lord redwald vannes (charismata) wrote in emillion, @ 2013-11-24 12:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !log, arielle chiaro, redwald vannes |
Who: Redwald Vannes, Ari Chiaro, + NPC.
What: A bet.
Where: Mostly The Spoony Bard in the Theatre District.
When: Throughout first two weeks of November.
Rating: PG-13
Status: Complete!
The wine was fragrant and sweet-smelling, with a hint of honey and not nearly strong enough for Redwald’s tastes. But the orator thought it paired well with the company of one lovely brunette bartender. He pressed the glass to his lips and watched the woman as placed a couple tankards in front of a burly pair of men down the bar. When her attention turned back to him, he pulled out the most charming grin in his arsenal. The woman regarded him with an amused smile. “Now you look like trouble. Waiting for someone?” Redwald shook his head. “No, I’m here all by my lonesome tonight. But it’s hard to be in low spirits when my present company is so… promising.” “Oh?” the woman asked, brows raised. She glanced back at the men down the bar before her mouth quirked into a smirk. “I’ll be sure to let the gentlemen know you’re interested.” The orator opened his mouth to protest, but the bartender was already sauntering over to the other end of the bar. Damn. Still, there were perks to watching the woman from behind—he would really have to commend Arielle on her taste. She was in the middle of a show, which meant she shouldn’t be drinking, but, well, anything for a wager, after all. Besides, she could nurse one glass of wine for a good long while, and tonight, her aim wasn’t getting a buzz. No, she thought, the corners of her lips turning up in a small smile as she watched the bartender pour the wine, her expression that of a woman with a secret, the drinking wasn’t the point of this evening at all. “A pretty girl, sitting lonely at the bar -- should I be worried?” She had a nice voice, Ari thought. Low, just a bit husky. It suited her strong face and confident bearing. She flirted easily and harmlessly with all the patrons; Ari set her elbow on the bar and her chin in her hand and flirted just as easily back. “Oh,” she said, meeting the bartender’s eyes, holding her gaze just a fraction too long for friendly comfort, “I was just waiting for the right sort of company, that’s all.” “Now, you’ve watched me shuffle the deck,” he explained carefully, gesturing toward face down card on the bar. “I’ve picked a card at random and I’m hoping it’s the card you picked out earlier, but you never know.” The bartender watched him carefully as he turned the card over. “Queen of Hearts. Very good.” “You had the Queen of Hearts?” he asked, his voice tinged with a note of very convincing feigned surprise. “It’s fitting.” “I bet,” the woman replied, her expression one of light-hearted skepticism. “And how many girls fall for that one?” The teasing wasn’t a discouragement, though. The bartender was attracted to him, that much was clear. It was evident in the way she angled her body toward him, the way her gaze lingered while he spoke. Red wasn’t very subtle about his intentions, either. “A few. But I’m not trying to win you over with the lines,” he replied with a wink, shuffling the deck of cards with the dexterity of a Gambler. “It’s simply my way of showing off how good I am with my hands.” The bartender rolled her eyes as she tried and failed to suppress a laugh. “Oh, is that what it is? Well, your little demonstration has been noted for future reference.” Red’s eyes were bright as he swapped the deck of cards for his cigarette case. “I’m glad to hear it.” “So the next thing I know, I’m stranded here, sans skystone. What are you going to do?” She shrugged her shoulders. “They told me they could use the help for however long I stayed, and I do make a mean drink.” Ari smiled up at her and said, “You also know how to chat up the patrons, which is a point very much in your favor.” Her laugh was like her voice -- a bit husky and quite pleasant to the ears. “Some bartender I’d be if I just glared and shoved beer in people’s faces. It’d be a waste of perfectly lovely company, in this case.” She leaned forward, hands resting on the bar, close enough to speak quietly despite the energetic dance tune being played by the fiddler on the the dais in the corner. “I like stories,” she said. “Most people have one.” “Some of us,” Ari said, “have several. Maybe I should tell you one or two, sometime. But first,” she said, leaning in still further so that she could lower her voice to a conspiratorial murmur, “a much more important question: you make a mean drink and know how to listen, but tell me… can you dance?” She was rewarded with another laugh. “That depends -- which variety are we talking?” Ari’s smile widened and she said, “Let’s try the vertical variety -- for now. Take a break,” she added. “Dance with me.” “For now, is it?” But the other woman was already dragging her hair back into a messy tail and coming around the bar. Ari gave her a look full of frank appreciation and said, quite truthfully, “I am considering it.” “No, you’re right, I haven’t had a ‘proper’ tour of the city. But I haven’t really needed one so far,” she said with a shrug. “I know how to get to where I need to be and if I don’t? I’m a fast learner.” “Are you now?” Redwald leaned forward, eyeing her curiously. “Oh, don’t start,” she chided, but she was laughing as she poured him another glass of wine. “You should at least let me show you my place. It’s not that far.” Redwald held the brunette’s gaze with a look that promised her a very good time if she took him up on his invitation. “Tempting offer. But I’m afraid I’m closing tonight.” “You don’t think I’m willing to wait around a few hours for you?” “Not tonight,” she replied in a tone that let him know she wouldn’t be swayed. “But I’m working again in a couple nights. Come see me then.” “A couple nights,” he repeated, schooling away the brief crestfallen expression that had flickered across his face. Then, with a wicked grin: “I’m willing to wait a couple nights.” “I am beginning to suspect that you’ve an interest in more than my wine-pouring skills.” Ari laughed. “Caught on to that, have you? As I told you, I have been considering it.” “Oh?” The other woman quirked a brow at her and said, “Tell me more.” “I am considering,” Ari said lightly, “that it is a bit cold tonight, and -- silly me -- I seem to have forgotten my cloak. Whatever shall I do?” Her expression was all false innocence. “If I lend you mine, you’re going to have to take responsibility for warming me up after, you know.” “I feel as though this is something I could live with,” Ari said. “Why don’t you call it a night here, and we can get to the warming faster?” There was only a moment of consideration before the other woman told her, “Let me get that cloak, then.” Redwald looked around the bar. The only bartender in sight was a wiry man with black hair and glasses. “Where’s—” The bartender took one look at the orator and gave him a sympathetic smile. “Ah, you just missed her. She’s left for the evening.” “She left? Where? When?” There was a beat, then: “With who?” “Close to an hour ago, I want to say. Caught the eye of some pretty young thing, Faram bless her.” The look on Redwald’s face could’ve sent chills up the spine of the most hardened corsair. “So,” Ari said, slipping into the booth across from her guildmate, her expression smug, “I do believe you owe me a bottle of wine, sir.” “Well done, Ms. Chiaro,” the orator drawled, dipping his head in a small bow. Redwald was not known to be a gracious loser (he was a sore loser through and through), but he seemed intent on retaining some dignity. “I’ll see that you get your wine, don’t worry.” There was a pause as he tapped his fingers on the side of his glass. “So. You’ve spent an evening with her. Is she still worth pursuing?” “It was,” Ari said with some relish, “a very satisfying evening.” She did like to win, which made an already enjoyable victory even sweeter. Though in the end, her desire to scratch the itch hadn’t worked out quite as well as she’d anticipated... “I will wish you luck if you intend to keep trying -- I’ve no doubt you wouldn’t consider the result a waste of time.” Redwald slowly reclined back in his seat. “Of course I’ll keep trying,” he shot back, his tone a bit crispier than usual. So much for being a gracious loser. “The two of us had an arrangement. You swooped in on a night promised to me.” Realizing how petulant he was beginning to sound, he took a sip of his drink. No wine tonight—he needed something much stronger after such a defeat. Ari couldn't help a bemused little laugh at the obvious petulance. "Oh dear," she said, "I was unaware that we had a schedule. How dreadfully inconsiderate of me. Should I say something here about our esteemed guild and its tendency to always play by rules?" she mused. One couldn't leave such an opening unanswered, after all. "But really, darling," she finished with a small shake of her head, "I was only answering your question about the worth of further pursuit." “I am glad to hear it,” Red replied with a small smile, his voice losing some of its edge. “You know I love a good pursuit. This was… fun.” Aside from the fact that he lost, of course, but that was neither here nor there. "It was, wasn't it?" Ari said. "We ought to do it again sometime, if the opportunity arises. But for now, I won't leave you to drink alone." She raised a hand to summon a waiter; no more wine for her, but she could keep him company just as well with something milder. After all, one ought to toast the completion of a good game. |