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Post by Vyn on May 17, 2008 17:04:07 GMT -5
Anatolius wasn't sure if he was ready for this. His friends had faith in him, Aderlass even had faith in him. He should have had more faith in himself. He stood outside the Court of Clubs, smoothing his fur and making sure he was presentable... Or perhaps he was just procrastinating. A wave of frustration hit him abruptly, causing a wisp of flame to rush up his spine. He was slowly but surely figuring out how to manipulate the fire but it was still hit and miss. He wanted to take this next step, had to. If he had any true plans for his own success then he had to. This was no good. The more he fidgeted and doubted himself, the more likely it would be that he'd get tossed out on his rump with Anoushka laughing at his expense. So he shook himself off, pushed her nerves down to the very back of his mind, and strolled cheerfully into the Court. A brief conversation with the guards confirmed his meeting and before long he was walking to The King's quarters as he'd been directed. A brief shock of apprehension fluttered up his spine and was brushed away in the blink of an eye as he reached up to knock. There was no going back now, no room for anxiety. |
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Post by The Jenn on May 26, 2008 21:49:30 GMT -5
At this time of day, Anoushka had abandoned her office and the mountains of paperwork therein for a few minutes of peace in her quarters. She knew she had an appointment, but it wasn't for half an hour and she felt so very tired after staying up late last night. She couldn't pull off so little sleep anymore, not like she used to. It hadn't used to matter whether she got eight hours or two, so long as she was able to make up for it the following night. Now getting any less than six left her dragging and she hated that. It made her feel old. Which she wasn't, damn it all. Not yet. She only realized that she'd dozed off when a knock on the door had her eyes opening sleepily. Muttering something about her treacherous body, she stood and stretched, rubbing the sleep out of her fur before answering the door. And wasn't the creature on the other end a sight for sore eyes. She paused, giving him a once-over, before smirking. "They just keep getting cuter and cuter. First my Qveen and now this. Come in, then. You vould be Anatolius?" She motioned him into the antechamber of her quarters, which were relatively Spartan in decoration. |
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Post by Vyn on May 27, 2008 7:55:42 GMT -5
Anatolius was thankful for the brief wait between his knock and the King's appearance. It gave him more time to compose himself and to do away with that lingering hint of uncertain anxiety.
He just had to keep reminding himself that a loss of nerve wouldn't get him anywhere.
And then Anoushka was standing in the door way, giving him a familiar once over, and he found himself grinning genuinely and shifting in that usual way to accentuate all his fiery hues. Her accent fascinated him and, of course, compliments always made him happy. By the time he'd stepped into her chamber his tail was wagging and he'd forgotten all about being nervous.
"Yes, I'm Anatolius. It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness Anoushka."
Stepping inside he looked quietly around the room, head tilted and tail wagging quietly in interest. It was a bit plain for what he expected of a King's chamber, but Anatolius didn't comment yet.
It'd be best, for now, to be humble and to keep the conversation neutral until allow Anouska to set the tone of their meeting.
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Post by The Jenn on Jun 1, 2008 13:46:20 GMT -5
The young man didn't seem intimidated by her at all, which was either arrogance, confidence, or a very good job of hiding his emotions behind a facade of cheerful manners. Anoushka couldn't quite tell which it was, but she was sure that she would figure it out by the end of their little meeting. She closed the door behind him and walked over to her preferred bench, cushions the only padding on the hard wooden surface.
"Very good. At least you have manners. Those are a prerequisite of Court life, vhether or not you choose to actually display them vith everyvon. Please, sit, and then ve vill have a discussion that vill lead to a decisions that vill lead to a qvest of sorts." She reclined, stretching out her muscular torso, and propped her head on her arms. Then she spent another moment looking at him speculatively.
My, but wasn't he an attractive little thing. She wouldn't mind ruffling that one's fur the wrong way. Once he was seated on another bench, she continued. "The first thing that I vould like to know from you is vhat experience you may have to bring to bear that might be of use to us. Vhat are your talents and areas of interest? It's no good putting a soldier in front of a desk, or a chef in the armory."
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Post by Vyn on Jun 2, 2008 8:07:41 GMT -5
Once Anouska took her seat, Anatolius claimed a bench and made himself comfortable - or, at very least, as comfortable as he could on the barely cushioned furniture.
His tail was swaying happily from one side to the other, a gentle movement which would've betrayed his nerves to anyone that knew him closely. For now, the canine didn't notice. He was too busy running over rules and regulations and all the crash-course lessons on manners Vana had recently drilled into him. Lords! He didn't want to mess up!
Trying not to focus much on the way she stared -- though he desperately hoped she was only looking skin deep -- the canine found himself chuckling gently to her words. "Thank you, Your Highness." She didn't seem all too terrible, but he wasn't about to underestimate her either. He might have been a little Court dumb, but he wasn't that bad off.
Experience was always a bit awkward when speaking with higher ups. A hopeful Jack-to-be that moonlighted as a prostitute... That looked good in any interview, of course. "I've mostly been doing odd jobs for a woman, Roxanne, though I'd have to say my experience from that is mostly from a social standpoint." He chuckled a little. As Aderlass had said, he had a talent for defusing testy customers. "I'm friendly, charismatic, and I'm good with people. I also grew up in a big family, so I'm used to pulling my weight and multitasking. I can cook as well, but I wouldn't begin to call myself a chef."
The canine paused for a moment, hoping he wasn't being too chatty, before cheerfully continuing. "Other than my people skills, though, I'd have to say my strongest point is in my fire mastery."
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Post by The Jenn on Jun 3, 2008 0:21:15 GMT -5
Social skills. Thank the Suits! Those were something that Anoushka remained rather 'iffy' on. She was a people person, but whether those people necessarily enjoyed their time around her was another story. "Many people discount the value of being good vith people. I call them all idiots, vhich goes to prove my own stand on the matter, I suppose. There is no more valuable skill in the political arena, I promise you. Also, explain the comment on 'fire mastery', if you vould. Our current Qveen has a similar aptitude." Which she found to be rather strange and breaking with tradition, but it amused her too much to bother her.
"Ve vill have use for you here... provided that you pass the qvest set before you, vhatever it may be." She considered. There was something lurking unsaid under what he'd given her, but she didn't have enough information to go on to figure it out. Ah well.
"Speaking of vhich, I have a qvestion to pose you. Vould you prefer a more physical qvest, or von that taxed your mental abilities?"
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Post by Vyn on Jun 3, 2008 12:28:51 GMT -5
Anouska's response roused a hardy laugh from the brightly colored canine, his tail picking up a more easygoing swing. Ah! Already he liked this woman! She was rough around the edges, yes, but he liked a person that could speak their mind freely.
"It was His Majesty himself who actually encouraged me to advance my skills and they are, in a sense, very similar to his own." For the briefest of moments, the canine allowed the illusionary flame in his fur to flicker into life and ripple through his coat before fading away again. "I can do more with it, but I should probably move away from your chairs first."
Her question caused the canine to hesitate briefly, mind racing. He'd never really been praised for his intellect before, the focus had always been on his body more than his mind. Slowly his tail stopped waving and his expression became a little more serious.
"I would prefer one that taxed my mental abilities, I think." At last he smiled again. He'd rather push himself now and fail than take the easier path and question himself later.
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Post by The Jenn on Jun 4, 2008 21:33:32 GMT -5
An idea had started to blossom in the back of Anoushka's mind. It had been germinating there for a good few months, waiting for its chance to come into the light and take prominence, and this was such a perfect opportunity. He was a friendly, outgoing, social person who prided himself on his skills with people. That seemed just what she needed, and saved her the trouble of having to go and take care of this matter herself (unthinkable at present), or pull someone else away from what they were doing to take care of it.
And! Perhaps best of all, he knew Aderlass in some way. "So you have met our Qveen before... excellent. And that is quite the pretty party trick." Her eyes had narrowed at the ghost of a flame, but calmed once she realized it was more illusion than anything.
"Tell me, Anatolius... can you think of anything more mentally taxing than trying to beat sense into a young man?" She wished she had something to drink, just so that she could sip it and look over the rim at him for effect. Alas, it was not to be.
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Post by Vyn on Jun 5, 2008 9:10:08 GMT -5
There was something brewing behind the wolf's eyes and Tolius slowly began to wonder if he'd chosen the right answer. Either way, of course, the canine wasn't about to back down. Not now. He'd come too far to give up now.
"Yes, I have." The canine smiled a little, tail swaying. He even fancied the Morganberry mouse a friend. "Ah, yes... It is... I've had to mold it quite a bit to even make it that." His expression was flushed with a quiet sort of pride, probably the first of such an emotion that didn't come with a good night of sex.
Her words brought him to a pause and then a quiet chuckle before he nodded once more. "Having seen my niece trying to beat sense into me on more than one occasion...not at all." Slowly Tolius leaned forward, tail swaying. "Is that what you'd have me do then?"
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Post by The Jenn on Jun 5, 2008 10:09:38 GMT -5
A smirk slowly began to appear on the King's face. "I believe that I can sympathize vith your niece. It's often a fruitless endeavor. I've followed enough male Qveens to be fed up vith the prospect." And even the Queens that hadn't been male were quite a chore. She remembered one particular bitch with a mix of fondness and aggravation.
"To complete this qvest, I vould have you speak with His Majesty Aderlass, pry the location of his son out of him, and convince the boy to come visit the Court so that I can vork on him properly. He's a young King of Clubs, you see, and may prove a valuable asset to our Court." The amused smirk dropped from her face and she gave him a flat, serious look for a moment. "I vill be frank vith you. Our Court is slowly expanding, vhich is for the best, but ve are still running dangerously understaffed and need all of the help that ve can get. I need to assess the boy's competency and see vhether he might be of use to us."
She sat back, intensity fading, and resumed her habitual smirk. "Vell. There you go. Find our Qveen and return to us vith the boy. He's half-bull and half-Corvistowneian, blue. Hard to miss."
((Sorry to do this to you Vynners, buuuut... Nat and Ku and I were plotting and... yeah. xD Gives you the perfect chance to get in even more closely with Ader, bring Iggy to Court, have Tolius meet him, etc! <3 Start up the topic and prod our lovely Ku and she will continue the quest with you.))
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