Sweets for Orchis and Bryony

[Shona Tertignan]

We walked out of Orchis smiling still, and I turned to my new-found friend. "I do like my sweets once in while," I confessed with a rueful smile. "They keep the mind young, don't they?"

It was a sunny day, and so we followed the slope down to Night's doorstep. There were little ones about, Tsingani and D'angeline mutts, and one of them pushed between us, smiling and giggling. I swayed a little to the side, letting him out, with a joyful smile.

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

I sighed wistfully, nodding, "They sure do, and I'm glad for it. It's always nice to feel like a kid again." I said, grinning hapily and admiring the kids with their merriment and their joy and found myself happy to have landed in such an wonderful house where I could always find joy in the moment.

"I'm sure glad to have ran into you today, it sure has turned the day into quite the adventure already." I told Shona, reveling in the open air and the bustle of the market square.

[Shona Tertignan]

"Likewise," I told her with an accomplice smile. In her presence, I felt the weight of my troubles lifting off my shoulders - it was a wonderfully heady thing, truly.

"So tell me, what are your favorite sweets?" I asked whimsically. "A friend of my thinks that a person's tastes in sweets is an indicator of their personality..."

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

I laughed, "Well, I love chocolate, truffles to be more specific and candied fruits, but those are just a few of my favorites." I said, my smile matching hers for its secretive nature.

Turning to her I asked, "What are your favorites?"

[Shona Tertignan]

"A true epicurian," I noted with a little giggle. "I have a fondness for very dark chocolate, and for mints. I guess Bryony does like the Royal Mint particularly," I added, chuckling at my terrible pun.

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

"Oh, Royal Mints, indeed. You certainly do have high class taste." I remarked, laughing quite foolishly, "That's a good one" I added.

Calming my laughter down but unable to straighten my silly grin I asked, "So where is this place? I am now terribly craving truffles, and it's all your fault," I said, giving her a nudge and a wink.

[Shona Tertignan]

"Patience, child, patience," I replied with a wide grin, recovering from my own laughter. "It's just around the corner. Here, you can already see the sign - Dame Moduvna's Chocolates and Pralines."

It was a pretty shop, really, its sign painted in warm and inviting colors. I wondered if the owner was still the same - back in the day, Larquel and I did get some free sweets for our smiles.

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

I laughed, "I'm sorry, I really haven't been out in awhile, I guess it shows." I said, blushing lightly with my laughter. Gazing down the street in the direction she indicated I saw the sign advertising the candy shop and I smiled. "At least it's not that far away." i said, grinning again.

[Shona Tertignan]

I gave her a doubtful, playfully assessing look, and teased. "What, they don't let you out usually? Is there something I should know?" I said, as seriously as I could, though my lips already quirked up in another upcoming fit of laughter.

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

"Oh, no, nothing like that!" I said, laughing at the joke, "I've just been busy more in the House than anything recently, that's all. I've been gardening in between assignations and attempting to seed some more plants for the gardens. I guess when you enjoy something it doesn't matter how much time you spend at it." I told her, still grinning and shrugged my shoulders.

[Shona Tertignan]

I nodded, smiling a little, though her words reminded me of someone else who enjoyed gardening a lot. Bah, things of the past, I decided. Let me think on the future, and the man who makes me smile innocently.

"Gardening, huh?" I said with a smile. "I've never been much for it, but I enjoy a flower when I come across one. I had a cooped up spell myself recently," I told Genevie. "But mostly, I spent it reading. Flowers and books, books and flowers. Hmm... reading in a garden, perhaps?"

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

"Yes, that too, and reading about flowers sometimes when I can't figure something out." I said, grinning and knowing I sounded totally boring. "I did attend the L'Enver's wedding though, that was wonderful."

[Shona Tertignan]

"Oh, so did I," I replied with a wide smile. "It was just a little boring, though, I mean, the whole I love you, you love me, no, I love you more, oh, but darling, if only you knew how much I love you, and I'm so happy, no, I'm happier, and..." I let out a giggle for my poor impersonation of the newlyweds, puffed a breath up, to remove a messy strand of hair from my face. "I believe in love, but not in mushiness," I added half-seriously, half-joking.

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

Grinning at her imitation I added, "I do agree," knowing what she meant, "I would much rather prefer a short ceremony, something private perhaps, and then a long night of love making under the stars. None of that whole long drawn out nicey-nice talk with guests and relatives, oh and forget about the planning! I don't even want to think about all that! I get a headache out of simply choosing what dress to wear to a fete let alone planning the entire thing." I said, laughing again and rolling my eyes, "I don't know, it would all depend on who I married, I suppose."

[Shona Tertignan]

"Yes, let the man have a little say in the whole affair," I said with another giggle. "He will be paying for it, after all!" and I laughed again, very amused. "I've never quite thought of marriage myself, leaving the service, all that. He would have to be one special man to draw me to such extremes."

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

"That he would have to be, especially if I were to leave Namaah's service after we wed." I stated. "I wouldn't want to retire unless I absolutly had to." I added, noticing the shop drawing closer and smiling again.

[Shona Tertignan]

"Well, you would have to," I replied matter-of-factly. "If you got married, that is..."

A skip and a hop, and we were there, and so I pushed open the door, and said, "welcome to candy-lover heaven, Genevie!"

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

I stepped inside with Shona, greeted by hundreds of colors and sweet scents. I inhaled deeply, "Ah, this is heaven."

[Shona Tertignan]

"Yes, yes it is," I replied, smiling wide. I looked at the man at the counter - it was evident - he was older, he was wizened... but he was undoubtedly the same owner. I shone him a bright smile, and looked around.

The place looked like it did, 10 years ago, but it was only the indicator of good management, and frequent renovations and maintenance. There were new products, and a new, young and delicious looking apprentice - aside from that, it was a flashback from the past.

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

I wandered over to a display of chocolates and found they had quite a few truffles that they made and soon found myself lost in the variety, "I'm not sure how to choose just one," I commented, "They all sound so marvelous; raspberry creme, peach passion, coconut dream, double decadence, creme de minth." I grinned, "There is so much here, how can you chose?" I asked Shona, giving a smile to the proprietor and his handsome assistant.

[Shona Tertignan]

"You don't," I whispered. I turned, flashing another coy grin at the older man, and a little wink at his helper. "Surely there will be a proud and noble knight, to save a damsel in distress from such indecision?" I said dramatically, though a serious giggle was working it's way up my throat.

I shot them a sideways glance - the elixir of seduction was starting to have some effect.

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

"Shona, oh you're bad." I said, teasingly, my voice pitched for only her to hear but I looked over my shoulder a little at the young apprentice and gave him a dazzling smile, saving my wink for later, not wanting them to faint yet.

"Could you help us?" I asked, batting my eyelashes just a touch as I gave the proprietor my full attention.

[Shona Tertignan]

My grin expanded, and I almost laughed, but instead looked at the man almost bashfully. "Yes, please, it would be so very helpful of you, for a couple of stranded girls, yes?"

The older man came over, limping slightly, and smiled in a way that would have been dashing on someone half his age - the helper looked like he was about to whimper.

"Alright ladies, why don't you let me have a selection for you, huh?" He said, half-gruffly, half-charmingly. He looked at Genevie, and said, "What's your name, prettiness?"

Oh gods, I hoped she wouldn't say I was Bryony - Orchis, Cereus, anything, but my house name - it would give us away.

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

I looked back at her and gave her a look, catching her eye and noticed her hesitation, I decided to play it low, "Genevie," I replied, my smile holding true and hoping he didn't know much about the cannons of the night court, "and this is my friend Shona, we're of Orchis House, good sir," I told him, not even batting an eyelash, thankful I had some practice at this sort of thing.

[Shona Tertignan]

Oh, the smart vixen. I batted my eyelashes, and grinned wide before I let out a happy laughter. To them it appeared full of mirth, but it was also relief.

"Yup, that's us, the Orchis sisters," I chimed in, grinning wide. "And you, good sir, what may we call you, that we know who to thank for saving us?"

He smiled, flushed just a little, and stammered, "J-Jean-Marie de Groot, at your s-s-service."

I gave him a frank smile, and said, "From the flatlands, then, are you?"

He nodded, and said, "How do you know?"

"Oh, just a book about jests I was reading, and it said something about a De Groot family from that area..." I replied nonchalantly, though I pursed my lips a little with all the charm I had.

[Genevie nó Orchis(I)]

I laughed along with her, the pair of us making quite a splash with the two of them, certainly the younger of them was about to drool he was so smitten with the two of us.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, good sir, Pray tell us what you had in mind?" I went along, guiding his thoughts back to the task at hand. I didn't want the poor man falling on the floor before we left his shop, taht was for sure.

[Shona Tertignan]

Eagerly, Master DeGroot proceeded to put together a box of chocolates, mints and toffees. From time to time, his hyper active gaze shifted between Genevie and I, seeking approbation. He added something I wasn't familiar with, and seeing my curious look, he stuttered, "Pralines, from home," and put a few more, "they are lovely, I assure you."

I smiled wide, touched, in truth, and nodded. "But I trust you intuitively, My dear Sir. You are a master of your trade, after all."

The younger apprentice seemed flustered that he wasn't getting as much attention, and butted in, "What about these, Master?" He stammered, shuffling his feet, looking at me, at Genevie, and at our respective cleavages. Suave, very suave, this one, I thought amusedly. But he was cute, I mused. I flashed him a gentle, affectionate smile that had just an inch of predatory charm. He stumbled on his master, head first on a rack of lollipops.

I put my hand to my lips, stifling a chuckle. "Are you alright?" I asked in sincere concern. It was funny, but I wouldn't want to be responsible for him loosing an eye to a stray lollipop, or something...