lord redwald vannes (charismata) wrote in emillion, |
It was an obvious jest, of course. Red didn't claim to have very many skills (wait, no, that wasn't true, either), but if there was one thing he was good at, it was charming women. “Just think,” Ari said, “between your talent and my beauty, we would be an unstoppable force, you and I. The poor ladies wouldn’t stand a chance. We ought to team up sometime.” This was a jest too, of course, but an amusing scenario to contemplate nonetheless. “I would invite you to go out on the town with me and attempt it, just to see how well we do, but alas, per our previous conversation about our mothers and how they were very likely separated at birth, this is bound to have some unpleasant consequences.” The orator snorted into his glass. "Valid point, sweetheart." This evening's unfortunate announcement had inspired his mother to buckle down on finding a suitable prospect for her youngest son. He had no idea where Lady Vannes was at the moment, though he suspected she was glaring daggers at him for wasting his time on a bard rather than Lady Redwood or one of her giggling friends. Redwald paused for a moment, considering. "Well, if teaming up is out of order, then maybe a wager is in order." “A wager? More gambler than stage magician after all.” She sipped at her wine and smiled. “All right, sir, I’ll bite. What are we wagering, exactly?” "It's simple enough: we find a woman that cuts both ways and see which one of us can seduce her first." Redwald finished off the the last of his wine and set the empty glass down on the table behind them. "The bard versus the orator. What say you, Arielle?" Ari gave him a bemused look as she finished off her own glass of wine. He was obviously bored -- and she hardly wagered on this sort of thing normally -- but why not? In the end, it seemed harmless enough. “Well then, provided she has no title and has no notable history with either of us, all right, I’m game. Though I don’t intend to use my bardic talents on her, really, now. I would hope you don’t need to persuade women into your bed either, darling. What are the terms?” "Let's keep it simple, shall we? How about…" Red trailed off, glancing around their immediate surrounding for some inspiration. His eyes landed on a the tray of a passing waiter. "Ah. How about a bottle of the finest Ordalian wine you can get your hands on?” “Ah, alcohol -- incentive enough to make a genuine effort. I prefer Château Médoc, for the record,” she told him. “Have you someone in mind already?” she asked curiously. “If not, I can offer a couple likely candidates. There’s a rather pretty new bartender at The Spoony Bard who might be just right,” she mused. “I was contemplating getting to know her anyway.” And considering how absurdly slow things were going with Aspel, could anyone really blame her for scratching the itch? "I haven't had the pleasure of meeting her yet," he admitted, eyes glancing around for another server. Redwald's mood was on the upswing, but he still desperately wanted to be good and smashed before the end of the evening. "But if you say she's pretty, then I'll take your word for it. And I do love getting friendly with bartenders." The orator flagged down a rather hurried looking bartender and took another two glasses of wine. He handed one to Ari with a devious smile. "Well, well. Do we have a deal?" “I don’t think you’ll have cause to question my taste,” Ari replied with a sly smile. She took the offered glass and clinked it against his to seal the bargain. “Deal.” |