Whispers of the Arcana: Tangled in Webs Unseen [lC]

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Garret

"Hmmm." The Roulette Wheel seemed to put on a face of deep contemplation. lt seemed that a nme wasn't the easiest thing for him to think of for whatever reason. Suddenly, the board span once, perhaps signalling something. The quick response afterwards showed that it did indeed. "Heh, sure sure. For now, call me Fortune." he laughed, lightening the mood somewhat after the pause he'd created in his thought. "l suppose l should count myself lucky that'cha found me then if it was just chance that you'd ran down through there. Hehe, fate perhaps?" he lazily spun once more thinking about that.

"Poker though? So, you's a gamblin' man then huh?"

[Swampellow]

Siena paused for a moment, trying to gather an understanding of what the girl had said, specifically about her expecting this to happen. She was at something of a loss for words, and her pause continued when the girl asked the question.

She began to speak. “I.. I..” she stammered. She could tell that the girl was not trying to truly accuse her, nor did she seem to really be angry. She didn’t seem to be showing really any emotion actually.

 

She began again. “I do believe that sometimes I do actually see something… but that feeling is, well, very rare. I can’t deny that most of the time it is just an act but…” she paused again, biting her lip a bit.She was not exactly sure why she was telling this girl everything, but she felt as though she had to, or at the least that she should.

 

“But the thought of being seen as someone who is the way I present myself is a comforting thought. I like the feeling that people trust what I say, even if it is not true all the time and even if it might backfire on them. And I certainly won’t deny that I do do it for the money as well.”

 

As she finished speaking Siena finally looked the girl directly in her eyes, and something finally clicked in her head. She saw, or rather felt, that the girl had something of a timeless maturity hidden beneath her mostly emotionless exterior. 
 

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Siena

A small flash of disappoint crossed the woman's face at the answer, she wasn't happy with what Siena had given. She wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting in all honesty. However it was an honest answer, that meant something. The youthful looking woman crossed her leg over top of the other shifting in her chair, leaning forward. Resting her chin in her left hand, the one not holding her parasol. Siena would be able to note, that while she was wearing stockings... the woman was barefoot. She had not worn any shoes. "Let me ask another question... one that might be better suited to that which l seek to know." The woman somehow... was looking down at her despite not actually being taller than her. Suddenly Siena... felt utterly small as if she was nothing before whoever this person was.

"Those cards, the tarot. The Major Arcana...what do they mean to you? Are they merely a tool to weave your lies... or are they something more?" The way this woman asked questions still was strange, as if they meant to pry something other than just the answer from Siena... 

[Felicity]

"Mmhmm" Garret nodded and smiled fondly with memories of his 'career'. "And it's caused me no end of trouble, trying to stay on the decent side of the lucky lifestyle." The young man gestured around the apartment. "Been living like this for a couple of years now, squirreling away money in case I hit a nasty streak."

 

" I've dabbled in other kinds of gambling though," He noted absently. "Poker isn't my only past time, races, some roulette, a few other games and well, if a being called fortune doesn't grasp what the highs and lows are like then that's some supreme irony right there. That's the draw."

 

Garret took Fortune out of the sink and inspected him carefully "I think I got most of the muck, unless you can feel something. I'll' dry you off and if you like I had some polish to, uh, spritz up your finish some."

[Twinwolf]

Priscilla stared for a few moments. At the Cups below, a sight beautiful enough to make one nearly forget it was built by human hands, to forget what goes on below the lights of the city. At the woman in front of her, almost like a ghost, ethereal perfection. Val had to wonder what the nature of this compulsion to get close, to speak with her, was. It didn't... feel right. It was like nothing she'd felt before, like something was pulling on her mind and her body alike to bring her closer to the maid that, despite how she stood out so much, still seemed distinctly that. 

 

So, Val walked further out on the balcony, looking at the city below. "...I didn't know it was that beautiful." she says, trying to casually strike up a conversation and hopefully sate that odd compulsion.

[Swampellow]

Siena was quiet, feeling quite small as she thought about what she knew or perhaps more accurate: what she didn’t know about the Major Arcana. 

 

“Honestly I don’t know much about them.” she began “I know that they are meant to represent the old gods mainly. And that each one has different aspects. I know at least the basics of most of them, probably at least a bit more than most people, but not that much really.” She stopped, realizing that she hadn’t exactly answered the question.

 

“What they mean to me though? That one is more tough I guess.” she said with a sigh. “Sometimes I like to think that they are real, or rather, something like them are real. These great beings or entities that control the universe… its just that well, there really aren’t any signs, you know? No real evidence that they actually exist or even existed. That makes it hard, at least for me, to always believe in them.” she said that last part with what sounded almost like disappointment. It gave the indication that she did want to try to believe, but she wasn’t capable of it anymore. 

 

She gave a small cough, clearing her throat. “So I guess it’s sort of both?” she said, still feeling quite small.
 

[Shamitako]

Mika

 

Mika's response to the second knock was a sort of muffled squeak. She listened to the woman's explanation, and did remember her from the previous night. She nervously got up and went to the door, feeding herself deep breaths as she approached it. She opened it again, and hid all but one eye behind it again. "I'm sorry, I'm not usually like that, I swear." She apologized sincerely. It was unclear whether she meant her reaction to the knock or the events of the previous night.

 

Mika still wasn't totally convinced that the woman wasn't going to murder her, but after opening the door again, she didn't think she had a choice but to let her in. So she undid the chain and opened the door. "You can come in if you want." She then retreated back to the couch and curled up in front of the TV again, cuddling her legs and leaving her guest to make themselves at home.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Garret

"Oh, a multifacated man of chance. After me own heart you are you are." Fortune had said, a jovialness to his tone. Though he didn't have much means of expression Garret could feel himself learning the small and subtle nuisances of how the roulette wheel manaed to emote. The most obvious of them was when he spun himself... that one wasn't hard to grasp. Speaking of, he spun once before his response to the last question. "Ah, that'd be nice, haven't looked spiffy in ages. l'd appriecate a nice new shiny coat if you're offerin'."

Val

"Anything is beautiful in the correct light." her response came her voice soft though... stern. lt felt both commanding and yet kind. lt was hard to truly describe, it had a quality to it that seemed to contradict itself. The woman turned to gaze over her, those silver eyes...bright as a newly minted mask. They held judgement within them this time. They quickly darted over Val's form judging everything within a moment, and instant. This time they had known of her presence, they acknowledged her existance. lt was distinctly different from before, before the woman had not seemed to know her presence. lt was only now that she was recognizing it for the first time. "But, light is often used to hide the blemishes that want to be hidden away. Look." she pointed towards the border of the Wands district. ln the pitch darkness it was hard to make out... however one could see a dark haze that gathered around the border. The District of Swords.

"The Sun shines a harsh truth... it's impossible to ignore the blemishes of this city under his harsh undying light. lt shows people that which they wish to ignore, they wish to put out of mind. The Moon, her light's too soft... too forgiving. ln her bosom hides secrets and illusions. Perhaps it is why the city of Masquerade revels in the night. Under her light, she bathes them in forgiveness they do not deserve. They can hide themselves, and hide from the hard truths of this world. They see the city as they please from atop these balconys of gold... the people they use for gain are out of sight, out of mind, under the cover of darkness." 

She continued to look over the woman that had approached her. She had not expected company. "Might l ask who you are? l wasn't expecting company."

Siena

A puzzled look came over the woman that sat across from her. One that questioned the words that were being spoken to her. She in part could tell it was perhaps more than the latter than the former, she didn't want to believe if she couldn't see what was right in front of her. Or perhaps... subtely didn't work for this one. She sighed, if this one couldn't figure it out for herself she was worthless so there was no need to be blunt. lf she wouldn't piece together the things staring her in the face, if she couldn't there was nothing to gain here. Perhaps, this was the wrong choice... perhaps she'd not done her research well enough. "Hmmm, you can't believe both. You either do or you don't. Have you no conviction? The call is right in front of you Siena. You know who l am. lf you do not, then l know that you do not believe and have wasted my time. lf you do... well. You're still wasting my time but it at least proves you're not a complete waste of potienal."

Her wordsmuch harsher this time. Clearly she wasn't happy with another answer of the fortunetellers. Her patience starting to wear somewhat thin. And yet, Siena could only tell this from the aura she gave off. Nothing came over the woman's face. lt was terrifying in it's own way. "So, tell me Siena. What is my name?"

Mika

"Oh? lt's okay. No worries." the girl had said. She really wasn't sure what she was referring to but neither possiblity was a bother to her. "The name's Apollo! Apollo Judgement.~" That sounded 7000% fake. Apollo was quite used to people saying that however and at this point really didn't care though. She placed down the beagle who now seemedto be quite relaxed not wanting to bring a strange animal into the space with Mika. That... and it'd be kinda weird to take someone else's pet into another apartment with her. "You behave now Mr. Dog!", the beagle barked, as if he was responding to his own name. Weird... who'd name their dog that?

She waltz'd in, her spirits quite high seemingly. She was a rather energetic young woman at the least. "Oh, nice place ya got here." Apollo said looking around while she took off her heavy boots. As far as she knew that's what you were supposed t do when entering a home. Besides... those boots were stuffy as hell and probably quite dirty so she didn't want to track stuff all over the home she was a guest in. Mika could see her socks, both pink with yellow stripes. They went up to about her calf, though the one on her right leg was folded a bit at the top making them uneven hieghts. She flopped into the couch beside the meek girl. She didn't try to get any closer though, she figured from the way July was speaking that Mika would scare easily. That... and the fact she almost had a door for supper earlier. She for now waited for if Mika would break the silence... though this probably wasn't a great plan.

[Felicity]

Garret shifted Fortune to the table after drying him off. Garret wasn't a stranger to chores, a man living on his own inevitably had to get up to some DIY work when the landlord was too much of an ass to bother without going to some ridiculous lengths. The work wasn't unpleasant, the monotony in fact served as a nice palette cleanser to relax after a night of flying feelings. Garret also found himself relaxing around Fortune ever so slightly. Perhaps it was the conversation, maybe it was the fact that it's hard to be afraid of someone whilst bathing them.

 

Garret took a new cloth and applied the polish to Fortune, swiping the clear liquid across his surface until there was a faint shine to the boards surface.

 

"So, if you don't want to get into the past, what about the future? I'm happy to play host to a nomad every now and then but if you can't walk around freely then I can't imagine there's many easy walks of life to walk down. Should I be expecting other unique callers tonight, friends of yours, or are you just going to let the chips fall as they may and figure it out later?"

 

If Garret could go to sleep that night and find his sudden guest vanished, he'd count the experience a unique dream, a story to share. It felt like there was more to it though, something more innately interesting to Fortune.

[Twinwolf]

Priscilla blinked, but stood firm under the gaze of the beautiful woman. She was used to this sort of look. The nobles she interacted with on a daily basis were certainly the judging sorts. This, at least, was normal. "That's fair enough. It wasn't this breathtaking when I looked around in the morning, for sure. And Swords wasn't so 'out of sight, out of mind.' I've been there once... not a pleasant place on the ground, either." she had, as a child, on one of her youthful 'adventures'. It was probably very good that was also when she met Elias. She might have been young but she remembered how she coughed and struggled to breath, how her clothes were caked in dust before an hour had passed, how the odd passer-by had given her strange, in some cases predatory looks. A man had been following when Elias had found lost little Val, loaned her a mask, and taken her out of Swords. She may have been less than ten years old, but that wasn't the sort of experience one forgets. 

 

"I meant to ask you the same thing, but you asked first. Priscilla Valentine Lemaire. And you are?" Priscilla asked, meeting the maid's gaze. She really reminded her more of nobility than maids, by her bearing and how she spoke, how she stood out and waxed poetic over the light even if the message wasn't exactly what one would say in "polite company". And yet, she still felt like a maid. It made no sense, but that's the way it was. 

[Swampellow]

Siena felt herself freeze up as the girl spoke. The mere presence of her was beginning to make Siena tear up, but not just from fear. She also felt something that was almost the opposite. Happiness, relief, she didn’t know what it was but it was something entirely different than the fear she felt.

 

“You are Death” she said, but it was scarcely more than a whisper.
 

[Chevaleresse]

A pause. "Don't worry, young. . ." Man? No, if that were what he meant to say, he would not have stopped. Butler, servant, et cetera, no terms that would naturally follow in that sentence would warrant stopping, except one: Elias. This man knew who he was. Not that remarkable; it was possible that he'd been introduced by Sebastian during some prior conversation. Then, though, he wouldn't bother hiding it. . .This Augustus knew Elias, or at least knew of him, and wasn't supposed to. Curious. Worrying? 

 

Elias returned the bow, making it somewhat deeper; there was a difference in status, after all, even if servants tended to garner a fair amount of respect in the country. "Elias. Pleasure to meet you, sir." He couldn't keep the curious glint out of his eyes as they briefly met Augustus's, before glancing back toward Sebastian. "Well, we would have time later to catch up, but if you insist. . . I didn't know you'd entered Priscilla's employ, my friend. Does this mean I should expect to see more of you in the future?" A question with more than one layer. Of course, being an employee of the same family would mean more chances for them to meet, but both butlers likely knew that Elias was asking about more than just social visits.

[Shamitako]

Mika

 

Mika jumped slightly when her guest sat on the couch with her. She subconsciously scooted away from Apollo, and then consciously scooted away from her. She felt very vulnerable, after all she was still in her nightgown. Suddenly, she stood up. "I'll be right back." She said, and practically ran to the bedroom. It didn't usually take her very long to get dressed in her day clothes, but her nerves told her to take as long as she could. She was too frantic to just fake taking a long time, but instead found the hardest clothes for her to put on. She dug her old forest clothes out from the back of her drawer and put them on. She didn't wear them as often anymore, but it was still a comforting familiarity that she liked to experience every once in a while. She also felt a lot more confident about fighting in them if it came to that.

 

Eventually, she peeked back out of the room. She belatedly realized that Apollo would find her new outfit weird, but she had already revealed herself. Feeling a little embarrassed, but less so than in her nightgown, Mika returned to the couch. She sat there in silence, waiting for Apollo to say something, or leave.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Garret

"Well, l can't say you'll have to expect anyone l know of. They are probably busy doing things that matter so to speak. Me though? Well... l've never really been the type to do what's told, what's ordained as what he shalt be doing. l prefer the flow, to feel the winds of fortune upon my shoulder as they drive me through this world." somehow he managed to get across his sense of nostalgia in those words. The wistfulness in his voice demonstrated how true his words were. Fortune was clearly a free spirit, one that truly did as he saw fit.

He spun once or twice, perhaps thinking, spinning his wheels literally and not only metaphorically. "Alas, this particular form is... not very useful. That one's sorta...my bad. l thought it'd be fun... embarrasing tale it is it is. How l ended up in that alleyway..." he shuddered just remembering that disgusting mess of a place. 

Val

"l am but a servant. One of The World, but he slumbers in eternal darkness. Therefore... l've no one to serve." The silvery woman was talking some sort of nonsence... or perhaps she was to someone who knew nothing of a particular subject. The way she had mouthed the words the The World... how she referred to such as "he" Val knew that how she was speaking she meant that World. The patron of the Family that always seemed to be the "Head" of the Council of Arcanuem. However much that meant in reality wasn't really of importance here, it was that she referred to the Arcana that inspired it. So... was she a believer? Was it something like that? That didn't feel correct and yet what else could she mean?

"A better question is what purpose do you have to follow me? Why are you here Priscilla Valentine Lemaire? What is your purpose, your motive? l expect the truth." she said with an air of command to her voice. A servant that would speak as such to a noble? Parish the thought, but it was unfolding right now, right here in front of Val. 

Siena

A small smirk played across the woman's lips, hard to discern the truth behind it... the emotion behind the minute play on the woman's face. She twirled the parasol in her hand once, a flouish that perhaps would betray she was actually pleased with that answer. She leaned back, once more retaining an air of elegence beyond her years. lt had replaced the intensity from before, the leaden aura that had been suffocating the room. The air could breath once more, the lungs of life expanding within the room. The woman closed her eyes, and exhaled deeply, the last of the tension that had lingered evapourated as she blew it out of the room with her breath.

"So, you're not entirely useless after all, Daughter of The Tarot." Death had said, the smirk changing to a haughty smile but for a moment before it lasped back to amore neutral expression, the one she normally wore.

Elias

"Priscilla's employ?" Sebastian questioned, confused for a moment. He was clearly racking his mind for what Elias had meant. Elias... could get the feeling this was going to be quite the source of confusion. "No, no. lt is Valentine's employ l am under, not your lady's." Yep... it was going to be confusing alright. "Regardless however as l'm under the impression that your lady shall be taking residence here in Lady Valentine's estate we shall rightly see a lot of each other in the coming days. Perhaps l can show the ways of an old hand at this kin of things, rather than just doing some light training on those so called "check ins" " he didn't let it cross his face much, but it'd seem Sebastian was more than happy about this.

Mika

Apollo seemed rather intrigued by the outfit, not in the sense that she was put off by it. Mika could see an interest in her eyes as she noted what was currently in front of her. "Ooooh, that's really cute! Doesn't look like any style from around Masquerade. Heh, l'm not really from around here either... feels good to know we've got something in common then." Apollo had quite the positive attitude it seemed, exuding a sort of spunky lively energy. Apollo was starting to catch on to Mika's more... meek nature. She seemed almost like a different person from the fiery young lady that had protected her the ther night. lntriguing. Mika's ponytail swished about as she moved her head swiftly, looking about the apartment seemingly now finally looking about the place and taking in the surrondings. 

"Uh, seriously. Thanks for the other night... that guy had been following me for about half an hour around Wands. Was... really starting to creep me out. l wasn't sure what to do. Guess l just happened to stumble into the bar you worked at. lt was... a good thing you were there." Apollo pulled her legs up onto the couch, pulling them closer in a sort of self hug around her legs. She had a forlorn look on her face as if contemplating the what ifs. Probably not the best idea givne the situation that was being discussed. "Don't know what l'd done if you weren't there. l wasn't expecting the idiot to follow me into a space full of people. Well... l guess that bar wasn't really that full. Though, were it a normal circumstance l'd probably have welcomed that aspect."

[Felicity]

Garret smiled and settled down Fortune. "Well, I think I'm about done with the polish." He got up and wwalked across the room. He opened a cupboard and pulled from within a dark brown brew with a golden bottle cap and matching label. It was a locally brewed beer that Garret had been yearning for since getting home. He cracked it open and took a long pull from the bitter draught, sighing in pleasure.

 

"So, how did you end up in that alleyway,, if you don't mind my asking?"

[Chevaleresse]

Oh dear. It really was going to be like that. Damn the Lemaires and their naming schemes. "I knew who you meant. We'll have to sort that bit out later, I think." He shook his head, before his expression brightened a bit. It would be interesting to see more of Sebastian, at the very least, and he had positive associations with the man. "It's always good to pick up advice from those that are more experienced than you. It should be educational, certainly." He glanced around, a bit. No sign of either Val or Priscilla; he didn't hear the latter's voice, and he wondered if that meant that Val had evaded her, or that she'd been dragged off to talk about some frippery against her will. "How long have you been in. . . Valentine's service, anyway? It can't have been long, else I'd expect to have heard from you before now."

[Swampellow]

Siena felt a stillness come over her. She had just been overcome with emotions and now she felt calm. Other than that all that was left was… confusion. It was clear to her that at least some of how she had felt was due to the aura that was and is being admitted by Death.

 

“Why are you here? What is it that you want?” She asked Death. This was all just so sudden and unexpected. Although she supposed that would make sense, considering that she has a god in front of her right now.
 

[rokubiraijuu]

He'd had a sinking feeling even before they'd stepped into the room. The Iron Maiden wasn't a place people went without reason, and seldom good ones. But what last remains of tentative optimism he'd nursed evaporate wholly at the look on Claudia's face and the words 'it isn't your fault'. She needn't have even said any more or tried to make excuses for him, though he appreciates the effort to spare his feelings. 

 

A decade in this profession has showed him that their lives, like the fantasies they conjure and the wonders of their performances, are too fleeting. Too often people appear and disappear seemingly without warning, removed from one troupe, or even just from the spotlight. It was easy for one act to be the talk of Wands one month, only for people to wonder a few months later, long after focus had shifted to someone else, what had happened to that Magician after the fact. Most have just gotten used to the mercurial nature of the business, becoming jaded like Claudia or even nihilistic. At some point, the small tragedies become so quotidian that even the most sympathetic of hearts stop noticing them.

 

He can only brace himself for the expectation of what Claudia might say, but it's not for himself that he fears. Her words had filled him with an altogether different sense of dread and anxiety.

 

"Christine, too... I don't know what the news even is, but, before she gets here, isn't there anything I can do to spare her?"

[Twinwolf]

Val, well, she had heard that kind of commanding tone before. Mostly from her parents and other nobles. Never, though, from a maid. She couldn't say she'd ever expected to either. That said, she had no real reason to lie. Maybe she'd know something about it. "You could stand to be a bit less rude... In all honesty, I don't know why I followed you. There was a feeling that just... compelled me to do it, I couldn't take my eyes off of you and I had to come and talk. I couldn't begin to say why. Do you know anything about it?" Priscilla said, standing straight and not breaking eye contact, and hoping it didn't sound like a pick up line.

[Raindrop Valkyrie]

Fortune

"Hmmm, well l suppose l can kill a few birds with one stone tellin' that one ye ye." The Roulette Wheel said furrowing it's brow in thought. How he managed to do that was beyond Garret, but managed it he did. Fortune sighed, clearly a bit embarrased at the tale he was about to spin. "Well, it started a few weeks ago ye? Just blew into town... l was still a bloke then. Tall drink of water type, tall dark handsome. The kinda guy the ladies dream about ye?" Garret couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or full of hot air. As it turned out, roulette wheels had really good poker faces. Weird huh? He took a liberal pause for effect letting the air hang with just enough silence required for a rhetorical question. 

"Wells, l'm a bit of a trickster ya see. Too good an opportunity to pass up ya know?" Fortune said as if Garret should know. He didn't know. "Figured l'd mess with the humans a bit, some in bad ways, some good. l based it on my impressions, l'm pretty good at people." he stopped for a moment, trying to see if Garret was following still.

Sebastian and Augustus

"Ye it's been a short time, only about a week or so, actually it was in preparation for your arriva... well Your Lady's arrival l suppose l should say." Sebastian said, a faint bit of red on his face. He meant not to be rude with his words, but he made no mistake that his lady wasn't truly looking forward to the arrival of another servant and was only concerned with that of her sister. He adjusted his tie, something Sebastian often did when he was trying to defeat a spot of nerves that had flared up. lt was one of few tells the man had, well that Elias knew to look for anyway. "Hmm, anyway Miss Valentine said she needed the finest butler the association could muster... then supposedly, l wasn't present at the time you see, asked for me by name. l believe she knew that l was your field handler. So... perhaps l am incorrect and she was in some part looking out for your arrival as well. She'd not admit it though, l don't suggest approaching the subject."

Elias noticed Augustus's eyebrows perk up ever so slightly at the mention of the secret of Miss Valentine. He seemedintrigued by such a concept.

Death

Death looked at Siena once more, staring at her with her pale blue eyes. On her face no protrayed emotion. Was she judging her? Death leaned back further in her chair, placing her barefeet up onto the desk on front her. She rested her heels at the edge of the table resting them just below the fan of the full deck of Death cards. She didn't make to answer the questions Siena had asked, letting the air hang. Silent, still, stagnent. Dead. lt seemed at least for the moment Death had no interest answering her question. And that much was true. Death was the one asking questions here.

"Why do you think l'm here Siena? What possible business could l, a beautiful, powerful, wonderful goddess, have with an everyday, dime a dozen, Fortuneteller?" she said, clearly waiting for her answer.

Claudia

"Spare her?" Claudia seemed puzzled at these words, unsure why Gabe had spoken them. Her expression turned towards confusion, the heavy weariness that seemed to always be carried by her disappearing for a moment as the tension of the moment turned the dial one notch. "Gabe, it's not that serious. Well... maybe it is to her. But l don't think there's much you are capable of doing. l have to move your act in the show... it isn't keeping people all the way through the show anymore... nowhere near enough that The Ringmaster will allow me to keep it where it is for the show in The Golden Swan. One of his... lap dogs, has already told me that it shan't be the case by the evening of the show or else." she said the last line with a mixture of emotions, somea mount of vitrol, fear, disillusionment and a myraid of other hues of blue and purple.

Her features softened however... she didn't want to worry Gabe with her problems, but she figured one of her problems was one of his problems. She sighed heavily, knowing this would be hard to tell Gabriel. "As l'm sure you're well aware... Christine's been here longer than you Gabe, hell she's been here with me since the beginnin' of this little operation. The only other that can say that much is Desmond." The irony being that Desmond rarely spoke much at all. Fitting as he was a mime. This would seem a non-sequiter if Gabe wasn't aware of the situation he was sitting in. He knew that Claudia was speaking with purpose in this moment. "lt's unfortunate, but her act has never really done all that well. People just don't seem that interested in as fine an art as she tries to put on that stage. Your singing helped for a spell, enough to get her that liner at the end of the show but evne that's not doing enough l'm afraid. Christine's not gonna take this well. She'll probably accuse me yet of again of playing favourites or that l don't care what not... the usual spiel. But l fully expect her to quit and storm out of here. She's done it twice before, but l feel like this time she's not coming back." Claudia had a hard expression on her face. As if she was trying to hold back from crying, like she was pushing down what she was truly feeling in this moment to appear as what she was, Gabe's boss. But, Gabe could see her humanity. He'd know that this was killing her inside.

"l'd like for you to stay on if it comes to that, your work is invaluable to this troupe even if it's just on the backend. You're costuming is superb kid, l don't know a soul that's better. So, you'll always have a place here for that reason. lf you'd like to continue with the act... we can try and look for some folk or perhaps bring in a friend you know. Maybe l'm gettin' ahead of myself. Maybe Christine won't storm out of here in a huff. But, l know that fiery little diva. She'll be outta here like a bat outta hell." There was a small twinkle in Claudia's eye, as if she respected that quality of Christine's greatly. 

The Mysterious Maid

"l don't owe you any politeness. You are a stranger that has followed me to an isolated location, you could be of dubious intention." she said unblinking, unmoving, tense. She continued staring down her nose at the woman in front of her, something that Val had NEVER seen a Maid do in her life. No servant would ever dare do such a thing, but it was starting to become somewhat clear that this was no ordinary Maid. Val had heard rumors of a certain Clockwork Lady, the head of the Association of Service. Well... such a thing didn't truly exist, the Association was run by several. But, one that knew anything knew the reality was The Clockwork Lady was truly in charge. Apparently she had eyes of silver, that of a newly minted Mask, and hair that matched. Was this her? lt didn't remotely explain the compulsion though. Why Val had felt so intertwined to her, pulled towards her. 

Her features softened however, she relaxed leaving the tension escpae her body. Though she still seemed proper not releasing so much as to put on a casual air. "You should perhaps work on your presentation. lf l was another l'd think you were trying to make a move on me." So, it did sound like apick up line. Embarrassing. EMBARRASSlNG! Though she seemed to know it wasn't supposed to be, perhaps a little less embarrasing. "However you spoke it yourself, Lemaire. That name bears significance."

[Felicity]

Garret frowned at the board and took another pull from his drink. "Sounds rather rude, having fun at their expense. At least when I fleece someone or have it happen to me, everyone at the table knows the game. I hope you didn't do anything too egregious?"

 

It did rankle some to hear of someone acting based solely on a first impression, but Garret decided he was too quick to leap to conclusions and half formed impressions. Perhaps it had been blatantly obvious as to who was an ass and who was simply carrying on with their day. However it had happened, events conspired to leave Fortune in quite a state, so maybe it had all balanced out in the end?

[Shamitako]

Mika

 

Mika shied away again when Apollo commented on her outfit. Even if it was a compliment, she wished it had gone unmentioned. After listening to Apollo describe the previous night again, she finally added her own words. 

 

"You shouldn't thank me." she said, her voice full of reluctance, "I'm glad I could help, and the guy..." A sneer grew on Mika's face and her eyes lit up with rage, but it quelled as quickly as it came. "That guy was a bad guy. But I didn't do anything, that person isn't me. Not that I'm two people, I just hate being so angry. I hate hurting people, even bad people." she looked like she was about to cry, "I really don't want thanked for that." 

[Chevaleresse]

"I see, I see." More and more mysterious. It seemed there was a bit more to Pris than he'd previously imagined, though there was the off chance she'd heard Sebastian's name and decided on some odd idea that she must have him. Not to mention the question of who this Augustus really was, and what he knew about Elias. "It wouldn't be quite proper for a noble to be waiting on a servant, I wouldn't think. I wonder what. . . Valentine's interest in me is, then. Perhaps she read something she found intriguing in a letter from Priscilla." His expression was thoughtful, brow furrowed and looking down slightly as he considered the question. He looked up after a moment, though, snapping his finger as if to jolt himself. "My idle thoughts aren't worth keeping you from your business any longer though." He gestured at the space between Augustus and Sebastian in lieu of doing so at them individually. "Please, go ahead and continue your earlier conversation." 

[Swampellow]

It was clear that Siena wouldn’t be getting any actual answers to the questions she had asked. That made sense she supposed, she was speaking with a goddess after all. She had no obligation to answer Siena. 

 

Siena was quiet as she thought, he brow furrowed. She tried to think of any possible reason why a goddess such as Death herself would want to have anything to do with, as she put it, a dime a dozen fortune teller. There wasn’t anything special about her. She didn’t have any special connections. She wasn’t exactly what one would typically call religious. No money, no real influence, nothing. The best she could think of was that it was somehow amusing for Death, but she didn’t believe that was really why she was here.

She glanced up slightly at Death. Her face was emotionless like it had been the whole time, but Siena could feel the emotion coming from her, despite not being able to accurately describe it. It was almost judgemental, but it was also felt as if she were waiting. No a bored kind of waiting necessarily, just perfectly still waiting, at least for the moment.

 

“With perfect honesty I can tell you that I haven’t a clue as to why you would actually be here. I could tell you that I think that you are gaining some sort of amusement from this, but I believe that you already know that I do not believe that. In fact I believe that you already know that I do not know as to why a goddess would visit me; after all you said it yourself, I am a dime a dozen fortune teller.” Siena said, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly as she said that last part, as that was something that she felt about herself sometimes.
 

[Twinwolf]

"You know, normally there would be a point there, but this is a party. It's sort of expected that there's going to be strangers." Priscilla notes, but then the maid continued. She tried not to be too irked at the fact she was looking at her like that, although it was certainly a... different, thing than she normally received from servants. This, of course, led to her thinking about who this woman could be. Why would the Clockwork Lady be here- the thought was derailed and Val blushed scarlet when it was revealed she actually had come across like... that. "O-Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... oh gods that's embarassing..." She took a deep breath as she composed herself and the maid continued. "Yes, my surname is Lemaire. What significance do you mean? It's not as if being of the Stewardess' line means I'm drawn to every servant I meet, after all."