Trevalions Unite!

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"Really, is that all it takes to intimidate them- three attractive girls?" I asked in a playful tone. "Princesses nonetheless? I must have heard the wrong stories about the Night Court if this is a deep fear of theirs." Of course I was joking completely- how could that ever be the case?- but it was an amusing mental image. "I'm sure as long as we're very quiet and try not to startle the poor, delicate adepts they might let us get away with it."

[Sophie de Trevalion]

I chuckled. "We shall have to be on our very best behaviour then," I teased, servants coming in to remove our plates and bring in the apple pie. "And here we are, the surprise dessert."

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"It looks wonderful," I said with a smile as I looked at the apple pie, then back at Sophie. "I like apples but we didn't really get many of them in Serenissima so it's a fantastic surprise."

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"Oh, I wonder why," I mused as I cut us both a hearty wedge. The pie slices went on fine china plate, the rims decorated with fleurs-de-lis. "What do you have for dessert instead then?"

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"Maybe apples just don't ship that well," I speculated with a thoughtful tone as I took a plate when she offered it to me. "But I don't know exactly why so that's just a guess. In Serenissima there are a lot of honey desserts, and something called gelato that's made with frozen cream and flavorings, and some things made with limes and lemons. Then there's tiramisu, which is a kind of soft cake, and panna cotta, which is like custard. If you visit my house I'll see if I can get the cooks to make some of those things for you."

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"Oh yes, that would be lovely," I said with a genuine smile. "I've never made it out of Terre d'Ange, and would love a taste of La Serenissima."

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"Just be sure to come over sometime for dinner and that's something we can do," I told her, grinning back and happy that she liked the idea. "The City has almost everything a person could possibly need so even if the cooks don't know how to make it I'm sure there's a dessert shop or bakery that does."

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"Perhaps we should have a dessert night?" I suggested. "Invite some people over for a little bit of an after dinner soiree, and have samplings of different Serenissiman and d'Angeline desserts. And whatever else strikes the cooks fancy. What do you think of that?"

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"That would be a lot of fun," I said with a grin. "And maybe with some games and music too? Who would be invited?"

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"Have you had a chance to meet anyone interesting here yet?" I asked, knowing that it should be about her friends first before I brought in people I knew for her to meet.

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"There hasn't been much time to get out yet, we only got in a couple of days ago," I told her with a smile. "But I've met a couple of people and I try to make as many friends as I can anyway so that answer should change the more I look around. What about you?"

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"A few people. But this," I said, waving to the house, "has kept me busier than I might usually like. So a small soiree? Unless you plan on taking the palace by storm and making lots of friends. Which wouldn't surprise me," I teased her with a grin.

[Noemi de Trevalion]

She was right in that I'd never had a problem in that regard and I laughed. "I'm letting Victoire get accustomed to the Palace and make her connections before I go sweeping through and make an impression," I told Sophie with a grin. "But I'm going to make friends anyway and then go to the Palace when she wants to move on to something else. She's the oldest so that seems the most fair way."

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"Very noble of you," I observed with a little smile. We were both younger siblings, but with our personalities, it was clear that it manifested itself if very different ways. "Why don't we leave the guest list until we've both had a chance to meet more people?"

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"That's probably the best idea," I agreed readily enough, not at all concerned. It wasn't as though I wouldn't be in the City for a time anyway. Hopefully I'd start making friends soon enough anyway. "And Victoire may be able to help then too."

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"Excellent. Perhaps we can run the idea by her after ambushing her for a girl's day out?" I suggested, grinning again at our plan.

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"It would probably be best, since hopefully after that she'll have loosened up a little," I said in a mischievous tone.

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"From what I hear, she'll definitely have loosened up," I said, giggling a little. "We all will have."

[Noemi de Trevalion]

A light blush came over my cheeks at that, but not so much from embarrassment as anticipation and enthusiasm. "What a group of tense people we must be!" I joked with a light laugh. "Or at least that's the excuse we can use."

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"Exactly," I pronounced with a grin, putting my fork down after finishing the last bite of my pie. "We can save Balm for last, for a message from one of their adepts would relax us so much we wouldn't have the tension to continue."

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"It would be a great thing though, to be so relaxed that it would take an hour to convince yourself to move," I teased lightly. "Especially since it's in the Night Court and they probably have other ways to accent that kind of massage." There was a faint flush on my cheeks at the idea and a giggle left my throat.

[Sophie de Trevalion]

She giggled, and I giggled as well. "We would definitely be relaxed from more than just the massage," I agreed with a grin. The more I spoke with Noemi about this matter, the more I regretted not having visited the Night Court. But no matter, it would be fixed soon enough. "Shall we retire to the next room, perhaps have a drink or two?"

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"So Balm isn't just a spa then," I joked, because I'd often heard that idea presented in Serenissima where no one was quite sure what the different aspects of the Night Court did. "And drinks sounds nice too."

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"Excellent. We have some lovely pear brandy," I told her as I rose and led her to the next room. It had comfortable chairs, a warm fire, shelves full of games and books, and a liquor cabinet. "Or would something else tickle your fancy?"

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"Pear brandy sounds nice, I don't know that I've ever had that before," I told her as I looked around the room with a grin and ran my hand over a familiar game board that rested on a table. "Do you like to play games?"

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"Occasionally," I said with a smile, going over to the cabinet and pouring two healthy snifters of the brandy. "It hasn't happened recently, with only my brother and I here."

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"Well, if you want to play a game now I'm more than willing," I said with a smile, cocking my head slightly. "But I may not know some of the games that you do and you'll probably win."

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"How about snakes and ladders? Simple, and purely the result of chance," I said with a smile, handing her one of the glasses.

[Noemi de Trevalion]

"That sounds like fun," I agreed with a grin, looking for the game board on the shelf and then bringing it over and setting it on the table before taking the glass she offered. "Thank you very much." This was one of the games I actually knew since we had one of the boards in Serenissima.

[Sophie de Trevalion]

"Shall I go over the rules?" I asked as we set the board up.