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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2012 14:50:15 GMT -6
The early evening was setting in across castle town, the light had a pre-twilight softness about it. Although it's people were still bustling around the square, merchants were still shouting out to the crowds to sell their wares and a young Bard was taking advantage while she could. Kaythenia had finally made it to Castle town after a somewhat rough two days travel across the field. The weather had not quite been in her favour but thankfully it had not been cold, simply wet. The young woman hadn't let it dampen her own spirits, she had a crowd to entertain and rupees to earn before dusk set in. The luxury of another night at the inn would be within her reach with a bit of luck. She stepped up onto the stone edge of the fountain in the centre of the square, it was time to do what she knew she did well.
Tell a tale to the crowds.
Kaythenia put two gloved fingers to her lips and blew, a sharp whistle catching the attention of passers by. Good, now that she had caught their interest it was time to make sure she kept it. The young woman got into character, making a bow, her dark blue eyes surveying the crowd. No familiar faces in sight, good. That meant she could do what she had to do without worry for the moment.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, those of mind to hear a tale please, step forth!"
As always some of the group were not but such a thing was normal to the young Bard, but there was still a sizeable group left to watch her with intrigue. She waved to the small group of musicians who had been playing over by the fish stall, she had promised them a few of her rupees earned if they accompanied her. Obviously they had been as much in need of the money as she, the lute player and a young woman on the flute struck up a somewhat haunting melody. From here, Kaythenia could begin, her clear voice ringing across the square.
"Beaded chains surround the pillar, The wind, the wave, the heart, Shattered; one becomes many, Soon from balance each depart, To the dismay of the Healer, And the return of the reciever, Time passes, The Wanderer sleeps, Lost and Forgotten, Forever it seems, But in power, greed knows no limits, The search begins, continues, ends,
Once broken, the circle is mended, And set in motion now, Only to be broken once more, In darkness and flame, Old chains are resurfaced and prisons refurnished, And just when times were worst reknowned, The tides turned, brief and fleeting, Before distrust tore the Light asunder, Across the hills of sand and thunder, Nightmares see daybreaks greeting, And what once was lost and never found, Will remain lost on ashen ground,
New trust forms in the night, Alliance broken on the morrow, Betrayal, deception-no remorse, But all is not lost, All is not sorrow, For in true trust one regains sight, In the never ending circle of Light, For in trust the truth is revealed, A purpose beyond comprehension, Where revenge knows no bounds, In battle where tension rises and falls, All to the whims of the heart."
As the music drew to a close, the group that stayed to watch the young woman tossed rupees into the bag she held out. Hopefully it would be enough for a room at the inn and a hot meal to fill her empty stomach.
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Post by Iona on Jul 28, 2012 16:18:10 GMT -6
She came just as people started dropping their rupees in. Dressed in a gold trimmed head scarf and sari-like dress, Iona Solas got to work. Enraptured by the Bard, the people were simply dropping money in, their eyes fastened on the talented, lovely young woman, hardly noticing where their rupees landed. The Gerudo fixated the performer a hard glare. Contemptuously looking away, the black haired Gerudo fluidly passed in between the onlookers, her small fingers moving as if on their own accord, taking in their loose rupees as they carelessly grabbed fistfuls without a glance from their purses.
Beautiful among a race of women, Iona was a far cry from ugly, but her own experiences with the better looking of her gender was never a good one. Everybody wanted to kill her. They still do, it seems. The rupees went from her hands up her long, heavy sleeves. A girl had to eat, but nobody would ever ask a short, big eyed girl such as herself how she acquired her clothes or money, especially not when she disarmed them with her smile. That particular expression was a bad omen; things just happen to disappear when her lovely secret weapon shone upon her victims. It was a funny coincidence, most would agree. The short queen-like woman that walked by was much too beautiful and virtuous to do that. Odd. Must've dropped it somewhere, they think...
And she was out, both of her sleeves heavy with the pointy Hylian currency. It was advantage for being just as good with both her hands, her western hand especially. Sadly, Iona never understood right or left.Why would she? Knowing where the sun rose and set was more important. Pocket watches and loose bracelets clinked in her sleeves as well. A good picking, she decided. Iona turned the block corner, satisfied, deciding she'll find herself some food before she returns to the inn, passing a guard without a thought. His bright and dark eyes followed her as she walked by.
Disappearing once more into another thick crowd of people, the last minute shoppers out for a discount for the remnants of market goods, Iona stood out as a beacon of vibrant sunset color, fading from sight among the less colorful clothes of the townspeople. The guard, still aware of the enticing scent her foreign perfume, walked away from the castle as other guards walked towards it for the night, some giving inquiries and strange looks at him. He too disappeared into the growing darkness.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2012 18:06:41 GMT -6
Kaythenia did notice, but only just that beautiful and brightly coloured woman was flitting through the crowds. Somewhat like an exotic bird in her vibrant clothing, apparently she had swift enough fingers not to be noticed by the general populace. Thieves of every kind could be found in the larger towns. Kaythenia saw no need to get involved with their work unless they directly threatened her. It had happened on occasion but a few broken fingers later and they soon got the idea. The young woman seemed to have no interest in the Bard's earnings anyway. Just taking advantage of the momentary distraction that she provided.
If indirectly so.
She kept an eye on her progress across the market and paid the musicians their fair share of the takings. Tonight it had been good, better than in the smaller towns. The Bard had more than enough to get herself watered, fed and a comfortable bed for the night. She hid her own purse inside her bodice, no need in making herself a target as well. Quickly she set off after the other woman, her distinctive clothing made her easy to follow amongst the duller colours of the other townspeople. Once she was close enough to speak without too much interference or eavesdropping, Kaythenia casually spoke. In a tone that suggested more that she was commenting on the weather, or the price of herbs.
"You're quick, I'll give you that. Although some of us learn to watch for nimble fingers..."
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Post by Faro/Blade on Jul 28, 2012 19:16:20 GMT -6
Blade sat one of the benches in the square, growing tired of waiting. He was normally a patient man, his line of work involved a lot of waiting. However, waiting five hours past the agreed-upon time for an informant who was probably dead anyway managed to wear even him down. The bard's song had helped a bit, but now she was off, money in hand, no doubt in pursuit of something far more interesting than a few scraps of knowledge. Blade got up and decided to follow the bard. He couldn't place, but she had this unspeakable quality about her. As if they would meet again and again without actually realizing it.
He caught the scent of Iona's perfume and followed it, moving through the crowd with fluidity. Compared to the spellbound guard, Blade flowed around the people like a river. He vaguely recalled Iona from their adventure at the spirit temple. He felt he knew her from elsewhere, but couldn't place it, as if it had been wiped from his memory. Blade came to find the bard and Iona speaking to each other. He chuckled silently at the sight of Iona's laden down sleeves. He heard the bard mention nimble fingers, and announced his presence.
"Not only that, but your perfume tends to attract some shady characters." He said as if he were joking with an old friend. "Not to mention guards." He jabbed a thumb in the guard's direction.
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Eldrin/Vai
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Post by Eldrin/Vai on Jul 29, 2012 13:48:57 GMT -6
"Smooth."
Smooth like the voice of the bard. Smooth like the fingers of the pickpocket. Smooth like the blade of the assassin. Smooth like Eldrin himself...
It was a word he knew well. Every little thing about him was sleek, enticing, and just sleazy enough to make it addicting... His smile, crooked to the left side. His eyes, twinkling dangerously. His voice, charming and challenging. His walk, confident and relaxed... And he meant it to be. He had spent a lifetime perfecting his art, and he had every intention to spend another using it.
He knew his competition. Those who had spent just as long on their own skills. Pickpockets, footpads, muggers, burglars, merchants, street performers... It seemed everyone had their hands in someone's purse these days. Not to mention, there were the guards, the bounty hunters, and the occasional snitch. Yet, he saw no need for worries.
Now, Eldrin stood before the crowd in the marketplace. Watching as most fumbled around with their purses and wallets. Picked clean, not a rupee left in the crowd. A joint job from the looks of it. The bard provided a distraction. The pickpocket moved through the dumbstruck crowd and freed them of their monetary burdens. All the while, somebody else (a fighter, preferably) would sit nearby and monitor the situation. Distraction. Extraction. Security. The last one didn't rhyme... But Eldrin had no time to worry about his poetry. Professionals were about...
"Smooth..." Eldrin muttered again, before slipping into the flow of the crowd. He followed the current out of the marketplace and onto a less crowded street. He smirked as his eyes fell upon the three talking on the street. Two women and a man. Yet, he seemed to be slightly taken aback when he recognized the man and one of the women.
Blade and Iona. Odd, seeing as Iona almost always worked alone, and Blade didn't seem all that interested in crime. Being second-in-command of the Assassins (and de facto leader during Torak's absences), such petty theft seemed beneath him. Were the Assassins of Hyrule that desperate for cash? And Iona... Well, most people couldn't work with that much concentrated insanity... The bard, though, was the most intriguing.
"All to the whims of the heart, huh?" Eldrin spoke up, announcing his presence. His eyes focused on the bard, but he flashed Blade an acknowledging smile. "That was one hell of a story," he said, walking up to join the trio. "What do you say we all get a round of drinks at the inn, and you sing us another?"
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Kadina
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If you're bored then you're boring.
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Post by Kadina on Jul 30, 2012 13:39:53 GMT -6
This time of day held a certain anticipation for Kadina. Night would spill into the wandering street alleys casting shadow to replace her disguise.
Market Town had been decorated with wanted posters of Kadina for months now. Not that she wasn't flattered, but she hated to disguise herself upon every entrance. Outside of the castle walls, Kadina had appointed a specific place at the base of a tree under a boulder to keep a disguise. It was traditional female garb of the gypsies, which Kadina couldn't help but resent. However, it did its job. She pulled the batik layered skirt over her harem pants, tightened the elaborate corset over a puffy white blouse, and drew her shawl over her head. The short sleeves of her blouse hung off her sculpted shoulders daintily like little clouds positioned perfectly over her tribal tattoo. Irritated, she scrubbed her facepaint from her cheek with a bit of spit, then squirmed and pulled at her corset to make it a bit more bearable.
With her disguise, she was now able to stroll past the guards and through the crowds like a gentle breeze completely unrecognized. Surprisingly, she kept her hands to herself patiently awaiting the cloak of night to assist her through town, but it was at the strum of a lute that people began expecting the gypsy to dance. Kadina blushed as she noticed peoples' eyes settling on her. Attention was the last thing she needed, but as they began pulling rupees from their pockets, Kadina was sold... quite literally!
She slipped her feet from her little patent slippers and let the rhythm carry her from there. The jingle of her jewelery assisted the percussionists like a tambourine. She mimicked the memories of her mother's dancing, hands moving fluidly up and over her head, her feet tapping rhythmically to the beat as her skirt twirled like a windmill around her. She interacted with the audience, pulling them from the crowd to join her. After all, the attention was too much. It had to be shared.
She twirled a young girl in place before pulling the scarf from her head and throwing it around a handsome man's neck to draw him away from the crowd and into her harms for a dance. Suddenly, a child chasing a cucoo burst between them catching Kadina's attention as she followed them with her eyes. She hadn't even realized the fun she was having until a certain guard had taken notice of her and shattered her joy with panic. His intent glare and serious expression insinuated recognition.
Quickly, Kadina wrapped her scarf over her head, grabbed her rupee filled slippers, and took off into the crowd as a Bard struck up a new tune. She mixed herself in among the group of people trying to lose herself in the scene. All the while, she listened to the beautiful Bard's story.
“But in power, greed knows no limits...”
Kadina had now stopped to hear the full story but instead analyzed that particular line when she then saw Iona pulling money from the crowd. “Well, well, well... I guess we've all got a bad case of greed, don't we?” She smirked rather proud of Iona for her plan of action during this time of distraction.... (hmmm... rhyming isn't too hard. I should join the Bard.)
(And I swear that was totally unintentional. Thanks Eldrin. Haha)
Intrigued by both Iona and the storyteller, Kadina hadn't noticed the guard had caught up. She turned her head just in time to see him pushing through the nearest couple. Just then, the wild cucoo ran infront of Kadina. She bent down and grabbed it before tossing it into the face of her pursuer. Feathers went everywhere accompanied by a cacophonous crowing and the startle of civilians. The bandit took this time to catch up with Iona where she found her accompanied by the bard and two familiar friends, Eldrin-- thief extrordinaire, and one of Hyrule's accomplished assassins-- Blade.
Seeing as Iona had just taken the money the bard had rightfully earned, things were probably getting ugly. Well, until Eldrin suggested a round of drinks which was basically an automatic self invitation for Kadina. "Good idea!" She encouraged as she walked up next to Blade all out of breath. This was a group of troublemakers. The sooner they got out of the streets, the better.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2012 9:56:05 GMT -6
Kaythenia was surprised to see the stranger join her and the thief. He seemed to know her although she didn't get the impression that they were in cahorts. She didn't have very long to consider it though before another man joined them. Either people in Hyrule Castle Town were uncharacteristically sociable or...who knows. Perhaps just nosy? The Bard was distracted from her original chain of thought when another voice sounded from behind her, she glanced back over her shoulder. Another man had apparently decided to voice his own opinion.
"All to the whims of the heart, huh? That was one hell of a story, What do you say we all get a round of drinks at the inn, and you sing us another?"
She was slightly uncomfortable with the way his eyes fixed upon her, it was different when she was performing but that kind of interested stare tended to put her on the defensive. Kaythenia crossed her arms over her chest and attempted to be diplomatic. No need to be making enemies, she had enough of those at her heels.
"As appreciative of the compliment as I am, I'm-"
The Bard did not get the chance to finish her sentence when a racket a short distance off ensued, the distinctive sound of an angry cucoo was hard to miss after all and general noise from the crowd to accompany it, ranging from annoyance to shock or surprise. In all of this they were approached by yet another person, a woman in distinctive Gypsy attire, Kaythenia was beginning to suspect she had unwittingly stumbled in on some kind of gathering. Whoever this woman was, she was apparently taking advantage of the invitation...the Bard wondered if she was going to have any say in this at all.
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Post by Iona on Jul 31, 2012 17:33:47 GMT -6
Chuckling darkly, the guard caught the cucoo in his hands and tossed it aside as he hurried on, his boots sounding sharply on the cobbles. The cucoo landed on her feet and glared at the guard, ruffling her feathers up and walking off in a disgruntled manner.
He understood all at once that the other black haired Gerudo thought he was trailing Iona and smirked slightly as he pulled off his helmet, relieved to take the suffocating metal off his face. Iona opened her mouth to speak to the Bard, but froze up. The exceedingly handsome guard smiled at Iona, shoving his unruly light and dark blond hair from his eyes and winked his light green eye at the short Gerudo. She flinched and he laughed, and tilted his head back. She saw the flash of his shine of his metal shin guards and the guard was gone. Iona blinked.
"Shit," the rogue guard cursed, rubbing his knee. "What I get for finally showing off, in full fucking armor too..." He straightened up, actually a little proud of himself for flipping over the abandoned farmer's cart and into an unused alley. He dumped the helmet at the corner of the dead end and likewise did the rest of the armor and gear. A boyish smile came over his face as he remembered her stunned face, that silly little surprised frown. Stripped down to a loose white shirt and a tight leather vest, black pants stuffed into brown boots. He attempted to fix his hair and inhaled several times.
And burst out into the street again by hurdling the cart. Unfortunately, she wasn't turned away from him and those big lined eyes narrowed at him. Making sure only she would see him, he flashed her a smile and a mock salute before jumping over cucoos with vengeance on their little minds and acrobatically front flipping and hand springing into a minor little show with an older man playing a wild song on the violin and a crippled three legged goat chewing absently on the violinist's pant leg. The older man flashed the fake guard a mild glance as the young man fell into a dance and acrobat show that was in time with the music, to the pitifully sized crowd's delight. A sign overhead read Solas Troupe.
..............................
Iona snapped back to attention, aware she was several moments late to answering the Bard because of the distraction. "Oh yes. It's so unfortunate. Sorry. I have to eat too," Iona prompted the Bard, then mentally kicked herself for letting herself get in a bad mood. One of the few people the black haired Gerudo genuinely liked on sight, Iona smiled at Blade. "Shady character, yes...that's not a guard though..." Iona said in a low voice, then shook her head to dismiss the topic all together.
"Eldrin," Iona said curtly, then stuck her tongue out at him. She gave a smile to Kadina, another one of her favorites, then, surprising, fell silent. No strange out-there philosophies how potato salad might in fact be the dark matter holding the universe together, or spitted out thesis-es on how the Goddesses might be men in drag in cahoots with squirrels...nothing. Instead, she glowered and glared at the ground.
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Post by Faro/Blade on Jul 31, 2012 18:17:17 GMT -6
"I got that when he started throwing cucoos." Blade said, pulling a feather from his mouth and flicking it away. He was used to weirdness when it came to Iona; he'd already seen her troupe's hierarchy fight each other over... something about Torak. It was so odd he had forgotten what it was about. Still, he couldn't help but feel for the Bard. He, Eldrin, Iona and Kadina all knew each other, and had a way of finding one another whenever they went. Not only them, but others like Argoth and Faro. The Bard was simply caught up in their weird tendency to gather together. "Sorry for sweeping you up in all this so suddenly." He said, rubbing the back of his head as he tipped it back to expose his face, or at least what was visible behind an apologetic smile and closed eyes. "What's your name, bard?"
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2012 16:32:00 GMT -6
"Sorry for sweeping you up in all this so suddenly..."What's your name, bard?" Kaythenia glanced over at the man who spoke, he seemed friendly enough but as always she would not offer her full name. The nickname she adopted was nowhere near as distinctive as her given name. Just incase someone came looking and Robert mentioned it, it would be harder to track down. Leaving behind as little evidence of her trail as possible was something she gradually becoming very good at, travelling like a ghost through towns and villages. One of the few clear memories she had of her Mother was Eayeth telling her that her name was one that ran through their bloodline, although who it's original bearer was, was at the time a mystery to her. Marcus had explained that to her later on and it was one of the reasons she cut her hair short, perhaps a pathetic attempt at distancing herself but it made at least a small difference. Plus handling fire with long hair was just asking for trouble, she had to keep it short for practical reasons.
The young woman rocked her weight onto her right leg, her thumb hooked through her beltloop.
"My name is Kay, and you are?"
At least he was well mannered about it and hadn't referred to her by any demeaning names that her gender usually suffered with. Darling was a particular one that grated on her last nerve, she was nobody's 'Darling' and didn't wish to be referred to as such but she digressed. Bard was at least just a description of her station.
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Post by Faro/Blade on Aug 1, 2012 17:12:42 GMT -6
"They call me Blade. Pleased to meet ya." Blade replied, offering a handshake. His moniker had always amused him. It had a varying effect on people when he introduced himself, especially when they went first. He'd gotten more than a few angry looks over it. Unfortunately the truth was that Blade, as far as he knew, was his name. He'd been called many things by many families over the years, but he'd been Blade the longest. It was as much a name to him as Eldrin was to Eldrin. He'd entertained the idea of coming up with a more normal name, but in the end, every name he thought up became another cover story or a different mask to hide behind. So he stayed Blade, and was all the happier for it.
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Eldrin/Vai
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Post by Eldrin/Vai on Aug 5, 2012 16:20:36 GMT -6
(Hm... Kay hates being called darling? She's gonna despise Eldrin! XD)
Eldrin studied the bard's body language closely. Crossing arms. Subconsciously defensive. His eyes, most likely. People tended to feel like he was over-examining them. This was mainly because he was over-examining them. That was half of his job. Thievery (at least, the successful variation) was a job that took a level of focus and perception that most people could hardly manage. Enough perception to notice that the bard was currently keeping her purse in her bodice. Likely a precaution against Iona's fingers...
The bard had just began to reply to (or rather, decline) his offer, when Kadina showed up. Unsurprisingly, the bandit agreed to his suggestion, prompting a satisfied grin to spread across Eldrin's face. Next thing he knew, something had happened with a game of cuckoo catch and a particularly odd guard. Iona had suddenly become sociable enough to stick her tongue at him.
"Iona," Eldrin replied with disdain, swiftly grabbing at her tongue. She pulled it in just in time to flash Kadina a smile. Eldrin merely ignored her and turned back to the bard. She was talking to Blade, and they were exchanging names (lies). Apparently, she was choosing to go by Kay for now. Yeah right. She was too defensive to just give out her name that easy. He would play along for now, though. "Come now, darling... We're being friendly. Plus, you seem capable of handling yourself. What do you have to fear from a ragtag band like us? Now, booze?" he asked, being as polite as he could manage. He'd been taking lessons from Sayo, which usually ended in a fistfight... Still though, he was confident that he had mastered it.
(Sorry, couldn't help myself. ;D)
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Kadina
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If you're bored then you're boring.
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Post by Kadina on Aug 6, 2012 12:24:32 GMT -6
Kadina flinched at the sound of more wild cuckoos. She emptied her rupee filled slippers into a draw string pouch and proceeded to put her shoes back on incase she had to flee again. Her paranoia vanished as Eldrin and Iona's behavior both distracted and amused her. She smiled back at Iona as the bard began to introduce herself.
"My name is Kay, and you are?" She seemed a little wary of the group, but Kadina could understand why. This usually happened. Where there was one of them, the rest were sure to appear, and then whatever outsider was involved usually felt threatened, frightened, awkward, or confused. Who wouldn't be! Kadina knew it had to be as weird and surprising as it seemed.
Blade introduced himself, and Eldrin missed an opportunity to make the bard feel more comfortable by skipping his name and pushing alcohol. Kadina laughed and rolled her eyes. "Good one. That wasn't creepy at all," Her voice hinted sarcasm, "But I think the sooner we gain her trust, the sooner we get drunk and she sings another story. Don'tcha think?" Kadina was about to introduce herself when there was suddenly a flaw in that plan.
She noticed a wanted poster for Eldrin hanging just behind Kay. They hadn't been updated since he gained the scar on his face, but his name was definitely visible. The whole trust thing might as well been thrown out since Kay, if that was her real name, didn't seem to trust them, and Kadina didn't trust anyone from the Market place with her real name. This was quite the issue.
"My name is... is uh.... Isabell!" It sort of just came to her as she struggled to find it. "And this is Fiona," She pointed to Iona easily adding an F to her name, "and this is..." Eldrin's was hard to pick, but she knew whatever she came up with, he'd have to stick with it. So, she decided to have a little fun choosing his alias. Fake names all around!
"Elberton Shmit... face. What?" She snatched his poster down quickly and mentally beat herself up. Shmitface? It sounded like shit face... Wait... It sounded like shit face! She cuffed her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing out, though the laugh tried to escape in the form of tears. "I'm just kidding. It's just Elberton. Last name's are unnecessary." She gave a thumbs up to Eldrin for her "recovery" as soon as Kay wasn't looking.
"Now that we're all acquainted, drinks anyone?" She balled the poster up and tossed it behind her then clapped her hands together cheerfully. Guards began to light the night lamps up and down the streets. Their presence made her nervous. Hopefully no one passed up the offer this time around.
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Post by Iona on Aug 8, 2012 22:54:17 GMT -6
Iona smiled warmly at Kay as if she were a long lost friend and genuinely happy to see her. "Please. Named Fiona but called..." Iona inhaled as the bakery nearby were making the last bits of the morning dough into beautiful, golden, flaky..."Croissant. And I prefer to be called that, thank you," she said, glaring at Kadina, seemingly wounded that she would take up the formality of her real name as opposed to her commonly used nick name. If she actually had a nick name. She debated whether or not to ditch this odd lot to pilfer from croissants.
The short Gerudo smiled at Kay, her lower eye lid on one eye twitching visibly as she raised her hands up near her mouth, her fingers wriggling excitedly as she pined after those gorgeous creations of butter and dough.
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