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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Feb 1, 2009 23:33:48 GMT -5
When the girl snapped her fingers, the bander snapped to attention, black eyes bright and intelligent as she waited for her next command. Raina looked the gray-striped creature over with a critical glance before she nodded approvingly. They had come quite a way together, from Liadan ignoring every order on the day that she'd first picked the female up from Ashwin, to today, when the bander would listen to what seemed to be any command. Nothing was too difficult, nothing outside of their reach when they worked together. The girl couldn't help but feel a swelling of pride every time she looked at her lovely pet. After a long day of learning to "stay" and "attack anyone who tries to steal you", Raina was ready to reward both herself and her pet. She stepped out of the tea shop with a fruity iced tea for herself and a carton of milk for the bander, then set off towards a lovely little bench sitting in a patch of grass. All it took for Lia to follow was a barely perceptable tilting of her head, and the creature leapt to the Solandrian's side, trotting calmly at her side. Raina smiled. She liked being in control, and gaining complete control over her pet was a damn good place to start. |
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Post by Lucca on Feb 2, 2009 21:32:15 GMT -5
 "...and next time, be sure to bring some of that lovely blue pattern as well. Oh and say hello to your sister for me!" "I will, ma'am" Colin responded as he left the tailor shop, turning and giving a graceful bow to the woman in the doorway before continuing down the street. The cardinal sighed, cheerful expression turning weary and annoyed as soon as he heard the shop's door close. Today had been one of those days that reminded him how much he hated certain facts about his life. Such as the fact that despite his talent at playing piano, he wasn't well known enough to live entirely off the concerts, or even the piano lessons his aunt insisted he give the young and aspiring around the Villa. And so, he was forced to work a 'day job'--running errands for his mother's buisiness. If only he was a higher rank, THEN they wouldn't make him do these menial tasks! They never made his sister do anything like this, in spite of the fact that she could fly just as well as he could, just because of her higher rank. He was so lost in these bitter thoughts that he nearly tripped over a bench, and only managed to avoid it with an embaressing flutter of his wings to carry him backward. Quickly, he glanced around, hoping no one had seen that...he had a reputation to keep up, after all! But his gaze stopped short as it landed on something very unusual. A young Card who already had her human form and carried herself with the sort of effortless grace that Colin always tried to affect for himself. Though her Suit and Rank weren't visible, Colin had no doubt that they were high. He felt awe and envy stir up in him in equal measure, and he found himself sweeping into a slight bow as she approached with a bander on her heels. "Good afternoon, Mi'lady," he intoned out of courtesy, half hoping she would stop and speak with him (surely his reputation would grow if he was seen conversing with someone like this!) and half hoping she would just ignore him and he could continue to brood in peace. |
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Feb 10, 2009 19:24:27 GMT -5
A flash of purple marked with blue and pink caught the girl's eye and she raised her head. The man who was watching her.. she considered him a moment, purple eyes sparking as she did. A Spade, mid-ranking, avian... and pure Villa. She did like the Villas, and she felt her irritation at being watched begin to fade. She offered the bird a small smile as she moved to walk on, but stopped, surprised, when he greeted her.
She looked at him again, expression seeming to question if it was, in fact, her that he was seeking. There didn't seem to be anyone else around, so she smiled again. Liadan sat at her side, staring passively up at the bird. He didn't seem to be a danger to her master, and so she began to ignore him, chosing instead to groom herself.
"Greetings," Raina returned, her head tilting to the side in a decidedly avian manner. Close up and with her attention fixed on the bird, the sparkle of her eyes would be even more obvious. "Is there something I can help you with?" she asked, keeping her tone pleasant for now. This could prove to be an interesting enough way to spend the afternoon.
Small Headband Ability
Her eyes are now a brilliant purple, they sparkle in the light and look amazingly enticing and beautiful. Cards ranked 7 or lower will be astounded by the beauty of her eyes and will feel a desperate need to be in her company. Higher ranking Cards might be able to ignore the "pull" she exudes, but they will still feel hints of it.
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Post by Lucca on Feb 10, 2009 21:21:55 GMT -5
Colin felt a slight bit of nervousness as the young lady greeted him back. He didn't know who she was or what rank, and he had the most horrible suspicion he had just bitten off more than he could chew. But he looked up as she addressed him, head still lowered slightly in deference...and was struck nearly speechless by what he saw. Those EYES...Suits, he'd never SEEN eyes like that! The way they sparkled was so...enticing. He found himself slightly mesmerized by them, and he shuffled a bit closer without realizing it.
It was then that he realized he was staring, and that she'd asked him a question. Flushing slightly beneath his feathers, Colin averted his eyes. "Oh, uh, no, I just...I was just..." he was about to say 'leaving', but he couldn't make himself do it. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to this other Card just yet. In fact, it would be impolite to turn his back on someone he had just met, who was obviously important! Contenting himself with these justifications, Colin straightened up slightly and cleared his throat.
"I was just wondering what such a lovely and high ranking young lady was doing in this part of the city by herself," he said in what he hoped was a dignified voice. He glanced at the small creature by the girl's side, and amended his statement. "Excepting your lovely little Bander, of course." Inwardly, he cursed. He was making an utter fool of himself! He tried to pull to mind all the practiced conversations with other, more familiar nobles he'd had at home.
"My name is Colin," he said with a smile and another small bow. "And whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Feb 21, 2009 20:17:35 GMT -5
And there it was. The curious effect that her eyes had on people who looked at her. It was a curious gift, one that her father had bestowed on her, and it had taken her quite some time to get used to it. When she was younger, it delighted her. As she grew, however, she found it... tiring, at times. All it took was a mistaken glance at someone of low enough ranking and they'd be following her for days..
With any luck, this bird wouldn't be one of those, so she would humor him for the time being.
She smiled again, raising a hand to cover her mouth and laughing softly at what the bird said when he finally found his words again. "Oh, Lia and I were just going through some training excercises togtether. It's not so bad, she's good enough company." the Bander gave a soft cough, just warning enough that the man shouldn't try any funny business, her grey bulk pressing against her mistress's leg. The girl quirked an eyebrow, then smiled at the bird. "If not a little bit overprotective. Don't worry, she won't bite unless I tell her to."
She gave him a small nod when he offered his name, extending a gracefully-built hand, not at all what would have been expected from one of her region. "Colin, it's a pleasure to meet an honorable young Spade such as yourself. My name is Raina."
She could play a little bit. Just a little.
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Post by Lucca on Feb 22, 2009 9:32:26 GMT -5
Colin tried to control the urge to fidget nervously, knowing it would make a bad impression. As it was, he couldn't help the occasional shifting of his weight from one foot to the other as he listened to the young Card. She made a strong impression of knowing her way around higher class social circles--in fact, being used to getting repect in them. Colin felt a strong surge of envy at that, leaving him with a slightly bitter taste in his mouth.
He nodded, eyes shifting to the Bander a bit warily. He'd never had too much experience with the things, but from what he heard they could be viscious little buggers. "Ah, of course. I'm glad she's well-trained," he said with a smile, believing that what the girl said was true.
Colin gave the small, slender hand a look of slight dismay. What was he supposed to do? Beaks weren't made for kissing human hands, as the custom generally is, and he even feared to take it between his claws, knowing humans were rather delicate without a protective layer of fur, feathers, or scales. He settled for leaning forward to gently touch his beak to it. "Thank you, you are most kind," he said graciously, giving Raina a respectful smile.
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Feb 25, 2009 19:08:13 GMT -5
The girl glanced down at her Bander, who looked back up at her. The creature could tell quite easily when a command was about to be issued, and she sat at attention. "Lia, wave to the nice man." she said, a quick and barely noticable hand-signal accompanying the spoken words. In reply, the Bander turned to the bird once more and lifted one broad paw, waving it exaggeratedly at him before sitting again, shuffling. The girl rewarded the creature with a quick scratch behind the ears before turning her attention to Colin once more.
Ah, a gentleman. Raina had been curious to see what the bird would do with the proferred hand, and he went with what could almost be interperted as as chaste "kiss". He had been raised well, it seemed, and she smiled at him. In the process, she inadvertantly turned the full force of those radiant eyes on him.
"You flatter me." she said graciously, enjoying the attention. It had been a little while since she'd last allowed her eyes to work their full magic. It had been even longer since she had last been around someone who was unfamiliar with the human form and so treated her as an adult. It was refreshing, to say the very least. "Tell me, Colin, what brings you out on a lovely day like today?" Her head inclines slightly to the side in a very... avian gesture of interest.
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Post by Lucca on Feb 25, 2009 20:04:28 GMT -5
Under the circumstances, and given how obviously proud Raina was of her bander, Colin felt it appropriate to let his surprise show on his face as he watched the bander do such a lovely little trick. Not only that, but it almost seemed to anticipate it, and sat very obediantly even before the girl spoke. It didn't even need a treat reward to seem content to show off. To Colin, that seemed to indicate either stringent dedication to training the little beastie, or that the girl had a natural way with animals. Possibly both. "Well trained indeed" he remarked, sounding as impressed as he was.
Colin couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed as she not only looked right at him with those gorgeous eyes, but smiled radiantly as well. He felt a surge of warmth at the fact she seemed to take pleasure in his company and attempts to...impress her? Was that what he was doing? Well, he really was flattered that she, obviously very high class and probably high ranking, was taking the time to asociate with him, a lowly Five and only possessing an animal form. He almost felt the need to defend his low rank, to inform her how he wasn't planning for it to STAY this low, he DID have pride and ambitions...luckily, the girl asked him a question before he could make a fool of himself.
"I had business to attend to," he said, with a small, apologetic smile. He did wish he had something more...glamorous to say, but he hated lying, and so couched the truth in elegant sounding words. "But now that's done, and I'm free to enjoy the pleasant weather." He was very flattered she seemed to still want to talk to her...the thought of her leaving and him not being in her company any longer was...nearly too much to bear for some reason. Was he that taken in by a pair of pretty eyes? "And, of course, the pleasant company," he couldn't help adding with another smile. He hoped he wasn't laying it on too thick, but the girl DID seem to enjoy being spoken to like royalty. Heck, for all he knew, she WAS royalty...and, if that little head tilt was any indication, she was an Avian in animal form, just like him.
((...so I had to type this all up twice, due to accidentally deleting it the first time...so if it sounds a bit odd that's why.))
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Apr 1, 2009 18:04:08 GMT -5
"Ah, yes, we've had such wonderful weather lately. It only makes sense to enjoy it while it's good," Raina replied easily, settling into the patterns of small talk. She could sense undertones in the way the other avian was speaking, hints that perhaps there was something else he wanted to ask. It was something she got often, especially with her rank and suit covered up, but a question she'd never learned to answer gracefully, much as no one had ever managed to ask it gracefully. She'd take care to steer the conversation in that direction, then. After all, the man was a Spade - she wanted to know more about him, as she had a deep pride for her Suit and the others who shared it. After all, she had her family... But none of them had that sort of pride, and those that did were Hearts.
Her head inclined to the side again, expression going curious as she thought about what he'd said. A business man... What kind of business, she wondered? This could get interesting fast. "What kind of business, if you don't mind my asking? Is it possible that you work for our noble Court?"
Then she raised a hand to cover her mouth and laughed demurely, casting her eyes to the ground. "Oh, but forgive my abruptness. Would you care to join me for a drink or some light lunch, perhaps? There's a lovely little cafe over there... I'd been planning on just having my tea and going home, but if I have the possibility of company it would be lovely to have a seat and chat."
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Post by Lucca on Apr 1, 2009 19:40:18 GMT -5
Colin looked slightly...guilty at her question. Or maybe guilty wasn't quite the word. He just wished he had a better answer. Something higher class. "Sadly, nothing that exciting," he began, with an embaressed chuckle, his claw scratching a bit at the dirt. "It's actually my mother's buisiness. She designs fabric patterns, and..." He blinked, then, as the way Raina had said something clicked. "Excuse me for trailing off, M'lady, but am I correct in gathering from your words that you, too, are a Spade?" The cardinal looked hopeful. Meeting higher ranked Cards of his own Suit was even better! He did have quite a bit of Spade pride, though he had only recently become interested in the goings on of the Court itself.
He blinked in surprise at her offer, feeling his heart flutter excitedly for some reason at the prospect. "Oh! That would be absolutely lovely. I'd be honored to join you for lunch." He was glad that he didn't have to worry about going home yet, since the thought of departing from Raina was rather depressing.
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