Post by Mahieu nó Bryony on Jan 27, 2011 9:25:41 GMT -5
I should have known better. Really, I should have, but the idea of besting the tsingano boys was just a temptations I could not resist. It wasn't even about the money, though I would not surrender that easily, either. It was about the thrill of besting them, in and of itself, a rush unlike anything else that I'd experienced at that young age. Every time I heard their groans of disappointment, I felt a thrill run down my spine, something I still experience every time I defeat a patron at some game or another.
After the seventh race in a row, they began to claim I was cheating, and demanding their money back. How I could be cheating at a simple footrace, I had no idea, and even went so far as to ask them. Making them look even more foolish turned out to be a mistake, though thankfully it was not one that would cost me. Just as I was bracing myself to be beaten by several of them at once, everything stopped.
A voice rang out, feminine, firm, and beautiful, "That's enough! If any of you lay a hand on that boy, I will call the guards!" When all of us looked toward the voice, we froze, even me when I likely should have been getting away from my would-be assailants. We did not need to see her marque to know she was an adept of the Night Court; her beauty and the way she carried herself was enough to give that away. When the tsingano boys came to their senses, they left me alone with her in quite the hurry.
"Thank you, madamoiselle," I told her, smiling up at her with relief shining in my dark eyes. I was not about to try to claim that I'd not needed her help, and insult the intelligence of my savior.
The smile she returned me was radiant, and the laugh that rang out from her lips was musical as she responded, "You are quite welcome. You are quite an impressive competitor, young man. Do you always strive so hard to win?" She knew the answer, of course, but I nodded, as I didn't know her well enough at the time to tell.
After the seventh race in a row, they began to claim I was cheating, and demanding their money back. How I could be cheating at a simple footrace, I had no idea, and even went so far as to ask them. Making them look even more foolish turned out to be a mistake, though thankfully it was not one that would cost me. Just as I was bracing myself to be beaten by several of them at once, everything stopped.
A voice rang out, feminine, firm, and beautiful, "That's enough! If any of you lay a hand on that boy, I will call the guards!" When all of us looked toward the voice, we froze, even me when I likely should have been getting away from my would-be assailants. We did not need to see her marque to know she was an adept of the Night Court; her beauty and the way she carried herself was enough to give that away. When the tsingano boys came to their senses, they left me alone with her in quite the hurry.
"Thank you, madamoiselle," I told her, smiling up at her with relief shining in my dark eyes. I was not about to try to claim that I'd not needed her help, and insult the intelligence of my savior.
The smile she returned me was radiant, and the laugh that rang out from her lips was musical as she responded, "You are quite welcome. You are quite an impressive competitor, young man. Do you always strive so hard to win?" She knew the answer, of course, but I nodded, as I didn't know her well enough at the time to tell.