Chloë du Gard picks pockets (slightofhands) wrote in emillion, @ 2014-03-03 18:50:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !log, arielle chiaro, chloë du gard |
Who: Chloë & Ari
What: Chloë runs into Ari, then sticks around for some chatting.
Where: Streets of Emillion
When: Pieces 12 (March 2) [backdated]
Rating: PG, Fairly harmless.
Status: Complete.
Chloë had already snatched three coin purses before she stopped to grab a small bag of chocolates from Hadisham. Having a sweet tooth came with a need to satisfy it, and Hadisham had the best chocolate, better than any of the Valendian chocolates that the old ladies at the orphanage ever shared. She plucked a small round morsel from the bag and popped it into her mouth, the chocolate melting against her tongue and bringing a large smile to her lips. It was just another day in Emillion but there was nothing wrong with enjoying the small pleasures in life. Chocolate being one of the best ways to do that. The skirts of her dress barely avoided the street and to any other person, she was just a woman enjoying a bag of chocolates. However, Chloë was never really sitting back and enjoying things. Her ears were perked as she was in an area that was exceptionally good for some gossip. Rumors floating about every which way, she feigned disinterest, but in reality she hoped to hear something particularly juicy. Gossip happened to be a particular vice for Chloë. She loved it so much, loved to speculate and talk, to try to figure out what was the truth or better yet, where these scandals might lead. So far she heard and saw little to draw her particular interest, but the day was young, and she still had a bag of chocolates to enjoy. A familiar face walked past her and Chloë immediately perked up. "Ari," she said to draw the other woman's attention, "Where are you off to?" Ari turned at the sound of the familiar voice, smiling when she recognized the face that went along with it. “Chloë! Now there’s a surprise. I haven’t seen much of you lately.” Granted, she hadn’t seen much of anyone lately, and with Romulus and Juliana rehearsals about to commence, it would only get worse. The life of the (slightly insane) professional artist -- what could one do? She fell into step next to the other woman, reaching for the bag of chocolates before belatedly making a halfhearted try at asking for permission: “I do hope you’re sharing; it would be too cruel to wave these in my face if not.” "You know me, I'm rarely in the same place at the same time," Chloë returned with a slight shrug of her shoulders and another chocolate in her mouth. As Ari reached for the bag, Chloë instinctively went to draw it away, before pausing at Ari's question. She gave it a thought and then held the bag of chocolates out for the bard to take a few. There were likely too many for Chloë to eat on her own, at least too many for her to eat without making herself ill in the process. As Ari collected some chocolates, Chloë asked, "Where are you off to? More practicing? Or are you finally allowed some free time?" She knew of Ari's rising star and how in demand she became over the past year or so, and so she also knew that with that came Ari's schedule much busier. The same with Audrey going public about who she really was. Now that was juicy gossip! “Ah, footloose and fancy free, how I do envy you,” Ari said lightly. “I shall have to console myself with chocolate.” She selected a few of the candies, popping one immediately in her mouth. The flavor did a great deal for her mood. “As a matter of fact, this afternoon, I am needed nowhere.” She offered an overly dramatic sigh before bemoaning: “It is ever such a burden to be always in demand.” She wouldn’t change it for the world, but then, she suspected Chloë knew that. “Just shopping today.” She grinned. “Wedding presents. The best sort of thing to buy -- for other people. I intend to find the most ridiculous thing possible.” After all, the marriage would be a sham -- shouldn’t the gift match the occasion? “Suggestions? I stopped at a shop where I’d recently seen a purple teddy printed with yellow chocobos -- I wish I were joking, but no, I’d only hoped I could find a matching pair of briefs -- but miraculously, they appear to have sold the hideous thing. The hunt continues.” "Don't try that with me, Ari, you're enjoying every minute of it. All that hard work paying off," Chloë laughed and shook her head. Chloë didn't consider herself a performer of any sort, though she did get gussied up for when she helped Rhys with his illusionist show. All she had to do was smile and let him perform his illusions, and she received a modest payment from it. Chloë gave Ari a sideways look, "Wedding presents?" Oh, that certainly piqued her interest and Chloë's eyes narrowed as she questioned, "Ari, what do you know that I do not that requires a wedding present?" She thought herself in the know of much of the gossip and this was something new. The way Ari said it too made Chloë feel as though she should know and that, it itself, made her all the more eager to find out what was going on. Oh, how Chloë loved some good gossip! “Ah,” Ari said, her smile turning sly, “I see I am more well-informed today than you had anticipated. Shall I tell you, or shall I let you guess?” It was no contest, of course: “I think I shall make you guess,” the bard announced. “Three guesses, and a clue: it’s someone you know.” With that, she settled into eating the chocolates she still held, anticipating a merry time of watching Chloë attempt to puzzle it out. Really, it was all very sudden; she had no doubt that almost no one knew yet (though she suspected the engagement party invitations would be out soon enough, and wouldn’t that be an uproar worth watching?). “Well?” She should have known that Ari would not hand the information over so easily. But half the fun of a rumor with missing information was filling it in. Though right now it was just a guessing game, and she was now going to obtain some interesting tidbit, possibly before it made its way through the rumor mill. Chloë did love being in the know before anyone else. "Oh, that's not fair," Chloë said though there was a smirk on her face. Who, who, who? She took a piece of chocolate and instead of tossing the whole thing into her mouth, she nibbled on it thoughtfully. Ari wouldn't buy herself her own wedding gift, so that tossed that out into the bin. She questioned, "Rhys?" But only because Rhys might have ended up tangled up in some sort of mad sort of scheme where he was engaged. Or maybe she just associated it with him because it was Rhys and he was seldom without the company of a woman. She then paused, "No, not him. That doesn't count as a guess." “Now that’s not fair,” Ari chided. “That does count as a guess, darling, but you are incorrect -- or rather, if he has managed to get himself engaged, then I don’t know about it either.” She laughed. “I must admit i would not be entirely surprised by the development. Now I shall have to ask him the next time we meet whether he has any secret plans for matrimony.” Still smiling, she urged, “Guess again.” Chloë chuckled, "Knowing him, he'd likely end up bamboozled into a wedding and not even realize there are impending nuptials waiting for him." But it wasn't Rhys, and she was down to two guesses. She needed to think a little more. She pressed her lips together tightly and she placed the chocolate in and allowed it to melt. Who on earth was engaged that she might know of? Recalling the more recent rumors that floated about in a crowd, she made her second guess. "Cian and Loch?" she asked with eyebrows raising high. Oh, would that make for an interesting pair! She had her doubts, but they were the only ones she knew of that might next fit. Otherwise, she was out another guess and now had a much smaller group of people to contemplate. Such as Darius, Juliette, and Audrey...no...it wouldn't be Audrey, would it? “I should make that count for two guesses,” Ari chided before making a face. “Those two? They’d certainly deserve each other.” Not that she and Cian had parted on bad terms, necessarily, and it had been fun in its way. But the way the man had spun up Aud… and Loch, well, Loch. It was very stupid to trust Loch with anything (Miles seemed to be the exception to this rule). For a moment, she amused herself by imagining their offspring, no doubt with the worst qualities of both. Something out of a horror tale, surely. “But again, no. And considering they both probably sleep with one eye open, I’m going to say that if it were them, I’d be shocked.” She took a moment to think -- she didn’t want the game to end yet -- before graciously offering: “One more, since I’m so nice. Go on, think a little… closer to home, hmm?” Closer to home? Chloë gave Ari a strange look and that sneaking suspicion rose up again. She opened her mouth only to close it, then opened it again and then paused. "It isn't…." she trailed off and then she chewed on the inside of her cheek before she made her final guess. "Is isn't Audrey, is it?" because that was be insane! The last time that the rumors floated around about her, it was linking her name with Lavtiz fon Amell and no, it wasn't…but who could it be? Had something happened with Darius, as rumor had it, since Chloë knew that Cormac had reattached himself to his former, no longer dead fiancée. Not that Cormac really liked anyone other than— "But who?" because she was sure it was Audrey now, "Who is she engaged to?" “In this case,” Ari said with great satisfaction, “I believe you ought to call her Lady Alys, don’t you think?” Aud’s troubles with her inheritance were known among her friends; if she was getting married quickly, it did not take much thought to figure out why. “She is to be engaged -- invitations to the formal party forthcoming, I am certain -- to the esteemed Lord Basil Norwood.” Come to think of it, she wasn’t certain she had ever seen Chloë around Miles; best to leave that tidbit alone in case she wasn’t aware of the alias. “There now, aren’t you surprised?” "I'll never get into the habit of calling her Lady Alys," Chloë retorted, "Though I know I should." What a shock that was when it came about. Not that it made Chloë look at her friend differently, but perhaps that was a problem in itself. But it wasn't like she was going to approach Audrey in that manner in public, she did understand the transitions that Audrey had to deal with, though she had no personal experience with them. Her brow furrowed and she contemplated it for a brief moment over another chocolate, "Well, that is something of a surprise. I expect the whole world will find out soon enough though. I suppose now comes the part where I hunt dear Lady Alys down and pluck all the details out of her as soon as possible." Chloë loved to listen and hear gossip, but if Audrey did make her swear to secrecy, she would. Even if her alliances were flimsy, she knew when to keep her mouth shut. She held the chocolates out for Ari to take a few more pieces should she wish. "I never do, except when she does something particularly... noble." Ari wrinkled her nose; marrying for money was certainly that. She couldn't fully blame Aud for it, but the idea was utterly abhorrent to her for all of that. Thank Faram it wasn't a real marriage. She took a few more pieces of the chocolate -- only a fool turned down free candy, in Ari's opinion -- and said, "I daresay Vivi has her locked up with planners and dressmakers, but you can certainly try. And Chloë," she warned, "this is all fun and games for us, but don't talk to just anyone about it until the official invitations for the engagement party are out, all right? The last thing either of us need is to get on Vivi's bad side." Behind her, as always, lingered the shadow of the guildmaster. Ah, nobility. Despite how much Chloë loved to talk about them, she had no desire or inclination to be one of them. She enjoyed living in the background, made it far more entertaining for her and life was blessedly simple in that respect. At the mention of Vivi, it was Chloë's turn to wrinkle her nose, "Well, at least she'll be dressed well and now drowning in ruffles and frills." Not that Chloë hated those things, but in excess it would make Audrey look like a clown, not a lady of any sort. "Fine, fine, my lips are sealed," Chloë said, "I don't think anyone in their right mind wants to get on Vivi's bad side. It's not good for one's health." She gave a fake shudder and then broke into a smile. Oh, what fun this would become when it finally came to light. Such fun. |