|
|
Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 25, 2010 22:52:07 GMT -5
Oh well. Didn't get a raise out of him. What a shame. The deer mix shifted one her seat so she could lay down comfortably. The cat in her must have been able to take up more space, because some now somehow seemed to fill out the whole seat. Or perhaps it was just the awkwardly long legs combined with the fluffy tail.
She eyed the man curiously. If only she had proper hands. If only she were a proper adult. There was so much she could have done that would have frightened him. The very thought sent a true smile on her face.
One day she would achieve her goal. And that day was going to be soon in her eyes. "I suppose it is, but it runs in my family. My father had it, and my Aunt has something similar. You see, I'm related to Ophelia. I'm sure even a Highlander like yourself has heard of her."
This was going to be a long trip, wasn't it?
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Jan 26, 2010 8:33:31 GMT -5
Now that...was a different smile than he'd seen from Nerissa so far. The thought made Graeme wonder what was going through that adult mind while the little three year old body it was trapped in sprawled on the seat. It didn't bother him...after all, they were the only two people in the carraige, so they could take up as much space as they wanted. And since it was a long trip, they may as well get comfortable. The Duck himself, however, continued to sit in the same manner he had been.
His eyebrows went up as she spoke, confirming his recognition. "Oh yes, of course I've heard of Ophelia...a geneticist by trade, which I suppose explains the curious mutation. I've never dealt with her directly, but a few of my business associates have had dealings with her, and they all have nothing but good stories to tell. Well..." Graeme grinned a bit at some private joke. "Except for Stanley. But then, he tends to rub most people he meets the wrong way, so the fault obviously lay with him and not Ophelia." And Stanley had gone and suggested that Ophelia join the Courts and use her talents there and...well, apparently the Deer disliked politics even more than he did. Which made it interesting that a relative of hers was now apparently associated with the Court, but he figured there was just that innate desire to rebel in some children, no matter their age.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 30, 2010 22:49:40 GMT -5
The girl snorted and rolled her eyes without restraint. There was plenty she could say about that woman who was now her grandmother. She shifted in her seat to eye the man, up and down. He seemed more comfortable all of a sudden.
That was a damn shame. It had been so amusing when he was so flustered.
"You seem fairly normal," she said after a few long moments of nothing but sounds the carriage bouncing on the road. "But do you have an heir to your name? I haven't heard much about you and I'm curious. You seem so gentlemanly that you must have a lady love."
She was bored. He was there. She might get some useful information out of him for later. Black mail if she was lucky. Or perhaps she could actually use him to fund her experiments when she was "at an appropriate age."
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Jan 30, 2010 23:18:11 GMT -5
Graeme's eyes flickered with surprise at the question, and he eyed her curiously. He thought she was a little young to be asking--wait, what was he saying? She was young to do everything she was doing. He wondered, for a moment, why her asking about love struck him more oddly than her asking about poisons, but shook it off. Society must be rubbing off on him. They had strange notions about some of these things.
He regarded her for a moment, wondering why she had even asked. Perhaps she was just curious, but that seemed the sort of frivolous, idle topic that Nerissa might snort at. Something nagged at him; she must have another reason for asking about this particular subject. If she were another person at another time, the Duck might have suspected she had ulterior motives, as some of those did who asked him such questions about his love life and children--or lack thereof.
"No," he responded finally. "I've never really had time for such things," he said bluntly, though something flashed in his eyes, some memory...before he shook it off, pushing his spectacles up farther. He wasn't going to think about -her-, that bridge had long been burned, no matter whether he wished it or no. "As for heirs, I'm not so old yet as to need to worry about that." He wasn't as young as he used to be, true, but he certainly had plenty of active, money-making years ahead of him. Besides, children were...blech. He had little use for them. Too noisy, too demanding, and most of all too much extra money. He didn't let the fact that having dependents meant extra tax deductions blind him to the fact that children would cost far more money than they got him in return, at least while young. And there was always the chance that, as they aged and turned into -teenagers-, they'd get funny ideas about their inheritance and...no. Just not something he cared to deal with.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kari Muffin on Jan 31, 2010 2:47:19 GMT -5
Never had time? Ha. She doubted that one. From that brief look he had some time, he had just done something to screw it up. Of course he wasn't going to give her any room to pry into such things. What a pity. She laid her head down on he knees as she continued to eye the man up and down.
And he had no heirs. That was a damn shame, wasn't it? She couldn't help but mentally chuckle at the idea of him dropping dead with no one to inherit the possibly glorious fortune that he had. He seemed smart enough to have a will though, so perhaps all his bases were covered? Maybe she could snoop into the Highlanders business when she was bored again. If she established connections that would eventually lead to the seedier connections, which might end up leading to her ultimate goal.
"Everyone has to worry about that sort of thing unless they're my age," she commented with a smile.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Jan 31, 2010 11:48:44 GMT -5
Graeme had a head for business. He was no fool, especially when it came to money. Of course he had a will, and it was all safe and locked up where no one but the proper authorities and those he trusted deeply could ever get to it. He had also gone all out in buying it, having a mage actually work on it so that only he and he alone could ever alter what was written there. If he ever did have children (though he shuddered to think of it) or happen to love again (quite unlikely, but he wasn't going to completely discount the possibility), he could always change the document to reflect such. It had first been written when he was only thirty, as he knew even then that he led a rather dangerous life in some ways, and that he had so much money it would be foolish to let the banks or the Courts seize it all, should he meet with an unfortunate end. Not even his maid knew much about the will, other than that it existed. And she was even included in it.
He raised an eyebrow at the young girl. Coming from anyone just a bit older and a bit higher Ranked, he might consider that a threat. "I find worrying over the future does little to change it," he responded evasively, with a small smile. Let her chew on that one. He wasn't sure what her angle was now in going down this line of questioning, but he knew she must have one. Everything he'd seen of her this far confirmed his initial opinion that Nerissa was a very unique individual, very sly and cunning.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kari Muffin on Feb 6, 2010 20:50:23 GMT -5
She actually refrained from rolling her eyes at his comment. Of course worrying did nothing to change the future, it mostly just brought a person closer to their demise. But sitting on your ass in a carriage did nothing to change the future either. "I find that the future comes quicker than most people realize," she smiled back at him.
The trip was a long one. And it was nightfall when they finally arrived at the palace. Unless is residence was close to the Palace of Hearts, it would probably be best if he stayed the night. Of course he would be offered a room regardless.
The door opened, revealing the woman in the straight jacket. "Welcome to the Court of Hearts," she said cheerfully, moving to side. Nerissa hopped off her seat and slipped out of the door before the duck could make a move. She was more than ready to run and hide from the wrath that was going to be coming her way. Of course Peaches grabbed her by the back of the neck before she could get too far.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Feb 6, 2010 23:32:11 GMT -5
Graeme raised an eyebrow at Nerissa's return. Such an odd, wise statement to come out of the mouth of one so young, but then he needed to remind herself that she wasn't young, not really. He lowered his head slightly, orange-hued eyes staying on hers; he would grant her that point. He didn't think it had much to do with him needing to worry about heirs, though.
The Duck dozed during part of the trip, a very light sleep that was often disturbed by the carriage passing over an uneven part of the road, or a loud traveler passing by on the other side of the road. But the little sleep he did get helped him feel a bit better once they got to the Court, mellowing his mood somewhat, at least for the moment. At one point during the trip, his Corvie did manage to get in contact, and they chatted for the duration of the other's spell (about ten minutes). Graeme came away from that one feeling satisfied that his machine was getting the best care possible, and that the price was down even below what he'd consider a reasonable amount (but the other had insisted on not pushing it higher, and Graeme's conscience allowed him to accept graciously).
He was dozing again when they stopped, but the opening of the door woke him quickly, and he sat straight up, fumbling for his cane and blinking for a moment, disoriented. Then he smiled, bowing slightly to Peaches. "Thank ye kindly," he said, watching in amusement as the little Deer tried to sneak off. Making sure his top hat was firmly on his head, the Duck nimbly hopped down out of the carriage and gestured with a hand. "If you would be so kind as to lead the way."
|
|
|
|
Post by Kari Muffin on Feb 7, 2010 1:22:22 GMT -5
Peaches continued to hold on to the squirming cat deer as they walked to Xiven's office. Hopefully the woman would still be there and she wouldn't be doing anything... R rated. Peaches didn't feel like walking up to something like that while she had company and an angry demonic child.
It took a good deal of time to weave through the palace, and climb all of the stairs that eventually lead to Xiven's office. When they arrived, the woman in the straight jacket dropped the three year old and knocked on the door.
Being part cat was enough for Nerissa to land on her feet. Even if it was a rather loud clop.
Peaches poked her head in and briefly said something that McDuck wouldn't be able to hear. She then opened the door with a bright smirk. She nudged the three year old with her foot as she spoke. "The Queen is ready to see you, sir."
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Feb 7, 2010 11:04:24 GMT -5
The long walk didn't really bother Graeme; in fact it was rather refreshing after spending so long sitting in that carriage during the ride over. His cane was barely even needed, and he just absently swung it round or tapped it on the marble floors as they walked out of habit. It was obvious that he was in very good shape for a Card his age, not that he was actually all that old yet. The stairs likewise were barely a problem with how often he'd climbed mountains...though he was a bit out of breath by the end, and he winced a bit at himself, musing over just how long it had been since he'd had a proper adventure.
There just weren't as many hopefuls putting ads in the paper about funding and a guide for an expedition to retrieve a lost artifact, anymore!
He leaned on his cane for a moment outside the door, grateful for the moment to recollect his composure, and making sure he knew what he'd say to any questions the Queen was likely to ask him. His knees felt a little weak at the thought of actually being in the presence of THE Queen of Hearts, but he schooled his expression into one of polite interest, slightly disappointed he couldn't make out whatever words the woman had spoken through the door.
"Very well, thank you." With a glance at Nerissa, the Duck walked through the door, dropping to one knee in a low bow as soon as he caught even a glimpse of the Queen.
|
|
