lord redwald vannes (charismata) wrote in emillion, @ 2014-01-31 15:11:00 |
|
|||
Redwald Vannes hurriedly made his way through the streets of the Civic District, the collar of his dark coat pulled high around his throat. He wasn’t disguised—he was a man of many talents, but false-facing had always been one of his weaker skills—but the dissimilar way he carried himself made him unrecognizable. He was hunched over, shaving inches off his imposing height, and his usual lazy gait was replaced by quick, purposeful strides. His clothes were more modest, his hair was a messy shock of curls, and there was no tell-tale cigarette jutting from his mouth. The orator paid little attention to the men and women milling about the area, even the ones he vaguely recognized. Most of them were fellow nobles: coworkers of his father, parliament members alongside his uncle. A few were middle class civil workers, hurrying home after a long day of work. Red halted in place when he caught sight of a certain blonde, however, his pale eyes lighting up with amusement. He wouldn’t bother stopping if he was on his way to LeSait, but since his business in the District was wrapped up for the day… “What’s a mage like you doing in a place like this?” he asked, slipping back into his usual mannerisms as he sidled up to her. “Have you run into trouble with the law?” “Of course not,” she said, apparently unfussed by the need for her usual manners. Lex had turned around at the sound of such a familiar voice (and after all, who could possibly forget a dubious acquaintance such as him?), looking at first vaguely surprised—then slightly skeptical. Nevertheless, she wandered up to greet Redwald and examined his appearance thoroughly. It was quite a difference from when she last had the (mis?)fortune of running into such a character, and the details did not escape such an observant eye. Lex gazed up at him, wondering why he need be so bothersomely tall. “I have had entirely academic business here,” she offered, her hands kept inside her cloak as to ward off the winter chill. “And you, I wonder?” “Entirely academic business,” the orator echoed, the faintest trace of a smirk forming on his lips. “How boring.” And predictable, he mentally tacked on, but there was still something about the church mage that fascinated him. Her little dress up game at the last ball had only increased his interest in her, and Redwald took great pleasure in the fact that she would be extremely annoyed if she knew that was the case. Perhaps he would tell her. He gestured to one of the nearby buildings with a nod of his head. “My father works nearby. And my uncle, for that matter. I’m sure my brother is around here somewhere.” A cheeky smile blossomed onto Redwald’s face, and he began patting his pockets for his cigarette case. “But I thought a bright girl like you would know that already.” “And you’ve come here to wish them well, perhaps?” Her tone was disbelieving (after all, he had grown quite a habit for sounding less than approving of his relatives when publicly addressing the network). She held up her scarf over her chin, recalling how unpleasant the winter weather could be. Questioning the scoundrel before her presently, however, seemed to take a small bit of precedence over escaping into a warmer atmosphere. “Or are your obligations as a noble far greater than I assume? I do not recall previous mention of your own career.” Had he mentioned his own profession in a previous meeting, certainly, Lex thought, she would have recalled. Her sharp gaze lingered on Redwald for a moment before something else caught her eye, and she noticed with some interest as several pedestrians had now wandered past them cradling warm drinks in their hands. Were she more familiar with the current neighborhood, the mage might’ve recognized from where they were coming. “Oh, I’m very fond of my family,” he said innocently, regarding the mage with a false smile. Redwald followed the young woman’s gaze, his own interest piqued. Coffee—now there was an idea. As if own cue, his own body shuddered from the cold, and he hastily adjusted the collar of his coat, realizing with great dismay that he’d left his scarf back at LeSait. “But not so fond of the cold,” he continued, his face ruddy from the chill. “Grind House is only a half a block away, if you’d like to join me.” Lex rolled her eyes. She was perhaps not so very fond of his evasion and refusal to offer any manner of useful details (or, more accurately, having the tables suddenly turned on her in this instance). Redwald’s inability to offer any valuable clues as to his own business lead her to familiar suspicions as to what dubious activities he likely involved himself in. Eventually, the mage knew, she would discover the truth. But for now, there was the matter of whether or not she felt it appropriate to humor his presence any further. While a hot drink on a very brisk afternoon did sound to her liking, Lex was not entirely convinced that she wished to partake of such activities while in Redwald’s presence. He was irksome at the very least, and she couldn’t help but to look slightly suspicious at him. “We may walk together,” she eventually agreed (if only for the sake of convenience). After all, once he had lead her to the location of the Grind House, there was a chance that he might wander away to bother another, or that they might conveniently lose each other in a long queue. Lex nodded her head in confirmation and allowed Redwald to lead the way. “Unfortunately,” she admitted, “I am not yet familiar with this district.” “You aren’t missing out on much,” he said dryly, making a sweeping gesture to their surroundings as he walked. For once, his words sounded genuine (but it was always so hard to tell with Redwald Vannes). “Unless you’re a fan of old, utilitarian buildings and overly serious guards, it’s dreadfully boring.” He was being a bit too harsh on the architecture of the district; it wasn’t as ornate as the Nobles District, or even, say, the Grande Cathedral, buildings like the Royal Court had their own charm. The building had made a striking impression on him when he had visited as a child. “And exciting destinations like this one,” he said, once the two had come to a stop. The Grind, on the other hand, wasn’t very impressive at all. The small cafe he’d led Lex to was plain and cramped, and a queue of exhausted government employees could be spotted through the window. Lex gave the building’s architecture a moment of intrigued observation before making up her mind to go inside. Hand on the door handle, she turned back to her very brief and very temporary companion for the afternoon. Nobles were very peculiar in their behavior at times, she decided, and this man most especially. Why he was so intent on contradictions and vagueries seemed a strange mystery, but it was not one that she was yet of mind to dismiss entirely (that would be to concede that the effort to solve it was without any merits at all). “As opposed to the other locations you seem fond of? The Snuggly Duckling, perhaps?” She gave Redwald a curious look and went inside the building, taking a place at the end of the queue. It was, Lex considered, a rather serious atmosphere, imposed most certainly by the employees in front of her who seemed intent on maintaining a severe mood throughout. Quite different indeed than places elsewhere in the city Lex visited, including a variety of cozy bakeries and coffee shops. “Quite informative,” she murmured, though it was difficult to tell whether she referred to Redwald or the shop. As cramped and uncomfortable as the cafe was, it was warm, and the aroma of coffee was thick in the air. That alone was enough to improve Redwald’s opinion of the place, though he still had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes at the grave patrons in the queue. “Are you always this inquisitive?” he wondered, unable to suppress the laughter in his voice. “You must be a hit at a parties.” Grinning, the orator pitched his voice higher in order to do a poor impression of her: “I find myself curious about your hopes, dreams, and aspirations. Study, magic, textbooks, magic, et cetera, et cetera.” Lex afforded him a severe look in response, which might’ve looked comical to any other audience aside from those currently watching them. As it were, the dour patrons of this particular establishment hardly did more than cluck their tongues or momentarily raise an eyebrow. “The entertainment of others is certainly no priority of mine,” she said, attempting to keep her voice low. “Especially yours.” Feeling a renewed sense of agitation, Lex turned to face the counter and perhaps to ignore Redwald’s nonsense altogether (even though, by necessity of the queue, he remained quite close behind her). Fortunately enough, while the atmosphere found itself somewhat lacking, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, and much more interestingly, a glass display of fresh pastries were enough to distract her. “Regardless, I am grateful to have been guided here,” she said under her breath. Lex began to dig around in her jacket in search of her coinpurse, feeling no especial cause to mention that she had intended to travel to this district more often. Rather taken aback by Lex’s—well, he supposed it was as much of an outburst as he’d ever see from her, Redwald suddenly found himself without a witty retort to fire back. He was silent for a moment, his expression similar to that of a chastised schoolboy. The orator’s eyes widened when he saw her searching for her purse, and he promptly pulled out his own wallet. “I apologize for any offense, Lex,” he said quietly, firmly. “Your coffee and—” he glanced between the mage and the pastry display before smiling, “—snacks are on me.” It was an earnest gesture, and his attempt to make up for any hurt feelings. Glancing up at the clearly very bored barista, he offered her a charming smile. “We’ll have double of whatever my friend here wants.” Lex had always been prone to sympathy and forgiveness (a downfall of her Pharist upbringing perhaps), and as such, she found herself unable to turn Redwald away and disregard his sudden gesture of kindness. Standing now side-by-side at the counter, the mage responded by politely ordering both coffee and pastry for herself and...well, she doubted that she would go so far as to call them friends, but he was a steadily growing acquaintance of hers nevertheless. Once the barista worker moved around behind the counter and returned with a small tray, and everything had suitably been paid for, Lex took their identical orders in hand and wondered where she might attempt to sit with him. She held back a sigh (at herself, for hadn’t she intended on sitting alone?) and tried to find a suitable table. “This way,” she gestured, leading Redwald around the shop. Apology accepted, or so it seemed. Instantly relieved, Redwald let himself be led around the cafe, ignoring the curious glances thrown in their direction. Lex wasn’t a well-known figure around these parts, but Lord Vannes was—news of him publicly fraternizing with yet another young woman would reach his mother’s ears by nightfall. He vaguely considered telling Lex there was a chance her name might pop up in the rumor mill, but thought better of it. It didn’t like the sort of thing that would scare her off, but one could never be too sure. Lex led them to a small table in the back corner, and there was a lapse in conversation as they settled into their seats. A genuine smile lazily spread across his face as leaned an elbow on the table between them, resting his chin in his palm. His plan to hurry back to the Noble District was long forgotten. “So,” he began, “what other inquiries do you have for me?” |