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Post by seraaches on Jan 29, 2009 20:27:48 GMT -5
Shortly after Colin has his tea settled to his liking, the Torque woman re-appeared with a plate nicely arranged. The sandwich was cut diagonally and laid out delicately on a lovely platter that matched the man's teacup. She slipped it before him and gave another small smile.
"Your sandwich, sir," she said quietly, and wondered if she had the gumption to speak up again about something related not at all to food or service.
She stepped back and hesitated for a long moment before taking a breath to gather up her courage. "Sir. . ." she offered tremulously and now more of her region's influence came out-- her eyes dropped to the ground, and her head bowed slightly as she seemed to be trying to shrink in on herself even though she had just spoken for his attention. "Please. . . don't find me forward. I was simply wondering if you were planning on trying for the Courts?"
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Post by Lucca on Jan 30, 2009 15:03:48 GMT -5
Luckily, it was quiet enough in the cafe that Colin heard the woman reapproaching, or he might have startled and spilled his tea--or something worse. As it was, he set the cup down as she spoke, and eyed the sandwich hungrily. He enjoyed the simple, yet elegant way it was laid out...his family and region had instilled in him a deep love and appreciation for 'artsy' things, especially those that were elegant or classy in nature. He might have to return to this lovely little place the next time he found himself in this city.
He was just picking up his sandwich to take a nibble when she spoke up again, and her question caught him quite off guard. For a moment he may have looked comical, beak half open and sandwich piece held in a claw in the air, before he recovered his dignity and took a bite, chewing slowly as he thought over an answer.
"I'm not entirely sure yet," he answered honestly when his beak was free of sandwich again, with a small shrug that rustled his purple feathers. "I enjoy high class company, and I do aspire to a higher rank." He glanced down towards his chest, where the black '5' stood out clearly, with a slightly audacious look. "But the politics and inner Court fights...I could do without." He had a rather neutral expression, then, but his eyes gleaming thoughtfully as he looked back up to the other woman to see how she took his answer. Not really realizing he might have offended her, and not caring if he had.
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Post by seraaches on Jan 31, 2009 15:43:49 GMT -5
Haret flushed as she realized abruptly that she was interrupting his meal rather than simply giving conversation-- not that she had even know that she was hoping for that until it became apparent that she was more of a distraction then a wanted attention. But she was still torn about what to do about her debt; it weighed upon her almost more than her binding.
Perhaps it would help if she at least helped encourage this Villa resident; surely Lysaras would have approved of that. So she tried to think of something to say that would help and would, hopefully, not come off as sounding as though she was trying to speak above her place.
"Many Cards work their way up from Five or even lower," she finally hazarded carefully. "For someone with your determination, I doubt it would be truly difficult to rank up." Despite her attempt at sounding confident, this last part came out with just a hint of uptilt at the end of her words, making it sound questioning even though she didn't mean to sound that way.
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Post by Lucca on Jan 31, 2009 19:49:44 GMT -5
Colin couldn't help but give the woman before him a slightly baffled expression. Was she...trying to encourage him? Well, okay, true that she WAS a higher rank than he was, currently...but had she been born that way? It didn't seem unlikely. He frowned lightly, her comment COULD be taken as patronizing...but then he remembered that today was a GOOD and HAPPY day, where he could get away from all his problems.
"Yeah, try telling that to my sister," he said a bit bitterly, and then flushed slightly (not that you could tell under the hue of his feathers). He hadn't meant to bring that up. He hadn't meant to say anything about his own problems. Does no good to try and get away from troubles if you bring them WITH you anyway. He opened his beak again to amend this remark. "The fact she was born a nine doesn't make her more worthy than me of that rank."
Colin winced in distress. He really needed to get a tight reign on that tongue of his before it got away from him and just started sprouting off his whole life story. He took another bite of sandwich before trusting himself with further speech, assuming the attitude he took while with important friends of the family or visiting nobles.
"I apologize for my previous comments about my sister. She is a fine Card," he said, a slightly different tone in his voice now, more similar to the one he had used earlier while ordering tea. "Thank you kindly for your words. I shall certainly do my best to live up to the standards set by those other Cards." He smiled, satisfied now with how that had sounded. Much more tactful and befitting of the ranks he aspired to.
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Post by seraaches on Feb 2, 2009 17:57:01 GMT -5
His hostility surprised her and for a long moment the canine was silent as she contemplated his audible anger. Obviously he had some issues with his sister, but that was hardly unusual and certainly not something for which his dedication and actions should be spurned for.
The Torquehelm let her eyes slip towards the windows so hopefully he would feel more at ease and not hold her words against her in case they offended him. "It is lovely for your sister to have been born so high," she said quietly. "Not all of us are so fortunate, however." Her lips curled slightly in a very faint smile. "I, too, was born as a Five. It has taken a lot of effort to even attain Seven." Her eyes dropped to the floor and she tried to fight off the colour that threatened to tinge her cheeks beneath her black fur. One hand slipped up to touch the mentioned number lightly. "I hope someday to repay the debt I owe, and ranking up seemed the best step. Now, though. . ." Her voice trailed off and she seemed unaware that she had said the last out loud.
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Post by Lucca on Feb 2, 2009 21:06:50 GMT -5
Colin sipped at his tea, outwardly calm but his thoughts were in turmoil. He was angry at himself for letting his guard down so much to talk so freely. And to a stranger! A higher-ranked stranger! Though his expression never changed, he felt his heart sink a little as the woman turned her eyes away. Now, he felt even more like he had spoken out of place...
For a moment, his calm, controlled expression slipped, and his eyes widened in wonder at her words. She had been born a Five as well? Unbidden, a wing moved briefly to touch against the symbol on his own chest, unconsciously imitating her action. His eyes softened a bit as he came to regard the woman with new respect. She was right, of course...it was a blessing to be born so high. He just wished he himself had been so lucky, but knowing she had shared his birth rank touched him in a way few things could.
He couldn't help be be intrigued by her last statement, and though he didn't want to overstep the bounds of propriety again, he was a bit curious. He carefully set the teacup down once more, and rustled his wings a bit to get comfortable while he thought on a respectful way to word the question.
"Your debt?" he repeated finally, unable to beat around the bush too much on this matter. "Forgive my curiousity, but it seems to be a matter of some importance to you."
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Post by seraaches on Feb 3, 2009 15:12:56 GMT -5
Haret's purple eyes widened as he echoed part of her words and she flushed fiercely now, though hopefully her dark fur would keep it covered. Her head dropped subserviently almost immediately and her hidden ears flattened further against her head. She didn't realize that she looked so cowed, her tail tucked tightly and her hands clasped tightly in front of her.
"Forgive me for speaking out of turn," she almost whispered, but now she felt obligated to answer him, though his words and actions certainly should not have caused her to feel that way. "My binding is such that. . . in my animal form, I can barely move. Queen Lysaras granted me my bipedal form that I could move freely and with much less pain. I owe her a tremendous debt but now. . . it is too late." The canine gave a small, unhappy sigh at her own words.
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Post by Lucca on Feb 3, 2009 19:21:06 GMT -5
Although he knew enough to know he was asking her a personal question, the extreme reaction of the woman somewhat alarmed Colin. He should have remembered he was talking to a Tourque! They tended to get depressed more easily, even if they were not as given to moaning about their woes as some of their realm. The irony didn't escape Colin now--what he had most feared upon seeing the realm of his server had been hearing a sob story, and now, he had all but ASKED her for one.
He half got out of his chair, head tilting slightly to better make out the faint words. Queen Lysaras? What had happened to make it too late to repay a debt? He frowned, and was about to say something in his ignorance, before he abruptly remembered... His eyes widened as he recalled the conversation he'd overheard just a week or so prior; two other Spades discussing the state of their court. Colin had only been half paying attention at the time, since, though he liked to appear up to date on politics as a matter of principle (it was befitting of a high class citizen to know at least of their own court), politics generally bored or annoyed him, and his current low rank gave him an excuse to not know everything.
But now, he could recall the conversation clearly in his mind. And putting the pieces together, he realized that the complete overturn of power at the Court of Spades they had been talking about was not an exageration. Rarely, he knew, did Queens make it out of their duels without a death. Everything suddenly made sense, and Colin felt bad for not realizing something so important had happened at his own Court.
"You have my condolences," he said softly, a standard phrase for those who were mourning, though he wished he could do a bit better, in this case. "Did you know the late Queen personally, then? Perhaps, if she had some main goal in life, you could carry on her legacy, and thus feel your debt amended." Though, from what had heard by way of reputation...but, no, for all that he enjoyed carrying on conversations with nobles and the higher class, he knew the first rule was not to believe everything you hear.
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Post by seraaches on Feb 4, 2009 22:41:52 GMT -5
Haret didn't immediately realize why he was half-standing, even when he cocked his head to one side. It didn't occur to her that her soft-spoken words would be so difficult to hear, but he seemed, surprisingly, flabbergasted by her words and she found herself looking on him with quite a bit of concern.
However, he offered his condolences rather than scream or anything equally unpleasant like that. The Torque Club quickly put up her hands in front of her as though to stave off his words.
"It was nothing like that; no personal relationship," she quickly tried to correct him. "I only met her that one time, though I wish I could have known her better."
His suggestion, however, to try and carry on some sort of legacy for the late Queen Lysaras was an excellent one, and her eyes skimmed off to the busy street as she thought about it.
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Post by Lucca on Feb 4, 2009 23:15:01 GMT -5
Colin mentally berated himself as he noticed her odd expression in looking at him. He shouldn't have been silent so long, now she perhaps suspected him to be uninformed, or perhaps just a bit slow. The thought made him wilt a bit, though his expression remained carefully controlled into one of sympathy.
Oh? So she hadn't known the late Queen. He felt a bit better at that. Never having experienced the death of a loved one himself, it was always quite an awkward subject for him. He never knew what to say beyond formulaic words, which he always feared would seem insincere to those who had heard them many times. He took his seat before replying, not that he was exactly sure how to respond to such information.
"Ah, my apologies, then," he said at last, and took a sip of his tea to give him a respite from being required to speak. He wasn't sure what else to add, since he knew little about Lysarus, and what he had heard...was not good. And despite not knowing her personally, the other woman seemed to have a great deal of respect for her. Luckily, she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts anyway, and Colin allowed a slight lull in conversation while he nibbled at his sandwich.
((edits typos. >_> ))
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