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On the Road to Primus Gaudeo (Ellie)

Timestamp
Spring, Era XXVII
OOC So sorry for the delay! My vacation became apartment hunting and such. I'm back and should be faster now.


"You--you haven't thus far!" Nerine said down to Darling. It bordered on a complaint. She stared at the kitten for a moment, and then she reached over her shoulder. It wasn't to discover -- it was to confirm. Her halberd was gone. Her eyes widened; she began to realize, then, that something was terribly amiss. One could not simply misplace a halberd (except for that one time).

She sputtered, and then she grimaced. "We have to help him. Something very, very strange is happening here, Darling. Magic or sorcery or--"

Or speculating was useless.

Nerine hurried down the stairs, towards the faint gurgling plea. She could only guess at Norman's state. But she might see soon enough!
 
If a cat could shrug, then Darling definitely shrugged. "Well, I didn't have a reason to." She peered down the stairs again and agreed with Nerine. "Yes, we should help him. He had a nice smile." And with that, she was heading down the stairs. Carefully. One step at a time. Because she was tiny.

As Nerine reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw no sign of Norman. That was until she stepped into the common room.

"Ah, couldn't resist coming down for a drink, Miss Varkas? Or maybe you just want to read by the fire? You will have good company, if so! We have a new guest."

And, indeed, there was a figure sitting in one of the comfy chairs, a book in hand. As if on queue, the man rose from his seat and smiled at the bookseller.

He was the definition of tall, dark and handsome. His jet black hair was cut short and tousled. A meticulously trimmed mustache and goatee framed a dazzling white smile. And, those eyes. The bluest blue Nerine had ever seen.

"Good evening. Miss Varkas, was it? My name is Dherek. Perhaps you would join me by the fire for a glass of wine and some conversation?" He swept his arm toward the fireplace, causing his black duster to billow dramatically.

From the bar came the crystalline clinking of glasses as Norman produced a bottle of wine.

Both men looked at her expectantly. At her feet, Darling rubbed against her ankle. "He's rawr, huh?"
 
Where was Norman? He sounded badly hurt -- and yet there was no sign of him.

She walked forward -- and her eyes widened sharply as she saw Norman, in the common room, and if he was injured, it did not stop him from speaking and acting as if nothing happened. Nerine stared at him for a moment, then turned her head to look at the newcomer. 'Rawr' indeed; he was certainly quite attractive. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment, and those blue eyes, and then she hesitated.

She looked at Norman, then to Dherek. "Ah--yes, a... moment, please," she said. She looked at Norman. "Norman! Are you quite all right? You... took quite the tumble. And yet you're here."

She looked back at Dherek, then. She hesitated -- then she smiled, and summoned her confidence and courage. Perhaps this newcomer was in the spell of this place; perhaps he was behind the spell of it. She had to learn, and she could not do that by excusing herself and fleeing to her room. She nodded, after a moment. "Yes," she said. "I would be happy to speak with you. I just want to be sure that dear Norman is quite all right."
 
"A tumble, Miss Varkas? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." He gave her a quizzical look, which combined with the smile still on his face was a bit disconcerting. She found herself wondering if the man's mouth was stuck that way. For his part, Dherek seemed unperturbed, giving her a slight bow, and sitting back down, taking up his book again.

Norman approached and sat the bottle of wine and twin glasses on the small table between the chairs, pushing aside one of the books as he did so, which toppled from the table to land, open, on the floor. Neither he nor Dherek seemed to notice, however. Norman poured the wine and then turned back to Nerine.

"I assure you, Miss Varkas. I'm quite alright. That coughing fit you had must have made you a little lightheaded, is all." He disappeared through a door behind the counter, leaving her with the handsome Dherek.

"He's a strange one, isn't he? Norman, I mean." Dherek was turned in his chair, his bluest of blue eyes sparkling in the firelight. "Please, sit. It would be a shame to let this wine go to waste. It's cheap, but, still." He flashed a dazzling smile and offered one of the glasses to her.

Something struck Nerine. Had she given Norman her name?
 
Nerine felt a shiver run down her spine. Did Norman ever stop smiling?

She looked at the books with some alarm -- falling books always set Nerine on edge -- but she refrained from the desire to sit down. She walked closer, then took a seat near Dherek. Her eyes caught those terribly blue eyes, and she had to admit: he was rather attractive. She took the glass and lifted it -- and made her mind up. Avoid drinking, but talk to him, and be friendly.

So she smiled, even as her mind raced. She hadn't given him her name, she thought. She shook her head once at Dherek, then she smiled. "Why, thank you. I do appreciate it. So... where do you come from? And what brings you here? Are you familiar with this place...?"

OOC I'm gonna start the big drive tomorrow so this may be my last post for about a week. I had some time today, tho, so I wanted to get one in!
 
Dherek settled back and took a sip of his wine and seemed to consider her questions before answering. "I originally hail from Aleyria Prime. Grand city. If you have never been, I highly suggest you visit. As for your second and third questions, I'm traveling for work reasons, and yes, I've rested here many times. Norman is strange, but, he is a good host and the fire is warm and the beds soft."

As he finished, his blue eyes looked past her. "Well, hello there," he stood and smiled.

Behind Nerine, coming down the stairs, was Ellie. And in all her naked glory, for she had not a stitch of clothes on. Her long brown hair had been pulled up into a high ponytail and her skin was covered in droplets of water which accentuated her modest breasts and her toned tummy. It looked as if she had simply gotten out of the bath and walked to the common room without a thought in the world of drying off or dressing.

Ellie smiled her crooked smile at Nerine. "There you are. I thought you would come join me in the bath. There was lots of room in the tub. It's huge!" She giggled and joined the bookseller and the handsome gentleman.

Winding around her feet as she walked was Darling, who purred up at her. "I told you he was rawr."
Ellie nodded in reply. "You did. And, you were very right." She stepped closer to Nerine, her fingers lightly brushing against her travel companion's arm. "Too bad he's not my type, though. "

With a shrug, Dherek smiled and introduced himself. Ellie didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were instead on Nerine, gazing at her...yearningly?
 
OOC So sorry for the delay; the move and everything just got away from me. Glad to be back, though. <3


"I, ah, I have been once or twice. What is your profession? I--" Nerine stopped dead in her tracks, as Dherek's blue eyes fell upon something behind her. Now, Nerine was no prude; she did, however, not expect this at the moment. She looked at her friend with an incredulous expression, her cheeks flushing, and then pointedly looked away. It would be wrong of her to stare.

"Ellie! Ah--you--you may want to--dry off. Or get dressed. Or--" She sputtered, glancing down at Darling. Then flushed, as Ellie's hand brushed hers.

Something had come over her. This confirmed what she expected: something had gone very, very wrong here. She took a deep breath and considered. There was some manner of magic, perhaps? Or--or maybe it was something else. Nerine was no sorceress, and she knew of magic only in a scientific sense, really. So she hesitated a moment, before she made a decision.

They needed to get out.

"Ellie, perhaps we should head upstairs and get you dressed? I think--perhaps we should discuss some of tomorrow's plans?"
 
Ellie's eyes moved from Nerine to look down at her own body. She seemed to consider it for a moment before looking back up with a smile and glint in her eye.

"I definitely think the two of us should go upstairs. But, I see no reason to get dressed. I'm quite comfortable." She slipped her hand into Nerine's and began to tug her toward the stairs.

Dherek chuckled and gave the pair of women a polite bow. "Enjoy yourselves. Should you desire drink and conversation after your...hmmm...discussion, I shall be here all evening." He gave Nerine a knowing wink and turned back to his chair.

Ellie gave the man a polite nod and then began leading Nerine upstairs. "Are you sure you don't want a bath? The water is just perfect and the tub is huge."

As they started up, someone else was coming down. An old elven man, which, in itself was a rare sight, with a trio of glowing white globes circling his head. His pale eyes peered intently into each one as it passed, and though he seemed not to notice the women at all, he nonetheless stepped aside, avoiding running into them, mumbling the whole time.

"Skyscrapers! Can you believe it? Buildings of glass and steel that reach to the heavens! And the clothes! Very strange indeed...And what is that? A flying automobile? Fascinating!"
 
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