[Acquaintances]
Lizzyfer
O.D. 10.12.2000 [1:14 p.m.]
(stupid formatting. This is the second half of the scene. Mariposa is another one of Liz's characters - a Pooka Childling - and Ieun is one of Alex R's - a Gwydion Sidhe Knight.)
[Kestrel]
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Wed 20:05 EDT He frowns, bending to wash the blade off in the surf. "Well, no one writes lyrics like that unless they wished at least once in a while they didn't get stuck with the hand they were dealt--whether they chose to be dealt it or not."
Sticking the knife into his belt, he folds his arms and frowns. "And so what about questing? You've never seen me on a--" well, quest wasn't quite the word for it, "--an excursion, and I'm not saying you don't know me."
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 20:12 EDT ~She bites her lip, finally swerved by a piece of his logic~ "Well... I didn't quite mean it like that. But, it's like you've only ever seen the side of me that I show when things are calm. Tranquil. Keep in mind, I am a knight... not just a foolish lady, content with frippery and amusements."
~She crosses her arms in front of her~ "Besides... sometimes, people feel closer when they've faced danger together. Galen and I..." ~She pauses~ "...well, we've seen each other at our best. And, I think, we've seen each other at their worst too."
~She frowns once more... who is she trying to convince? Kestral? Or herself?~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 20:14 EDT "Oh," he says, simply, and sits down on a washed-up log to watch the gray waves roll in. He seems defeated by her logic--at least until he remarks, "So, the best of you comes out when you're hacking things to bits, eh?" If you thought him depressed by all the talk of Galen this, Galen that, you're wrong. Or at least he wouldn't show it. The grin is back--more a smirk right now, actually, and he adds, "I dunno. Even for a little girl with a sword, that's a pretty odd view of yourself to have."
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 20:20 EDT ~Her eyes go wide~ "That's not what I meant!" ~She almost glares at him, and shakes her head, hard~ "I meant... ohh, what's the use? It's not like you'd understand..."
~She pouts, and scoops up a stone, which she flicks at him. Not hard enough to do damage, certainly - probably too small to even leave a bruise - but it is the principle of the thing, isn't it?~
[Mariposa]
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Wed 20:20 EDT "Hmmmm...."
Most possible it is that neither of them heard the small, thoughtful little hum that spills from the lips of child-creature leaning over the lip of Kestrel's Yacht. She had not been there two moments before, when he first began peeling barnacles from Dreamer's hull. Nevertheless, she's there now, long, tangled chestnut manycolored locks streaming in the faint salt breeze. One hand supports a delicate chin, and her ladybug t-shirt is by now fully dry. The grand, jeweled wings are drawn back, held flat together upon her back - lightly, a delicate tension bright through them - and thus unseen from the front except as a thin band of color rising slightly behind her head. Enchanted, for the moment, with the possibilities for mischief, she simply leans closer and listens.
[Kestrel]
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Wed 20:25 EDT With his hawk (kestrel) eyes and his gunslinger's quick, precise hands, it's not a surprise that he catches the stone out of the air. Rolling it into his hands, he laughs at her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you mean 'slicing and dicing' things to bits, instead?" The stone dances across his knuckles, and then disappears into his palm. He looks up, sees Mariposa on the Dreamer. "Well, hello, Mariposa. Did you sleep well?"
He looks down, quiet for a moment, and then tosses the rounded stone--the kind that you'd expect to find by the sea only this one's glowing now, rippling in bands of iridescent color that change before the eye manages to register them--back to Jennifer. "Next time," he advises, "throw it at Boreas. The effect would be just as good, and the bird can't catch worth a shit."
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 20:31 EDT ~She just glares daggers at him, almost seething~ "You... oooohhhhh!" ~She throws up her hands... and steps aside as the stone comes flying back. It hits the ground, and skitters a bit before coming to a rest~
~Pity the poor fool who brings the wrath of a Fiona in a bitchy mood down upon his head. Luckily, however, she still seems to be under control. For now~
~And then, she looks up, and notices the other. And her face goes blank. The mask of nobility, to hide all emotions except those one wishes to be seen~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 20:35 EDT "You wasted a perfectly good dream, too," he mourns, watching the stone roll aside. Colors shift and fade, materializing into a tiny water-snake with a bowler hat that slips into the sea and swims away. "Anyhow," he continues, circling back to the previous subject, "what ARE the worst parts of this high and mighty count of yours?"
[Mariposa]
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Wed 20:36 EDT "You're out of Lucky Charms," ...except for the rainbows. She left all those... "so I'm hungry again. I bet GALEN wouldn't go around without any flower petals to eat, and just a buncha dumb old fish."
The girl climbs to the rail of the little yacht as she speaks, crouching in apparent preparation for a jump from ship to land. Thus crouched, she's a small thing, hunched against the twilight sky shot with silver and rose. Without hesitation, she launches herself toward the land - kids, daring and fearless and agile little buggers, she practically soars, butterfly wings opening and fluttering swift and dazzling emerald, a fantasy of patterned colors makes the jump, landing in sloshing water barely enough to cover the small toes.
"Hullo Lady Lynette." The creature draws herself up with an overconscious dignity, trying to appear older than her scant years. In some small, odd sense, she succeeds.
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 20:40 EDT ~She doesn't answer - to be honest, she doesn't even look at him any more. Her eyes are on Mariposa - and she smiles as the little one addresses her~ "Hello... Mariposa, did I hear Kestral call you? It's a pleasure to meet you."
~Noblisse oblige, of course... though somehow, it seems less forced coming from Lynette. More as if she means it, rather than parrots words out of tradition alone~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 20:41 EDT He frowns briefly, and then it passes, like a cloud before the sun. "Well," he replies, "that's because the mighty Count Galen couldn't catch fish if his life depended on it, I'm sure." Leaning down, he picks up a flat, disc-shaped stone and skips it out to the open ocean. "Evasion," he mutters under his breath, referring probably to Lynette's decision to ignore him
[Mariposa]
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Wed 20:47 EDT "It's much more fun to catch flowers, especially when they decide to run away from you. I think he did call me Mariposa. He even pronounced it right just like you did, so you can call me Mariposa too."
She flashes a quick, sunlit little grin then glances sidelong, vixenish, at Kestrel. Straightening, a few handfuls of sand runningslipping golden to plash into miniature roses that fade with each passing moment sliding in wet runnelets from palm to shore - plop plop plop - the wings close lightly, flaring open without thought or intention she approaches Lynette and curtseys, deeply.
The effect is somewhat shattered by the mess smeared in her hands, and she tosses the last handful of sopping sand to the beach.
Plop. Plop.
[Mariposa]
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Wed 20:49 EDT "Can I ask you something, milady?" The precocious gaze slides toward Kestrel, and back.
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 20:50 EDT ~She smiles - after all, she's had a life-long education in dealing with Pooka, spending so much time with Eowyn. She nods, as Mariposa speaks~ "Yes, dear?"
[Kestrel]
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Wed 20:51 EDT "Ask her what she sees in that stupid count of hers," Kestrel mutters, rather grumpily, and then smiles innocently if anyone managed to hear.
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
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Wed 20:54 EDT *As the yacht moves through the water, Ashleigh sees a familiar-looking vessel. He takes Honor's Passion closer to shore and calls out in a loud voice.* "Ahoy the ship!" *Damn, he had always wanted to say that.*
[Mariposa]
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Wed 20:56 EDT The child clambers onto the hood of Lynette's little red Mazda, kneeling and leaning close to whisper in her ear.
It's one of those kind of whispers - stage whispers, little brat's whispers - and the sounds carries enough for even the grumping pirate sidhe to hear. For Lynette, the creature is all smiles, but an astute watcher might catch the wicked gleam in her manyhued gaze. "Will you pretty please warn me before you kiss him so I don't hafta look?"
[Kestrel]
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Wed 21:00 EDT Kestrel sits a little straighter, grinning as he catches a glimpse of Ashleigh on his yacht. "Well, look at that," he marvels, shouting across the stretch of sea that separates him from the other, "the landlubber's taken to wetting his feet! Mind the aft sail, matey, you're yawing portside!"
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 21:01 EDT ~Her eyes flicker for a fraction of a second, hearing Kestral's words. They flicker again, when she hears the girl's words - accompanied by a slight flush, and a look thrown Kestral's way~ "I don't think that will be a problem, dear. I doubt it will ever happen."
~And, perhaps thankfully, she looks up, noting the other boat nearing the shore - with its notable captain~
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
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Wed 21:04 EDT *Ashleigh nods in thanks to Kestrel and brings Honor's Passion alongside Beautiful Dreamer. Grinning, he kicks off his shoes and dives into the water.
[Mariposa]
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Wed 21:06 EDT "Oh. You're right," The creatures eyes skew sideways, and she leaps off the hood of the car with a delicate little flutter of wings (showoff) to land a good three feet away. Small, unshod feet make a shadowed impression in the gilt sand and she twists her body about until the pattern is more to her liking.
"I completely agree. You will never kiss him." Smug in her perfect little lie, the child finally deigns to cast her attention toward the newcomer, watching him dive into the lapping water with a hint of eagerness. "If he hits his head and gets paralyzed, can I have his boat? Finder's keepers."
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
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Wed 21:08 EDT *Ashleigh surfaces a good twenty yards from his boat and swims towards shore. He walks the last few yards and nods at the three of them, his clothes dripping wet.*
[Kestrel]
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Wed 21:08 EDT His pant-legs are just drying from his previous foray into the surf, and now he plunges in to his waist to greet the other. "So she still sails, I see," he says, extending an hand in greeting. "You gonna be taking her out again today, or was that enough spray for you?"
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 21:10 EDT ~Another slight flush (keen-eyed, that Pooka... at least more observant than Popeye over there, anyway), before her attention is drawn to the conversation of the boys. Of course, she would never rush headlong into the surf - even though she still wears her traveling clothes~
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
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Wed 21:13 EDT *He grins and laughs, shaking his head.* "I'll probably dock over at the Isle. There are things I need to do there tonight."
[Kestrel]
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Wed 21:15 EDT "Mm, pity." He eyes Honor's Passion appreciatively. "She's a beauty, all right, and she looks like she's aching for a chance to stretch her legs." He doesn't ask what Ashleigh's business on the Isles are. He doesn't care too much for business. "Have you met 'em, by the way?" He nods at the Lady and the Pooka. "Lady Lynette d'Aquitaine, and Mariposa of the Waves." Of the Waves? Just something he thought up himself, probably.
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
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Wed 21:17 EDT *Ieun grins and bows to the two ladies.* "Lady Lynette and I have met before, as for this vision of loveliness-" *He turns to Mariposa* "I haven't had the honor."
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 21:18 EDT "We've met, Kestral." ~She smiles, her voice taking on that special tone reserved for Sidhe (well, reputable ones at least)~ "And well met, my Lord. It has been some time since last we parted."
[Mariposa]
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Wed 21:20 EDT Well, if Lynette isn't going to run into the surf, Mariposa isn't either. After all, she isn't a child anymore. Thus, she manages to supress her desire to wiggle further in the sand and - watching the lady sidelong, as if for clues as to behavior (or perhaps to catch another hint of flush in her curving cheek) - Mariposa draws herself up to her full, scant height with a grave little dignity. Emerald wings flare out, scorching emerald flame, a shifting cerulean spiral embedded, and with concentric circles of deepening ruby at the center. Emerald wings, the distinct shape of a butterfly's own.
Mariposa flashes Ieun a dancing, vibrant grin - her cheeks coloring with pleasure. Something like a giggle wells in her throat, but it is firmly tamped down as she summons up the gravitas to curtsey. "Uhm, hullo Sir." She isn't a child anymore.
Erm. Not really.
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
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Wed 21:20 EDT "Indeed, milady. Actually, I had heard you were returning, and I would speak to you later, about family of yours. But for now," *He looks to the three of them.* "what brings such a motley collection together this evening?"
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
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Wed 21:21 EDT *Ieun laughs and bows erspectfully to the young Pooka.* "Itis a pleasure to meet you, Mariposa of the Waves." *Inwardly he groans...Pooka...why must there always be Pooka?*
[Kestrel]
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Wed 21:23 EDT "Oh," he grins, scratching the back of his head. "That's right, I forgot. You get around."
He wasn't suggesting...? Quickly, he changes the subject. "Well, I'm just here to repair the Dreamer. The other two happened upon me. But since we're here--" he should at least make some attempt to be a gracious host, "--you guys want anything to drink?"
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 21:25 EDT ~She nods gravely in reply, but says nothing... as he speaks to the Pooka now. There are some things best saved for private conversations, and Eowyn is one of them. A sister can also be a hostage, and Lynette is not foolish enough to give such things away for free~
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
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Wed 21:27 EDT *Ieun nods and laughs.* "Sure, what do you have, Kestrel?"
[Mariposa]
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Wed 21:28 EDT So briefly, so very briefly that it is surely a trick of the light, Mariposa's eyebrow flares upward in a definitively mature little hint of doubt, or perhaps smug amusement. Even the corners of her cupid's bow of a mouth quirk upward into a faint smirk before resolving into a full-fledged dazzle of a smile. "I would say the same thing, except you didn't tell me your name."
She offers one sand-smeared hand with a drifting delicacy. Perhaps she expects the courtier to greet her with a kiss. Perhaps she thinks she's a lady.
[Mariposa]
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Wed 21:30 EDT "And I'd like a rosewater and eel juice, please."
Maybe if she tossed in a sea creature, he could conjure up the mixture.
[Kestrel]
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Wed 21:31 EDT "Rum," of course, "beer, and salt water." He thinks. "I'm pretty sure I have water, too..." Trailing off, he stares at Lolita with an entirely puzzled look on his face.
[Mariposa]
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Wed 21:34 EDT That certainly changes things. "I'll have a rum please instead." The childcreature's gaze slides from Ieun to Kestrel, and then to the young woman invoking Icarus. The wings gleam, flitting slowly - almost meditatively - open and closed. The small rhythm of the movement is ever interrupted by an unexpected flutter, or an overlong pause.
[Kestrel]
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Wed 21:37 EDT He chuckles and dares to ruffle Mariposa's hair. "I think you're too young for rum," he says, "but if you'd really care to try, I can offer you a sip."
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
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Wed 21:38 EDT *Ieun looks as well, curious as to this young woman who had interrupted their merriment. He murmurs softly.* "I'll take a shot of rum, Kestrel." *He smiles to Mariposa.* "Where are my manners?" *He smiles gravely to her, giving her the respect an adult deserves.* "Sir Ieun ap Gwydion, at your service."
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 21:39 EDT "I'll have water, if you really do have some..." ~A pointed gaze at Kestral, then towards Mariposa~ "...and the girl should too. I think she's far too young to start picking up your bad habits."
[Kestrel]
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Wed 21:42 EDT He shrugs at Mariposa apolegetically. "You heard what the noble Lady said. Water it is, for you. But I'll toss in some honey nut cheerios if you like." Oh, yuck. Turning, he wades into the tides and climbs the rope ladder to the deck. He hesitates at the top, and then leans over and calls, "Hey, Lynette--can I talk to you a second?"
Ooh. What's this all about?
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 21:44 EDT ~SHe looks up, and just stares at Kestral, noting that if she were to follow him, she'd have to wade into the water as well. With a sigh, she calls out~ "Is it that important?" ~SHe looks at the water, as if in complaint~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 21:45 EDT He nods, oddly serious. "Yeah. Really important." He looks around the deck. "I'll toss a rope out to you that you can climb, if you don't wanna get wet. Somebody'll have to hold the other end, though."
[Mariposa]
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Wed 21:46 EDT "STOP. IT." Mariposa wrinkles her nose as Kestrel's ruffling destroys her grown up illusion of dignity. "And I'm not too young for yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. My grandma was a pirate and she gave me some all the time. Anyway, I'm allergic to water, so you hafta give me rum or I'll die of thirst!" Mariposa grumps at Kestrel's retreating form before turning her attention back to Ieun.
"Maybe you lost them out of your pocket when you dove into the water?" It seems to be her idea of a cutting joke, for the flicker of a smirk wings across the child's lips once more. "But I'm very happy to meet you Sir Ieun ap Gwydion at my service. Are you married?"
To the point, that.
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 21:50 EDT ~She shakes her head, and sighs again~ "No... that's all right. I can handle it. ~And, she begins running towards the water, the slightest smile upon her lips, thinking of Marit, and her gift to her young Sidhe friend, long ago. Just before Lynette reaches the water, she closes her eyes, and LEAPS~
~Somehow completely clearing the water entirely, and slamming into the boat with her shoulder, near the ladder. After a split-second, her hands find purchase on the rope, and she catches hold, smiling~
~She then climbs up to meet the mighty Lord of the Seven Seas~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 21:53 EDT He stares down at her, bewildered as he extends a hand to help her aboard. "Are you wicked witch of the west, or something? Melt if water touches you? 'Cause if you are, you'd better tell me now..." Hauling her onto the deck, he opens the door to the cabin and descends the tiny staircase. "C'mon, I wanna show you something."
What could it be? A bauble? A gift? A diamond ring...?
[Jennifer O'Connor]
12|38.14.56.89
Wed 21:57 EDT "No..." ~She takes his hand, and allows him to help her up~ "...but I don't relish the idea of having my clothes be soaking wet, either. I mean, it IS October, Kestral."
~And, now on deck, she follows~ "I hope this isn't the point where you corner me alone in your ship and take woeful advantage of me, you evil pirate you." ~she smiles, faintly~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 22:02 EDT "I have towels in the head you can borrow," he replies. "Little ones. Really little ones. You can tie two around your waist like a loincloth, and hang two more from your neck. I'm sure it'll be the new vogue. Galen'd appreciate it."
Utterly gleeful, he leads her over to the fold-out dining table. The belowdecks are comfortable, but nowhere near large. In fact, if she didn't watch where she was going, she might well collide with something. "Here, check this out--"
And what does she find herself looking at? An ornately carven statue of herself? A decorated rapier, set in silver strands and mother-of-pearl? Actually, no. She finds herself looking at...a map. A handdrawn one, at that. In pencil. Atop a nautical chart. Kestrel, on the other hand, sounds barely able to contain himself. "Isn't it great?" he blurts. "I was just wondering if you knew anything about it."
Likely she was still trying to figure out what the HELL she was looking at.
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 22:20 EDT ~She leans over, peering at the map. She purses her lips, as she tries to puzzle out the secret of the map~ "Did you draw this? Or did you find it, somewhere?" ~She sounds curious, yet in no way as excited as Kestral~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 22:21 EDT "Uhm," he says, "I kinda found it." Well, it wasn't a LIE...
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 22:25 EDT ~SHe looks it over, tracing coastlines and features with her eyes "Ohh? Where?"
~She links her arms behind her, as if deep in contemplation of this amazing map. Good thing Kestral seems too innocent (in his own way) to realize she's just playing along to make him happy. Still, it's the thought that counts, right?~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 22:28 EDT His brow furrows. Unable to come up with a convincing lie, he admits, "Actually, the Pooka outside drew it. Which is why I wanted to show you, 'cause I thought you might know if she was actually on to something, or just pulling it out her ear."
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 22:32 EDT ~She stands, looking up at him, and she smiles~ "In other words, did she just make it up, or does she know something we don't?" ~Almost quietly, she looks at him~ "Looking for buried treasure and a pirate's adventure?"
[Kestrel]
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Wed 22:39 EDT He shrugs sheepishly, keeping his eyes down to the map--or maybe, the far more practical chart beneath. "Basically. Never know how much of the truth a Pooka's telling, and all." He rubs his neck and takes up a gum eraser, scrubbing away some of the lines he's made on the chart, but leaving the map carefully intact. "And, yeah. Looking for a little adventure. Summer's about gone from here, and I wanna take advantage of every last day in the sun I've got."
Is there a double meaning to that? He folds out a chair and sits down, crossing his arms. "Anyhow," he adds, with the usual grin, "if Port Charleston doesn't get interesting soon, I'm going to hafta sail for Buenos Aires."
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 22:42 EDT "I wish I could help... but I can't. Not really. I don't know anything about it, other than the fact that there have always been rumors about pirates and hidden treasure hereabouts. There's even a legend about an old Kithain pirate who used to sail these waters, but I'm sure there are a lot of other people who'd know more about it than me."
~She shrugs lightly, but still smiles~ "Every once in a while, some childling or another would go off to search, but nobody ever found it that I know of."
~She grins, and a mirthful glimmer sparkles behind her eyes~ "Maybe they didn't find it because they didn't think like a pirate?"
~She doesn't comment on his "travel plans". Maybe she's trying to ignore it, ignore the idea that he might leave. But, of course, she'd never let on if it were true~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 22:51 EDT Somehow reassured by the vague reply, the grin widens and he rocks back in his chair. "They didn't find it because they weren't me," he says, utterly self-absorbed for the moment. "And anyway, we are the stuff of legends ourselves, aren't we? If there's a legend about it, then it's out there." Smug, he folds his hands behind his head. "I'm gonna find it. I might even give you a share, if you're really nice to me. One or two percent, that sorta thing, y'know?"
He resists the temptation to ask if her Count Galen's ever dug up treasure before. Instead, he changes the subject, "I heard there were a lotta fine Latina honeys in Buenos Aires." He talks about Latina honeys a lot, doesn't he? Unfortunately, Lynette hasn't realized yet that it means he has no interest in them whatsoever. "Maybe I'll go there and pick me up a few. Then the Octobers won't be so cold." Smirking, his eyes dancing, he adds, "Too bad about that other Spanish girlfriend of mine, though. She turned out to be a first-class nutcase."
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 22:54 EDT ~She listens as he rants (babbles, really), only replying when he pauses for breath.~ "Of course she was a nutcase. She'd have to be, to be interested in you, hmm?" ~Her smile is as innocent as an angel~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 22:56 EDT The smirk, unfortunately, only gets bigger. "That'd make you one HELL of a nutcase, wouldn't it?"
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 22:57 EDT ~The smile never fades~ "You wish." ~She snorts, as if the very idea was ridiculous~
[Kestrel]
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Wed 23:01 EDT For a moment, the smirk becomes a smile, almost thoughtful. "Maybe I do," he says. Then, as the grin stretches from ear to ear, he adds, "Then again, maybe I don't!" He laughs at his own joke (haha, he really cracked himself up) and gets up, going over to the fridge bolted against the hull. "Anyway, I think I owe some people outside some very overdue drinks."
[Jennifer O'Connor]
12|38.14.56.32
Wed 23:04 EDT ~She smiles at that~ "Afraid of a mutiny, cap'n?"
[Kestrel]
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Wed 23:06 EDT "That must be it," he says, dripping with sarcasm. Turning at the stairs, though, he asks nonchalantly, "Hey, anyway--you interested in going treasure hunting sometime? Or are you too wrapped up in your duties?"
[Jennifer O'Connor]
12|38.14.56.32
Wed 23:08 EDT ~she smiles at that, for a moment thinking of someone else, and another time~ "Maybe... I suppose you'll just have to find me next time you go out looking, hmm...?"
[Kestrel]
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Wed 23:10 EDT "We'll see if I'm still interested by then." He winks, and goes up the stairs. "And get your butt off the Dreamer now, Lynette," he calls over his shoulder. "She's a fickle lady, and might decide to quit functioning if I let a stranger poke around her insides too much."
Leaning over the hull, he tosses a bottle of rum at Ashleigh. "Heads up, Ash! Sorry 'bout the delay." He glances at Mariposa. "Does she need to be tucked in?"
[Jennifer O'Connor]
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Wed 23:13 EDT ~she shrugs at that, and heads for the deck above~ "Whatever. I've probably wasted a bit too much time here anyway. There's a bunch of people I still need to see..."
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
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Wed 23:13 EDT *Ashliegh catches the bottle and looks over at the little Pooka.* "Not sure...I think she's tired out. Do you want to go to sleep, Mari-Mary-Quite-Contrary-posa?"
[Mariposa]
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Wed 23:14 EDT "NO!" She says adamantly, the final O opening into another blossoming yawn. "I don't! And if you tell me a story while I'm asleep..." Unbidden, her tiny hands drift upward to rub her eyes. "I won't be able to hear you.
Another wide yawn, though she fights sleep with the ferocity and gallantry of a Sidhe knight, it's a losing battle, to be sure.
[Kestrel]
14|209.206.86.232
Wed 23:17 EDT Back to the insults, obviously. "Yeah, run along and see to your boring duties," he says, "O Wicked Witch of the West that can't touch seawater."
Jumping off the deck to splash into the surf, he wades ashore and picks the little Pooka up sideways, much like a sack of potatoes. Good thing she was small, or else Kestrel might've pulled a muscle or three. "Come on, Mariposa, it's bedtime for you."
[Jennifer O'Connor]
12|38.14.56.32
Wed 23:19 EDT "Oh, but of course, Cap'n Crunch." ~Her hand upon the rail of the deck, she closes her eyes once more, and LEAPS~
~And she lands hard upon the beach, boots thudding into the sand~
[Mariposa]
97|63.146.245.67
Wed 23:27 EDT Mariposa's sleepy eyes widen briefly - scandalized and delighted at once. "You DID kiss her!" - delight and - "I hope you didn't use your TONGUE!" - nosewrinkling, disgusted/fascinated scandal.
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
29|63.145.48.40
Wed 23:28 EDT *Ieun watches the three of them banter. Obviously, Kestrl and Lynnette like each other. Two Fiona, playing a game of tag with each other's heart...how touching, how sweet, how utterly able to ruin both of their lives. At least for a few weeks.*
[Kestrel]
14|209.206.86.232
Wed 23:30 EDT He, of course, has no problem with getting wet, unlike the neurotic Lynette who insists on flying on and off his ship. He splashes through the waist-high water (Mjollnir was going to need some serious cleaning tonight) and puts Mariposa on the ladder. He wasn't going to climb with seventy pounds on his shoulder. "You've asked enough questions for one night, I think," he answers. "Up with you."
When she's aboard, he throws his shoulder to the bow of the small yacht and, with a great effort, sets her back upon the waves. Turning, he salutes the Knight and Lady with the gleaming revolver a curiously curved hand. "Night to you too, Lynette, you sharp-tongued bitc--vixen." Smirking, he nods to Ashleigh. "Maybe we'll go sailing someday, Ash. See you 'round."
Thus speaking, he grasps the rope ladder of the Beautiful Dreamer and climbs aboard. Before long, the wind in the jibs propel her back out to sea, where he will drop anchor and spend the night. "And no," he is heard telling the endlessly mischievious pooka, "we didn't kiss. So you, little lady, can stop your gloating."
[Ashleigh Thompson IV]
29|63.145.48.40
Wed 23:33 EDT *Ieun laughs then, not at any one of them (that would be rude) but at the enormity of The Joke that life could be sometimes. The Grump always felt refreshed, reinvigorated around the childings. Even though they loved to prank him, he couldn't stay away from them for long. He looks sidelong at Lady Lynnette and shakes his head.*
[Mariposa]
97|63.146.245.67
Wed 23:35 EDT "Liar liar pants on fiiiiiire..."
And the mischievous pooka can be heard singing bright these words, in the last flare of hyperactivity before sleep. "Now where's my rum?!"
