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Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:49 am Post subject:

As he finds a carved stone sink below a gilded mirror he can hear mumbling from the hallway, "Fine... The blue one I guess... Ugh. What the hell have I..." then something incomprehensible.

Flora calls out, "Are you changing, darling? We have a lot of bases to cover before dinner..."
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

Ian washes up and changes quickly, to make himself presentable. Afterwards, he keeps an ear turned towards the door, still expecting trouble.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:27 pm Post subject:

Ian finds fairly generic clothes in the closet for that purpose, and outside the door, he can hear faint footsteps. Someone is patrolling their hallway.

Flora says a bit quietly, "Alright, Ian, let's go over the possible exits and what the place used to be like a few months ago. Then we get to do some comparisons." She takes some paper and a pen and ink out of a small desk and begins drawing an elaborate map with towers and aerial as well as underground connecting corridors and bridges. As she goes along, she explains the contents of each keep.

By the time they are supposed to be ready, Ian has already formulated several escape routes, some involving rescuing Arson and keeping Rocky around, some using Rocky as a distraction. It is also possible to arrange for some of the escape routes to pass through the portrait gallery Flora mentionned... The one containing many paintings her husband had created.

The place is huge and considering the amount of guards, he begins to feel a bit more confident about the place itself.

"Oh, by the way, if they ask about the portraits or comment on it, we'll just say that I, Countess Marilyn, am in fact related to the House of Windborne... They may already know but I don't get the feeling they'll confront us right away. They're playing a game and we'll play along as long as it suits our purpose..."
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"Excellent. Now, from what you've shown me and from what we've seen we need to get answers to the following questions.

Are there any prisoners here?

Who are these guys and are they related to the bunch we already encountered?

Who sent them here?

Are they a threat to Amber?"

With that, he turns his blue eyes to Flora's. "You know that no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. If things get really bad, I'll cover your escape, but you have to promise to leave me here if necessary. As much as I don't like Eric, he should probably know about these people so close to him. So promise you'll let me cover your escape if need me, and then you can come back with the cavalry and either rescue me or avenge me."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 5:17 am Post subject:

Flora looks into his eyes, her stare very serious. She puts her hand on his cheek, caressing it briefly and she says, "I, uh... I get the feeling that they would want to keep you alive." She turns her head down a bit and her delicate warm hand falls from his cheek.

Her eyes moisten and she looks up at him, big and blue, her chin down. "I'm not worth it, Ian. I... Uhm, do you have trumps of your own?"
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

He places his hands on her cheeks and looks into her eyes, and in as soft a voice as she's ever heard him say. "Bullshit." He smiles, his lips are so close to hers. "You are worth all of it and more. You are what is regal and noble about Amber. You forget, I'm a very good judge of character." He presses his lips to her forehead, and when he pulls back to look in her eyes again, the smile is still on his face, but not in his eyes.

"They'll never take me alive, so don't worry about that. In fact, I don't plan on taking more than one of them alive." His thumbs caress her cheeks softly. "We're going to be okay. We're going to get Windbourne back for your son. We're going to find out who is behind these attacks from the Black Road and make them wish they'd never considered troubling Amber."

He kisses her gently, reassuringly. "I promise. Sealed with a kiss. I will not be forsworn, either." The humor is back in his eyes. "I have Trumps. I don't know why. I never use them."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:38 am Post subject:

Flora lets out a long sigh and smiles, closing her eyes. She holds Ian for a short while.
She says, "You really are sweeter than you let on."

After a pause, she says, "And I understand your desire to rid this place of usurpers but Daniel will want the responsibility to be his. For now, let's... let's find out what it is they came here for and what it will take to help clean up this mess. I wish I had a way to get in touch with Daniel now. Alas, trump creation is not something I set out to learn."
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"Only sweeter where it is deserved." He rubs her back, comfortingly. "If I knew we'd have some downtime, I'd have brought my guitar." He chuckles, thinking briefly of his guitar, then of April, then of his fight with April, and he stops thinking about his guitar.

"So from an etiquette point of view, is it more proper to be fashionably late or fashionably early with someone you might end up killing?"

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:38 am Post subject:

Flora giggles nervously and answers playfully, "Fashionably late, of course! When do you expect not to get in situations when killing the host is necessary? We all know gatherings are perfect places and times for disaster to ensue..." She sits back away from him and begins tying her hair back into a ponytail.
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"Well then, I guess I know who not to invite to my next dinner party." After making a quick check of weapons, including noticing that Hollowshade has shortened a little, the better for inside fighting, Ian sits in a chair, totally relaxed.

"So what's Corwin like? I've spent so many years of my life looking for this great man and then he turns up with Uncle Bleys attacking Amber. Is Mom...scratch that. I don't want to know that. So what is Corwin like should be good for now."

Ian watches Flora for her reaction and for her answer.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:24 pm Post subject:

She says, mostly to herself, "Yes. The dangers of being a good host..."

...

"Oh, Corwin? Well, he's very much like any of my brothers, really: a selfish rotten bastard. Only Corwin also has his moments... He enjoys a bit of Romance, when he's not in a hurry, which can make him likable. Unfortunately, he let much of his relationship with Eric dictate his actions. I think he would have been happier staying in his Avalon and away from all of this." Without missing a beat, she asks, "What did you and your mother want with him in the first place?"
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

Ian shrugs. "You got me there. I asked Mom once why we were looking for Corwin. I figured he didn't want to be found. She just gave me that glare and said. 'Don't question your mother. I didn't raise you to interrogate me.'" Ian does an eerily accurate impression of Deirdre. Ian laughs. "Poor April. I really do sound like her sometimes."

He stands and walks around for a moment, looking for a bar, then sits back down. "Old habits." He mutters.

With a smile. "I figured Mom wanted to either kill him, which I really doubt. You can kind of get an impression that someone wants someone else dead when they are determined to do so. Like me with Eric. I really don't like him, I think he's a scumbag for what he did to Eric, and who knows, maybe he disappeared your father, too. But I don't think I'd want to see him, or any of the family for that matter, dead. Maybe shoveling horse crap out of the stables." He laughs and thinks back.

"Oberon made me do that once. I must have been 12 or 13, running the halls of the castle with a real wooden practice sword. I was killing some pirates or whatever was in my imagination when Oberon turned the corner and I whacked him on the nose. Well, his nose was okay. He broke my sword in half and sent me to the stables for a week. But I digress. Mom."

He clears his throat and scratches the side of his head. "I thought maybe she wanted to find him just to piss off Eric. I still wonder about that one. It just seems she was going a little too far teaching me how to walk the Shadows and then dragging April all over Shadow too."

He looks down at his boots, then his fingernails, then back up to Flora. "I think maybe she was in love with him."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:45 pm Post subject:

Flora frowns slightly, "I'm not sure how that theory holds up with current events. She doesn't seem so determined to confront Eric about it now." She looks away. "Maybe Corwin's association with Bleys stalled her efforts. I don't know... I guess I've never really been close to her. I do remember hearing Dad having to warn Corwin about his affection for her, though."

...

She sighs, then gets up and offers him her arm, and asks with a playful smile, "Shall we, Count Vlad of House Taltos?"
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Ian · Joined: 09 Jun 2008 Posts: 351 Location: South Carolina

"Of course, Countess Marilyn." He takes her arm, then opens the door and he lets her tell him where dinner will be held.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 3:42 am Post subject:

Flora laughs, enjoying the masquerade they are invited to play in. Outside the door, Rocky awaits wearing a poorly fitting navy blue outfit with brass buttons. He didn't bother wearing shoes, but his hair is stuffed carefully into a cap. The dark hue of the outfit makes his skin look pale and cold and much less yellow than it was in the moonlight. He looks ridiculous, of course.

He stands up right away, looking from Ian to Flora then back to Ian. "Well, I'm not hungry. I hope we find out more about these people staining the land. I'll follow you, Count." His emphasis on the title is quite derogatory.

...

At the end of the corridor, three beetle-guards await and one of them buzzes rather freely, "Master Elishu'hur will greet you when you reach the Bridge of Fallen Stars. Thank you." With that, the guard points to the direction of a corridor, but Ian and Flora already know the way: They dine at the High Balcony of Nu.

They make their way, undisturbed by passing beetle-guards. Ian sees no portraits of Flora in any of these halls. Either they were promptly replaced or Flora's husband was enjoying her portraits in exclusivity.

Finally, at the end of a turn, they see the arch to the Bridge of Fallen Stars, Master Elishu'hur waiting for them, pacing around and enjoying the fine architecture.
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