• Closed • [Ericor's Elegance] Whatever the Heart Desires (Caius)

Some idle fashion perusing leads to two old friends being reunited

The capital city of the of Rynmere, here is seated the only King in Idalos.
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Valeria Burhan
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[Ericor's Elegance] Whatever the Heart Desires (Caius)

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Valeria had said the L word and it made her feel peculiar, mainly because she considered love to be a rare and elusive concept. She believed that very few individuals actually fell in love and simply entrapped themselves in marriage contracts on the basis of infatuation or lust, or thought they were in love after they'd married in an effort to make the best of things. The fact that she'd said such a thing to Caius bothered her, even if it had been meant in jest. The casual use of the word seemed to gnaw at her somewhere in her hindbrain, even as she tried to repress the discomfort. It became more a niggling sensation, vaguely present but still constant.

"Did any of us think things through at sixteen? Fates, do we think things through now?" she asked with a laugh. Still, the niggling continued, even with her good humour, even when she should have been distracted by other things like her own appearance. Perhaps it would have been quietened enough by her delight at the dress, or even remained so while she scolded her friend but then he said that he was buying her silence and she rocked back on her heels, stunned. She gaped at him, unable to believe the implications of that single sentence. Even though he was grinning away at her, she couldn't believe that he jokingly talking about bribing her and sure enough, he wasn't.

"Caius, are you serious? Did you think I was going to climb to the highest rooftop and roar it at the top of my lungs or something?" the blonde asked, staring at him with a mix of disbelief and indignation. The Burhan found it difficult to believe that he thought she was so loose-tongued. She would have thought that he knew her better than that. After all, how many things did she know about that she'd never breathed a word about? She'd certainly never said anything about their own dealings with one another. The noblewoman knew how to keep a secret, she wasn't a gossip or a rumourmonger!

The blonde was ready to rip his head off over it but she saw the panic in his expression, fleeting though it was, and her eyes expression softened, eyes shifting to lilac. She regarded him silently for a few moments before she responded softly, "I won't say anything, Caius." Her gaze fell, the young woman unusually quiet as she considered what his request conveyed. The Gawyne truly cared about Darcy, cared very much about her, perhaps even more than he was willing to admit or could convey. Perhaps it was love after all. It certainly seemed to be something powerful.

She eyed the dress that she wore and the gorgeous pair of heels, reluctant to acquiesce to the man but also desperate to possess the items. The blonde could keep her mouth shut because she always would have done so, not simply due to the "present" that he was providing her with. However, despite the fact that she'd allow men to pay for things like drinks for her, she wasn't thrilled at the idea of this sort of gift, especially when it hadn't been called for.

"It's a loan, understand? I'll pay you back when I'm a bit more... financially stable. I mean it, Caius. I don't want you to think that I need- It's just a loan," she promised, assuring herself more than anyone else. She turned on her heel, marching toward the changing room so she could get back into her street clothes. When that was done, she returned with the dress draped carefully over her arm and the heels dangling from her grasp.

"I'll take these please, Ericor. If you'd be so kind as to wrap them appropriately," she ordered politely, thrusting the items into the clothier's hands. With that done, she turned her attention back to Caius, flipping her hair back over her shoulder, a steely grey glint to her gaze.

"As I'm sure you're aware, Lord Gawyne, I've never been one to gossip. Your sister has always trusted me as a confidante," Valeria informed him coolly, making it clear that he'd struck a nerve with her.
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Caius Gawyne
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[Ericor's Elegance] Whatever the Heart Desires (Caius)

"Sard it all, V, that's not how I meant things." Caius hissed at the blonde Elithem's indignant response to his half-serious offer of buying her silence, "You can have all the fun you want with me, but I give it a go, and you get offended. For shame. In all seriousness, though—"

He paused, glancing at Ericor as if judging how busy the man was digging through fabric and things like a madman possessed, as if he knew exactly what he wanted for the young Gawyne and yet had forgotten where he'd placed it. Shoulders sagging, his expression bordered on the apologetic,

"I meant no offense. I know very well that I can trust you. Bogs! For how many arcs now have we kept our own secrets? This is ... different. I can't explain everything, for Fate's sake, not here. Not anywhere, really. I'm sorry. Look—" Caius bit his lip and lowered his voice, attempting to find a way to explain his rather harsh feelings of protectiveness without giving away any of her secrets. He failed, and for a bit or two too many, his jaw clenched in thought instead, as if words burned the tip of his tongue but he refused to set them free between them. His gaze wandered her person as if looking for verbal inspiration, but still he found none,

"—V, I'm just trying to keep her safe. After all that the Venoras have dealt with this arc ... I have no interest in making things worse." Not that he could, honestly, as a Gawyne with little negative connotations to his name, save for perhaps his caustic speech and lack of interest in noble affairs.

Annoyed now, mostly at himself, he shrugged at her offer of a loan, defeated. If she wanted to pay him back, she could, but in all truth, Caius could care less. He wasn't making assumptions about her financial state of affairs, but he certainly knew what it felt like to be needy now that he lived away from home and paid his tuition and expenses on his own. He worked alongside commoners, he went to class alongside students who had more than once chosen to go without a meal just to continue their education, so strong were their passions. As much as he enjoyed the comfortable life a family fortune as afforded to the second son of the House of Gawyne provided, he really didn't sarding care about most of it ... so long as he was, indeed, comfortable enough.

"It doesn't matter." He mumbled, expression softening apologetically at Valeria with her own annoyance as Ericor re-appeared, arms full of clothing for the young Lord to try on, styles to judge. He began to lay them out across a low table near the sitting area, waiting for what he could only assume was a strange argument to end before he assigned Caius to an outfit to model,

"At your leisure, my Lord." The clothier managed to interject with a grimace, eyes watching Valeria carefully.

"V, I'm not worried about your confidence. Perhaps I've just overstepped mine, and I'm sorry. But I also haven't told my parents a thing about Darcyanna and I—well, I," Ink-stained fingers curled into his unkempt hair as he tilted his head toward the jacket styles Ser Edderick had set out, snapping his attention back to the blonde Elithem's face, eyes pale and desperate, "I wasn't really expecting to have the strong feelings that I do. Now I'm sarding stuck with them, which is fine, amazing even, but—Fates, don't bring Ivy into this."

Caius frowned, aware of his sister's friendship with Valeria as much as he was aware of his own. The distance between himself and Ivy, however, was a dull ache, and mentioning her dug at it. Was the burden still on him? He didn't even know anymore, but speaking of Darcyanna just reminded him of the sore, stiff feelings of protectiveness that had begun to grow in his heart for her, of how he'd failed Ivy, and of how, ultimately, he feared failing Darcy, too,

"Sorry. I wasn't trying to be rude, believe it or not. This is all just ... confusing." His words trailed off helplessly, both aware that he'd hurt the Lady Burhan and feeling a different kind of hurt burn through his veins. Looking away, the northern noble curled ink-stained fingers into his unkempt hair and bit his lip, meeting Ericor's expectant gaze,

"Alright, what have you got for me, ser?"

"Well, honestly, all of them would work for you. It's easy to fancy you up, in my humble opinion my Lord, but here, let's try this first." The clothier held up a long jacket which was in green, admitting that he'd have to create a new one from scratch for the young Gawyne if he liked the style, indicating that he should be trying it on by shaking it in his direction invitingly, "Though perhaps you really need the shirt to understand my vision. Here, this too. Go on."

He shoved both things in Caius' hands and crossed his arms, waiting for him to leave and return.

Ledger from Purchases
Valeria's items: -17gn 2sn 8cn
Caius' outfit: -229gn 60sn

Last edited by Caius Gawyne on Sat Jan 20, 2018 3:14 am, edited 2 times in total. word count: 896
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[Ericor's Elegance] Whatever the Heart Desires (Caius)

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The blonde sighed, eyeing him with cold blue eyes, the violet of anger that whirled through them belying any attempt her apparent coolness. "Oh well, maybe you did mean it as a joke but there seemed to be a little too much seriousness to it for me to think that," she remarked, her voice calm. "I apologise for taking it the wrong way."

Her arms crossed over her chest acted as a shield, the young woman almost hugging herself as he continued to talk. She'd made a mistake, she realised, jumped to the wrong conclusion by taking offence at his words. She knew Caius; of course he wouldn't doubt her like this. Still, there was no taking those words back now, although such regret seemed to be a matter of frequent regret for her. One of these trials perhaps, she'd remember to think before she opened her mouth and allowed such things to pour forth. There was little chance of that though given how impulsive she was.

The violet swirled away, seeming to disappear into her pupil like water going down the drain, leaving a maelstrom of blue and muddy greens behind as a show of remorse. Her demeanour shifted, her arms dropping to her sides but Valeria didn't open her mouth - not this time - convinced that the silence would do her more good than tossing words out willy nilly. Even if she began with good intentions, once her lips started moving, there was no telling what they'd spit out, especially if the Gawyne chose to interject and set her off. No, it was just better to listen for a change rather than enjoying the sound of her own voice.

The noblewoman plucked at the material of her skirt, contemplating what he was saying. It wasn't that he thought her incapable of keeping a secret but rather that he had secrets that he was keeping. They weren't his secrets so they weren't his to share and to ask him to do so was hardly fair. After all, what was the point of keeping things close to your chest if you blabbed them to the first person who came asking about them. Admittedly, she wasn't just any old person but she could understand his position. There was obviously something that he knew about Darcy or her immediate family that could have repercussions for House Venora as a whole. She had no right to pry but once again, her mind began to wander down the path it had when she'd had tea with the pianist and discovered the distance she'd kept from her childhood home. If Caius was close to her then it made sense that she'd relay information about abuse at home to him. Of course, he wouldn't want to pass on such things; he'd kept Ivy's secrets very well after all, but Valeria wasn't close enough to have a right to know this stuff.

"Yes, I get it Caius. I won't say anymore about it," the blonde commented glumly. "As for your gift... I know you meant well but I'd appreciate if you'd let me pay you back," she added, intending for that to be the end of the matter - for now at least. She could read irritation in the young man's posture and if she couldn't take her words back then she hoped to smooth things over as best as she could instead. Besides, Ericor's reappearance made her unwilling to talk further about this sort of topic, not wanting a certain nosy git to be eavesdropping on them. Of course, he might well have been doing that anyway while he was rooting for things.

Perhaps she would have remained quiet, allowing Ericor to package her belongings and her companion to peruse the fabrics on offer. However, while he claimed not to doubt her confidence, he managed to make it sound very much like he doubted her confidence. "I've already said that I won't say anything so I don't see why your parents have to come into it," she snapped, the flecks of violet returning. "I know Ivy is a sore spot but that doesn't mean that it isn't true. I can handle sensitive information, that's all I was saying."

She deflated a little, covering her face briefly with her hand as she sighed. "At this point, I think I ought to be used to your rudeness, Caius. You've rarely ever been able to keep a civil tongue in your head but then neither have I. Although I don't think it's as detrimental for a man," she added in an undertone, waiting for the clothier's attention to return to her when he wasn't busy flapping around Caius. Once he'd dealt with the nobleman, he would see to her, taking her new garment and shoes with loving hands and wrapping them up with the greatest care. She waited, choosing to hover in the shop when she could have left with her new belongings. At the very least, she wanted to be able to exchange a civil farewell with the Gawyne, hoping that they wouldn't part on ill terms. Once that was done, she'd be content to leave, secure in the knowledge that she'd pay her friend back at some stage.
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[Ericor's Elegance] Whatever the Heart Desires (Caius)

Overview

Cute dynamic you guys have that could only fostered by being really old friends. Enjoy your points.
@Caius

Points

XP: 15/15

Loot/Injuries/Overstepping

Dress and shoes deducted from ledger

Knowledge

Cosmetology: Letting the clothier make the decisions
Deception: Not telling the entire truth
Deception: Withholding the details for someone else's safety
Detection: Knowing when you've overstepped trust
Detection: Picking up on hints
Etiquette: Complimenting a lady on her outfit
Etiquette: Taking care of friends in financial need
Politics: Offering gifts in exchange for keeping secrets
Politics: Representing your house through the color of your outfit
Rhetoric: Self-deprecating comparison to your dog
Seduction: Nothing you haven't seen before
Location: Andaris: Ericor's Elegance
NPC: Ericor Edderick: Enthusiastic clothier
Valeria: V for short
Valeria: Marked by Zanik
Valeria: Lives in Andaris
Valeria: Still keeps up with your sister
Valeria: Knows what you look like under your clothes
Valeria: Knows your feelings for Darcyanna Venora
Valeria: Can't be bribed into silence
Valeria: Will probably pay you back
@V

Points

XP: 15/15

Loot/Injuries/Overstepping

You got them dress and shoes

Knowledge

Cosmetology: Wearing the same dress to two events isn't done
Politics: Delicately explaining that your funds are limited
Seduction: Charming a seller aids business
Seduction: Flirtatious greetings
Seduction: Clever flirtation
Intelligence: Using flirtatious wit to gain information
Politics: Representing your house through the colour of your outfit
Politics: Heading off rumours before they can begin
Rhetoric: Leaving no room for interpretation
Rhetoric: Using allusions to the past to gain the upper hand
Intimidation: Making threats you intend to carry out
Deception: Keeping secrets
Location: Ericor's Elegance (Andaris)
NPC - Ericor Edderick: Charming
Caius Gawyne: Returned from Viden in Ymiden 717
Caius Gawyne: Makes posters
Lord Pretty Boy: Nickname for Caius
Caius Gawyne: Works for the Rynmere Gazette
Caius Gawyne: Studies in Rynmere University
Caius Gawyne: Darcyanna Venora's hero
Caius Gawyne: Has serious feelings for Darcy
Caius Gawyne: Descendant of Ziell
Caius Gawyne: Tried to gift Val an outfit
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