Spirits of the Earth

OOC: This Thread has come from: The Dessert Table (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=15587.msg156752#msg156752) and is a private/ closed thread

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Still unmarried and under close guard of her mother, young Lady Aella Avelon was of course, attending the great masked ball hosted by the Grand Duke himself! Her violet eyes had turned to stars as she took in the place with wonder. "This place is so beautiful.." she commented, running a gloved hand through her hair as she kept close to her mother's side, looking very much like a lost puppy- and despite now being in her twenties, Aella was just as niave as she had been whens he was just a teen...
and well, just as inexperienced in courting and kisses and things. Her mother kept her on a tight leash, and what she knew about love and things came from her books- the books sometimes even her mother didn't know she had stashed away to read! But oh! A ball! A ball was another chance she could prove to her mother she could find the perfect husband..
But even still, her mother constantly reminded her how the clock was ticking...
and that she would need to wed soon.... and not just anyone! But a perfect man!

"Right!" she told her mother, nodding in agreement as she turned away from her towards the sea of people but..
Oh! My, weren't there a lot of them decked out in their fancy costumes, and each one of them beautiful! Though she had seen a few scary animals- a few bears and wolves and things that made her shiver, but oh! Just being here just lifted her spirits and swelled her chest with excitement.

And quite a few men were noticing, but as usual, Aella was bubbly with her conversation, and her tongue seemed to tangle itself up and well- as cute as it might have seemed to the men, she just felt so embarassed! Eventually, she had managed to break away by herself and sighed ass he wilted over the punch bowl, hoping no one could see her flush behind her mask. It seemed there were a lot of birds this eveing- her mother, a graceful peacock and she-
well...
A purple night n'gale, but most weren't quite sure whihc bird she was, and it was becoming painful to describe, and for just a moment, she lifted up her mask sos he could drink her punch better. Ah, it was really good! This punch had nectars and sweet juices in it, and a little rum too-
Just what she needed

Leaning back against hte table, she brushed a loose strand of her blonde hair from her face and just took time to admire the crowd...

According to his sources, this masquerade was a pretty big deal and all the important people would be gathered here; this included the person he'd been trying to get close to for quite some time. Time was ticking and the hour glass was nearly empty and his actions were pushed towards something more desperate. He'd learned about the party through a noblewoman he'd...fooled with , but of course she couldn't get him access to the place because he was a nobody and her parents wouldn't fall for the explanation that he was a new servant.

The Guardian must have been on his side , however, because he encountered a finely dressed man passed outside the palace grounds. Laighean dragged the poor drunken fool into an alley and switched clothing. It was a bit of a tight fit, but it would do. He placed the mask over his face and pulled something out of his coat pocket. "The Guardian smiles on me, "he grinned and kissed the invitation and made his way to the palace.

"Lord Shanley! It's a pleasure to see you," The greeter bowed and Laighean stared at him.

"Uh yeah . That's me. Nice to meet ye too, door guy." Laighean replied awkwardly.

The greeter stared at him as though he were a bit unwell.

"Sorry. I'm a wee bit sloshed. Ah'm wastin' yer time though. Ah'll joost go in an enjoy th' lasses- er party. The party, that is. Have a nice evening. " Laighean hastily went in , leaving the poor confused servant behind.

He wove his way through the lords and ladies, eyes sweeping about for signs of Duchess Melora. He had no idea how he'd manage to get close to her. Maybe he'd accidentally bump into her and cop a feel but he had no idea where the item he was looking for was. She should be wearing it, according to his research , but what if she wasn't? Then what ?

He made his way over to a refreshments table and noticed a fine lass helping herself to some punch. Grinning behind his mask, Laighean moved closer to her and replied humorously , "Ye might want t' save some punch fer the rest o' us. "  To her he might have appeared to be a tall stranger dressed in white, silver and blue with the visage of a ferocious white tiger masking his identity. They hadn't seen one another in quite some time so she might have recognized his voice or not.

One drink wasn't enough, so she went to have another, and as she went to pour it, her eyes went up to a man dressed as a tiger...
and of course, when she turned the ladle over, she missed, and soon the punch was spilling it's pinkness ontot he table.

Laighean watched the lady fumble with the ladle and spill punch on the table. He noticed her eyes were on him and he grinned, quite pleased to have her attention. He kept his tone humorous, "Whoops. Careful there. Ah dannae think the table wants a drink, lass. " He tilted his head and regarded her curiously now, "Ah'm sorry. Ah dinnae scare ye , did I? "

Despite his words, Aella kept pouring and pouring...
Until her mind caught up to her. Letting out a small scream, she didn't even bother to look down at the table as she pointed the wet ladle at his face.
"It's.. It's you!" Her lips fell open even more. "The boy from my closet!"
She could never forget that voice!

Laighean cringed at her scream and took a step back as the ladle was thrust shaking inches away from his nose. He held up his hands and smiled disarmingly at her, "Well, nice t' see ye too. So ye do remember me?" His ego swelled. " Although ye might wanna refrain from making comments about me coming from yer closet. People might get the wrong idea about us, if ye know what ah mean. " He winked at her.

Standing at a snack table across from them an elderly noble woman was staring at the pair of them with her mouth hanging slightly open. When she noticed Laighean looking at her she pretended to be looking elsewhere. Laighean smirked and turned his attentions back on Aella, "Well, ah must say, Princess. It's been awhile , hasn't it? How've ye been? " His eyes had looked her over more than once since he'd approached her. He grinned, "Ye've done a bit o' growin' up, ah see. " He whistled, "Ye're quite the bonnie one now, aye?"

((Let's just assume the people from Ardal are weirdoes who talk like Laighean  and that Conall can disguise his accent because he's practiced with that. *sage nods* )) 

Aella caught his eyes on her chest and gasped, before dropping the ladle on the floor.
"I-" Oh! What could she even say to that except... uh oh...
"I.. I feel... faint?" and her face twisted questionable before suddenly her legs gave way beneath her.

OOC: awkward fainting scenario ftw 8D

Poor Aella. She was such a sweet and innocent lass. So easy to tease and get worked up. "Woah...I gotcha. " He moved forward quickly and caught her in his arms, " Ah'm sorry. Ah'm comin' on a wee bi' strong, aye? Ah can behave meself. Here, let's find ye a place t' sit fer a spell, " He guided her over to one of the chairs at the end of the table and helped her to sit down  "Joost a moment." He left her there and then came back with a wine glass filled with water. He offered it to her, "Here ye go. Yer face looks a wee bi' flushed." He took a seat next to her.

Having a spell she was! In fact, he was seeing stars! This had never really happened before, ok so.. maybe it had but seriously, she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself but was relieved to finally be sitting as she took the water and guzzled it all down.
Then after a moment, she turned to him and suddenly- pinched him!
"Are you sure you're real?" she said, then moved to pat his cheeks which- his mask was in the way of.

Laighean jerked in his seat and exclaimed as she pinched his leg, "Wh-what in th' name o' Ansgar are ye doin'!?"  It didn't really hurt and so he laughed , but the action coming from her surprised him a little , amused and confused!

"Real? What? Ye think I'm a drunken hallucination or somethin'? O' course ah'm real, ye silly gel!" He removed his mask so she could get a look at his face; It hadn't aged a day. He looked exactly the same as the day he'd awkwardly stumbled out of her wardrobe. "It's me," he looked around to make sure no one was too close and then said a bit more quietly , " Laighean. " He grinned.   

ANd Aella stared at him. And stared and stared. The fact he hadn't aged didn't catch up with her mind, so much as how she had forgotten how handsome he looked as she blushed and...
said nothing at all!

Laighean frowned and passed a hand in front of her eyes, "Uh...Connlaoth to Aella. Anyone in there?" He really hoped she'd say something soon because now she was starting to make him feel a bit awkward and uncomfortable! "Say somethin'? Please? Kinda creepin' me out 'ere joost a wee bit. " 

She couldn't help herself, even after he inquired if she was 'there', she was still staring! And then she blinked, and it all caught up with her as she gasped out, "You were from my closet!" then she closed her lips as her eyes opened wide. "Right! We established that!" and awkwardly, her eyes shot to her lap.

It was now Laighean's turn to stare at her. He blinked several times and then wrinkled his nose and shook his head, chuckling , "Well, not exactly, but ah s'ppose it looked that way. Ah'm from a place called Aerona. Ah tried t' explain this before when we met, but ye kept going all weird and jelly-like on me. Ah'm really sorry 'bout tha' by the way. Ah never intended t' er...come out o' anyone's closet space and make ye think ah was some kind o' pervert. It joost sorta 'appened. " He shrugged and adopted a helpless look, " Ah cannae control 'ow mag- er things work. " Right. Connlaothians went all rabid whenever someone so much as uttered the M word.

He moved his chair a little closer to her, "So, 'ow is yer mom? Does she still wanna kill me?" He grinned. It really wasn't that funny because Melora probably wanted to torture him and THEN murder him in probably the most horrible way imaginable.

Aella sat there, awkwardly chewing on her lips.
"Oh.. about her..'" she said, shuffling around upon her chair uncomfortably. "Well, yeah, she sort of got really mad about that." she dusted invisible dust from her dress. "And she has a good memory. She won't forget." ANd she kept her eye down shamefully- because really- she had been forbidden to ever tlak to him again!

"Oh." Laighean's humor died then and he blinked, feeling surprised and fairly horrible. "Wow. She must really not like me. " He sighed, "  Ah'm sorry, t' hear that, princess. I dinnae know ah'd gone an' made sooch a fuss. Ah er...dinnae get ye into too much trouble o'er that, did ah?"  He hastily replaced the mask on his face just in case the overprotective Duchess suddenly appeared and recognized his face.

Blinking, she peered up at him, then around, and hunched over to lean towards him so as to speak so that others could not listen.
"The thing is, she is afraid of you. We all our." she frowned. "Mages are just.. well, scary." To put it bluntly. "And how on earth is it that you've come here? This ball is very secure, with only invitees only.." but then upon seeing something in his breast coat pocket, she noted it was an official invitation as she gasped.
"I sthat.. is that an official invitation!?" she sat back in wide eyed shock. "How did you get that?"

"Ah s'ppose that's a fair point, " Laighean conceded with a shrug, "but that depends on the person and what they choose to do with their abilities. Ah'd ne'er hurt ye, Aella. Ah've ne'er really hurt anyone. "

When she inquired about how it was that he'd managed to get in here he grinned wickedly at her, " Magic." It was pretty obvious that he was pulling her leg , but this was Aella. So he added with a shrug, "Oh , ah was joost in th' area and ah passed some poor fellah passed out on th' ground an' ah 'elped meself a bit. It's a wee bi' o' tight fit , but ah'd say ah look rather dashing, aye?" He waggled his eyebrows at her and cut the most ridiculous expression, a really cheesy grin that looked anything but sexy. 

"Ye're not gonna be a good gel and tell on me, are ye?" He pouted. "Ah promise t' behave an' be on me way 'ome by midnight! Ah'll return me borrowed things t' " He pulled the invitation from his pocket to make sure he'd remember his phony name "Bryant Shanley? Hm. What kind o' name is that? "

((lol...Aella goes to tell on him....))

Aella, not phased by his charms (infact they went over her head and well, the face he made.. she didn't even know...)
But she WAS phased by his story as she gasped.

"You knocked a man out in the street and stole his clothes!?" Oh! Such an idea could make her faint!

"What!?" Laighean had no idea where she got that idea! Oh wait....well, maybe one could draw a conclusion like that. I mean, it really did seem pretty damned convenient when he thought about it. However, that wasn't the point! The point was that he couldn't believe she'd think he'd do something like that!

"No! He was drunk and ah joost borrowed them! " He explained, placing great emphasis on the borrowed part! "Don't look at me like that! Ah'm gonna return them! Ah joost needed a way in and this seemed like a better idea than climbing in through a window or something."

Oh yeah, that made him totally not sound like a criminal or a stalker or anything. "Ah'm not here to stalk ye, joost so we're clear on that too." He added because given how many times he'd conveniently bumped into her and , well, their first meeting....it really did seem as though he was a creep! 

Aella blinked, and despite not reacting at first, it took her some time to digest what he was saying through his accent.
"So what are you doing here?" she pressed. "You're not nobility..." then she paused to consider with a gasp, "Are you?"

Laighean smirked at her, "Uh...well, that all depends on yer definition of it. Ah'm not Connlaothian nobility. Aerona is...or was a kingdom. That's quite a thing t' explain there. Judgin' by how ye local folks react t' magic, ah probably shouldn't say much more about that," Laighean chuckled but then looked curiously at her, "But let's get t' the easier question, shall we? Ah'm here because ah needed to er..." Steal from your mother? Guardian! He couldn't look her in the eyes and say that!

"Uh, well , ah was curious. See, in Aerona we don't -we didn't 'ave grand parties like this indoors with fancy clothes an' masks 'n stuff. Ah've read about sooch things in other countries , but ye know readin' an' experiencing is hardly the same thing. So ah thought ah'd joost pop in fer a spell and check it out. Ah ne'er thought ah'd see ye here. Enough bout me though, what bout ye? What are ye doin' 'ere on yer lonesome? " He looked around for her mother or a jealous man but he didn't see anyone. " Seems a crime t' leave sooch a sweet an' fair lass without company. S'ppose it's joost my luck though, aye?" He laughed. 

Naive as she was-
she bought it, which made her relax a bit, realizing he wasn't there to cause trouble. But at his last comment, her lips flattened, eyes widened, and her entire face turned red as the punch she had tried to pour earlier.

"Erm, I... the thing of that is.."she said, lowering her gaze and giving a timid pull to her skirts. "I haven't married." And she said that almost too quietly for him to catch. She chewed on her lower lip."My mom has been pushing me to find someone but I..."

Failed each time? Not really, well- sort of! This idea of talking to boys was just so complicated and difficult! What was she supposed to say anyway? She always felt like she couldn't relate,and her mind never let her focus on what she REALLY wanted to say, so even the few cute boys she would have considered trying to strike up a conversation with...
Ended in utter, utter fail.

Laighean shrugged, "So? Ah'm not either an' believe me, it's a fact me mother ne'er fails to let me ferget! 'Laighean! Yer not gettin' any younger!' says she,' Ye need to settle down an' give me some grandchildren!' " He chuckled and shook his head, "Ah, but ne'er mind that. Tha' doesn't explain why ye're alone ,princess. Yer a nice lass. Lasses like ye t' chatter 'n travel in groups, aye? So where's yers? "

She wasn't going to tell him that she had no friends because that would have made him feel so horrible for her! It made him wish that his little sister were here. Fi would make a great friend, he wager. 

"Oh... you mean friends?" she asked, blinking at him before quickly averting her gaze back to her dress as her gloved hands fidgeted over some lace and feathers.
"I ... I mostly just stay with my mother. I mean, I see my cousins from time to time but, oh, rarely as of lately- all of them are busy witht he war and I.. well, I do like to read a lot so I er..."
and she saw the look he was giving her as she responded witha blink, "What? Oh my god, is there punch on my face?"
And she moved a gloved hand to check

Laighean laughed a little and shook his head. Poor lass! Wasn't she a ball of nerves? "Relax. There's nary a thing wrong with th' way that ye look. Ah was joost - ah'm sorry. Ah dannae mean t' stare. Ah cannae help it. Ye're quite bonnie.  " He winked at her and then settled into a slightly more serious disposition because he felt sorry for her. "Ye 'ave no friends at all? That's horrible! " And then he had a brilliant idea , "Well, tell ye what. Ye can be me friend, ifn' ye fancy th' idea."

Of course he imagined that she'd say something about how her mother wouldn't approve and how he was some wanted criminal in Hellvion or he was a mage or something silly that made no sense to him.

"So, what are ye s'pposed t' be, anyway ? Some kind o' birdie?  Why do people dress silly like this anyways? " It really was just the strangest thing! 

Aella felt her heart seize at his idea- and for more reasons than one! And her cheeks weren't the only things turning red.
"I.." she began to say, then dropped her wine goblet as she fidgeted over it as it landed iwth a CRASH at their feet. Sparkles of broken glass shards twinkled between them as she looked around at the approaching servants who were making quick wokr to clean it up.

"Oh! I'm so sorry about that! I hadn't mean to do it!" And after she realized she was doing more harm than good in telling the servants how truly sorry she was, she backed away, wringing her hands about as she frowned with a sigh.

"Angsar save me, I can't do anything right today." she said with another forlorn sigh as she looked away from him. And then, recalling his question from earlier, she frowned even more so at her purple nightingale costume.

"I'm.. supposed to be a bird." she began to explain, sighing again. "A nightengale." And she fluffed a loose feather from her mask out of her eyes. "And these balls are meant to be fun, exciting! You get to wear a  mask and use t to play pretend! To be somethign you normally cant' be!" and boy was she so excited and animated as she explained. "Just look at all the pretty dresses and masks and costumes all around us. I mean, I think it's pretty neat, and dfeinitely something different. I mean, imaging if you were really a tiger! I.. I'd probably be screaming and running away! But on a night like this, you can be friends!"

And these sort of animals werne't her stuffed kidn! THey wer e'real'!

Laighean flinched as her glass shattered on the floor. He watched the servants swiftly clean up and looked a little more than impressed with how promptly they had arrived and made the mess vanish as though it never were! "Wow. These people are efficient."

He shook his head and smiled at Aella's somewhat sad attempt to profuself apologize for her clumsiness.

"Don't be so 'ard on y'self. It was joost an accident. No 'arm done, " Laighean reassured her.

Laighean gave Aella a curious look as she explained what he presumed she thought was the ball's purpose. In truth, he already sort of knew but he let go on because her excitement and naiveté was cute. He grinned when she finished, "Me sister would 'ave loved this. It does sound fun. So , since ah'm a tiger 'n all, ah s'ppose ah should try to sound more like one like Graaaawr! Ah'm a great 'n big, terrifyin' king 'o beasts!" He puffed out his chest and tried to make himself look bigger and scarier (he looked more ridiculous than anything else).The old woman at the snack table across the way stared at him as though he were insane. "How's tha' for ye? " He grinned at her.

( 

Aella gasped, then jumped back a little at his 'roar', which had her glancing around to see if anyone had been seeing that. And great, more people were staring! Grabbing onto his hand, she looked directly into his eyes.
"Oh! I didn't mean like that I just!" Oh! How the people stared! Her face was pink by now as she shook her head.
"Ijust meant like- pretend.." and she blinked, and added, unsurely, "Like.. keep it.. inside our own heads?"
Great, now she sounded like a loon!

Laighean looked around at the people giving him odd looks and laughed. He was really tempted to roar a second time , but poor Aella looked a bit mortified so he decided to behave himself.

"Oh. Well why didn't ye joost say so in th' first place?" Laighean chuckled. "Although it's not as fun t' 'ave to keep it all in yer, 'ead if ye ask me! " Well, it was true and Fi would have agreed with him!

He glanced down at her hand clasping his. Smiling and winking , he added humorously, "Has anyone e'er told ye that ye've got purrrrrfect eyes, Lady Nightingale? "

(( The cheese had to happen!!!))

When the man seemed to agree, she wilted a bit with relief, but when he leaned forward and looked into her eyes and delivered that line, her eyes went cross and then, when what he said settled in, her face went red as a beet.

"I-" she began, in nothing louder than a peep. "I.."
And before she could even faint or reply, she spotted someone heading their way.
"Oh my god! My mother!" And then to him, she grabbed onto his shoulders and gave a shove. "You need to hide!"

At the mention of Aella's mother, Laighean's face paled and he felt himself breaking out into a cold sweat. He'd never met the woman, but he knew enough about her during his stay in Hellvion to know that if she saw him getting too friendly with her daughter that he was a dead man.

"Oh crap!"

His eyes searched about the room wildly for some escape route , but there were costumed people everywhere and really no place that could conceal him except...

He dropped down to his knees and dove under the table and it wasn't until he was halfway under it that he realized this probably made him look extremely suspicious. "Oh no! Ah seem to 'ave lost me uh... ring!" He announced loudly just so people wouldn't think that he was drunk; most of the nobles that noticed his antics thought precisely that, however.

Walking past his jutting ass, Melora didn't bother to give him a second look as she stepped around him and over towards her daughter. Dragging her cape up off the floor and resting it to her side, she peered over at Aella with some scrutiny.

Her mother was an imposing figure, bold and beautiful, with the most decadent costume at the party. With a dress that was shimmering with two-tones, like jewels, and true diamonds and sapphires and violet and yellows gems glittering off her drss and mask, and plenty of peacock feathers lining the top of her cape- she appeared a regal figure of beautiful and decadence.

"All alone are you?"

Aella found herself paling beneath her mother's gaze.
"No, well, yes, I mean, I was for a little bit. I mean just now, you know, just to have enough time to erm, get something to eat?"

Melora smiled, though it was a feigned facade of sweetness. She shook her head,a nd patted her daughter lightly upon the shoulder

"Come now dear, you're too pretty now to be all by yourself. Chin up," and she placed a dark finger nail beneath Aella's chin to lift her gaze. "I've got a few people for you to meet." And after catching General Serenus's gaze int he crowd, she turned away from him. Damn that man for not helping her get Aella paired with Calent!

Taking Aella by the hand, she made off with her, Aella only gasping, but not about to protest as she spared one glance over her shoulder towards Laighean's ass in the air.

Laighean remained where he was , not daring to move or make much of a sound. It was silly though, really. The Duchess had never met him. She probably wouldn't recognize him and the mask helped. However, when he heard Melora say that she was going to introduce her daughter to people , Laighean presumed what Melora really meant was that she was probably going to try to shove her daughter into some awkward arrangement with strange men.

He waited until the women had departed before he started to rise to his feet and - "oof!" He bumped his head on the table. He backed out from under the table and looked around the room to see which way Melora had gone off. He spied Aella being dragged away by a peacock lady and grabbed a wine glass from the table and followed after them at a safe distance.

In the far corner was a group of men, most very well presented in their fabulous costume littered with decadent flare. And they were all, as far as she could tell, very handsome beneath their masks, but it turned out, it wasn't the group of them Melora wanted Aella to speak with, for her and the gentleman in the center were called over to a more private conversation near the veranda.

Aella, nervous as always, swallowed the lump in her throat as she was lead away, fussing over her feathered tail as she went. And as they went, she was trying to figure out what costume the man dawned, and it wasn't until her mother spoke up that she realized...

"Lord Draven, what a handsome attire you present. To think, you're dressed as the great God, Angsar."

Aella gaped at her mother's words, taking in Draven's attire in fascination. The armor was exquisite, appearing an antique that had been brought to life from all of those stories she read. Eventually, she was able to close her lips- not realizing that as they conversed, the man behind the metal mask as Laighean's brother!

Weaving his way through the crowd, Laighean contemplated how he might get close enough to see if Melora wore the necklace that matched the description of the pendant that he was searching for. Maybe he could snatch it from her and run? No. That wouldn't work. Maybe he could try asking for it? Haha...right. Or maybe Aella could help him get it ? The latter-most thought seemed to be the best option.

Melora had led Aella to a man taller in stature than he was and Laighean kept enough distance from them to hear Melora speak his name.

Draven!? Crap! What is he doing here!?

If Draven saw him here without their sister, he'd kill him. Fiona had been left in the company of the kindly old lady who ran a small ,but respectable inn here in Reajh known as The Quiet Haven. Fiona had taken to the old woman and her cat and Laighean had left, promising that he'd only be away for an hour or two though not before slipping old Gwin Renfold a gold piece and leaving her explicit instructions not to let his sister wander off on her own. Laighean now wished he'd brought Fi with him now and not because of Draven but because his sister would have loved to dress up and pretend to be a tiger or a bird or...

Ansgar, Draven? Really? How arrogant was it to dress up as a God? Laighean shook his head and lifted his wine glass to his lips, sipping some wine and wondering what the hell Draven was playing at.

"Yes, I've traveled quite a long distance to come here today. I had many propositions to make, but figured I'd begin my proper introductions with the Hellvion women." And he took Melora by the hand and kissed the top of it, then turned to Aella and did the same.

A flush consumed her face as she gaped at the way he was looking at her, but then Draven quickly turned to her mother. THeir conversation went on, for well, quiet a while, and if you asked Aella what he had been saying she couldn't have guessed! She was seeing stars for a time, and then when her mother excused herself to leave Aella alone- she just knew she set it up in hopes Aella might find this man comfortable enough to consider garnering a courtship!

Oh! And how sweaty her palms became and how red her skin felt. Even her ears were burning as she took up  a drink- she must've been on her third by now.. and downed it.

"So.. Aella.." Draven began with a grin once they were alone. "Your mother tells me you like books."

Laighean waited for an opening and as he watched his brother chat Aella up, he wasn't aware of how tightly he was gripping his wine glass until it shattered in his hand and scattered to the floor. He had no idea how the servants knew this would happen, but they seemed to just show up out of nowhere and clean the mess up before his mind could even register what had happened. "Guardian, they're efficient. " Were they following him around or something, waiting for him to make a mess? Nah. That'd be creepy.

He saw his chance to cut in on Draven and Aella's conversation when Melora had slipped off. He walked right up to them and cleared his throat, " Lord Draven, Lady Aella, so good to see ye. " His eyes settled on Draven and he gave his brother one of those "Bro, what the hell? " looks. 

When a man cut in, at first, Draven tried to ignore him, but after doing a double take, his eyes widened, then narrowed sharply with a dark anger.
"Laighean.." he said, his voice low, but sounding powerful, almost threatening. "What are you doing here?"


And Aella blinked, glancing from Draven over to Laighean as she gasped.
"You.. you two.. know one another?"

Draven's eyes narrowed, as if daring Laighean to mention that day in the closet.

Inwardly, that look Draven gave him intimidated Laighean because it was something he'd rarely seen from his brother, but Laighean was stubborn and refused to show it. He glared back , his expression making no effort to hid how agitated he was.

"Ah should ask ye th' same thing. What's the deal, brother? Ye left me an' Fi alone back at that stinky ol' inn without so much as a damned word." He loved his sister, but it pissed him off to no end that Draven always took off without an explanation and this was acceptable because he was the eldest and their King, yet when Laighean went and did the same thing it was irresponsible of him and he ended up being treated like a selfish brat despite his intentions,  "I went lookin' for ye, o' course! What did ye expect? " This was partially true . He had been on the lookout for Draven but he also had thought to nab Melora's pendant on his own and prove to Draven that he wasn't a child and could get things done. "  Fi's safe at the inn. Ah left 'er wi' the inn lady. "

"You did what?" Draven's rage was boiling over, and it looked as if he was about to hit him. The very tone in Draven's voice made Aella cower, and soon she found herself clinging onto Laighean's arm out of fear. "How dare you ask my intentions here when you so foolishly left our sister alone!!" he roared.
Oh yes, he could have hit him, and he would- had they been in any other place but here...
ANd yep...., by now, Aella thought she might piss herself at how terrified she was. Draven looked like the wrath of Angsar himself!

Laighean stood his ground, "I dare because your actions aren't any better than mine! Ye have as much responsibility to her as I do! Fi is in good hands right now or I wouldn't be 'ere. If ye don't believe me then go check on 'er yerself.  " Laighean spat back, "We're not children, Draven! We don't need yer protectin'. We can look out for ourselves. " He shook his head," Whatever you're up to, you're hiding things from us; it's not right and neither is it fair! We are your family and ye shouldn't keep secrets from us!  Mother would agree with me if she were here right now. Let me help, brother. Time is short and Guardian knows that ye need me. "

Draven narrowed his gaze sharply at his brother.
"You have no idea why I'm here, brother." And even more sternly he added, "Go back home, Laighean. That's an order. It's too dangerous for you to be here right now and you're in over your head. Get back to Fiona."

Laighean's face flushed with anger and his jaw drew tight. So, that's how it was going to be was it? Fine then.  "No. I'm not taking any more orders from ye if ye can't be honest with me. If ye want me t' care for Fi, fine, ah can do that since ah seem t' be the only one that does, but ah'm not gonna sit round idle an' wait. Me an' Fi know where t' look so when ye feel like bein' a family again , ye can come and find us. In the meantime, I got a sister to take care of." He bowed, "  Well, dannae let me waste any more of your invaluable time, yer lordship," Laighean spat out the title nastily.

He then turned to Aella and adopted an apologetic look, "Ah'm sorry that he's sooch a borin' old ass. Evenin', Lady Nightingale, was a pleasure t' see ye again." He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it a little longer than was appropriate. Then , he turned and walked away.

And Draven might have thought that Laighean was honestly going to listen to him, he had another thing coming to him! He was going to get what he'd come here for one way or the other. With or without his brother's help.

"Laighean!" Draven tried to call after him, but it was to no avail. "Damn stubborn fool." He then growled beneath his breath and turned to Aella who, for that moment, still appeared, as rigid as a statue. Her skin was pale, her eyes were wide, and a moment later- she had fainted. Catching her in his arms, Draven swore again, and cast a glare at Laighean's retreating form before guiding Aella to a more private room and rested her against a feinting chair.


A moment later, Aella found herself awaking with bleary eyes. And she heard a voice.
"Lady Aella.."
"Hrm?" And she perked up to the sound, blinking as her vision resettled itself to form the picture fo a handsome man above her. And then she recalled what had happened as she sat up with a gasp.

"Relax, Lady Aella, here." And Draven offered her a cup of wine. "You fainted and I brought you in here to rest up. Just drink some wine and collect yourself. We needn't have your mother worried."

Accepting the cup with a nod, she drank some down and felt her head a bit bubbly from the immediate rush and, seeing color return to her face, Draven smiled and sat beside her.
"There now, does that help you feel better, Lady Aella?"

She only nodded meekly, not sure what to do or say. This had just been an awkward day so far- to think, she'd run into both brothers that had come out of her closet!

"Too dangerous, he says. Don't got a right to question him, he says? I think the damned crown has gone to his big , fat, stupid 'ead!" Laighean grumbled moodily to himself as he stormed over to a refreshments table and grabbed another wine glass and poured himself something to drink.

As he turned away from table, he accidentally bumped into a peacock lady and nearly pissed himself. Crap! It was Duchess Melora! Fortunately for him, he had just enough grace to him to save himself the horror of splashing his drink down the front of the Duchess's extravagant costume.

"Ah! Duchess Melora! Ah'm so sorry 'bout that." Ahck! Maybe he shouldn't talk to her and just run away. Fast. There was still time! He could just slowly back away and maybe she'd turn her nose up at him and move along.

((lol...awkwards.))

Turning towards the white tiger, her sharp eyes took him in.
"Do I know you?" the duchess asked, not seeming to care much for him unless she knew him as some sort of an acquaintance and really.. that accent.. how god awful it made him sound! So clearly, she decided, this was someone she did not know, and there for, would only make short, curt conversation with him.

He was about to agree and say that he was no one of importance but then he thought of his brother and Melora's pendant and found his nerve, "Actually, ah'm Bryant Shanley. "

Bryant Shanley was the eldest son of Cormac Shanley, the latest Duke of Ardal following in succession of Conall Shanley whom was believed to have been murdered by mages. Of course, Laighean had no idea that he'd just claimed to be a duke's son but there it was. His accent was thicker than was normal for Ardal , but the people of that region did speak similarly.

His eyes looked over her, scanning for her pendant. There was , if he located it, still the small matter of figuring out how to steal it from her! "Nice costume. Very fancy, very slimming. " He lifted his wine glass and quickly swallowed down a mouthful. He'd need to do this several hundred times after speaking to her. Goddess was she a scary lady. He grinned at her and inquired jovially, " So what do ye think o' this party, eh ? Ah 'ear yer daughter might find a good match this evenin'. Must be pretty excitin' fer ye. "

The duchess gave him a dark and scrutinizing stare.
"The Duke of Ardal's son?" she repeated, taking a step back to take the man in with a frown. "I believe it must've been some time..." and she put her hand out expectantly for him to take and kiss.
He was, after all, now on her radar, and she would dissect him with her eyes if necessary, and her gaze refused to let him go.

What is she looking at me like that for? And what does she expect me to...? Laighean stared at her for a moment. Gross. I have to kiss that withered old crone's hand? So Melora wasn't all that old nor did she look half bad. He could see where Aella got her looks from. He forced a charming smile , took Melora's hand and kissed it lightly.

"Aye, that I am and 'tis been too long since ah've 'ad the honor o' speakin' with ye , your grace," He released her hand and kept up with the phony pleasantries which, to Laighean, felt so wrong. This wasn't like him, but he thought of the pendant and about home. He could do this. He could do this. Ah'm not scared o' her! ...well, maybe joost a wee bit. 

Her smile was cold, despite his warmth, but at least she managed just that.
"And yes, my daughter has been quite active this evening." And she looked the white tiger over and  asked, "I take it you've noticed? An eligible bachelor such as yourself must have known such a beautiful creature such as my daughter would come to such a prestigious event."

To think that if the real Bryant Shanley had been here, Aella could have ended up paired with some drunken slob. Laighean mentally shuddered at the thought.

At Melora's inquiry he nodded, "Aella? Oh, aye. She's very fi- " He cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. It probably wouldn't be appropriate or wise to speak what was on his mind to the girl's mother, "Ah mean, ah did see her a wee bi'. Quite popular with the fellows, aye ?  Ah bet ye 'ave t' keep 'em back with a stick. " He joked, but could see that Melora was being thinly polite with him. Goddess , did this woman have a sense of humor at all? " She's a sweet lass, your daughter. Very nice smile. So, ye think she's found a fellow? "

Did Aella even know how to flirt? She seemed so innocent and awkward! If she were to marry, hopefully it would be to a man who wouldn't take advantage of that.

Melora's lips twisted into a trying smile.. for he really was trying her patient, and moved to stand to face him more properly now as she craned up her head. She looked every bit as regal as her costume suggested, a preening, beautiful, striking peacock-
Though even still, perhaps a powerful and mean one....

Her eyes remained sharp as they took him in, and after all of his display of interest, she simply asked, "Why do you ask, young Lord Shanley? Are you interested?"

Wait. What?I nterested in Aella? Where did she get a silly idea like that? The tiger blinked a couple times. But Laighean wasn't the settling type! He was free as the wind! He'd never have to get tied down to one woman! He liked to sample all the lasses and there were so many!

But Lord Shanley , on the other hand, was probably expected to buy into the whole marriage outfit. Although she was only asking if he was interested. There was no agreement of marriage or anything like that and perhaps he'd have a chance to talk to Aella again. She was fun to tease and pretty adorable. "Aye, ye are an astute one,your grace. Ah'd be delighted t' meet 'er if ye would permit me too, o' course. "   

((and then Melora is like "TOO BAD. YOU'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR HER, YOU Ardal BUMPKIN. ))

Melora only grinned when the man wanted to see her child. Turning away, the duchess told him, "It's a pity she's already with another gentleman as we speak. Perhaps.. at another ball?" And he paused in midstride as she was goign to leave, and gave him a dark grin from over her shoulder, much like that of a wolf's.

"Well, perhaps we can discuss Adrallian politics later. For now, I must make my social rounds." And she bowed deeply towards him, her peacock feather topped crown bowing along with her before she raised her dark eyes back to his and moved to walk away...


Elsewhere, it seemed Draven's attempts to get anywhere with Aella seemed.. fruitless. The girl was a bit too rattled, and too naive for him to really get any useful information or leads from her. But, at least he was in good graces with her mother and when he explained to her what he was there for- a piece of information to help his siblings, he actually.. asked her if she'd be able to assist him in distracting Laighean while he went about  with what he had to do.

"Unfortunately, it involves your mother, but please keep this between us. It could mean the difference between life and death for me.. Fiona, and Laighean."

Aella's eyes went so wide at this, all she could do was nod and.. well, somehow found herslf back into the crowd. She was seeking Laighean this time, but oh! It was so hard to find that white tiger this time. Maybe he really did leave? Should she tell Draven?

"Bitch," Laighean muttered a little too loudly. Melora paused and he held his breath. For a moment, he was worried that she might have heard him . However, she said nothing and continued on her way. He turned back to the refreshments table and poured himself more wine. How could Aella be related to that witch? He downed one glass, poured himself some more wine and boiled in his own inner anger. What made Draven any more worthy than he was? He downed a second glass. "I'll show th' both of 'em, I will!" He growled and helped himself to yet another glass of wine.

He didn't notice Aella's approach until she was right next to him. "Oh, 'ello again, princess." He didn't seem quite as cheery as before.

"Oh! Um I-" And the pep in her voice quickly faded, to something more unsure. "Oh er.. did I.. come at a bad time?" she said, flinching back a bit from him- afraid he might say or do something rash. He looked.. really upset!

Sighing heavily, Laighean shook his head and set his wine glass down on the table. He turned to face her and forced himself to smile for her and leaned his back against the table, "Nae, don't ye worry yer 'ead, princess. Ah'm joost a bit steamed is all." He shrugged his shoulders, " Me brother can be so frustratin', ye know? Ah know he thinks what he does is fer the best, but he always shut everyone out and treats us as though we can't do a thing on our own. He doesn't even give us a chance."

He sighed again,thinking of Aella's mother. He wouldn't dare tell Aella that he thought her mother was a complete witch and that he felt really sorry for her so instead he changed the subject, " So, what brings ye o'er 'ere, eh? Surely nae t' 'ave a chat with lil ol' me, aye? Don't ye 'ave some long line o' suitors t' be entertainin'? O' course, ah'm not objectin' t' yer company! Ah'd say there ain't a better person in this room to share me time with." He meant it too. Out of all the people he'd met this evening, Aella was the only one with any bit of sweetness and decency. 

Aella, who, after translating through his thick accent, finally realized he was paying her a compliment and flushed. But what was it that Draven wanted her to do? Oh! That's right! Ask Laighean to join her in the study while Draven talked to her mother. Biting into her lip, she turned to him and forced herself to smile.

"Hey, say, that's great you love my company and all.." she began lamely. "But why don't we carry this conversation into the study?"

And oh man! Did she ever feel lame delivering a line like that!
'He probably thinks I'm crazy! Oh no! Or what if he thinks i"m too forward! He could get the wrong impression and I..' but she couldn't finish her own internal thoughts as she gaped at him, going numb.

Laighean looked at her curiously, but didn't think much of it. He was happy that she seemed interested in speaking to him. Her words were awkward , but he thought it made her all the more adorable .

Maybe she felt more comfortable talking to him in a more quiet location? He couldn't blame her, really, especially with her nerves being what they were. Or , perhaps she just wanted to escape her mother because he couldn't blame her for wanting to do that either. Laighean grinned at her broadly,  "Ah'd be 'appy to. Lead th' way, Lady Nightngale! "

For a while Aella just stared at him before realizing..

"Oh, right! The study!"

'Yikes, this is actually working!' she thought,a nd found herself sweating as she forced a smile and began to walk away, forgetting that properly, Laighean ought to be escorting her by the arm!

"H-hey! Wait fer me!" Laighean hurried after her and caught up with her and hooked his arm around hers as he'd seen other people doing earlier. He walked beside her, weaving through the crowd with her as they made their way to the study.

((Short post is short. :/ ))

"Oh, right! Sorry!" she said, blushing as she recalled her manners..a nd her brain! Turning from him with some haste, so that her hair half covered her face, she moved quickly with him on her arm, nearly pulling him over towards the study.. all the while Draven watched the pair like a hawk...

Once Aella had dragged the man into the other room, she sighed with some relief.
"Well, it's nice to be out of the crowd, huh!?" she said, hoping to strike up some conversation.. lamely.

"Aye, ah s'ppose it was a bi' stifflin' out there, " Laighean slipped his arm from hers and found a seat on a couch on the far side of the room. He patted the spot next to him, "Don't be shy, princess. 'Ave a seat." He grinned at her, "Dannae worry. Ah promise nae t' bite! Ah'm a tame tiger. " He could be pretty lame himself!

Aella stared at him, her hands, pausing from where they fidgeted with the purple feathers strung through her hair. And at his suggestion, she felt her face go red. Oh! This might be easier if he were a brother, or her mother, or someone that that.. that... that wasn't a boy!

But oh.. she thought back to Draven's warning and swallowed back the knot inside her throat as she took a seat beside him, wary of his 'fangs'.

"I never kissed a boy."

OH ANGSAR! Did she just say that!? Her entire face went beet red as she scrambled to explain.
"I mean, that's to say, I uh.. courting, it's just.. I'm not used to all of this. MOther is so picky and I just haven't gotten to be close and sweet on a boy aside from a peck n the cheek and I just thought htat maybe err..."

And she realzied, she had NO idea where she was even going with this!

So she closed her lips, and flattened them.
"Ok, I'll just shut up now before I really start sounding like a fool!"
Oh, Angsar! If this wasn't for her trying to save his life!

At her declaration of never having been kissed, Laighean stared at her over his shoulder at her with a bemused expression on his face. Where in the world had that come from? "Though ye might 'ave 'ad I not woken up so quickly when ye met me , eh?" No, he was never going to let her forget that! Although he honestly didn't know why her face had been that close to his. He just got a kick out of teasing her. He nudged her in the side with his elbow lightly, "Ah'm joost pullin' yer leg. " He chuckled.

He turned slightly in his seat to face her , studying her curiously and with a genuine expression of interest on his face, "Aw, I dannae think ye sound so foolish. Hah! Ifn' ye want t' hear a fool, joost leave the room an' go lissen to one o' those stuffed up peacocks talk 'bout mages 'n politics fer a couple o' minutes." He shook his head, " Nae ye cannae leave me 'angin' like tha' , princess. Ye got t' tell Laighean nae. C'mon, " he scooted closer to her, "ah'm a great secret keeper. " He made a crossing gesture over his chest, "Cross me 'eart. So, what's the problem? Is it that ye joost cannae find a fellow ye like or is it yer mother who won't let yet ye make yer own decisions? "

"Oh, um.." she blinked, not realizing the conversation would come to this. And here she was, sitting with a cute tiger and they were about to discuss her failed reputation with boys!
"I er, no body asked me that before but really it's just that I, I dunno, I'm never as good at conversations like my mother is.." she began, wringing her gloved hands. "And the truth of the matter is that despite all of her training, I just don't have the confidence as she does."
She wilted a little to admit that. It was really, truly pathetic.
"So even if I wanted to to court a boy, or ask for a kiss I Just... my brain stops, or goes crazy, or something and seems to shut down and stops working and just doesn't let me get the right words out!"
And by the end of that statement, she was so frustrated! Because it well.. was!

"Oh! And you have to promise not to tell my mother about that..t aht time int he closet. She.. she'd murder you.. and me!" Oh Angsar's mother! Why did he have to bring that up!?

"Besides.." seh said, turning away indignantly. "Who said that I was trying to kiss you?"
Yeah! He didn't know! Maybe she was.. umm... trying to see if he was ok! Just...
really.. really close to him?
And like.. making a kissy face?
A kissy face... of concern!

"Well, ah dannae know 'bout tha', " Laighean wasn't going to frighten her and tell her that he had just finished speaking with Melora and that he thought the woman was a frigid bitch, " Ah think ye were pretty engagin' when ye were explainin' 'ow this costume party works. Th' trick t' feelin' confident in a conversation is pickin' a topic yer familiar with and enjoy talkin' aboot, aye? Like books , stories, yer favorites plays, or music, flowers, tress, ah dannae. Whatever strikes yer fancy. Takes a wee bi' o' practice. Ah'm sure you'll get the hang o' it."

Laighean chuckled at her demanding him to promise her that he wouldn't tell her mother anything, "Oh ye 'ave me word, princess.  "

And at her indigence, he stifled his laughter with a hand and shook his head, " Ah cannae 'elp it if tha's 'ow it looked from me angle, but , "he adopted a more serious expression now, however his tone was humored, "my mistake."

"Yes, well!" she turned to him angrily, then realized, oh! How distracted she was becoming! She was supposed to be keeping Laighean in one room for a while and she hardly wanted to keep him there by arguing (albeit, they really weren't..)

"Well.." she began again, holding a breath in momentarily before sighing. "Well.. " and her eyes lit up at an idea as hes smiled and turned to him. "Well why don't we practice! You can pretend to be my date, and I can try to strike up a conversation!"
She seemed pretty excited about this idea! And who knows! It just might help!

"Date?" That was sort of a rare thing for Laighean. He usually sweet-talked the lasses straight into the sheets. Dating and marriage things were so much work, but he decided to humor her. He nodded with a smile, "Well, alright. Strike away!"

Aella's eyes sparkled.
"Oh my gosh, really?" And she stared at him for a good long while before slowly, her eyes flickered, reading him with worry.
"Oh my gosh.. Do I start the conversation?" she began, her eyes wide in horror as she entangled her fingers nervously into her hair.

At her questions, Laighean chuckled, "Well, ye dannae 'ave to. I can," he cleared his throat and smiled at her , "'ello , ah'm Laighean. Nice t' meet ye. What's yer name, lass?" He looked at her expectantly and waited for her to reply.

Aella just blinked at his question until it registered in her head what he was trying to do.
"My name?" THen she blinked again and gasped. "OH! MY name!"
Ands he stared at him.
"But you know it already."
Then she realized, with a blush, "Oh! I'm sorry, I just it's.. oh, let me try this again ok?" she pleaded, using animated expressions of her arms.

Then, sitting back, she drew in a breath and smile, trying to keep her cool, her confidence, like her mother had trained her..
'Hello.." she said sweetly, extended a hand for him to shake. "I'm Aella. What's your name?"
And then she paused t think, and slapped a hand to her face, pulling it down with a groan.
"Oh, sorry! I forgot you already told me that! Can we start over?" she said, leaning forward with a pleading look.

Laighean stared at her unblinking. Guardian was she a ball of nerves. He shook his head, "Aye, we can but if ye could joost do one little thing fer me? Joost stop when yer feelin' like ye got lil knots or butterflies in yer stomach an' breathe. Like this," he took in a slow, deep breath and held it for a couple seconds and then released it slowly. "Take yer time. Don't rush an' don't fuss. It's okay t' make mistakes an' it's okay t' be nervous. No one is perfect. Not even yer mother, aye? Ah'm not judgin' ye so..joost say what's natural fer ye."

He shifted in his seat, "Alright then, let's try again. Ye start this time." 

Aella nodded, but she was just too nervous for this but oh! How nice it wouldbe to practice....

She swallowed the knot in her throat and tossed her long braided hair from over her shoulder before setting her hands upon her lap.
"Hello, my name is Aella." ANd she gave a cordial bowing of her head, and it was spoken, she almost appeared to be the magical, regal 'princess' the world had come to see her as... (with no small thanks to her mother's propaganda...)

Laighean grinned at her and nodded, silently approving. In turn, he replied, " Pleasure t' meet ye, Lady Aella. Ah'm Laighean Flannchadh, Prince of Aerona." And then he paused in his play-acting and added with a whisper, "Ah, ah'm not really, but since we're actin' an' all ah thought it might be more realistic fer me t' pretend ah'm a royal like ye."

He thought about kissing her hand, but thought better of it. She'd probably faint or become a tight little ball of nerves again.

He cleared his throat and spoke a bit more loudly, " So, Aella, what sorts of things are ye interested in? Do ye like..." He tried to think of something that he knew about her and then recalled something Draven had said, "stories?" 

Aella's cheeks heated at the idea of him as a prince,a d almost did not catch his question. She was still staring, before she blinked and jerked herself out of her day-dreamy thoughts.
"Oh!" she said, then smiled a bit at the thought. "I do love stories! All sorts really, but mostly ones with a little romance and adventure, since well.. I do read. A lot. Quite often, actually, maybe perhaps, like er.. three or four times a day. And I can go through a book real quick and I... I... I'm rambling... aren't I?" She pausd and sighed as she wilted into the chair.
"Laighean, this is just too difficult. I'm just no good at this."

Laighean shook his head and chuckled, "Don't be so 'ard on yerself. Yer doin' joost fine. Eh , so ye be a bi' a ramblin', but tha's nae sooch a bad thing," he offered her a warm smile and added, " ah think it gives ye character. Ye know, it makes ye more interestin'. Would be pretty borin' if everyone acted th' same, aye?" He waved a hand dismissively," But, enough aboot tha' . Ah'm not mooch of a reader, meself ,but ah do love a good story. So, would ye humor me an' tell me 'bout yer favorite?"

Aella blushed and lowered her gaze. He was really being too sweet and kind! Glancing back up at him, her eyes shined a bit now that he inquired about some of her books!

"Well, there is the one about the knight.. oh oh, or the one about the cast away princess.. or oh! The one about the pirate prince. That one's pretty dreamy.." she said, hugging her hair to her chest with a dreamy sigh.

"Pirate prince?" Laighean wrinkled his nose and tried not to laugh but a small noise escaped, " ah s'ppose tha's interestin'. " It really wasn't to him. Dreamy? Pirates were not exactly shining examples of good moral character. And then it dawned on him and suddenly made sense! "Oh. I see. So ye like those kinda stories? " He covered his mouth with his hand and stiffed his man giggles. Yes. Man giggles. " So , ye like th' bad boys, aye? " He teased. "Ye dannae strike me as th' type."

At his sudden conclusion, Aella gasped, "Oh no!" But her face was so red. "It's not like that! They're not really bad boys! Everyone just sees them that way!" And her face showed her genuine feelings for it, that she believed, whole heartedly, this men were good and true!

"Well, ah dannae," Laighean told her quite seriously, "pirates aren't very nice people t' begin wi'. What makes ye think they're good boys anyway? " He leaned in close to her smirking, "Maybe they're joost pretendin' t' be good t' impress nice lasses like ye, aye?" He leaned back , "Ah was joost pullin' yer leg, o' course. So what's so dreamy aboot this pirate prince?" He was curious.

Aella gasped and grew defensive.
"No! He is not the kind of pirate you are thinking! This one had woken up far away from his kingdom and turned his life into piracy since he had lost everything he had, but having a good heart, he couldn't just do nothing with his life when he landed in this country where the poor were treated unjustly!  He used to steal from the rich and give to the poor!"

Laighean was a bit taken aback by how sensitive she was over a story. He was also not so sure she understood what he meant by 'bad boy' but he wasn't about to ask her and make her more uncomfortable than she already was! Yet!

Was it of historical significance or a fantasy? Maybe he should have asked about that first.  He held up his hands in a gesture of helplessness, "Easy there, princess. Ah dinnae mean t' upset ye. Ah'm sure 'e's a real upstandin' gentleman. Ah really would nae call 'im a pirate though cos tha's nae what real pirates do. Ah but we're mincin' words 'ere, aye? "

"So,do ye 'ave any stories in yer country 'bout the really 'andsome Phantom Prince of Aerona?" He grinned at her. Of course,  he was referring to himself and of course he wasn't serious. Why would there be such a story? And assuming that there wasn't, he could always make up something ridiculous to entertain her with!

"Aerona?" Her eyes lit up at the words. "Oh! I have heard about that kingdom! My mother has a collection that I've read through dozens of times in the library! There was this queen, one of the very ancient queens, who had her husband turn into a wolf! But it was rather sad.." she added with a frown."Because.." she could have cried."She had to kill him."


OOC: Try again, Laighean 8D

"What !?" Laighean wrinkled his nose and looked a bit horrified. What a horrible story and it wasn't one he was familiar with either. "What kind of story is that!? That's horrible! Who wrote that!?" He shook his head, "Nae, ah'm talkin' aboot the Phantom Kingdom of Aerona and its royal family. Ye've ne'eer 'eard o' tha' story?  "

"Oh, yes! But there are many stories from there! You should see my mother's book collection. The Aeronian stories are in this really pretty, blue leather binding with gold print. But anywyas! One of the stories from the Aeronian lost tails is about how the wolf of the forest lost her tail. She was a beast in one form, a lady in another, and she ruled over the earth in the ancient forests that this kingdom protected. THen, oh oh! There was this one family's tale that's so sad.. it was said they were the last blood line of Aerona. And it was said they were fated to fade away for awakening the dark magics they had been sworn to protect."

Laighean  removed his mask and set it down to rest in his lap. He stared at Aella, blinking." Wow. Ye really do read quite a bi' .Ah was so sure that people had forgotten. It's been a few centuries since everything fell t' ruin. An' there's also th' bi' aboot the youngest prince bein' the most 'andsome. Almost as mooch as me. " He wagged his eyebrows at her in an absurd fashion.

Aella blinked at him as he made that statement.
"It never mentioned there was a young prince int hat story. I just recall the heir being a soldier.."s he said, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "A warrior king, much like his dad. Oh, and I do believe he had a sister, too! A really sweet girl who was found of the forests!"

"Of course he's forgotten . Probably because he's a mage. The King left him behind to protect his mother and sister and defend the kingdom while he went off on some suicidal mission with a handful of warriors who all got slaughtered. Meanwhile , the prince had to hold off an army with what few defenders the King left with him and you know what ?He held the walls. But even after the threat was gone, the King still treated his younger brother as though he were an incompetent child-" Laighean realized that he was starting to get a little too worked up over this. Goddess he was so pissed off at Draven and the story of their past only reminded him of that.

Aella blinked at the way Laighean was passionately going on about this kingdom. She.. didn't really follow all of it. All she cared about, mostly, were the romance tales, so she wondered ifs he had forgotten this part?

"Er.. I don't think I remember that part of the story, but then again, my favorite Aeronian tale was the one about the queen and the wolf."
And she paused to remind him. "It really was so sad and tragic. I can't imagine having to kill my husband to save a whole kingdom. She must have been so torn."

Laighean's response was a little more emotional and bitter than he intended, but he couldn't help it, "At least she lived long enough t' be able t' make sooch a choice. The last Aeronans were 'ardly given tha'. They spent most of their lives fightin' joost t' survive ,but when they thought they'd seen an end t' the fightin',  they ended up cursed an' damned t' fade away from existence an' from history."

" The Queen lost her husband, three children an' then 'ad t' watch 'er survivin' children an' the whole kingdom slowly decay an' turn t' ghosts. They dinnae die...they existed for centuries , hundreds of years in a lifeless , light-less , cheerless realm where many o' th' senses failed them. Taste, touch, smell, hearing and some even lost their sight.  They could nae feel the warmth of an embrace, nor the chill of a blustery fall day, could nae the taste the food they consumed ,they could nae smell th' flowers. They could nae see a smile or hear a child's laughter."

"One by one, they were consumed by the curse that their ancestors 'ad brought on them. They became victims of loneliness and despair because there was nothing they knew that they could do to save themselves from what was to befall them. Slowly, the Aeronans lost not just their physical feelings, they lost their 'earts an'...ultimately their souls. An' now their kingdom lies in ruins and the stories that are left to remember them by are a grossly exaggerate and disrespect history. It's insulting and tragic that in just a couple hundred years, Aerona is little more than a myth told for the amusement of foreigners."

((Poor Aella. She has to deal with an angry, angsty Laighean!))

"Oh..! I..." Aella fidgeted, not quite sure how to react to.. to well that! He seemed to impassioned by it, as if the very story were real! Though she was impressed he seemed to know a lot of history, she was still just uncertain of the full details of this story he just confessed! Though how was she to react to what he said? And so she found herself, gaping at him for a time before placing a gentle hand upon his shoulder.

"Is that story your favorite? You seem to have gotten quite upset over it. But please, don't be upset, Laighean. It was only just a story."

Little did she know!

"No!" Laighean exclaimed when she touched his shoulder, "It's  not joost a story. It's history! It 'appened! An' it's one o' the worst stories ever! Can you imagine having to live like that? Forever!? That's even worse than joost dyin'! Can you imagine ne'er bein' able to experience life because it was over before it even began? Can you imagine watching everyone around you losing their minds? " 

Laighean covered his face with his hands and fought to compose himself. "Ah'm sorry, princess. Ah joost..." He couldn't tell her the truth. She'd never believe him. "Ah'm very passionate aboot me history. Er...ah mean history. It's me favorite subject o' study. Ah got a wee bi' carried away there." When he removed his hands from his face, he had already forced himself to smile, but it still wasn't all that convincing. This was truly bothering him.

"Ah'm a terrible date...eh?  Look at me, goin' on aboot history, probably a subject most girls find so borin'"

Well.. none of that was expected! She flinched at his hollered 'No!' and then cringed as he went on about it. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn he was making it sound like this history were real...
Considering the story he said, she did believe it was awful.
"I..  I couldn't even begin to imagine." SHe said quietly. "It does sound awful..."
And then at his apology, she smiled up at him.
"You don't have to apologize. I'm the one who can't keep good conversations, remember?" And she hoped her more leftward grin might rise his spirits. He looked so upset!

Laighean's smile grew , "Nae, but ye see tha's where ye'd be wrong. An important part o' conversation is lissenin' to people to an' ye've done tha' joost perfect. "  He considered , "But ah'm bein' a wee bi' disrespectful 'ere by steerin' this conversation o'er to me interests . Ye say this queen an' wolf story is yer favorite, aye? Well, ah ne'er 'eard 'o it 'afore. Maybe ye'd like t' tell me th' tale ?" Laighean had never really been a fan of romance stories. He found them all to be silly and unrealistic , but he was interested to know what she liked about it so much. He wanted to know more about her.

"Well I.." she blinked, feeling embarrassed for being put on the spot again.
"I just.. really like good romantic stories, but that one just stood out because I felt really bad for both the queen and the wolf. You see, her husband was only trying to protect her, but in order to- he had to sacrifice himself and was turned into an animal. But the animal's instincts eventually took over his mind, and he became wild and confused, and terrorized the people of his kingdom. He even almost killed his own son in the end, but the queen rushed out to save him- and well.. the moment the knife sunk in, she swore she heard him say 'I love you' for the last time."

Aella could have cried.
"It was just so sad!" she said, then sighed dramatically and shook her head "Though I'm aware it's just.. a story. But still it just... well.." she shivered, hugging herself. "Romances as deep as that just seem so sweet." Then she added, "Oh! Minus the cruel ending, of course! Ijust wish his wife could have saved him. Rescued him from the demons that plagued him, you know? Give him a second chance!"

"Yeah. Ah cannae say ah'm sooch a fan o' love stories. Ah mean, no offense, Princess but the lot o' them are fake an' a wee bi' unrealistic.Ah mean, quite a few o' them tell o' the heroine fallin' fer some guy she met aboot a day ago an' fallin' in love wi' 'im cause he's all 'andsome 'an charmin' an' sweet. An' they live  'appily e'er after. Ah joost dannae think it works quite like that. Ah like real stories aboot people. What aboot ye, princess? D'ye 'ave any romance stories o' yer own? What kind o' prince are ye lookin' out fer? "

Aella, crest fallen at his words, made a face as if he had just spilled punch all over her dress. She was hurt, crushed even but when the question wound it's way back to her, she dropped her gaze onto her lap.
Closing her lips, she could only shake her head.
"I... I don't know.."
For now she really didn't! She felt so silly and foolisha nd wanted to cry!

Ah. Maybe he should have kept his opinion to himself. He hadn't meant to cause her spirit to deflate so much and he felt rotten for it, as though he'd just kicked a happy little puppy. "Well, tha' makes two o' us , ah s'ppose." He went quiet for a few moments and then asked her , "Ye ne'er really thought aboot it mooch, ah take it? " 

The embarrassing part of his question was....
She did! She day dreamed every day about how she'd be whisked away by some handsome prince, or even a stranger! But oh! How her bubble had been popped! Realistically, she knew most of the time she thought about kissing a guy, it was more of a fantasy kiss than one that was actually based on what propriety dictated. So trying to real back her dreams, she realized..
she still had no idea.
Sos he sighed and blew at some of her hair that had fallen over her mask.
"The problem is, I think too much!"

Laighean hugged his sides and laughed, "Ah, a romantic. Aye joost a wee bit much." Now he was curious, "What aboot me brother, Draven? What do ye think o' 'im?" Draven really didn't seem like her type. He was just so...old and boring! Not that there was a whole lot wrong with that. He knew his brother would be good to any woman . 

Aella blinked when things went back to Draven. She shuffled uneasily now beneath his gaze, violet eyes going to her skirts.
"Er, your brother is uh.. nice?" That didn't make her sound like an idiot to say that, right!?
Also, what should she say!? She felt panicked, and it might have appeared on her face, being she was shuffling around more uncomfortable now than before!

"Ye kin be 'onest. Ah won't be offended. Ah think 'e's a wee bi' old and boring. Sometimes a bi' too intense. Very focused , Draven. All work 'an no play. 'E's so busy thinkin' aboot 'ow t' survive tha' he sometimes forgets 'ow t' live. Even when we arrived 'ere in your clo- er Connlaoth." He blushed and grinned sheepishly , "'E does nae take any time t' enjoy the scenery , ye know? We 'aven't 'ad a chance like this in ce- er a long time 'an 'oo knows if we'll 'ave another one like it. Ah worry 'e pushes 'imself too 'ard. Ye know, ah offered t' 'elp 'im but he joost keeps treatin' me like ah'm a child. Sure, ah've made a few careless mistakes but dannae consider meetin' ye one o' them. Although, ah am sorry fer pretendin' ah was gonna kidnapp ye. "

As he went on and on about his brother, she nodded at her lap, but curiously, peered up at him at the last statement. And she blushed.
"Er.. it was kind of scary..."

"You know.. I still don't really know how you all got in there. Did you really sneak past all the guards?"
And she leaned forward, curious to know more.

Laighean smirked at her question. "Well, ah dannae know if ah kin tell ye. It's kind o' a Flannachadh family secret. " He crossed his arms and turned his back on her for a moment.He then turned around and dared to take a step closer to her , "Do ye really want t' know, princess? "

Aella watched him with interest, but held a breath in anticipation, and at his words, she found herself blinking and releasing it.
"Well I..." then she nodded. "Y-yes. I mean... only if you want to tell me." And she leaned in closer, hoping to hear.

Laighean leaned forward and whispered into her ear," Magic. A portal opened in my realm and ah walked through it because ah was really bored and curious. Believe me when ah say ah 'ad no idea tha' ah'd end up in yer wardrobe, but ah'm glad tha' ah did. " He stepped back and offered her a smile. "Ah'd tell ye from where ,but ah think ye'd 'ave a 'ard time believin'. Ah admit ah'd 'ave a 'ard time meself." 

Aella's eyes were huge. She took in the story with wander.
"M-magic?" But now.. she took it in with fear. She had almost forgotten he was a mage! Rearing back, she looked awkwardly away from him.
"Yes er.." she blushed. "Well, anyone would." She said that part quietly as she blinked. "Magic is so rare since it's outcasted here." And she wrung her hands against her dress.

"So ah 'eard. Ah 'aven't fergotten 'ow the guards pissed themselves when ah used magic. They acted as though they've ne'er seen magic before an' they spit out th' word mage  at me as though ah were diseased. Tried t' kill me , aye. An' ah would 'ave thought it were joost because ah gave ye a bi' o' fright, princess but wherever ah go in your country, people act like ah'm a monster. Ah dannae really get it. Ah'd ne'er 'urt a soul. ah'm a lover, not a fighter."

He then shook his head ," Ah but ah'm nae from around 'ere. Where ah come from, magic is the source of life . Joost a natural part o' th' world. Ah'm glad ah'm th' only mage in the family other than me mother. Ah'd 'ate fer me sister, Fi,  t' be treated badly." 

"So you're from another place, that's not Serendipity?" That was truly interesting, even if the idea frightened her. "But you say only you can cast magic. Not your sister, or even Draven?" She blinked, trying to take this in as she made a face. "Then I wonder what he was going on about when we-" then she realized she nearly let something slip as her face lit up and she began to stutter. "Th-that is to say, that er um, when we t-talked when we were alone, you know he um.. brought up you guys."
She cringed. Oh no! That's not where she wanted to divert this conversation either!

"Aye, ah'm th' only mage in born t' th' Flannchadh family. Ah'm a hydromancer . Tha's what yer people 'ave called me anyway. Water magic. Tha's me specialty. Ah kin manipulate the flow of water or create it out of air moisture but me magic is stronger outdoors when me spirit is linked with nature."

He shook his head, "But no, Draven has no magic except..." His expression hardened, "He's not supposed to use tha'. He promised tha' he wouldn't.  What did he say to ye, Aella? "

Aella blinked.
"Ah, well, he.. he and I... well he.. he.. He didn't really say anything! We just.. talked!"
Er.. except she just said they didn't say a thing! Shoot!

"Tha's a contradiction there," Laighean pointed out with a frown, " Ye're lyin' t' me. Ah dannae know why, but ah s'ppose ye're nae gonna say joost because he told ye to, aye?  What? Ye came back t' talk t' me because he asked ye? Is that it?  " And he'd been hoping that she genuinely wanted to speak with him. Goddess, that stung. "If ye cannae tell me, ah'll joost go find him meself."

Aella paled and completely freaked out. She had no idea what to do! ANd to see the hurt in his eyes and knew the 'threat' from his words, she found herself suddenly- and most surprisingly beginning to cry.
"But he said he was after something important! That I couldn't tell you because he didn't want you to get hurt! He asked me to talk to you, to keep you calm and distracted and I-"
And here she found more tears rolling down her face.
"God.. I'm so sorry, Laighean, I just.."

He hated it when girls cried. It was one of his weaknesses. Laighean looked and felt as though he'd just kicked a puppy. Wordlessly her reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a kerchief that was so clean and stiff that he was sure it was new and hardly been used. He offered it to her. "Ach. Tha's joost like the idiot! Aella, ah'm nae tha' upset wi' ye. Ah joost...when ye came back ah thought ...maybe ye wanted t' see me."

Aella continued to cry, not entirely sure. She wasn't even sure if she could accept the kerchief as she lowered her head in shame.
"I... it's not that I just... I... I... was afraid. For you." And she peered up at him, tears blurring her vision. "I never meant to hurt your feelings, Laighhean. But I was just scared."

"Why? Ah'm 'ardly in any danger, Aella." Well, that wasn't entirely true. It was dangerous alone being here when he wasn't supposed to , but nobody here knew his face aside from Aella and Draven. "What are ye afraid of? Nothin' bad is gonna 'appen to me." He took her chin in his hand and gently lifted it so she'd meet his gaze. With his other hand her removed her mask and then dabbed her tear-stained cheeks gently with the cloth.

What the hell had Draven told her!? "Ah'm joost tryin' t' understand what ye're on aboot. "

She felt him dab her tears, but only more formed as she moved a hand to gently touch his to stop him. She shook her head.
"I promised I wouldn't say..." but even that made her cringed as she looked at him, eyes pleading him not to push- for she knew she'd just cave!

Laighean caught her hand before she could push his away. He met her gaze and spoke firm but gentle," Dannae do this t' me, princess. Tell me the truth, " Laighean pressed and his eyes pleaded with her, "please."

That pleading look in his eyes was enough to break her as she let out a soft sob, "He.. he said he needed to talk to my mother about collecting something... that.. that he needed the time with you away so he could get it from er. He.. he was going on about it being some important artifact that could protect you- to save your life, and if he didn't retrieve it soon, you, your sister, even he might die." And she felt her eyes well up wiht tears. "PLease.. please don't be angry. I agreed to.. I... I was only trying to help!"

Ah. So it was exactly what he thought, then. Laighean's jaw set. Typical, hypocritical Draven. Only he could save the fucking world.Laighean shook his head, "An' you believed 'im?  A complete stranger? You know 'im even less than ye know me, an' ye 'ardly know me!" Now that thought worried him. "Goddess, he's so stupid!" But he couldn't pursue Draven since the man was probably trying to butter up Melora. An' ah danne know what pack o' lies he pulled outta 'is ass , but 'e's still gonna be 'ard pressed stealin' tha' pendant from 'er. She's nae gonna give it away an'  'e won't be able to get close enough t' 'er but... He looked at Aella, "Aella, 'e's gonna steal from yer mother." He gestured to his throat, "Ye know the pendant she wears around 'er neck? Tha's an Aeronan heirloom , but it's more than tha' . There's very dangerous magic in it." He put his hands on her shoulders, "Ah know tha's soundin' crazy t' ye, but tha's why ah'm 'ere. In yer mother's possession, it's quite 'armless because there's a trick t' usin' th' thing tha' she doesn't know, but tha' thing needs to be returned 'ome an' purified o' dark magics or bad things will 'appen. "

Despite feeling guilty, despite feeling wrong- the emotions that were churning inside her suddenly erupted as she stood up from her chair.
"Then we must help her!" she exclaimed, and if he were to wonder who, she quickly informed him. "My mother!" she took his hands, her eyes full of fear. "If that necklace is as dangerous as you claim, I might be able to get it off of her. But it won't be easy. She keeps her jewelry under lock and key... but if it means protecting her, well us,well, my family and yours.. I'll do it."

The surprise was so clear on Laighean Flannchadh's face, "Ye- wha-?" He blinked a couple times and stared at her with his mouth hanging slightly ajar. He shook his head  , "Ye-mean -really? Ye'd 'elp . Joost like tha'? " How could this lass be related to that ice-witch of a duchess? "Oh! 'appy day!" He threw his arms around Aella and hugged her and then realized that these Connlaothians were not all that touchy-feely with strangers and released her from his embrace and stepped back quickly, "Sorry. Ah joost- thank ye, princess. Thank ye. "

Better to have Aella help them than for Draven to do it alone.   

Aella was smiling, and it was a smile she could not erase, nor could she erase the blush on her cheeks either.
"Don't thank me yet. It's.. it's the least I can do. I mean... to try, anyway. I don't know how easy it would be to get any of the jewels from my mother..." Especially if it was  favorite one she wanted to wear alot! "But I think I know which one you're talking about. It's an heirloom one. I always thought it was a bit.. eerie."

This was just too easy and that bothered him.

"Woah, woah, woah! Back up 'ere. Did ye listen t' me? Ah joost said it was Aeronan. And you... danne think ah'm insane or something?" He suddenly grabbed Aella's shoulders and gave her a slight shake, "Ah came out o' yer closet! I tried kidnap ye! Ah'm a mage! An' nae ah'm talkin' t' ye aboot a kingdom tha's dead for centuries an' you are joost gonna go along wi' this? "

Wait. Why was he trying to make her see reason when she was willing to help?

Well, maybe because he was worried. If he wasn't himself, he'd probably try to take advantage of her in some way. Oh Goddess! What if another man did?

Aella just stared at Laighean, and she wished his language barrier still got in the way of her understanding him as she replied, nervously, "Well, the thing of it is.. I... well, to be honest, I don't know how to react to a story like that, Laighean- but I saw how troubled both you and your brother both have been over this necklace. If.. if it'll help you both, help your family.. then why not? I mean, that is to say, I couldn't just do nothing! That would be horrible!"
But he did bring up a good point, and she felt herself sweat a little over the idea- and maybe get a bit dizzy as she sighed.
"Besides, I know all of that aside, you're not a bad person. Or else you would't be so kind now as to keep me company." And at that, she smiled. "Especially, considering you should be really angry with me right now."
After all- Draven had duped her into duping him!

Aella's reasoning made enough sense and it warmed him. He stepped forward and kissed her cheek. It was a simple and innocent gesture for someone like Laighean, "Yer a sweet, lass, Aella. " If he didn't have such a good notion of what her mother was like, he would have puzzled over why she wasn't married.

He moved away, "Alright then, but for this t' work, ah dannae think we should be seen t'gether. I ah...." He felt a little hesitant to admit it. "Ah sorta met yer mother 'afore ye came back an' she sort of...well, she wasn't very ....uh...she was scary. She dinnae recognize me since she's ne'er seen me face before, but ah did sorta introduce meself as Bryant Shanley and she might 'ave thought ah was interested in courtin' ye.  " He laughed because the idea of marriage was silly! But then added politely, "Oh nae tha' ah -well, ah'm sure if ah was Connlaothian nobility , ah'd probably - " No, maybe best not to go there. "Ah should joost stop talking nae, aye? "

Aella was taken off guard by the kiss, and found herself stiffening and going red. Though at his words, she slowly smiled and curtsied to him before leaning forward and pecking him softly on the cheek in return.
"I understand." But then her eyes narrowed as she moved to poke him. "And what do you mean my mother is scary?" SHe had a hunch but- it was amusing to think a boy would find her own mother frightening!
Then again... she had seen her mother's temper and it was a force to be reckoned with!

"So.. you pretended to be a Shanley?" She made a face, but had to laugh. "I thought those men had longer beards. But my mother hardly associates with them, so I could see why she'd buy it."

(( Aella knows House Shanley and their beardly reputation. I am impressed!))

Laighean looked wounded and stroked his goatee, " Ah'm in the process o' growin' one, princess but a nice respectable beard takes time, ye know? " Inwardly, he wanted to cry. Why did she have to go and point out one of his insecurities? Well, not that she probably knew about that but still! Laighean's expression shifted to curiosity now, "So ye are familiar with the Shanleys? Yer mother dinnae seem t' be impressed. Not a respectable family, the Shanleys? "

Now it was Laighean's turn to blush, "And, well, ah...see- ah'm not really - did ah say scared o' yer mother? N-no, no. Ye must 'ave mis'eard me. What ah really meant t' say was tha' she uh...her face an' - ah mean , ah dannae get scared o' nothin' ! We Flannchadhs are fearless like tigers! Rrrrawrrr! " He puffed out his chest and gave a growl that was anything but fearsome. Actually, it was more silly than anything else. "Ah mean ,maybe ah might 'ave felt a wee bi' uh...nervous under her stare of doom, kinda like she was lookin' right throgh me skin and seein' somethin' she dinnae like ,but ah was only joost a bi' intimidated."

 

For the life of her, Aella could not stifle her laugh at his roar.
"Really, you're not so ferocious," she teased, taking a step nearer to him before making a jab towards his belly. "I mean, I bet if I were to call for my mother now..." and she turned to step away, acting as if she were just about to go do just that!

(( lol and then Melora comes in and scares the crap out of them both!))

Laighean's eyes widened at the mention of calling for her mother. His face flushed and he opened his mouth slightly to protest. No, no. She couldn't be serious? Was she ? Without even thinking about it, Laighean panicked grabbed her by the shoulder, "No! Nae tha'!"

But then he realized how silly he was being and crossed his arms, "Ah mean...oh sure. Fine! Go call 'er. She'd probably be mad at th' both of us! Ah mean, it's nae like she approves of me bein' alone with ye. " He smirked. "Ah'm not thinkin' she'll buy the date practice excuse either."   

   

Aella placed her hands upon her hips and gave him a mean, but playful glare.
"Oh, really? Well, let me just go get her no-"
And then she stopped abruptly as her face went white when she over heard her mother's voice on the other side of the door.
"Aella?"
And she froze.

Laighean's face paled when he heard Melora's voice on the other side of the door and immediately his eyes were searching for an escape route. If the mean, old, witchy duchess of Hellvion found him here alone with her daughter...she'd probably scream , "Off with his head!" or something horrible like that!

His wide eyes shot to Aella and he mouthed the words, 'Hide me.' to her before he ultimately gave up and dove behind the couch they'd been sitting on earlier.

Laighean wasn't the only one that wanted to hide. Her mother could't catch her alone, so a squeak later had her tottering behind the same couch and tryign to shimmy under it and hide along with him.
"Make room! I can't be caught, either! I shouldn't be found alone! She'll kill me!"

Laighean gasped when Aella joined him. Fearful that Melora would hear him, he whispered, "Don't ye think it's a wee bi' pointless to be 'idin' when she knows yer 'ere!?" He was not about to let her hog his hiding space and would not budge when she tried to push her way in. The space was small , cramped. Hardly enough room for the both of them, but he let her through anyhow because, well, he couldn't resist an opportunity like that! He certainly wouldn't cop a feel- no, well , he wouldn't try to but with Aella pressed so close to him, he did feel a couple things. A pity that her damned dress was mostly in the way!   

" Ah! Hehe...soft.  "Ah dinnae peg ye t' be one o' th' fast movin' relationship types, princess, but if ye wanne skip all th' fancy words n' all, we can get t' th' smoochin' 'n pettin'. Ah 'ave nae objections t' practicin' tha'. "

Aella wiggled in beside him whether he liked it or not, but at his words, she gasped and would have slapped him, but an elbow to his gut was quicker (and closer). She made a face, and was about ready to chew him out when she heard her mother's voice again.
"Aella, darling, are you in here?"
And that's when the door clicked open.

Horrified, Aella suddenly tensed as she leaned in against Laighean, spotting her mother's heeled shoes clicking against the floor.
"Aella?" She heard her mother's voice again as the floor boards groaned beneath her. Aella thought she was goign to die, for her mother remained in the center of hte room, unmoving. But after a few minutes, she walked back out the door and closed it. And all Aella could do was sweat and stare.

Laighean winced once when Aella's elbow rammed hard into his ribcage and winced a second time when he heard Melora call out for Aella again. He heard the door opening and he held his breath and prayed to the Guardian that the woman wouldn't find him.Because , if he was going to be caught he'd rather it have been something a little more risqué such as being caught in the sheets with the duchess's daughter. Yes, his mind went there. Often.

However, there were no dirty thoughts in his mind when Melora entered the room and walked around. He too drew closer to Aella and clutched onto her, his skin pale and sweating. He held his breath, watching intently as the duchess's heels moved across the floor and paused right in front of where he and Aella were hiding. As soon as he heard the door open and close again, Laighean let out a sigh of relief , "Tha' was close." He said .

And speaking of close...his hands were awfully close to her bosoms!

At first, Aella was too stunned to move, but once her wits returned, she could have swore she was shaking.
"By Angsar's might, what am I doing?"

Laighean offered comically, "Hiding from yer mother behind a couch with strange ,but very handsome man that ye might be feelin' a sudden craving t' exchange a couple o' smooches with?" He let go of her and wiggled his way out from their hiding place. He rose to his feet and stretched his limbs. " Aw, ye cannae tell me yer 'avin' second thought nae, princess." Well, it wouldn't surprise him because a woman's mind could only be so vacillating like that!

Aella remained, still in shock, beneath the couch before reality caught up to her and she went to move, but cracked her head off the bottom of the settee. Wincing, she sat now on her knees beside the couch and rubbed at her head.
"I.. I guess I don't know. I didn't think I'd have to hide away from my mother... that's all."
Yet, the idea of stealing some of her mother's jewelry was just fine! Clearly, Aella knew her priorities well!

Laighean winced with her when bumped her head. Because that must have not been a pleasant feeling. Certainly didn't sound like it! At her words, he simply stared at her, " Me an' me big mouth. " He put his hands on his hips, "Well, ah feel pretty rotten aboot tha' closet incident. From what ah heard, tha' dinnae go over very well with yer mother. Ah would nae want t' put ye in a worse position than ye might already be. Maybe Draven could...or ah..."

No . There was no way that he'd be able to impress Melora. She hadn't even given him a chance. Maybe he was doing something wrong? He still felt silly for asking, but why not? "Aella, what sort of man do ye think would impress yer mother? Ah'm joost curious. "

Aella was still rubbing her head as she blinked at.the question.
"My mother?" She blinked again. "Oh, I dunno, but she always likes to have things in order. And she loves to entertain. Before the.war all happened we traveled a lot and held balls nearly every week."

Laighean frowned and shook his head, "That's not very informative for an answer." Was she serious? Did she spend so little time with her mother or was her head in the clouds too often to take notice?

"Ye don't know? 'ow can ye not know? Well, ah guess for starters she's not impressed by mages. Ah...maybe she doesn't like me lack o' facial hair? Am I too short? Or...is it me freckles? Or did she think me clothes were too loud? Or...maybe she's a cat hater! " It bothered him that Aella's mother didn't like him without even knowing who he was more than he cared to admit. "Was she e'er attacked by a cat cause that would make sense."

"Cat hater?" Aella blinked. "I don't think so, though animals aren't really allowed inside the castle.."
Frowning again, she thought over what Laighean said, and hesitantly, found herself asking in a sheepish tone.
"Are you thinking... to court my mother? Because if you are... erm, she's married."
She wasn't sure, but felt it needed to be said, for it seemed Laighean was trying so hard to impress her, clearly he must have had his eye on her mother! And she was beautiful, after all, her own looks easily coming from her, but still..
she felt odd to bring it up, but didn't want to be the one to tell him that were it to break his heart....

But in all honesty, she was still too naive to realize what he was really asking, and her confusion, showing how simple the poor girl could be!
Yes, she was truly that naive!

((lololol! Oh ,Aella.))

Laighean couldn't have looked more more confused, "Me? Court yer mother?" He wrinkled his expression with disgust, "No way! She's nae me type an' she's too old fer me!" Actually, if he paused to consider it, it was very well likely that he was way too old for her! He smiled at her, " Where ah'm from if a lad likes a lass, he has to seek the approval of her parents. If they dannae like 'im, then they cannae be. Dae ye ken?"

He sighed and shook his head, " Oh ne'ermind. Th' thing is tha' ah'm sorta...fond o' ye an' ah was wonderin' if maybe ye'd like t' give me a chance t' know ye better. If yer mother knew who I really was an' what ah am, she'd be - well, ye know." 

Aella, who normally took some time in digesting what Laighean said through his accent, stared at him for a while with interest, lips pursed as she nodded rhythmically as to what he was saying, that was..
until she realized what that was! And her cheeks heated to pink, her violet eyes went wide, (the color small, the whites, large) as she cupped a hand over her lips. Did he just say... D-did Laighean just mention he wanted to court....her!?

And before she even had a chance to react, the door swung open and Aella found herself surprised once more as a tall man with a long, gold and silvered beard stepped in, blue eyes and long wavy hair now regarded them as she stammered, "D-Daddy!?"

For it was assumed he would not attend this event (as he rarely ever attended such events), Aella continued to stare, still uncertain as what to make of this situation as Duke James Edmund Avelon regarded the pair, his eyes narrowing like a lion (such as the costume he wore) and growled.

"Melora. She's in here." And a tight lipped expression made Aella tense, as the shadowed figure of her mother approached, high heeled boots clicking against the floor, and once her father stepped aside, she saw the fury that was her mother's gaze flash over the pair dangerously as she commanded,
"Our servant told me you looked familiar! It's him! The mage intruder from before!"

And quickly a pair of mordecai in full armor rushed into the room.

"Arrest that man!"

And before Aella realized what was going on, her father stepped in, as did her mother, and Laighean was soon surrounded. She hadn't known when she was plucked from Laighean's side, but her mother had a fervent grip upon her, and her father's normal warm gaze looked as cold as stone as he witnessed the handcuffing of one of Aella's potential 'suitors' (and well, friend!)! All all the poor girl could do was gape!

When the door burst open, Laighean immediately hid (well, tried to hide) behind Aella in fear that the intruder upon their conversation was her mother. Much to his horror, not one parent showed; both did.

"Hey there,  Missus and Mister A." Laighean laughed and forced his joviality in spite of his growing anxiety. "How are y-"

He flinched at being accused of being a mage and then he flinched again at the idea of being arrested. Again.

"Ah'm pretty sure that your servant needs to have their eyes checked, your grace. Ah'm nae who ye think ah am. " He eyed the guards moving in slowly towards him with their weapons raised. He held out his hands helplessly, " Oh c'mon nae. Ah'm 'armless, really. Ah was joost 'avin' a wee cha' wi' yer bonnie daughter. Nothin' weird 'appened, ah swear it on me mother's crown. Ask 'er, y'self. Aye, Aella? We were joost 'avin' a talk. Tha's nae a crime, is it?"

"Put your hands down, mage!" One of the guards barked the command at him venomously. 

"Nice and easy or we won't hesitate to skewer you!"

Laighean slowly lowered his hands and dropped them to his sides. He was grabbed and roughly searched.

"There doesn't seem to be anything on him , your grace. "One of the guards informed Melora.

"Not so. " Another guard replied and held up a pair of women's panties. "He had this in his pocket."

"Okay, Ah 'ave no idea where those came from." Laighean told them honestly.
The first guard grbbed his hair at the back of his head and slammed his face up against the wall, " Silence, lech, or I'll cut your tongue out here and now!"

Aella, finding it too much to bear, was wringing her sweaty hands (but thankfully, she was wearing gloves!) as both of her parents, and then the Grand Duke's guards, of all things, rushed into the room and a fanfare of un-pleasantries unfolded before her.

"No, please! He's right! We were just talking!" Aella tried to protest, but the bark of the guard and the growls of her parents seemed to be drowning her out. "Please, father, he hasn't done anything wrong." But  as she tugged on his arm, a most unnatural glare fell upon her. She had never been beneath her father's scorn before and this time, it seemed, would be the first.

"Aella! Do control yourself. You look like a fool."

"But really, father-"

"And still your tongue!"

Her father might as well have locked her in a tower and slammed the door in her face, for that's how she felt as she tensed on his arm before her mother pulled her away. Tears warmed within her eyes, bubbling up and blurring her vision as she tried to fight off the sobs.

"Oh, mother! Please! Don't have him arrested. He's not a bad man!"

"Aella, shh, darling, we've heard enough."

And the chill in her mother's voice was like ice. She clutched onto her and turned just as the guards began to yank Laighean away, tearing off his costume mask and searching him a few more times. And as they found something to identify him with the poor Ardalian man he had left drunk in the streets, Aella tore away from her mother and threw her arms around Laighean, hoping to deter the guards from dragging him away.

"Please! He hasn't done anything wrong! Let him go!"

And the guards growled, looking about ready to throttle her, but they knew better as they glared over at the duchess.
"Control your daughter so we can control this despicable fiend!"

"Okay, I admit that I can understand where you're both coming from about the whole strange man in my daughter's bedroom thing. If it were my daughter, I'd feel pretty concerned too.  But the mage paranoia is just a wee bit silly ,don't ye think so? Ah mean, ah ne'er 'urt anyone. It's against me beliefs. Ah'm a lover, nae a fighter."

In spite of his protests , he was roughly handled and shoved towards the door. However , when Aella put her arms around him and tried to defend him he shook his head,"Dannae worry, Aella. Ah'm gonna be alright. Ah'm sure it's all joost a big misunderstanding. They'll probably cut me loose in about a day or two. " Nah. Melora probably going to kill him if that was even possible!

Laighean looked down at her and leaned close to her and kissed her cheek, "Can't end a date without a smooch, aye?" He winked at her right before one of the guards struck him in the back of the head and knocked him down to the floor. Laighean lay still there, possibly unconscious.

OOC: XD woo, she gets a kiss at the threads end

----------

Aella, stunned by the kiss, was stunned even more when she was yanked away and witnessed the poor man being clobbered over the head. When he went still, her eyes prickled with tears.

"Thank heavens for that, but you couldn't have done that act elsewhere? Really, there are women present," Melora said, seemingly between her teeth as she held onto her daughter which might have appeared in a manner of comfort, but  was really just to keep Aella back. And as Laighean was dragged away and it was promised he'd rot in Reajh's finest prisons, Melora sneered. "Just take him to whatever prison will hold such a fiend. Send him up North or hang him for all that I care. He's swindled my daughter and is trying to make a mockery of our name." And she looked towards husband, and it was hard to say if the stern look was directed at him or the situation as she tightened a grip around Aella's hand.

"I suppose this is our moment to bow out. The evening has taken a most unexpected turn and I'm not about to stick around to have others get the chance to whisper about our daughter. Come along, James." And without so much more as a passing glance, she dragged Aella away.

Though the ball was still going on, as evident from the music echoing out into the lawn as the Avelon family awaited their carriage and valet, Aella spared one last look towards the Grand Duke's palace, seeming not to hear her mother's snake-like hisses over Aella's conduct. Once seated inside, her mother yanked off her gloves and threw them onto her lap.

"Are you even hearing me girl? You will promptly be punished when we are home. To think.." and she looked her daughter over scrutinizingly. "You're proclaimed the most beautiful woman in Connlaoth yet at such an age, unwed!"

And the echoing heartbeats of pain that followed mimicked the fading clopping noises of the horse drawing away their carriage towards the heart of the city, while the palace remained a looming figure at their rear.

OOC: thread end! I'll start up another one later, unless you want to start something in Reajh prison XD

This thread is continued here (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=15971.msg165804#msg165804).