And yet she had no true friends and was regarded as an exceedingly intense crusader even by other crusading types! Why? Because we are all still wordly beings. And while the Light teaches us to control our impulses, simply denying them continually and entirely does not serve us. Just as one cannot stay angry over a slight forever, one cannot also be the untouchable crusader for justice at all times."
Agnella patted Javiera's hands in a way that would have been patronizing to anyone else. "Do not stress yourself so being a beacon of Light that you fail to be live a life, Javiera. Not all indulgences require casting off one's Oath or vows."
"Unlike we Raccoons who want to touch everything we think is pretty, and keep that which we can carry, or will come with us, should no immediate objection arise? I think I understand now… I should hope you have some fun in your quest for an heir."
Delroy then nodded, which was interrupted by being shook! It made him think about what he had just said: '… touch everything…'
He pushed that thought aside, as well as one little niggling idea that it may be best to request a formal interview with the order… But Rouchàrdon did just request secrecy in an off-hand manner. [b]"But of course, Master, I would be honoured."
He turns a relaxed eye to you. "And for the record, if "Gwenn" rejects you, she may be mad." He smirks and chuckles a growl. "You are a young, radiant man in your prime. I daresay you could have been a lion if you had a bit more bravado in you."
"Though I suppose Astrology is nice enough. Useful, and fun for horoscopes...bah, such a dull topic for an indoor bath! Maybe if we were out of doors, or at least had a skylight for the summer..."
"Why would it be odd?" Natalia counters. "We bats do own the night sky, why shouldn't we be interested in what we share it with?"
"And besides, almost every noble's house has a tower for observing the stars; they aren't like convents that one gets sent away to."
"But it would be nice to be able to see the stars while relaxing..." Natalia then thinks of the stars of last night, and whom she shared it with; a bit of colour rising to her cheeks.
"I will give it some thought. Since I am so new to being out and on my own, I want to project the image that I believe our order stands for. One of works, faith, and occasionally, some divine justice."[/]b Javiera replied, as she shrugged a little. [b]"But, a few liberties from time to time should not be harmful, correct?"
Quinn seems a bit confused by her sudden move away
"It was by chance, though I like her attitude, and her combat skills are not bad, considering she's Calabrian. As for wares, those are for merchants, not nobles and warriors. My family does however lead a group of...warriors for hire. Which is still something valuable."
In a moment of self consciousness, Delroy risked a glance about the pool, seeing a collection of folk he felt would have been of much more interest to Rouchàrdon than himself. Folk who dripped with silver, gold, and power.
He would ask himself 'why?' except for the fact that the Lion did have a professional concern that Delroy alone within the pool could address.
That has to be it.
"I do doubt she would be where she is if she were mad! Though I dare say my own efforts along those lines should be to find someone I could raise a family with, when that time comes."
"Though I have heard that a male can often be forgiven his youthful indulgences… I am certain someone in my position has reason to be discreet, in all things."
Del smirked a little, as he mirrored what Rouchàrdon had just said.
At that moment some of the hangers-on begin laughing and splashing hot water at Penelopé. She shrieks of course and ducks out of the way, complaining "What? You know I'm right! What father wants to admit his daughter has needs too, eh! Look at that blush, you know what I'm talking about, don't you?"
The last sentence or two are pretty much deadpan in an excellent way. Mother Agnella has a bawd's timing for humor it seems. She rests her eyes upon you again and you feel suddenly the weight of her 50 years. "It is good that you do not forget your training, or purpose. But as you say, a few liberties now and then would not go amiss, especially when you are not bound by the stricter vows of the Ordained. Do try to enjoy yourself if you can, won't you?"
As the noise dies down she resumes her position and asks the hostess for a fresh goblet of some sparkling wine-like beverage. Her next query is both a recovery of the subject, and also excessively proper and polite. "Er, ahem. You say the Nobility are far from merchant-kind in your land? How strange! Certainly here only the lowest of blooded Houses directly perform in commerce, but patronage isn't so uncommon. Or...are you here to make connections beyond the judgmental eyes of your peers?"
"Well...as long as on can keep the law away I suppose. The Blue Laws are rather strict between classes. I daresay my gathering has broken several already! What is a few more?"
The cheetah host comes over to murmur something directly in Rouchàrdon's ear, and he sighs, reluctantly beginning to rise. "And it seems I must go take care of something regarding the final phase of our gathering, do excuse me please. I have thoroughly enjoyed making your acquaintance, Delroy Callidus."
He rises from the pool, twisting casually about and accepting the towel offered by the host, and pads out the other door in the room, where it leads you know not.
Quinn looks quite amused by her reaction but doesn't laugh, "First in my land, all nobilty are from the warrior caste, thus weapons are certainly not a bad thing for nobility to carry. Second, she may have quite a few male followers, but near as I can tell she doesn't share her bed with any of them, though I am a foreigner and might be missing subtle hints but I doubt it. And lastly, the merchents are the lowest caste of people in my land, so you can see why it would troubling to think of nobility playing with commerce. It would be like, 'getting their hands dirty' if I am understanding that phrase correctly. As for why I am here, I am learning about this land, meeting people and making connections. We may not deal with commerce, but we do deal with wars and such, and of course additional holdings as well. Zhonguo doesn't have a lot of unclaimed, open land. So if we find some outside of Zhonguo, we can use it and perhaps even be put in a good position for more contracts for our warriors."
Delroy never considered Gwenn as either above or below his own station, so what would the law have to say? Curious…
"I think Females tend to create their discretion? They do as they will, and perhaps brag to each-other in private about the quality of their males… I think that is the real force behind the standard. Females want quality, males want quantity."
With the Host announcing his need to attend to other matters, Del nodded, wondering just what this final phase would be. "As have I, Master Rouchàrdon. Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable evening thusfar."
Once the Lion had taken his leave, Del, too, rose, taking a towel of his own, dismissing the feeling he was in well over his head so he could inquire of the hose as to the location of a privvy. Warm water is quite relaxing, after all.
"You seen to have a fear of towers," Natalia retorts, choosing to ignore "Penny's" comment about her blush. "Mayhaps your father has already tried to confine you to one? Or your uncle threatened to place you in the "Old Tower" for "safety"?" Natalia's intonation of the last word leaves open the interpretation of just who's safety would be protected.
"I am Ceallach Mac Seitheach. I am no noble, but I will fight if that is what you wish, though I am far from a master of my art."
She doesn't so much scoot as scuttle away, settling among a group of other empty-headed girls across the way, most of them whispering and looking your way.
The whispers become quieter abruptly as a presence you didn't notice earlier whispers in your ear. "Brainless young fools. Prideless young females who gladly accept whatever bones their fathers throw them. Jingoistic wretches unable to see the value in those unlike them. They are disgusting, wouldn't you agree?"
Mădălena Zvonimir seems to take a perverse pleasure in your reaction to her sudden appearance. She crouches behind you, wrapped in wings as black as night, red eyes and blood-red waves of hair almost as though a demon had appeared from the steam all about the room.
The urge grows a bit stronger, but your finely honed senses pick up the sound of...someone pitter-pattering quickly and quietly down the hall. It sounds like they're almost at the corner ahead...and there's someone rather louder coming after them, and they don't sound happy!
There's a closet on your right side...what do you do?
"My father and mother have been dead since I was only 5 years in this world, and I would certainly prefer being stuck in a tower on his order than living with my libertine of an uncle who, while I am certain he has my well-being in mind, is not really in a position to criticize me for going out nights and embracing my youth and health when he still does much the same."
She draws a deep breath and holds it, eyes closed, for a few seconds before she releases it into the water, shifting herself lay down next to you, essentially acting as though you hadn't said anything at all...though you find her black-tipped tail smacking your leg good-naturedly.
"But you did not know, and so I shan't hold it against you...if you tell me who you were thinking of a moment ago!"
Her grin is very, very wide.
Natalia is taken aback by Penelope's statement, not having known the facts and not having known that it was such a sore point with her. She wonders what she could do to placate her anger. Penelope's relaxation is greeted with much relief, until Natalia discovers what is being asked.
"I w-wasn't thinking of anyone," Natalia tried to lie, her cheeks getting redder. "T-the bath's just has overheated me somewhat..."
She sinks a little lower into the water.
Quinn turns to face her, "You are quite skilled to get so close without notice. I compliment you. As for them, I would say pitiful and sad rather then disgusting, but either way they are near useless as such."
Penelope looks suspicious but finally relents, a bored frown plopping down on her face. "It is a bit hot in here. I hope the Maitre is preparing the tepidarium, we can't sit here forever. Well, we could. It wouldn't feel so wonderful."
Penny casts her attention elsewhere, though her proximity still warns you that anything might happen. "Cousin, don't you have some bawdy story of your work for Rouchardon?"
And while the closet nearby was not the sort he wanted, it would make do as a detour to the Raccoon's destination. One that avoided a possibly unwanted encounter. Del didn't like meeting people that were already angry.
Here's to hoping the door is not latched.
Mind, Observation
Species: Listen
The bare pair of feet you heard earlier is getting nearer very quickly however, and you're pretty sure you hear stumbling, harsh breathing. Someone's been running...from the second pair of feet, which sound shod with something hard and boot-like. You can hear them distantly, a cry of "Find...can't...far!"
The unshod feet skid around the corner, a back slapping against the wall next to your closet. The panting breaths are right next to your door...and they only draw faster when the second voice sounds again, a strangled whine of fright escaping a throat...and rather suddenly you have company in the closet!
The light is there and gone too quickly to really get a good look, but the smell is familiar...
Rather suddenly the second occupant backpedals quickly, and both of you go down with a squeak of surprise! A tangle of limbs, several more squeaks (of surprise, a bit of pain, and one of anger) and you suddenly find yourself on your back, Gwennalle atop you and attempting to scramble away quickly. She gets up and backs toward the door. "I don't know who you are but you can get your own spot to hide from the guards!"
The footsteps get closer...is the guard peering in the door?! Has he seen you?!
Delroy pulled his towel off, and handed it to his friend once he whispered that warning.
"And hide. We'll explain later."
It would indeed appear the two of them had some interesting anecdotes already…
Not to mention what Delroy was about to do…
He slipped out of the closet, skyclad, looking off in the direction Gwenn would have gone had she continued through the Hall. It's an old Dunwasser trick. Upon seeing the Guard, he points in that direction, "She stole my towel!"
Still, she scooted back and hid.
The guard, a large-bellied dhole, looks askance...extra askance...at Delroy and...
...looks like he's about to open his fat mouth and ask a question out the side of his mouth, the eyes being firmly down the hall and not looking at the young golden raccoon, but thinks better of it, nodding and jogging off down the hall. Once he disappears down the bend on the other end of the hall, a small voice squeaks out "He's gone, oh thank the Light!"
But it had to be done.
As a mercy for his friend, though, Del conjured his Thaumaturge's light behind a stack of towels: The glare was hidden, but the ambient light should allow Gwenn to see.
"Do I even have to ask?" Del was doing his best to speak quietly, his voice holding no accusatory tone. Actually, he was fighting laughter, holding his fist to his chin, index finger slightly uncurled, and the second knuckle is pressed to his upper front teeth and bitten for a long moment.
"And thank me, too, while you're at it… By telling me what that was about? I saved your hide, you owe me that much."
And unless interrupted, Delroy finally works his new towel around his waist.
She sighs as your light brightens the room, and you can hear her off to one side, "Thank you, Del, for-EEEP! Why didn't you tell me you were still skyclad you poltroon?!" Apparently she's forgotten she was holding your towel.
She rustles her way back into the corner beyond the end of the towel rack, though not before you can see her ears, flushed entirely scarlet, disappearing around the stack from where her tight, strained voice emits.
"You don't have to ask...and you did save my hide, thank you. I was...er...skulking about the back rooms, you see. I'd just come out of the privy and heard something very odd in the direction of the pump rooms...I didn't actually find anything but that guard saw me coming out and I didn't want to stick around and explain why a guest in only a towel was in the pump room."
She peeks around the stack again, and steps into visibility satisfied that Delroy isn't completely indecent. It's still a bath towel, but it satisfies propriety.
The next phrase however, is something of a thunderbolt, and Gwenn can barely get it out straight."Um...Del...that is...ah...there is...only one tepidarium. In this bathhouse. A rather large one, and filled with steam and a bounty of party delights but..."
Her ears flush a third time and she involuntarily seems to drag her eyes across your form before realizing that she's staring, and looks away sharply.
The Pump room?
"I wonder if that's where he went?" He pondered for a moment, "He got called away before I left the tub. Some business for the final stage of the Party… I hope that Guard did not get a good look at you?" He watched his friend with no small amount of concern threatening to bust through the adrenalin surge that had finally caught up to him, which finally cracked at Gwenn's latest news;
"Let me guess: … But no dividing screen? Listen…" He, too, began to blush now, his hesitation hung in the air like a claymore suspended by a spider's silk. "If you want to avoid undue attention, stick close to me. It's not like you haven't seen… Uhm, Yeah." He stifled a snicker as Gwenn appraised him once more, as if on cue. "You have my promise I'll be a gentleman. Besides, I have a new lead. We can get through this if we work together. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must visit the privvy myself and all this laughter isn't helping the matter. I'll try to get back to you tonight after I meet Rouchàrdon in his room to discuss business."
Could anyone blame him for sounding even a little proud of himself?
He did not think so.
Gwenn stares into the middle distance and blinks a lot when you mention Rouchàrdon looking at you, but says nothing about it. She smiles slightly under your concerned stare but of course is right back to embarrassed after her little "news," though she musters a snicker of a more usual sort when you finally start acting like you just distracted a guard with a collegiate prank...which trails off before she becomes even more self-conscious after you catch her staring.
"Stick...d-d-Delroy c-Callidus that's - Ooooooooh I knew there was a reason I was suspicious of that man! He's turning you into a schmoozing dandy already! Must you do business with him?" Gwenn's easily-found "berating side" is back in full force it seems. She cocks a hip and crosses her arms in a way that didn't seem odd at all in her casual habit earlier...but in a bath towel was more interesting by far.
She clamps her mouth shut with her short buckteeth, constantly filed down by something to chew on with them. "No, no, I shouldnt - That's very nice of you, Del. Mother Agnella will still be there, and - I think I'd be far too embarrassed to, but..."
She draws in a breath and holds it a few moments to calm herself a bit, hands nervously wringing themselves without end. "I - we'll see."
She follows you out of the closet once it's established that the coast is clear, her eyes directly on the ground and nowhere else, but you hear a mumbled half-volume "You're a...very handsome man, Del."
She points the way to the privy, but doesn't actually leave, and once you're done with your business she fairly well drags you down the wrong hallway. "C'mon, if we're in this together we can finish checking the Pump Room before anyone misses us!"
Could it be the Mother's presence here had slipped his mind? How could that have happened? Regardless, Del looked about ready to shrink out of existence. What was said has been said, and he'd rather not try to dig himself out of whatever hole he just threw himself into.
He tried not to get his hopes up too high, even with Gwenn acquiescing to spending some time with him at the tepidarium. He'd been so busy with his recent colleagues and business that he hasn't had enough time with actual close friends, present company exclusive.
On his way into the privy, his tail sways proudly, or tries, being trapped below the towel, and he turns, "All the times I've complemented you, Gwenn, that's the first time you've offered your own… That I've heard. Thank you, beautiful." He reaches forth to take Gwenn's hand, giving a squeeze should she accept. Nothing more, nothing less. He's learned to be careful around the Rat, almost too careful, but having been inspired by the earlier conversation with Rochardan, he risks it. Should an embrace be in the cards, he would gladly accept.
Baby steps, Del. Baby steps.
Once he had finished his business, he had expected Gwenn would have disappeared with the heat on as it was, thus his surprise at finding her waiting for him was really rather obvious.
He almost dropped his covering. He almost loses it when he's dragged off!
"Well then let's go. You should have had a look-out last time…"
Natalia is relieved that Penelope didn't press her further, but knew how thin her margin of safety was. If Penelope didn't find something to talk about, her boredom would drive her back to questioning Natalia's love-life.
'...but what shall I ask her about?...I don't want to start any stories, and I'm sure Penelope would be fine if she could brag about herself...'
In the midst of her deep thought, she found herself asking, "I heard that you kidnapped Guillaume once, but I never heard the story behind it. Is he really worth kidnapping?"
"It can happen, rarely but it does. How else would noble houses come to be, if not by proving their worth?"Quinn looks questioningly at the bat comparing her size to Natalia wondering if all bats were so small, and also hoping to find out how nobles houses come to be, here in Calabria.
The crowd laughs and joshes and generally gets up to a lively debate over high-minded things that you don't really have any interest in. So it is that your attention is unbounded and wandering when you see a strange shimmer in the air. It could be a trick of the steam (this is the HOT bath after all), but your instincts tell you to something is up, and your stronger non-visual senses are tingling, as it were.
Natalia is something of an oddity, having obviously a fully developed mind, but the body of someone much younger. She looks like a bat child, though of what age you're not certain, having seen no bat children to compare to.
"Oh, I am certain some did prove their worth. The Avoirdupois owe their status almost entirely to their king's sudden conversion to S'Allumer and his subsequent retreat from battle, to be named a Great House by the Rinaldi centuries ago. Some, if not most, are like my family however. Who among the land-bound would want forbidding mountain caverns without arable land? Even if the birds desired such, it was our power against theirs, and we held on to our homes, and the Rinaldi recognized our sovereignty over our home lands to save face and make deals. Nothing so clean as merit, or mandate."
When she notices you comparing Natalia (still under verbal badgering by Rosza's cousin at this point) and herself, Mădălena grins fangily. "Ah, my poor noble "sister" of the Repense. Such a pity, her mind and body so divergent, so out of touch with each other. She is here for reasons she does not enjoy, that much I can tell. After all, what use is there in the bloodline for one that cannot marry, cannot forge the bonds we need to survive? Not like you at all! Strength as though built for battle, and yet you maintain your feminine curves, you must tell me how you've done it!"
Madonna Zvonimir seems to like mixing her subjects in conversation.
True to the weasel nature, she encourages chaos.
Later, "I couldn't just tell the other ladies I was going to snoop could I? Your friend Javiera - she's very nice, a good teacher by the by - she wouldn't have just let me do that now would she? The Mother maybe but...ah, here we are!"
In true snooty noble style, the sign proclaiming the entrance to the Pump Room is engraved in Magniloquentia instead of Calabrese, like most of the signs here now that you think on it. The double door is still ajar from Gwenn's recent escape, but you can't hear any clanking guards, and Gwenn glides through the narrow opening without so much as a hair touching the door. She waits barely long enough for you to follow before darting off with you in close (and quiet) pursuit.
The Pump Room itself is almost un-lit, barely enough light for those without keen vision to see by, and it lends an eery cast to the snaking pipes and other devices. You've no idea how they work, but they certainly don't look as old as you expected. Some of them are actually quite large, almost as big as around as you are!
Gwenn comes back and pulls you ahead before you can get lost in the wondering of artifice however, leading you through a veritable deep forest of pipes. Was this place always so large? It didn't look so from the outside. "C'mon, they'll notice we've gone sooner or later, and one of them put something up high at the back end of the room, I need you to climb up and get it. Through here, follow me."
She lets go of your hand, and you realize you've hit a partial wall, the rest of the opening blocked of by the workings of the complex pump system. Where are the pulleys and chains and buckets pumps are supposed to use? How did all this come to be, and who put it there?
All of these questions flee from your mind and Gwenn tugs you downward to point out a small passage underneath the suspended metal tubes, and drops to hands and knees to begin crawling through quickly. "It's just on the other side of this tunnel...Del, hurry UP!"
Listening to Penelope comment about Guillaume's "ironclad rear end" causes Natalia to remember his strut across the market square earlier today, causing her to blush even more. Fortunately, Penelope wasn't paying attention to her at this instant, because Natalia doubted that she would be able to deflect the ermines questioning for very long.
Mind:
Observation:
Species:
"I think Javiera would understand the need to investigate, if she knew what you had told me. She seems to me a very practical type." He snickers a little "But not so proactive as us."
Del kept up with his friend as best as he could, though she was always faster on her feet than he. Plus all these pipes fascinated him. He wanted to follow each one, to see where they end and begin, and guess their function… But there was work to do, and he was being dragged off!
"Put something up high? Is it bad that the first thing I thought of was a bundle of Black Lotus on a hot surface?" He's looking for whatever it may be up high, when he feels the new tug, looking down and blinking owlishly when he saw Gwenn starting to crawl through the passage, and he too kneels down and begins to crawl after, sending his light ahead… "Uh, Gwenn? I can see… Better than you in this dark. Maybe I should go first?" Currently, he's looking straight down, keeping just enough attention forward to follow Gwenn's shadow though the crawlspace, wondering just how much of of the current situation was intentional on Gwenn's part.
He knew how quick witted the Rat was, but he also knew those quick wits sometimes carried the weight of a lack of forethought.