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Post by FlyingPanther on Oct 17, 2007 14:48:13 GMT -5
Viviane silthered silently into the palace. He had not entered through the gate, though that had been his original plan. He had noticed on several visits to outside the palace that the guards were more often then not...asleep. He often wondered what the Queen would think with guards sleeping on the job, didn't make for a particularly safe place. This time however, when he could no longer keep his curiousity at bay, the guards were awake...and he had to find a nook big enough for him to slither in, elsewhere. Away from everyone's eyes. But what had he been so curious about that he could no longer hold himself back from entering into the palace? What had kept him coming constantly for what seemed like weeks to just stare at the gate longingly? It was no secret to those who knew Viviane that he simply loved water. He had grown in his birth region, and had come to love it emmencely there, though when he reached adulthood...Viviane frowned. It was best not to think about what happened. It was an inevitable outcome, albiet a sad one, and there was not much way that he could have prevented it. No way at all really. Viviane had heard tales of the Heart Palace holding some wonderful Koi ponds, and he longed to see them just as much as he longed to go back home to the Selkie Lakes. They would be a piece of home away from home for him, and he was willing to suffer the consequences of his actions for just one look. Besides...his life wasn't particularly going anywhere, what did he have to fear? True, he loved Roxanne as much as one friend could love another, she had given him everything he had today, but nothing in life came without a price. He loved his 'job', but not very many looked any way but down at people like himself. Plus...there was no love in his 'job'. Sure you had friends, and hell, they even became family...but real love? No, there was no love given to whores, especially not ones like himself...that seemed, for some reason, to be so strange to others. Another thing he could blame on his upbringing. It wasn't long before he finally located the ponds. Kohaku swam around frantically with the new and unexpected presence of the snake. "It's ok little fishies. I won't hurt you." he said in earnest as the fishes splashed about, eyes worried, though the fish obviously couldn't understand. His voice was strange, though pleasing. His voice was obviously masculine, but it held a certain...feminine quality to it, as though he was puting it there on purpose, however it was not cheesy in any way. The feminine aspect of his voice was graceful and beautiful, but all the same, one could tell that it was not natural...he might have even been trained to speak that way... |
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Post by The Jenn on Oct 17, 2007 15:37:25 GMT -5
Even though Sultana hadn't successfully eaten any of his fish since the dimensions of the pond were changed, Serafino felt the need to check on the population every few days 'just in case'. Those koi had cost enough out of his pocket that he wanted to make sure they lasted more than a few weeks. He liked looking at them, and so did a few others. They were also a bragging point; the Hearts palace may not have as much interest in the way of water as, say, Diamonds, but what it did have was certainly worth admiring.
The pond was only large enough to hold two dozen or so fish comfortably, but they were quite large themselves. He approached the side closest to the palace and the hedge entrance, eyes searching for and finding a particular shining golden white form. His favorite of favorites, safe. Very good.
He allowed himself to smile, then looked up sharply at a voice from the opposite side of the pond. Very androgynous tone... very androgynous individual, actually. He hadn't been aware of a Lakeland serpent gracing the palace recently. Especially not one with... fur?
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Post by FlyingPanther on Oct 17, 2007 15:56:15 GMT -5
The fish didn't seem to want to calm down, even after Viviane had pleaded with them, not that they would listen to him. They continued to swim around, made anxious by his presence. He backed up away from the pond a little, in hopes that maybe it was the fact he was so close to the surface of the water that the fishes felt so insecure. He backed up quite a bit, watching it from about 3 or 4 feet away, and slowly, the fish began to relax.
However, Viviane didn't have time to relax, as soon as he had stepped away from the pond, he could hear someone approaching. He looked this way and that frantically, his beautiful hair swaying and cracking with the harsh movements of his head as he attempted to find a place to hide. But there was none. Worst of all, when the pressence made himself known...it was the Queen of Hearts! So this was it then? After all his work in trying to be careful and not cought, he was going to be seen in a place he was not suppose to be by none other then the Queen himself? How ironic.
The Queen however didn't seem to notice him right away, and he continued to slither backwards, hoping that he might be able to escape unnoticed. But no...he was not that lucky. The Queens smile soon turned into a facial expression that seemed to ask what he was doing here. Viviane began to sweat...or...well...do something similar that only snakes could do. He wasn't sure how to approach this situation. He had never been much of a trouble maker in his life...so he wasn't quite sure how to react to the situation. Finally he cracked, fear apparent in his tone of voice, "Sorry...Your Majesty...I...heard about the magnificent koi you house here...and...I had to take a look for myself...I'm so sorry to have intruded on you home." his eyes were scared, though he bowed his head low, to the point where he could have laid it upon the ground easily.
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Post by The Jenn on Oct 17, 2007 16:19:47 GMT -5
Fino's eyes found the Diamond and the Five that stood out brightly against their blue and white backdrop. Lowly middle class, almost but not quite touching on the working poor... and not a Heart, so was this creature merely visiting? Did it - he? - perhaps have Heart relatives that worked in the palace?
Whatever the circumstance, he didn't find himself more than amused by the serpent's frightened words. Why would he mind a visitor to his gardens unless they had something about which to feel guilty or to hide? This wasn't even the quieter, more private location that he preferred others to stay away from. The pond could be easily reached with a few minutes' walk, crawl, flight, or slither from the main castle walk. Obviously the frightened thing wasn't used to the ways of the Courts at all. Or perhaps he'd just heard one too many horror stories about the tempestuous moods and unpredictable temper of the reigning Queen?
"It's as much my home as it is Court property," he replied with a certain archness to his tone. "Do you have something to fear, being here, or are you merely prone to bouts of nerves?"
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Post by FlyingPanther on Oct 17, 2007 16:33:37 GMT -5
Viviane shook his head emphatically. The queen didn't seem pleased, though he was under the impression that it was his presence that was upsetting him, and not the way in which he was addressing the Queen itself. It was true, that Viviane had heard the rather violent stories circulating among the populous about the Queen that stood before him, and that was honestly where the fear had come from. Viviane was also not used to the courts, and honestly stayed away from them as much as possible...it was not the place for him...no one would except a whore like him at such a place. Indeed, they were probably the ones that looked down their noses at him the most.
His body curled up beneath him and wriggled anxiously. "I have done nothing, but sneak in to look at your ponds, Your Majesty." he said, making a noise of anxious thought before continueing. "I have heard of the power you have at your disposal, I suppose...that is why I am so anxious." he bowed his head again in respect, afraid to look at the Queen.
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Post by The Jenn on Oct 19, 2007 14:13:15 GMT -5
Fino hadn't gotten the chance to watch a proper serpent move in quite some time, and had never actually encountered one with fur before. Watching it coil and twine with the scaly body was rather interesting. He wondered where the little spikes came from around his eyes. The rank really was a pity... many people prized unique appearances in the Courts.
He looked at the bowed head, fearful gray eyes lowered in respect or trepidation, or perhaps outright fear. "My power usually only comes to bear against those who challenge, disrespect, or annoy me. You have not managed to do any of those things quite yet. Tell me, however, why the ponds drew you here? I imagine there are far more magnificent places in your home region, and the lake behind the Diamond palace far surpasses it. With that being your own suit, I would think your interests would draw you there. They don't stock koi, but they have many other fish and aquatic wildlife."
The near-groveling posture would be amusing if it wasn't so common.
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Post by FlyingPanther on Oct 21, 2007 9:05:23 GMT -5
At one point, the Serpent lifted his head slightly, comforted as he was going to get from the queen's words and interested to see how the queen was reacting physically to his presence. His face was completely unreadible, however, as human form expressions were just some things that confused him. It was not uncommon for something like that for someone without a human form. He noted the human forms elegance, and silently wished he had one. He could tell that the queen was disappointed about something, from his eyes...one of the only things he could read actually. He figured it was his manner of being and how he spoke. Not very many people felt comfortible or liked being around who they thought was a transvestite, and when they knew the degree...they usually got even more uncomfortible. He couldn't blame them.
"I......can't.....really go back to Selkie Lakes, Your Majesty, and I didn't know if...Id be welcome at the Diamond court, being so close to the region, and well for several reasons I think quite obvious." He kinda motioned with his head to look at himself. Being a five, and a man that acted more like a woman, probably weren't things that interested the court, be it diamonds, clubs, spades, or hearts. No one wanted a man in the courts that couldn't act like one. But then again, he found most people treated him like some kind of taboo in general. He had to thank his mother for that...
"I...miss the lakes, a lot. I heard about the ponds here, that despite the fact they were not as large as those in the diamond court, that they were still beautiful and tranquil to a degree that was hard to find anywhere else. I was feeling nostolgic...i suppose...though...I don't really know why. I just like....water...and missed seeing it's beauty."
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Post by The Jenn on Nov 3, 2007 18:44:50 GMT -5
Gender issues didn't bother Fino in the slightest. He rarely even thought of them any more beyond a passing 'well, isn't she the little femme' or 'he could stand to gain a few more pounds if he wants to look like anything more than a scrawny boy'. As a man who wore a dress, not much bothered him along those lines anymore, if they ever had. He could easily be called a transvestite in his own right, though he didn't think of it that way at all. He just... didn't like pants, and robes looked stupid. So. Skirts. He wasn't thinking along those lines at all.
"Yes, your rank is quite unfortunate," the Queen said bluntly. "They'd question your presence inside the palace. Still, plenty of people visit that lake of all ranks, so I don't see why they should exclude you. All the same, there's nothing barring you from entrance to the gardens here either, provided that mischief isn't your goal. Which it doesn't seem to be."
He glossed over the fact of whatever kept the snake away from the Lakes. It wasn't like he cared to hear the man's life story. He just came out to check on his fish.
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Post by FlyingPanther on Nov 3, 2007 19:05:05 GMT -5
Viviane began to grow a little more comfortible, though that wasn't saying very much. He had not really considered the Queen any sort of transvestite, and had he been thinking about it, he would probably wonder why anyone would. It was not as if the Queen pranced around like a girl or fretted like one, like Viviane could be so often seen doing. The Queen's garments seemed to somehow fit his rank and status, and he held and conducted himself with the confidence of a man. No one would question weather the Queen was male or female, or if he thought either way, not only because he was intimidating, but just because...there was no question.
However, Viviane stood before him, the subject of a subconscious test. His mannerisms, his voice, his personality, everything screamed woman, while his body looked that to be of a male. It may have not been strange to the Queen, but it was something that he battled with on a daily basis. Maybe the courts were more forgiving of strange mannerisms then the world outside? That was very possible. Viviane took solice in the fact that the Queen seemed more caught up on the bright red 5 on his chest then the fact that he was a woman trapped inside a man's body. Despite the bluntness of the Queen's words, he found himself breaking into a small snake-like smile.
"I wouldn't wish to cause any trouble." he affirmed the Queen's thoughts, before looking at the pond a little, secure in the idea that he wasn't in immidiate danger anymore. The Queen didn't seem angry, and he didn't seem to want to make him feel worthless due to his gender confusion, so there was no real reason to squirm away in fright for his life and feelings. He was used to getting the kind of comments about his rank, but he still couldn't get over the discust in the eyes of people who looked upon him...simply because he was raised to be something he wasn't.
"Your fish are beautiful..." he said softly, seemingly forgetting where he was...before he snapped back to. "Did you get them from the lakes? When I lived there I had met a very nice Pantheress who specialized in breeding some of the finest. I don't know if she still does it though..." he left his commentary at that. The Queen had left it out of the conversation for a reason...and he wasn't about to bring up his woes unless someone outright asked him anyway. Besides...he wasn't quite sure how receptive to a conversation the Queen was. He had obviously come over to the ponds not expecting anyone there, and he wasn't going to keep the Queen in a conversation he had no intent on really being in.
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Post by The Jenn on Nov 3, 2007 19:44:09 GMT -5
Looking down at the large, aimlessly swimming forms that shined beneath the surface of the water, Fino allowed himself a small smile as well. He liked his fish quite a bit. They were pretty, and it could be almost mesmerizing to stare at them when he needed to think about nothing. He had a fondness for all of his pets, banders most especially, but the large koi were nice in a more ornamental sense. They didn't wake him up in the middle of the night by chewing sleepily on the feathers of his tail, for one.
"She may well have been the one who bred this stock. They were replaced recently due to an... unfortunate incident involving my bandersnatch and her appetite. Lakes stock, certainly, and bred by a feline my contact was acquainted with. I got the impression they were of excellent breeding, which is what I paid for, of course."
He glanced up at the sky, the day almost too pretty to waste indoors. His morning obligations had been taken care of and it wasn't quite lunchtime, so a diversion would be more than welcome... but this snake didn't look to be providing much of one beyond his admittedly lovely appearance. The Queen would not stoop so low as to walk over and pet the strange Five, no matter how pretty the fur looked with those scales, and beyond that... well... "Do you have any aspirations towards raising your rank?" he asked, almost on the off-chance that something interesting would come of the question.
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