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Post by spigurl on Jan 19, 2008 20:55:06 GMT -5
Still determined to get it out of him, she said, "Right, I shan't ask. There's probably some enormous unsolved prank at the Palace with your name on it, remembered only by a handful of victims and the people who had to tidy up afterwards."
"That's not phrased as a question, but still is," Caden replied in turn. He only smiled at her, still unwilling to share. There were many events. Too many to count, but they were secret. Besides, he had sworn to the other pages in on it that he wouldn't ever tell. They all had.
“He works in the Wing too; we met at University, and haven’t annoyed each other enough since to alienate ourselves.”
"That's nice," Caden said, and meant it. He would have liked to still be friends with people he knew growing up. "I would like to meet the man that knows your darkest secrets. Should be interesting. Does he have a name?" The knight looked at Annikka, a devious grin on his face. He was only joking, of course. Partly. It would be interesting to meet him, but Caden wouldn't ask for many secrets. Any, he corrected himself, still smiling.
What Annikka has said of the training master troubled Caden slightly. It wasn't good to hear that the man was acting as such. Nobody would benefit from it. Especially the pages. Not for the first time, the knight tried to put it from his mind. It really wasn't any of his business.
"Was there no better candidate?" he asked, curious. "Surely, there had to be someone..."
"I'll ask him, maybe, when I see him."
"Sure, if you'd like." Caden wouldn't mind that, but wouldn't know what her brother and himself would have in common anymore. There would be little to reminisce about, seeing as they had spent little time together.
(OOC: Again, sorry. Feel free to take as long as you'd like to reply. I've got exams and I've been studying for them. I'll be more free next weekend.)
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Post by Rainstorm Aria on Jan 22, 2008 7:18:00 GMT -5
"That's not phrased as a question, but still is," Caden replied in turn. He just smiled at her. She flushed slightly. Oops.
“All right, I’ll shut up,” she said in as easy a tone she could manage.
"That's nice," Caden said, and meant it. He would have liked to still be friends with people he knew growing up. "I would like to meet the man that knows your darkest secrets. Should be interesting. Does he have a name?"
Annikka squinted at him, considering. The devious grin was worrying, but she doubted Caden would actually use anything Emlyn remembered against her. “Emlyn Llewellyn, since you ask so politely. He’ll probably refer to me as Nika, or something like that. A northerner, like me, and one whose family didn’t take to...” She grinned- “ah, simplifying their names for southerners’ benefit."
"Was there no better candidate?" he asked, curious. "Surely, there had to be someone..."
“He’s said to be a good commander and a good knight,” Annikka explained. She had asked herself that question many times, and had spent some time researching the answer. “Upstanding knight, said to be fair, that sort of thing. He just patronises people who he doesn’t know to respect, and has no idea how to handle the pages.”
"Sure, if you'd like."
Annikka shrugged again. Simeon was unlikely to recall Caden, but he might have done. It would have been interesting to ask, anyway. “Just an absent-minded idea.”
(OOC: That’s fine. ^^)
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Post by spigurl on Jan 29, 2008 17:12:58 GMT -5
“All right, I’ll shut up,” she replied to his 'question but not a question' comment. Caden shook his head, smiling slightly.
"But I would miss the sound of your lovely voice," he told her morosely.
“Emlyn Llewellyn, since you ask so politely. He’ll probably refer to me as Nika, or something like that. A northerner, like me, and one whose family didn’t take to...” She grinned- “ah, simplifying their names for southerners’ benefit."
"Yes, I always found that a bit bothersome. But we all can't have names as simple -- or as lovely -- as Caden," he grinned. Nika, he thought. what a lovely nickname. Makes me glad there's not much you can do with my own name. "I'll have to look him up and interrogate.... I mean politely question him on your childhood."
“Upstanding knight, said to be fair, that sort of thing. He just patronises people who he doesn’t know to respect, and has no idea how to handle the pages,” Annikka told him. Caden had heard this story before. It was often the case with high ranked military men. They knew how to impress their betters and that was it. No sense whatsoever of others.
"It's a pity we can't expect an early retirement," he remarked. They were still walking and Caden was once again beginning to feel the effects of the cold. He liked conversing with Annikka, but it was getting much too chipper for his liking. Caden didn't want to let Annikka know for she was sure to waste more energy on him. So, at the next street, he subtly turned the way that would lead back to the palace.
(OOC: Sorry forever. Exams last week and I was gone all weekend. I owe you one. And I'll reply to Matt right after this as well.)
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Post by Rainstorm Aria on Jan 30, 2008 16:05:04 GMT -5
"But I would miss the sound of your lovely voice," he told her morosely. Annikka snorted, though she felt pleased by the compliment. "In much the same way you miss Court parties, I imagine. Was that you trying to be inconspicuous at the last session of torture?" she added. "Being flirted at by someone in a purple dress? I thought I recognised you, but I could easily be wrong." "Yes, I always found that a bit bothersome. But we all can't have names as simple -- or as lovely -- as Caden," he grinned. Nika, he thought. what a lovely nickname. Makes me glad there's not much you can do with my own name. "I'll have to look him up and interrogate.... I mean politely question him on your childhood.""I can't think why southerners have problems with such names," Annikka said in her best innocent tone. "Must be in the blood." She grinned. "All right, but don't break him. I need him to charm or at least distract fractious old ladies who think toad's fat is ideal for their little grandson's sore eyes." "It's a pity we can't expect an early retirement," he remarked. Annikka simply nodded, stuffing her gloved hands into her pockets. It was extremely brisk out for Corus, and very cold after the warm restaurant. "It's cold, isn't it?" she remarked, and noticed that they were turning back to the palace. She had followed Caden's footsteps on instinct. She glared accusingly up at Caden, who wasn't wearing a coat. "You must be freezing without a coat. Why didn't you say? You will catch the flu, and then I'll come down one morning to find you in the Healers' Wing with a hellish temperature and a miserable expression, and I promise you I will say I told you so." (OOC: It's all right. )
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Post by spigurl on Feb 3, 2008 16:22:52 GMT -5
"In much the same way you miss Court parties, I imagine. Was that you trying to be inconspicuous at the last session of torture?" she added. "Being flirted at by someone in a purple dress? I thought I recognised you, but I could easily be wrong."
"Your eyes must have been deceiving you," Caden replied, though he remembered that night well. "Me being inconspicuous? At a party? Absurd." His eyes twinkled with the joke. The woman in question was a particularly annoying one. At first, it was her mother who did the talking. Then, when that noble left, the daughter practically threw herself at Caden. The knight looked around for help but there was none to be found. "If you were there, why didn't you come help me?"
"Must be in the blood," she said of the names. Caden smiled.
"Yes, our simple blood. That must be it."
"All right, but don't break him. I need him to charm or at least distract fractious old ladies who think toad's fat is ideal for their little grandson's sore eyes."
"Ah, what an important use. I shall have to keep him alive for you then," Caden said, crossing his arms to stay a bit warmer. Blast this weather, he thought. Why not go back to the desert? It was warmer there.
As if reading his thoughts, Annikka warned him of the flu. "You must be freezing without a coat. Why didn't you say? You will catch the flu, and then I'll come down one morning to find you in the Healers' Wing with a hellish temperature and a miserable expression, and I promise you I will say I told you so."
Caden shrugged, smiling. He didn't mind not having a coat and he wouldn't mind going to the Healers' Wing. There were worse things than the flu. "When I came to find you, I didn't think of going outdoors. By the time we left, it was too late. And say 'I told you so' all you want."
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Post by Rainstorm Aria on Feb 4, 2008 15:52:47 GMT -5
"Your eyes must have been deceiving you," Caden replied, though he remembered that night well. "Me being inconspicuous? At a party? Absurd."
Annikka shook her head mock-solemnly. “Of course. I must’ve been mistaken; no one who likes parties as much as you do would be anything but the life and soul of one.”
"If you were there, why didn't you come help me?"
“I was going to,” she said ruefully, wincing, “but then I was collared by a healer twice my age who’s been serving with the army in Pseudopolis and who wanted to know all about ‘this grass-green noble chit I’m supposed to take orders from these days’. That was an interesting interview.”
He smiled, and agreed. "Yes, our simple blood. That must be it."
She smiled back at him. “Nothing wrong with simple. The names are simple, it’s just they’re spelt oddly and the spelling puts you off.”
"Ah, what an important use. I shall have to keep him alive for you then," Caden said, crossing his arms to stay a bit warmer. She looked up at him, and decided to let the action pass for the moment, although if things got much worse she was definitely going to say that she knew he was very cold, and why on earth should she not stop him being cold when it was her fault anyway. “Please do. I can’t cope with them myself, most of them knew me when I was tiny.”
Caden shrugged, smiling. He didn't mind not having a coat and he wouldn't mind going to the Healers' Wing. There were worse things than the flu. "When I came to find you, I didn't think of going outdoors. By the time we left, it was too late. And say 'I told you so' all you want."
“That’s my fault,” Annikka said, cross at herself for being so short-sighted and at him for not saying a word about it. “I’m sorry.”
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Post by spigurl on Feb 4, 2008 20:23:17 GMT -5
“Of course. I must’ve been mistaken; no one who likes parties as much as you do would be anything but the life and soul of one.”
"Exactly," he replied. "Parties can't even start without me. That's how much I am needed." Caden smiled, enjoying the joke.
Annikka admitted that she wanted to help, but was cornered by some old mage. Caden made a sympathetic face. "Did you pass or fail?"
“Nothing wrong with simple. The names are simple, it’s just they’re spelt oddly and the spelling puts you off.”
"Glad to hear it. It is that spelling. I can't ever figure it out. Don't know how you manage," he told her.
“Please do. I can’t cope with them myself, most of them knew me when I was tiny.”
"What a curse. To have adults who saw you in your nappies still know you today. Sort of embarrassing, I would think." Caden didn't know any such people of his own. He was slightly glad of that.
“That’s my fault,” Annikka said, apologizing.
Caden waved his hand in dismissal. "Not in the slightest. I just forgot, that's all. Don't worry about it."
They were closer to the palace and Caden could get warm then. He had suggested the walk, after all. It wasn't as if they couldn't have gone to his rooms and gotten a coat. He didn't remember, so that was that. Couldn't go back and do it again. Besides, he had had an enjoyable time without the jacket.
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Post by Rainstorm Aria on Feb 5, 2008 16:44:54 GMT -5
"Exactly," he replied. "Parties can't even start without me. That's how much I am needed." Caden smiled, enjoying the joke.
Annikka smiled back at Caden, glad to get a smile out of him- he seemed to be in a solemn mood. “Naturally. Of course, no party’s ever complete without my slightly awkward presence- not that I boast,” she added with an innocent expression.
Caden made a sympathetic face. "Did you pass or fail?"
Annikka pulled a truly horrendous face, glad for Caden's sympathy but hating the memory of the meeting. “Damned if I know. I introduced myself, as you do when you meet people for the first time, and he didn’t look in the least bit discomposed that he’d just mouthed off about me, but started in on a list of grievances of truly epic proportions. I swear by the Goddess, never once did he pause for breath! That’s why I didn’t try and rescue you; I was stuck myself.”
"Glad to hear it. It is that spelling. I can't ever figure it out. Don't know how you manage," he told her.
The healer shrugged her shoulders in a so-so movement. “Practice? Some of them you just have to learn, and others no-one ever gets right.”
"What a curse. To have adults who saw you in your nappies still know you today. Sort of embarrassing, I would think."
“Not exactly in nappies,” Annikka moderated. “I was five or so before I ever met most of my extended family or their social circle, gods be thanked.”
Caden waved his hand in dismissal. "Not in the slightest. I just forgot, that's all. Don't worry about it."
They were approaching the palace. Annikka eyed him as discreetly as possible, trying to work out how cold he was, more or less. He looked as if he’d be all right. “All right,” she agreed.
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Post by spigurl on Feb 11, 2008 14:49:01 GMT -5
“Naturally. Of course, no party’s ever complete without my slightly awkward presence- not that I boast,” Annikka told him, an expression of pure innocence on her face. Caden nodded, a slightly mocking look on his face. "Right..."
“Damned if I know. I introduced myself, as you do when you meet people for the first time, and he didn’t look in the least bit discomposed that he’d just mouthed off about me, but started in on a list of grievances of truly epic proportions. I swear by the Goddess, never once did he pause for breath! That’s why I didn’t try and rescue you; I was stuck myself.”
"Sounds as if you were the one in greater peril. I should have excused myself and tried to save you instead," he told her. After all, how hard was it to get away from a woman? Pretty damned hard, Caden's inner voice told him. Of course it was. They could be so clingy. That's why he never spent much time with the ladies on his travels. They would beg him to stay and not leave their side. He was never in the mood for that.
"Five? Alright, I suppose that's better," he replied. "You're never too young to be exposed into your family's social circle. I think the time when I could have been exposed, I was on my way to the palace." Which was probably an excellent thing.
They had reached the palace and were almost to the door. Caden was relieved. He hadn't exactly shown it, but he was freezing. A warm cup of tea by the fire was exactly what he planned when he got back to his rooms. "Here we are," he said, stepping aside to allow Annikka to go first.
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Post by Rainstorm Aria on Feb 12, 2008 12:46:12 GMT -5
Caden nodded, a slightly mocking look on his face. "Right..."
She grinned, knowing Caden had got the joke. “Exactly.”
"Sounds as if you were the one in greater peril. I should have excused myself and tried to save you instead," he told her.
Annikka snorted disparagingly, recalling the woman who had pounced on the unfortunate Caden. “Don’t try telling me that wretch in the purple dress would have let you go without a fight. Silly woman.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, the healer was three-parts drunk, and probably wouldn’t have noticed if you had turned up. Not that I wouldn't have enjoyed your company much, much more than I did his, but this way he got the list over and done with, and it would have been much worse to listen to if I was in the middle of paperwork. At least I didn’t have to say anything other than ‘oh, I see’ or ‘I quite understand’ or even ‘I shall certainly submit the subject for review’, all of which are stock phrases I memorised some time ago. It wasn’t as if he actually thought I would pay attention, he just wanted to moan. And he did. For ages.” She smiled ruefully. “It was quite hard to keep a straight face when he started on the- I think he said ‘iniquity’ –of allowing frivolous young noblewomen to take important posts. Since I’m twenty-three, I think he missed the mark there. I also can't remember a single occasion on which I've been described as frivolous- 'mild', 'boring', and 'tame', but not frivolous." She managed to keep her tone light, but her displeasure at having been described in those terms by ill-tempered ladies-in-waiting had been deep at the time, and it was still a sore point.
"Five? Alright, I suppose that's better," he replied. "You're never too young to be exposed into your family's social circle. I think the time when I could have been exposed, I was on my way to the palace."
“It is,” Annikka agreed. “If my relatives remember any embarrassing stories about me, they’re keeping them very quiet- that is,” she added, rolling her eyes, “embarrassing stories other than the ones my father reminds me of every so often.”
"Here we are," he said, stepping aside to allow Annikka to go first.
Annikka stepped inside, glad of the warmth, and unwound her scarf from her neck. “You were cold,” she said mildly, watching Caden. She paused a moment, weighing up the pros and cons of saying something further (she really didn’t want to sound fussy to him) and added- “Don’t freeze yourself, all right? It would be a horrible bore trying to defrost you.” She smiled at him. “Besides, it would take forever, and I would miss talking to you.”
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Post by spigurl on Feb 18, 2008 20:45:39 GMT -5
“Don’t try telling me that wretch in the purple dress would have let you go without a fight. Silly woman.”
Caden laughed dryly at Annikka's explanation. He would definitely be the first to agree with her on that part. Fiona, Feela, or whatever ridiculous name she had would not have left unless forcibly removed by very strong men. Nay, very strong giants. She was determined to not leave his side the whole night. "Can't pretend to disagree with you there. She had latched her claws into me."
"Frivilous? You don't say," the knight asked, brow raised. "Well, it sounds as if both of us had a wretched night. Maybe we should stay away from balls for awhile. If we don't show up, we can't be pounced on." Caden was very glad he didn't have a position of high standing. He was only a knight. One who hadn't been back to the palace in years, at that. Nobody would be expecting much of him and the only people he had to endure were the young ladies. If only I hadn't chosen this blasted profession. Then they would be around me all the time begging for stories, he thought, slightly irritated.
"What nice relatives you have," Caden remarked. "Except perhaps for your crazy mother." He smiled at her. From previous experiences, he knew that father were supposed to remember the embarrassing stories about their children. It was all in good fatherhood. "And I'm pretty sure father's are supposed to think of all that stuff. They can share it at their daughter's wedding. After she's safely married, of course."
Caden made no attempt to deny Annikka's accusation of being cold. He most certainly was cold, but there was really not much he could do about that. Now, he would drink something warm and lay about for the rest of the day. Or maybe, he would go back outside and practice. The knight hadn't done much of that since he had gotten to Corus. I'm probably rusty by now. "I'll do my best to to freeze," he told her, smiling back. "And you don't have to wait until I'm frozen to talk with me. Anytime before that is just fine."
(OOC: Me + RP = suck)
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Post by Rainstorm Aria on Feb 19, 2008 15:27:16 GMT -5
Caden laughed dryly. "Can't pretend to disagree with you there. She had latched her claws into me."
Annikka grimaced. “Poor you. Did you ever get away? I didn’t see.”
"Frivilous? You don't say," the knight asked, brow raised. "Well, it sounds as if both of us had a wretched night. Maybe we should stay away from balls for awhile. If we don't show up, we can't be pounced on."
“I certainly do say,” Annikka answered. “I don’t think I can avoid attending all of them, or Her Majesty will want to know why. I don’t really want to explain it to her.” "What nice relatives you have," Caden remarked. "Except perhaps for your crazy mother. And I'm pretty sure father's are supposed to think of all that stuff. They can share it at their daughter's wedding. After she's safely married, of course."
Annikka stuck her tongue out at him. “My crazy mother is perfectly nice when she hasn’t got marriage on the brain, I’m sure, it’s just that she has and nothing I say or do can dislodge it. And I bet your relatives never shared stories about you half-sawing through a pair of stirrups you thought were your brother’s in revenge for some crime against you, and only realising they were actually yours when your pony bolted and threw you into a mud puddle.”
Caden made no attempt to deny Annikka's accusation of being cold."I'll do my best to to freeze," he told her, smiling back. "And you don't have to wait until I'm frozen to talk with me. Anytime before that is just fine."
Annikka’s smile stayed on her face. “I would talk to you when you’re not frozen- in fact I’d love to -I just don’t know where to find you.”
(OOC: aww, molly. Don’t be so hard on yourself.)
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Post by wowposter on Oct 29, 2008 2:47:22 GMT -5
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Post by wowposter on Nov 3, 2008 17:35:04 GMT -5
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Post by uppoerleveling on May 3, 2009 21:38:51 GMT -5
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