escordvi | closed 🪶⚡ all i really, really ever want is under the mistletoe

And miss the chance to see you pluck all of his feathers out?

[She clicks her tongue at him and impatiently looks past him into the room beyond with a pretend sulk.]

You are no fun.

[He laughs as his hands pull her at her hips to him.]

I thought you would have enjoyed that.

[She allows him to guide her closer, and she gives her hips a little teasing wiggle.]

I never said I wouldn't. But at least have the courtesy to de-feather the bird before you cook it.

[Her eyes shine with amusement as she moves them further into the room together and away from the door. She leans in to kiss him on the way.]

So you are jealous...

[He lets her lead them further in, as well as meet her for that kiss.]

Jealous? Hah. I just thought your little performance amusing, tis all.

[Another click of her tongue.]

My amusing performance that got us the keys. I think I should be justly rewarded for that.

[Her fingers slide up the back of his neck, and she kisses him again, this time with a little more fervor behind it—]

I like it when you get a little jealous.

[—before she's tipping her head away to look at the room.]

[Just an amused hum with that kiss as he eyes.]

You'll be rewarded in due time.

[Even though she's looking away, she'll feel that familiar trickle of levin suddenly run up her hip where his hands still remain before he steps back.]

But that won't be until after we're through, so sooner we find what we need, the better.

[She sighs against the heat of that levin when it somehow finds a way through her dress to dance over her skin.]

You play a dangerous game, Cidolfus.

[A flicker of want shadows her gaze as she watches him step away from her, and her fingers twitch with the urge to pull him back again, but he is right. They have other things that they need to do first, and this seems as good a place to start as any.]

It would be helpful if we knew what exactly it is we needed. "Anything" makes it a difficult thing to find.

[He just gives her a knowing smirk before stepping further into the room, glancing around.]

At first I thought it might be a library but there's a desk over there... If it's an office, there may be some documents about our generous host's business. List of associates, perhaps?

Do you suppose that this man has any connection to the businesses we are after?

[She watches him for a moment longer before she moves to the desk.]

Or just very good at whatever it is he does...?

To have this much wealth, either he's good at stealing or he has good business connections. Regardless, even if not directly there could be overlaps.

[As he passes by the shelves, glancing at the titles out of idle curiosity, he pauses when he notices a trend.]

And our host seems to be rather interested in magic. The shelves are full of books about different theories and such. Relics and artifacts, too.

[Her disinterest in the business side of things earns him a low hum as she idly flips through the things on his desk, but she lifts her eyes, perking up, at the mention of the relics and magic.]

Oh?

[Coming around the desk closer to him.]

Anything that might be of use to us?

That I'm not sure... Titles can be misleading, after all, and there quite a number of books. However, I could take a few pictures to look up later.

[He idly pulls one out to flip through before placing it back.]

[She watches him, that hopeful look in her eyes fading a touch, along with the interest in her voice.]

Well, perhaps finding something on the whales might provide us with another clue...

[He sees that change and he can't help but give her a rueful grin.]

How about I take a look here then, and you look around the desk. Only have so much time, after all.

[She feels a little bad, but she is trying not to get her hopes up too high regarding anything to do with the curse or the relics. She has been too disappointed too many times that whenever she feels that little spark of hope, she is quick to snuff it out. With an apologetic look back, she starts to rummage through the desk.]

Yes, before our feathered friend comes looking for me.

[Fortunately, nothing seems to be locked like most that they've come across, so no need to blast or break anything open.]

A list of names for those attending the party would be nice... If this Danos is here, then having a first name would help.

Unless they use a different name.

[Relying on her to find what they need, he takes out his phone to take a few pictures of promising titles, noting that the owner actually kept the books in some kind of order. This made it easier for him to pass through sections that would be useless to look through while focusing on areas that looked more promising.]

If you do find it, be sure to use your phone to take a picture. No need for us to take it.

And let them keep one more thing?

[She chuckles under a breath and starts to search through the many papers on the desk, and she clicks her tongue as she shoves them all about without a care. It's not as if they will know who it was that was here.]

A shame that his desk is an absolute mess of papers and books. And journals. [An arch of her brow at him.] Reminds me of you.

What, it's not as if it's that valuable. Just would make it less likely for them to suspect anything when they're trying to find the thieves who pilfered their other wares.

[A grin at her over a book he's pulled out because he knows she will pilfer something.]

And what is that supposed to mean?

[About his desk.]

That your desk can be messy most days.

[Said so matter-of-factly, with a look to go with it, but there is the slightest uptick of her lip when she meets his eyes.

She picks up a journal and flips through it, her eyes skimming the pages for anything of importance, or interest. Just the journal musings of an old man that are not her old man's. Boring. She tosses it aside and slides open the drawer.]

It would seem that he writes poetry.

It's not "messy," I call it organized chaos.

[Because he at least knows where everything is.

Not finding anything of worth in the book he's looking in, he sets it back and browses the next set of shelves before picking out another.]

Any good?

[She just snorts at him.]

Not nearly half as poetic as the things you have written about me.

[Which he still owes her the chance to read, for the record—]

...Oh?

[She pauses when she opens the second drawer, finding a little black book.]

These are always promising.

[A fact he will conveniently not mention—]

Oh? What's in it?

[It's okay, she hasn't forgotten!!!

But she flips open the little black book and lo and behold...]

As I suspected... [She waves it around, the pages rustling at the motion as she shows it off to him. It is an old-fashioned contact book.] Names, addresses, shellphone IDs...

[Pages and pages of them, apparently.]

[There's a sharp raise of his brow as he makes his way over to look.]

That's quite the list. And it doesn't even seem to be using any particular code...

[A questionable tilt of his head.]

Seems early to say, but our host is either the most naive or confident.

[She steps up to him, helping to light the pages with a flicker of her magic so that they can read the messy handwriting easier.]

I was half expecting it to be written in that same code as the other things we found...

[She cants her head as she slowly flips through.]

Makes you wonder if he is even part of it at all, if he is keeping all these names in here without it.

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