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Post by seraaches on Apr 28, 2008 11:54:47 GMT -5
(( We may accept random other Cards showing up throughout this; just PM me to discuss. <3 ))
They'd been on the road for awhile and were finally beginning to truly near the Yarrow Gardens. The dark teal stallion had his head up, ears tilted forward as he curiously listened to the soft gossip of their guards.
It was very interesting being surrounded by only women. Most of his life had been spent in a world that favoured males in gender ratio. Even of his siblings, there were only two actual females-- though it would be hard to say that some of their brothers weren't more feminine than the sisters-- tossed in with five males.
Perhaps, Ira mused thoughtfully, it all evened out in the end with only a slight emphasis on males. It would be very easy to call Vishne-- who had no balls-- a neuter as well as Iphis based solely on the fact that the albino looked and acted like he had been born the wrong gender. That would give them only three males along with the two neuters and the two females.
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Post by Bee on Apr 28, 2008 13:42:46 GMT -5
Mom did not often speak of her native region, but when she did it was with a certain bitter nostaglia that always ended up turning into a very loud rant about the evils of men and how her homeland was proof positive that the world could get along just as well without them. She had also noted, absently, that the Gardens were very beautiful, and she was right on that count, if nothing else.
The transition from the Highlands to the Gardens was a thin stretch of forest--if it could be called such. The trees were thin-trunked and gently curving, the bark white, and the shrubbery was bedecked with flowers. Vines looped around and between trees. The path was very well tended. It looked more like someone's ornate show-garden than anything that grew naturally, and up ahead, in the Gardens proper, it was definitely someone's ornate show-garden. A small, pretty sign read, Avec des femmes, le monde.
As they made their way into the Gardens (this particular bit was a small town, by the looks of it), Iphis thought he might finally have found his people. Scores of pretty women--most in animal form, but a good numer of bipedals and even a couple of humans roamed about as well--walked the clean paths, chatting happily to one another.
Most of them turned curiously at the sound of the approaching party. Most, seeing a band of women, raised their hands in greeting, or merely smiled and went back to whatever they were doing. A few looked at Ira with narrowed, suspicious eyes. Iphis had made the prettiest dress he could and put painstaking effort into dolling his big brother up, but Ira took after their father, and making an adult male stallion look like a girl was a good deal of effort.
A pretty feline walked over. Her gaze raked over them, settling on Ira. Her smile was not very pleasant. Even Iphis noticed that. "Welcome to our humble homeland," she said. The accent that had long faded from Mom's voice--except in moments of rage--was very strong here. She likely didn't speak the common tongue frequently. "We don't often get parties like this. What brings you ladies here?"
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Post by seraaches on Apr 28, 2008 14:10:06 GMT -5
Ira flounced forward, evidently unconcerned by his really rather mannish looks; after all, he'd seen some pretty ugly women in the past and he still looked better than those did. He couldn't be overly feminine, really, but he could be commanding which was something he knew his Daddy darling, at least, appreciated even if it wasn't necessarily in female form.
He dropped a surprisingly graceful curtsy to the woman. "Good day to you," he said lightly. "We've been sent at the behest of the Queen of Hearts to locate a certain Rhea Eumelia." The words rolled smoothly from his lips. He sent a quirking grin, a hint of his own dark nature coming out through that look.
Despite his strange nature, he did have some rather nice acting skills. Goodness knew where he got that from, though. Perhaps it was a gift from his Daddy darling.
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Post by Bee on Apr 28, 2008 15:34:11 GMT -5
The feline was entirely unimpressed by Ira's ebullience (and if he was a woman at all, and she had her doubts, then he was a damned unattractive one), but her attention was caught by the mention of Rhea Eumeleia. She wondered what the horse (and the entire party) could possibly want with that family.
Carefully, she said, "The Misses Eumeleia do not take very kindly to visitors. So many people come poking around, asking about Tethys."
Who in the world was Tethys?
Iphis spoke up, voice reassuring and as formal as he could make it. "It's a business matter. The Court of Hearts has no intention of getting involved in anyone's personal matters."
The feline still looked wary. "They live on the outskirts of the next town. About a two hour ride due East. You can't miss the manor; it's bigger than the town hall. Rhea Eumeleia serves on damn near every council the Gardens has, so she may not be home, but Phoebe can tell you where to find her."
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Post by seraaches on Apr 30, 2008 10:12:12 GMT -5
The woman was sending him strange looks, and, for once, Ira actually paid attention. He was dressed pretty and he looked like a female. There was no reason for the woman to look so oddly at him. His ears went back for a moment though he refused to let it show beyond that one millisecond of hesitancy. Whether or not he consciously realized it, he knew he couldn't afford to drop the ball on this one. Or his darling Mother dearest might have his.
He dropped another graceful curtsy to the very helpful if somewhat rude-for-giving-him-an-odd-look. "Thank you for your kindness and assistance," he said in his best nice-person impersonation. He turned to grin at their guards and flagged up his tail again. "Onward! To the next town!" And he happily led them away from the very rude woman.
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Post by Bee on Apr 30, 2008 15:46:36 GMT -5
The next town was considerably larger than the first, but they didn't quite wander into it. Their party reached the very large manor on the outskirts, walking through ornate and well-tended gardens. Iphis was quite excited to meet his relatives; he wondered if they were like Mom, or if they were nice and happy.
A stiff-looking human woman answered the door. She looked to be very late middle-aged. Her hair was sunshine-yellow and had been quite viciously bobbed at some point. Her smile was polite. Her posture was perfectly erect. Her gaze swept over them, and then settled on Ira and Iphis, who headed up the party. She said, "Good afternoon, ladies." Her voice was flinty, but Iphis suspected that she probably sounded like that all of the time. "I am Phoebe Eumeleia. May I inquire as to why such a large group of visitors would drop by my home entirely unannounced?"
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Post by seraaches on Apr 30, 2008 17:44:59 GMT -5
Now that was a bit curious; why hadn't they received the announcement about their arrival? Ira's ears came up curiously as he stepped forward to drop another curtsey-- if it had occurred to him, he would have been pleased that he practiced so much-- to their relative. Well, he was fairly certain they were related; she looked rather like Daddy dearest.
"Greetings to you, Ms. Eumelia," he said in a purposefully light and easy-going tone. "I'm certainly surprised and shocked that the Queen of Hearts did not send word of our coming and I can only assume that the messenger was male and did us all a favour and died on the road out here."
He rose from his curtsey to give her a small, quirky smile. "At least, that's wot Mnemosyne said was the best use for an unreliable man."
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Post by Bee on May 1, 2008 0:02:09 GMT -5
Pheobe stepped back, eyes narrowed. "I apologize for my rudeness. I am sure it's just Rhea not telling me things again. She's wretched about needing to be in control, and likely thought this amusing. Please, come in; it's been quite some time since our home was filled with such lovely young women. I'll send word to my sister."
She led them to a large seating room. There was space enough for most of the party to sit down; many, however, elected to stand. Pheobe disappeared for a stretch of time; servants brought refreshments, and Iphis happily sipped at some lemonade and nibbled at tart. He wondered if Mom had learned to cook from one of them. At last, Phoebe returned.
"Rhea is finishing a meeting and should be around shortly. She has apparently planned a small garden party to celebrate your arrival--I do hope you don't feel that this is pushed upon you, Rhea just enjoys a certain degree of pomp and wishes her friends to see her successes--and there is some kind of business deal, I am lead to assume?" Her voice dripped with disdain.
"Isn't that darling. We can't say we're pleased with what the Court of Hearts has come to--at the very least, Queen Serafino...but now...." She shook her head. "Though this Queen Shinrai must have some lick of sense if he's coming to my sister." She smiled a small, queer smile at Ira. "You are acquainted with my niece? Charming. Just charming. You simply must tell Rhea that story. The last we heard...well."
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Post by seraaches on May 1, 2008 15:33:37 GMT -5
Ira settled in at the table as well, munching away lightly when they got refreshments and quite contentedly hung out until the Yarrow Gardens woman returned. He rose easily and gave another small curtsy to the woman. He listened curiously to her explanation, though he couldn't be upset about a party in their favour. Not that he really needed to bear ound more people he couldn't afford to eat, but. . . wotever. It was going to be fun and that's all that really mattered in the end.
"Did you not know?" Ira asked in a dangerously soft voice, his eyes still pleasant and expression easy-going. "Mnemosyne and Shinrai are our parents." He gestured lightly towards Iphis. He gave his smile again; it seemed to be a natural reaction to anything that happened. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Aunt Phoebe."
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Post by Bee on May 9, 2008 22:37:55 GMT -5
Phoebe's smile froze. Iphis thought it looked like a brief lull in emotion, before an outburst. He wondered if she was going to explode into tears or laughter. It was laughter. Mean, derisive laughter. It was kind of disturbing how much she sounded like Mom.
"The last I heard, she had shamed herself with some man. Well, at least she had the good sense to produce daughters." She looked at them critically. "Even one from the Gardens."
"Two," said Iphis brightly. "My sister Venka, too."
Her gaze settled on Ira. "And one with ambition. That," she said, "is something I like to see."
A servant poked her head in. "Miss Rhea is here, Miss Phoebe."
Said woman pushed past the servant, telling her to join the others in setting up the garden for the festivities. She was as blonde as her sister, and looked a few years older. Her attention focused immediately and completely on Ira. She seemed to have caught the tail end of the conversation. "Greetings, then, niece. Do you plan to...eventually displace your father, when he is no longer able to carry on the Queenship?"
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