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Post by Bee on Nov 12, 2007 2:12:31 GMT -5
Mnem did not particularly want to discuss anything in the grimy neighborhood that Akhar called home, and suspected that Shinrai did not either, and so she lead the stallion into friendlier parts of Capital City. Cafe Yumm, to be precise. It was a nice, familiar place, and one in which Mnemosyne felt comfortable speaking. (It also brought back memories of Kelasia, the timid little skunk she had met in the library; she knew Minh was in contact with her, but Mnem had not seen her in quite some time.)The coffee, in any event, was first rate and so was the cheesecake. Perhaps even Shinrai would relax for a moment.
Not likely, though. He probably wanted answers. Mnem had no intention of supplying them, but it was nice to have wants.
She lead them into the cafe and placed an order for a cappuccino.
"Would you care for anything, darling? The berry scones simply delight the palate."
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Post by seraaches on Nov 12, 2007 4:56:47 GMT -5
Wot he wanted was information. The stallion sighed and settled for some tea and the suggested scone. He’d never been to this particular café before and let his grey-green eyes scan their surroundings and people around him. It seemed a nice enough of area, though not a part of the city he usually frequented. Though, since she seemed to know this café quite well, he likely wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time in this area.
The stallion gave another small sigh and turned his serious gaze to the canine after they were served. He waited for their waitress to wander back off, despite the odd look she was giving the pair, then met the pink eyes. ”So, wot is this information I allegedly sold my soul for?” He was hoping that he would get something worthwhile for all of his trouble.
Abruptly the stallion realized that they were both still a little blood-splattered. Oh, dear.
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Post by Bee on Nov 12, 2007 23:54:52 GMT -5
'You didn't sell your soul for anything, darling," she told him cheerily. Her night was going splendidly, as far as she was concerned. Akhar was put in his place and taken care of, the devil she hadn't known just became the devil she did (and he would not be terribly difficult to take out, if she planned it right), and now she had a lovely cup of cappuccino coming her way.
The stallion obviously had things on his mind, but that was not surprising considering he was speckled with quite a bit of blood. He needn't worry. Mnem had already figured out how to handle that.
When the waitress set her cappuccino down and eyed Shinrai a little oddly, she said, proudly, "A gentleman in the bar was being quite forward with me. My boyfriend kindly taught him some manners." The waitress winked at her--and Mnem winked back--before leaving. There. Nothing to fear.
She smiled brightly at Shinrai. "I suppose you want to know what happened to you at the bar. How much can you recall, dear?"
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Post by seraaches on Nov 13, 2007 2:35:42 GMT -5
The stallion –barely— kept himself from groaning at the explanation Mnem offered to the waitress for their appearances. He gave the waitress a confident smile when she glanced his way as she headed back for the kitchen. Oh, he could fake his way through this situation, but that didn’t mean he had to be pleased about it. Blast it all. He didn’t want Mnem anymore associated to him as she already was. Double blast again.
He sighed as he looked over at the canine again; she was so peppy. Argh. ”I remember a bar fight and a great deal of alcohol,” he replied rather tartly. After a moment of thought his eyes grew pensive. ”I think there was something about Bandersnatches. And I remember you and Minh doing something to me that I disliked immensely.” He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously, inwardly prompting her to tell him something useful.
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Post by Bee on Nov 13, 2007 13:15:47 GMT -5
Mnem took a few sips of her drink, staring contemplatively at the grooves in the table, looking for all the world like she was trying to find the best way to tell a pair of parents that their child had a terminal disease.
She sighed deeply, reluctantly. "Fine. I'll tell you the truth. You got a bit tipsy, as you recall. We ended up going to a little hotel, you know, having a bit of fun. It was awful." That was a lie, but what about this wasn't? Besides, she didn't want to inflate the stallion's ego. "Then you started getting a bit strange. I suspected you had alcohol poisoning, and managed to get you to a clinic. You were...quite frightened, disoriented. They had to tie you down. Minh met me there to provide some support. I don't know what you're on about concerning some kind of Minh-related unpleasantness, but you're right, she was there." Amused, she said, "She probably wanted to pull something, though."
She threw him a confused frown, settling into a more somber tone. "There were bandersnatches there, that the staff used for companions for in-patients trying to deal with alcoholism. They went rabid. Attacked. You dealt with them quite spectacularly. They treated you, and you seemed to be coming out of it, so they let you go. I...didn't quite know what to do with you, so I thought it perhaps better if I just took you back to the bar."
Another sip of cappuccino. "And unless my barley wine addled my mind, I do think that's it."
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Post by seraaches on Nov 13, 2007 20:57:56 GMT -5
SHE’S LYING! For once he wished for a Diamond ability; not to BE a Diamond, but to have their magic to prove is someone was lying. All he had were his instincts screaming at him to not believe her almost plausible story. He did not doubt she was using some of her innate Diamond charm to try to make him believe her, but he just couldn’t; not with the amount of inner terror he had for the suppressed memories.
”It was very messy,” he said doubtfully, wondering if that was just his mind being foggy. If only he could remember! ”Clinics are never that messy.” Memories refused to return, only the remembered fear and anger. He was certain that wasn’t just manufactured from his fragmented memories. He needed to read up on Yarrow Gardens again. And reconduct this interview at a later date with Theofilus on hand.
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Post by Bee on Nov 13, 2007 21:11:08 GMT -5
She looked at him with feigned pity. He obviously doubted her story, but had not the requisite memories to poke any holes in her explanation. She would have to try a little harder to get him to believe her. Or not. It really was amusing to run into Shinrai about the City and have the stallion experience a rush of confusion and terror every time he saw Mnem and Minh, and his lack of certainty concerning the event must have afforded him a good deal of internal anguish, about which Mnem enjoyed speculating in some of the more quiet moments. If he believed her entirely, she would have to give that up, and it really was too damn entertaining.
"Honey, you obviously have no idea what kind of unholy mess angry drunks can make. And you made quite a mess yourself. Your terrified flailing gave the nurses quite a fright."
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Post by seraaches on Nov 13, 2007 23:13:07 GMT -5
Rai’s ears flattened against his skull at her look and he narrowed his eyes for a moment before it just seemed the whole of his annoyance slipped away. His ears flicked back upwards and he took a sip of his tea. ”I’m sure you know all about frightening people.” Suddenly, he was tired. Not physically, but just weary of this game, of trying to discover wot had happened, of her half-truths and lies about everything. It was all just some type of entertainment to her and it frustrated him on such a primitive level he just wanted to scream.
But no, he kept his features very carefully schooled and if his body was tense, well, it had been tense since he’d first heard the canine’s voice that day. He would always be tense around her. The horse ate at the scone thoughtfully, unwilling to bait the canine further just then.
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Post by Bee on Nov 13, 2007 23:49:30 GMT -5
She flashed him a half-smirk that bared her teeth, but her words did not acknowledge the implication of his statement.
"Oh, yes; I've met quite a few of them."
She was finally beginning to grow bored, to tell the truth. The fight appeared to be going out of Shinrai, for all that he tried to look annoyed, and she didn't want to jab at him if he wasn't going to respond the way she wanted him to: it was no fun to poke a corpse with a stick; better the creature was alive and screaming.
Perhaps he was just near death and she could provoke him to full wakefulness, but she almost didn't feel like bothering. She had accomplished what she had wanted for the day. And she was sure that if she just gave the stallion a little while to stew in his bewilderment and resentment, he would be back to his usual easily-harrassed self.
"You should have some coffee, darling. You're looking a bit weary."
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Post by seraaches on Nov 14, 2007 0:41:45 GMT -5
”I’m fine,” the stallion replied quietly, and likely his lack of sarcasm was the best indication that he was tired. No further snappy comebacks, no acerbic retorts. He finished his tea suddenly and signaled to the waitress for the bill. ”It’s been… a time, Mnem.” He met her gaze flatly. It hadn’t been an overly fun time, though he had learned at least a little bit about his abilities. ”I’m going to head home so I can clean up.”
The woman came over and Rai took their tab without a word. He quickly paid the cost without complaint nor even a glance towards the Yarrow Gardens female. As the waitress walked off, the stallion collected his cloak and sent the woman one more unreadable glance. ”Perhaps we should do this again some day.” He gave her a smirk and a sardonic bob of his head, wanting only to go home and think for awhile.
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