The Storm [M][DragonSong]

[Lowen Thorn]

Alone at last.

It probably wouldn't be wise to try to sneak out of the room from inside the house, so he needed another option. Luckily, there was a window in the room, albeit a rather small window. That would do, despite being on the second story of the house. He would worry about how he would return later, if he returned at all.

The storm was not stopping, but that was not something he could help any longer. He would need to press on.

Quickly, he removed the clothes his hosts provided for him, and slipped back into the now mildly wet clothes from before.

As he began to open the window, he thought of Iliah. She was kind, and genuine. It was a nice change of pace when in the guise of Theodore. If he wasn't to return, he would certainly miss her in a way.

But it couldn't be helped.

[DragonSong]

"Psst."

From the doorway, Ilia hissed to their fleeing guest. "I wouldn't. You'll make Papa angry." She seemed to be holding the door open without quite touching it, a soft blue light pulsing from her fingertips. How exactly she'd gotten there without being noticed was difficult to fathom.

She glanced over her shoulder down the hall. "Look, if you go out the window the seal will break anyway, and he'll wake up. And I don't know how long I can keep this up." She nodded toward her handing, it ndicating that "this" must be whatever she was doing with the door.

[Lowen Thorn]

His eyes shot open wide at the sound of her voice. He was caught. Peering over his shoulder at the girl, he noticed the woman holding the door open using some sort of magic or another.

He stood there silent as the woman spoke, still a bit stunned. Seal? Oh, the man must have sealed the door earlier. Why didn't he consider that? Being in Connlaoth, that wasn't something that anyone would really need to consider, he thought.

"Ilia..." he said quietly, but stopped from saying anything else.

Without another moment of hesitation, he tip-toed over and slipped through the open doorway.

[DragonSong]

"Smart move," Ilia murmured. There were tight lines of concentration around her mouth and eyes. Slowly, carefully, she let the door slide closed.

The moment the latch clicked, the seal flared back to life for a moment, then faded again.

"Now then." The lady turned to eye her guest, arms folded. "It seems neither of us has been exactly honest with the other," she noted with an arched brow.

[Lowen Thorn]

For the first time that night, Lola grew a little tense, feeling he was at a disadvantage. He thought about denying the woman's claims, but what was the point? She said it herself, she wasn't been honest either.

A noble girl lying to a man who lied his way to nobility. For something so ironic, it only made him feel like he could trust her more.. if only just a little.

"Clever girl," he said with in a whisper. "But should we really be talking about this here?"

[DragonSong]

Her lips curved up. "Clever man," she retorted quietly. "No, we probably shouldn't. Come on."

She slipped passed him down the hall, Twyla suddenly appearing at her heels, and beckoned for him to follow. "We can take the back stairs down into the kitchen."

[Lowen Thorn]

Lola followed the woman eagerly to the stairs in the back, and then down into the kitchen.

"I suspected you had your secrets too," he said with a muffled tone and curious eyes. "Will this be a good place to talk?"

[DragonSong]

"It'll do, for now." Ilia boosted herself up onto the table in the center of the modest, though immaculately clean, kitchen. She tilted her head at "Theodore", quirking an eyebrow. "Let's start with names, shall we? I assume you didn't give your real one."

[Lowen Thorn]

At the time, Lola didn't really know what to think. This girl clearly had him figured out, at least to the extent that he was no who he said he was. On his better judgement, he would typically label someone like her a threat, but something about the whole affair was just... fascinating.

"Clever girl," he said one more time, this time his rich, color, guise of an accent dropping completely. "You're right, that's not my name. How did you figure me out?"

[DragonSong]

Ilia smirked and reached into the front of her dressing gown, pulling a small amulet from under her collar. It was simple enough, a pendant with a red gem in the middle, engravings around the edge, on a silver chain.

"Detects deceit," she told him, holding it out for him to get a better look if he wanted. "Nothing too drastic, mind. It warms up if someone's being less than truthful. The bigger the lie, the hotter it gets."

[Lowen Thorn]

Lola's eyes twinkled at the little pendant with genuine fascination. "I see," he said slowly, eyeing it up and down. "I'm shocked you didn't get overheated then, me being in the room and all."

His eyes lingered on the pendant for a few more moments before they shot back up to the woman. "I'm Lola, by the way. Damien Lola," he finally introduced. "So, if you knew I was lying, why did you not out me to your father? I assume he doesn't know."

[DragonSong]

“He suspects something,” she replied with a shrug as she let the pendant slip back beneath her dressing gown. "But no, he’s not certain.” Another shrug. “And I didn’t tell him because he’d likely have ripped your throat out first and asked questions later. And I knew you didn’t really pose much threat, so that seemed a waste.”

[Lowen Thorn]

The man almost choked, but pulled himself together quickly enough.

"Well.. he certainly could have tried", he said cautiously. "But thanks. And you're right. I have nothing against the two of you, nor do I mean you any harm."

He stopped for a moment and his eyes slowly traveled down her neck until they reached the top of her gown. "Hey..." he said in a whisper. "Mind if I take another look at your pendant?"

[DragonSong]

Ilia raised one eyebrow delicately and smirked. "Is it the pendant you want to see?" she jabbed softly, nodding toward where his eyes rested pointedly.

She made it clear she was joking, though, pulling the pendant up above the collar of her night dress again, letting her dressing down slip down off her shoulders. She held it in her palm, offering it up for a closer look.

[Lowen Thorn]

Despite the obvious joke, Lola's cheeks grew a slight shade of red. Quickly, to deter the attention off of that, he placed his hand on top of hers to conceal the gem between both of their palms. "My name is Theodore Alcott, and I am of Noble birth," he lied.

His eyes widened, mostly out of fascination, as the pendant grew warmer in temperature. She definitely wasn't lying.

"Neat little toy," he said softly, looking back to her. "So what is it that you haven't been telling me?"

[DragonSong]

Ilai stared at him in silence for a few moments, debating. Slowly, she laid her hand on top of his, keeping his palm pressed to the amulet.

"Varyyn Amaranth isn't my biological father," she said quietly. "He's my guardian. My protector."

The pendant remained cool. It couldn't detect lies by omission, and every word she'd spoken was true.

[Lowen Thorn]

The man's brow furrowed at her response. Not her biological father? Well, she certainly wasn't lying - unless the pendant itself was some sort of cheap parlor trick in itself; but that was something he highly doubted.

"Protector?" he asked quizzically. "What is protecting you from, Ilia?"

[DragonSong]

She considered out to answer that for a few moments. "Pretty much anything that wants to harm me," she settled for after a moment, shrugging. "He...found me as a baby. And he just-- I don't know. Took a liking to me, I guess."

[Lowen Thorn]

The man's hand remained on the pendant through her answer. There was no change in temperature, though her reply struck him as a bit odd. Took a liking to her? Perhaps, but there was more to it than that.

Deciding to press on, he kept his palm firmly on the gem and said, "But that's not the whole truth. Right?"

[DragonSong]

Ilia chuckled quietly. "No, it's not."

She didn't say anything more, a playful half smile tugging at her lips.