#earthrunes

"Very good, then please excuse me. " He bows "I'm off to the garden I think."

As he turns to go, Velvet whispers "you be careful as well."

He turns "What was that?"

She shrugs "Nothing of import, squire. Carry on."

A slight quirk of an eyebrow, looking between the pair.

"You do remember you're a squire too right?" A tilt of his head.

"Piffle... stating the obvious.. off, sir. Sluagh matters."

He rolls his eyes bows again ,and heads off.

An eyebrow at Velvet, comment unspoken. Tea.

A very light blush "Comrades at arms as it were, naught more"

Tea.

(end scene)

******************

Coradel is mulling over art in a gallery while August talks with some of the others about the upcoming quest. She'd like to be in the midst of that, but...no, better to give them space to plan without her butting in.

Vince moves down the hallway, now properly dressed and washed, and with a silver-grey snake draped over his shoulders like an untied necktie. “Lioness, am I interrupting your contemplation of...” he leans around to glimpse whatever she was mulling over.

It's a painting of galloping horses, lovely and inspiring, but with an undertone of violence...what fierce hooves, what flaring nostrils! "Oh, Whiskers! Not at all, I'm glad to see you." She goes to him and takes his arm.

He draws her close for a hug, and admired the art as well for a moment. “You should take care, visiting here,” he cautions, “lest the curator decide that you belong upon the wall with the finest art.”

A fond smile. "Hmm...I wonder what that would be like, framed and mounted for the pleasure of others." A saucy wink.

“I would verily volunteer for that duty.” Lightly nuzzling the top of her head fondly. “However, I find myself more of an artist these days. Why, it was only this very morning that I, with these own two hands, sculpted from the raw dreaming a new mystical portal within thy garden realms.”

She blinks at him, trying to figure out where the truth is hiding. "Indeed? And where does this portal go?" She takes a moment to murmur softly to Anku and lightly strokes the snake's head.

“Where does your imagination wander? Shall you run with the wolves, prancing at Lady Liberty’s heels? Or seek the flowery prose that grows in the garden of the Bard? May I just recommend, perhaps, that you finish your coffee and don good walking shoes, to see where all this silver might lead. And, mayhaps, a phone, lest you become stranded in Ohio. I would say to ask the fair Librarian, if I did not plan to whisk her away anon on adventures. If only I had a copy of the itinerary handy.” A small frown, but it quickly fades.

"The Librarian....wait...this is Zara's trod, the one she's been building? It's working already? That's wonderful!"

His nose wrinkles up happily as she deftly cuts through his puzzling prose. “Mayhaps with a twist she did not intend, but, ah, the dreaming just has good taste. You may approve!”

He regards Coradel and inquires, “You are holding down the fort while the cat is away, lest the mice play havoc? I confess surprise that my travel ticket wasn’t issued to the Lioness, rather than the lion.”

She gives a gentle smile and a little shrug. "This quest belongs to August and Zara, mostly. It's something they've wanted to do together since before I woke in this world. And I am hoping it may go far to grant August honors. But if I go, then I will be the ranking noble of the venture, not he, so the honors might pass him by. I don't want to take a chance on overshadowing him." She pauses. "There's another reason, Whiskers, why I want you to go."

He looks a bit surprised that the quest is focused for Zara and August both, but nods understanding on the noble element. “I admit, I haven’t the least curiousity on what the quest is seeking... perhaps the true treasure will be the friends made along the way.” His ears twitch and he regards her questioningly at the last. “Oh? Am I not too noble as well, King that I am?”

A fond smile, and she reaches up to stroke one of his ears. "Quite so, your majesty, though perhaps a king in rather comfortable incognito. No, my friend...it has to do with your ties to our family. August is seeking information about our past in this Library. I think it's possible that some of that information might relate to you, and I want to give you the chance to learn it and decide what you think of it. I won't force you to go, of course. August tells me it could be a terribly dangerous venture. But it would mean a great deal to me if you could help protect August and bring him home safe to me...but also to find out more about who we all were to one another in the older times."

His chest puffs out and he straightens, and gives her a bow, taking her hands in both of his own, and pressing a kiss upon them. “Lioness, I am honored by your confidence in me.” Sincere for once, with no trace of pooka lies. Until he adds, “and Incognito IS my middle name. Or is that terrible danger? His Majesty Sir PhillippeVincenzo Incognito Terrible Danger O’Hurn, the first of his name.”

She accepts the bow and the hand kiss seriously, then laughs. "Can you blame me for preferring to say 'Whiskers'?"

“You know that you can call me whatever you may wish, as long as you do call me. And fear not, Mighty Anku shall watch over us all. I shall be required, I expect, to pry the dear Librarian and Scribe both from the papery clutches of a Library of Dreams. If there is one thing I know, it is Temptation. After all, Temptation IS my middle name.”

The silver serpent flicks her tongue out, perhaps unimpressed by his boasts.

"Truly, I thought your middle name was Loyal, Strongheart, or Goodfriend, one of those." A pause. "Or maybe it was Sassy Bootie?"

“The Sassiest, and don’t you forget it!” He purrs.

"Well...it has been a little while... I may have forgotten, indeed!" She slips a hand down to give his butt a squeeze. "What were we talking about again?"

“How I am searching the Dreaming over for all of the memories of my posterior to return then forthwith to you. My lady, da’an willing I shall not fail! But I promise thee, if I am to fail, I do pledge to work my life to create new ones. For posterior posterity.”

A serious look, coupled with a twinkle in her eye. "Then I expect you'll get to the bottom of it, as soon as possible. I should let you go so you can prepare."

He draws her close for a quick hug- well, maybe not quick... before obediently heading off to prepare. Flasks will not fill themselves, after all!

Oh, he doesn't get away without a bit of a kiss as well, and Anku gets pet again before she truly releases him to prepare.

*end*