this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
she wants to flaunt it, she got that look in her eye
Hectic? She inclines her head in agreement, a small smile on her face. It's sharky though as she watches her family for a moment, making eye contact with a sister who winks and moves closer to her date. Dahlia pouts a moment before turning back to the woman who's captured her attention, sits more upright in her seat.
Keeps another eye on Taylan, who she's now lost money on.
A brief flicker of disappointment flutters across her face, and a small sigh before she's turning back to the beauty next to her.
"I suppose hectic is a word to describe it, yes. Just imagine all ten of us clambering for mother and father's attention. It's amusing and frustrating at the same time.
Then she accepts a nickname but doesn't offer her own. She can admire a lady who wants to stay nameless and tilts her head ever so slightly with half lidded eyes. She wants to ask more, parts her lips but gets distracted watching Taylan get a note and a kiss from a...monkey?
Something coils within her and she's guarded again as she glances at Sundari.
Taylan leaves the table and she feigns ignorance, looks instead at Amelia and Kasumi and delicately fans herself with her hand. She's hardly paying attention to the conversations around her honestly, perhaps she should focus more, but her mind then zooms in on the pastries that Taylan picks up and she's suddenly aware of the hunger. She took so much time getting ready she hadn't eaten and she's prepared to steal one of the sweets from him as he starts to approach.
She's disappointed when the woman bumps into him because that's just more time he's spending not getting to her.
"Hmmm."
An idle noise before her gaze drifts back to the other two women, and for a moment she's wondering if she'll get lucky tonight. The thought - the potential for the rest of her night makes her inwardly smile and she takes the time to drag her gaze over Amelia's form.
What a beauty.
Of course, the beauty next to her, Sundari, is also a looker. But she's not vain enough to think she can get either women in bed, not yet anyway. Still, there's a purr to her voice as she inclines her head towards Amelia.
"What kind of services do you offer?"
She may be a useful connection in the near future.
Post by kasimir burovski ✨ on Jul 31, 2017 14:33:08 GMT
blue moon
you saw me standing alone
the reception to his presence is less than pleasant. kasimir suppresses a grimace. xuan jin will not be pleased.
oh, on the surface perhaps, such a sentiment is not evident, hidden away beneath pretty words and casual arrogance. but pretty words mask the glittering mouth full of razor teeth, a fine-featured face conceals the distaste within, arrogance obscures the apathy towards his very existence that is somehow worse than simple disgust. kasimir had not missed the dark look in riley's eyes that had shifted into neutrality as soon as she had seen him begin to approach, nor had he missed his coven leader's enthusiasm as he neared.
still, his steps are unwavering for all that he is not welcome - the knife xuan jin holds to his neck, to saskia's neck, is motivation enough overcome his reluctance; sarcastic as dmitri wisbane's response is, dismissive as aebersold's is, it is nothing more than he expects. a supplicant does not approach the stars and presume to be any more than ash beneath luminary feet, after all.
laughter, for all that it breaks the unspoken awkwardness glimmering like glass in the air, brings about a new tension. subtler, like a moment on a precipice before a forever-fall; quieter, like a shadow hidden in the night. kasimir looks before him, looks to the three witches high above him in rank with his fate, saskia's fate, in their hands, and his defeat written in the flickers of their eyes. he should cut his losses and leave before he can do any more to cast their favour against him.
but he is angry, and he is scared, and he has never truly been able to contain the parts of him that roar of rebellion and fierce defiance when his failure seems already to be inevitable and he has not much to lose. "do i work for you?" kasimir murmurs almost curiously, almost challenging, tilting his head. his bangs fall across his face, hiding his fiery eyes from view. "or do i work for silvertongue?" the two are not necessarily one and the same, he does not say.
his leader's eyes flicker to meet riley's, hold for the barest of a millisecond; the air shifts and the high priest sits back, looks away with all the casual grace in the world - but it is a loss, he knows, and kasimir knows this does not bode well for himself. even less, he thinks, when cheer spreads across riley's expression that is as false as kasimir's illusions.
"well cutie, i'd love to have you for the night if that's what you mean," she teases easily. it is a test, a trap, bait.
and suddenly, kasimir is exhausted - at this pretence, at this facade that dmitri wisbane knows very well the root of, at this forever-constant fear xuan jin's retribution that he knows begging will be futile against but he will do so anyway. "i'm sure something can be arranged," he ripostes back, a touch too sarcastic to pass as polite. and he almost, almost does not care anymore.
but he does, because he is not the only one to suffer the consequences of his disobedience. but he does, because he has sacrificed everything for saskia, and he cannot let that be in vain.
distraction comes in the form of a familiar voice, a familiar face. “kasimir,” akamatsu greets him, and he reigns in his fire and returns the greeting. she proceeds to casually mention the mission she and him are currently undertaking - though everyone present knows the revelation is anything but casual - and her eyes are careful, red like blood.
[attr="class","paige_lyrics"]all my life is wrapped up in today. No past or future here.[break]BUT THERE'S NO COMING HOME. THERE'S NO COMING HOME WITH A NAME LIKE MINE.
[attr="class","paige_post"]The gentleman did't play another round, a pity since Amelia was beginning to seriously consider trading some jewelry for chips and putting them on him. Oh well. He was, at the least, making his way to the balcony with treats presumably for Dahlia, who appeared to be the main focus of his attention whenever he looked up at their growing group. She looked to Dahlia and she caught her in the act of admiration. She smiled, almost bitterly for a brief second before it dropped, collapsed under the weight of memories of someone not there. She was grateful when Dahlia spoke and it was business and not pleasure. How old even was Dahlia? Young, surely, much younger than herself. Shouldn't she be going more for girls her own age or at least not those a solid ten years older? To each their own, she supposed, though. Amelia, at the least, had no intention of leaving here with anyone.
"My services? Well, anything, I suppose." She was at home talking about herself, although who wasn't? She took another, hearty drink of her glass of whiskey. It went down well, but it still burned and the sensation helped ground her. "Violence, I suppose, is my specialty. I'm no expert at the subtleties of information gathering or spying on folks. Need someone broken or something protected, though? Always there to do it for the right price. I'm not particularly good with magic yet, but I'm great with my hands and a sword. I also work well with a team. Comes with years of sailing, teamwork." She left out the part about how she'd lead the team for years and had issues with undue authority. Honesty like that was just bad business. "And I've no problem with the ah, dirtier sides of business." She added on carefully. Death was a dance she was quite familiar with. She'd put others on that doorstep and she'd stumbled there herself more than once as is in the nature of piracy and war. She didn't get to where she was now by having conventional morals. That was why she joined Silvertongue, a coven with a reputation for lax morals.
"What about you, Miss Dahlia?" She turned the topic around, "What services do you offer?
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Watches Tay some more. Answers dahlia joshi and turns the question back to her.
she wants to flaunt it, she got that look in her eye
A woman good with her hands.
Dahlia could appreciate that. Interesting. So she was incredibly useful, at least if Dahlia needed some muscle. She glanced back Taylan's way, wondering how long he'd be in her services. Honestly though, she was getting tired of all this "hired help." She wanted a family, not a bunch of mercenaries. She pursed her lips and took on a thoughtful expression as she sipped on her champagne.
Ah.
The question was turned around on her and she shrugged idly, her gaze wandering around the room lazily.
"Me? I'm a street rat honestly. Picking fights I know I can win, recruiting lost kids to join the family, basic stuff. The services I offer include paying others to deal with messes I'd rather not touch."
She grinned sharply, tilting her head.
"Honestly I don't need to do much in life, but I'm planning on climbing the ranks a bit, get on to bigger and better things. Right, Uncle Dmitri?"
She batted her eyes at her supposed "uncle" and leaned back in her chair, impatiently seeking out Taylan.
Wow, she really wished he'd get here with that pastry already.
"Most who know me can vouch I'm just an annoyance."
[attr="class","paige_lyrics"]all my life is wrapped up in today. No past or future here.[break]BUT THERE'S NO COMING HOME. THERE'S NO COMING HOME WITH A NAME LIKE MINE.
[attr="class","paige_post"]A street rat? With that kind of family and that kind of money? Street rat, Amelia thought, was not the correct term for it. Gangster, maybe? Crime ring boss? Well from her age and her family, she probably wasn't the top boss, but maybe the leader of a branch of the family's business. Or, maybe she was. Maybe it wasn't a family business and this woman, so young and fresh, really had carved for herself that sort of position. Impressive and one Amelia could relate to.
"Well, my dear girl, if you encounter messes you'd rather not touch," She raised he glass a little, "don't hesitate to call me." She smiled around the table. "That's an offer for all of you, mind you. I'm not...picky about the business I do." She drew the line at trafficking and the harming of children, although thankfully neither of those seemed to be particularly strong businesses here in Sundial, especially compared to home. Murder, kidnapping, theft, arson? Pay her enough coin and she'd do it. "What bigger and better things are you aiming for?" Amelia posed, "It can mean different things to different people, 'bigger and better', so what does it mean to you?
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Talks more with Dahlia. Extends her services to the others at the table.
Post by kasumi akamatsu on Jul 31, 2017 20:35:00 GMT
❧
While the casualty and control of her tone drove her words, her demeanor alone hinted at the strength and importance of what she’d done and was doing; she couldn’t say she didn’t enjoy playing games however— her victims were almost always on the receiving end if she was feeling bored enough, though she didn’t like to keep a customer waiting. [break] “But I’m sure you already know all about that,” she continued smoothly; her expression had remained almost impassive, borderline unreadable, as though she was picking what to show and what not to. The blood circling in her eyes, however, she had let run a bit more rampant— they were calculating, ruthless, but still careful, and their color alone was more than a hint, as unnatural and even disconcerting they were or could be. [break] Overall, she seemed… controlled, but not in a way that was stiff— in a way which hinted that she had enough sway in her demeanor and presence to adapt to what people wanted from her. [break] Turning her attention to the other two women who had approached— disregarding Kasimir’s return to “Sundari,” as the woman had requested she be called— she studied them for a moment before speaking. [break] “Well, it seems we’re all a mixed bag,” Kasumi murmured, involving herself more in their conversation, taking another sip of her drink. She merely rose a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. [break] “I just get the job done by any means necessary, no matter the cost.” Her eyes again wandered back down to the floor a bit, latching on to the familiar form of Vasilios before quickly readjusting her gaze. “I’m flexible with anything; good eye, good ear, and a good… let’s call it a fight with no trace,” she said with a tilt of her head and a knowing raise of her brow, a small, though cruel — almost merciless — smile twisting her plump lips. She didn’t have to say it to be known: she was a killer, and a good one at that, at the very least in the standards of her clan. [break] “Though I’ll admit I prefer… quite a bit of precision in what I do; tactical, calculated moves. Not to mention my weaponry requires it. But I grew up drilled in hand-to-hand as well, and my magic works to my advantage rather nicely; how convenient, wouldn’t you say?”
[attr="class","paige_lyrics"]all my life is wrapped up in today. No past or future here.[break]BUT THERE'S NO COMING HOME. THERE'S NO COMING HOME WITH A NAME LIKE MINE.
[attr="class","paige_post"]Amelia decided that she didn't quite like Kasumi. "No matter the cost" was the statement that soured it all. It was to be expected, of course, that she would encounter those within Silvertongue who had no limits, no point where they drew the moral line, but by no means would she willingly do business with them. Would Kasumi kill a child who got in her way? Several innocents? And she boasted too much of her power. Amelia wondered if she really was as powerful as she said or if she was blowing herself out of proportion to get the attention, good graces, and business of the three higher ups at the table. She supposed it wasn't too much of her business, though.
"What about you, Dmitri?" She asked, "Do you take on any jobs yourself?" It wouldn't surprise her if Dmitri spent most of his time with the coven doing administrative work because there was, after all, surely a lot of administrative work to be done when it came to running a coven as large as theirs. Paperwork, legal matters, taxes, and she could probably think of a few more big things he probably had to deal with if she gave it more than a few seconds of thought. "And Basil? What do you do? Miss Sundari?" She quickly, as had become a pattern so far, turned the question to them as well, intent on making sure everyone was included unless they particularly didn't want to be, "You're both quite mysterious." They'd hardly spoken anything of themselves and Amelia wanted to know if they'd talk about themselves or their lives was something they best kept private. Her eyes set back onto Kasimir. Dmitri mentioned that he was an assassin and Sundari had harshly criticized him. How good was he, really? Well, maybe it was better she not know.
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Decides she doesn't like Kasumi. Asks dmitri, basil, and riley what all they do. Eyes Kasimir, but doesn't say anything to him.
she wants to flaunt it, she got that look in her eye
Her gaze darted between the two women at her table. Well, the two who were currently talking. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back, sliding one leg over the other elegantly. She tossed a look over Kasumi's shoulder to her mother and winked at her languidly.
Having fun?
Squi Squi was wiggling in the back of her mind, tentacles at the ready should she need a quick getaway and a good murder. She inwardly smiled, she was in her element here. She'd of course never realized just how grimy Sundial could be, and it was.....delicious.
Tapping her nail against her arm she rolled her shoulders for a second and pondered her next words. She had to think carefully here now.
"That's an interesting way of looking at things. You sound very confident there."
Cooly she looked at Kasumi, someone like her could be very useful in her near future. She glanced at Amelia, noticed the body language of someone who didn't like what they were hearing and smiled a bit. She swirled the champagne in her glass and sighed a bit dramatically, fanning herself more.
"Where on earth is my date? He's supposedly bringing me a pastry but alas he's nowhere to be seen."
Post by kasumi akamatsu on Aug 1, 2017 1:16:40 GMT
❧
It wasn’t hard to notice how cold Amelia grew after her words, and Kasumi regarded her for a moment. She was definitely someone of interest, and from what Kasumi could tell, older than herself and likely more experienced as a result— Kasumi could respect that of the woman. But of course, there’s only so much to do in order to sway someone’s opinion of you; Kasumi didn’t let it bother her. [break] “I do think it is a bit hard to navigate the waters of job offers though, regardless of how ruthless you want to be,” she murmured, sliding her eyes downward; shifting her demeanor as though she was lost in thought before “pulling herself back.” [break] “It’s a thing of knowing your boundaries, morally or otherwise, which I think both of you do, which is very admirable— I may not sound as though I’m particularly aware, but close-combat is a very serious weakness for me; my weapon is long-range because of it to compensate. I myself am not physically strong enough to overpower others, so I rely on opportunity, which can complicate things and has in the past, unfortunately.” [break] She didn’t see an issue with being honest — she knew despite everything that she was not capable of overtaking anyone with her strength; in fact, if against Amelia, she’d likely have to rely on defensive and escapist maneuvers more than offensive hits. That was simply how it rested for her. And if she wanted jobs and allies, she shouldn’t overstep like she was prone to do… and she thinks she already had by Amelia’s reaction, though Dahlia seemed more responsive. [break] “Confidence can make or break resolve, I find. I’m not going to sit here and lie to you— but I suppose everyone has a habit of overselling even if they don’t mean to,” she addressed Dahlia specifically then, throwing her a smile, one that could even be called genuine. “I’ve worked with people who hesitated because of disbelief in their capabilities, and the ending was… unfortunate, to say the least.” Her eyes turned, a glint of upset overtaking them; it was a family member, and she couldn’t help them. [break] “Now I’ve rambled too long— how rude of me, I apologize. But, I do offer myself an ally to anyone who’d need it; I only need a call.” She smiled again, one that could be seen as welcoming in nature; as though she was melting away to someone who wasn’t as on edge every day of her life— someone to rely on for help. [break] How are things? [break] I’m guessing I hit a snag with a coven mate, though I am unsure of the higher ups just yet; I’ve adjusted, however. Perhaps it made a difference. [break] Back off for the rest of the conversation. That’s more than a seed in the soil for now.
here was a satisfying response from Kasimir and Xuan could feel Xue Mei purr proudly and approvingly in the back of his mind. Control and power should always be maintained but it was fun to see little acts of rebellions when given a small sliver of freedom.
He's asked if he was going to gamble and he shakes his head. "Business has been a little tight of profits, with what's been happening lately. I think I'll take a pass." He gave Taylan a small shrug of resignation. You just don't want to gamble, do you? Xue Mei asked and he hummed in agreement. Never have, never will. Who's to say that anyone on the table wont notice me cheating? Or anyone else in gala? Everyone has some trick up their sleeve.
Xuan watches intriguingly at the monkey familiar that seemingly appeared out of nowhere and shoving a notebook at Taylan. He tilts his head, getting a better look at the message. His gaze then wanders to the mysterious masked girl from catching her gazing at him again.
Before he gave more thought on this matter, Taylan excuses himself moving back in the direction of the delightful Dahlia Joshi, like the good little pup he is. However, before he could make it to her, once again a collision happens. Your chance is here. He nods, striding up to the due. "It seems that you have a habit of running into people now, Mr Karga. Are you alright miss?" Xuan looks questioningly at her wondering if the case of her identity could be solved this very night.
Post by Gryffin Bordeax on Aug 1, 2017 2:53:48 GMT
it's the bitch of living
[attr="class","humour"] It wasn’t that he purposefully tried to easvedrop but he couldn’t help it. Gryffin was, as per usual, doing the dirty work of the Silvertounge and that meant working while everyone else got to enjoy the gala. Thankfully he was doing work that he didn’t mind. Cooking. The extravagant meals that were promised by those of positions so high up the orphan boy couldn’t even imagine had to be made by someone. And why pay for a chef when they had the next best (cheapest) thing in their midst.
He was thrown into a position that shocked him; sous-chef. Now whether that was because of his level of skill or just the general mistrust the Silvertounge had for outsiders, he couldn’t tell and didn’t care. He was cooking. He was… In charge (mostly). The fact that he had to dress up formally didn’t even bother him. Underneath the chef’s jacket (a real life chef jacket that had him all too excited) was a simple black tuxedo with a deep purple bowtie. Not that anyone would have seen it. The antisocial freak had planned to hide out in the kitchen doing what he loved, not having to worry about people staring or gawking. Even after all the years with the coven, his fellow members still looked at him with disgust.
That wouldn’t be happening unfortunately. They needed servers. After all the dishes had been prepped or made, he was forced out from his chef’s jacket and out to the public. Donning a quick glamour, of which any witch who payed particular attention to could easily see through, he set out to serve the food he had cooked and wouldn’t eat.
Zipping around to and fro, getting between everyone and everything, was exhausting. But he did what he had to do. Someone needed more wine, he brought them more wine. Breadsticks? He was on it. So as he passed by and heard someone mention something about a pastry Gryff did the only thing that made sense. He went to the kitchen and got a baguette.
He approached the table nervously, the hand that carried a covered plate shaking under the weight (and from his nerves). Were he not so scared he may have looked handsome with his glamour on. His natural messy black hair was slicked back in his usual greaser look but his outfit was all too different. A silk black tux — so dark it took on a purplish hue — that let all attention focus on the deep purple bowtie effortlessly tied around his neck. His glamour provided a more human skin complexion than his natural corpselike gray and violet eyes rather than the pissy yellow he was born with. He took a tentative step towards the table and to the one who had mentioned a pastry, his memory providing the name: Dahlia Joshi. He’d seen her name on the guest list and one of the line cooks had pointed her out. Some hotshot from a hotshot family. Not all were so lucky.
He bent over a little to place the dish before her and lifted the plate cover to unveil a perfectly cooked croissant, still steaming. “Un croissant, mademoiselle.” He said, his mother language sputtering out due to his nerves.
[attr="class","paige_lyrics"]all my life is wrapped up in today. No past or future here.[break]BUT THERE'S NO COMING HOME. THERE'S NO COMING HOME WITH A NAME LIKE MINE.
[attr="class","paige_post"]Amelia watched Kasumi with sharp eyes and she listened closely to what she had to say as she began speaking again. It sounded to her like she was trying to repair her image with humility and, personally, she felt she was indeed overselling herself. Halfway through and Amelia lost interest, looking back down towards the people below. Amelia preferred to sell herself with a show of force, but the game of the night was blackjack and not fist fights, unfortunately. Had that been the case, she would've jumped right it. Probably would be more exciting, too, but the high class life didn't appear to include fist fights. Expected, but still a disappointment. The mercenaries of Silvertongue weren't as "barbaric" as the rumours she'd heard on the lips of those rich and from other covens would have people believe.
"Confidence and skill is best shown on the field." She decided to voice her opinion, "Not at a table. In my opinion, at least. You can talk yourself up all you want, and I don't mean you specifically, Miss Kasumi, but at the end of it all, it's just that: Talk. You can be confident when talking, but when you're on your knees and have a knife to your throat, can you knock it aside and get back up?" She shrugged again, a rise and fall of broad, muscled shoulders. "My point is: You can sell yourself, but can you go through with it?" It was a hypothetical question marked with a sharp smile and a wave of her hand. "This isn't productive talk, though." And she turned quickly to Dahlia. "You mentioned a date, Miss Dahlia. Is he maybe the man who just collided with that girl over there?" And she pointed with the bottom rim of her now empty glass, "What's his name? He's familiar, but I can't quite place it." She narrowed her eyes in irritation at the information just outside her reach. Unfortunately, none of the people interacting with Taylan were particularly familiar at all. The girl who'd collided with him was an unknown and while the man she recognized as being with Kasimir earlier, he too was unfamiliar. Two dead ends and no leads unless Dahlia could come up with something.
She looked over again as someone approached, as if on cue, and provided Dahlia with a snack. Did croissants count as pastries? Perhaps technically, but in her own mind pastries were sweet desserts. Was the server wearing a glamour? She looked at him carefully and saw that yes, yes he was. Yellow eyes were certainly an interesting feature, but if he wanted to hide that and his pale skin, perhaps he should've used a better glamour. She didn't bring it up, though, uninterested in embarrassing a server, especially at no gain to herself. Maybe he could use a glamour to hide how nervous he was. Could a glamour do that? Honestly, she wasn't that well educated in them.
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Talks to kasumi akamatsu and sort of criticizes how she sells herself and then asks dahlia joshi about taylan karga. heck i gotta remember to tag people smhhh
Post by kasumi akamatsu on Aug 1, 2017 4:11:37 GMT
❧
Kasumi’s bloodied eyes shifted to regard Amelia once more as the other interjected, though her look was not hard— more curious, intrigued. She did agree, which is why she said what she said— that lack of confidence cost someone their life when operating. Perhaps the woman had tuned her out, though Kasumi couldn’t find it in herself to care. However, she was prepared to call out the save of the small attack before reeling herself back in; thinly-veiled or not, she knew a jab when she heard one, and it was plain and clear to her. [break] Despite her respect for the woman — or potential respect, really — Kasumi harbored no liking, and idly wondered if she’d step in should the case come to Amelia’s own life on the line before remembering that she essentially had to. What a pity. [break] Kasumi hummed at the older woman’s words, taking another sip of her drink though her eyes didn’t waver. “Yes, precisely. Operating without the will of decisiveness and conviction could prove lethal, as I said; the person in question, my cousin, died, I had reacted too late myself. But perhaps we’ll all be able to show our respective skills sometime; that's why we're all here, after all.” [break] Kasumi stopped talking then, she’d said her bit, though her demeanor failed to show ill will— simply that she was speaking, keeping her tone a bit more pleasant though she remained impassive as ever; unreadable, indiscernible as to what she was thinking, before Vasilios’ drawl echoed in her mind again. [break] This is dragging on; when is this function planned to end? [break] I don’t personally know; I also don’t particularly care much for more conversation at this table— but I must stay. [break] Oh? [break] You know I don’t appreciate being told I’m a liar when I say what I can do. [break] Well, did anyone tell you so? [break] An implication is enough for me. [break] Leave it. [break] I know. Do we have any other upcoming… assignments from the clan yet? [break] I don’t believe so; I assume you’re itching for another chase? [break] When am I not?
358 words ● @amelia, dahlia joshi, kasimir burovski ✨ ● why is kasumi so mean tbh & I POSTED THE WRONG VERSION OF THIS POSTED TWICE I'M GHDFJIJNH WHY DO I PLAY MYSELF
"it's a dreadful habit," he says, realising xuan jin has caught up, and with his tone it's difficult to tell whether he's even remotely amused by it. there's a distinct discomfort that rises when he considers the dangers of being once again trapped in a conversation ( away from dahlia ), but for now, it seems the two suffice in entertaining themselves. "apologies." clipped and cold once more, he only offers a nod, the faintest hint of apology in the gesture towards the masked girl, and slips away once more.
if there's one thing he's learned about his work with dahlia, she doesn't like to be kept waiting. he eats one of the pastries on the way, a harmless indulgence on his part.
he makes his way towards the group without much ceremony, a nondescript figure in a monochrome suit that draws to a stop behind dahlia's seat. ( knives among knives; he doesn't stand out. fits right in, really. ) "it's a busy floor down there," by way of a quiet, half-hearted excuse to explain any delay. without further comment, he offers the remaining pastry to her, nevermind the guy with the croissants because there's a plate there for a reason, and withdraws to stand unobtrusively, by the chair.
perhaps, had it been a decade ago, had he decided to stay with his family in mirrorlight, had he been a player in their grand games, perhaps he would have been sitting in one of the chairs here himself.
alas, all he does it survey the group wordlessly; the traditional reticence of an unimportant bodyguard demanding that he not speak unless spoken to. he gives a curt nod in greeting to the rest of the group nonetheless, eyes sharp and searching.
( 'i still don't know who she is.' iris is perplexed as he is about the identity of the red-haired lady. 'perhaps later, we'll find out.' )
she wants to flaunt it, she got that look in her eye
Oh. This was growing very interesting. To her, it seemed like a contest, who could verbally show the most force. She gazed at the two with something akin to fondness in her eyes, in a way this reminded her of how her family tried to talk themselves up to each other. She could feel a slight bit of tension honestly, at least it seemed that way to her, and she smiled before thinking of a topic perhaps she could change the conversation towards.
Then Taylan was mentioned, her beloved sad dad and her smile widened genuinely. She clapped her hands with a degree of pleasure and amusement and a laugh bubbled from her lips.
"That's Tay and - oh how rude he bumped into someone? Tsk tsk Tay-ohhh what's this?"
She glanced at the croissant placed in front of her, then up to the - oh hello.
He was actually pretty cute - or would be if he cleaned up some.
A coy smile slid across her face and she glanced around, humming slightly. She prodded at the croissant and ripped off a bit, placing it in her mouth and offering some to the girls next to her. She winked at him - fished for a name but was shorting out at the moment, and hooked her foot around a chair to pull out.
"Join us my dear, this is delicious. You've certainly catered to my request, I didn't even realize you guys were listening to them!"
Perhaps it was one of her family who was watching closely that sent the pastry. Then Taylan's behind her, and she smiles overly sweet. She accepts the other pastry, nibbles on it and considers offering him a chair. She snaps her fingers idly as the sugar melts on her tongue and motions to a chair at another table, a table occupied by others.
"Tay, grab a chair and sit with me. Whether it's busy or not is no concern. You finally arrived, fashionably late as usual."
There's a small group here now, but if Uncle Dmitri tells her to find a new table sadly she will, but she's having a lot of fun so far.
It's very clear on her face she's enjoying her time.
