Post by Dame Danae Galanos on Feb 8, 2009 11:23:32 GMT -6
AIendral = Nights had grown longer, or at least had seemed to. He'd long since thought it a trick of the winter, but had swiftly realized it a casualty of his current circumstance--he was working later into the night,and thus he saw less of sun, or something of that. A handful of frustrations, of fruitless searches, of an explosive fight with a trusted comrade that left them on shaky ground. Her advice, hidden among them, was apparently lost to it. It was strange for Alen to indulge--usually one who fancied control, but tonight? Tonight he had most definitely decided to do it. The empty glasses set around his table, the noble finery--disheveled and worn poorly, the worn, tired quality to expression. His eyes were currently fixed on a lot of crew, cavorting happily with one another, laughing and slapping each other on the back. A short bit of rest forced on his friend only helped a little--it was fleeting, and disturbed through the night. He was lost. Even he knew it by now. Lost in the woods, with no path before him, and the sensation made him literally sick. He quietly took stock of each of them, trying to guess at their secrets--their crimes. An old exercise, one he'd learned a long time ago...until the very nature of where it came from made him almost physically ill and forced him to drink again, glowering quietly to himself, almost ill.
Danae = Danae came walking in, cloak pulled in tightly, weapons to the teeth as usual and moved to stand by the fire first. She needed to chase the chill from her bones and then rid of it fully with a warm drink of some sort. The snow was now laying claim to these lands instead of the rain. The copper skinned woman had to agree with her brother that this was indeed one land that couldn't make up its mind on what type of weather to stick with. As she stood with her face toward the fire, gloved hands stretched forth seeking the blazing heat that radiated from the flames. Long dark strands were still slightly decorated with spots of white until they melted and disappeared completely into the raven color of hair. Laughter from a group of men caught her attention, having her glance to them over her shoulder before eyes then gave a slow steady sweep of the rest of the room. It was then she spotted a lonesome soul, tucked away in the shadows with empty glass, piles of papers and a long weary face. She sighed as she slowly turned, her back was now the receiver of such warmth from the offered heat. She watched him a long moment before she finally decided to close the distance between them. There was no sarcasm, no smirk, nothing to indicate anything other than what she last told him she was, a concerned friend. "Is there room for another?" She asked softly while icy blue hues gazed down at him. -d-
AIendral = "Not even slightly." he said dryly. Of course, Danae probably didn't quite pick up on the fact Alendral was talking about the space in his head, but he kicked out a chair to make the point clear that he wasn't being entirely standoffish for the sake of it. "Take a seat. Brandy?" he waved a near empty bottle speculatively setting it in front of her whilst he struggled to regain a little ground--and balance. It was funny to see Alen off balance, not a common thing at all. "Cheerful reunion, I take it?" referring to her brother, apparently nothing got past Alen. it was also a tatic to keep the conversation away from him as long as humanly possible, which knowing her, was about a few minutes. He indicated with a glass, quietly. "That man over there is cheating on his wife, and that one... there, is stealing from his employer. Those are my guesses, anyway, based on bits of conversation and... basic observation. I'm told I'm pretty good at that. " He snorted and leaned back against his chair again, closing his eyes and taking a draught of the last.
Danae = Slowly, one of those thin dark brows arched with his reply. She should have known she thought to herself, and just when she was about to turn and leave him to his sour mood, he kicked out a chair for her? Slowly she slipped down into it. Her head slightly cokeed and tilted to one side as narrow eyes studied him. He was drunk... or well on his way to getting there. When he spoke, she shrugged and nodded. "About as cheerful as it should be when you think some one's been dead for the last couple years." It had been more shocking than anything to her, but in the end, glad she had her brother back. She needed some sense of a stable relationship and now she could have one...even if it was with her brother. Sure, she had friends, but well... there were things that sometimes stood in the way for her to be herself with them. With Ren, he already knew her so there was no need to pretend or hide. She looked to the men as Alen told her his assumptions of each before looking back to him. Her eyes fell to the bottle of brandy and then to Alen. "I'll hold off for now, but thank you. And... well.. that is part of your duty...is it not?" She said then asked when it came to his talented skill. -d-
AIendral = He chuckled darkly. "One of them, yes. My master once boasted after bringing me to a place like this, that given an hour in the local tavern of a Kingdom, he could imagine as many ways to bring the Kingdom to its knees... as patrons in the establishment. He'd spend hours, listening to me cocotte the stories, correcting what he thought was wrong... and on a few occasions..well, on a few occasions, we got to test if my theories were correct. It's an old game. Can you believe that? I find comfort in a game like that, at my darkest?" he shook his head and leaned forward again, shutting his eyes against it grimly as he leaned forward again. "Remember when I caught that arrow at the show? When we first met? You want to know how I did it?" he smiled thinly at her. it was a wonder he was hiding his condition as well as he did. His eyes were glassy, slightly unfocused, but it was hard to spot even then.
Danae = She leaned back in her own chair, arms coming to cross over her chest as she listened to him and watched him. Her eyes never leaving him and the more he spoke, the more she felt bad for him. At his question, she nodded. "Of course..though, I thought it was forbidden to share the truths behind your tricks as a magician." She said as a woman came to take her order. "Coffee.. please." She said before the woman was off seeing to the order. He might have been hiding it well but those with keen senses such as the two of them, these things could be spotted a mile away. She had tried not to say anything when he had spoken about the game and enjoying it even at his darkest. Right now, she didn't think he needed a lecture, so spared him for now. Besides, she already knew it would have done little good.... now or not. -d-
AIendral = "I'd have to be a magician to make it forbidden. " he replied plainly, shrugging as he leaned a hand feebly on the table, leaning forward and grinning lazily at her for a moment, abruptly changing topics for a while. "You know Danae, you are a singularly gorgeous woman. I don't say that lightly, and clearly I'm not in the duplicitous mood, but it's true. Even all--bedecked as noble warrior, you are absurd in your beauty. Mind you, a bit different from say, a Courtesan--who are very lovely, but that's partially out of intent, out of the way they carry it. But you...? Bloody hell, you put your mind to it and you'd be a frightening sort. Lord almighty, it was all I could do to bloody control myself...! " and with that said, he changed topics again, smirking. "It's in the fletching. not the weight of it, not the composition. The difference between a fatal arrow and a trick arrow is just a few cuts to the fletch. Just to slow it down enough to be caught. I actually, was terrified when I called you up, that you'd notice. The only reason I didn't was because I made such a show out of showing you the bow, and kept your eye on me. But then again, I'm going to go ahead and guess that you knew the trick anyway, and were just indulging me, hmm?"
Danae = At the start of his reply, she shook her head with a slight smile. And then, it began... the drunken talk of how pretty she was aside from this or that and due to that or this. "Alendral.. I'm sure if I had as many drinks as you have had, I would think me pretty too." She said with a hint of a smile as it tugged on one corner of her full lips. He would again suddenly change subjects, returning back to the trick. When he began to elaborate on the arrow and its fletching, she chuckled and gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Maybe I did, maybe I did not..." She would leave it at that for now. The woman came back with Danae's coffee and she sat up a little straighter before taking it up and sipping it. Testing its warmth before setting it down to let it cool a little more. She gave the woman her coin and thanked her before she moved off. Soft blue hues turned back to Alen now, and she stared at him from across the table. She wanted to laugh. This was her payback she suppose for the night he had dealt with her in a somewhat similar state. -d-
AIendral = "What's this? This false modesty? You move with the confidence and certainty of a woman comfortable in her own skin, so playing at anything else doesn't suit you. " he laughed slightly again. "But it keeps you safe from me. I suppose that's important too. Don't blame you for it either, you should know. I'd be cautious around me too. Really, it's the safest course of action., given the circumstance. You know, I can't help but reflect on how we met and realize I've been utterly selfish till this moment. You had no idea what you were getting into when you let me worm my way into that little place of your heart. I saw... a gorgeous woman, sad and alone, in the middle of a party, and I thought 'well maybe I can go cheer her up, the night is young and ripe with possibility', without any idea that I'd end up befriending a woman who wouldn't rest until she's dug out every little piece of me and held it to light. Hmph..!"
Danae = "Alen... I'm no gorgeous woman...I'm simple...well, in most cases. I consider myself what I guess people call a plain jane. And what you saw that night was a lonely woman who had failed at two relationships and working on a third. So if anyone needs to be warned of someone, its you and the rest of mankind that should stay away from me.. my track record should be proof enough." She said with a light chuckle as she lifted the coffee cup to her lips again. It was cool now, and so a few sips were taken. "And no, I didn't know what I was getting myself into -- not at the time, but now... now I know ... into the life of a man that was perhaps just as lonely as I if not more... " She smiled to him, genuinely. "And I wouldn't change it for anything in the world... because not only did you cheer me up that night, but I've gained a friend there after. Whether I'm a bad person or not for making you see things you have lost sight of for a long while." -d-
AIendral = "Alright, alright. fine. if that's how you wish to continue playing, I'll not play the game of chipping away at it any longer. If that's how you wish it!' he laughed again and lowered his eyes to the table, taking another drink and smiling grimly as he thought of it. "...So let me ask you something, then, Danae. While I'm feeling honest and perhaps.. a little tired. Why is it not enough that you're merely a friend, hmm? That we find solace in another's company, fleeting moments that allow us to be the part of our selves we enjoy being? Why is it... whenever you meet you just... have to know. What drives me, what has shaped me? Hmm? You tell me, again and again, that you'll not think less of me for it. Fine... fine. and you say it's because you care about me. Also fine... but you're a woman, as we've established, with enough of her own burdens to carry plenty on her own. One that has given out her heart three times and saw it dismembered. Who trusted and had it violated. And you want to know.. you want to know the heart of a liar."
Danae = She just shook her head and smiled more as another sip of coffee was taken before she sat the cup down and let her hands come to rest within her lap. As he began to speak and then ask her a question... or well... a few, she sat quietly until he was done. "Because friends are there for one another... unconditionally. And for you to see that first hand... by your telling me these things you hide. Because its human nature to be curious about those you care for, no matter how much or how little. And maybe because if I can't see to my own peace... I might can aid another with theirs." He wanted honest, and so now he had it. He would probably think her foolish, that these were all things only a woman would say, or at least that's what she thought. Most men would anyway, then again... Alendral wasn't exactly like most men was he? Maybe he'd prove her wrong here, maybe not... in any case he got what he asked for. "Because underneath this facade of yours... I know its not you." She added a moment later. -d-
AIendral = "A few lies, and an honest answer buried beneath them. Now I get it. Well, let me make one thing clear." now his face darkened visibly, he lowered the glass down and fixed her with an expression almost pure in its anger. In its fury. It wasn't quite the same expression when she nearly laid him out, but it was from the same root cause. He glowered and leaned in to her. "You can't right me. You can't just.. provide a shoulder to lean on, a good place to cry and magically put me at peace with my past. You can't... undo everything I've endured, and went through, as some sort of perceived failure to the other men in your life, because you're too stubborn to realize that sometimes, Danae, people are just selfish. They do so for reasons entirely their own, and they care not for the plight of the people they hurt. People get bored, people get weak, and people betray the people they love for perceived personal gain. And every time, I tell you, the reason I don't tell you is because I want for nothing more than to have you see me as the smooth-tongued magician plying his charms. But you know what? it's a special kind of night, and I'm feeling in a subtle mood, so come on, get up, you want to see the real man behind the games? Let's go take a look. " and at that he was out of his chair and stumbling towards the doorway, unsteady in his gait despite himself, sweeping the coat from the back of his chair in a strangely smooth gesture, completely at odds with the stumbling steps he took.
Danae = Her eyes found his, she saw the slow creeping anger grow within them and the tone he took with her proved just that. She leaned in, her eyes never leaving his. "No... No I can't... but I can help you do it yourself. I can be the one there to push you when you need it. I know you want it Alen... people have to want it... I see that ...I see that you want that." She thought a moment and then continued. "So... you are telling me that the night we met.. you were bored, that you saw me weak, that you saw a personal gain in approaching me? Is that it? Is that the real you?" She asked in a slightly raised tone. "Fine... lets go see the real Alendral Sorschel. Lets see what's there after everything of the charming magician has been stripped away." She jumped to her feet, her cloak was still about her and so all she had to do was follow him out, watching as he stumbled and for a moment wishing he had fell flat on his face. -d-
AIendral = He didn't bother to reply. He knew the silence would sting harder than any attempt to clarify. He took her outside, swiftly turning down an alley, half-walking, half-stumbling down an alleyway. It didn't take to long a time to find what he was looking for--a bit of his sneaking gear, a hidden weapon--apparently he had planned to do some work, somewhere secluded. What he was really looking for though was a weapon--his sabre, which he took out, coldly, giving he her just a moment to contemplate his motives, and wonder if perhaps her dear 'friend' had lost his mind. "... One of my first. It was a gift, when he decided I graduated. An old lord. Good man, wife, kids, pleasant life. But let's just say... he had some unfortunate ideas about the limits of power, and some unkind opinions." He flipped the blade, handle first to her, for her to inspect. it was both singularly worn and yet meticulously cared for, sharp as razor. "The last thing the man wanted that his children would grow to care for its people as much as he did, and that they could live a life without the trials he faced. " He paused, then, and turned away, rummaging through again. "He trusted me because I spent months at his side, because I demonstrated my loyalty to him as a standout mind, and helped soothe a rivalry between families that threatened to tear the land apart. I poisoned his tea one night, and I thought I was doing him a favor, because I would spare his family. He shared a cup with his wife that night. I created two orphans and I secured a place for a man that he would have hated.."
Danae = She marched right in behind him, her strides just as determined as his if not more so. Once they reached the place he came to stop at, he began to rummage through things and drew out his first weapon. Handing it to her as he began to tell her a tale. She took the sabre and began to look it over, inspecting it carefully and taking notice of its worn yet well kept state. He then turned and began to rummage about again as he went on with more details. When he was done, she handed him back his weapon. She knew what he was trying to do... even by telling her of who he was, he was secretly hoping this would have her hating him. Little did he know, Danae was not going to fall for that. The look on her face, blank, void of any and all emotion. Almost as if to say so what. Knowing that no reaction or reply was better than anything else. -d-
AIendral = "You want to know these things. The acts I've committed, why I don't want to face these things. You keep picking at me, and picking at me, and picking at me. What are you hoping to find!? Huh?" he scowled 'till he found what he was looking for, with drawing the slender stiletto, unsheathing it, stamping up to her, letting her inspect that. "What will it take to satisfy you, Hmm? Till I've relived every moment of it? Til I've told you every detail, again, Why don't you tell me, what will it take to stop you from asking, again and again and again!? Do you wish to know what I've done with this? The people that smiled at me, trusted me, perhaps even loved me in their own right that ended up with this in their heart? Poisoned, strangled, stabbed, cut, killed, again, and again, in the name of loyalties, and righteousness, and what. WHAT will it take Danae, WHAT do you want from me!?" he stepped till he was mere inches from her, hands on her arms, his eyes wide, almost animal like.
Danae = Danae took the stiletto from him, inspecting it just as carefully as she had the first weapon and then looked to him when he began to ask repeatedly question after question. Listening to him as he told her that he had killed those that smiled at him, trusted him, maybe even loved him in some form or another. All who had felt either this weapon or the other used against them. Then he closed the distance between them, his hands on her arms, his eyes wide and his face inches from her own. She didn't flinch one bit...only let her blue hues look from each of his eyes. Her lips remained full, unchanged. Her body not tensed at all, her breathing was just as controlled now as it had been when they were inside. She said nothing still... if he was looking for a reason to have her lash out at him, he wasn't going to get it, at least not at this moment. Silence was their language. -d-
AIendral = "Tell me, damn you. What will it take from you!? Do I show you the kind of man I was years ago!? Do I hold this knife, to your neck, and show you what I showed all those people back then, will that satisfy you? Or is this why you're prying so much in the first place!? " he laughed deliriously a moment and met his gaze with her, practically shaking, wrought with tension. as he spoke. "Maybe that's not it at all. No, maybe you just see the damned bastard betrayed all those times before, a little of the liar in me. Maybe I'm going about this wrong. Is that what this is, Danae?" He chuckled... it was a lie. a crafted one, but a good one. Now he was trying for just that. "because that's the only reason I can imagine that you'd allow me so close, knowing full well how this might end. so Danae, what is it...?"
Danae = With his angry words and questions, she wiggled her arms free, the weapon in her gloved hand was forced into his as both her hands gripped around his wrist. Then making the hand with the stiletto in it be placed at her neck, letting the blade graze the skin there "You want to cut me Alen?! Then do it! f**king slice me open... show me the heartless bastard you are! Slit me from ear to ear! Bleed me dry!!!" She said yelling as she stared at him. Her hands holding his in place still and then slowly lowering while his remained. She even pushed his chest a couple times, her way pf provoking him. "Come on damn it! Let me see the REAL you!!!" She yelled, leaning up so the blade pressed firmer into her copper skin. "What is it Alen? Can't do it? Can't prove me wrong?!?! What the f**k are you waiting for?!?!?!" -d-
AIendral = He didn't quite expect that. To his credit, he didn't betray his shock, just stood, poised, unmoving as she shoved into his chest, staring at her, his eyes growing suddenly cold, distant. To the right person, it would have been terrifying. Likely Danae knew the reason why. "Is that what you want from me...? Is it...!?" his breathing grew erratic, trying to make her believe, trying to make her think that he would carry it out. But he didn't and in an instant he had wrenched away, so violently, so uncontrolled that he slipped in the snow and toppled over completely, falling sidelong. Dramatic, perhaps, but it was as much a result of bad balance as it was genuine trauma. He made no motion to get up, just tried to get his breathing under control. "You.. you son of a bytch..."
Danae = Danae stood her ground, waiting, pushing, pleading for him to show her this ruthless killer he claimed he was. Her eyes stayed fixed on his, not even searching from one to the other this time. Just a cold, dead stare. She saw his own eyes grow cold and waited. A hand lifted, grabbing his wrist again with such a grip and pushing the blade more. "YES... That's exactly what I want! So give it to me damn it!" She yelled back in reply. His breathing had changed and though hers had not changed so much it was visible, it had increased due to the adrenaline rush. Where he was doing what he could to make her think he would carry it out, Danae knew better. He turned from her so quickly he slipped and fell. It was no wonder do to his drinking. He laid there as she moved to stare down at him, blood trickled down her neck from the grazing and at his words, whether he was insulting himself or her, she would reply. "No Alen... I am the bytch. Now get up..." She said with a strong demanding tone. -d-
AIendral = "... That isn't my real name." he said, this voice heavy, almost leaden. he turned his face into the snow, finding comfort in the numbing effect it had on him. "It's a Stage name. I built it some time ago. When Maubery finally betrayed me... I saw a chance to rid myself of it. It's Alexander. Same name as my master. I never wanted to hear it again. " He refused for now, reaching his hand up to make its imprint in the snow, finding himself beyond tired. She wanted the truth, so he'd give it. "I hate my name... and everything the man who carried it has done. I wanted to leave it behind. I thought I could leave it behind. But I didn't. She didn't make me do this. She didn't make me take this up again. Why did I do it...? "
Danae = Danae continued to stand over him, her eyes watching him as he continued to wallow in the snow. It looked as if he was enjoying it, so she let him for now. When he spoke and told her that Alendral wasn' t his real name and everything that followed, her eyes seem to soften. The Greek warrior stood and stared.... listening as he went on and told her everything she wanted to know. With the last bit of it, her head tilted. "Who is she?" Danae asked. Then the copper skinned woman answered his question he seem to ask himself more than her. "Alexander... you did because I'm guessing you wish to right all those wrongs. It's a chance at redemption and perhaps the sweetest of revenge against Maubrey " -d-
AIendral = He sighed. "Claramae. She became my master. It was part of Gottschalk's plot. To ensnare her. I never knew. I would have become like him if she didn't... and when the moment came...I failed her. I failed her Danae. God help me... I failed her utterly. God... when I saw her again..." he shook his head again and buried his face completely in the snow for a little, shifting slowly before, rather haphazardly, he tried to pull himself back to his feet, red-rimmed in his eyes. He shook his head than and shut his eyes, struggling to his feet and nearly falling again, so inebriated he could scarcely stand. "Please don't call me that. Please don't call me Alexander. Alendral is the name I want to hear. Not him. Please, anyone but him..."
Danae = Danae nodded slowly and then took a couple steps to offer him her hand as he tried to move to his feet. Once he was standing, she moved to put herself under one of his arms. Draping it over her shoulders. "You have a second chance..you've been given something that not many are able to say they have received. Do right by it... do right by her.. by your self." She said as she began to help him take steady steps. "Come, lets get your things put away and get you back inside. Get you dry and cleaned up." She added as she moved them both to clear away his things as he had them before, then lead him back inside. "I'll get you something warm to drink... what would you like? Tea or coffee?" She asked in a much more calmer and sweeter tone than before as they made their way back inside. "You need your rest too..." She got the distinctive feeling tonight was going to be a long night. -d-
Danae = Danae came walking in, cloak pulled in tightly, weapons to the teeth as usual and moved to stand by the fire first. She needed to chase the chill from her bones and then rid of it fully with a warm drink of some sort. The snow was now laying claim to these lands instead of the rain. The copper skinned woman had to agree with her brother that this was indeed one land that couldn't make up its mind on what type of weather to stick with. As she stood with her face toward the fire, gloved hands stretched forth seeking the blazing heat that radiated from the flames. Long dark strands were still slightly decorated with spots of white until they melted and disappeared completely into the raven color of hair. Laughter from a group of men caught her attention, having her glance to them over her shoulder before eyes then gave a slow steady sweep of the rest of the room. It was then she spotted a lonesome soul, tucked away in the shadows with empty glass, piles of papers and a long weary face. She sighed as she slowly turned, her back was now the receiver of such warmth from the offered heat. She watched him a long moment before she finally decided to close the distance between them. There was no sarcasm, no smirk, nothing to indicate anything other than what she last told him she was, a concerned friend. "Is there room for another?" She asked softly while icy blue hues gazed down at him. -d-
AIendral = "Not even slightly." he said dryly. Of course, Danae probably didn't quite pick up on the fact Alendral was talking about the space in his head, but he kicked out a chair to make the point clear that he wasn't being entirely standoffish for the sake of it. "Take a seat. Brandy?" he waved a near empty bottle speculatively setting it in front of her whilst he struggled to regain a little ground--and balance. It was funny to see Alen off balance, not a common thing at all. "Cheerful reunion, I take it?" referring to her brother, apparently nothing got past Alen. it was also a tatic to keep the conversation away from him as long as humanly possible, which knowing her, was about a few minutes. He indicated with a glass, quietly. "That man over there is cheating on his wife, and that one... there, is stealing from his employer. Those are my guesses, anyway, based on bits of conversation and... basic observation. I'm told I'm pretty good at that. " He snorted and leaned back against his chair again, closing his eyes and taking a draught of the last.
Danae = Slowly, one of those thin dark brows arched with his reply. She should have known she thought to herself, and just when she was about to turn and leave him to his sour mood, he kicked out a chair for her? Slowly she slipped down into it. Her head slightly cokeed and tilted to one side as narrow eyes studied him. He was drunk... or well on his way to getting there. When he spoke, she shrugged and nodded. "About as cheerful as it should be when you think some one's been dead for the last couple years." It had been more shocking than anything to her, but in the end, glad she had her brother back. She needed some sense of a stable relationship and now she could have one...even if it was with her brother. Sure, she had friends, but well... there were things that sometimes stood in the way for her to be herself with them. With Ren, he already knew her so there was no need to pretend or hide. She looked to the men as Alen told her his assumptions of each before looking back to him. Her eyes fell to the bottle of brandy and then to Alen. "I'll hold off for now, but thank you. And... well.. that is part of your duty...is it not?" She said then asked when it came to his talented skill. -d-
AIendral = He chuckled darkly. "One of them, yes. My master once boasted after bringing me to a place like this, that given an hour in the local tavern of a Kingdom, he could imagine as many ways to bring the Kingdom to its knees... as patrons in the establishment. He'd spend hours, listening to me cocotte the stories, correcting what he thought was wrong... and on a few occasions..well, on a few occasions, we got to test if my theories were correct. It's an old game. Can you believe that? I find comfort in a game like that, at my darkest?" he shook his head and leaned forward again, shutting his eyes against it grimly as he leaned forward again. "Remember when I caught that arrow at the show? When we first met? You want to know how I did it?" he smiled thinly at her. it was a wonder he was hiding his condition as well as he did. His eyes were glassy, slightly unfocused, but it was hard to spot even then.
Danae = She leaned back in her own chair, arms coming to cross over her chest as she listened to him and watched him. Her eyes never leaving him and the more he spoke, the more she felt bad for him. At his question, she nodded. "Of course..though, I thought it was forbidden to share the truths behind your tricks as a magician." She said as a woman came to take her order. "Coffee.. please." She said before the woman was off seeing to the order. He might have been hiding it well but those with keen senses such as the two of them, these things could be spotted a mile away. She had tried not to say anything when he had spoken about the game and enjoying it even at his darkest. Right now, she didn't think he needed a lecture, so spared him for now. Besides, she already knew it would have done little good.... now or not. -d-
AIendral = "I'd have to be a magician to make it forbidden. " he replied plainly, shrugging as he leaned a hand feebly on the table, leaning forward and grinning lazily at her for a moment, abruptly changing topics for a while. "You know Danae, you are a singularly gorgeous woman. I don't say that lightly, and clearly I'm not in the duplicitous mood, but it's true. Even all--bedecked as noble warrior, you are absurd in your beauty. Mind you, a bit different from say, a Courtesan--who are very lovely, but that's partially out of intent, out of the way they carry it. But you...? Bloody hell, you put your mind to it and you'd be a frightening sort. Lord almighty, it was all I could do to bloody control myself...! " and with that said, he changed topics again, smirking. "It's in the fletching. not the weight of it, not the composition. The difference between a fatal arrow and a trick arrow is just a few cuts to the fletch. Just to slow it down enough to be caught. I actually, was terrified when I called you up, that you'd notice. The only reason I didn't was because I made such a show out of showing you the bow, and kept your eye on me. But then again, I'm going to go ahead and guess that you knew the trick anyway, and were just indulging me, hmm?"
Danae = At the start of his reply, she shook her head with a slight smile. And then, it began... the drunken talk of how pretty she was aside from this or that and due to that or this. "Alendral.. I'm sure if I had as many drinks as you have had, I would think me pretty too." She said with a hint of a smile as it tugged on one corner of her full lips. He would again suddenly change subjects, returning back to the trick. When he began to elaborate on the arrow and its fletching, she chuckled and gave a shrug of her shoulders. "Maybe I did, maybe I did not..." She would leave it at that for now. The woman came back with Danae's coffee and she sat up a little straighter before taking it up and sipping it. Testing its warmth before setting it down to let it cool a little more. She gave the woman her coin and thanked her before she moved off. Soft blue hues turned back to Alen now, and she stared at him from across the table. She wanted to laugh. This was her payback she suppose for the night he had dealt with her in a somewhat similar state. -d-
AIendral = "What's this? This false modesty? You move with the confidence and certainty of a woman comfortable in her own skin, so playing at anything else doesn't suit you. " he laughed slightly again. "But it keeps you safe from me. I suppose that's important too. Don't blame you for it either, you should know. I'd be cautious around me too. Really, it's the safest course of action., given the circumstance. You know, I can't help but reflect on how we met and realize I've been utterly selfish till this moment. You had no idea what you were getting into when you let me worm my way into that little place of your heart. I saw... a gorgeous woman, sad and alone, in the middle of a party, and I thought 'well maybe I can go cheer her up, the night is young and ripe with possibility', without any idea that I'd end up befriending a woman who wouldn't rest until she's dug out every little piece of me and held it to light. Hmph..!"
Danae = "Alen... I'm no gorgeous woman...I'm simple...well, in most cases. I consider myself what I guess people call a plain jane. And what you saw that night was a lonely woman who had failed at two relationships and working on a third. So if anyone needs to be warned of someone, its you and the rest of mankind that should stay away from me.. my track record should be proof enough." She said with a light chuckle as she lifted the coffee cup to her lips again. It was cool now, and so a few sips were taken. "And no, I didn't know what I was getting myself into -- not at the time, but now... now I know ... into the life of a man that was perhaps just as lonely as I if not more... " She smiled to him, genuinely. "And I wouldn't change it for anything in the world... because not only did you cheer me up that night, but I've gained a friend there after. Whether I'm a bad person or not for making you see things you have lost sight of for a long while." -d-
AIendral = "Alright, alright. fine. if that's how you wish to continue playing, I'll not play the game of chipping away at it any longer. If that's how you wish it!' he laughed again and lowered his eyes to the table, taking another drink and smiling grimly as he thought of it. "...So let me ask you something, then, Danae. While I'm feeling honest and perhaps.. a little tired. Why is it not enough that you're merely a friend, hmm? That we find solace in another's company, fleeting moments that allow us to be the part of our selves we enjoy being? Why is it... whenever you meet you just... have to know. What drives me, what has shaped me? Hmm? You tell me, again and again, that you'll not think less of me for it. Fine... fine. and you say it's because you care about me. Also fine... but you're a woman, as we've established, with enough of her own burdens to carry plenty on her own. One that has given out her heart three times and saw it dismembered. Who trusted and had it violated. And you want to know.. you want to know the heart of a liar."
Danae = She just shook her head and smiled more as another sip of coffee was taken before she sat the cup down and let her hands come to rest within her lap. As he began to speak and then ask her a question... or well... a few, she sat quietly until he was done. "Because friends are there for one another... unconditionally. And for you to see that first hand... by your telling me these things you hide. Because its human nature to be curious about those you care for, no matter how much or how little. And maybe because if I can't see to my own peace... I might can aid another with theirs." He wanted honest, and so now he had it. He would probably think her foolish, that these were all things only a woman would say, or at least that's what she thought. Most men would anyway, then again... Alendral wasn't exactly like most men was he? Maybe he'd prove her wrong here, maybe not... in any case he got what he asked for. "Because underneath this facade of yours... I know its not you." She added a moment later. -d-
AIendral = "A few lies, and an honest answer buried beneath them. Now I get it. Well, let me make one thing clear." now his face darkened visibly, he lowered the glass down and fixed her with an expression almost pure in its anger. In its fury. It wasn't quite the same expression when she nearly laid him out, but it was from the same root cause. He glowered and leaned in to her. "You can't right me. You can't just.. provide a shoulder to lean on, a good place to cry and magically put me at peace with my past. You can't... undo everything I've endured, and went through, as some sort of perceived failure to the other men in your life, because you're too stubborn to realize that sometimes, Danae, people are just selfish. They do so for reasons entirely their own, and they care not for the plight of the people they hurt. People get bored, people get weak, and people betray the people they love for perceived personal gain. And every time, I tell you, the reason I don't tell you is because I want for nothing more than to have you see me as the smooth-tongued magician plying his charms. But you know what? it's a special kind of night, and I'm feeling in a subtle mood, so come on, get up, you want to see the real man behind the games? Let's go take a look. " and at that he was out of his chair and stumbling towards the doorway, unsteady in his gait despite himself, sweeping the coat from the back of his chair in a strangely smooth gesture, completely at odds with the stumbling steps he took.
Danae = Her eyes found his, she saw the slow creeping anger grow within them and the tone he took with her proved just that. She leaned in, her eyes never leaving his. "No... No I can't... but I can help you do it yourself. I can be the one there to push you when you need it. I know you want it Alen... people have to want it... I see that ...I see that you want that." She thought a moment and then continued. "So... you are telling me that the night we met.. you were bored, that you saw me weak, that you saw a personal gain in approaching me? Is that it? Is that the real you?" She asked in a slightly raised tone. "Fine... lets go see the real Alendral Sorschel. Lets see what's there after everything of the charming magician has been stripped away." She jumped to her feet, her cloak was still about her and so all she had to do was follow him out, watching as he stumbled and for a moment wishing he had fell flat on his face. -d-
AIendral = He didn't bother to reply. He knew the silence would sting harder than any attempt to clarify. He took her outside, swiftly turning down an alley, half-walking, half-stumbling down an alleyway. It didn't take to long a time to find what he was looking for--a bit of his sneaking gear, a hidden weapon--apparently he had planned to do some work, somewhere secluded. What he was really looking for though was a weapon--his sabre, which he took out, coldly, giving he her just a moment to contemplate his motives, and wonder if perhaps her dear 'friend' had lost his mind. "... One of my first. It was a gift, when he decided I graduated. An old lord. Good man, wife, kids, pleasant life. But let's just say... he had some unfortunate ideas about the limits of power, and some unkind opinions." He flipped the blade, handle first to her, for her to inspect. it was both singularly worn and yet meticulously cared for, sharp as razor. "The last thing the man wanted that his children would grow to care for its people as much as he did, and that they could live a life without the trials he faced. " He paused, then, and turned away, rummaging through again. "He trusted me because I spent months at his side, because I demonstrated my loyalty to him as a standout mind, and helped soothe a rivalry between families that threatened to tear the land apart. I poisoned his tea one night, and I thought I was doing him a favor, because I would spare his family. He shared a cup with his wife that night. I created two orphans and I secured a place for a man that he would have hated.."
Danae = She marched right in behind him, her strides just as determined as his if not more so. Once they reached the place he came to stop at, he began to rummage through things and drew out his first weapon. Handing it to her as he began to tell her a tale. She took the sabre and began to look it over, inspecting it carefully and taking notice of its worn yet well kept state. He then turned and began to rummage about again as he went on with more details. When he was done, she handed him back his weapon. She knew what he was trying to do... even by telling her of who he was, he was secretly hoping this would have her hating him. Little did he know, Danae was not going to fall for that. The look on her face, blank, void of any and all emotion. Almost as if to say so what. Knowing that no reaction or reply was better than anything else. -d-
AIendral = "You want to know these things. The acts I've committed, why I don't want to face these things. You keep picking at me, and picking at me, and picking at me. What are you hoping to find!? Huh?" he scowled 'till he found what he was looking for, with drawing the slender stiletto, unsheathing it, stamping up to her, letting her inspect that. "What will it take to satisfy you, Hmm? Till I've relived every moment of it? Til I've told you every detail, again, Why don't you tell me, what will it take to stop you from asking, again and again and again!? Do you wish to know what I've done with this? The people that smiled at me, trusted me, perhaps even loved me in their own right that ended up with this in their heart? Poisoned, strangled, stabbed, cut, killed, again, and again, in the name of loyalties, and righteousness, and what. WHAT will it take Danae, WHAT do you want from me!?" he stepped till he was mere inches from her, hands on her arms, his eyes wide, almost animal like.
Danae = Danae took the stiletto from him, inspecting it just as carefully as she had the first weapon and then looked to him when he began to ask repeatedly question after question. Listening to him as he told her that he had killed those that smiled at him, trusted him, maybe even loved him in some form or another. All who had felt either this weapon or the other used against them. Then he closed the distance between them, his hands on her arms, his eyes wide and his face inches from her own. She didn't flinch one bit...only let her blue hues look from each of his eyes. Her lips remained full, unchanged. Her body not tensed at all, her breathing was just as controlled now as it had been when they were inside. She said nothing still... if he was looking for a reason to have her lash out at him, he wasn't going to get it, at least not at this moment. Silence was their language. -d-
AIendral = "Tell me, damn you. What will it take from you!? Do I show you the kind of man I was years ago!? Do I hold this knife, to your neck, and show you what I showed all those people back then, will that satisfy you? Or is this why you're prying so much in the first place!? " he laughed deliriously a moment and met his gaze with her, practically shaking, wrought with tension. as he spoke. "Maybe that's not it at all. No, maybe you just see the damned bastard betrayed all those times before, a little of the liar in me. Maybe I'm going about this wrong. Is that what this is, Danae?" He chuckled... it was a lie. a crafted one, but a good one. Now he was trying for just that. "because that's the only reason I can imagine that you'd allow me so close, knowing full well how this might end. so Danae, what is it...?"
Danae = With his angry words and questions, she wiggled her arms free, the weapon in her gloved hand was forced into his as both her hands gripped around his wrist. Then making the hand with the stiletto in it be placed at her neck, letting the blade graze the skin there "You want to cut me Alen?! Then do it! f**king slice me open... show me the heartless bastard you are! Slit me from ear to ear! Bleed me dry!!!" She said yelling as she stared at him. Her hands holding his in place still and then slowly lowering while his remained. She even pushed his chest a couple times, her way pf provoking him. "Come on damn it! Let me see the REAL you!!!" She yelled, leaning up so the blade pressed firmer into her copper skin. "What is it Alen? Can't do it? Can't prove me wrong?!?! What the f**k are you waiting for?!?!?!" -d-
AIendral = He didn't quite expect that. To his credit, he didn't betray his shock, just stood, poised, unmoving as she shoved into his chest, staring at her, his eyes growing suddenly cold, distant. To the right person, it would have been terrifying. Likely Danae knew the reason why. "Is that what you want from me...? Is it...!?" his breathing grew erratic, trying to make her believe, trying to make her think that he would carry it out. But he didn't and in an instant he had wrenched away, so violently, so uncontrolled that he slipped in the snow and toppled over completely, falling sidelong. Dramatic, perhaps, but it was as much a result of bad balance as it was genuine trauma. He made no motion to get up, just tried to get his breathing under control. "You.. you son of a bytch..."
Danae = Danae stood her ground, waiting, pushing, pleading for him to show her this ruthless killer he claimed he was. Her eyes stayed fixed on his, not even searching from one to the other this time. Just a cold, dead stare. She saw his own eyes grow cold and waited. A hand lifted, grabbing his wrist again with such a grip and pushing the blade more. "YES... That's exactly what I want! So give it to me damn it!" She yelled back in reply. His breathing had changed and though hers had not changed so much it was visible, it had increased due to the adrenaline rush. Where he was doing what he could to make her think he would carry it out, Danae knew better. He turned from her so quickly he slipped and fell. It was no wonder do to his drinking. He laid there as she moved to stare down at him, blood trickled down her neck from the grazing and at his words, whether he was insulting himself or her, she would reply. "No Alen... I am the bytch. Now get up..." She said with a strong demanding tone. -d-
AIendral = "... That isn't my real name." he said, this voice heavy, almost leaden. he turned his face into the snow, finding comfort in the numbing effect it had on him. "It's a Stage name. I built it some time ago. When Maubery finally betrayed me... I saw a chance to rid myself of it. It's Alexander. Same name as my master. I never wanted to hear it again. " He refused for now, reaching his hand up to make its imprint in the snow, finding himself beyond tired. She wanted the truth, so he'd give it. "I hate my name... and everything the man who carried it has done. I wanted to leave it behind. I thought I could leave it behind. But I didn't. She didn't make me do this. She didn't make me take this up again. Why did I do it...? "
Danae = Danae continued to stand over him, her eyes watching him as he continued to wallow in the snow. It looked as if he was enjoying it, so she let him for now. When he spoke and told her that Alendral wasn' t his real name and everything that followed, her eyes seem to soften. The Greek warrior stood and stared.... listening as he went on and told her everything she wanted to know. With the last bit of it, her head tilted. "Who is she?" Danae asked. Then the copper skinned woman answered his question he seem to ask himself more than her. "Alexander... you did because I'm guessing you wish to right all those wrongs. It's a chance at redemption and perhaps the sweetest of revenge against Maubrey " -d-
AIendral = He sighed. "Claramae. She became my master. It was part of Gottschalk's plot. To ensnare her. I never knew. I would have become like him if she didn't... and when the moment came...I failed her. I failed her Danae. God help me... I failed her utterly. God... when I saw her again..." he shook his head again and buried his face completely in the snow for a little, shifting slowly before, rather haphazardly, he tried to pull himself back to his feet, red-rimmed in his eyes. He shook his head than and shut his eyes, struggling to his feet and nearly falling again, so inebriated he could scarcely stand. "Please don't call me that. Please don't call me Alexander. Alendral is the name I want to hear. Not him. Please, anyone but him..."
Danae = Danae nodded slowly and then took a couple steps to offer him her hand as he tried to move to his feet. Once he was standing, she moved to put herself under one of his arms. Draping it over her shoulders. "You have a second chance..you've been given something that not many are able to say they have received. Do right by it... do right by her.. by your self." She said as she began to help him take steady steps. "Come, lets get your things put away and get you back inside. Get you dry and cleaned up." She added as she moved them both to clear away his things as he had them before, then lead him back inside. "I'll get you something warm to drink... what would you like? Tea or coffee?" She asked in a much more calmer and sweeter tone than before as they made their way back inside. "You need your rest too..." She got the distinctive feeling tonight was going to be a long night. -d-
