Books Are All the Rage

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Davishire flashed her a grin and lightly tapped his tea cup to hers.
"To books... and queens," he said, nodding towards her before drawing the tea to his lips then set down his finished cup with a sigh.
"So what else does Miss Treyburn like to do in such a city? I heard there's a lovely display of Connlaothian antiquities being shown at the Grand Hall. I don't suppose that would be of any interest to you? I heard they have a series of antique guns being on display- and even some samples of the crude beginnings of our black powder we use for them and our canons."

[zozee9]

At the mention of guns and cannons, Illi's eyes lit up. "Really?!" she exclaimed. "You'd take me?" Her big brother and her sister and... well, just about her entire family seemed to love weapons. So whenever they went out to go see a display, Illi stayed home. Not because she didn't love the things (though she certainly wasn't as into them as some of her other siblings), but because she never seemed to be able to actually see the weapons with her siblings all flocked around them. And viewing them alone never seemed like it would be much fun.

So a chance such as this was one Illi had longed for yet never expected. "I'd love to!"

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To say Davishire was taken by surprise was an understatement, and the left-ward grin on his face attested to that. His dark eyes were positively sparkling at her phrasing, and his chest swelled with more affections towards her.
"So then it's a date?" He said, then when the waitress walked passed, he raised a large arm and called over to her, "Some more tea, my good lady! And some more sugars, too!"

[zozee9]

With that smile of his and his second declaration of a date, Illi's heart couldn't help but flutter. This time, however, she at least had enough sense to reply. "A date it is!" she said joyfully. "I'm surprised though, Davishire. You didn't strike me as the type to enjoy lots of sugar in your tea!"

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"Bah!" he waved off the idea, but was still smiling. "You would presume I'd want my tea unsweetened. But the fact is, Miss Illi, once we are done here I was hoping we could swing by the chocolatiers. There's a very famous shop just a few blocks over. That is, if you're into those things. You know.." He gestured with one large arm. "Chocolates."

[zozee9]

Illi had been taking a sip of her tea when Davishire started talking about chocolate. She felt as if she was going to simply drop the cup, but instead she managed to put it down safely before freaking out. Leaning towards him, Illi's eyes seemed to grow double the size as she exclaimed, "Chocolate! Why, that would be just perfect!"

Leaning backwards, she laughed and added, "You know, your appearance and your personality don't match much. At least not today. You really aren't the big bad wolf, are you?"

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Davishire made a face.
"And what are you implying, Miss Illi? That you thoroughly believed me to as bad as those rumors?"
Though truth be told, he knew at times- he was.

[zozee9]

Illi paused, wondering how much she could tease him. Perhaps against the better part of her judgement, she decided that she could push it. Talking overly dramatic to make sure he didn't actually take her seriously, she responded, "Oh, well, let's see... I met you yesterday. Since then, you have made me cry, scared away another gentleman, and probably made my siblings forever spiteful of you. Hmm... to be honest, I don't listen to petty rumors, but surely they give you too much credit."

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Davishire gave a smile as he looked down at his tea cup. He almost appeared as if he were about to crush it.
"Forgive me, my Queen. Sometimes, it's hard to tame the wolf in me. He can be.. quite harsh."

[zozee9]

Illi froze for a second and stared at Davishire. Seemed like she took it too far, after all. After a moment of hesitation, she set down her tea cup and pushed back her chair. Standing up, she walked around the table to Davishire and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

Smiling foolishly, she looked down (though the height difference, despite him sitting and her standing, wasn't that large) and continued, "Ah, but the wolf also has his good moments, does he not, my King? Why, it seems to me like you also managed to make me smile, laugh, and get out of having dreadful conversations with my mother's friends. We shared an exquisite dance and I got to see your lovely sister drenched in wine. Plus, tame or not, wolves are known for being loyal."

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Davishire scowled at the mention of his sister.
"She deserved more than wine spilled on her," he growled.

[zozee9]

Illi tapped Davishire's nose and spun around, returning to her seat. "Tsk, tsk," she started, still smiling. "Lighten up, won't you? Plus, she would've gotten more than wine spilled on her if any of my siblings walked in. I'm not even positive that my brothers would have held back on her, lady or not. And I think you noticed yesterday that Cherie has quite a deadly punch."

She took a sip of tea and smiled mischievously at Davishire. "Hmm, if I hadn't been so flabbergasted by those words she was spouting, perhaps I would have smacked her with a book! Oh my, I forgot, that would harm the poor book, wouldn't it?"

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At the mention of Cherie and the punch, he rubbed lightly where he had been struck. A small, noticeable bruise had been forming, and it only seemed to sour his mood as he turned his attention bitterly back to his tea.

"Well, we can't all have perfect families."
Though at the mention of harming a book, he gave Miss Illi a scrutinizing stare.

[zozee9]

Illi opened her mouth, closed it, and slumped to the back of her chair. Apparently talking wasn't a good idea. She drank her tea with a pout and started to listen to other people's conversations. While she knew eavesdropping wasn't polite, Illi stopped caring long ago. After all, she could make up stories to go along with what she heard. And it distracted her.

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After a while, Davishire felt the awkwardness of the moment and gave a snort before rising from his chair.
"So we talked about chocolates," he said, hoping to change the mood with something far more charming than his damn sister. But just speaking of her really soiled his mood- and even for Miss Illi, it was hard for him to control it to get back to the more amicable moment they had shared but a moment ago.
"Shall we?" he said, awkwardly offering her his arm. "I don't think I could drink anymore tea anyway." He then added with a sniff.

[zozee9]

Davishire's low voice startled Illi, causing her to jump in her seat and almost spill some tea. She set the cup down, joyfully hopped out of her seat, and took his arm gracefully. "To battle we go!" Illi exclaimed with a wide smile. "And yes, before you ask, chocolate is a battle." And so is love. "After all, you must stare at it all and restrain from eating it!"

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"Restrain yourself?!" Now Davishire was red with rage. "None sense, Miss Illi! If we're going to the Chocolatiers we will get you all the chocolate your heart desires! And eat it all for supper if you wish!" And at such an idea his grin grew as he hastily began to lead Illi towards the shop.

[zozee9]

Illi gasped in surprise and burst out into laughter, almost causing her to fall as they continued walking. "That sounds like quite a lot of chocolate!" she exclaimed merrily. "But I suppose I could allow it... ah, but only if you enjoy the sweet delicacies with me!"

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"What do you take me for? Of course I'd enjoy some with you!" Davishire said, his voice rumbling loudly. "Jaque's Chocolatier is just the next block over." And he gestured with a large hand towards the end of the way. "Have you ever been?"

[zozee9]

Whether Davishire realized it or not, Illi had basically just made him promise to have dinner with her, as well! That meant she got to spend all afternoon with him. Giggling to herself, she responded, "Never been there! To be completely truthful, I have never been to any Chocolatier. I find it much easier to stay home and read than to try to go places with my siblings."

Illi looked up at Davishire and curiously added, "How about you? It sounds like you've been, but I wouldn't be surprised if you read about it somewhere. Or maybe it got mentioned to you by one of your friends? I should have asked around yesterday at the ball to figure out good places to visit while here... ah, but people are so scary!" She subconsciously stepped a little closer to him. "Strangers are terrifying sometimes, don't you think?"