Arcaea/Dining Hall Late 08-09/New Blood Marching
Leon and his men began to march towards Remton, eager to join the battle brewing futher south. Many in his group had lost loved ones to the Ethialan war machine and were thirsty for blood.
Soon after entering the moutain pass of Sasat, Leon saw a brigade of Cavalry, their shining armour reflecting the twilight's glowing body towards his men.
"Knight of Arcaea!" Leon shouted
"Who may you be?"
Leon Tranquilli (Noble)
Desiderata was riding towards Remton as well. She had gone out scavenging with her small number of cavalrymen, and was heading 'home'. She was thinking quietly to herself about various small things when she heard a call from a stranger. She motioned with a nod to her men to circle around toward the unknown man. She turned Amandine, and the large, graceful mare turned lithely. They approached the man and stopped directly in front of him, lining up, creating some sort of barrier.
She looked down at the man critically, decided he was friendly, and jumped down to great him.
"I am Lady Desiderata Lisieux, Knight of Lantzas. And you are?"
In general it was very unladylike to address a man this way, especially one that appeared at least slightly older. She was no wimp though, and she had no idea who he was, so she felt comfortable in addressing him as such. Ama tossed her head and nudged Desi, knocking her off balance. A rosy blush lit up her face as the heat touched there from embarrassment. She put her hand on Ama's nose and whispered, "Shush now!"
Desiderata Lisieux (Dame of Lantzas)
Leon smiled as he recognised the name from his welcome letter that had arrived earlier that evening.
"Ah my lady, it is an honour to meet one such as yourself"
Leon bowed, looking to his left to see his men unsure of what to do, one of which began to wave with a smile on his face. Leon turned and gave him a dirty look, trying to hide the embarassment.
"It is a fine horse you have there m'lady, a very fine horse indeed. Although it comes at no surprise, as a bautiful knight like yourself should be right be riding a beautiful mare"
Leon Tranquilli (Noble)
Desiderata stifled a giggle. Wow, that flirting was so painfully obvious! She pat Ama absently, smiling. "Yes, she is very beautiful. And thank you!" She tried to ignore the dirty look that the man attempted to subtly throw at his soldier. It occurred to her that he had not answered her question. "Pardon me, but who did you say you were?" She wondered how much he would flirt with her. It was a bit over the top, and Desi sort of thought he needed to tone it down a bit. The next giggle got past her. "Oops...."
Desiderata Lisieux (Dame of Lantzas)
Leon began to get extremely embarassed, realising how cheap a line he had used. Steven had reassured him that the girls would be falling to is feet if he used it, however it seamed that the most he got out of it was to make Lady Desiderta go rose pink on her cheeks. Not a wonder really, and Steven was yet to find someone. Leon made a mental note never to take Stevens advice again. He shot another dirty look in his direction.
"I am Leon Tranquilli, Knight of Sasat. It is an honour to meet you M'lady."
Leon took of his bag and took out an old bottle.
"M'lady, Night is upon us and my men and I are soon going to set up camp. Would you like to join us?"
He handed the bottle to Desi
"A drink?"
Leon Tranquilli (Noble)
She smiled and ignored the second dirty look. She would have curtsied as he introduced himself, but she was not wearing a Lady's clothing. She was dressed for riding, and so she nodded her head instead. She recognized his name - she had gotten a letter announcing his arrival to Arcaea. "It is an honor to meet you Sir Tranquilli - would you mind if I called you Leon? I welcome you to Arcaea." She took the drink with a small "thank you" and held up a hand for moment. She beckoned her Captain foreward with a small wave of her hand. Unfortunately Captain Lienhart was taken from her when she was in prison - she hoped that he was not murdered. The Captain now was a temporary replacement. She discussed her plans with him, whispering in his ear. He nodded and hopped back onto his horse. Desiderata took a sip of the drink - she couldn't identify it - and handed it back to Leon with a smile. "Yes we shall camp with you tonight. As a newcomer to Arcaea it is only fitting to accompany you. If you don't mind me asking - what is that drink? It tastes very good."
Desiderata Lisieux (Dame of Lantzas)
"Ofcourse you may call me by my first name, I would find it uncomfortable if you didn't. This is what is left of the Lasanar Liquor in Sasat. A fine drink, if not a little strong. I'd advise not getting back on your horse, it's best not to drink and drive."
Leon chuckled as he turned round to face his men.
"Everyone, tonight we dine with visitors, so break out the rum!"
The men cheered as they all doned eye patches and bandannas and began to look for a nice sport to camp. Leon went to pass the pieces of the costume to a confused Desi.
"Welcome to me camp lass, ARRRRHHH!!!"
Leon Tranquilli (Noble)
The look on her face was pure shock. "Wha-what? Pirates?!" She did not know much of the sea, but pirates were usually not a good thing. She held the accessories in her hands, still staring at Leon. She looked back at her temporary captain, who was having a good chuckle. She shook her head in confusion. And then the daze of the liquor set in. She got dizzy for a moment and reached out a hand to steady herself, and was surprised to find her hand on Leon's shoulder. She pulled back and apologized. "I'm sorry, it's just - I have never had any alcohol other than the finest of wines!" She giggled and went to Amandine to lift the reins over the dark mare's head. She turned to face Leon. She followed him to the camp not too far away. "Oohhhh...." One of her men - Jonathan was it? - jumped down to help steady her as she took a jagged step sideways. Desi waved him off, embarrassed to have help, but he shadowed her anyway. "How delightful!"
Desiderata Lisieux (Dame of Lantzas)
Leon began to quietly laugh as the effects of the infamous liquor seemed to hit Desi quite hard. "No need to apologise Lady Desi. I can call you Desi, can't I?" Leon put on his eyepatch and turned to his 'crew' "Arrrrh! I want to see my ship... I mean camp up and running within the hour. Do i make myself clear?" The group replied in unison. "Aye aye sir!" "Good! Now find me and this fine lass some rum, we're parched!" Leon winked at Desi as his men continued to set up camp. "So... What do you think?"
Leon Tranquilli (Noble)
She laughed lightly as Leon played make-believe. What a childish game! She looked around as Leon's men hurried to make a camp. She looked to her captain and nodded. He hurried the men over to help and she laughed again. She looked at Leon and nodded. "You can call me Desi, sure!" She looked around her and suddenly realized she was still holding Ama's reins. She glanced around her and found a makeshift ring that had been set up. She took off the mare's tack and set it on the railing after she let the Friesian into the pen. She turned to Leon and replied happily, "Oh it is wonderful! But honestly, I don't think I should have anything more to drink. That little gulp has already made me tipsy!"
Desiderata Lisieux (Dame of Lantzas)
Leon found somewhere to sit and plonked himself down. He jestured Desi to join him. Leon lifted up his eye patch and too a swig of rum.
"I know this looks stupid Lady Desi, but there is method in this madness. My mother once said this to me and I have stuck by it my whole life. 'When all is lost and it seams you have nothing, remember, you will always have something to keep you going. Your memories, the good times you spent will keep you going better than any motivational speach.' That is why I hold these sillyparties for my men, so that when they are charging walls taller than the mountains of Sasat they will not stop in fear, they will fight on, fighting for their comrades who they have treated as brothers."
Leon realised he had been rambling on and let have a chance to reply.
"You seem cold M'lady, I have a couple of spare blankets somewhere in my bag"
Leon Tranquilli (Noble)
She walked over and sat down next to him. She thought briefly about taking off her soft and smooth black boots, then decided against it. Who knew when she would be getting up again? He rambled - she just sort of, smiled, and nodded. She did understand what he was talking about, with the morale of the troops. She nodded at his wisdom - or the wisdom of his mother. It suddenly occurred to her that he was still saying Lady Desi. Well, psh! If she wasn't a little...off...then she would be okay with that. But hey! She's a little off. "Oh Leon, forget the 'Lady', for now at least? We're already getting along so well, it's just a small word you can leave you," she chuckled. And then of course, he mentioned blankets. She looked at the small bit of revealed skin, which was mostly her arms. Well, arms and face. She didn't think she could see goosebumps, but she wasn't sure. After all, the man could hold his liquor better than she could (she was aware of that). Perhaps he could see better than she could see. She smiled at him and ignored the possible ulterior motives. "Yes a blanket sounds lovely right about now!" She was frequently cold anyway.
Desiderata Lisieux (Dame of Lantzas)
"Ah ok, thank you.. Desi" Leon felt slightly uncomfortable not addresing Desi properly however she seemed quite sure that it was ok. Leon got up and stedied himself, the Rum starting to take a hold of his senses. "I'll be back in a minute m'lady"
Leon ran off and fetched the goat skin blankets, trying not to fall on top of the piles of blind drunk pirates. He arrived back to where himself and Desi were sitting and put the blankets around Desi's shoulders. "There you go M'lady, Is there anything else I can get you?" Leon lit the fire he had built while the camp was being made and felt a welcomed blast of warmth hit him.
Leon Tranquilli (Noble)
She smiled at him and giggled at his kind gesture.
"No, M'Lord, but thank you."
She hugged the blanket around her shoulders and basked in the glow of the fire. She patted the seat beside her and leaned into him after he sat down. She stared into the fire's glow with a smile as she rested her head on his shoulder. No this wasn't the rum talking. The sun was setting, almost completely gone from the sky, and she got a bit more lonely at night. Desi sighed, and she felt like she had some question to ask, but none could form. She sighed again to replace the absent question. She was glad to have some company - she hadn't had good company in, well, a while.
Desiderata Lisieux (Dame of Lantzas)
Leon wasn't sure what to do as Desi rested her head on his shoulder, so if put his arm around hes and held her steady. Leon could see that Desi seemed like she wanted to say something. "Is there something you wanted to ask Desi?" Leon felt strangely calm holding Desi, his wild spirit kept in check somehow.
Leon Tranquilli (Noble)
She hurried about her own tent, looking for the last few things to complement her appearance. She found the necklace she was looking for, and she put it on to match her deep purple gown. She looked at herself in the full-sized mirror she had borrowed from a local peasant. The length of the gown made her look just a tiny bit taller, which always pleased her. She wore shoes that also added to her height, but were, somehow, not completely unrealistic for the terrain she would have to cross to reach his camp. Well, she'd be riding, but -- oh you get the picture. She smiled as she took in her appearance. Yes, a long pretty gown, a brooch necklace. Her face was powdered - not her whole face white, just coloring on her lids and the apples of her cheeks. Her rich brown hair was done up, with little curls spilling from their position.
She wondered briefly why she was dressing up so much to meet a casual friend, and one that she'd only recently met at that! She wrote it off as a whim that she had decided to indulge. If one were to examine the reasons closely, that would probably be at least 70% of the cause.
She walked from her tent and thanked a servant for holding Ama, already groomed, saddled, and bridled and ready to go. She got a leg-up from the man and was soon riding off after a brief 'thank you'. It did not take long for her to get there. Amandine was a swift girl (as well as a large horse with long strides), and the distance was not far. She reached her destination and dismounted with ease, giving the black mare to one of Leon's servants. Another led her to his tent and announced her presence. As she waited to be let in, she observed the size of his tent - had it gotten larger? Perhaps it had. Soon the man had come back outside and held aside the tent flap to let her in. She entered, her cheeks rosy from the warm blush that had rushed there.
"Hello, M'Lord Leon."
Desiderata Lisieux (Dame of Lantzas)
Leon had finally finished shaving when he heard his tent flap open. He had dressed up in his usual attirre, as Leon was fond of dressing quite smart out of habit. He span round to see Desi in her amazing dress, causing Leon to loose all thrack of thought. Snapping out of his near hypnosis he welcomed Desi into his new tent. Leon had rushed out to get a new tent since Desi's last visit, since there was no space to spare for an extra pair of socks in his previous tent, nevermind a guest. The jet black fabric flutteredin the autumn breeze as Leon came to sit with Lady Desi.
"Hello M'lady, it's a pleasure to have you here. I know it isn't much, but I hope it is to your taste."
Leon offered Desi a glass of water.
"Dinner should be ready soon, is there anything I can get you? I'll start the fire just as soon as I find the wood I gathered earlier"
Leon Tranquilli (Knight of Talex)
