Ari ♫ ♪ ♬ (gracenotes) wrote in emillion, |
Aspel shifted as Ari began work on the lock as to block out any potential onlookers’ view. It wasn’t as if this was the first time someone had picked a lock in front of her. However, the sudden flashback to her days with the Guard left her posturing stiffening for a moment - much more solider like - before the memory of where she was arose once again. “Perhaps I could call the locksmith that installed my new locks for him.” A passive comment, not much thought given to it one way or another, nor was her tone of voice out of the norm, or body language aside from the minor twitch towards a militaristic stance. Though at the new proposal of a game, an eyebrow quirked, the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. “A game, you say?” A beat. “And I had thought we were more the sort for that than him.” Aspel would let Ari go first, stepping in after the other woman, closing the door, and locking it behind her before the basket would be set on… Well… Whatever seemed easiest in the moment at hand. “Where would you advise we begin?” “Drake likes games plenty,” Ari said, turning on the lights and striding into the (seemingly empty) apartment. “Room by room, I think.” They quickly explored the living room and kitchen, then peeked into the bathroom (no one behind the shower curtain) and then the bedroom with its perfectly made bed and a book on the nightstand. Ari threw open the door of the closet and raised both eyebrows at the “innocuous” pile of blankets on the otherwise pristine floor. “You know, Drakey,” she said to the blanket, “this would be a great deal more inconspicuous if your apartment wasn’t freakishly neat -- you wouldn’t ever throw a blanket on the floor.” When she reached and tugged, the somewhat rumpled form of the monk was revealed, as expected. “Quite the ninja impression you’ve done there,” she said, struggling not to laugh. Drake glared up that the two - and of course Aspel was with Ari - of them and sighed. “You know,” he said standing up and taking the blanket away from Ari, “I really need to get a more complicated lock.” The blanket was quickly folded and placed back on the top shelf in the closet. “I’m pretty sure I told you I wanted a quiet Festival of Lions?” “A lock shall not save you.” The words were quite stern in their own regards. Honestly, Aspel knew this better than anyone with how many times she’d… Well. That was a different life now though. “May I inquire as to what leads you to believe you can not have a quiet evening with the two of us here?” A brow rose, the faintest hint of a smile beginning to show. “We even brought supplies for the appeasement various appetites.” And she’d just leave that to be taken however anyone wanted. The closet door was closed and he turned to face his two… whatever they even where. He really didn’t need to think about this either. “A new lock will save me,” he countered. “For a day. Maybe two. And I never said it couldn’t be quiet with you guys. I just.” The sentence trailed off and he shrugged. “I wanted to sleep.” And he was going to ignore Aspel’s comments about appetites. “Wanted to sleep in the closet?” Ari asked. It was tempting to laugh again, but under the feigned grumpiness, Drake did look tired… and sad. So she stepped over to him, ignoring his obvious annoyance as she kissed him lightly on the cheek, and said, “I will wager you have not eaten. So before you go looking for a locksmith to give me a new challenge, why don’t you come out of this closet and join us in the living room? For a little while at least. There’s a salad with your name on it.” She gave him a knowing look and added, “I made them put in extra blueberries. Then, once you’ve eaten, if you choose to kick us out so you can sleep -- hopefully in bed -- we can discuss it.” No promises of leaving would be made, naturally. |