Playing the ingenuous

[evathecat]

Francesca watched the guests carefully. She had spend all morning making herself look her very best, and now she only had to make sure that she did not end up with someone unable to reward her efforts. A poor man and all her hard work would be in vain.

She sighed and fixed her bright blue eyes on the small glass of beer standing in front of her. As long as she did not empty it, she had a valid reason to be in the tavern. If she had had more money, she would not have been here; every farmer and Adora, no, Talon knows what other kind of lowlife could approach her here anytime.

Again, she searched the room for candidates, careful not to look too directly at anyone, but was soon to realise that nothing had changed. How long had she been here now?

She leaned forward and shifted her weight, then moved her glove hands to her carefully taken up blonde hair. Everything seemed to be right with her looks, and, as she knew very well, the crowd around her was the problem. She smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in her white dress and tried to look as though she was waiting for someone. Someone important.

”I’m someone, I couldn’t care less about the people here, for I am waiting for someone more important than them,” she thought to herself, trying to believe it, and trying to look like it.

After long time of admonishing thoughts and hidden looks around the room, she accidentally caught the eye of a young, rather well looking man, who offered her a drink and tried to start a conversation with her. The way he was forming sentences and the mouldy smell that was flowing from his dirty cloak made her smile light but unmistakable and tell him that she was already engaged.

He looked as if he wanted to leave; then a sly grin curled on his face, and he mentioned that this engagement of hers was letting her wait for long. She wanted to say something awful; at least to herself, instead, she sent him a coy smile and told him that she had forgotten everything but the day, which forced her to be here all day if necessary.

He bought her stupid act and left her to her endless waiting for someone better.

[Kysis]

It had been a frightfully long journey, straining on all the senses.  Before it had seemed a chore just to go from the mines back to the keep, but this was in an entirely different league all together.  Rico did not get why his lordship insisted upon staying so far away from home, but that was his choice and the young man could not refute it.  As the retainer to the Lord Liari, he was not supposed to argue… much.  Didn’t stop him at times, but Rico was not in the mood to chance any flaring of tempers, deciding instead to wind down a bit.  What better a place to do it than a tavern?

Rico had asked a few people about a good tavern to dispose of coin at, and had gotten quite the sampling of answers, but also acquired what he had actually been seeking: a description of each to decide on his own.  Of course, Rico had not stated that outright. It was easier to pry such information from a friendly and unknowing source than someone who might turn defensive.  That and this was his first day in Oberon, he did not want to waltz about pissing people off already.  That would come with time.

The young man was dressed in his very finest, a deep olive vest over a starkly white tunic, clean and unfaded brown pants tucked in to his best pair of leather boots.  Rico had wanted to impress a certain someone, but said someone had not been home when Rico arrived to save the day.  Figures.  So it was off to a tavern with him, strutting what he had originally done for someone else.  Though he was not in the lace or velvet many a nobleman flaunted all about their bodies, Rico hardly looked a commoner as he hadn’t been raised like one despite where his family fell.  It was an advantage, surprise of the unknown which he could keep tucked away neatly from the knowledge of others.

The doors of the tavern were an all too welcome site, Rico letting out a sigh of relief as he stepped inside.  Hopefully he would be able to remember the way home after a drink or two, considering he had only been there once and only been this way once and this was day number one.  After a moment of that loop, Rico brushed it from his mind, putting on a smile and striding inside.  He thought about going straight up to the bar and declaring what he wanted, but he honestly did not know.  Rico did not even know what kind of alcohol a place so far north would serve and whether it was any good or not.

Instead he sought himself out a seat, spotting quickly that there was a fair lady all alone, looking omnipotent with her airs.  Rico wanted to roll his eyes, but instead kept the most charming of smiles painted delicately upon his lips, making a meandering approach towards the table before stopping a few steps past it, and backing up and giving a short bow, “M’lady, might I inquire as to why such a lovely Miss would be alone this night?”  Rico kept his tone cool but inviting, knowing how to flirt without it being so obvious it felt like getting hit in the back of the head with something hard.  It was just a bit of innocent fun too, Rico would understand if he got turned away.  She did look like she was waiting for someone…. Though he doubted a woman as dolled up as her would care as long as someone came eventually.

[evathecat]

Francesca had been close to giving up hope as someone came in. She carefully looked at him through the corner of her eye, whenever he did not look in her direction. She bent her head a little and pretended not to notice him when he started moving towards her table. She was not surprised when he stopped close to her table and spoke to her. After all, they were all like that, weren’t they?

He looked nice, though, but he did seem a bit unenthusiastic, as did he expect her to refuse him. Of course, it could be that he simply spoke like that. She had been …entertaining gentlemen for long enough to know that it was impossible to know every type.

She gave his appearance a final, approving glance and decided to pretend to be on his level. Of course, at this time, it did not matter too much if he turned out to be a bad investment, she would have left now, had he not arrived.

There; now she would act a little stupid, a little spoiled and with a reason to be here. - Of course, she would not have a clue why he would ask her in the first place, of course, she would be polite enough to grant him a seat in case he wanted one, of course, she would get very drunk very easy, do what ever he wanted and then leave him at some point in the morning, taking everything valuable with her, unless of course he turned out to have more to offer, which had not happened for a long time.

At least, that was her plan, a plan that had yet to fail.

He would have to be an extremely talented actor himself to be able to recognise her silly innocent act. Somewhere in her mind, a small voice called her pitiful; she killed it by concentrating on her facial expression.

She looked him in the eye, gave a low, nervous laugh and pretended to be explaining herself.

”Oh, it’s a bit embarrassing, Sir…”

She had had more than enough time to think of and memorise the story.

Ingenuous:

While talking, her eyes shied away from his, and when she caught his eye, she blushed cursory and giggled as though she was thinking of something funny.

”Well, I was supposed to meet my cousin for the first time in years, but I might have went to the wrong place after all. You see, he would not let me tell anyone that we were to meet, so I really could not ask for directions, could I?
My dear cousin was certain, Papa would not approve of me going to a tavern.”

She ended her confused explanation with one of her carefully studied coy smiles and lowered her gaze.

She was convincing, and almost a perfect copy of a real person to anyone without quite a talent of his own, she knew it and did not allow herself to become nervous.

[Kysis]

"That\'s terrible!"  Rico was genuinely sorry for the whole event.  He had been quite lost like that himself at one point in time, searching every tavern within the small town before finding the person he needed.  The thought of that night brought a sigh.  Shaking his head, Rico gave a look around the tavern, trying to spot anyone with a slight likingness to the woman here.  He was naive and caring, had been taken advantage of for it before.  In fact, people used his peculiar want to impress the current Lord Liari to their own betterment all the time, but Rico never noticed.

"I\'ve been in a similar situation myself.  If you wish, I could perhaps escourt you to look for him?"

Rico hated it when people went through miles of trouble for something, and then it fell through.  He had been victim to that, too.  Of course, he had not realized the person had no intention of showing up, and they had only given him such an elaborate plan to make it seem more believable.  Rico had never heard that side of the story.  When he had asked what happened, the person had a good excuse too, so he just assumed it was true.  Rico did a lot of assuming, like now.  He assumed that this young woman would not lie to him because she did not know him and thus had no motive to hurt him.  In Kreos, everyone had a good excuse if they were going to attack or rob a person.  It was never random.  Seeing as Rico had just arrived in Oberon, he was not used to the sudden change.

"Or give you company as you wait?  The wait is horrid, I know..."

A heart-felt smile was given.  He really wanted to help, in all honesty.  It was part of his nature, to be as useful as possible.  Normally only one person got to see it (or saw the most of it), but since said person was shunning him off, as usual, Rico had to let it out somewhere.  Rico felt crummy for her, believing every word of the story.  He was willing to brave the winter cold to help out, but seeing as he did not know what this cousin looked like, and the fact that he could ask no one because they told no one....  Kysis would have told him to keep to himself and not be so naive, suspect everyone, but Rico pushed that aside.  It just was not in his nature to be so untrusting.