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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 13, 2008 23:45:28 GMT -5
Laceration Lane. Catchy.
This was evidently one of the ritzier parts of Chimera. It broke off and almost became rural, until you hit the lane of massive mansions. Her's was particularly extravagant, and almost looked Dream-like, in his opinon.
He strolled up the front gate, and then through the front door, not bothering to knock. "Hello?" he called loudly, and then waiting a grand total of one second, continued, "Huh. I guess nobody's home. I should be on my way, then."
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Post by Jules on Mar 13, 2008 23:52:05 GMT -5
"Oh no you don't Monsieur!" a voice called and then a moment later Marie was sliding down the smooth banister that led upstairs and dropped her off only a few feet away from the retreating Prince.
"I am here. Are you not glad?" Marie didn't look half as done up as she usually did, mostly because she realized she was going to half to put some back into it if she wanted everything to be perfect. Her massive amounts of white hair were in a loose ponytail to keep stands from slipping into her face but where otherwise let loose down her back (it reached her heels). Her feet were bare and she was wearing riding britches and a flowing pirate-style blouse.
Of course, she was still powdered ghostly pale. Her bright blue eyes regarded Alexander for a moment before smiling again.
"Come on, we 'ave work to do."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 14, 2008 15:35:01 GMT -5
Crap. He froze, mid-step, and turned back around just in time to see Marie Antoinette pop off the end of a banister. He eyed her up and down, not sure whether to be amused, or frightened. "Nice pants," he remarked wryly.
He followed after her, making an effort to show how much he didn't want to be here. "So, do I have a time limit to repay my debt? Like, twenty minutes, maybe?"
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Post by Jules on Mar 14, 2008 15:46:10 GMT -5
She turned to give him a cool look.
"There is ze caterer's, which are charging me for ze sudden change of location and since my kitchen is not professionally equipped they charge me even more. Ze performers are all cancelled, and I do not 'ave any servers or such anymore. I barely 'ave enough room for all ze guests. All because of you."
She did a little head-flick that sent her white hair rippling for a moment and turn on her heel, leading him into a vaulted-ceiling lounge room. There was a fireplace large enough to roast two oxens in on the west wall, and opposite it, grand windows that reached only a foot away from the ceiling itself.
It was clear she'd tried pushing the furniture agaisnt the walls, because everything had a slightly crooked look. But she was small and not strong and had not managed well at all.
"So I am zinking you can offer me a little more then twenty minutes. And stop grumbling about it."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 14, 2008 15:57:56 GMT -5
He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
They stopped in the large room, and he glanced around. "Doesn't seem too bad to me," he said, mostly because he didn't see anything wrong with it, but also because he wouldn't have dared criticize anything anyway.
He rolled a shoulder languidly. "So what are you forcing me to do entirely and utterly against my will?" Stop grumbling about it? She wished.
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Post by Jules on Mar 14, 2008 16:06:39 GMT -5
"I 'ave people here and they cannot 'ave stuff in their way. Is supposed to be party, not charades." What one had to do with the other was probably unclear to anyone but Marie.
"I want to push all ze furniture agaisnt ze wall and bring in ze buffet tables and then just decorate a little bit and then I promise you you can raid my fridge or somezing or just leave, or whatevair and I won't tell Genn that you almost ruined a party in 'er 'onour."
She went over to a couch which seemed to be one of the largest in the room (there were three couches, four arm chairs, three coffee tables and a few rugs). "Vien. Come, this first."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 14, 2008 16:15:37 GMT -5
Move some furniture and (cringe) decorate a little. He could probably do that without lighting anything on fire. He followed her over to a large, lavish couch, studying it and already feeling the strain in his back.
He assumed she didn't want her polished floor scratched, so he would be carrying it. He bent down, grabbed the bottom and in one heave in which he repressed the urge to grunt, he lifted it up, balancing it oh-so-precariously over his head. Perhaps Armand did a few more push-ups than he did, but he was more than formidable in his own right--- and being raised by a group of ex-thieves hadn't hurt.
He walked, carefully, to the other side of the room and eased the couch down, sliding it easily into the corner. He dusted off his hands and tried not to look like his shoulder had popped a weird way at some point in the journey.
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Post by Jules on Mar 14, 2008 17:33:34 GMT -5
She'd been impressed, to say the least. She hadn't managed to even push the entire couch over an inch and he just lifted into the air with (relative) ease.
Two couches, four arm chairs, three coffee tables and a few rugs later and Marie had collapsed onto the more lavish couch that was pressed up agaisnt the wall, looking around with a happy expression on her face. While he'd been moving furniture, she'd been decorating and the room looked lovely, with little self-suspended globs of light hanging above and the ceiling somehow swathed like a night sky.
"All done!" She declared happily. "Would you like some wine or somezing else to drink or eat?"
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 14, 2008 17:38:19 GMT -5
It had only taken a little over an hour, and Alexander found he didn't feel too spent, all things considered. He chewed her offer over a few times, sprawled next to her on the couch, and decided, What the hell?
He shrugged. "Sure. Why not."
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Post by Jules on Mar 14, 2008 17:43:35 GMT -5
Marie nodded, maybe physical work had gotten the grump out of him? And sprang up quickly to go fetch something from the kitchen (if she asked Malaise, her maid, it would take another hour) and came back a few minutes later with a tray. An uncorked and already half-empty bottle of wine and a hunk of freshly made baguette (her porky chef with an actual pig's snout made the best bread) with a small dish of butter and two knives. Nothing fancy or extraordinary, but she set it down on the couch between them.
Taking her seat, Marie pulled her legs up under her and kind of used her mass amounts of hair as a blanket before pouring them both a glass with the grace of a weathered bartender.
"'Ere you go." She said with a smile. "Thank you for 'eelping."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 14, 2008 17:51:51 GMT -5
Alexander left the bread untouched and took a pretty healthy swallow of the wine. "My pleasure," he said, and it was only half as sarcastic sounding as he'd intended.
She was a bit unexpected, wearing britches and acting not at all how you'd think a woman of the French court would. "Do me a favor, though, and forget to send my invitation."
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Post by Jules on Mar 15, 2008 0:27:17 GMT -5
"Eet's cute that you thought you'd be invited." She grinned and took a more ladylike sip of her own wine. Not that she couldn't handle her wine (other drinks she never really bothered with) but she had manners (unlike a certain someone). Just to note, there was nothing directly agaisnt blackmailing in French Court Etiquette.
"But 'onestly, I am thankful. I know I blackmailed you into eet, but even if you were a grump you did not set fire to my 'ouse." Which she'd been fully expecting and had therefore made sure she had a large fire extinguisher close at hand.
"If it evair 'appens that you should need my 'elp, I would be 'appy to do somezing."
Marie knew it wasn't likely, but the offer was there. And she wasn't finding his company as repulsive as she'd have thought. Maybe it was the wine.
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 16, 2008 19:34:18 GMT -5
He arched an amused brow at her. "Her own flesh and blood and I wasn't on the invite list?" He pretended to be affronted.
He blew off her thanks with a flippant shrug. "Maybe I'll call you on the favor. But probably not. Your forte's and mine are very unlikely to coincide."
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Post by Jules on Mar 16, 2008 19:49:19 GMT -5
"You nevair know." She said diplomatically, with a small shrug of her own (not so flippant, however). Besides, it wasn't like making things pretty was her only fortee (if her strongest). But it was true, probably a lot of what he needed 'help' with would not be proper. And Marie had a bit of a thing for propiety. The only reason she was comfortable being alone with a man was because she had an ever watchful (as watchful as a blind person could manage) maid and a chef in the house so it didn't really count.
"I wouldn't trust you to pick out a gift for a girlfriend, for example. Or your sistair. Or maybe one day you want to blackmail someone or not use your fists to hurt someone. I am from ze courts of France. I am good at these things."
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Post by Miss Jack on Mar 16, 2008 20:01:05 GMT -5
He eyed her, a shade suspiciously. He downed the rest of his wine, and brushed a stray drop off the corner of his mouth with his thumb. "I don't doubt your blackmailing talents," he said.
He stretched his legs, crossing one boot over the other. His already short attention span was shot. She'd stopped being as interesting once she became nicer (more or less). "Thanks for the drink, and not killing me, but if my debt is paid, I'm going to flee before you change your mind."
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