Aria"You will be polite to the the Lady Florimel's latest conquest. He may be valuable as a contact with the royal family," the elder Messiree, oft called "mother" by Aria and only addressed by her Unerean name, "Gelda", by the aging dutchess of the southern reaches of Geyar... a once bustling trade shadow that has fallen on hard times and inherited a shadow path that was of dwindling use. "Yes, mother," Aria said as she adjusted the rather tight dress. If only her family could afford a tailor still she wouldn't have to fuss with the small dresses that her mother insisted still fit. "And you will be absolutely on your best behavior around any of the royals. If it crosses your mind, you might encourage them to use our shadow more frequently. There's some power left in that line and we'll do well by it if we try..." she reached out with both hands and grabbed the neckline of Aria's dress, giving it a sharp tug that fell short of indecent, but only just. "Harder," she added with a smirk. Aria arrived at the dance with low expectations. She was certain she wasn't going to enjoy herself. The carriage ride from the embassy in Begma had left her sore in more ways than one, and she never liked the food at these occassions. But Flora had not held back in planning this event, with Kabir-dancers and water dragons lining the pieanade walk to the entrance. As they actually entered the event, which Aria could no longer swear was a simple dance, she knew that the evening would be one she remembered for the entirety of her life and that she would, if only by accident, enjoy herself. She had danced, dined, and even considered a brief dalliance (before mother stared at her) before the high note of the evening came. "... my son, Chadwick Thargood," Flora announced. He was nice to look at, Aria thought, but of no special consequence despite her mother's silent insistence that Aria get into the thick of the gathering nobles in an effort to catch his eye. Oh, and she could tell that... Gelda, wanted her to flaunt all the charms she could muster. She decided that the shrimp would have to wait, lest her mother never let her have peace. She walked into the thick of it, unafraid to use a sharp kick or elbow when she deemed it necessary. Fortunately the rest of the event had set her in a good mood. Her turn came around rather quickly, and she was thinking of attending to the steak when she was introduced: "The young lady Aria Messiree," the herald muttered. Chadwick gave a small bow to her, as was the custom in her home shadow there was no physical contact. "A pleasure," he said. In his voice was the sensuality of an old lover, one that knew all the right spots and had already placed her in a position to earn the name Aria while in bed. She trembled and blushed. "All mine, sir." Flora's eyebrow twitched. |
