You should know for whom the bell tolls.

[Anonymous]

What a dreadfully chilly place.

Getting here had been a harrowing experience, through the mountains of all things! If he had known that he had to go through the mountains to get here, he most certainly wouldn't have come. Of course by the time he made it to the foot of the mountain range, and the guide told him how long it would be to go around, well the mountains had seemed like a good idea. Little did he know what the mountains would entail. First of all, it had been cold. Really cold. Dragons had it easy considering they were cold blooded and could survive in such places. The damned lizards. Then it had been wet. If the cold hadn't been unforgivable enough, then there was wet everywhere!

It was just lucky that he had the ability to encase himself in fire. His guide wasn't too happy about having to hold his clothes, or follow a naked man on fire through the mountains...but his clothes were expensive, and there was no way he was going to be cold. Not when he didn't have to.

In retrospect he could have just bought clothes that were thicker and able to retain heat, but no one had told him it would be cold and wet! Really, he was the victim in all this. Sure, he probably should have asked, but he shouldn't have had to. People should have told him what to expect.

The now clothed man was walking through La'marri with a certain righteous indignation to him. His now unemployed guide had dared to speak his mind about the vain and flighty man, and it had set him in quite a mood. The brilliantly red hair man looked somewhat flustered, annoyed, angry, and wanted to just...explode at anything. He was a strange looking creature, eyes of an eagle, two tufts of feathery hair on either side of his head, brilliant orange, white, and red plumage falling from his shoulder like an elegant feathered cape. How dare his guide tell him that he had no right to be so entitled. He was a phoenixus! He had the voice, and the body of an angel. The stupid guide had nothing! Trailing behind him, his tail fluttered gently in the wind, the four long feathers were each a different colour, each seemed to move like ribbons.

He was dressed in rather fine clothes, a brilliant long sleeved doublet of noble reds and gold with white frills around the cuffs. A black leather belt with silver buckle around his midsection, and white leggings to show off his athletically trimmed legs. And of course, the nice black leather boots upon his feet. He wore no weapon, but that was only because he didn't need weapons, he had magic after all, and his body was a weapon in some way too.

He was feeling grouchy, and against his better judgment he decided to go into a tavern. A drink would do nicely to calm his nerves. The tavern was thankfully well lit, he'd heard stories of dark taverns and that was not for him. He was much to noble for that sort of thing. He ordered himself an ale, and to much to the surprise of most people watching, he began to deposit what looked like dirty rocks into the ale. They were of course, precious gems he had rolled in spices, but to most they just looked like dirty rocks. He was hungry after all, he hadn't eaten in a few weeks, so it was good to replenish himself. He was quick to finish his drink, 'rocks' and all, knowing that some people might want to look closely. He was quite opposed to that, as he knew that a lot of people found it odd that he would EAT precious stones.

On more than one occasion someone had tried to rob him after discovering the man had a stash of rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and sapphires on his person just to EAT and not to spend. Savages, taking a man's dinner like that.

As he ordered another ale, paying with a few copper, he cast a glance around the tavern. His mood was still foul, but it was improving slightly. This town wasn't growing on him though. It had been cold and wet to get here, and he was not having any of that!

[Anonymous]

She hissed.

She hated this town. Cold, wet, and perverts at every corner. She figured, of all the places in the world, why would she have problems here. But, alas, she heard shrewd remarks as she walked from the inn she was staying at. She shot the man a glare and pulled her thick robe tighter around her waist. Normally she would have appreciated the 'subtle' ego boost, but today was not a good day. She couldn't pin point the exact reason, though she felt it had something to do with the fact that she had not found a suitable...mate lately. Yes there were the occasional wolf whistles, but as if she would let herself be seen with scum like that. She needed to do something to keep herself entertained. Anything.

As she walked along, she tried her best to ignore the attention she was attracting. Ok, so it was kind of inevitable. She was going to have people notice her. How often does beauty nearly comparable to aphrodite come around and walk amoung mortals. Even with a thick robe around her body, one could see her figure, her bust, her backside, and her irresistable curves. In the city, she would have flaunted the fact that she had a body like that, but unfortunately the cold weather kept her from doing anything too extreme. That was probably another factor to her mood. The attention was growing sour and she needed to get out of the street and into some place darker.

She grimaced once more at the world around her before disappearing into a nearby tavern. To her disappointment, it was well-lit, still enough light for people to see her. She turned to leave when she heard a voice call to her. She groaned and turned, catching the eye of a slightly above average looking bartender offering her a free drink. She smirked and strutted back over to the bar, taking the warm drink happily. The man winked a her and excused himself to tend to another customer.  She sipped the drink and was instantly warmed. Ok, so sometimes unwanted attention had its perks.

She glanced around the tavern to look for anyone worth her time. There were your average Joes and your below average shmoes. Joy. Horrible weather, horrible atmosphere and nothing interesting to look at. She turned back to her drink, but her eye fell upon something completely out of the ordinary. She did a double take to see a man that...she was pretty sure was not human. She tilted her as she examined him closer. Feathers. Bright red hair. A tail. She raised an eyebrow, curious about what this...thing was. She grabbed her drink and made her way over to the man and sat down right next to him. Her eyes scanned the room once more before going back to the man.

Up close he was even more interesting. His hair looked almost feathery soft, a real temptation for her. But she kept her hands to herself. When she examined him more, her eyes travelled over the multicolored feathers on his shoulders. She collected herself so she wouldn't reach out and 'accidentally' run her hand across the feathers. She put on a kind and gentle smile. "Lovely weather, huh?" she said, with heavy sarcasm in her voice. She took another sip of her drink, allowing it to warm her further. What an interesting turn of events.

[Anonymous]

A beauty!

Maybe not a true beauty like himself, but then again who really was? She was good though, he'd admit that for sure. Very good in fact. Alright so she might have been up there with him, but definitely not on par. No, he'd never be able to admit that. However, she seemed like she was in quite the sour mood, just like him! He watched her carefully as he drank his ale, looking at her from the corner of his eye. After all, he didn't want to seem like he was staring, he had to play it casually. She probably was one of those girls who knew they looked good. He knew he looked good, it was just a damn shame that most of the professions in the world were occupied by heterosexual males that he couldn't seduce.

Such was life though.

He felt as if he was being stared at now though. Not that it was unusual to be stared at, people stared at him wherever he went. He loved the attention of course, so he didn't mind that he was being stared at. He just wondered who it was that had decided to observe him so carefully. It wasn't until she sat down next to him he realized the culprit was none other than the robe laden curvy girl who had entered the tavern. Most men would wonder just what was under that robe, the inevitably inviting and sexy body that she had...but he on the other hand wondered what she used to give her skin such a silky look.

He had good skin as well, nice and soft, and warm as ever. Though he was always looking for ways to make it better, though he doubted that were possible. You couldn't improve upon perfection now could you?

He sat up slightly straighter and gave his head a small shake to fluff himself up a bit. He was a bird on the inside technically, and when you were in the presence of a female, you had to look like the best choice. That wasn't hard of course. His feathered cape flattened slightly and took on a slightly more brilliant shine to it, just to draw the eye toward him more. This was, in his mind, flirting really, and in a way it was. Just not too many people who hadn't studied ornithological mating habits in depth really knew it was.

And then she spoke to him.

"If you're referring to the cold and the wet, then no." Though she had the sarcasm in her voice, Caronus had a rather devilish little idea in his head. He turned toward her, placing his cup upon the bar counter. "If you meant however the atmosphere of beauty and loveliness now that you're here, then yes, it is absolutely perfect weather." And to seal the deal with a charming little smirk of a smile, an eyebrow raised slightly in a seductive manner, and the whole little flirt was completed.

This trip could actually turn out to be somewhat worthwhile.

[Anonymous]

He really was magnificent. Maybe not in the way a human was magnificent, but very much the way a bird was when you saw it from afar. Majestic almost, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't take her eyes from his silky soft feathers. Her hands twitched at the thought of touching them, simply wanting to feel them in her hands. No, she would behave herself for now, at least until she knew whether or not this was all worth the effort. But even when she sat down, she noticed the small acts he did. They were strange, inhuman, but effective. Her eyes went from his fluffy hair to the shiny feathers on his back and she almost purred happily. Such a magnificent creature.
 
She had her own ways of 'flirting'. She shook her hair, allowing the subtle scent of vanilla to encircle her and the area near to her. She also adjusted the way she sat, crossing her legs and opening the robe slightly to expose more skin than had previously been seen. She fluttered her eyelashes and cocked her head slightly to the side as she talked to him. His tactics may have been subtle, but hers were just as effective. Or at least that's what she hoped.

But he didn't even look at her, not really at least. He would occasionally glance in her direction, as if to acknowledge she was there, but it didn't seem like he much cared that she was there. She was a bit taken aback by this fact and she was just about to call it quits, but then he spoke back to her. It brightened her mood, but only slightly. Clearly this man didn't get sarcasm. She grew sour. Yea, go ahead and get her hopes up for nothing. He should just be happy she graced him with her presence. She tried hard to keep her face kind, but the circumstances were not helping her in the least.

He spoke again, and she was a bit surprised and confused by his response. Her expression faltered and showed how little she was expecting his answer. She knew what he said was true, but still. After a moment of surprise, she was able to collect herself back to her original self. The feeling was mutual, and she loved it. The smirk was a nice touch. She had to applaud him: the man knew what he was doing. The fluff, the voice, the smirk, it all worked perfectly to his advantage.  

She took another sip of her drink and turned back to him. "I am flattered that a man such as yourself would say something like that to a woman like me." The words were a near purr as she spoke to him. She could only pray her techniques were working as well on him as his were on her. She leaned towards him and smirked. "And...,"she moved closer ,"judging by your reaction to the other question, I am going to assume you are either not from here or you are waiting to get out." She couldn't blame him, the weather was horrendous and she was just waiting for the excuse to leave as well. Then again, she could be completely wrong...but honestly, who in their right mind enjoyed this weather. Especially when they looked like him.

She straightened up a bit when the overly animated bar tender came by and asked if she would like a refill. He seemed so eager to please. To bad she had her eyes on someone else. "No thank you, sir," she said with a smile and a wink. His trance seemed to break and the animation was replaced by a slightly defeated look. The disappointed man stared at her for a moment longer before hesitantly going back to other customers. Cosette turned back to the feathered man, giving him her complete attention. "My name is Cosette. Cosette Anastasie. And what may I call you, kind sir?"

[Anonymous]

She definitely wasn't normal.

There was something about this woman that intrigued him...but he wouldn't say that out loud. No. This was flirtation, enticement, and seduction. He could tell by the hungry look he glanced in her eyes, that she wanted him, and he couldn't fault her for that. She was just like any other that gazed upon him. That made him glow all the more, literally too. A faint glow was being cast from his skin, but in the well lit tavern it would look as if his skin has a healthy sort of shine to it. It was all part of him trying to make himself look more appealing to the prospective partner before him. She was definitely prospective.

And she was returning the flirtations then? He could see her doing her own fluffing of sorts, trying to make her look more appealing. It was nice to know that she was trying, that she, like him, was vain. Her posture was provocative too, but he wasn't going to fall for her that easily. How would it look if he were to just give in so fast? That wouldn't do at all! He'd look easy, as if he had no self control, as if he just gave in to every pretty face. He'd look like he wasn't in control of himself. He'd look...like a human in heat.

They didn't go into heat, but from all the Half-humans he had seen, you'd think that they did.

This one might have been something more though. She had a gentle vanilla smell wafting from her. It wasn't the best smell in the world, but he was biased. He liked spices. Cinnamon would have been nice too, pepper, perhaps even ginger, but the vanilla wasn't unwelcome. Besides, humanoids seemed to get so touchy when you wanted to lick spices off of them, especially if they irritated the skin a little. Hmph.

He could tell that his first response hadn't garnished the best reaction from her, but that was just for humour and for the set up. What he said next was what drew them in. He was a singer after all, he knew emotions, and got good at reading people. Were they happy? Were they sad? Disappointed? Irritated? Ungrateful? He had to know what people were feeing after all.

It had worked too, she was hooked.

She was good too...the purr of her voice was silky and velvety, it caressed his ears. She was so close too, that scent from her was starting to grow on him. Probably because after today he'd be smelling like vanilla. It was going to be very...very nice. "Just waiting for something of impeccable beauty like yourself to help me forget this town." He replied smoothly, his lips turning to a small grin as he took a deep breath, inhaling that scent. Yeah, it was growing on him for sure. He couldn't feel her heat, but he was sure that she'd feel his. After all, he was practically radiating now. His plumage was shining, his tail feathers were slowly raining golden and silver sparkles from them, and he just had an aura about him altogether. One of power.

He pointedly ignored the bartender, and would curse the man for interrupting him so. Did he not see that they were busy? She shot the bartender down and was back to him. For that moment they had been interrupted, his effects had disappeared, but now that her eyes were back to him, once more he was back in full phoenix glow.  "I am Caronus Aurum of Arca..." He started, reaching up to her jaw-line and stroking along one side with the back of his hand. "And I must know Cosette, what would an angel be doing here amongst the mortals? Should you not be in the dreams of men, inspiring artists and causing maidens to cry with your visage?" From any other, it might be corny, but Caronus...no, it was poetry.

[Anonymous]

Neither of them were by any means normal.

They both had something everyone else envied. She had her impeccable looks, a beauty not often seen among mortals. She carried herself with confidence and could melt most men into putty with one glance in their directions. Some people just glared, wishing, even if for a moment, that they could be her, see what it was like to have eyes follow them wherever they went. Most people were just awestruck. Of course there was an infinite number of reasons people envied her, but one must attempt to keep themselves modest, even if they were her.

But this man, he had all that and more. He had a beauty in a different way, a more exotic one. His glow, his eyes, they attracted others to him, to his beauty, but what held people was what they saw once they were hooked. He had power, and it was obvious. And when one neared him, they could almost feel the power radiating from him. They could sense the confidence, and something more that she couldn't quite put her finger on. He was different, and that was what was so intriguing.

Cosette loved the fact that they had both come together, two beautiful people in a place that...well, wasn't so beautiful. Because they were both here together, more eyes were on her than ever before. She tried not to notice too much; she didn't want Caronus to think her rude, but she could sense the attention. How beautiful a feeling it was when you knew there were people who wanted you, even when they know they can't have you.

She gave a small, seductive smile at his next remark and she felt her heart speed up slightly. Those were definitely words she liked to hear. She could make him forget the town, the mountains, the sky, the entire world if he so pleased. She could make him feel what he wanted...what he needed to feel. It would be easy, and it would keep him around, begging for more.

But that was for later. She had to focus on the now and make sure she didn't spoil anything. She forced herself to keep her attention on him. After all, she didn't want her attempts to go to waste, especially with a man as different as the one before her. The bartender, a minor disruption, and she could tell for a split moment that the disruption upset Caronus. Was he the jealous type, or simply one like herself, discouraged when attention was taken away? A curious thought.

Then he reached up and touched her jaw-line, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. His hand was both soft and warm against her skin. His words made the blush a bit more apparent. He was good at this. She took a breath to bring herself somewhat back to reality. "I am a traveler, constantly looking for new places with exotic food, clothing and...people." She smirked as her eyes looked over Caronus. " I made my way to this...charming little town and for some reason I just couldn't leave. Now I know why." She reached out and touched his forearm, shocked at the warmth coming from his skin. "And what about you? What brings you to this wonderfully dreary town, Sir Caronus?"

[Anonymous]

The attention was extraordinary really.

If he could, he'd feed on that instead of spices and gems. It was so palpable right now, it was thick in the air. All the eyes of the world were upon him, and upon her as well. Whatever wandering eyes he didn't attract, she surely had captured them. Though it was hard to imagine anyone's attention he didn't have, he could in this situation considering the particular partner that was beside him. The woman had all she needed to be almost like he was, after all he was one of a kind! Still, they made a truly excellent pair.

He only wondered if she felt that craving for attention. If she could feel each set of eyes upon them, and if she revelled in them like he did. As a phoenix descendant and a singer, he really did crave the attention, he really did wish for people to pay attention to nothing but him. But with the gorgeous blond beside him, he honestly didn't mind sharing it. She deserved to have the spotlight as well, and for very obvious reasons.

Oh yes, she could have some of the attention that was there too.

Jealousy wasn't beyond Caronus, he was a fickle creature and a temperamental one at that. He was, in all truth, a bit of a diva. Things had to go his way, he had to be very pleased for him to do things that he didn't enjoy. Of course, when they wanted him to sing he still played the part of a stuck up diva, because he was bestowing such a wonderful thing on the common folk. In the case of the bartender, it was more of annoyance than anything. Here, a gnat had just come buzzing by to distract them, and it was unforgivable. Well. Not completely, the man did scurry off like the beetle he was. That was a good start.

Another good start was seeing the radiant blush creep onto the lovely Cosette. Her little comment about meeting exotic people could only make the elegant man smirk. He looked even more pleased when she said that he was the reason she couldn't leave, as if fate had done this. Of course, that was silly, but it still made him glow all the more. "Mm, I came here because I was promised there would be many new things that I hadn't seen before. That it was such an interesting town. I've found it cold, wet, and boring right up until this point. Now it's actually interesting and worthwhile to stay in."