Something not blue

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

I laughed. "I get a bit of everything," I replied, smiling wide. "I think I'm spared the more gruesome tributes by virtue of my size." I chuckled, and added, "It helps calm down the disgruntled, when you are towering over them enough, that they can't reach your face to spit in it."

I shook my head, and added, "The last one wasn't too pleased, but I was busy fixing his foot, so he couldn't really be too unpleasant, now, could he?" I shrugged. "Strange character, he was. We ended up out for a drink, so it wasn't all that bad."

[Joie de Mornay]

I gave him a curious look, intrigued enough by the little that he told me to want to know more. "Really? From name calling to drink sharing - you truly are a complex man." I smiled, taking a few more bites. "I can't imagine why your size would give anyone that reaction though," I said jestingly. "You're a tiny little thing, after all. I'm sure I could squish you with my heel."

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

"You wish," I replied, grinning wide. "Only the greatest can aspire to stomping on me," I added, smirking a little behind my glass of wine. I took a quiet sip, and explained the situation.

"He was a patient, got his foot stomped on by his horse, and could barely walk with it for the pain. In the end, it wasn't a big deal, but I was the only physician on duty, and he apparently really wanted the intervention. It wasn't his fault. The last Skaldi he'd seen was a blood thirsty raider in Camlach..."

[Joie de Mornay]

"Oh, my," I said, digesting all the information he'd given me. "I'm not sure whether to feel bad for him, or feel bad for you. Maybe I'll just do both and spare myself the battle of it."

I took another bite, sating the hunger in my stomach bit by bit. "He undetands now ,though, that not all Skaldi are like that?" I smiled. "Or did you stomp on his other foot?"

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

“I might have, unwittingly,” I replied, grinning, “considering the size of those”, I nudged her delicate foot from under the table “but no, I think we parted on good terms. He was adamant about letting me know about my culture, which was very amusing, since as I see it, my culture is D’Angeline…”

I chuckled. “You’ll see, you’ll get a world of strange birds at your salon. Heed those words!”

[Joie de Mornay]

I laughed in pure amusement at his nudge and words, nudging his own, much larger, foot back with my own.

"Well heeded," I responded with a bright smile, taking another few bites. "I look forward to it, actually. I'd really like to meet and know other people. It'd be good to have more friends in the City... Most everyone I know is back at my families estate."

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

“Almost, but not everyone,” I replied, grinning. “And you know my door is always open, don’t you?”

I had another healthy bite of beef, and chewed on it pensively. “You’ve never told me much about your family estates,” I said after a while. “What are you hiding back there, do tell?” I asked, eyes mirthful, tone half-serious.

[Joie de Mornay]

"I do," I said, smiling at him fondly.

I laughed again at what I might be hiding. "Sisters, mainly. Jessamine is my elder, then there's me, and two younger sisters." I smiled, taking a sip of wine. "My mother was elated, but my poor father never had any sons."

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

"Bah," I made a sound of pure dismissal, followed by a movement of my hand, pushing away the imaginary blur of regret. "Boys aren't always that easy to raise, if you ask me. Besides... I'm glad they made you."

I pondered it for a moment, and shook my head. "Poor man. A house full of women... Kushiel be on him!" I stifled a chuckle. "Did he ever get a chance to talk?"

[Joie de Mornay]

I laughed and stretched my legs, "accidently" whacking him in the shin with my toe. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that you?" I asked in a too-innocent voice, mirth flashing in my eyes.

"He talked, never you worry. But I don't think he talked as much as he might have otherwise." I grinned, eating a little more.

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

Her little kick did not go unheeded, but I didn’t as much as bat an eyelash for it, looking at her quietly, chewing still on a rather delicions piece of steak, the last one on my plate. “Poor man,” I repeated. “I’m sure that means he barely ever spoke his mind, by the looks of you, anyway,” I teased. “Though if your kicking skills are any indication, it was really the only thing the man had to fear,” I added before I took a very long draught of wine.

[Joie de Mornay]

The damn man, not even acknowledging the fact that I'd booted him in the shin. I grinned at him and settled back, through with my salad. "You're just lucky we're in public," I shot back, my grin broadening.

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

I laughed lightly. “Fair and well,” I replied, smiling wide. “I’ll put you on shoulder, haul you, and your long legs off to a private place, and we’ll see how terrible you can be.”

As the joke left my lips, I realized how terribly lewd that sounded, and felt my cheeks burning – I was thankful for the beard. “Err… you know, in a purely platonic, non D’Angeline way,” I mumbled as the bottom of my glass suddenly became incredibly fascinating.

Gods. I could see this becoming more complicated and embarrassing by the minute.

[Joie de Mornay]

For a moment I just looked at him, but as he became more and more interested in his glass, I burst out laughing, my voice light and carefree. "Oh Elua Sieg, if you really want to see how terrible I can be, you don't have to haul me off over your shoulder."

I grinned at him, my eyes sparkling as I teased him on his mishap; it was too good to let pass by.

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

If I could have shrunk to the size of my thumb and dunked myself in the glass, I would have. But... I could not, and I was for from being the size of a Gnome. Indeed, I was rather closer in size to that of a Troll, in fact.

She laughed, and I was embarrassed, as I expected I would be, until I lifted the glass and emptied it, suddenly embarrassed to shreds because the glass only had a few drops. This was getting worse by the minute. Me, and my social skills. Urgh.

I set the glass down, and said, a little more innocently that perhaps Joie expected, "Is that so? Maybe it would be easier, though, to contain all that annoying kicking of yours." As I spoke, my countenance returned somewhat, and I concluded my jab - if it was one, and I wasn't so sure - with a semblance of chasing away a fly.

[Joie de Mornay]

I laughed harder, all the while trying not to, and feeling bad for laughing... but Elua! He was being so silly; I was d'Angeline, he was raised d'Angeline, and I'd thought we had a solid enough friendship that we could tease one another like this.

Able to curtail it to a chuckle, I grinned at him. "Would you like some more wine, Sieg?" Lifting the bottle, I held it out to pour more as I curtailed my giggle more, trying to give him as serious a look as I was able to.

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

The more she laughed, the more I fell apart, and yet I felt like laughing too. "Yes please," I mumbled in a strange mix of embarrassed mirth. At least she wasn't angry that I'd told her I didn't really mean to bed her. Gods. That would have made me smolder to ashes, no doubt.

"You're very kind," I told her. "And very beautiful, and I adore it when you laugh," I said sincerely, smiling a little more wide. "But you never did tell me about that enigma of yours," I said, "remember, at the Clinic?"

Oh, P-Lease! She couldn't have forgotten her moment of confidence, now, could she?

[Joie de Mornay]

I grinned as I poured his wine, feeling no ends to the mirth running through me. He was being so silly. "Why thank you," I said in reply to his compliments, though they just made my grin a little wider. "You're not trying to butter me up after crushing all my hopes, are you?"

I glanced up at him as I refilled my own glass, then set the bottle back down on the table. "Ah, my enigma. It was about the massage parlor, actually - so technically yes, I did remember to tell you." I smiled at him as I picked up my glass, taking a long, slow drink.

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

"Ah," I replied, slightly confused. I'd understood her completely wrong that day. I shrugged. It didn't matter one bit. "Alright, then," I replied in a confused mutter.

I lifted the glass to my lips, and replied, "Thank you, Buttercup." An indirect answer to her tease. In another time, and other circumstances, yes, I would have definitely tumbled her. As things were, though, I wasn't overly inclined to sleeping with one other than Raegan.

[Joie de Mornay]

I chuckled at his tease as I picked up a linen napkin, patting my mouth on it. "That was as good as I remembered it," I said, setting it back down next to my plate. "How was yours?"

I smiled and took a sip of my wine, enjoying the flavor of it as much as I had my lunch.

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

“Almost as pleasant as the conversation,” I replied with a merry grin. I licked my lips, and dabbed my face with the napkin – the inconvenient of having a beard is that if you don’t make sure it’s kept clean, it turns to a private reserve of food. Not the most pleasant thought.

“So are you helping me out with this outfit business, or are you leaving me to fend for myself?” I asked teasingly.

[Joie de Mornay]

"I'll help," I replied cheerily, smiling at him at his tease. "I always loved dressing my dolls up when I was a girl - there's no way I'll turn down the chance to dress up one that's slightly larger than life."

I grinned, setting my glass back down. "Ready to go?"

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

"As soon as we pay our dues," I replied, making a silent gesture to the waiter. "Unless you are well acquainted enough with management to get us a free lunch?" My question was a pure tease - and I was already fishing in my pocket for adequate payment.

[Joie de Mornay]

"I'm sure I could persuade him into something," I said, grinning. "Even if I couldn't persuade you."

His hands were rummaging and I made a vexed sound, shaking my head. "Lunch is on me, remember? You can pick up the tab the next time. I'll make sure I order something expensive." My eyes twinkled as I stood, bending and giving his great cheek a fleeting kiss as I moved off to the front, my hands already picking coins out of my purse to pay for our meal.

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

I made a contrite face that wasn't unlike the one Yann made when I scolded him, and said, "Thanks, Joie. I truly appreciate it." I stood after her, replacing my chair under the table, and moved to the door.

Absently, I observed her as she concluded her transaction at the counter. She was beautiful. Very. I'd always thought it. I'd have to tell her, one day.

[Joie de Mornay]

It took all of a moment before I was done, and where I'd expected Sieg to be at the table, he was standing not too far off, looking at me. I smiled and made my way back to him, looking up at him. "Shall we be on our way?"

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

"But of course, Milady," I replied, offering her my arm companionably. "Let's get your doll some clothes," I added with a cheeky grin.

[Joie de Mornay]

I laughed merrily as I accepted his arm, then walked with him out of the bistro and towards a clothiers shoppe. "Something frilly, lots of lace and extra fabric, poofy, peach and yellow, with accents of pink.." I prattled ideas off as we moved, a grin threatening to peek out.

[Siegfried de Strasbourg(D)]

She had to be joking. Of course she was. Right? On the odd chance that she wasn't though... I gave her a look of unabashed horror. "Please, nothing that would embarrass Rae," I pleaded. Or me, for that matter.

[Joie de Mornay]

I looked up at him, giving him a mock look of disappointment. "Alright, fine. I won't add on ribbons, then."

I gave a dramatic sigh before I was unable to hold my grin back; it bloomed on my face as I hugged his arm against my side, shaking my head. "Oh, don't worry, you big doll. I won't embarrass any of you. Besides, I still say green would look wonderful on you. Or a rich brown..."