ser armstead of gwaren (armstead) wrote in thedas, @ 2010-10-10 20:44:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! thread, & before 9:45, @ lillie tharelle, @ talfryn armstead |
Who: Talfryn Armstead & Lillie Tharelle
Where: The Pearl, Denerim
When: Evening. Autumn, 9:27 Dragon
Summary: Talfryn goes to visit his beloved in Denerim with a plan, and is kept company while he waits by another young woman.
Rating: T. It's a brothel, but this is a surprisingly chaste conversation.
Were it not for the blustering winds howling in the streets of Denerim, Ser Talfryn Armstead would not have been in such a hurry to reach his destination. It was as if nature itself was thrusting him forward into the den of perversity, much as he hated to associate the term with the woman who found employment in its walls. He was good at living in denial, but even he had to admit that the object of his affections was not truly as pure as the driven snow. The activities she had engaged in, before and even after they'd met nearly a year to the day, made him blush just at the thought. And simmer with jealousy, at times. Even so, he was hopelessly enamored with her in every way, and because of her, he was drawn to the house of indecent behaviors every time he set foot in this city. He pushed his way into the entrance hall of the building, shivering slightly underneath his cloak as he went from chilly to nearly boiling. The fireplace before the main room of the brothel crackled loudly, though not nearly as loud as the din at the bar. Talfryn rubbed his hands together, surveying the empty waiting space, save for the one grim-looking fellow who stood watch behind the counter. The knight was no small man himself -- six feet even, and sturdily built as the son of farmstock often was -- but the bouncer was larger in both height and girth, and fittingly intimidating for his line of work. He glowered from his station, but made no move, and Talfryn simply smiled and nodded at him pleasantly. The man grunted back in acknowledgment, and that small gesture was as polite as he could probably get. Talfryn slipped his gloves off and pocketed them in his satchel as he crossed the threshold into the barroom. It was practically filled from corner to corner with men and women alike, though it was easy to tell who were the patrons and who were the servers. That it was a busy night for the establishment didn't come as any surprise -- the Landsmeet was to convene in five days time, and all of the noble families, their guards, and their soldiers who came to town for the event were not infrequent patrons of The Pearl. With that fact in mind, he kept his head low and tried to find a table to himself. It was not that others of his rank or above would judge him for coming here -- after all, it was his superior who had dragged him the first time -- it was that he judged himself for it. He was not a lecherous man, though his frequent visits whenever the Brylands traveled to the capital may have given him that appearance. Soon enough (if he could manage his nerve to go through with his plans, anyway), that impression would be corrected. To his satisfaction, Talfryn had gone unnoticed for at least a handful of minutes before anyone recognized him. It was the proprietor herself, who led a couple of sufficiently soused young men past the door to the back rooms after pairing them up with two of her...well, at least they looked like girls from this angle, but Talfryn had heard bawdy stories of people being 'surprised'. Seeing his face, she lit up brightly and made a beeline directly to his table. "Why, if it isn't our dashing knight in shining armor!" she teased sweetly, though it still made his already rosy cheeks blush brighter, "Welcome back, honey. What can I get for you, tonight, hmm?" He cleared his throat, fidgeting at the sudden attention, "Hello, Madam Sanga." Talfryn paused, feeling suddenly anxious to discuss his arrangements and intentions with anyone else, even though he knew she was very discreet. How else would her business have survived so well and so long? He got over his apprehension quickly, "I...have an appointment, actually. I'm afraid I am a little early, though, so--" Sanga cut in quickly, waving at him dismissively, "Oh, the usual, right." The madam turned her head to scan the room, already aware of where the lady in question was supposed to be at that moment, though it was worth double-checking. Not seeing her, Sanga looked back down at him, smiling and voice dripping with saccharine, "She's...with another client at the moment, but I'll let her know that you're here and not to keep you waiting when his time's up." It was obvious by the delicate manner in which she'd phrased Lucrezia's absence that the woman was very well aware of his attachment to her employee. Whether this was because Luci proudly made it known to the other girls and reciprocated his sentiments, or if it was because Sanga was simply good at keeping tabs on her girls, he didn't know, but a part of him hoped for the former reason for the madam's coddling. She patted him on the arm, "Do you need a drink to warm you up?" But the woman spoke so quickly that Talfryn hardly had a chance to think of responding, "It's not ne--" "It's cold out there," she decided for him. "I'll send someone over, take your order and keep you company while you wait." And with that, she was bustling away again, stopping briefly to exchange a word with the barkeep, before disappearing into the crowds again. Talfryn sat back in his chair, feeling both bored and nervous all at once as he practiced the speech he'd been working on for at least a month now. |