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

[garudas]

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



🥂 🎄 ❄️

Comments

[ramuhs]

[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.

[Humble as always.]

[garudas]

[Too humble, she thinks. She clicks her tongue at him.]

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.

[ramuhs]

Did you? You mean the Havershims?

[garudas]

Yes.

[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.

[ramuhs]

[He's at first surprised for those very reasons, but then he can't help but smile a little more fondly.]

You really were quite taken, weren't you? Very well, perhaps for our next date out.

[garudas]

We could visit the one here, if we are so inclined.

[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...

[ramuhs]

[Her breath against his ear is warm and ticklish, but it's that giggle that makes him laugh and hug her arm closer to him.]

Aye, we should.

[garudas]

[She presses into him, tucking herself against his side, and nips at his ear before she leans away.]

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.]

[ramuhs]

Not the most obvious... Should we try looking for anyone who has drawn a crowd?

[garudas]

A crowd of perhaps like-minded people?

[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.

[ramuhs]

[She does enjoy caging him to the wall tonight, doesn't she? He eyes her for a moment before glancing outwardly.]

And enough men wearing a monocle. What should we do if we find them? Alert the other somehow?

[garudas]

Mm-hm.

[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?

[ramuhs]

Likely.

[A low hum before he smiles.]

Just shout. I will quickly run to my lovely wife's side.

[garudas]

[She pulls back suddenly then, looking at him with that 'you must be joking' look. Because he must be.]

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????]

[ramuhs]

[:) ]

I wouldn't call it squawking. More like a sweet call from my lovely dove.

[garudas]

I am not doing that either.

[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.]

[ramuhs]

[He just smiles at that.]

I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

[He will.]

[garudas]

[Her eyes narrow at him again, and her voice lowers to another whisper.]

Try not to charm too many without me at your side, hm?

[ramuhs]

[Another quiet laugh as he leans in close to her.]

Should say the same to you.

[garudas]

[It should be obvious by now that she is not too keen on separating from him, as she presses further against him, catching his lips with her own. Both as an indulgence and as a reminder of who he will be returning to later.]

Do you want to start outside, and I will head back into the main hall? We can meet back here if we find nothing.

[ramuhs]

[Oh she made herself quite clear, but he also isn't pushing her, either.]

Sounds good.

[His teeth graze against her lower lip as his hands slide up her back.]

Now...will you actually let me go or should we try for egg number two?

[Smirk.]

[garudas]

Cidolfus—!

[She clicks her tongue, and he'll earn himself a swat against his backside, the sound loud enough that those nearest them glance over.]

Not here. And stop calling them that?

[She's not a bird!!!

With that, she does finally step back from him, though not before lingering for a few more seconds in the heat his body offers her.]

Off you go. Before I do change my mind.

[ramuhs]

[There's just a boisterous laugh that only adds to the attention briefly before he steals one more kiss, murmurs against her lips—]

Might want to visit the powder room.

[—before scurrying off like a thief, still smiling and chuckling to himself long after the wind chases him and he's outside to look at the guests scattered about.

She really is cute, and...it really is nice to be able to tease her like this.

Straightening out his collar, a different kind of grin forms as his eyes look around to find his next target.]

[garudas]

What?

[A murmured, confused question that he does not stop to answer when he starts to scurry off.]

Cidolfus, what do you mean—!?

[She shouts after him, but he's already rounding the corner and disappearing out of sight, leaving her standing there, bewildered, her hands on her lips like she'll be able to tell if it's been smudged. With a groan, he'll feel a wind tickle the back of his neck before she stomps off in search of the powder room. It doesn't take her long, thanks to the short line of women waiting outside that she cuts in front of the moment the door opens.

She cannot believe she is about to say this, but—]

Shut up! I am pregnant!

[It is the only thing that she says before she slams the doors at their cries of outrage.

And lo and behold... her lipstick does need a bit of touching up. All of those kisses have long since smudged it away, and she can't help but think of him and wonder if he has some red claiming his lips, too. She doesn't spend long in there, and when she's out, she looks as pristine as ever, not a single hair or line of makeup out of place as she gets to work searching for their targets.

She is forced to ask around, but so many of the guests do not know who she is describing... especially given that the people they are looking for have the most common description. She does not want to name names and rouse suspicion, so appearances are all she has going for her...

...

Which is probably why she is having a hard time locating them, with frustration getting the better of her.

She slowly makes her way towards the entrance to see if she can catch a passing glimpse at Cid out in the courtyard.]

[ramuhs]

[Cid had hoped there would be a smaller number of "dark haired" or "blue dress" couples, but it's as if there was a secret theme tonight. After speaking with a few (and actually getting along with at least one other merchant that he may consider some connection with), Cid sips his wine with some quiet exasperation. Should they just quit and call it a night? For all they know Danos and his wife might have already left...

But a ripple of laughter makes his head turn out of idle curiosity and he pauses. Come to think of it, the party is a mix of the usual animalfolk and humans, and while he has spoken with a variety of both, he didn't pay much attention to the dresses the animalfolk were wearing. That is because "dark hair" and the rest of the descriptors made him assume they were human.

However, when his eyes notice the blue dress on the slender feline's body and the fact that her and her partner were both dark colored fur, it was as if realization struck like a bolt from the blue. Could it actually be...?

With a smile he walks over, and it doesn't take long for him to catch a few notable words, such as talks of the "whale hunters" and some lamenting how the whole thing as disrupted shipping of their own goods and such. He could see the gleam in the male feline's eyes, the way that smile reminds him a coeurl ready to strike.

By the time he makes a more deliberate approach the couple has separated and were just idly chatting together. Using what he heard about "shipping" and the talks with the Havershims, Cid puts on the business smile to greet and introduce himself. It's a risk, but given his name is already out there and he's already set up precautions, there doesn't seem to be any point in lying.

Especially when as he thought, they had actually heard of him already from those who talked to them before, their eyes shining at the prospect of better ways to ship their wares. Seeing that interest does make his stomach sink a bit. He knows it's impossible to not have anything be makes be used for ill purposes, but the idea the pair before him could already be thinking of ways to pervert even an innocuous cooling systems rankles his pride.

But he makes no show of it, especially when outwardly Danos and his wide lend no reason for him to suspect anything beyond normal shipping means. If not for his knowledge he would been completely unaware. But this could be a good in for them, so he plays along with his usual friendly manner.

And so by the time Benedikta comes out, she will find him by the two felines, with Cid being surprised when he feels two tails brushing up against his leg.]

Well, you two are friendly, aren't you.

[They just laugh, the wife practically purring as she assures him they are just playing, pleased with his ideas. He takes it as a good sign? He's reminded of Ash, anyway...]