NightOnTheTown-CiprianosLytham, with Holly at his side, led them along a street leading away from the Fountain at an acute angle to the one their carriage had come down, leading toward an area on the amorphous border between the upper and lower city. After a couple of blocks he made a left turn, and not long after that he was saying, "Here we are. This is Cipriano's." The front of the restaurant was adorned by a colonnaded porch. The gilding on the tops of the columns was only peeling in a few spots. Tori took the place in with an artistic eye, nodding in response to some silent thought or other. Warden took a deep breath as they approached the diner and tried not to look too eager to go inside. Edgar looked around him before realizing that they had stopped in front of a restaurant. He smiled at Tori and followed her gaze up the columns. It did look interesting. He'd have to remember to describe it in his report to the University on Sedna. Guppy loosely guided Annabelle on their stroll to the restaurant, awkwardly concerned about the boundaries between looking proper and coddling a 'modern lady'. Leaning his head toward her, he remarked, "We're going through the front door tonight." Annabelle chuckled. "Yeah, I have to say I'm more used to going in the stage door at a place like this. Davey too, I'd think, but look at him sashay in as if he owned it." She shook her head in bemused admiration. Meanwhile Lytham, with Holly in his arm, led them through the colonnade and the double doors to the interior of the restaurant. The foyer of Cipriano's was adorned by two towering statues in a rich green veined marble, one on either side between the outer doors and the inner. One was male, one female, and both were gloriously nude. A host, dressed in something vaguely reminiscent of a Roman toga, stepped up to them. "May I help you, ladies and gentlemen?" Lytham waved airily toward Edgar. "Bahlmis, party of..." He ran his eye quickly over the group. "...twelve." "Yes, right." Edgar nodded to Lytham and then stepped forward. “I'm Edgar Bahlmis. I believe you were expecting us?" He glanced around the restaurant, taking in the décor. "Of course, sir," said the man, bowing. "Come this way, please." He turned and opened the inner doors into the restaurant proper, so that the party could enter. Warden was visibly relieved as the group entered the foyer. With a small sigh he composed himself and looked around. Noticing the host's attire and the overall theme, he smiled. "Decorus..." He looked around with a smile. "Perdecorus." Placing a hand over Suzy's he grinned. "Et tu, Suzy. Pervenustas." Looking up, he regarded all of the young ladies in the party. "Et dominae omnis." Miles frowned at the Latin, and elbowed Warden. "Hey, you studying to be a priest?" Then Miles inhaled deeply. "Wow, something smells really good.” Warden smiled and sniffed the air. "No, but one of my father's more frequent customers was a priest. He had a habit of speaking Latin, so I started learning." He gave a small shrug. "You're right though, something does smell pretty good." The fact that the statuary in the foyer was not made of flesh made Tori able to look at it with a discerning, and not a bashful, eye. The human form was indeed beautiful, even when it was larger than life. The toga on the host, which showed a good deal more of the male form than she was used to seeing, gave her a bit of a pause. Trying not to be a stick-in-the-mud, she followed along as they led, listening to the conversations around her and sliding into a silence which was now habitual. She felt a little concerned for the more outgoing girls who did not have gentlemen to escort them, but also felt fortunate that her hand was in Edgar's. There was something about him that kept her relaxed, even comfortable. Holly eyed Edgar speculatively, as her older brother walked arm-in-arm with the striking Windhaven girl ahead of her. "They seem to be getting on well enough," she whispered to Lytham. "Maybe a good dose of pretty girl will make Edgar stop being so uptight and wooden all the time..." "You should have seen him at the Cathedral," said Lytham. Guppy walked casually behind Lytham. Though he continued to escort Annabelle, he seemed distracted. All the actions and reactions of the offworlders were being filed away in his head. The restaurant had not been crowded, but those diners who were there fell silent as the large party entered the main dining room and it became clear to them why so many tables had been pushed together that evening. A pair of dark eyes of a lone diner looked up, almost casually, to scan the incoming horde; catching and holding a pair of brilliant blue eyes for a fraction of a moment too long perhaps, before moving on to the rest. Edgar followed the Maître D' toward the tables and feeling the eyes of everyone upon him, declared that the location was perfect. He held out the chair for Tori Windhaven and then looked to see if any of the other women needed assistance. Seeing Edgar seat Tori, Warden did the same for the young woman on his arm. He was completely out of his depth, but he was going to do his best not to offend or stand out any more than he already did. Standing off to the side, alone for the moment and unescorted, Gabriella looked around the restaurant. She looked twice at the host in the toga before moving to study the statuary. Something in her mind told her this was reminiscent of ancient Greek and Roman style back on Earth. While looking around, she caught sight of the diner who scanned their group, met his eyes and raised an eyebrow in question. She looked away and stood next to her chair when she saw Edgar seat her sister. Lytham smoothly pulled out the chair for Holly, then similarly moved on to the next young lady who didn't have an escort. Holly slipped into the seat that the actor held for her, taking care not to end up with the hem of her skirt underneath the legs of the chair. Relieved that she would have a break from having to maneuver in the bulky garment, she unfolded the napkin from in front of her and placed it in her lap as she thanked Lytham for seating her. Lytham had noted the lone diner at the next table, but for the moment showed no reaction apart from an unobtrusive check of his jacket pocket to make sure the note was still there. However, as he passed Edgar, he caught his eye, tilted his head toward the neighboring table, and whispered with a grin, "Don't say I didn't bring you somewhere where the best people hang out." Edgar's eyes followed Lytham's glance. His eyes widened and then he grinned in a warm welcome. "Lord Decuma!" he called out. "Are you dining alone? Would you like to join us? I'm sure you've met..." He glanced around the table and with a rush named off those accompanying him: "Miss Windhaven, Gabriella, her sisters, Tori and Ashly, Mr. David Lytham, Mr. Guppy, Mr. Warden, Misses Mollie, Suzy and Annabelle ... sorry ladies I don't know your last names..." but that didn't slow him down as he sputtered on, "and of course my sister Holly and brother Miles." As soon as she realized who it was that her brother was calling over, Holly sprang back to her feet as gracefully as she could. With the table between her and the elegant lord, she only nodded her head and smiled at Decuma as her name was pronounced, studying the newcomer's impeccable hair, clothing, and darkly handsome looks. Warden held up a hand as Edgar paused for breath. "Just Warden. I'm neither old enough nor important enough to be a 'mister'." "Anyway, it's Warden Chase," Lytham noted. Decuma raised an eyebrow at the rushed introductions. He of course had stood at once upon being addressed and introduced to the ladies, nodding to each person as he met their eyes in turn and murmured, "A pleasure." He returned Edgar's smile and replied to the invitation, "Yes, I have not yet ordered... I was expecting ... someone... but it appears as if she has been detained." Did his eyes glance toward Lytham for a brief moment before again addressing Edgar? "I would be delighted to join your party, Lord Edgar." "That would be fantastic! It does appear as if we have more women than men..." Edgar glanced again around the table. "We're going dancing after this," Miles stated. "Do you dance?" Decuma blinked and then chuckled, "Why ... yes. I do." Hearing this interchange, the restaurant staff had quickly rearranged the tables yet again, adding in another seat, that just happened to be between Gabriella and Tori. Tori had slipped gracefully into the chair Edgar pulled out, but when Decuma was ushered into their group, she rose again. She managed not to color when introduced to him again, though she did not meet his eyes for more than an instant before lowering her own and focusing her attention on her hands. It was stupid—she knew it was stupid, and if she hadn't before, the subtle emphasis on 'she' would have told her they were interrupting something romantic—but the butterflies would not go away no matter how many times she repeated 'stupid' in her head. To hide her embarrassment she smiled at her plate. "Such a lovely way to fold a napkin," she said quietly. "I wonder if I could duplicate it." Ashly stared at her sister. "Tor, it's a napkin." She rolled her eyes and sat down. "This place is great," she said to the whole table. "I'm surprised I never found it before. Shall we order a bottle of wine or four?" "Wine sounds good," said Lytham. "Waiter, the wine list, please?" He passed behind Decuma, and laid a hand on the back of his chair just briefly while the other was waved ostentatiously to signal the waiter. Decuma felt the crackle of paper slipping under the collar of his jacket. Warden looked around the group as everyone was seated; satisfied that he'd met local protocol as best he could, he seated himself. Removing his gloves, he tucked them away in the utility pocket on his left bicep before folding his arms across his chest. As they waited for the wine list, he sat quietly observing the group he was with and their surroundings. With all he'd seen and done in his life, never had anything or place seemed as alien to Warden as this. Tori unfolded the napkin which had taken most of her attention and set it in her lap, letting her expressive hands fold over the top of it. She risked a look across Decuma at Gabriella, but couldn't think of anything to say. Decuma for his part was looking around the assembled group once again and wasn't aware of the glance, but he did turn his head in her direction to address Edgar, caught her eye and smiled. The smile caught her by surprise and she responded to it immediately. He continued though, to address Edgar and any who were in hearing range. "This is quite an interesting group of friends, Lord Edgar. How ever did you get everyone together?" Edgar opened his mouth to answer, but as he tried to remember the details he had to wonder. "I guess it all started from the night of that … disturbance. Somehow we all ended up, umm, together, and umm…" Miles interrupted from the other side of the table, "No, it was really all Holly and David's doing." Miles grinned at his sister. "David?" Decuma's eyes caught Lytham's for a moment. "Really! How very … interesting." He wondered what was on the slip of paper that was scratching his neck. Holly shot a dagger-filled look at her younger brother before turning to the elegant ducal heir with one of her more charming smiles. "Oh, it isn't nearly as interesting as my younger brother paints it ... he likes to exaggerate. We're hoping he will grow out of it soon." The young actor looked modest. "It was really just my wanting to give Lady Holanda and her brothers a taste of Aquila's night life. More or less to make up for their somewhat, er, unpleasant introduction to the social scene here. After that it just—" He made an eloquent gesture around the table. "—grew." Decuma looked around again and smiled, as he spotted the three dancers, Mollie, Suzy and Annabelle. "Yes, I do remember your performing at the reception that evening. It was quite entertaining." The three chorus girls gave the Heir dazzling smiles. Although Guppy's eyes were cast downward at the table, they still rolled in their sockets at the exchange. He held his breath, knowing that if this heir recognized him, he would hear about it soon and his chance for a good dinner and a few story leads would be over. Tori took a sip of ice water and nodded. She let her gaze traverse the table lightly, searching for something else incongruous to comment on, and she decided to follow the thread of the conversation. "Do you do all sorts of dancing for performance, or was that a speciality?" she asked the girls and Lytham. Decuma hid a chuckle with a cough as he glanced at David, very well knowing his specialty. Tori glanced at him in concern before turning her attention back to the actors. It was an innocent question and Lytham knew it; all the same, he avoided Decuma's eye while thinking that "all sorts of dancing" just about covered it. "Most actors learn to dance as part of their training," he answered Tori, " 'cause lots of shows include it." He grinned at her. "That I also think it's fun, is gravy." Annabelle put in, "Most producers won't even look at a girl who can't dance. Doesn't hurt if you can sing, either." Mollie and Suzy nodded their agreement. |
