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Post by Estella de Cartier on Feb 16, 2011 19:29:13 GMT -5
His thumb caressed below my lip, his hand cradling my head, and I let my eyes fall closed as I leaned into the touch. This was so unlike me, but with Bayard, I felt comfortable. All my walls had come down and I had nothing to fear from him. Except perhaps that odd flutter in my stomach again. What on earth was it? Could it have been the excess of alcohol and not having eaten much at all?
I opened my eyes again and looked into his, a soft smile coming to my lips as I shook my head. "No, you had better not go breaking anything. I would not forgive myself if the next time I saw you was with a cane and a limp," I giggled, sadly, the image was slightly amusing. "But.. if you track me down so easily, doesn't that mean I am a terrible thief and unable to keep myself hidden?" I asked, happy that at least we would have a few more minutes together before we ambled out of this place.
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Post by Bayard Roux nó Eglantine on Feb 16, 2011 20:49:00 GMT -5
There was a part of myself that actually wondered what in the hells I was doing with this poor, sweet, half-drunk pigeon- but at the same time she was relaxed and calm and I was drunk myself so I could either pull away and probably make things worse or just continue what I was doing. And the more relaxed she was the easier it was to do the latter than the former. At least I knew that I wasn't being nice for some ulterior motive that would make me think worse of myself later like some people would have done. Like her bastard brother, who I still wanted to at least maim.
"No, I'm just that good at finding people," I told her in a playfully cocky tone, brushing my thumb over the same soft skin under her lip again and then across her cheek, always ready to stop the moment she tensed up again or shifted. "It's easy enough for me to find people anyway with all of my siblings as work down here with their jobs and their plans and my parents doing the same. So long as they know I've got to finish my marque it's safe enough to talk to them and I don't mind giving some of them help or asking for it when it's needed."
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Post by Estella de Cartier on Feb 16, 2011 21:10:35 GMT -5
I smiled, the caress of his thumb across my cheek making it feel warm and cool at the same time.
"You would get a search party together just to find little old me?" I asked, teasing. Was I... flirting? It donned on me that I might have been doing it throughout the evening.
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Post by Bayard Roux nó Eglantine on Feb 16, 2011 21:19:52 GMT -5
If I was sober I could have sworn there was a slight tease in her voice- but being drunk I knew that you could hear all sorts of things that weren't really there when you were in such a state and wasn't going to assume anything. That was exactly what she didn't need as far as I was concerned, some other male who was thinking of her in a light that she probably wouldn't want to be thought of. With her history I'd make myself ill if I even thought too long on it. "No, see, a search party would give someone away. I'd just ask a question or two," I told her in a teasing tone of my own, my thumb brushing her cheek again. "And by that time you might see me anyway, I generally bounce places a bit so's I'm not caught. Then it would be up to you if you wanted to be found, not that I'd assume you would."
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Post by Estella de Cartier on Feb 16, 2011 21:36:16 GMT -5
"Well," I mused, "if I was being caught by you, I wouldn't mind." My cheeks heated as I realised I was grinning... I did not know how to describe it.. something lopsided, and caught myself. "I mean because afterall, I enjoy your company," I really was not making what I had said any better.
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Post by Bayard Roux nó Eglantine on Feb 16, 2011 21:55:52 GMT -5
Now I knew that she had to be drunk and I had to be hallucinating because even without adept training I'd probably be able to read the expression on her face. It was completely confusing, but at the same time I wasn't going to reject it out of hand- because she was a sweet girl and had been through so much, and because she trusted me and we got along well. If she had a background like any other girl I'd continue to tease and tempt her until I got the simple goal at the end of the night, but then she wasn't a regular girl, was she? And that made me somehow want to keep her sweet and not regret something she did while she was drunk and feeling safe.
"Well, now I can tell how much you've had to drink, wanting a street rat to find you somewhere," I joked lightly, continuing the caress and managing not to follow my inclination to stroke along the line of her neck instead. I was not going to push my luck and see her cheerfulness turn to something else that would be far deeper- whether it was positive or negative. My self control wasn't that good. "But if you see me you can always come up and say hello, sweets. I know I'd enjoy that."
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Post by Estella de Cartier on Feb 22, 2011 14:12:23 GMT -5
I laughed. "Or perhaps you're drunk since now you're welcoming greetings from a street rat yourself," I teased, sitcking out my tongue at him. I shook my head, sighing, not a bad sigh, but a good sigh, the sort of sigh that comes after a good, well deserved laugh. "Oh Bayard, truly how does Eglantine contain you," then I thought to myself, giggling, "obviously not that well considering you're here right now," I whispered, not wishing to blow his cover, just in case.
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Post by Bayard Roux nó Eglantine on Feb 22, 2011 22:27:46 GMT -5
The wandering nature of her statement drew a chuckle from me as I stroked her cheek again, starting to become less and less aware of the lines that I crossed or worry about their significance. We were friends, at least as far as I knew, and I trusted her to tell me when I made her uncomfortable with something so simple and I wouldn't go any further than this in any case. "You're right, nothing can hold me for long," I whispered back in a playful tone, eyes flashing. "I'm like a shadow, sneaking about, and all I have to do is make sure I'm back before anyone misses me. What about you, will you be missed when you come back late? I'd hate for whatever home you're staying in to be annoyed at you."
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Post by Estella de Cartier on Feb 23, 2011 14:45:22 GMT -5
I shook my head, thinking about the bolt hole X had loaned me.
"No, no one will be waiting for me, it will just be me a bed a table and some bottlesof wine, and a small fire of course, or I might catch my death of cold." I doubted X would be there waiting up for me. He had numerous other places he was staying, some of them with women who liked to cuckold their husbands, and so I never worried about him. He was too good at waht he did to be caught and need my help getting out of it.
"Hopefully no lte night visitors have come looking to have an assignation with you or you might be in a wee bit of trouble, unless you can hold a straight face and say you were walking amongst the gardens in the moonlight, being pensive," I teased, giggling. The stroke of his thumb across my cheek was soothing, and when I blinked, my eyes started to stay closed a fraction longer than they normally did.
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Post by Bayard Roux nó Eglantine on Feb 23, 2011 15:31:08 GMT -5
There was a moment where her eyes drifted half-closed and I wondered whether Essie was tired or had something running through her mind, but I considered what she had said as well as I could with the alcohol running through my veins. "Oh, I get my assignation notices well in advance most times since they like to have me tumble a bit first," I told her with a bit of a grin after she'd finished, continuing the caress that she seemed to enjoy. Her skin was soft and sweet and I could have easily let myself give into the prickle of pleasure it sent along my own flesh- but I remembered her scar and her story and that gave me other thoughts. If she was going to be teased it should at least be in a nicer setting than a bar on the Doorstep late at night after having too much to drink.
With the sort of wandering, half-drunk thinking that was par for the course after such evenings I realized how late it really was getting and smiled slightly. "Well, I'm glad you at least have a place to stay since I'll have to get back to Eglantine soon," I told her in a quiet tone, cupping her cheek for a moment and meeting her gaze as I smiled. "So what are you going to do after I leave, sweets? If you want to go back home I can walk with you, you know. It's likely on the way with how the Doorstep is set up." It was a sincerely friendly gesture, even though it was partially motivated by the way she smiled and that sensation of sympathy for her earlier tale. "But that's up to you, not everyone wants street rats knowing where they sleep."
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Post by Estella de Cartier on Feb 23, 2011 15:37:52 GMT -5
I smiled, feeling that cares again that felt so warm.
"I would love for you to escort me home," I mused, smiling lazily, then I perked up and remembred just who's cubby hole I was sleeping in, and that he may not want someone knowing of his hideouts, but as it is not completely my place, I may get in a spot of trouble for letting someone else in on the secret stow away," I frowned slightly. "But it is not far from here, so I shall be alright. I will make sure to put on a mean and menacing face so that I get home safely," I said, flashing him a smile before I got into character, only to fin myself smiling again. "But youa re right, it is late, and I would not forgive myself if you were caught sneaking out, and collared and leashed."
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Post by Bayard Roux nó Eglantine on Feb 23, 2011 15:49:26 GMT -5
Oh, so she was staying in someone else's haven- the person who'd given her money for Balm maybe? Not that I couldn't find out if I didn't want to, there were enough of my siblings and cousins on the street that I could get information if I asked after it. But then that would attract their attention to Essie as well and they didn't always have as good of manners as I did. "Oh, look at you, being so scary," I teased, eyes flashing at her grimace and then chuckling as she grinned again. "I'll take your word for that then. Oh, and if you ever need to leave me a message there's a by-the-hour inn just a few down from the Generous Patron called the Fortunate Rest and leave a message with a girl called Lil and she'll see I get it." Lilian was my older sister by about three years or so and out of my siblings I generally stopped in with her the most since she had one of the more conventional jobs as a laundress and maid and she'd cared for me a bit when we were children.
That being said I gave Essie a wink and then carefully brushed a kiss against her forehead before I rose and gave her a playful, very slight bow and then rose. "well, lady-dove, I'm to be off. I hope if you see me again you won't be running in the other direction, and take care of yourself, right? Otherwise I'm like to try and take care of you and you're far too strong to put up with that for long." I gave her one last grin and headed for the door, my footsteps steady enough and my balance sure from my years of Eglantine training though my thoughts were in a bit of a spin about everything that I'd heard and seen that evening. Poor sweet girl, she needed to go to Balm, or somewhere. She deserved to not have that weight of her past on her any longer.
And I needed to get to Eglantine and sleep before I just went back and sat with her again to comfort whatever fears remained.
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Post by Estella de Cartier on Feb 23, 2011 16:04:54 GMT -5
He rose, bowing, and I made not eo fthe name he gave. Lil. I would be sure that if I ever needed him, I would bring word to her. and I had no doubt that he would find a way to find me. he was resourceful like that. I smiled, though i was a bit sad to be losing his company, even though I knew we would meet again. We had to. I watched him leave, the memory of his very light kiss on my forehead and the warmth that spread through my body as he did it still remained. I sighed softly, watching after him until his fiery locks could be seen no more. I left some coin on the table, finishing my drink, even if it wasnt the best idea, and left th place, a little wobbly, with a smile. I could not form a grimmace after being in Bayard's company, it was too hard.
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