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Kadri;

"Aye. That I could."

She said quietly.

"Of course ..."

A small smile played at her lips.

"He is not the only one who is trouble."

Cesare

Once he finishes eating, an arm slips comfortably around Darian, not that he can draw her in much closer but he does try. His other arm stretches out for his ale, fingers wrapping just as comfortably around that.

Nothing much wrong with life right now, he has everything he wants.. except perhaps for some extra money.. and maybe laying a few ghosts to rest.. but what will be, will be. He is in no rush to upset the apple cart too soon.

Mikal

Once he has a gauge of Bekkah's dancing skills, he loosens up a little bit, smiling at the music and singing, knowing how shocked many of the more traditionally staid and reserved people are to see a jvrillian, who are normally extremely deferential to Lady's of Attera, being so..., well so familiar with one.

At a break between versus, he actually lifts Bekkah up and flips her over his hip, exposing more than a bit of leg as her skirts flare. He pulls her back to him and chuckles as they move into a more reserved step.

"Do not think I will not be back to calling you 'Lady' upon Her rising. Today those traditions are set aside, for others."

He leads her into a twirl, winking at the gaping crowd and reflecting once again on the advantages of being a loner.

Bekkah

She'd been brought up simply, outside of the 'normal' beliefs of what was proper and what wasn't. So her dancing with Mikal seemed perfectly acceptable to her. In fact she was thoroughly enjoying it. When he lifted her off her feet, she squealed in delight, smile growing even brighter. This was about having fun, nothing else and she was enjoying every second of it.

"If you must." she said with a wink when he said he'd be returning back to normal.

"At least today, I get to be Bekkah once again." she said with another pretty smile as she twirled beside him, skirts flowing outward.

Daxia

“Oh, Dominic,” Daxia said as she properly, befitting a representative of Dawnview and her Khorall, allowed herself to be escorted to the commons by the young Korie Lord, “from the delightful tales I’ve heard of Father and Brother — to say nothing of Brother’s Wife! By the Lady, what could you possibly have been thinking? Oh, no, never mind, I’m sure I don’t want to know — your charm and wit make it difficult to believe you are the son of your father.”

She laughed at his glance at Kadri and his subsequent comment. “You are a rogue, Dominic Dominie, but a delightful one. And I think you are doing Kadri a world of good... and I don’t just mean leading her brothers on a merry chase from here to there and there to here. Why, I do believe it’s possible she’s thinking of foxy ways to amuse your Lady.

“And she’s smiling.”

The Dayalan smiled herself as she joined in the country dance, nearly as light on her feet as her sister, and equally happy to be enjoying the opportunity to set aside all worries and cares — if only for part of a day — and just enjoy being a young woman celebrating Midwinters. Granted, she was a young woman with a sword, a fact that seemed to intimidate many men, but she did have friends... and surely not all the men would be afraid to dance with her.

“What do you think, Dom Dominie? Will a Dayalan dancing with a Korie lord, while his dear lady wife watches from afar, cause as much of a stir as the Atteran Priestess dancing with the Jvrillian? Not that the Squire seems to be paying much attention at all.”

Daxia chuckled as Dominic twirled her out and back again. “I’ll be sure to mention in my next letter to the Heir what an excellent dancer you are.”

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Afternoon
Midwinters Day

Daxia, Darian, Cesare, Bekkah, Mikal, Dean, Kadri, Romana, Dominic Domine Korie and Harry Mohlkavin

"Trouble?"

Harry cast Kadri a wary glance.

"You have traveled from Cragside to Bordertown in a caravan where the gals outnumber the guys two to one.

"You have attracted the attention of disgraced Imperials, Eastern lords, the Thing, Michael's Dark Mark, various and sundry Guildmasters and Imperials, managed to impress half of the Bordertown Jvrillian troops and thoroughly annoy the other half ...

"And have managed to live to celebrate Midwinters."

"Missus Korie, you are a lot of trouble."

Beside him Romana sat up, straight, shook her shoulders and pronounced,

"Romanas lotsa of troubles!"

She then blinks,peeks up past the edge of her hood and hurriedly questioned.

" ... lotsa something, always betters, yes?"

On the dance floor, Dommie blinked. started and drew himself up - well as up as he could as he and the Dayalan spun across the commons.

"What was I thinking! Why is it always I who must be thinking! Maybe it was her! A lady, in a strange city, strange keep, about to be married to a man she had never met before ... isn't it all gentlemanly and proper to offer comfort and companionship to a lost soul ...

"I mean, she barely knew my esteemed sibling ..."

He then paused, blinked, and sighed.

"Well maybe a little ...

"Perhaps more than a little ... maybe enough to have some feeling ... some inkling of a hint ..."

The short lord sighed and chuffed out a sharp teasing return.

"Who am I kidding. She can't stand him.

"Nor he her ...

"I hear that up in Brandreth's they are running even odds on which one will have a series of unfortunate events first."

Daxia being the taller, when it called for it, it was Dominic who nimbly spun beneath her rather than the other way around.

"Where's my box when I need it?"

He then cast a glance over his shoulder.

"That's true ...

"That's a nice smile ...

"Almost makes one wish it wasn't a sunset dance.

"And as for a rapscallion dancing with you?

"You have a hard decision ahead of you.

"The moment this song ends I suspect someone will ask to cut in."

Dominic smiled brightly.

"You forget ...

"Our adopted aunt dances here come Midsummers. Do you think she only dances with Harry and Garrick and I? She's been known to drag a cute young guy off the benches to share a bransle or pavane.

"Don't count the fact that she is almost as pretty and dances almost as well as your Heir ...

"Would YOU say no to Captain Dandelion Alyssa Koromov?"

Kadri;

"I doubt most of the Jvrillians in Bordertown personally pay little old Kadri much mind one way or another. My arms holds not a long sword such as Dazi, nor a strong bow such as Darian. I doubt, on the whole, that I would be one to impress them - what I do well is not what they would be looking for, anyhow. Perhaps annoyance, if they have noted me at all."

She grins widely.

"And there are people in the world, oh captain - most people actually, who need to be annoyed from their comfort now and again. Sha. What makes anyone think I am of any danger to anyone anyway?"

A wider grin.

"I'm harmless. Mostly. Kind of."

A pause.

"In a way."

Cesare

He chuckles softly and replies to Harry.

"Well speaking as one of the male minority, I can honestly say - 'never a dull moment!'"

He takes another drink of ale.

"And despite all that you have said, I suspect many might envy us males in such beautiful company."

His squeeze on Darian's waist say silently that he includes her in that description.

Daxia

“Not that I think either of them will be immune to unfortunate events,” Daxia said brightly, “but from rumors heard, interesting things learned, and the barest knowledge of the families in question, if I were one to bet — and, of course, I am not — my coin would say Brother ought to carefully tread and be wary of gifts presented to him by his lovely bride.

“It would be wise for them to show the world how desperately they adore and revere one another, as I’m sure Father in your very small village and Father in her speck of a farm would hope, as well. But I do wonder, Dominie, as Brother to one and Dear Friend to the other... can you say that they are that wise?”

The minstrels were far from amateurs, as they continued their attempts at outdoing one another with verse after verse, some of which caused the fire-haired Dayalan to giggle, others caused her to laugh along with the other patrons.

“Ah, Dom Dom Dominie! No sane man would say no to my Sister Dandy,” she responded to Dominic’s last question. “Even if she was not almost as pretty and danced almost as well as my Heir — which she almost is, and I’m sure almost does — and even if one did not notice her sword and spurs, it is her very presence one cannot ignore.

“No, my dear Dominic... I think it would be difficult for nearly anyone to say no to Captain Koromov. Why, I hear even Priestess Kassia merely throws things at her,” she said with a wink.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Late Afternoon
Midwinters Day

Daxia, Darian, Cesare, Bekkah, Mikal, Dean, Kadri, Romana, Dominic Domine Korie and Harry Mohlkavin

"May you live in interesting times ..."

Harry leaned back against the hearth, chuckling to himself.

"When I was growing up, my Mother, who never spoke an ill word to anyone, no matter how vile or badly they treated her, would, however, every now and then, offer that as a parting blessing.

"To be fair, she'd give it to her friends also, but somehow I think it meant something very different depending upon wo she was speaking to."

"Mostly, kind of ..."

Mohlkavin crossed his arms as his attention slipped back to kadri, giving her a measuring glance.

"I have been in this town long enough to realize that it is exactly the mostly, kind of that you should worry for most. Take Stoneshield; always walking around in his hauberk and greaves. You can hear him coming five houses down and when he draws up to you, he , like me, is usually bedecked in our armory, bearing our troop colors. And you know he's not just a sworder, but an important one.

"It usually takes two or three looks to realize that a certain frail looking farmgirl with the kind smile has a sword hanging from her belt and that beneath her floor length skirts the Koromov wears boots and spurs."

He then points to the others,

"The Rhoni have trustability issues, a snarkhound is the sigil of a Hunter, red hair means Dawnview Vale ... Imperial colors are only worn by Imperials ...

"But you two ..."

He nods to Kadri, and then to Romana.

Romana just blinks, looks up, and gives the mercenary leader a sweet, confused, innocent look.

"You two are the ones everyone won't be looking at.

"And that's a very powerful type of mostly, type of kind of."

He then chuckled,

"And him ... he flips that coin over. Watch him dance with the Allaine-kin. If everyone is watching him, that's because that's exactly what he wants them to do. And if that's happening ... then you can bet your last crown he's the last thing you should be looking at!"

On the common loor, it was indeed Dominic that was catching all the looks, from the ladies who wished they were the ones he was dancing to the guys who were getting annoyed at how all the ladies were watching him instead of them!

"Not wise ... not wise at all, would be my call on that."

But Dominic continued, after leading the Dayalan into a rather bold and skirt flaring spin.

" ... but they are cunning. And that should be enough to make one lose sleep at night. She will be hobbled by her very skirts ... as he will be hobbled by the chains that necessarily bind the two Families together.

"It will be an interesting spring, I suspect, when the Frontier Keeps lose their foul weather ally and the light of your Lady makes the passes into Kierkegaard and the Vale passable again."

He then laughed and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially.

"I always made sureI showed up in my best tunics, that I always had a wildflower - never the same one - and that I was on my most polite, honorable and most friendliest behavior.

"Confused the bloody hell out of Her, I did."

Cesare

**Trustability issues? Well that's a fairly polite way of saying it!**

His only response is a low chuckle but his thoughts continue in a diverted direction, thinking that actually this group of people do seem to trust him, or at least haven't treated him in the same way as many folk do. And he kind of likes it. Has become much less of a loner. But he must be sure not to lose his edge.

[OOC Thanks for the update! I always welcome some IC chat time but some folks haven't posted much - I know Ividia has been swamped - and that does affect the rest of us. ]

Good to go. Mikal just needs to pick up his shield with the newly painted device upon it in the morning on the way out. Although, I, for one, am uncertain if all the pcs are leaving together, or leaving at all. Mikal himself hasn't made up his mind what he's doing, and during the festivities there's little time for serious talking.

Good point. Not sure it has even been mentioned.

[ooc: Mea culpa, swamped, yes, but good as it means income. As for the Hunter, she only knows that she wants to be away before being inside the walls poisons her. She has no particular direction in mind. PS. I LOVE The Wind and The Lion.]

Daxia

The red haired Dayalan sighed and a faraway sort of smile crossed her features.

“Oh, to see such a sight as the dear Priestess confused! That alone would be worth a handful of days of water fetching!”


[OOC: Dazi has a Thing To Do, part of which is to escort the famous Lady Bekkah to Talantal. Long range, there’s the Sea of Opals that must be seen!

Also, just as it’s been a bad month for Wolves, Kels have been faring even worse. If there are times going forward that I appear to be ignoring HWD, it is only that I am going through the (to be expected) Very Bad Days. I apologize in advance, and I will eventually be able to respond to posts. As I have today! I just ask the GM not to toss us into a melee until I can assure both myself and the GM that my posting has returned to “normal.” (It is not “normal” now, just as an fyi.)]

(OOC - OK, on Wolf's suggestion I will take some liberties....)

Mikal

After dancing with Bekkah for some time, he calls a break and returns to his seat to finish his drink. He compliments Bekkah on her dancing, with a smile and a bow.

At a slow moment in the evening, towards midnight, he finds Daxia sitting quietly and motions to her to join him on the porch outside.

Once they have moved out of the noise and hubbub of the common room he looks at Daxia, saying, "Our contract ends at midnight. I have found it to be acceptable, from my end, Hopefully you have found it the same from yours?"

Bekkah

"Thank you Mikal. It was so nice to be treated like a woman and just relax. So much more fun than being treated like a relic." she said giving him a beautiful smile.

She took her seat and looked around the place, wondering if anyone else would be brave enough to dance with her.

Ooc: Kadri, minus giving a certain gift to Daxia, is good. S next time she is in the same place as Daxia, I can take care of that.

Daxia

She followed Mikal outside, gazing up at her Sisters in the night sky before he spoke.

“Acceptable?” Daxia pondered for a moment before answering. “I would say, from my end, it has been more than acceptable. Even when I did not follow your recommendations as my second, your words caused me to think outside and beyond the training I received in Dawnview.

“And on a number of occasions, your unexpected humor lightened my spirits,” she said with a smile.

“So, yes... I would say to your Lord Jvrill that you fulfilled your contract admirably and with honor.”

Daxia studied Mikal for a moment, then asked, “Have you made plans for the morrow and beyond?”

Mikal

He nods, pleased by her comments.

"Nothing firm." He replies. "Ever since I left home I have tended to drift from place to place. I take on contracts with small villages mostly, helping where I can. I avoid places like this", he sweeps his hand out and around, "as much as possible, although sometimes I am forced to winter here or Bordertown if I get caught up in weather."

He pauses, glancing up at the night sky. "I must say, I like your custom of the stars being your sword-sisters", he barely stumbles over the word. "It must be comforting to be able to see them each night watching over you."

"Anyway, I have no firm plans. Tell me yours, if you don't mind. Perhaps our paths may yet continue in the same direction for a time."