Burning Desires [Finished]

[Dark]

Mnem was toying with her, and Suha was torn between vexation and pleasure; Mnem seemed to know, to a degree, what Suha was up to and hadn't outright dismissed her. That was something, at least.

Perhaps honestly was the best course of action in this case; Mnem wasn't allowing herself to be flattered into complacency, and didn't appear to be willing to give anything up freely. Suha needed to do something differently if she wanted to accomplish what she hoped.

Suha smiled faintly, "Then let me be frank. I aspire to enter the courts, but lack the formal training. I cannot command the attention of a room with my mere presence, nor cow someone into complacency with a glance, and I have no experience with the handling of more--significant--individuals. I had hoped in speaking to you I could learn to emulate this to some degree."

[Bee]

Ah, there we go. Well, that was amusing enough, wasn't it? Not many people came to Mnem to mimic her behavior. Most people tended to stand back, look at her in horror, and try not to act like her. Honestly, you indirectly try to off a couple of the offspring, and suddenly everyone thinks there's something wrong with you.

"See," she said, with a slow smile, "you've learned something already. When to put on an act and when to get straight to the point. What, may I ask, is prompting you to get into the court? A simple grab for power?"

The Court of Hearts was frequently a clusterfuck, for lack of a better term. Mad people in power, mad people getting offed by madder people, getting invaded by Lowlanders.

(So strange, to think of her youngest son as dead. She felt curiously little, even by the standard for which she usually failed to care about her children. Perseus was a rotten apple that had just happened to have clawed his way out of her womb.)

"I'm sure you're aware that the Court of Hearts is not usually the most stable of royal establishments."

[Dark]

"I am very fond of power," Suha admitted, "and I am also aware of the current state of the Court of Hearts." It was a power vacuum--no stability, eating itself from the inside, and liable to collapse at any given moment.

She considered her cold drink thoughtfully, "I'm not so self-assured to think that I have any hope of changing the current state of affairs, but time can change many things, and I am very patient." The plan was a slow, calculated one and--if she played her hand carefully--had a very good chance of succeeding in the end. She would be ready when the the time presented itself.

"Tell me, Mnem. Are you involved in the courts at all?" To make an educated guess, Suha would say the answer was 'yes,' but perhaps not. Mnem could have grown up in one of the old families, she supposed.

[Bee]

"Just a bit," she said. She usually didn't go around advertising the fact, unless it gave her a decisive advantage in the situation. She would never have charged up to the barista, for example, and yelled "I'M THE KING OF DIAMONDS, DAMN YOU, HAND ME THE DRINK I DESIRE." It was just bad policy. She wanted the due fear and respect, not for people to think she was a madwoman. She was perfectly happy to leave the madness to her spawn.

There was plenty of it to go around.

She didn't want to discuss court things in the middle of a cafe, either, unless it was the vaguest of affairs.

"I can tell you that you had better go in equipped to defend yourself, if need be." There really was no end to the killing and backstabbing. Being insanely powerful was pretty much a necessary precautionary measure. You were never quite sure what nut was going to come up and try to bloodily depose everyone.

[Dark]

Suha nodded absently, already having guessed that for herself--practical sense and a healthy dose of self-preservation dictated--and sensing that she wasn't going to get any more out of Mnem today, decided it was probably time that she return to her apartment. She had plenty of things to consider for the time being.

"Thank you for humoring me, Mnem. It's probably time that I was on my way," she stood, tossing her cup into the trash, "If you aren't adverse to the idea, could we perhaps meet for tea in the near future? I'd love to chat." Chat; discuss hostile take-overs; pick apart your brain.

Suha rather hoped Mnem would agree; the woman would be a good acquaintance to cultivate, especially with what Suha hoped to accomplish in the future. Having connections to the other courts could prove to be immensely useful.

[Bee]

Mnem watched the bird curiously. She half wanted to her that she was never going to see her again, just to fuck with her, and watch her face, but she thought seeing her again might be worth the effort, just to see what Suha was going to get up to. She thought that associating with Mnem might help her out, getting into the Court of Hearts...

She almost laughed. Well, cultivating an ally in another Court might be worth the effort, too. Especially if it were a loyal one. She glanced sideways at Suha. She had the distinct impression that this woman's deep sense of opportunism would translate itself easily to backstabbing. But she seemed to look at Mnem as some kind of mentoring big sister, and as long as she fostered that sentiment, it would never become necessary to wring the little birdie's neck.

"Why not," she said, amused. She scribbled out an address on a napkin. "My place. Why don't you come on by this weekend...say noonish. Beware the bander."

She grabbed her drink, and sauntered out of the cafe.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Dark and Bee receive 1 token each, to be redeemed in Ashwin's Shoppe. This will automatically be added to your recorded totals in the shoppe. Congratulations, and keep up the good RP!