Realistic or Modern Summoning Trouble [Closed]

[Tarmagon]

"As far as trying to ease my mind, just be you? Wait, that needs a bit of a correction. I'm a bit worried the setting might cause, well, a dramatic flare on your part. I mean, it's a concern I guess. Basically, I'm worried you'll do something in the 'heat of the moment' or something. Not sure if that makes any sense to you. I know you said you didn't really enjoy these types of events where your from, so I'm not sure if something would trigger you one way or the other."

"These types of 'events', and I use the term in the loosest possible sense, are nothing more than a chance to 'upstage' the other attendees and gain social status." Kyle said. "That is why I never cared for them in the slightest. How is one supposed to enjoy oneself when you have to constantly be on guard, considering every statement, hellfire, even having to carefully consider your choice of dance partner for each type of dance. Duels are common, though rarely to the death. Not my idea of a festive time. Here, if I understand correctly, I need do nothing save enjoy your company and avoid giving Liz any excuse to 'auction me off' to the highest bidder?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine. I hope it'll be fine." Esme said. Before she could say more, the ride paused, allowing the attendant to open the door and usher them out of the still slowly moving pod, clearing the way for the next set of eager riders. Esme dexterously wove her way to the bottom of the exit ramp, then paused, looking up at Kyle.

"Is there anything else you want to see today? There is another museum, or I can drag you to a park and we can play on the swings." She was interrupted by her phone chiming and she quickly pulled it out to look at the message.

"Ah, well seems like we're going to have to end today's exploration. Liz wants me to go for a dress fitting session," Esme said, then looked at her phone in response to another message. "She says you are not allowed to tag along, sorry. It's close to here, so if you want to head somewhere I can just go there by myself and meet up with her. However, I have a strange feeling your ancient chivalry probably is going to have you want to escort me."

Kyle snorted in mild amusement at the challenge in Esme's voice and the half smirk on her face.

"Well of course I WANT to escort you," he said in a droll tone. "It would be churlish of me not to offer my companionship upon such a journey fraught with peril."

He couldn't keep a straight face during his pronouncement however, and a chuckle made its way out as he smiled.

"It is, of course, your choice," he said more seriously. "I wish to accompany you, but I also acknowledge that you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. So, if you want me to walk with you, I would be happy to. If you wish to have some time away from me, I understand that as well. I can go spend some more time in the arcade, and you can call me when you're ready to head back to the apartment if you want to go alone, but there's no sense in spending money on two fares, yes?"

Kyle cocked his head, looking at Esme quizzically.

"Remind me to find an appropriate way to 'thank' Liz for her little edict," he quipped as he waited for her response.

Fable
(Demon is developing common sense?)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Common sense?! Le gasp! X3 I cut this short cause my hands are freezing, but you can timeskip a bit to the apartment if you want.)

Esme couldn't keep herself from laughing at Kyle's reaction to her comment about his 'ancient chivalry.' Even he couldn't keep up his act and ended up chuckling as well. At least he was learning more about this world it seemed. They had also come a long way since their first meeting, when she wasn't too keen on leaving him in the apartment to make sure she could keep an eye on him. If anyone had told her that she'd have ended up being fine letting a demon wander around freely after she first summoned him, she would have thought they were insane.

"Well, you can tag along as long as Liz doesn't catch you peeking or something. She big on shock and awe and probably wants to see if you even recognize me at the Gala or something. Honestly, she's probably more dramatic than you with certain things. I'm just glad she's not being such a spaz about you, less stress for us all. Oh crap, we... still have to ask about the book. Probably just need to catch her in a good mood, like her froufrou-ing me up. Anyway, back on the subject before my mind decided to remind me about that item on our to-do list, walk with me."

She used her phone to get some basic directions and then after determining which way they needed to go, motioned for him to follow her. "And you can thank Liz yourself. Honestly, I am partially dragging you with me because I sort of what to scare her a bit. I know it's probably a bit mean, but I can't resist getting a small bit of revenge." Esme grinned at Kyle slightly mischievously. Liz was making this into too big of a deal. Yes, it was rare for Esme to ever bother to dress up in any manner, opting fr comfort rather than spending hours trying to perfect any makeup, but for Liz to go so far as to get a dress ready for this meant she'd most likely been planning to convince Esme to go, even if it meant a form of blackmail.

It wasn't long before they got to the small dressmaker shop. Liz spotted Esme and smile and the smile changed to one of seriousness the moment her eyes laid on Kyle. She intercepted them outside before Esme even reached for the door. "Whoa! I said he couldn't come," Liz whispered, as though Kyle wouldn't hear her. Liz then glanced back and forth between the two of them, and her eyes narrowed slightly, "What are you two doing together here anyway? There's no way you'd get here this fast at the same time unless you both were together. Wait a minute!" Liz's eye widened and she stopped speaking for a fraction of a second, "You two aren't on a date or anything right?!"

Esme sighed loudly at Liz's accusations, at least... until her brain decided to ask her, was something like this considered a date? A few mental gear turns later and a flow chart of what did and didn't count as a date and she could have slapped herself. It could have counted as a date. "N-No," Esme stuttered out, "I was being a good tour guide for humanity." Liz obviously didn't believe her and crossed her arms over her chest. "Uh-huh. And where did this little tour go?"

"A few places, the glass museum, Space Needle, and Pier 57. If you want to come with us next time, you can just tell me," Esme replied, trying to act as she normally would, though mentally she was calling herself an idiot. It wasn't a date! Was it? I mean, a guy and a girl could do things without it being a date. But, then she'd grabbed his hand. Did that count? "Can we just get this fitting thing over with? I mean, this was pretty short notice and I don't even have the shoes I'd be wearing... so..."

"I brought your shoes over. No excuses, get inside and you," Liz said, pointing at Kyle, "You can go busy yourself elsewhere." Liz opened the store door and shoved Esme inside without another word, directing her towards one of the rooms where she was going to get shoved into a dress. The fitting itself was fairly quick, after an hour of fussing over details. Once it was all done, Liz cheerfully led Esme out of the store with a look of pure victory. "Oh relax, you look great in it. Text Kyle to get his ass over here so we can all go get some food. As much as you say it wasn't a date, I can sniff out romantic chemistry from a mile away. Maybe it wasn't a date, but as your friend I have state my objections. I'm not saying Kyle is like the worst guy, but... Esme he's... y'know, " Liz was clearly hinting at him not being from their world. "I know you think my intuition is silly, but I'm worried."

"Sorry if I cannot trust in your intuition after you spent an entire week trying to predict some obscure event. You're just reading into things too much. And for someone against any potential romance there, why are you having us go to the gala together?" Liz sputtered, but Esme smirked as she sent the text to Kyle that they were done before speaking again, "I know, you were just using him for two reasons. To get me to come to make sure nothing happened and to try and sucker him into the bachelor auction."

"Guilty," Liz admitted with only a smidge of shame. "Just, be careful, okay? I mean, it's easy to fall for someone who is just being friendly."

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle managed to suppress his annoyance at Liz as she called their outing a 'date', much to Esme''s discomfort. Why couldn't she quit playing the protective friend for one bloody minute and let Esme enjoy the happy moments in her life without over thinking everything? He was happy to depart when Liz took Esme into the dress shop, since it would give him time to cool off. He knew that Liz was just trying to protect Esme, but she didn't realize how insulting her actions were.

"Some things seem to transcend worlds," he mused. "Despite our differences, we are much alike as well."

Kyle didn't want to go too far away from the dress shop, but there seemed to be several interesting stores in the area to occupy his time. A small shop specializing in minerals caught his eye, and he spent quite a bit of time just browsing the various raw, polished, and cut stones. A bin of tumbled moonstones caught his eye, and he stopped to let a handful trickle through his fingers. He wasn't sure what was coming up with the upcoming trip, but some precautions might well be in order. A few dollars saw him with a good handful of tumbled stones and a small leather pouch. A small silk handkerchief to serve as a liner, and he had everything he needed to make a magical battery. A disk of hematite set onto a leather thong completed his time in the shop, and he went out to sit and drink coffee at a small cafe near the dress shop while he waited for the ladies to finish their errand.

A text from Esme as he was finishing a second cup let Kyle know that the proverbial coast was clear, so he went back to find Liz and Esme waiting just outside the dressmakers. Kyle manned to smother his irritation as Lutz spent the entire trip back to the apartment, including a stop for subs on the way, keeping herself between him and Esme. She did her best to be subtle about it, but somehow always ended up between them. From her narrowed eyes, he could tell Esme noticed it too, but since he wasn't making a fuss, apparently they would let it ride. Kyle didn't know about Esme, but he was going to have to speak to Liz if she kept this up.

It was getting dark when they finally entered the apartment. Esme headed to the bathroom, leaving Kyle and Liz to lay out the subs and get drinks.

"Liz," Kyle said quietly. "I know you're trying to protect her, but don't make the same mistake her mother did, making decisions for her 'for her own good'. I told you I wouldn't deliberately hurt her, and I won't. I also told you I could care for her. You think I might leave. Not of my own free will. A human friend could die, and how would that be different from me being forced away? Leave off the teasing? Let me try to help her enjoy this time before things spiral out of our control. Our future is out of our hands, so let her enjoy the little things like showing me around, at my request, without making it into more than it is by speculating and making her look for hidden meanings in a day that was a pleasant outing."

Fable
(Demon is irritated at Liz, but is trying to be understanding. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Liz may warm up to Demon more later. X3 Did you want to timeskip a bit to the night of the gala or do some more interaction? Sorry it's short, dealing with an ordeal IRL rn. )

Liz stopped what she was doing to look at Kyle as he spoke to her, her eyes narrowing and her posture changing defensively, "Don't compare me to her mother. No one can tell Esme what to do except herself, but I also not going to keep my concerns to myself. You think I want to see her miserable? Or that I want to ruin any fun she can have? As much as she says she hates the mere thought of attending the gala, it'd be distracting her from her problems just for a little bit. Otherwise, she'd be at home trying to solve everything herself. And I wasn't teasing her, but rather reading the mood and worried." She left it at that as Esme entered the living room area before peering around into the kitchen.

"If you're going to gossip, you shouldn't look so guilty," Esme joked, clearly knowing there had been some discussion while she wasn't around as Liz's expression was less than happy. She walked in further, grabbed her sub and drink and went to go sit down to eat, Liz following her after her. "You both don't look please with each other," she sighed. "Honestly, sometimes I have the urge to smack both of you with a pillow so you'd stop getting on each other's nerves. But, to change the subject, Liz I have a favor. That book, the grimoire, can you give it to me? Or to Kyle, since I'd just be handing it over to him anyway. The book needs to be dealt with and I don't want to leave it here and having problems happen while I am gone."

Liz opened her mouth to protest, but one glance at Esme and her quirked brow daring her to argue a reason for Liz to be left as the owner and caretaker of the ancient text only came out as a exhale of defeat. "Fine, but, you will owe me a book to replace it, which you can give to me once you get back."

 

[Tarmagon]

When Liz acquiesced to giving up the grimoire, it was all Kyle could do not to heave a sigh of relief. As Esme went to retrieve it, Kyle reached into his pocket and pulled out the hematite necklace. Looking at Liz, he chose his words carefully.

"Thank you. When Esme returns with the book, you must formally give it to me. In the world of magic, words have power, which is why I sometimes seem far too careful with what I say. In this one thing though, I am going to trust you."

Liz looked sceptical, but nodded for him to continue.

"You say 'I freely give this grimoire to you as its rightful owner. In return, I ask protection, and another book to be determined by us at a future date.' I will reply 'I accept your bargain.' Then I will give you this."

Kyle held up the necklace, and for just a moment, glittering gold runes flared into being on both sides. Liz's eyes got wide, then narrowed in suspicion.

"How do I know..." she began, then looked behind Kyle to where Esme was returning with the grimoire. "You know what, fine. Tell me what it does."

"They are runes of protection," Kyle said, ignoring Liz's glance. "If someone attempts to bespell you without your permission, it will be absorbed or deflected. It will also act as magical camouflage, hiding the traces the book has left upon you. Finally, it will alert me if someone tries to cast upon you. And, before you ask, yes it will work against me unless I have your explicit permission to cast a spell on you."

Kyle didn't bother to explain that he could overpower the protections. Any powerful enough demon could, but against casual castings, Liz would be impervious to most spells. Better clarify.

"Enough power can break the protections," Kyle said seriously. "And it does nothing against physical attacks, but magically you will be invisible."

Esme placed the grimoire beside Liz, who looked at it with an expression Kyle couldn't quite identify, but then she shook herself and looked up.

"Let's do this," she said. Kyle nodded, and gestured Esme back a safe distance.

"Your first spell," Kyle said, watching as Liz's eyes widened. "Begin."

Liz repeated what Kyle had laid out to the letter, as did he. Liz's eyes widened as Power settled about them, then widened further as she briefly felt the Power in the necklace Kyle handed her. For his part, Kyle immediately wrapped the grimoire in silk, then criss-crossing bands of leather bearing his personal seal. The aura of the book vanished from his Sight, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

"It's contained," he said. "Keep the necklace, well the stone at least, close to you at all times. You may set it as you see fit. Unless you give it to someone, it will prove difficult for anyone to steal."

Fable
(Giving you the skip option. I figured Esme was giving Liz 'the look' behind his back. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
(Bit of a clunky timeskip, sorry X3 Also, Luke is like an honorary brother to Esme. :p

Spoiler: dress

)

Esme fetched the book, removing it from it's place under the loose floorboard in her closet. She carefully sealed the hidey-hole back up and placed the box on top of it once more before returning to Liz and Kyle. She handed the book to Liz and then took a step back at Kyle's gesture. He didn't need to hint twice as she wouldn't want to have to deal with what happened to her back the first time they had met. Soon that problem would be removed, only to replaced by something ominous based upon her visit with her mother. She pushed those thoughts aside and refocused on the interaction between Liz and Kyle, giving Liz a stern look at she began to protest. Thankfully Liz got the hint.

Liz did as Kyle had directed and Esme took an extra precautionary step back, but it was finally done. Kyle took the book and wrapped it and in exchange gave Liz a necklace of protection. Hopefully she'd never actually need it, because if she did, Esme would probably be the one to blame since she was the one with witch-mother issues. She didn't think her mom would harm Liz, but whatever her mother feared since she wanted Esme to vanish from her own life. She clapped her hands together and grinned, "With that done, one less thing to worry about."

---

Esme was full of regrets in accepting Liz's deal of letting her dress her up for the gala. The day of the gala, Liz gave Kyle his invitation which contained the address and simple directions. With that, Liz basically kidnapped Esme to drag her to her to get various things done in the name of beauty; nails, hair, makeup... everything. It was hours of cosmetologist torture, but Liz was happy and as much as Esme would hate to admit it, it was a welcome distraction over the impending trip to New York. Liz took plenty of photos of the process as well even though Esme protested and most of them had her with a mildly irritated look, but there were a few smiles.

Next to come was Liz taking her to her parent's place and stuffing her into the dress she had been fitted for earlier. It was blue and white with intricate details in silver with a laced up back. It was hard enough getting into the dress, making Esme concerned how exactly she was going to get out of it. While Liz had managed their time well, they were still going to be a bit late to the gala, but only by about fifteen minutes. When they entered, they was a cheesy announcement of their arrival and Esme couldn't contain her exasperated sigh. They always went all out every year and this year it was no different. There were draped fabrics and lights in soft cool tones, there were extravagant centerpieces on each table, waiters were walking around offering food and drinks. Esme nearly turned right around, but Liz had a death grip on her arm and pulled her further into the fray of other attendees.

"Esme!" shouted a masculine voice from across the room. It came from a man dressed as, what Esme could only guess, some type of Greek god. He made a beeline over to her and gave her a big hug, earning a smile from Esme. "Liz said she managed to get you to come this year. I lost that bet," he joked pulling back and looking her over. "She even polished the hell outta you. I told her blue was your color, glad she took my advice. So, you going solo again this year or was Liz lying when she said there were three of you coming?"

"No, she didn't lie, there is someone else who is supposed to be here as well. And how much did you bet exactly on me not to make an appearance and how long has this been going on?" Esme smirked at the man playfully. Luke was actually Liz's cousin who seemed more like a sibling to her friend. They had oddly enough been born on the same day, though not the same year as Luke was a few years older. Whenever Liz had a birthday part, Luke was there as well as it had basically become a tradition.

"She swindled me I say, but I must say it was worth the loss for you to actually be here. Also, this third party... simple or complicated? He asked her waggling his brows at her, clearly wanting more information.

 

[Tarmagon]

Liz had presented Kyle with an envelope containing an invitation and basic directions the day of the gala, then taken Esme and vanished, leaving him with nothing more to go on than "We'll see you there!" thrown over her shoulder as she herded Esme away. Kyle supposed he understood. Liz seemed to be going out of her way to be mysterious, so let her have her fun. Hopefully Esme could relax a little too.

Kyle spent the day making final adjustments to the outfit Esme had chosen. Liz had said Esme would be wearing a pale blue and white dress, so the black and gold should be a good contrast. Rather than use magic, he chose to polish the boots by hand, buffing them until they gleamed like mirrors. His cane, which he could draw a rapier from while anyone else would draw an obviously fake prop out of, slipped into a concealed holder on the back of his overcoat, then it was time to prepare himself.

A long shower later, Kyle found himself standing before the mirror, examining his now delicately pointed ears. Yes, that was how Esme had liked them. Best to leave his eyes alone, though he couldn't resist adding tiny tips to his canines. He had seen human work that could duplicate that easily enough. Donning his outfit, Kyle looked at the time and smiled. Time to call a cab.

Nearly an hour later, Kyle was trying to contain his temper. He had expected to arrive exactly on time, but now he was nearly twenty minutes late. An accident had slowed traffic to a crawl for the first half of his journey. His expression must have made the cabbie nervous because he kept apologizing for the delay. Kyle had just shaken his head and muttered the name 'Murphy', which had caused the cabbie to laugh and relax. They finally arrived at Kyle's destination, and Kyle sent the man on his way with a generous tip. Walking up to the door, he presented the doorman with his invitation. After a rather stentorious announcement of his arrival, Kyle was permitted to enter the ballroom. Casting about, he tried to spot Liz or Esme in the sea of costumed people. Just as he was about to despair, a familiar voice caught his ear over the background hum of conversations.

Turning in the direction of the half heard voice, he spotted Liz and a man clad like a Greek icon talking to...

In that moment, any enemy could have taken Kyle as easily as a practice target. Gone was the no nonsense, pissed at the world Esme, and in her place. Even in his mind words failed him. He could only stare, stunned by the vision before him. He finally managed to convince his feet to move and his mouth to close, though the smile he wore should have brightened the room to day. He arrived in proximity of the trio just in time to hear the man ask "Also, this third party... simple or complicated?"

"I find myself a simple enough man," he said, just loud enough to be heard over the conversations humming around them. "Liz, you look amazing, but what magic did you work to bring forth this radiant beauty?"

Kyle bowed to Esme, a full on High Court bow of a courtier to his Empress. Rising, he winked at Esme before speaking.

"The Lady Periwinkle I presume? "

Fable
(Stunned demon is on autopilot. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Who knew Esme could stun, lel. )

Esme nearly jumped when she heard Kyle answer Luke's question regarding if he was simple or complicated. She directed her full attention to him as he complimented Liz and questioned her. The next moment he was then bowing to her with a wink and spoke, "The Lady Periwinkle I presume?" Liz and Luke had somewhat confused looks at the name, since it had been a joke from when they had been at her mother's home. She tried not to laugh, but failed and barely managed to introduce Kyle.

"Luke, this is Kyle," she manage to get out once her laughing had calmed somewhat. "Kyle, this is Luke, Liz's cousin." Liz was grinning victoriously at Kyle, hands on her hips and a straight proud posture. "Or maybe I should call you Lord Amber," Esme joked as she managed a curtsy. Luke looked over Kyle with an approving smile and nudged Liz with his elbow slightly, "You didn't say the member of your trio was this attractive." Liz just swatted Luke away playfully before looking back towards Kyle, "Glad you can appreciate my masterpiece. Sadly, I think around midnight she's going to turn back into her normal self, so enjoy it while you can."

Esme stuck her tongue out at Liz, which caused Liz to retort jokingly with 'how unlady like!' Luke laughed, "Glad to see nothing much has changed between you two. Pleasure making your acquaintance Kyle. I must say, whoever applied those ears did a magical job, they look so real!" At that Liz laughed a bit nervously, dragging Luke away with the excuse of having to greet some others and Luke protesting. Esme shook her head at the pair before returning her attention to Kyle.

"You know," she began, "Women are supposed to be the fashionably late ones." She was clearly teasing him. She clasped her hands together behind her back as she tilted her head to the side slightly and looked up at him. She wanted to compliment him back, but she felt a bit flustered. She tried to brush it off as him suddenly appearing while they were conversing about him. It hadn't been anything bad said, though she had nearly answered the question asked with 'complicated.' She was lying to herself though. It was a combination of being startled by Kyle, his words, and his current appearance. He seemed completely natural in this setting, not bothered and able to offer compliments with such ease. So, she went with what she could do, joke around to cover up her nervousness.

"So, are Periwinkle and Amber under a truce tonight? Or do I need to locate some pillows?"

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle smiled politely as he was introduced to Luke. He could see the family resemblance when he looked at Liz, though Luke's personality seemed more open than Liz's. He chuckled at Luke's comment about his ears, which caused Liz to hurriedly lead him away. Kyle was happy to be able to devote all his attention to Esme.

"You know," Esme said, her tone teasing, "Women are supposed to be the fashionably late ones. So, are Periwinkle and Amber under a truce tonight? Or do I need to locate some pillows?"

"My Lady," Kyle replied, "Nothing would please my heart more than peace between our houses. Let the pillows remain quiescent this eve. Might I claim the honor of being your valiant this night?"

Kyle smiled slightly to let Esme know he was joking. Well, mostly joking. Damn it to the Nether-Hells, he wasn't joking. Right here, right now, he wanted to do nothing but stand between Esme and anything that might cause her unhappiness. Unfortunately, he was the thing most likely to do so.

"I know the past makes you question everything said to you," he said, just loud enough for Esme to hear. "But I say to you now, with no motive behind my words, that you look... radiant. Tonight your company is a jewel without price, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing it with me."

Turning slightly, Kyle offered Esme his arm.

"Would the Lady Periwinkle care to go amongst the attendees of this most grand ball? "

Fable
(Demon is sorry... No he's not. This time Esme just has to accept the fact that tonight, she's lovely. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Demon just can't help himself eh? )

"My Lady," Kyle replied, "Nothing would please my heart more than peace between our houses. Let the pillows remain quiescent this eve. Might I claim the honor of being your valiant this night?"

Esme's brows furrowed slightly as though she was seriously contemplating on his offer. It was a bit funny having them act out these weird noble roles without any story beyond assigned joke names and a pillow fight. Part of her wanted to play along for the evening just for their amusement, but she honestly was a horrible actress and didn't even know how a Lady was supposed to act. Before she could reply to his alter ego's question, he spoke again, "I know the past makes you question everything said to you. But I say to you now, with no motive behind my words, that you look... radiant. Tonight your company is a jewel without price, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing it with me."

Esme cleared her throat and averted her eyes to look to the side, unable to look at Kyle directly. She fidgeted under his gaze and his words did not help alleviate her nervousness,, but she did her best to keep control over herself. It was weird getting a compliment. She took a deep breath before exhaling and speaking, "Uhm.. thanks?" The moment she said it, she wanted to slap her hand to her face in embarrassment. Kyle could smoothly offer a compliment and here Esme was, stumbling haphazardly over just how to reply.

"Would the Lady Periwinkle care to go amongst the attendees of this most grand ball?" he asked as he offered her his arm. She reached forward, pausing for a split second before following through and accepting his arm. "Honestly, besides Liz, Luke, and her parents... there isn't anyone else I know here. How about we just make our way over to get some drinks to start with? And no, I'm not going to chug down alcohol, that's for later." She was partially joking about drinking. If this was anything like the one she went to before, she was going to need a hard drink in a couple of hours.

 

[Tarmagon]

"You are quite welcome," Kyle replied, taking in Esme's nervousness with an internal sigh. Why couldn't she just take a compliment at face value.

"Honestly, besides Liz, Luke, and her parents... there isn't anyone else I know here. How about we just make our way over to get some drinks to start with? And no, I'm not going to chug down alcohol, that's for later."

"Esme," Kyle said quietly, leaning close as they headed over to the bar. "As you say, there are few here you know. You already know Liz's opinion of your appearance, as you know mine. Luke found you acceptable, and do you doubt that Liz's parents will find your presence and appearance anything less than excellent?"

Kyle paused, gently turning Esme to face a mirrored section of a wall column. A young woman in a delicate gown, barely recognizable as Esme stood arm in arm with a handsome man of similar age, pointed ears peeking out from his hair. Her gown of delicate blue and silver made a sharp contrast to his uniform of stark black and gold, but the pairing looked, right.

"There is what the rest of the gala sees," Kyle said gently. "No one here knows or cares about Kyle and Esme. They will see the Lady Periwinkle and Lord Amber, or just a young couple enjoying an evening 'playing dress up'. What does it matter whether or not they approve of what they see? They do not see us, just who we choose to show to them. So, do not doubt. Know you are the loveliest woman here, whether you are or not. The rest of us should be honored by your mere presence. Smile, laugh, enjoy being someone with no cares upon them save whom to bestow your attention on."

Turning away from the mirror, Kyle and Esme resumed their trip to the bar. As they arrived, Kyle caught the eye of the bartender, nodding cordially to the young woman in a rather accurate period tuxedo.

"The Lady Periwinkle requires a libation," he said, winking at the bartender, who giggled and smiled at the two of them.

"Of course m'lord, m'lady," she replied. "What is your pleasure this evening?"

Fable
(Demon wants Esme to, lighten up and have fun. And he's willing to work to make it happen.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Esme, lighten up? Blasphemy! Lol )

"As you say, there are few here you know. You already know Liz's opinion of your appearance, as you know mine. Luke found you acceptable, and do you doubt that Liz's parents will find your presence and appearance anything less than excellent?" Kyle said, more than asked as they moved towards the bar to get drinks. Before they reached their destination, Kyle halted and maneuvered Esme to position her so that she was facing a mirror. It wasn't like she hadn't seen herself all dressed up, Liz had practically made her do a slow turn in front of a large mirror. Kyle perhaps misunderstood why she would more than likely end up drinking alcoholic beverages later on. After a couple of hours of being asked to dance by strangers and being hit on or flirted with, she'd decided to just needed a drink. While she hoped that things didn't go that direction, considering Kyle was with her, that didn't mean someone with too much liquid courage or ego didn't have a risk of popping up and pestering her.

"There is what the rest of the gala sees. No one here knows or cares about Kyle and Esme. They will see the Lady Periwinkle and Lord Amber, or just a young couple enjoying an evening 'playing dress up'. What does it matter whether or not they approve of what they see? They do not see us, just who we choose to show to them. So, do not doubt. Know you are the loveliest woman here, whether you are or not. The rest of us should be honored by your mere presence. Smile, laugh, enjoy being someone with no cares upon them save whom to bestow your attention on." Kyle said before turning away from the mirror a short moment later so that they could continue onward to their target.

"It has nothing to do with what people think or judge of me, but rather just getting irritated at having people approach me with annoying pick up lines. I mean, really bad ones, and then get angry at the rejection. The chances of that happening are slim, considering I have you for my companion for the evening. However, I will try and have fun."

When they did reach the bar, Kyle continued with their game as he spoke to the bartender, who then asked what they would like to drink. Esme just asked for some water, and after hydrating herself probably get something alcoholic afterwards. Once she had her drink, she moved aside so that others who were waiting could be served. She took a sip from her glass and looked out across the large room. It was actually pretty impressive and since her arrival more guests had shown up. No one was dancing yet, though there was music playing, but those here were still too sober and catching up with others to be bothered to go onto the dance floor.

"Ah, there they are," Esme said, looking at where Liz and Luke had gone off to. They were currently chatting with Liz's parents, who as a couple were dressed in some sort of style that reminded her of the movie A Midsummer Night's Dream. "We should probably make our way over to them to say 'hi.' I am going to warn you now though, Liz's mom is going to instantly assume you're my significant other. As much as this is going to make you laugh, just go with it, otherwise she'll spend the evening trying to find a guy for me to go on a date with."

 

[Tarmagon]

"It has nothing to do with what people think or judge of me, but rather just getting irritated at having people approach me with annoying pick up lines. I mean, really bad ones, and then get angry at the rejection. The chances of that happening are slim, considering I have you for my companion for the evening. However, I will try and have fun."

Kyle sighed internally. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, but externally none of his dismay showed at all. Just when he was starting to have hopes that this world wasn't as bleak as his own, Esme's fatalism would rear its head. What if this? Someone's going to say that. Living with such a cynical view of one's fellow beings... He could understand being annoyed when something happened, but until it actually happened, you couldn't do anything about it, so why let the moment's enjoyment be sullied by what MIGHT happen. Of course, given what Esme had told him of her past, and what he had personally observed of her life and mother, well, he supposed he could understand how Esme had developed her outlook on life, but understanding and acceptance were not the same thing.

"Try is all that can reasonably be asked of anyone," Kyle said, but Esme seemed distracted, searching for someone or something. After a moment, she seemed to find what she was searching for.

"Ah, there they are," Esme said, "We should probably make our way over to them to say 'hi.' I am going to warn you now though, Liz's mom is going to instantly assume you're my significant other. As much as this is going to make you laugh, just go with it, otherwise she'll spend the evening trying to find a guy for me to go on a date with."

Kyle followed the direction of Esme's gaze, spotting Liz and Luke speaking with an older couple who looked straight out of a Shakespearean play. Both were well preserved, and the familial bond was evident when the older woman turned to present her profile briefly. Liz had the same bone structure, though perhaps a trifle sharper.

"Are you not concerned that Liz will, 'out' the fact that we are not together to her mother?" Kyle asked as they started over to the little group. "She has made it abundantly clear to me that she does not approve of my presence in your life, and considers me a threat to your future happiness, no matter what my intentions actually are. I fear that she cannot see past the fact that I am not of this world, a demon, and see the person I actually am. No matter how nicely she tries to say things, it is obvious that first and foremost in her mind is that I am a demon, and not to be trusted."

Despite his misgivings, Kyle kept his court manners in the forefront as they approached the quartet.

Fable
(Demon has misgivings about this. Liz could, torpedo Esme's scheme before it gets truly launched.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Liz would get on Esme's shitlist for a while if she did that. )

"Are you not concerned that Liz will, 'out' the fact that we are not together to her mother?" Kyle asked as they started over to the little group. "She has made it abundantly clear to me that she does not approve of my presence in your life, and considers me a threat to your future happiness, no matter what my intentions actually are. I fear that she cannot see past the fact that I am not of this world, a demon, and see the person I actually am. No matter how nicely she tries to say things, it is obvious that first and foremost in her mind is that I am a demon, and not to be trusted."

Esme glanced at Kyle before turning her attention to Liz, "Oh, she knows I would make her life miserable if she pulled a stunt like that. I made it perfectly clear after her mom's previous attempts that I was not interested in having random people thrown at me for a date. I know Liz gives you a ton of shit, and I've tried to reason with her, but she can be pretty damn stubborn. All I can suggest is just give her time and hope for the best. I mean, I used to think pretty badly about you, and now we're here." She said 'here' with a small motion of her hand to where they currently were. "I'm sure you wouldn't have expect this when you first met me. I sure as hell didn't, and yet here we are. Maybe she'll get over, maybe she won't. It would be nice to eventually see you two be friends, but I can be friends with both of you even if you two do have problems."

She ceased speaking once she felt they were within hearing distance of Liz and the others. She stepped away from Kyle to give the older woman and man individual hugs with a smile. "You both look great," Esme complimented them, "Let me guess, Titania and Oberon?" The couple laughed together and the woman nodded, "You are correct. I guess our outfits really are very obvious. Right now I only hope we don't have any character clones. You won't have to worry about that. You look lovely! Your companion looks marvelous as well, is he your date?" Esme let out a small awkward laugh before speaking again, "Ah, this is Kyle and he is... in fact my date. Kyle, this is Renee and John."

Renee smiled at Kyle and John held out his hand to shake Kyle's. "I'm glad you decided to come this year Esme, and that you brought someone along. Liz hadn't mentioned you were seeing anyone." Liz awkwardly coughed and Luke was trying not to laugh. "I hope you'll enjoy the gala, especially now that you have the handsome Kyle here with you this evening."

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle smiled as he was introduced to Liz's parents. He gave John's hand a firm shake, then stepped back and gave him a formal bow. Turning to Renee, he bowed to her as well, raising her hand when she presented it and brushing the back with a dry kiss before addressing them both.

"My Lord Oberon," he said, his voice formal, but his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Queen Titania. I pray that you have left that mischief maker Puck in the forest. After all, we would not wish a repeat of what happened when last you were about upon this mortal coil."

"And thorough this distemperature we see
The seasons alter: hoary-headed frosts
Far in the fresh lap of the crimson rose,
And on old Hiems' thin and icy crown
An odorous chaplet of sweet summer buds
Is, as in mockery, set: the spring, the summer,
The childing autumn, angry winter, change
Their wonted liveries, and the mazed world,
By their increase, now knows not which is which:
And this same progeny of evils comes
From our debate, from our dissension;
We are their parents and original."

" I do find the weather to be most fickle in the best of times," Kyle said after finishing his quote. "I rather doubt that your displeasure would make it more agreeable, so please, how may your humble servant ensure that this eve brings not conflict, but enjoyment to you?"

Kyle managed to keep a straight face for nearly thirty seconds before breaking out into a fit of chuckling.

"I'm sorry about that," he said as his chuckles subsided. "I couldn't resist, but I just couldn't stay 'in-character' any longer. A pleasure to meet you both. I can see where Liz gets her looks and strength. And you can thank Liz for our presence here."

Kyle smiled and moved to stand beside Esme.

"She rather adroitly used us against each other to ensure that we both would attend. However, given the remarkable job she did on Esme," Kyle paused to glance at Esme, then nod appreciatively to Liz. "I find myself willing to cut her some slack on the devious methods she used to ensure our attendance."

Fable
(Charming demon is trying to be charming. Wonder if it's working.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Much charm~ )

Renee and John were both equally amused and enraptured by Kyle's performance, easily joining in his laughter once he was no longer able to keep up the theatrics. They looked to Liz as he mentioned that she was responsible for their presence, which caused Liz to blush slightly as she clarified that her means to get them to attend weren't as bad as they sounded. Luke covered a grin with one of his hands as Liz was outed. "I am curious about the details of her scheming," Renee said with glance towards her daughter that read as both amused and stern. The woman clearly appreciated Esme being here, but not exactly if that meant she had been tricked.

"It's fine, it wasn't anything mean," Esme said in defense of Liz. "Though I know she honestly won't really be able to keep her part of the deal we made." At this Liz crossed her arms over her chest and huffed slightly, though she didn't deny Esme's allegations. Esme knew her well enough that Liz would forget - either on accident or on purpose - and offer the invitation to Esme the next time the gala was hosted. However, now Esme had something to hold back over her should she want to stop Liz from bothering her about the gala, so it was still useful.

"Well, whatever brought you here, I'm glad and hope you enjoy the evening," John said before excusing himself an Renee to go greet some friends that had just arrived. Liz ended up leaving the group as well, stating she needed to wander the floor and determine who her targets for the bachelor auction would be. "Be careful Kyle," Luke warned, "She'll try to sucker you into that auction as well if you're not careful. Now then, I must say I am still very curious about how you two met exactly. Liz was scarce on the details."

Esme tensed, she couldn't remember whatever strange story they had come up with regarding Kyle's presence. This is why she hated having to lie. She didn't know what Liz had told him exactly and if she said something that contradicted it, she'd end up getting too flustered to try and keep up the act with the false information. "Well..." Esme tried to begin hesitantly, trying to recall their made up story, it had to do with the grimoire Liz had bought, but if she said what Kyle was doing for work, it wouldn't make much sense. "It's complicated I guess?"

 

[Tarmagon]

"I'm afraid that in this instance, Esme is correct." Kyle added. "I'm a blacksmith by trade, but I'm also an amateur bibliophile. Let's just say that there was a rare book involved, totally unexpected travel, and protracted negotiations that forced us into close contact."

Kyle chuckled slightly as Luke's eyebrows went up. Luke obviously wanted more information, but Kyle shook his head slightly.

"Beyond that, it's, as Esme said, complicated. I'll be helping her out with a related issue as part of the deal that let me acquire the book, but those details are not mine to share. For now though, I was delayed by an accident that totally snarled traffic for nearly an hour, and am absolutely famished. I think Esme and I should avail ourselves of some of the undoubtedly excellent offerings wandering about, not to mention finding our table."

Luke looked like he wanted to protest, but he shook himself and smiled, pointing to one of the waiters circulating with a platter of some delicate looking items.

"See if you can catch that one before he gets too far away," Luke said. "I think that's a platter of bacon-wrapped scallops, and I can tell you that they are delicious. I'm not one hundred percent certain, but I think we're sitting at the same table. Catch you later. Josh! Over here."

Luke waved and headed away from Kyle and Esme, making a beeline for a handsome young man who greeted him with a smile and a hug.

"Well," Kyle said, as he and Esme intercepted the indicated waiter, managing to each snag a morsel. "Liz certainly seems to have an interesting family. If I'm reading the cues correctly, Luke was more interested in me than you, correct?"

Fable
(Demon thinks he got all the details right.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Better than Esme could try and explain X3 )

Esme internally sighed with relief as Kyle seemed to pick up on her inability to really explain or remember what story they had agreed upon to tell others. He said it easily and he stuck fairly close to the truth without giving specific information. Luke clearly wanted more details, but Kyle avoided adding anything additional beyond a deal with the book and being delayed by traffic. Luke was left clearly unsatisfied with the basic information. Kyle managed to change the subject to food, which was not a bad idea since Esme hadn't had much to eat since Liz had practically abducted her to get her ready for the gala.

Esme took Luke's advice and grabbed a couple of snacks from the waiter and ate them appreciatively. "Oh yes," Esme nearly laughed at Kyle's guess of Luke's preferences, "Luke prefers men for company. He'll probably be a bit flirtatious, but that's just how it seems when he's just being himself. If he was really, seriously flirting with you, you'd know for sure. I'm more shocked he didn't keep pressing for more information, though he probably managed to guess you wouldn't give them up and decided there were greater battles to be won."

People were staring to make their rounds and finding their assigned seats at each table, prompting Esme to glance around for a moment. "We probably should find where we are supposed to sit soon," she said mostly to herself. She honestly just picked a random table to try and see if their names were on any of the cards, three table later and she found where they had been placed. Luke and Liz were also at the table thankfully, as well as a few other random strangers who introduced themselves once Esme clearly intended to sit down. She politely introduced herself in kind, though when they started asking her about where she worked, she sighed somewhat and simply replied that she was currently on leave and left it at that. Normally, had she truly been her spiteful self, she would have given them on outlandish job that made no sense based upon her appearance. With Kyle here, she was trying to behave somewhat nicely, though why she was trying to do so was beyond her current reach of thought.

Shortly after they were both seated, Luke and Liz joined them, also greeting the others at the table. They easily fell into conversation with the others at the table, talking about last year's gala and wondering what would be up for the silent auction this time. They were going to give out a few awards as well to various people, who were going to give speeches, and while this was happening, waiters would be bringing food and drinks to those at the table. "Part of me wants to let the cougars at you for fun," Esme joked, wondering if Kyle was even going to get the joke. He was attracting attention from quite a few female guests.

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle chuckled as Esme confirmed what he had guessed about Luke. It seemed some things spanned worlds. After they had retrieved their morsels from the patient waiter, Esme mentioned the need to find their seats for the evening. Kyle was in complete agreement, walking beside Esme as she searched for something on various tables. After her second stop, Kyle realized that there were cards with names at each seat around the tables. At the next table, Esme made a small 'ah ha' gesture, and pointed to two placards proclaiming Kyle Smith and Esme Woods. He noted that the names Liz and Luke appeared on the adjacent two spots, and the rest of the table was occupied by two other couples.

The people already seated at the table gave polite greetings as Kyle pulled out the chair before Esme's name, and despite her previously stated intentions to make up the most outlandish professions she could, Esme responded very sedately that she was 'on leave' from her normal routine. Based on the Esme Kyle was familiar with, he had expected a certain level of, snark, but it wasn't in evidence. Kyle wasn't certain why, but he was gratified that Esme seemed to be making an effort to enjoy her evening. Luke and Liz claimed their seats soon after Kyle and Esme, and he listened as they discussed last years gala and speculated about what would be offered at the 'silent auction'. Kyle was letting his attention drift around the room as he listened, when Esme made a comment that snapped his attention back to their table.

"Part of me wants to let the cougars at you for fun," Esme joked.

Kyle looked at Esme quizzically, wondering why she would want to let large felines... His thoughts chopped off as his mind offered up an alternative meaning to the word 'cougars'. An older woman seeking 'relationships' with a younger man. He could feel his cheeks turning red, first with embrassment, then anger. He started to snap out an angry retort, but controlled himself. Esme knew how he felt about being compared to Clan Vyseriad, so she obviously wasn't doing anything of the kind. Teasing. She was teasing him. Okay, two could play at this game. He cocked his head to one side, letting a mildly reproving look settle over his features.

"Esme," he said chidingly, leaning over to whisper into her ear. "Are you trying to turn me into some kind of cradle robber? Do you really think that any of the ladies here qualify as a 'cougar' to me?"

Fable
(Esme opened a can of worms there. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Lol Why'd you remove the procreation joke? X3 )

Esme worried for a moment after she made her joke about leaving Kyle to the cougars. At first he looked confused - as she had expected - but that confusion gave away to flushed anger, opening his mouth as though he were about to release seething words at her teasing. Whatever he was about to say never came, as the next moment he seemed to have calmed down. That didn't do much to ease Esme's apprehension, not understanding what she had done to upset him this time.

She lowered her hands into her lap and lightly clutched at the fabric in her worry, and when he cocked his head to the side and spoke, it hadn't been what she had expected. She stared at him for a moment, blinking silently, her mouth opening somewhat in shock. This hadn't been the direction she had seen this going. He was right though, even the older women here were infantile in age compared to himself. "Y-You have a point," was all she could manage to say.

Thankfully their conversation was interrupted by the lights somewhat dimming, not so dark as one would expect of say a movie theater, but rather just enough to make the lighting on the wooden stage more impactful. One of those who was involved in organizing the gala, a man in his early 60's dressed as what she assumed was a gladiator, stood at a podium on the stage with a smile as he spoke to get everyone's attention. He went through the basics of any speech, lighthearted jokes, thanking others who helped, where charity funds were going, and so on. He also went through the events scheduled for the night. The silent auction was to be ongoing throughout the evening so that everyone had a chance to write down a bid. The items that were up for auction were actually in a another room. Esme assumed the reason for this was to prevent any theft and so people could more easily browse the items without having to talk over music or chatter. He mentioned that they awards would be given out soon so that everyone could eat, then bid on a full stomach. There was the mention of the bachelor auction and later on they'd announce the winners for best costume.

As he spoke, numerous waiters began to attend to their assigned tables, bringing menus and handing them over to the guests. It wasn't like a restaurant menu with many options, but there were some so that those who adhered to a particular diet didn't have to worry. Esme requested the lamb option, though there were clearly salads, soups, vegan and the like as options as well. Once their table was done ordering their food and drinks, their waiter took up their menus and left. "Honestly, I still think they should really just go with a buffet next year. The menu gets larger every year because people are getting so picky about their food, whether it's gluten free, vegan, raw, and whatever other diet exists," Luke commented somewhat dryly. "Well, when you organize the gala, you can decide that," Liz retorted with a smirk.

"You'd have separate the buffet per diet anyway most likely. Unless you want a vegan to get upset over accidentally eating real cheese," Esme commented on the subject. "Back to the cougars thing," Esme began, clearly not having forgotten it, as she turned towards Kyle, "Physically, they're older than you, so I think they'd count as cougars here to you, yes."

 

[Tarmagon]

Dammit. Esme had caught his flash of anger. Kyle couldn't think of anything to say to explain what had gone through his mind in this public a setting however, so all he could do was smile apologetically as she stammered out a reply. Fortunately, the lights dimmed, cutting off the nascent misunderstanding, and an older gentleman in a rather inaccurate gladiator costume took the stage to thank everyone for attending, contributing, or organizing the event. He explained a bit about the auction items and bidding process, as well as mentioning a 'bachelor auction' and best costume award. As the gentleman spoke, a waiter made the rounds of their table, presenting menus to everyone. This prompted a discussion between Luke and Liz about the proper way to feed everyone. It seemed humans were, picky, about their foods for reasons other than nutrition or allergies. Strange. You ate to live. Period. If it tasted good, it was a bonus. He imagined that one of these 'vegans' or other strange dieters would eat anything put in front of them if they went without food long enough. For himself, Kyle simply chose what he thought he would enjoy, and 'surf and turf' sounded interesting. Esme chimed in on the food options, then turned her attention to Kyle.

"Back to the cougars thing," Esme began, clearly not having forgotten it, as she turned towards Kyle, "Physically, they're older than you, so I think they'd count as cougars here to you, yes."

"Oh, so we're coming back to that are we?" Kyle asked, raising one eyebrow eloquently. "Well, by certain definitions I suppose you are correct."

Kyle leaned close, whispering into Esme's ear so Luke couldn't hear.

"By definition of time lived on this world, YOU qualify as a 'cougar' compared to me you know?" he whispered. "Does that mean I'm your 'boy toy'?"

Fable
(Yeah, sorry, but the longer I thought about it, the less I thought it fit Kyle's personality. Sorry it's short, but this one definitely requires a response.)

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( It's fine X3 Was wondering cause I saw it before I had a chance to reply to it. Kyle triggered Esme again, lel. And I was trying to avoid drama, dammit, pft.)

Esme wasn't sure what to think when Kyle leaned in closer to whisper into her ear after she brought them back to the subject of the cougars joke. What came out of his mouth was completely unexpected, and now it was Esme's turn to visibly work through a series of emotions silently. The shock gave way to anger at being called a cougar and she pursed her lips slightly as she kept herself from snapping at Kyle. Luke and Liz were thankfully too busy chatting to the others at the table to notice the blink of tension that occurred. "So,you're going to try and twist it that way," she began. Honestly, he could have left it at that and it would have been a joke she could gave laughed at. Having him add in the bit about being a 'boy toy' is what had pissed her off. "To answer your question, you're currently a jackass."

Esme stood up and excused herself from the table, getting curious stares from those at the table as she left in a direction towards where the restrooms were. Oh she was seething right now and her body language made it very clear on that fact. She didn't actually need to use this restroom, she just wanted to hide out for a moment to try and calm herself down before she attracted unwanted attention. So, once she was safely inside the clearly labeled restroom, she inhaled deeply and tried to do all those stupid anger management tricks one could read on the internet. She went through thoughts of thinking she was being ridiculous, Kyle took the joke to far, and a number of other things.

Meanwhile at the table, Liz was turned to look at Kyle after Esme had left with a confused expression. She had been about to get up, but Luke laid a hand on her shoulder with a smile and just went back to chatting like nothing had happened. Drinks were being brought to the table by the waiters who left as quickly as they had arrived, though inquiring first if there was anything else the guests desired. After about fifteen minutes, Esme finally emerged from the restroom, mostly because it was awkward to fume in there with other women going in and out. She decided to not return to the table, as she was still fairly agitated, both at herself and Kyle. She instead moved to enter the room housing the items for the silent auction seeing as food probably wouldn't be served just yet, she figured she had some time to cool down somewhere else.

 

[Tarmagon]

Kyle's mind went momentarily blank as Esme called him a jackass. Before his mind could restart its thought process, Esme had, well, stormed away from the table. Liz shot him a look and started to get up to follow Esme, but Luke laid a hand on her arm, stopping her from rising. Luke continued the conversation as though nothing untoward had happened, and Liz reluctantly followed his lead. Kyle meanwhile, had felt like an iceberg had formed in his guts, but the iceberg was flaming like a hot iron. He had put up with the unintended insults, he had managed to quash his immediate revulsion and the fury it had invoked to look past the words, to see the innocence of the remarks. Despite how uncomfortable he was, he had tried to return the joking in kind, and this was his reward? He had no idea what had precipitated this latest outburst, and at the moment it was all he could do to maintain his composure.

Luke kept Liz engaged in conversation, occasionally throwing an innocuous question Kyle's way, but after a couple of flat, monosyllabic answers he seemed to know when to leave well enough alone. Liz, on the other hand, looked ready to give him the 'third degree', but
Luke adroitly managed her attention, so all Kyle received were telling looks that ranged from curious to approaching a death glare as Esme failed to return after a few minutes. Finally, Kyle could endure Liz's reproachful looks no longer.

"Your pardon," he said formally. "It appears that differences in upbringing have once more sabotaged what should have been a pleasant evening. I find myself rather reminded of similar events I have attended in the past."

Liz's eyes widened slightly, but she said nothing as Kyle made his statement. Perhaps she saw just a hint of the combined hurt and blazing anger hiding behind his eyes despite his carefully neutral tone. Kyle neither knew nor cared. He was teetering on the edge of his control, so maybe Liz sensed that. Who knew.

"I think perhaps I should remove myself temporarily," Kyle continued, his voice so flat as to be nearly inflectionless. "Is there a place where one might find, if not solitude, then more, sedate, surroundings? "

"Well, you could always go look over the auction items," Luke suggested. "It's quiet in there."

"I thank you for your courtesy," Kyle replied. "If Esme returns ere I do, tell her... Ah, screw it. Tell her whatever the hell you want to. It's not like anything I say seems to matter anymore."

Kyle abruptly stood, leaving the table before his control faded completely. Neither Liz or Luke deserved his ire, and he made himself murmur "Sorry." as he departed, his eyes scanning about. A small placard proclaimed 'viewing open' above a door to one side, and Kyle headed quickly towards it. The small, logical part of his brain noted that Esme had been gone nearly ten minutes, but he paid it little mind. Kyle found himself in a largish room containing several tables bearing items, and a few more placed about the floor. For the next five minutes or so, Kyle paced slowly about the room, trying to lose himself, and his ire, in the perusal of the items up for auction. He failed utterly. Just as he was about to return to the table, a familiar flash of blue and silver caught his eye.

"Your pardon," he said formally. His voice was utterly neutral, but equal measures of hurt, anger, and sadness shone out through his eyes. "Apparently I am unfit company this evening. I shall absent myself that you may enjoy the rest of the night with those who, understand, you better. "

Fable fyuri
(Demon is angry, hurt, and confused. Not to mention hanging on to his sanity by a fingernail. )

 

[Fable]

Tarmagon
( Lol, gotta love that communication hurdle they cannot get past. )

Esme was slowly making her way through the various display of items within the room. Most were on a sleek black stand with a glass cover over them, a description of the item and its lot number was typed on a piece of paper that rested on the stand. There were some antiques and even some artifacts that were so old they should have probably be in a museum. There were more modern items, such as one of the latest tablet devices, and things like vacation packages, and even a bloody bejeweled tiara.

She had now managed to calm down and her anger had faded into shame with a tinge of resignation. She hadn't been paying attention and had been probably staring at this stupid tiara blankly longer than she had realized. When she heard Kyle's voice, she was startled and jumped slightly as her heart pounded in her chest. She raised her hand to her chest, held over her heart as she took a deep breath as she stood there. Normally she would have said something about sneaking up on people, but due to his expression and tone, Esme bit her tongue.

"It..." she began, and then paused, nearly running a hand through her hair before remembering if she did so, it'd destroy what the stylist had done, so she let her hands drop uselessly to her sides. "It's not your fault." Esme let out a soft and somewhat tired sigh. "I prompted the joke and I know you were slightly bothered by it after I said it, maybe I deserved the jab back. Perhaps this constant misunderstanding between us is something that simply cannot be overcome. I don't want to constantly upset you over something that had no ill will, but it seems I am entirely incapable of such a thing. You're not unfit, I am. Under all this stupid glamour I'm still the boorish Esme. I really did want you to have fun, but I had to open my mouth and here we are now with you doing that frustrating dead voice. If you really want to leave, I won't stop you. All I can do it apologize for making you feel the way you do."

 

[Tarmagon]

"I, don't want to leave," Kyle said quietly, his voice carrying emotion again. "I want to learn, to understand, to prevent..."

Kyle's voice trailed off as he looked about the room. There were a few chairs against the wall in one corner of the room, and he started to reach out to Esme, then stopped himself. There was no way she would accept his touch right now, maybe not ever again, but he had to know what he had done if he was to try and repair whatever rift now yawned between them.

"May we sit please Esme?" he asked, his voice soft as he gestured to the chairs. "I need to understand, and I don't want anyone to interrupt us."

For a second Kyle thought Esme was going to refuse, and his heart sank. But then, she slowly walked over and took a seat, looking at him expectantly. Kyle stepped close to the chairs, then turned to face the room. There was no one else currently in the room with them, and he raised his hands to scribe glowing glyphs of blue and gold between their corner and the rest of the room. He kept the flow of his power carefully away from Esme, curving it in an arc around their chairs. In mere moments the glyphs faded, replaced by a barely visible shimmer, like the very beginnings of a heat haze.

"Now, we may speak without fear of being overheard or interrupted," Kyle said, taking the seat facing Esme. "Anyone who enters will see an empty corner, and hear nothing. Well, if she's wearing her necklace, Liz could see us, but I think Luke will keep her occupied."

Kyle knew he was babbling to avoid what he was sure to come, but he steeled himself and began to speak.

"I was, discomfited, by your teasing about being thrown to the cougars for fun. I know you saw that. It reminded me rather forcibly of the practice on my world of offering up unbetrothed offspring to elder attendees for the evening in exchange for favorable negotiations at a later date. However, I realized almost immediately that you had no way of knowing that, so my anger was irrational. I then tried to respond based on the definition of 'cougar' your dictionary placed into my mind. I, thought I must have done well, since you chose to revisit the subject, so I looked for terms associated with willing participants of such a union. Obviously, I failed terribly, but I don't know how."

Esme looked like she wanted to say something, but Kyle pressed ahead.

"Please, indulge me a moment more," he said, his tone a plea for understanding. "I never considered what I said a, what did you call it, a 'jab' at you. That being said, Esme... did you choose your words with intention to hurt, or were you lashing out instinctively?"

Kyle held his breath, waiting for Esme's answer. He hoped she hasn't intended to be hurtful, but if she had, then it would be up to them to figure out what had prompted. Esme seemed to be thinking hard, but when she spoke finally, her words brought both pain and hope.

"The cougar joke was just a joke, but when I called you a jackass, it was a combination."

"I, see." Kyle said slowly. "Whatever I said must have hurt you deeply. I'm sorry. If the subject is not too fresh in your mind, can you explain what I did wrong? I, find your good opinion of me matters in my mind. It matters a great deal, as does your company and friendship. I cannot promise not to make further mistakes, but I swear to you upon my soul, any discomfort I bring to you is inadvertent, and done from ignorance, not malice. If you must vent your ire upon me... they say you must work for the valuable things in life. I can accept the sting of your words in the heat of the moment, if you can but promise me to explain why you lashed out once you calm yourself. I shall, in turn, be as clear as circumstances allow when you are staying into territory where cultural differences are making me uncomfortable or rousing my own temper."

Kyle stopped speaking, looking directly into Esme's eyes, willing her to see the truth in his words.

"I accept you, and all your faults. I forgive any harsh words spoken unjustly, and accept those I deserve that I may become a better friend to you. I pray you accept me, with all my faults. Forgive me my errors, correct my ignorance, and accept what I cannot change. I wish to remain your friend. Will you help me?"

Fable
(Hope it's not too over the top. Demon hopes they can accept each other's faults and work through them. )