Meeting Someone New: Laurie and Des

I turned when I saw a tall dark haired man come toward me and look at the fountain that I was admiring. There was something about him that spoke of a serious quiet nature. I turned back toward the fountain, "Yes, I love the way the water shoots out and cascades over the statue."

I looked at it for a little bit longer before turning toward him and offering him my hand, "Lady Desdemona de Bonnel." My eyes looked into his, wondering if he would introduce himself in kind.

I silently watched the man grin as it appeared that he was going to set up some kind of joke. I watched him kiss my hand, and my hand curved up automatically. I didn't want to, but I immediately felt some feeling of warmth from his compliment.

"I was hoping to meet someone new and become more familiar with the city. It looked like starting in the middle was the best place to start," I responded logically. "What about yourself?" I wasn't sure that I immediately cared why he was there, but it seemed like a logical question to ask.

My eyes moved up at him, and they seemed to smile when he mentioned that he would love sharing his snacks with her. He was changing his plans for me, and I liked that a lot.

I nodded in his response to his question, "Yes, this is my first day in Elua. I was born and raised in Kushiel. I lived there all my life. I would enjoy a tour. Thank you for offering."

I moved a strand of my hair out of my face to wind around my ear, without really knowing why. I slid my arm through his and looked up at him as I spoke, "Have you been here all of your life? I want to know the best spots in the city." My voice became a little less stiff the more I spoke to him.

There was something about this man that reminded me of my brother. He seemed to grin a lot, similar to how my brother smiled a lot. It was something about Castile that I couldn't quite understand, but admired anyway.

I nodded as I listened to him talk about his time in Siovale and at the university. I admired intelligent people, and although he seemed to have a somewhat laid back attitude, his studious behavior was scoring points for him. I appreciated learning his age, although it mattered little to me. He was older than me, but not by much.

I looked down at our linked arms when I saw him pull me closer. The look was to show him that I was aware of any tricks that he may have been planning, but that I was allowing this physical connection so far.

"What did you study in the University? I would enjoy seeing the places of academia first. I have a continual thirst for knowledge," I confessed to him. I almost wanted to bring my last statement back into my mouth. I looked away from him, wondering why I had revealed that part of myself. I would have to be more on my toes with this one. His similarity to my brother was throwing me off somehow.

I listened to his focus on studies and found myself even more impressed. Science was an amazing field of study, and although I had not been particularly good at it- I had always enjoyed it. My lips curved up just slightly as he spoke of his love of knowledge. It sounded as if this was quite a intelligent man, and would therefore be of extreme use to me.

"Let's go to a secluded place. I am quite partial to my privacy," I responded easily. I later wondered if he thought that I had meant that in a sexual way, which I had not. However, she couldn't take the words back after she said it, and she couldn't think of anything to say to make it seem that she was only referring to conversation. She would simply have to take measures to ensure he did not become too physical.

"By the river," I said almost immediately. I enjoyed making decisions, especially when asked. I walked beside him to the river and looked around for a good spot to sit at. When I saw a bench nearby, I gestured toward it and began leading the way.

"You seem like a intelligent individual. Are you working on any particular projects?" I asked politely as I settled on the bench and placed my shoes onto a rock. I turned toward him and looked at the basket, curious to see what was in it.

I leaned over to look at what was in the basket. I reached over and helped myself to a cube of cheese. I brought it to my lips and took a bite. "It tastes alright... Did you bring it from home? Where do you live?"

I leaned over and took a piece of bread. I turned toward the river where I saw a brown feathered duck. I threw the bread and watched while he raced for it and then gobbled it down his beak. My lips curved up in silent enjoyment.

My eyebrows rose when he mentioned that he didn't know where the food had come from. I helped myself to a cube of cheese and nibbled on it as I watched the duck swim around. The duck gave a quack sound as if begging for more bread, but I wasn't going to give him more. I enjoyed listening to others beg.

"Only three? That doesn't seem sufficient. Or is it just a smaller home?" I asked the question nonchalantly. "Do you have any training methods for your servants? I am hoping to have mine run as efficiently as they did back in Kusheth. All servants in Kusheth know their place and understand the importance of discretion." I had not made up my mind about the servants that Castile had hired. They seemed to be following my commands well so far, but then again- I had yet to take out my whip.

I nodded as he spoke about his servants. It was a topic that I enjoyed speaking about, "That's good. Kusheth servants are quite disciplined and very obedient. I expect full obedience from my servants."

I picked up another cube of cheese and nibbled on it slowly, "I can understand the desire for privacy. I like my privacy as well, but one can only be so private when their brother is a Marquis."

I picked up a piece of bread and threw it some distance from the duck. I watched him rush to eat the bread, but arrive too late as the bread sunk into the water. A smirk came to my lips.

I chuckled softly at his response, "You are so intelligent and yet so naive. Servants are like dogs, they need to be properly trained, disciplined and rarely given a pat on the head. The people of Kusheth understand that principle and follow it properly. I find that servants from other providences....well... How can one compare a pure bread Doberman to a loose lipped Saint Bernard?" My face winced slightly when I mentioned the large sloppy dog breed. I had never been a fan of Saint Bernards, they weren't very obedient and they looked hideous. While Doberman were incredibly obedient, stead fast, and gorgeous in coat and shape.

I finished the bit of cheese that I had in my hand, "Enough about servants. Tell me about the academic places in Elua. I am always eager to seek out new books and explore my intellect."

Life seemed so much easier when one followed me. I wondered what else I could get him to do. "Would you be willing to show me this extensive collection?" I asked lightly.

I picked up another piece of bread and turned toward the river to throw it at the duck. Instead, I let it drop from my hand and fall to the ground. When I reached to pick it up, I picked a rock up instead and threw it quickly at the duck. The duck gave a quack of pain. I hadn't damaged him, but he was somewhat hurt.

My eyes were laughing, but I said, "Oops!" I picked up the bread from the ground and threw it under the bench casually. It was so much fun to torture animals.

I stood up from the bench, "Perhaps we should go now."

When he asked if I had purposely hurt the duck, I couldn't help laughing softly at his question, "You are an amusing man."

"What genres do you subscribe to the most? I am a large fan of political history and botany," I changed the subject. I had done this before and he had gone along with it. I wondered how much more he would go along with. I especially wondered how well I could get him to comply. Manipulation was all about subtly. Get someone to agree to cover a lie, and then agree to damage property, and before you know it...they'll be murdering others for you. Not that I had anyone I wanted to kill....at the moment. It was all about the gradual give in, and so far it looked like Laurent was following well within my plans for him.

I couldn't help but smile when he followed the change of the subject. I began walking with him, "What kind of languages? Do you have any archaic languages that no one speaks anymore? I find those the most interesting."

I shrugged my shoulder with a look of indifference as he spoke of purposeful knowledge. "I think all knowledge can be used for a purpose, the use may not be apparent right away. There are a variety of ancient texts written in lost languages, and who knows what that knowledge could teach us?"

"What languages do you know?" I asked him straight out.