Menage-a-Trois (NOT as dirty as it sounds. XD)

[Vyncent Schwarz]

"Yeah, it could have been worse. You could have started reciting haiku's or something, and then I'd have just been confused." Lexie agreed, stretching and smiling brightly as he called her an angel. "Oh, I know where you'd be if I weren't around. Still lying on the floor of the tavern, unconscious. Getting you up those stairs was hell, you know." she winked to him playfully. She knew he was trying to put on his usual dashing and 'not-a-care-in-the-world' front and not think about what had happened, and she didn't want to make it any worse. Bottling things up wasn't exactly a healthy habit, but as long as it helped him to function she wasn't going to question it or anything.

"I call them insultiments. It's a work in progress." she grinned to him and moved to sink down onto her bed which had already been made; most things had already been sorted out. Kevay's money pouch was still locked in the drawer next to his bed, the clothes she'd borrowed had been cleaned and re-hung in the wardrobe in case the person who she'd borrowed them from wanted them back, and she was pretty much ready to go. "It could have been worse. I could have just come out and said 'You look like shit. Good shit. But still shit.' I think my insult in a compliment had a little bit more empathy than that." she shrugged to him, smiling faintly.

She fell silent for a few minutes then to look out of the windows of the room, where the sky was beginning to darken and get cloudy and gloomy. Great. Lexie didn't like rainy days - nobody came out on rainy days, and it was a pain to perform. But luckily it was just getting into summer, so she was hoping that this would be one of the last showers before the long, hot days where she didn't have to think about whether she'd be able to earn money for a while or not. "I think your bath will be ready now." she murmured to Kevay lightly, sounding distracted by the small image of the still smoking mansion in the distance. Eventually she looked back at him, smiling faintly. "At least once you're clean you'll look a little less rough." she suggested.

[Angel ♥]

"Trouble getting me up the stairs? You should have just shoved me under a table and left me passed out, that's usualy where I wake up when I've been drinking." He admitted to Lexie. "Beds are, admitedly, more comfortable. I'm thankful that you dragged me up the stairs. If not I could have been kidnapped or anything, especially if you were right about that barmaid." He put on a serious face as he nodded. "Then what would you have done? You'd have to come rescue me from her clutches, Harlequin. I suppose that would give you another story to tell." He mused before pouting at her suddenly. "You only hang around with me for the inspiration, don't you? Or is it because I kidnapped you?"

"Insultiments, hmmm?" He smirked to her, chuckling a little and shaking his head. "Well, when you put it that way I would much rather the insultiment. I was never good at hearing the truth about myself. Just keep on sugar coating everyting." He winked to her. It was truth though, Kevay often didn't listen to the truth about himself. He liked to be the perfect, charming cupid rather than the selfish, monster of a man that he really was. Usually it wasn't so hard to distract his thoughts away from his true self, but today it was almost impossible. Right now he was a monster, worse than that, an ugly monster.

"Might feel more like myself when I look better." He murmured as he finished off his coffee and put the cup back on the tray, stretching out as he stood up. "I might be a while...I'm worse than a woman when it comes to getting ready." He told her with a small smirk before sweeping off out of the room. He didn't know were he was going, but he was sure that if he asked once he got downstairs the landlady, or whoever was around, would point him in the right direction.

It didn't take him long to find the bathing room, as expected the landlady showing him the way. Kevay had to almost shove her out of the room to get rid of her, making sure to lock the door and cover up all the windows to ensure that he wasn't disturbed. He hadn't been kidding when he said that he took a long time to get ready, Kevay spending over an hour down in the bath, washing his hair and himself and generally prettifying himself. Admittedly, he looked better when he came strolling back upstairs, his hair still damp and hung aroud his shoulders. He looked more awake, at least. "Think the tailors will still be open at this time? I wanted a new shirt, and maybe a new jacket...and trousers...I just want a new outfit, okay?"

[Vyncent Schwarz]

She blushed a little as he used her stage name; oh, so he had been listening to her epic fairytale to amuse the children from going and ganging up on him while he slept. Although she was quickly distracted by his accusation, chuckling lightly and leaning back on her hands. "Don't be silly, would I ever do such a thing? I can have adventures of my OWN if I really was stuck for a story idea." she told him innocently, "You just happened to kidnap me and I found myself having an adventure inadvertently. It happens to me sometimes, although I have to admit this is the first time I've ever had a Prince Charming sneak into one of my stories." she winked, sitting cross legged on the bed now as she watched him. "I quite enjoy having someone to have adventures with, too. I rarely get that anymore."

She hadn't quite meant for that last part to slip out, but it was a little too late now. Lexie knew that Kevay had, whether she thought it or not, kidnapped her, and she didn't know how long it would be until he'd choose to go his separate way again. She found herself not really wanting him to leave, although whether that was because of the irresistable charm he gave off or because she was worried he would hurt himself or do something stupid if he was left on his own for too long she didn't know. Quickly, though, the jester dismissed the thoughts. Dwelling on things never made them better. She'd just deal with things as they came. "Worse than a woman, hm? We'll see." she laughed, waving at him lightly as he left.

He hadn't been lying, though. Lexie had cleaned the room at least twice before he came back, having checked that she hadn't forgotten anything and that everything was gone (apart from the noose in the wardrobe but she didn't want to think about that yet). "Ye Gods, you are worse than a woman!" were the first words out of her mouth as he returned, smiling playfully and shaking her head at him. "You're lucky you look so much better or I might have been annoyed." she told him with a smirk, looking to the windows as he asked about the tailors; it had begun to rain a little since he left, and didn't look as though it would stop for the rest of the day. "I think it'll be open... but I don't reckon you'll find very good material here. It's only a little place." she shrugged.

"Does this mean you're ready to leave, then?" she asked softly, glancing back to him with a weak smile. She didn't really want to bring this up, but if they were leaving then she'd have to. "...What do you want me to do with the... y'know... the rope. From yesterday?" she asked.

[Angel ♥]

"Adventures of your own or not, adventures with a Prince Charming will always seem more exciting." He winked to her. "Adventures on your own aren't half as fun as they would be if you had a friend with you...well...not that I would call what happened last night fun..." His voice took on a darker tone then, a shadow passing over his features before a moment before he swiftly banished it. No, he couldn't brood on what had happened for any longer. It wouldn't do him any good, or resolve anything, so he was trying to push it to a dusty corner of his mind and forget about it. "I like being a Prince Charming, though. It's one of the better names that I've been called anyway." He nodded, picking back up on the conversation, as though to act as though nothing had happened.

"I may be worse than a woman, but I look good, right?" He smirked to her, passing a hand through his hair to make sure that it was all ruffled up. "It takes time to achieve this kind of perfection Lexie." He told her with mock seriousness, nodding slowly. "Plus I smelt like booze...that's never good. I had to scrub that smell away. Now I smell like soap." He explained, sniffing at the back of his hand, as though to check. "Yep, minty soap." He confirmed. At least he didn't look like a walking hangover now, even though that dull headache was still throbbing behind his temple and he felt generally bleh.

"Hmmm, you are probably right. I suppose that I can wait until we get to a bigger town. Better than wasting time and ending up disappointed." He plucked at the sleeve of his shirt with an annoyed look. He hated wearing the same clothes for too long, how boring was that? Unfortunatly he couldn't carry a full wardrobe around with him, and when he left somewhere he tended to have to leave his clothes behind. He really should think about having at least one permanent residence, but staying in one place for too long didn't suit him, mainly because of the ammount of trouble that he caused, but also because he got itchy feet. How could he settle somewhere only to watch everyone around him grow old and die while he never changed?

"Leave? Yeah, sure. Nothing in this town. I don't like small towns." He admitted to her, his gaze flitting to the wardrobe as she mentioned the rope. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that it was in there, but he just knew. "Should burry it..." He mumbled after a long silence. "Either that or burn it. Never got to go to her funeral, hopefully if I do this I can put her to rest for good."

[Vyncent Schwarz]

"No... fun isn't really the right word. 'An experience' I'd say would be the best way to describe it." she nodded to him in agreement, "An experience I'd be soon to try and forget, I assure you, but an experience nonetheless." she murmured rather quietly, before flashing him a grin. "I don't think I want to hear the other, worse names that you've been called. I'm pretty happy with Prince Charming I think." she chuckled, getting up from the bed to stretch. She considered him for a moment at he seemingly asked her opinion, and that familiar little spellbound look he was probably more than used to floated over her expression before she hurriedly batted it away again, blushing faintly as she smirked at him. "Psht, perfection. Is that what you call it Kevay?" she winked playfully at him, though the amusement in her eyes disappeared as she approached the wardrobe, key in hand.

"I don't like small towns either... sometimes it's nice to get away from the big city for a little while, but... there aren't enough people. And the people that there are, they're all the same. They all want the same things, day to day, nothing changing. Bleh, no thanks." she shook her head softly, leaning down to unlock the wardrobe and cautiously take out the long loop of rope as though it was something she'd much rather leave there and never look at again. But at least Kevay wanted to get rid of it, even if that meant touching it again briefly. She wound it into a rather tight coil as if to make it smaller, keeping it in her hand as she straightened up again, eyes flitting to the rain for a moment before back to his face. "Burning it sounds better... less work. And you're more likely to get dirty again if you bury it." she joked weakly, moving over to him.

"I think I know a place you could burn it... I spotted it yesterday walking up the trail to the mansion. Nobody will see, and I doubt they'd care anyway." she shrugged, seeming to be talking now just to fill the silence that would follow if she stopped; it looked like she had to remember last night one more time even if she didn't want to. Stupid rope. Eventually she had to fall silent, absently offering him her hand before moving to the door. Call it habit, she had just gotten very used to leading him places over the last day or so... well... basically since he'd first heard Lady Jayne's name. Strange, how quickly you got used to something.

[Angel ♥]

"I don't think that I would like to repeat those names either. I much prefer being a Prince Charming, we will stick with that one." He nodded as he agreed with her, absently smoothing out his shirt, using his tumb to rub at a little soot mark on it. He chuckled at her blush, that seeming to remind him a little of who he was, and cheer him up a little. "Yes, this is perfection. I'm in the dictionary as the description of perfection." He winked to her, his arrogance seeming more playful than obnoxious. "Alas, I know that mere mortals cannot be as beautiful as I, that is why I endeavour to travel the world, to let everyone have a glimpse at true perfection." His chuckle ruined his dramatic tone, but he thought that he had got his point across.

He went quiet as he watched her move over towards the wardrobe, not noticing how tense he had suddenly become, clenching his fists as he watched the key turn in the lock. His expression was unreadable as she took the rope out of the wardrobe and curled it up into a coil. Everything that she had said about small towns had gone right over his head, he didn't even realise that she had been speaking. What she said about the choice between burrying it and burning it, however, broke whatever spell had hold over him, blinking as he looked up at her. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Don't want to get dirty. Burning it better, burning is more final." He mumbled, that dark look having crept back into his eyes again.

"Alright, not too close to the mansion though, right?" He asked, looked worried that she would take him back up there. He had avoided thinking about that place, and he didn't want to see the charred skeleton of the building stood up on the top of the hill, that would just make everything seem too real. He put his hand into hers again, allowing her to lead him wherever they were going. He was getting used to letting her lead him about, she was like his personal map, except a walking, talking one. He hoped that she actually knew where she was going, he didn't fancy getting soaked finding a perfect place for their little cremation.

[Vyncent Schwarz]

"In the dictionary, huh?" she grinned to him over her shoulder as he took her hand, "There's just 'perfection' written and then a picture of you, right?" she chuckled and shook her head, though she fell silent at the dark look that had settled over his eyes again. She hadn't wanted to remind him of the rope now coiled tightly and in her other hand; she hadn't wanted to remind herself of it, nevermind anyone else, even the rough feel of it against her skin was enough to make her want to throw it so far away that it would never be seen again. But she'd feel bad if she hadn't told him about it, as though she was denying him of some kind of closure. Whatever closure you could get from a noose, anyway. She wrinkled her nose as she led him out of the room and down the stairs, taking the keys from her pocket now to hand them to the innkeeper on the ground floor.

That crazy bar-maid wasn't there this time, at least. She must work the night shift; Lexie wasn't too sad about this, because she really might have gotten rarely angry and fought the woman off (this meant whacking her with the large bauble at the top of her jester's sceptre, which was kept in a place so hidden even Lexie forgot where it was sometimes. Magic was involved, that was all she knew), but luckily, she was nowhere to be found. The little trickster waved brightly to the innkeeper and the son of the blacksmith who had helped her get Kevay up the stairs the night before, before heading out into the rain, the jingling of the bells on her clothes the only sound in the silent village.

It wasn't one of those places with large open markets; all of the shops were in their separate, quaint little buildings, under cover and with no variety at all. Rather boring really. Villefleur was a nice place, she thought, disregarding the haunted and now very charred mansion above it, but she wouldn't be coming back. "It's not so close to the mansion, no..." she shook her head to Kevay lightly over the patter of the rain, wrinkling her nose as she started to get wet. The skip in her step got a little faster as she led them back around to the trail, as though she was determined to get away from the rain even if it was only under the cover of the trees, and people closed their shutters as they passed. Oh, so they were cursed now as well? Awesome, she hadn't been cursed in a while.

They walked for a further five minutes or so until they were about a quarter of the way up the trail, Lexie suddenly leading them off the path and into a small, hidden clearing, vaguely covered by large oaks and conifers. "I got lost first of all, and ended up here." she murmured quietly over the rain, letting her hand slip from his as she moved into the clearing, setting the coil of rope down in the most covered part so the fire wouldn't go out once it started before straightening up again. Without a word she took out the tinderbox she always kept somewhere on her person and offered it to him, smiling weakly.

[Angel ♥]

Kevay kept quiet as they passed through the inn, not looking up at anyone as they walked. He wasn't in a social mood, not now anyway. He had more important things on his mind. If he looked up that would mean having to attempt a greeting, or worse, attempt a smile, and that might lead to a forced exchange of pleasantries, and then find an excuse to leave; that just all sounded like too much hassle. Just thinking about it made him feel exhausted. Bleh, he would leave Lexie to deal with the people and he would trail around and look gorgeous and depressed. Could you look gorgeous and depressed both at the same time? He hoped so, otherwise he would have to hide away untill he was undepressed and could be gorgeous again.

He did, however, manage a small smirk as he realised that people were closing their doors and shutters as they passed. If he was in a better mood he would have seen this as a challenge, an oppertunity to test out his seduction skills on a more unwilling subject, but, again, his depressed mood sort of dampened his seduction skills. Blast, he really didn't feel like himself. The sooner this was over with the better, then he could get back to being himself. He would have to seduce double the women to make up for his lack of womaizing in Villefleur.

He ignored the rain as they walked, shoving his free hand in his pocket, scowling at the grey clouds. He didn't look up at they headed up the trail, not even wanting to catch a glimpse of whatever was left of the mansion. He hoped that it had burnt to the ground, but he doubted that he was quite that lucky. He glanced around as they entered the clearing, looking down at the tinderbox as she put it into his hand. He paused for a moment before bending down to light the rope on fire, stepping back as the flames hungrily consumed it, lighting up his face with an orange glow. He sighed heavily as he watched it burn, looking far away.

"Rest in peace." He whispered before turning his back on the rope. "Come on, let's get the hell out of this place." He mumbled to Lexie as he started walking.

[Vyncent Schwarz]

Lexie could say for almost definite that, even though she too had been dubious as to whether you could look gorgeous and depressed at the same time, Kevay was certainly finding a way to do it. It was almost that kind of melancholy beauty, and the rain only set it off even more, but of course she could never ever ever tell him any of that. Psh, he was already the dictionary definition of perfect.

The little jester was scowling intently down at the flames as they consumed the rope, the fire seemingly unaffected by the pouring rain; the grass was damp even though they were in a bit of shelter, but the rope had been so rough and dry, and it was so old she wasn't that surprised that it had burned so easily. Good riddance, she thought to herself with a deep sigh. It wasn't in Lexie's nature to be gloomy or pessimistic or even mean-spirited, but something about the mansion and the noose and the whole Lady Jayne Beaumont 'incident' (yes, it had been enough trouble in her eyes to be labelled an incident) had made her not only frightened, but incredibly on edge and cynical. She didn't like the place, she was even going off Villefleur because it was so close to the mansion.

"Hm...?" the troubled look in her eyes cleared as he spoke, and she smiled gently, nodding. "Best idea you've had all day." she told him, skirting around the still smoking ashes to skip up and walk with him, shaking her head and wrinkling her nose as a heavy drip of rain trickled down the back of her neck. "So not funny." she grumbled, though she didn't sound that displeased, waving her hand to create a rather bright, illusionary parasol not unlike the ones she'd seen upper-class ladies use on hot days to hide from the sun. Of course even if it was real it wouldn't have helped with the rain, but the illusion made her feel better about getting soaked, the jester twirling it experimentally as they walked.

"I guess the next place we should go from here is Liatris... it's a big city, I think, but I didn't stop there along the way to Avoir." she murmured softly, the parasol disappearing as they trailed back to the village and ended up walking along the cobbled streets towards, she assumed, the carriages and stables and the like. She guessed Kevay wouldn't want to stay here a second longer either.

She was suddenly distracted, however, by a sudden flash of colour from a poster to her left, not having expected much colour out of Villefleur. "Hey, look..." she murmured, pausing to stop and raise herself up onto her toes to read it. "Looks pretty interesting. 'Un bal masque'. Must be a masquerade..." she murmured, sounding rather deep in thought as though for the first time since meeting Kevay, she had been rather distracted from his presence. "Oh! It's in Liatris... must be a public thing, like out of charity or for publicity or somethin'... guess anyone's invited." she smiled happily.

[Angel ♥]

The rain was a nuisance, wasn't it? Not only did it make everything dull and miserable looking, but it also soaked you to the bone, making you feel cold and uncofortable and...well...miserable. It would take hours for his clothes to try after being out in the rain, and when he dried off he would bet that he would smell a little, and his hair would be out of control. It seemed that even the pesky weather in Villefleur was against him. This town just wanted him gone, didn't it? From the moment he had arrived he had wanted to leave again. Knowing that they were going to be leaving this God forsaken village soon actually made him feel a little better, as though a little of the weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It would be easier to forget what had happened when they were out of town; right now everything reminded him of last night, but once they were gone he hoped that those reminders would be gone too.

He smiled a little as he caught the flash of colour as Lexie created her parasol, shaking his head at her a little as he watched her twirl it around. She was quite the little performer, wasn't she? Crowd or no crowd. "Wish that was real, it would save us looking like drowned rats...though I think it might be a little late for that." He grumbled, plucking at his wet shirt, seeming annoyed. He was definatly getting new clothes when they got to the next town, even if he had to settle for something of a lower quality than he was used to. Clothes were never the same once you'd worn them out in the rain.

"I don't care where we go. I just want to go somewhere that isn't here. The bigger the city the better." He nodded to her, "I'm not fussy. I was just going to get into a carriage and tell them to take me away from here, maybe telling them where to take us would be a better plan?" He asked, rubbing at the back of his head.

He looked around as she wandered off towards the poster, suddenly smiling as he read it. "A masquerade ball! I want to go to there!" He told her excitedly, reaching out to take the poster from the wall, careful not to rip the wet paper too badly. "Let's tell the carraige people to take us here. I'll even make you a dress, Rain. Yeah...that's our plan. We are going here and I'm making you a dress. Come on, let's go." He told her, already wandering off in the direction of the stables, studying the poster. Ha! She had found him the perfect distraction. He loved Lexie.

[Vyncent Schwarz]

At first she didn't quite know how to respond to his sudden enthusiasm, at a complete loss for words when he carefully removed the poster. Just a little thing like a masquerade was enough to bring the Kevay she'd first met in Avoir back? If she'd have known that she'd have looked for a poster sooner! Though she had to admit that seeing him not depressed and gloomy was one of the nicest things she'd ever witnessed; sure, Kevay had made it clear that he could be both gorgeous and depressed at the same time. But when he was in a good mood, even the area around him seemed to light up and become more pleasant, and she found herself smiling happily as he decided that this was where he wanted to go. "Liatris is a pretty big city I think." she piped up eventually as he looked over the poster, "Almost as big as Avoir anyway." she shrugged.

She practically skipped along after him to keep up once she'd realised he was already wandering away, the little jester tilting her head up at him. "...Make me a dress?" she asked, looking bemused. She'd long gotten used to Kevay's little nickname for her even if he hadn't quite explained why he called her Rain, and she even answered to it now. But Lexie couldn't remember the last time she'd worn a dress. A dress wasn't practical for travelling or performing or running the hell away from people, and she honestly seemed confused. That and she didn't even know that Kevay could do such a thing as make a dress, so this was a bit of a revelation. "You're a tailor...?" she asked curiously as they rounded the corner to the carriages, one of the carriage drivers under cover and frowning out at the rain.

"Never been to a masquerade before either..." she shrugged, the driver looking up at the sound of them coming, the tinkling bells on Lexie's shoes and in the ribbons of her hair making it very clear where she was at all times. "I've seen them, when we were on the road and around big cities, but I've never been up close. Are they just like people say? That you can only take the mask off at midnight when the clock chimes and there are dances and other jesters and all of that?" she asked, sounding excited and smiling brightly to the carriage driver as they approached.

"How far away is Liatris?" she asked, the driver looking up at the clock on the wall before examining the grey, rainy skies above them.

"Can get you there before night-fall." he murmured, moving towards his carriage as if guessing that's where they wanted to go. Lexie only smiled and nodded, though she was buzzing inside. Kevay's excitement was contagious!

[Angel ♥]

Kevay's moods tended to swing from one extream to another so frequently that they even left him feeling a little dizzy. He didn't do anything by halves. Then again, he wasn't down very often, so his mood tended to rest in the happier end of the spectrum. He was just glad to feel like himself again, glad to be getting out of here and to be heading to the ball. He was already busy planning it all out. Hopefully Liatris was as big a city as Lexie thought it was, then it would be more likely that he would be able to get his hands on good quality material. Then again, if they were holding a masqerade ball there must be a good number of nobles in the city, which generally meant that there would be a decnet tailor somewhere in the city.

"Of course I'm a tailor, what else would I be? Plus, my name is Kevay Taylor. Back then people generally got their surnames from their professions, well...the lower classes did anyway." He rolled his eyes at her, as though it had been obvious. "I'll make you a butterfly dress, all nice and colourful. Yes, that would work well. And I can be a highway man, all stand and deliver." He smriked and nodded to her enthusiastically. He wished that he had a pencil and some paper so that he could sketch his creations out and start working on patterns for them. He had lost all of his own pattern blocks, but it wouldn't be too hard to find some more or make them again. He couldn't wait to get started, it would be good to have a needle in his hand again.

He smiled down to her as she asked about what the ball would be like, nodding a little. "They are exactly as people describe them, hte good ones anyway. They're a world of wonder and fantasy. There are all sorts of performers; acrobats, jesters, fire eaters, dancers...everything you can think of! And everyone had to wear a mask, and you can only take them off at midnight. They are terribly romantic too! Ladies seem to love a man in a mask." He winked to her, that mischevious glimmer in his eyes again. "I can't wait! I hope that I can get our clothes finished in time. I will have to find a tailors first thing in the morning to buy everything that I need."

Kevay held the poster up to the carriage driver as they reached him, smiling brightly. "We want to go here." He nodded, tapping the poster as though to make sure that the man didn't get confused. The Cupid had a cheerful bounce to his step as he followed him, taking his time to curl the poster up, glancing to Lexie. "You picked up my money, right?" He asked, tilting his head at her.

[Vyncent Schwarz]

"Well for as long as I've known you, you haven't been anything in particular. Well, apart from a suave and dashing ladies' man, but I don't think that's a real profession." she smirked to him, although it seemed more obvious when he pointed out his surname, and she nodded. "My surname doesn't mean anything... I guess I'm not that special." she shrugged, unable to stop the smile on her face as he told her just what she was going to be for this masquerade ball. It was almost as though he was talking to himself, and she just happened to be listening in on it. This was the Kevay she'd first met; no, this was probably even more enthusiastic than the one she'd first met, there was none of that quiet charm, he was just like an open book at the moment.

Her eyes lit up as he described the ball to her, a bright smile on her face as she followed after him, the carriage driver examining the poster for a moment or two before smirking faintly and nodding, clicking open the door of the carriage for them while he went to tend to his horses. "They have all of that?" Lexie seemed rather breathless; as mature as her performances seemed to be, she really wasn't all that old at the age of eighteen, and there were a lot of things she hadn't had a chance to see, or do, and her childlike-ness showed through at the mentioning of such a fantastic and whimsical occasion. She didn't even hide the blush on her face as he winked to her, smirking a little as she glanced up at him. "Well I'm sure there will be many ladies there ready to fall at your feet." she chuckled.

She was forced to take her head out of the clouds and the daydream of men in masks and ladies in fabulous costumes as he spoke of his money, looking at him blankly for a moment before suddenly nodding. "Oh! Yes." she smiled, waving her hand at the space next to her for a second before almost seeming to delve into... well... nothingness; it was a small charm one of the gypsies she'd grown up with had taught her, which provided the art of carrying a bag that wasn't heavy or visible. She supposed it was just an ordinary bag with a levitation spell and a camouflage charm, but it did it's job. All manner of things came out of it at first; a jester's sceptre with a brightly coloured bauble, a small purse with vibrant feathers sewn onto it and other sparkling things, neatly folded clothes (just a variation on her usual flamboyant attire so she had a change of clothing, no doubt) and finally, Kevay's heavy money pouch.

"Here you go. I didn't think you'd remember it." she passed it to him after putting everything else away, smiling before hopping up into the carriage, letting her thoughts return to Liatris and the adventure waiting to unfold there. She wrinkled her nose at first; the sensation from walking out of the soaking rain into a warm carriage wasn't a pleasant one, and she was sure the journey would be rather uncomfortable until she started to dry off. The driver had returned from saddling his horses and the like to climb up into his seat, waiting for Kevay to climb inside the carriage before turning the horses around and sending them out into the rain, and onto the road which led away from Villefleur. Lexie didn't really fancy going back there, and she stared out of the window broodily until they got far enough away so that she didn't have to look at the place.

As the carriage driver had promised, they reached the outskirts of Liatris just before night fell. The rain had eased off a little into a light mist as they travelled, but the night was clearing now, and the black sky was dotted with hundreds of stars. Lexie was pleased to see that Liatris was just as much of a city as she'd hoped, and the familiar clusters of buildings, winding streets and lamplit squares cheered her up after the quiet and gloom of Villefleur. It was a large city, almost as big as Avoir but with less of a scholar's feel, and more of that typical rush and excitement of your average city. "I feel better already." the little jester smiled, her clothes having thankfully dried off now.

[Angel ♥]

"Being a suave and dashing ladies' man is a full time occupation." He corrected her with a smirk. "It's my vocation. I just do tailoring on the side." He winked to her, seeming rather happy with her comments actually. See, it wasn't just in his head that he was dashing, he was dashing in real life too. "No, unfortunatly you aren't special enough to have a meaningful surname...or not old enough. A trend came about where people just made up random surnames. Silly modern trends." He rolled his eyes playfully before offering her a smile. "You can hope that some of my specialness will rub off on you, huh? Oh, I just realised, you're using me for my specialness, aren't you? Psht, and I thought you were my friend." He chuckled jovially.

He couldn't help but smile at her reaction to his description of the ball. She was just like a child, bless her. He hoped that the ball would be a good one and it really would be as whimsical and fantastic as he had described, otherwise she would be disappointed and he would have to find a nobles masquerade ball and sneak them in, just to prove that he wasn't lying. "The good ones have all of that. This one looks like it will be a charity one. They are all the rage amongst the nobles at the minute, they think it cures their ggreed if they give a little money to the less fortunate, and pay a fortune for a ball to do it at." He smirked. He never understood nobles, didn't they realise that when they did a good deed and expected something in return they didn't get the good karma?

He tilted his head as he watched her rummage around in...nothingness, seeming confused. This little jester was full of tricks, wasn't she? He should expect the unexpected from her, that way he would be a little less surprised by her magic. "Yeah, I always go and forget my money. Thanks Lexie." He smiled to her, taking the heavy pouch and tucking it away inside his jacket. "I want an invisible bag..." He pouted to her, watching the space where he assumed the bag was, as though he hoped that he would be able to see it if it looked close enough. "Then again, I'd lose it. I'm always losing stuff. My shoes, my shirts, my money...once I even lost my trousers and had to run through the streets in my underwear."

He gave a sigh of relief as he clambered into the carriage, wrinkling his nose as water dripped down from his hair and over his shoulders. "Bleh...I'm all nasty and wet." He scowled, thinking for a moment before shrugging out of his jacket and dumping it on the seat next to him. Next he peeled off his wet shirt, using it to rub a little of the water from his hair before he dropped that ontop od his jacket. "There, that's a little better." He nodded as he fussed over his hair, using his fingers to comb it all back into place. He was more comfortable then, drying off much more quickly. He spent the ride staring out of the window, a far away look in his eyes accompanied by that usual glimmer of mischief as he planned their costumes for the ball.

"We're here." He smirked as he looked out at the city, glad to see it sprawl out over the country side. It wasn't quite as grand as Avoir, but Avoir was the captial city so that had to be amazing. It was nice enough though, people still wandering around even though darkness had long since fallen. This was much more his kind of city, and he was happy to see quite a few different tailors shops as they trundled into town. He tugged his now dry shirt and jacket back on as the carriage began to slow, looking around in search of a decent inn. Not too expensive though, he needed his money for fabrics.

[Vyncent Schwarz]

It was lucky really that, although they hadn't known each other for a long time Lexie was somewhat used to being around Kevay, because she had mostly recovered her senses by the time they arrived at Liatris. Her initial reaction had been somewhat less controlled, and she'd spent the first hour or two of the journey with her eyes firmly on the scenery going by, a bright scarlet blush on her face. Damn that Kevay, he was one sneaky bastard. Him feeling better was a double-edged sword, wasn't it? She'd have to get used to his antics again now. Mind, having the last thing he said to her before climbing into the carriage involving him having to run through the streets in his underwear didn't help at all, did it? Oh, she'd get him back one of these days. She didn't know how, or even if it could be done, but she would.

The carriage finally pulled to stop in the largest square of Liatris; it was positively enormous, shops and mis-matched buildings lining the walls and a large fountain in the centre, while to the right sprawled a huge building, pale in colour with pillars and statues about it. The carriage-driver dismounted, and clicked open the doors for them. "That there's the city hall." he told Kevay and pointed to the large building, "Usually full of nobles and their politics, but that's where you'll find your masquerade ball in two days time. Think it was originally going to be in the governor's mansion, but considering it's a public affair, they decided to use the hall, because of the added space with the square out front. Here's hoping it doesn't rain." he smiled to them lightly and glanced at the fountain.

"Oh, it won't rain, don't worry!" Lexie piped up as she hopped from the carriage, landing with the grace of a fairy and stretching her stiff muscles. She'd much preferred that to riding on horseback, but she still felt all cramped up in a carriage. It just didn't compare to walking. She was staring up at the clear sky as she circled around to stand by Kevay, a faint smile on her face, almond shaped eyes turned up towards the heavens. "Doesn't look like it will anyway..." she mused, before glancing back at him. "I like it here better than Villefleur already." she murmured, "There's more space. It's like I can hear the people even though I can't see them." she nodded.