[ladybxlor]

Charlene sauntered forward, hips rolling and heels clicking out a rhythm. “Well, Officer…” Charlene begin, stopping in front of him and peering down with a wry smile. Those dark eyes twinkled. Flashed oddly. Like the Sea at night. “….This is a Nightclub. It’s going to be noisy.” Charlene smiled, her teeth flashing white in the dark “Though, if you like, i can give you a tour and let you judge for yourself our noise levels.”

[acton-tros]

The boy rested his hands in his pockets and walked forward with all the air of authority he could muster, which wasn’t much, but he felt it to be so and swaggered thusly.

“If it wouldn’t be too much of an imposition Mam.”

[justloveskins]

[ladybxlor]

“You look Divine Darling. I bet you taste just as good too…”

[acton-tros]

The naive boy reddened and looked away. He scratched his head and embarrassed, spoke, “Not sure what to say to that Miss.”

He looked back to her and took some steps forward, smoothing out his uniform as he did, “I heard reports of some noise and just wanted to stop by, check in to see if something’s the matter is all.”

[elinor-ptolemy]

Her eye twitches increased in fervour, and she finally and slowly turned her head to look at him with rage-filled eyes.  A thousand fleeting images of embarrassments and curses dashed through her mind, none of which she could act on in so public a place as this shitty commercial feeding trough.  So she let out a slow, thoughtful breath and stood, tucking her book into her bag and leaning forward to let her body brush by his.  Her lips moved, words too quiet for a human to hear, a light burning in her voice that no human could identify.

“You will speak but not be heard Not a whisper, not a word. When fear has taken o'er thy heart, Then let this magick fall apart.”

A little scowl settled easily onto her face, and she breezed by him to refill her cup at the counter…and to watch the show.

[acton-tros]

“Andrew. Coffee for Andrew,” the barista called out.

The boy moved to take it from the counter and spoke to thank the barista but, mouth opened and moving, spoke nothing. The boy appearing to the barista as a mime surprised by his own silence--the boy looked about confused, attempted to speak again, but again spoke nothing. The barista eyed with a scowl, “Are trying to be funny officer?”

The boy opened his mouth to apologize, looking anguished, and, panicking, began to raise his voice til it rose to a soundless scream. At that moment the curse faded and the boy screamed out.

“I’M SORRY!”

All there turned to the officer and the boy stood, cheeks red, and smooth out his uniform.

“Sorry about that folks...must’ve been a momentarily lapse, or something of the like,” the boy spoke with a nervous chuckle.

[elinor-ptolemy]

No piss-weak espresso was worth this bullshit, end of story.

Ella slowly, slowly closed her book, finishing her drink and setting the cheap porcelain down with a flick of her fingers.  The bloody whistling was making her eye twitch, and he just kept fucking doing it.  She pinched the bridge of her nose, attempting calm, rational thought as she imagined spewing vitriolic curses of hairlessness or impotence on this ridiculous child.  …Galen would perhaps be annoyed with her for taking this pretty man-child out of commission, but the thought of Galen losing one potential partner wasn’t so heartbreaking.  “Stop whistling.”  She bit out, drumming her fingers on the table and still not glancing his way.

[acton-tros]

“Oh, my apologies miss; once more, my apologies,” the boy answered. 

He kept silent, awaiting his coffee, and then, unconsciously and barely audible, began tapping his foot. Tap, tap, tapping...

[elinor-ptolemy]

“You are standing in my light.”  Ella sighed angrily, not bothering to look up from her novel at who the interloper might be.  She took a sip of espresso, thinking venomous thoughts and hoping their stupid shadow would leave the page, and quickly.

[acton-tros]

“Apologies miss,” spoke the boy, clearing his throat, adjusting his police belt some, and standing up that much straighter, taking a step forward.

“Just waitin’ for the coffee is all.”

The boy began whistling a small tune to himself as he waited for his name to be called, ignorant of how it bother those near him.

[lucagiuseppe]

[acton-tros]

He stood and watched the Keep kindle in the distance, burn; and shook some and wanted to fall to his knees. Not for any love he felt for the Vitello’s, for they were but a family amongst many in the world, but that they, they and all their holdings, were to him a symbol of stability and order--and now they were gone, and now they would be but ash or corpses rotting in the ground.

Why had he come here?--the boy wondered

What was the Realm coming to? I came here to be safe!!!

“Fuck it all. This isn’t right.”

[lukepasqualinx-deactivated20181]

[adela-quintana]

“I’m a passionate person, you seem to be one too, people who agree are bland, yet here we are, spicy, interesting, living. But if you want me to go, I will leave as easily as I came.” 

[acton-tros]

The boy bit and licked his lip and looked at her own, wanting to kiss her and so much more, alcohol giving him the confidence and lust he did not normally have.

He opened his mouth to speak but spoke nothing and only stood there looking like a dumb mute before her.

[adela-quintana]

“I was merely assuming, there must have been a reason that you followed me when I am obviously nothing but trouble.” she said moving close, playing with his over jacket lightly, not letting him slide away. “Unless I am wrong, you find me horrid to look at and you wish nothing but to escape my grasp-” 

[acton-tros]

“No stop.”

The boy nervously swatted her hand away, blushing and unable to keep eye contact as he spoke.

“I mean yeah you’re really pretty, but this is weird. I mean we were arguing just moments ago.”

[adela-quintana]

The buzz took over her, she moved closer, rosie eyed. “You fixating on my ass?” 

[acton-tros]

“Um, no, no not at all,” the boy said, eyes trailing down to her ass as he spoke, but only momentary looking, before looking away with a blush.

“I didn’t even mean that...”--the boy spoke, frustrated that he might have been misheard or misunderstood and taking a step back--“...Why would you say that?”

[adela-quintana]

“I know who the hell I am, I know what I’ve done to get here and I am no noble, I have earnt everything I’ve gotten and I would fight for whoever had to do the same. I do not know what you assume of me but I am someone that has come from the dirt and managed to gain all the jewels in my possession.” 

She moved the forward, removing the space between them, looking up into his eyes. “I know me, you don’t so don’t assume boy.” 

[acton-tros]

“Well you might not be an aristocrat but you’re still an ass.”

[adela-quintana]

“No, because I was still there to save you the moment you needed it, who says you will do the same.” she said standing up straighter as she did, meeting his teeth clenching, he looked like he was about to take the shit. 

“No, I decide whose worthy of being treated like shit, not on money or blood but on the fact that some people are decent and others would feed their people to the dogs as soon as they smell trouble. I have done a great many a things and they not always morally correct but I would never leave someone helpless and ready to get hurt. Because we do not get the luxury of choice. We are born as scum, we fight to survive and then a few of us get higher than that. I may be the devil but I would take care of my demons.” 

[acton-tros]

“It’s always easy to say you would’ve done something when you never actually had to do it. You’re just speaking words, nothing else, meaning nothing at all. I wouldn’t never have put someone in that place so I would’ve never needed to save them from my own wrong-doing.”

The boy looked at her confused and annoyed.

“You’re just speaking in...in like’s and as’s. Comparing yourself to the devil and demons. What are you even saying with all your words? You say that you’re not one of them, but you sure as hell speak like them.”

[acton-tros]

The boy took his seat--a cloth between them and candlelight set at both sides so that there lay on the hanging cloth a silhouette of the priestess, visible only in dark, flickering, outline--and was quite for a time, opening his mouth to speak but speaking nothing.

“Forgive me, your very holiness, I’ve never done it like this before...”

[adela-quintana]

“We were, but I am not one to take close minded souls that use fear mongering on adventures. Not really my style.” 

She tried to move her wrist away. “The wildling’s may not be who we are but that does not make them worthy of being turned into villains for a cheap party trick and if I, the morally constipated person am saying that you have some repenting to do, pick your god and go ahead.” 

[acton-tros]

The boy let go her wrist and gritted his teeth a time.

“Yeah, and what do you know about it? Moment ago you were using me for a cheap party trick. Setting me up there, eyes all looking towards me, after I had said what I did to you on the balcony. You’re a hypocrite, you’re muddy just like the rest of us, maybe even dirtier for your hypocrisy.”

And all this spoke through clenched teeth.

The boy took a step closer so that they stood but a few inches apart, his breath flaring down hot from his nostrils between words and phrases and his eyes deadset to hers.

“You’re just like all the lords and ladies doing as they please, but when someone else does it you turn up your nose ‘cause you don’t like the way your ways look on other people.”

[sharonmikkelson-blog]

Sharon paused in the doorway, tilting her head to the side in annoyed bemusement as she eyed the young boy who fell to the ground. ( drunk? or foolish? ) Withholding her judgement, she sighed as she stepped out onto the balcony, tugging her wrap closer around her arms while kneeling to the floor, eyes quick to wash over what little of him was shown under the stars’ light. 

A moment, and then another. “I certainly hope this floor is softer than it looks,” she said, though her knees ached underneath her weight pressed against the floor as they were, so she knew the answer to that before it was even uttered. “Up. The longer you lay there, the harder it will be to stand.”

[acton-tros]

“More I think of standing, more I don’t want to,” the boy spoke and gave out a sigh made tired by the day’s long work. The boy closed his eyes and yawned only to slowly open them and gaze up at the stranger.