Who: Cidolfus Telamon & Benedikta Harman. Status: Closed. Where: Around places. What: Cid and Benedikta follow a lead and sneak into a fancy holiday party. Event stuff TBA. Warnings: it's them, what do you want from me
[She lets out a delighted squeal of surprise when his hand lands, the sound turning into unabashed laughter as her eyes follow him like a cat stalking its prey.]
Oh, I've plenty of room for dessert now.
[She picks out a tomato and presses it between her lips, resisting the urge to drop everything and kiss him instead.]
[With one hand holding the tray, he holds out his arm for her to take.
After listening carefully to ensure no one was outside, they quietly exit the room and quickly make it down the hall just before a servant turns down into it. Posing as the loving couple that they are (although is it really posing when they just act naturally?), they make their way back into the main hall. As they walk they quietly discuss their plan while masking it as if they are whispering sweet nothings to each other and for now they decide to stick together and feel out the guests before eventually separating.
Not wanting to stand out too much just yet, they find a table that has another seemingly doting couple and with a quick glance at each other they move over and ask if they could join. Although surprised, the couple happily oblige, allowing Cid to put down the tray of food he had been carrying. This of course prompts a question as to where they got such a selection that seemed different than what was offered at the food tables and before Benedikta can answer, Cid responds that she is currently feeling rather sensitive due to the strong smells and such.
The husband doesn't quite catch on, but the wife's eyes widen as she also notices the glass is not wine but something else. But she is polite and just smiles happily, wishing Benedikta to rest and not push herself too much. It's a "delicate time" after all (the husband still just looks confused, poor sod). But already from this brief exchange it seems the couple is at least perhaps more "honorable" than most here. They seem to be on the older side, the wife perhaps more mature than her more rotund husband, and while their attire seems on the more simple side compared to the glitz and glam of other younger and clearly affluent members, there is an almost elegant sophistication. The wife has pearls and diamonds as her jewelry, and the husband has a gold chain pocket watch hinted on his front vest pocket, the fabric of the suit and dress clearly high end.
Of course looks can be deceiving, so they'll need to probe more as to what they do...]
[She happily takes his offered arm, sliding hers through gracefully as they return to the party, looking as if nothing had happened and they did not just snoop through a Paladin's belongings or steal some jewels and coins. Benedikta is sure to fix her hair and dress back into place, as well as checking on the jewels that he had dropped into the front of it earlier that are nice and snug.
And now it is time for them to do what they do best—work the rooms with their charms and unmatched charisma. She was not expecting that the first couple that they end up talking to to be so delightful, something that she wars with on the inside as she was fully prepared to go into it hating every single one of the attendees. Instead, she turns her ire on Cid when he goes on and on and on about how sensitive she is, how she is "delicate", something about building their little nest, all of which makes her stare at him looking like an angry little bird ready to peck his eyes out at the next insinuation. But she plays along, smiling stiffly as she agrees with everything he says to keep up the act. Loathe as she is to admit it, it seems to be working, and they are buying it. That is the only consolation here.
They go on to explain that they are restaurant owners, running several successful businesses across Nogard, Elah, and Eltrut. "Oh, maybe you've been to one! We have this lovely place that overlooks the water on Elah, we're well known for the private terraces!" the wife explains, beaming.
Benedikta glances sideways at Cid with a soft clearing of her throat.]
No, I do not think we have been there or heard of it.
[Her husband laughs. "Well, if you ever would like to eat there, we'd be happy to get you on the guest list. Maybe after the baby comes?"
To think that their luck somehow managed to have them meet the owners of the very restaurant they went to for their first official date. A restaurant they posed as another couple's reservation and left without paying. Well, it was under that other couple's name, so technically not their problem, but he can't help feel a little prick of guilt there.
So he's just going to continue to ignore those burning glares his lovely little dove is trying to stab him with and just smiles broadly.]
Perhaps even sooner if we can make the trip. Unless you have a branch here in Nogard?
[The wife sighs.
"We do, but as you know...the view is not quite as charming as Elah can afford. But there is a part of Nogard that overlooks the lagoon that Nogard creates with its tail, up high on the spikes. It also gives a lovely view of the city from above."]
Is it so difficult to run so many different restaurants in such unique places? Obtaining ingredients, especially of the high quality you must use.
[The husband just waves his hand.
"There can be difficulties, especially how often the leviathans move, but to make it unique we cater each menu specific to the location. There are a few special items that all three will share to be considered a "staple" dish to represent the line, but we try to source ingredients as local as we can. But, well, as you said, we only wish to have the highest quality, and for that we have our own farms on specially located islands. But it also has it setbacks..."
Catching on, Cid immediately says—]
Keeping it all fresh when shipping it across great distances.
[Another sigh from the husband.
"Yes. When we're close by we try to ship as much as possible. There are cooling boxes and such, but they haven't been working as well as we wish, especially if we want some ingredients to be harvested off season."]
[Well, that is interesting indeed, and as Benedikta sips on her peach juice (ugh, how she wishes it were wine like everyone else at this table... did he really have to keep up with the story!?), her brows lift as they explain their other locations. Those dagger-like stares turn to ones of intrigue, as if to silently tell him that they should find the time to go for one of the many dates he owes her.
She lets him do most of the talking through the business portion, even if it isn't what they were looking for. They seem like a perfectly normal couple, if not fairly wealthy, though not ones to flaunt as much. A couple who has earned their wealth through hard work and good business decisions... So, she listens as Cid works the table in a completely different and unexpected way.]
Cooling boxes?
[Benedikta's eyes flit to Cid, and she gives a cant of her head.]
Is that not sound like something similar to what you were working with?
[Both husband and wife look at him expectantly, and beside him, Benedikta preens.]
[He chuckles at that, knowing Benedikta would have caught on.]
Something like that. I'm a bit of an inventor and I've been working on improving certain household appliances and wares to be more efficient. Having finished the stoves, I've moved on to refrigeration and the cooling systems currently employed.
["Oh my!" the wife exclaims with a silent clap of her hands. "Do you think you could come up with a solution for shipping issues?"]
Perhaps, but I would need to learn more about your methods, along with the ships and ingredients you use.
[The husband eyes Cid for a moment, as if scrutinizing him before they widen.
"Ah, could you be that fellow who developed those stoves?"
To that Cid just winks.]
I don't have any business cards on me, but one in the same.
[At that the couple becomes more animated as they had apparently looked and purchased one for themselves, contemplating if they should use them in the restaurants. As they continue the discussion, Cid glances at Benedikta with a bit of a smug grin. While not exactly what he intended when joining this couple, it's a boon in its own way.]
[She'll just let them talk. For as little knowledge as she has about what sorts of things he can make and is working on, she will not interrupt a good business opportunity when she sees one. She has a good read on these people and believes they are genuine in their interest, and it comes with the bonus of being put on the guest list of all of their restaurants, free to go whenever they please. Not quite the connection they were hoping for, but she thinks he should take it.
And when he flashes her that grin, she returns it with a fond smile and an arch of her brow over her glass as she sips it in silence before it is her turn to talk up his products. Not that they need convincing, but she will do so anyway, explaining how they all have simply made her life easier around the house. How well they work, how convenient they are. How good of a businessman he is. How they should commission him for more.
Not only do they come out of that with a business opportunity for him, but the wife had made pleading looks to her husband about perhaps getting one of the stoves—they needed a new one anyway! A few others at nearby tables also express their interest, and Benedikta will happily talk him up to them, too.
At some point, they will have to excuse themselves, Benedikta using the excuse that she is starting to feel a bit peckish again and needs to get up and stretch. It works like a charm, and once they are out of earshot, she presses her lips to his cheek, whispering into his ear with a sweet, low voice.]
[It certainly is much more than he expected, and whether it's such a good idea to become more well known here or not remains to be seen. But it is true that he could use higher funding to keep everything afloat (they can only use "Corsair income" for so much) and as long as he checks the potential clients and limits his services, it should be fine.
Still, it's a bit of a strange feeling to be recognized even this much, especially when he started his little business as something of an impulsive hobby and a means for a stable income while in this world, and he can't help but smile a bit at the kiss.]
Still remains to be seen what comes of it, but it's a start.
[Which is surprising, considering how much she loathes this sort of thing as a whole. If it were not for the free food and drinks and jewelry that she's helped herself to, it might not have been worth it otherwise. Barring the information, of course.
And Mrs. Havershim had a certain elegance to her that Benedikta admired.]
I would not mind paying a visit to their restaurants when we have the chance.
[She arches a brow at him, but she pauses to turn to him, masking their whispering by pressing him against the wall and caging him there with her body.]
As loathe as I am to agree to it, shall we split up and search? I am counting at least a dozen women in dark blue in this very room.
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I'll grab it then.
[But as he passes, his hand slides around her waist to her hip—]
Just save room for dessert later.
[—before there is a little smack to her own cute little rump before he smirks as he walks over to the table.]
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Oh, I've plenty of room for dessert now.
[She picks out a tomato and presses it between her lips, resisting the urge to drop everything and kiss him instead.]
Now, let us go hunting, shall we?
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After listening carefully to ensure no one was outside, they quietly exit the room and quickly make it down the hall just before a servant turns down into it. Posing as the loving couple that they are (although is it really posing when they just act naturally?), they make their way back into the main hall. As they walk they quietly discuss their plan while masking it as if they are whispering sweet nothings to each other and for now they decide to stick together and feel out the guests before eventually separating.
Not wanting to stand out too much just yet, they find a table that has another seemingly doting couple and with a quick glance at each other they move over and ask if they could join. Although surprised, the couple happily oblige, allowing Cid to put down the tray of food he had been carrying. This of course prompts a question as to where they got such a selection that seemed different than what was offered at the food tables and before Benedikta can answer, Cid responds that she is currently feeling rather sensitive due to the strong smells and such.
The husband doesn't quite catch on, but the wife's eyes widen as she also notices the glass is not wine but something else. But she is polite and just smiles happily, wishing Benedikta to rest and not push herself too much. It's a "delicate time" after all (the husband still just looks confused, poor sod). But already from this brief exchange it seems the couple is at least perhaps more "honorable" than most here. They seem to be on the older side, the wife perhaps more mature than her more rotund husband, and while their attire seems on the more simple side compared to the glitz and glam of other younger and clearly affluent members, there is an almost elegant sophistication. The wife has pearls and diamonds as her jewelry, and the husband has a gold chain pocket watch hinted on his front vest pocket, the fabric of the suit and dress clearly high end.
Of course looks can be deceiving, so they'll need to probe more as to what they do...]
no subject
And now it is time for them to do what they do best—work the rooms with their charms and unmatched charisma. She was not expecting that the first couple that they end up talking to to be so delightful, something that she wars with on the inside as she was fully prepared to go into it hating every single one of the attendees. Instead, she turns her ire on Cid when he goes on and on and on about how sensitive she is, how she is "delicate", something about building their little nest, all of which makes her stare at him looking like an angry little bird ready to peck his eyes out at the next insinuation. But she plays along, smiling stiffly as she agrees with everything he says to keep up the act. Loathe as she is to admit it, it seems to be working, and they are buying it. That is the only consolation here.
They go on to explain that they are restaurant owners, running several successful businesses across Nogard, Elah, and Eltrut. "Oh, maybe you've been to one! We have this lovely place that overlooks the water on Elah, we're well known for the private terraces!" the wife explains, beaming.
Benedikta glances sideways at Cid with a soft clearing of her throat.]
No, I do not think we have been there or heard of it.
[Her husband laughs. "Well, if you ever would like to eat there, we'd be happy to get you on the guest list. Maybe after the baby comes?"
And now she is glaring at Cid.]
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To think that their luck somehow managed to have them meet the owners of the very restaurant they went to for their first official date. A restaurant they posed as another couple's reservation and left without paying. Well, it was under that other couple's name, so technically not their problem, but he can't help feel a little prick of guilt there.
So he's just going to continue to ignore those burning glares his lovely little dove is trying to stab him with and just smiles broadly.]
Perhaps even sooner if we can make the trip. Unless you have a branch here in Nogard?
[The wife sighs.
"We do, but as you know...the view is not quite as charming as Elah can afford. But there is a part of Nogard that overlooks the lagoon that Nogard creates with its tail, up high on the spikes. It also gives a lovely view of the city from above."]
Is it so difficult to run so many different restaurants in such unique places? Obtaining ingredients, especially of the high quality you must use.
[The husband just waves his hand.
"There can be difficulties, especially how often the leviathans move, but to make it unique we cater each menu specific to the location. There are a few special items that all three will share to be considered a "staple" dish to represent the line, but we try to source ingredients as local as we can. But, well, as you said, we only wish to have the highest quality, and for that we have our own farms on specially located islands. But it also has it setbacks..."
Catching on, Cid immediately says—]
Keeping it all fresh when shipping it across great distances.
[Another sigh from the husband.
"Yes. When we're close by we try to ship as much as possible. There are cooling boxes and such, but they haven't been working as well as we wish, especially if we want some ingredients to be harvested off season."]
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She lets him do most of the talking through the business portion, even if it isn't what they were looking for. They seem like a perfectly normal couple, if not fairly wealthy, though not ones to flaunt as much. A couple who has earned their wealth through hard work and good business decisions... So, she listens as Cid works the table in a completely different and unexpected way.]
Cooling boxes?
[Benedikta's eyes flit to Cid, and she gives a cant of her head.]
Is that not sound like something similar to what you were working with?
[Both husband and wife look at him expectantly, and beside him, Benedikta preens.]
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Something like that. I'm a bit of an inventor and I've been working on improving certain household appliances and wares to be more efficient. Having finished the stoves, I've moved on to refrigeration and the cooling systems currently employed.
["Oh my!" the wife exclaims with a silent clap of her hands. "Do you think you could come up with a solution for shipping issues?"]
Perhaps, but I would need to learn more about your methods, along with the ships and ingredients you use.
[The husband eyes Cid for a moment, as if scrutinizing him before they widen.
"Ah, could you be that fellow who developed those stoves?"
To that Cid just winks.]
I don't have any business cards on me, but one in the same.
[At that the couple becomes more animated as they had apparently looked and purchased one for themselves, contemplating if they should use them in the restaurants. As they continue the discussion, Cid glances at Benedikta with a bit of a smug grin. While not exactly what he intended when joining this couple, it's a boon in its own way.]
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And when he flashes her that grin, she returns it with a fond smile and an arch of her brow over her glass as she sips it in silence before it is her turn to talk up his products. Not that they need convincing, but she will do so anyway, explaining how they all have simply made her life easier around the house. How well they work, how convenient they are. How good of a businessman he is. How they should commission him for more.
Not only do they come out of that with a business opportunity for him, but the wife had made pleading looks to her husband about perhaps getting one of the stoves—they needed a new one anyway! A few others at nearby tables also express their interest, and Benedikta will happily talk him up to them, too.
At some point, they will have to excuse themselves, Benedikta using the excuse that she is starting to feel a bit peckish again and needs to get up and stretch. It works like a charm, and once they are out of earshot, she presses her lips to his cheek, whispering into his ear with a sweet, low voice.]
Not quite what we had in mind, but... well done.
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Still, it's a bit of a strange feeling to be recognized even this much, especially when he started his little business as something of an impulsive hobby and a means for a stable income while in this world, and he can't help but smile a bit at the kiss.]
Still remains to be seen what comes of it, but it's a start.
[Humble as always.]
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The start of some good business opportunities. They all seemed very interested in what you had to offer.
[She is preening like a peacock with pride right now, happy to show him off to the others. Let them be jealous.]
I quite liked them, though.
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[Which is surprising, considering how much she loathes this sort of thing as a whole. If it were not for the free food and drinks and jewelry that she's helped herself to, it might not have been worth it otherwise. Barring the information, of course.
And Mrs. Havershim had a certain elegance to her that Benedikta admired.]
I would not mind paying a visit to their restaurants when we have the chance.
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You really were quite taken, weren't you? Very well, perhaps for our next date out.
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[Though it does not boast the same views as Elah's, she thinks it will have some other things to offer instead.
Her voice lowers to a whisper as she leans in, lips brushing his ear with a giggle.]
Perhaps we should pay for our meal this time, however...
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Aye, we should.
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Now, let us find our quarry... So that we might bring ourselves closer to that next date.
[A glance around the crowd, followed by a hopeless sigh.]
Dark hair, was it? His wife wearing a dark blue dress?
[There are a lot of those.]
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[She arches a brow at him, but she pauses to turn to him, masking their whispering by pressing him against the wall and caging him there with her body.]
As loathe as I am to agree to it, shall we split up and search? I am counting at least a dozen women in dark blue in this very room.
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And enough men wearing a monocle. What should we do if we find them? Alert the other somehow?
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[She does. And it's the perfect excuse for it, as she shamelessly traces his jaw with her lips when he turns. It's not as if they don't blend in.]
Do you suppose anyone else will be able to sense our magic?
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[A low hum before he smiles.]
Just shout. I will quickly run to my lovely wife's side.
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How very subtle... Squawking for my dear husband's attention.
[She is not going to shout.
does he think of her as some barbarian like clive????]no subject
:)]I wouldn't call it squawking. More like a sweet call from my lovely dove.
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[She lets her magic brush against his cheek before she's reaching up to tap a finger against his nose.]
You can settle for my magic, but you are free to squawk if you'd like.
[Please don't.]
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I'll be sure to keep that in mind.
[He will.]
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💚💜 fin.