(A scene with Casimir and Ariel at the Peacock.)
The Jeweled Peacock Salon
[Comfortable]
A haze of perfume and pipe smoke swirls about this dim room, lit by sconces on the silk-draped walls. Despite the muted lighting, a color theme is evident, hues of jewel-toned blue, green and purple in the hanging silks, rich upholstery and plush carpeting. A long hardwood bar wraps around the southern side of the room, cushioned stools sidled up to it, and a decorative hardwood peacock with jeweled accents hangs up behind. Intimate groupings of couches scatter across the room, providing seating both within the couch and apparently on the arms.
(Perfume lingers thickly in the air, giving the area an aesthetic appeal. Scores of voluptuous women walk around, swaying their hips quite vigorously as male patrons stare after them with salacious eyes.)
Cyrio op Fiore sits in a corner table, alone for the time being. [App: 4]
Isobel Nettesheim is here. [App: 2]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar lounges on a couch in a dark corner, entertaining a scantily clad Vavardi woman. [App: 4]
He is indecent.
Mimi, a sultry brunette with buxom curves, makes the rounds through the customers.
Ariel has arrived.
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's eyes are quickly becoming hazy - the powdery cube hits him instantly. The whispers are low, quiet, and virile... but within five minutes of ingesting the drug, nobleman and Vavardi slut have their tongues implanted firmly down each other’s throats. Mimi gives the pair a wistful look, as if wondering if she might charge more.
"I'm far prettier than that whore." This is how Ariel decides to introduce himself, unmistakable amusement in his voice as he appears in the doorway; he leans against it, watching Marquis Casimir ab Azadar and the Vavardi woman inspect each other's mouths. "You can't make any time for me, Azadar, but you can make time for her?" [Ariel]
Isobel Nettesheim gives a little sigh as the attention seems to fall everywhere but herself. Towards Marquis Casimir ab Azadar, she murmurs, "Can I get some of whatever that was?" She jumps a bit at noticing Ariel, "O-oh, Arien. Hi, Baron."
Cyrio op Fiore lifts his legs, crossing them over and settling them comfortably on the table of the booth he occupies. His hands fold comfortably over his chest as he continues to examine the women passing, occasionally stopping one or the other for little twirls. Each is passed over. He's looking increasingly bored.
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's eyes open and immediately narrow upon Ariel. But his lips are touched by a smile as he gently pushes the Vavardi wench away, pressing a single finger to her still-moving lips. "One moment, love. We're being interrupted," he murmurs quietly to the whore. As for Isobel Nettesheim's request, his lips immediately move into a thin frown. "Sure. For two gold pieces." Then, his eyes settle upon Ariel - those hazed over eyes. "What do you want, Orban?" he asks in a tired, slightly annoyed tone.
"Miss Nettesheim. How funny that the first time I see you in months is in a brothel," Ariel greets Isobel Nettesheim, all affable words and cold eyes. He limps across the brothel floor more slowly than ever, bad leg practically dragging behind him. "We should speak, Azadar. For many reasons. I imagine she'll still be there when we're done with each other." [Ariel]
Isobel Nettesheim murmurs to Marquis Casimir ab Azadar, "I can get you half now and half later?" She eyes Ariel, "Well, yeah... same for you, Baron. Didn't expect to see you here of all places for the first time in months."
"I just... She is..." Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's words tangle under themselves, and slowly he glances back to the whore beside him - a gentle hand petting her leg, close to the inside of her thigh. It's like an unconcious thing, and when he notices he's doing it he ends up staring at his hand for a while. "Fine!" He stands up with a quick jet of energy from the couch and directs the brown-haired blue-eyed Vavardi he was with towards Cyrio op Fiore. "It'll wear off at the tolling of the bell, love," he murmurs quietly to her. Running a hand over the stubble on his face he reaches into a pocket of a crushed, black velvet justacorps coat with upturned cuffs and produces a case. "Let's get on with it then, Orban," his words are distant, and oddly... not too angry, or caring, for that matter. Bordering on happy. He passes by woman, and tosses her something, before holding out the same hand for something in return. [Marquis Casimir ab Azadar]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar opens a compact, hinged silver case lined with soft golden velvet.
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar gets a powdery white sugar cube from a compact, hinged silver case lined with soft golden velvet.
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar closes a compact, hinged silver case lined with soft golden velvet.
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar gives a powdery white sugar cube to Isobel Nettesheim.
Cyrio op Fiore watches as the whore untangles herself from Marquis Casimir ab Azadar, and moves towards him. His eyes go up and down and up again, before he holds out a hand, palm facing the girl. "Show me your face", he instructs the girl in his seracious purr, prompting the prostitute to draw back her hair from her face. The man makes a sound of indecision.
"I was here to find the Marquis. I wonder why you were here, Miss Nettesheim...?" But Ariel lets it drop, pausing a few feet away from Marquis Casimir ab Azadar. He eyes the other man steadily, his bright eyes searching. "...If you wish to enjoy your... purchases first, Marquis, I will wait for you upstairs in an empty room until you are free to join me," he offers, tone absolutely neutral. "The gossip that would arise would amuse me tremendously." [Ariel]
Isobel Nettesheim drops some coins into Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's hands, snirking a little at Ariel's words. She looks after the girl that moves from Marquis Casimir ab Azadar to Cyrio op Fiore.
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar actually laughs at Ariel's last words. "Your little noble family may not approve, Orban," the Marquis replies, but he gestures for Ariel to lead him to wherever. "I have sent my purchase... belatedly away. Let us talk, if we must."
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar now follows you.
Someone is approaching from the west with a light.
A rugged looking man with a long scar on one arm arrives from the west walking smoothly, his gaze examining everything
A rugged looking man with a long scar on one arm slows to a halt.
[Action: Marquis Casimir ab Azadar stands conversing with ariel.]
It seems that Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's purchase might not be seeing any use, for Cyrio op Fiore can be seen debating the possibilities. He flicks open a book he carries and thumbs through a few pages, his teeth working over his upper lip thoughtfully. He glances to the girl time and again, referencing something on his page. "Try me again shortly", the man eventually informs the girl, who flounces away immediately to ply her wares elsewhere.
"I thrive on disapproval," Ariel murmurs, his gaze roving the room. "Mmm. No, let's borrow a room. Stairs are a menace, but I've no wish to walk very far at the moment." He limps his slow way toward the stairs, hooking his cane to a strap on his back; one hand is placed on either banister to help him haul himself upward. It's done with considerable strength, his arms seemingly quite able to support his entire weight with his bad foot dangling untroubled. [Ariel]
Isobel Nettesheim raises a brow over at Cyrio op Fiore, stepping over his way, perhaps to get a better look at the girl he sends away, "Well ain't you picky. What's yer name, anyway?"
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar remains quiet. It might be seen as moody at first, for his lips are stuck into a frown... but with a little more observation, it can be seen that he's in deep thought. His fingers keep running back and forth on the bannister, feeling the textures again and again, as he slowly walks up the stairs behind Ariel.
"You would think so, were I only here to purchase a witch", Cyrio op Fiore informs Isobel Nettesheim, his crass language clashing deliciously with his fashionable, exotic purr, as he glances lazily aside to Isobel Nettesheim. He sucks on his teeth thoughtfully. "But this is not why I am here, no?" He considers the woman carefully, before he makes a little twist of his fingers. "My name is Cyrio op Fiore. Do a turn."
Isobel Nettesheim raises a brow, but she gives a shrug and gives a wobbly little turn, perhaps slightly tipsy. "What are ya here for, then?" she offers as she spins, fixing a gaze on Cyrio op Fiore once it's completed.
----
Ariel opens the western door.
You leave west walking very slowly and carefully.
The Sapphire Room
[Comfortable]
Clothed in floorlength blue silk, a large bed stands against the northern wall, a tall headboard carved with floral images. In addition to a sheer, blue silken canopy, the bedposts also serve as a tie off point for a silken strap twisted around each. A small window on the western wall looks down on the street in front of the salon, curtained with more of thesheer blue silk swept off to the side.
A sturdy dark red leather book with the title "Virtues" in gilt letters ironically sits open to a page discussing virtuous courting, splattered with blood, in the middle of the whorehouse. (western edge)
Ariel has arrived.
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar arrives from the east
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar slows to a halt.
Ariel leads the way into the sapphire room, having first slid his cane out and back to hand; he pauses as he surveys the book open in the room. "...Well now," he murmurs, sounding faintly amused. "Will there ever be a time in my life when I -don't- walk right into trouble?" All the same, he limps toward the bed.
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar hooks a thumb over his shoulder and states; "Did you see those peacocks? They were about to fl-- huh." His words stop short as he looks over the book laying here - though whatever he makes of it is hidden in the half-coy-smile he's got plastered on his face. "Probably some priest getting his rocks off, Orban. You see them here, you know. Inquisitors, Knights, priests... priestesses, sometimes. The refuse of the world..." he trails off, and probably loses his train of thought somewhere. "What do you want?"
[Action: Marquis Casimir ab Azadar converses with Ariel, while one hand repeatedly rubs his own chest.]
Ariel doubles back to shut the door, perhaps as he realizes Marquis Casimir ab Azadar won't; he then resumes his progress toward the bed to flop down in a bone-deep sigh. He lies with the edge of the bed below the bend of his knees, lines of pain easing in his expression. "Oh that's better," he mutters under his breath. "Two things, Casimir; a personal errand and a royal one." He pauses then, head turning to the side as he watches the other man; amusement crookedly curls his lips. "Are you -high-?"
"High born," Marquis Casimir ab Azadar quips back quickly, a little snort of laughter catching him. His hand goes back and forth along his chest, not a nervous habit but a sensual one - as if he's feeling for each tendon. His eyes flirt away to the wall, to the silks, to the floor... when they snap back to Ariel, he says; "Well get on with it. You've been sitting there forever." [Marquis Casimir ab Azadar]
"Do be patient with an old cripple, while you still have your youth and vigor," Ariel flippantly replies; he wraps his hands around his leg, lifting it as he shifts position to sit up against the headboard. There's unmistakable sardonic amusement in his eyes. "Sugar, is it? Not my thing, I'm a tad over-responsive... the comedown is murder. Which do you prefer, Casimir, the personal or the royal first? I'll try to be quick so you can feel yourself up without my distracting presence." [Ariel]
"Feel myself up...?" Marquis Casimir ab Azadar echoes, and his eyes shoot down to his hand - staring daggers into it as if it might not be attached to his arm. He stops, forcing it down to his side, but this only causes him to fidget his feet, shifting his weight from one side to the other. "Royal," he states, eyes flickering back to the blood-stained book. "Tell me how fierce the Queen is about half 'her' army being dead or missing." [Marquis Casimir ab Azadar]
read mail
You examine a piece of mail.
**** _.+._ ****
**** (^\/^\/^) ****
** \@*@*@/ **
** {_____} **
**** Royal Lithmorran Courier ****
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Wed Jul 31 16:32:52 2013
Solisda, Januarius 15 SC 359
Dear Ariel,
Thank you for your report. I hope we can meet on it, in addition to other matters, soon. In the interim, I will see to it that all the names on the list have their promised reward for their service to the Crown.
Until then, we must deal with this situation about Azadar's troops in the South-- or, should I say, the sudden lack of them? For obvious reasons, I don't want to question him directly at the preliminary point. I've asked the Lady Justiciar to do some background investigations, but she suggested that she would not be the best person to question the Marquis because of their strained relationship. Would you interview the Marquis about exactly what is going on? If it must come to a tribunal, then I will officiate with the Justiciar; it is for this reason that I don't want to do the preliminary reviews, in the sake of fairness.
Until we meet again: Lord keep you.
CaS
Ariel procures a letter from among his things, opening it with a deft flick of gloved fingers. "Would you care to interview the Marquis about exactly what is going on?" he quotes to Marquis Casimir ab Azadar, chuckling quietly. "By the way, I rather don't care if you want to enjoy your sugar, don't worry that I'm going to go spreading rumors about it. But I do need to know if you can shed any light as to what's happened with your army. The Queen is not fierce - yet. Merely interested in explanations."
"Really, Orban? Do I look like a man who fears the criticisms of the masses?" Marquis Casimir ab Azadar asks blandly, some of his usual condescension coming through his drug-induced happiness. But as the subject turns completely on his missing army, the Marquis's persona takes a turn for the distinctly more depressed. "I have no explanation, Orban. The last missive I sent to them was an approval of tactics the commanding officer planned to employ - and then one morning I woke up to news that the majority of my army disappeared in fire, and the rest were disbanding into other units." [Marquis Casimir ab Azadar]
"I... was not there with them," Marquis Casimir ab Azadar adds, lamely. [Marquis Casimir ab Azadar]
"Disbanding into other units," Ariel repeats, frowning slightly. "As in, leaving your service and simply being taken in by other groups at the front? That is... fascinating, if thoroughly confusing. No, of course you weren't there with them," he adds, and is that almost a reassuring tone to his voice? "No reason you should be." [Ariel]
"It's natural for soldiers who lose leadership to cling to others," Marquis Casimir ab Azadar states to Ariel, in explanation. "I... don't know what the Queen wishes me to do. I have sent out a letter of draft, offering the money I can for new soldiers, but most of those drafted run when they hear what happened to the former soldiers." [Marquis Casimir ab Azadar]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar states to Ariel, "Will this information satisfy the Queen, currently? I am doing all in my power to find out more, but as of now I know nothing."
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar claims, "I suspect Daravi mages, but there weren't supposed to BE any in that conflict. Our intelligence is usually precise."
"What I find curious is that it's something so terrifying it leads them to desert, but it doesn't lead them to leave the front entirely," Ariel muses, shaking his head. "This isn't going to be held against you, Casimir; it should be a simple matter to prove that you haven't just withdrawn the troops, especially if some of them clearly are still at the front. I was merely tasked to find out the truth, not to rake you over the coals. It seems a fact-finding mission may be required to get to the true bottom of the matter..." A deep sigh escapes him, and he rubs at his left leg just below the knee. "The devilry of mages is that they can be, often, where they were not two hours ago." [Ariel]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar rubs his hands over his face viciously, as if trying to wake up from a long nap. "Her Royal Majsty gave me my family's ancestral home back. I would not break my vows to her, believe it or not," he states quietly, distractedly. "Not that I owe her any... special love, but my loyalty isn't something easily earned, or dismissed. You said you had a personal matter? Does this involve your overwhelming debt to me?"
"You would phrase it so, wouldn't you?" There's no anger in Ariel's voice; only a wry amusement. Seizing his cane he forces himself back up to his feet with a groan, limping toward Marquis Casimir ab Azadar. "Yes. It can't go undiscussed, what you did for me. I am not some fool in an old story to promise anything your heart might desire, only to be forced to surrender my most cherished possession... but you will find me... not ungenerous in my gratitude, Casimir. As it is, I've intended to mend matters between us, but I've found it hard to curb my sharp tongue. Now... I have even more reason to try. What can I give you in return for my life?" [Ariel]
Goal set to: To convert Casimir to a friend and ally.
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar snorts derisively at that - the drug is definitely wearing off, and he looks only tired now. Tired, sad, and irritable. "There is nothing, Orban," he states shortly, averting his gaze and pacing about the room. "Can you give me a wife? A child? Happiness? Nothing. I saved you in hopes that one day I might return the favor," here he gestures to his face, indicating the scar, "And for the fact that if you died, Lithmore would have lost its precious savior - and I'm sure as Arien not taking that job over."
"I don't believe that you're as totally lost to goodness as you say, Casimir." Ariel's voice is low, and despite the obvious effort it takes him, he limps along in Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's pacing wake. After a moment he reaches out, aiming to angle the other man's gaze back toward him with just a quick, light touch to the jawline. "And I do not think it impossible that you could be happy again. Human beings are built not only to suffer, but endure. The capacity of the heart to recover is endless." [Ariel]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's eyes alight upon Ariel's, and for a moment there is a softness there, a yearning to hear the words... or that may have just been a play of the light. They harden, instantly, and he turns away. But his voice... "I didn't take Gwenith in with the express intent on beating her," he starts, facing away from Ariel once more. "I... wanted to teach her a lesson, yes. Who chooses a Charali savage over a noble, after all? But when I started in on her, in my usual way, she brought up my wife - and you've seen the rest. You were the one to stitch her wounds."
There's a moment's silence before that hand lifts to land on Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's shoulder, a warm weight. "I believe you," Ariel says after a moment, quietly. "Though I still believe what you did is reprehensible, I do not believe that it is... incomprehensible. Nor do I really believe that people are by nature all evil or all good. I have done things that I deeply regret. Cowardly things, immoral things, shameful things. Anger is often my vice, a very specific kind of anger triggered by very specific things. What happened to Gwenith... I let it enrage me beyond thinking, and the result is what happened to you. So, how can I blame you for an act of violent rage?" [Ariel]
What is this? It might be the come down from the drugs, or it might be sincere emotion, but there's water in Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's eyes. He doesn't let it form into a tear, oh no, he blinks it away. Still not meeting Ariel's gaze, still averting himself - depersonalizing himself from the whole thing - he gives a simple nod. "My father was like you, Orban," he states suddenly. "Logical, and kind. Everything a noble should be. How do I pick myself up? I'm a ruined man, Orban - physically and mentally. When Emily and Evan died, I..." he trails off, and clams up for the while. [Marquis Casimir ab Azadar]
"I was in Ahalin Tower once." That's offered without segue, Ariel's gaze level and fixed on Marquis Casimir ab Azadar; he's smiling, but only faintly, and his tone of voice is calm. "For a month. I emerged weak as a kitten from heartbreak, shame, and torture. I could hardly stand on my own two feet, I could not bear the presence of others. In every way that a man could be a wreck, I was a wreck. And I would likely still be that wreck today were it not for the fact that there was someone waiting for me when I came out. You need not be alone, Casimir. Though I imagine you may find it difficult to ever forgive me, in a way I think that may make it easier: I am no less guilty than you." He draws a deep, slow breath. "How do you pick yourself up? You decide what it is that you want most in this world. And, with the help of others, you go about obtaining it." [Ariel]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar laughs, harshly at that, and he backs away from Ariel. "If only it were that simple," he mutters, staring at the blood stained book again. His hands come up to rub away the tiredness from his face, and more a moment it looks like he's going through a dizzy spell. Composure is swift though, and then he asks; "What is it that you strive for, Ariel? What do you want most in this world?"
"It's -not- simple. It's hard and it's brutal and it's bloody, and it's nothing like a handful of words. It's suffering on when everyone -spits- in your face until you've taught them, by sheer perseverance, that they were wrong and you have something of value to give to the world." Ariel's voice is a little harsh as well, though the way his eyes stare past Marquis Casimir ab Azadar for a second seems to suggest it's not directed at him. Quickly, he shakes his head. "What I strive for... for a long time now... it's..." A pause before he confesses in a hushed voice, "It's to feel that my life has contributed more to the world than it has taken away. To believe that I should have been born." [Ariel]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar stares at Ariel for a long while at that, looking the man up and down as if seeing him for the first time. "A noble goal," he admits softly before his eyes roam elsewhere. "You were a commoner, yes? Born simply to live, and now look - ennobled and hero of the people for multiple things as I hear. I'm... an Azadar. Born with the world handed to me on a silver platter, groomed for commanding. I know fifty-seven different formations and patterns with just a unit of pikemen. I've killed armies that outnumber me five to one - all before the age of twenty. Do you know what I want most in the world?"
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar trails off to Ariel, "Just a family. That's it. My own family. A wife, a kid, a loyal mutt maybe..."
Many people, over the years, have called Ariel various synonyms of cold. Those people would likely be astonished to see the unguarded softness on his face now, one that strips away the air that makes him look older than his years; that gentle frown of sympathetic pain makes his eyes raw. "That's not impossible," he says after a moment, voice hushed. "It's not. I am -certain- we could find you a wife." [Ariel]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar snorts coldly, raising his hands out to his sides in exasparation. "Who? The whores who so love me? Am I to adopt one of the bastards I must have sired since Emily's been dead? And who would marry us? I am Casimir ab Azadar, sinner and asshole. I slaughter Hillmen and beat women. Lithmore holds nothing for me, and quite honestly the only reason I stay here now is because I can't face the cold empty halls of Avonna Keep. I can't see the cruel look on my mother's face. So I stay here, where I am loathed and hated for doing what I feel is right, simply because the voices of hatred are better than no voices at all." He's cold again, derisive. The depression, the anxiety, and the emotion of the drugs have all worn off at this point - though he does maintain a talkative nature that he usually doesn't have. "You speak pretty words, Orban, and you tell me of how you yourself rose from the depths of depression. But I am not you - I have nobody waiting for me at the end of this road. I will try to curb my mood, for it bespeaks badly on my country, but as I said before - power is the only thing that will bring me respect, and perhaps with that I can find a wife. I can start a family. It will be an illusion, but it's better than nothing."
"I will not give up on you, Casimir." Ariel states it simply, but with certainty; he tries to meet and hold Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's gaze. "I know there is more to you than you show to the world. You say you have nobody, but that isn't true. You have me, and I will not give up on you. You can be true to what is right and still be respected. It's as you say. You were born to this world. You were trained to excel in it. Show them. Show them you -are- superior in every way. It will be the sweetest victory you've ever known." [Ariel]
"Get out," Marquis Casimir ab Azadar tells Ariel in a low voice. "Leave me. Go home to your wife, Orban - rest your leg, kiss her belly. I am done speaking with you." He moves to one corner, his back the only thing visible. Moody little fucker, really. [Marquis Casimir ab Azadar]
"...you're coming down from the sugar hard, huh?" Ariel paces after Marquis Casimir ab Azadar, shaking his head. "Sugar hits me so hard I can't get out of bed, afterward. Once I binged on five at the same time. There's a reason I pay my servants exorbitantly... you need to sleep it off here?" His tone is rather conversational, now, but still a bit softened by emotion. [Ariel]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar screams, now, the change sudden and violent; "GET OUT!" The words echo, and he turns, flailing one arm to push Ariel away. [Attack]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar misses Ariel! Ariel looks to be in excellent condition.
Ariel stumbles back in surprise as he lifts a hand to his shoulder in the wake of the blow, cracking a little, half-hearted grin. "Not the first time I've been beaten up in a whorehouse," he notes, warily sidestepping a bit closer. "You don't strike me as someone who ought to be alone right now."
NEW COMBAT ROUND!
You are still engaged in combat.
"Orban, -please-," Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's almost begging now, though the violence is still in his eyes and his posture. "Just leave. Just. Leave." He's moving, trying to side-step Orban and lose some of the proximity they share. [Marquis Casimir ab Azadar]
That plea seems to unman Ariel in a way the attack didn't; he hesitates, leaning heavily on his cane and watching the other man. "You won't do anything reckless," he half-states and half-asks, his voice low. [Ariel]
NEW COMBAT ROUND!
You are still engaged in combat.
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar shakes his head, and as if to reaffirm the notion he plops himself down on the bed, a man defeated. "I just want to sleep." All those fancy clothes, all that regal posture and poise, and here he is - near tears after his mini-breakdown, asking for a nap like a toddler. The great descendant of Varian ab Aldair, who slayed the last dragon-casters. Crying on a bed in a whorehouse. [Disengage]
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar fails to disengage immediately.
Ariel has the decency to avert his eyes at that, even as he creeps closer with his uneven and limping gait. "Alright," he says softly. "I'll see the room paid through the night. You'll feel better in the morning." He leans over to pull back the sheets, as far as Marquis Casimir ab Azadar's presence on the bed allows, then turns back toward the door. [Disengage]
You fail to disengage immediately.
NEW COMBAT ROUND!
Marquis Casimir ab Azadar disengages from combat.
You disengage from combat.
"Thank you, Lord Orban," Marquis Casimir ab Azadar mutters dully, his head falling into the sheets. "Tell Marissa I said... hello." Whether it's the second comedown from the drug, or something else, Marquis Casimir ab Azadar seems to be heading for the darkness of sleep fast. "Thank you." [Marquis Casimir ab Azadar]
"...you're welcome." Looking rather sad and weary himself now, Ariel makes his gradual way to the door; a sigh is the last thing that escapes him before he shuts it in his wake. [Ariel]
