The Darkest Sleepover

[black379]

Spying through the window that Tilly was headed to welcome her guests, Courcy began toward the door. She was abruptly halted in her tracks as the smaller woman scurried around her and spouted curiosities. The hellion sighed, glaring ahead with irritation plain on her face. Silently she begged what she had done to deserve a night spent with pestering strangers, and again considered that Tilly would probably be fine on her own. Regardless, she mustered the will to move indoors, with the puppy-like performer in tow.

The younger girl - at least Courcy suspected she was younger due to her vigor and tactlessness, let alone her looks - appeared like some sort of gypsy. The ginger hardly offered her a sidelong glance until she had ceased her string of rambling.

"Yes, it's sharp."It was all the response she could manage, having lost any other quickly slurred phrases she was offered. Though she thought she was asked her name too. "I'm Courcy. Pleasure." Her tone betrayed that she wasn't exactly excited to meet Winifred.

Once inside, the redhead hardly gave Tilly any notice yet. The host has formalities to dispense to complete strangers, and it was surely not a priority to make an ordeal out of greeting more common company.

[Vanitypirate]

All Tilly could do was smile sheepishly as the woman tut-tutted over her her form, running a hand behind her neck as she averted her eyes, but what else? She had certainly earned her share of comments on the matter, but nothing so bold or direct-- besides Lekalis', naturally.
"Aha, yes..." She crossed her arms over her abdomen. "Little gremlin's been leaving poor me battered and beaten; reckon I'd be more appreciative elsewise."

She jabbed a finger upwards and waggled it, "But you look darling! But... er, you know this is an informal affair?" The finger sagged as she let her eyes run over the other woman's extravagant attire, then down somewhat self-consciously to her own bare feet and patchwork coat.
There was some modicum of dread, and she wondered if she hadn't made the code of dress explicit enough, or if it just Dufay's personal preference. Her eyes widened a touch at that possibility, and it became a new hope that the information would have sufficed as an unintentional compliment.

"But... that's alright! You'll just find that most others are more, hm, comfortably dressed." Tilly smiled and nodded, her hat bobbing with the motions almost impossibly against gravity, though a spindly and snakelike hand snatched up at the weathered brim to right it atop her golden head.

"So, come on in-- and you lunatics out there, too!" She called to Courcy and Winifred with a small laugh, leaning heavily alongside the doorframe as she bent forward to shout at the two from her post beside the door, the gatekeeper between the cold and much more comfortable hearth.

"Come on in before you catch a... chill..." She stopped short, awkwardly, trailing off and watching as Courcy passed, and her eyes caught sight of that shadow-woman-- both equally as silently. She had half a mind to pursue, once she had finished playing the part of a door-greeter.

She recovered somewhat, calling to Winifried in a sing-song, "Don't be shy!"
Though, on reconsideration, Winifried seemed to be the last person who would need to be begged not to be shy.

[hopper]

"I'm Winifred!"
She called after the woman, taking a few steps after her and nearly bumping into Tilly. Taking a hasty step backwards, she bowed low to the woman, nose nearly brushing the ground, before rising again with mandolin in hand.
"You probably just caught my name already, but I don't think I have yours!"
Sher stuck out a single thin hand, tottering back and forth on the balls of her feet while her eyes darted from corner to corner, as if voracious for new things to poke and prod at.
"Fine home you have! I didn't know I'd be attending the party of someone so important!"
In her experience, only important people had houses, everyone else had tents or inns, so if this woman were to own her own house that surely must mean that she was someone important, or at least rich. And if she was rich...

[relentless]

"Oh it's fine... these clothes are incredibly cozy, so I'll have no trouble cozying into your humble abode!"
Dufay giggled with a happy tone, ignorant of Tillys uncomfortableness since she was simply enjoying the evening as it were. Sure she may of been too direct... but sometimes to best way to show affection is to be as open as possible.

Well. Dufay tends to be more deliberate with that notion... more than likely with her clothes than words.

But for now, it wasn't the time to dawdle in such trivial thoughts as she ushered the next batch of individuals in, with the rather attractive ginger catching her eye yet again. Yeah, she was sour, but that didn't stop her from lingering around her figure as she passed by with a hidden glance before Wynne gave her quite the jump as she barged in with such a bombastic approach, though it only made her giggle more.

"Oh my, you're a fast one aren't you!"
Dufay noted with a twinke in her eye as she scurried around to be revolve around Wynnes side, noting her exotic turban and general fashion sense with a low whistle as she looked her up and down.
"My oh my... how gorgeous! Did you knit this yourself love? Its so fetching to the eye, almost as eye catching as our host's looks!"
Dufay hummed pleasantly, flicking a glance up at Tilly with a smirk before hovering the back of her hand near Wynnes forearm.

"May I touch it? It just looks so comfy I could just sleep on you or the clothes!"
Dufay jested with jovial laughter, though right after she finished, an emerald spark slicked and bounced inside her pupil as she looked up at Wynne almost innocently for a reply.

[azmoham]

She shifted her shoulders back, crossing her arms as she aimed a pugnacious look at the redhead who crossed the threshold into the house. A quiet disgust rumbled like at tiger at the back of her head, flexing its claws against the floor of her brain. Maybe a night spent drinking alone in the tavern would be better, at least then she wouldn't have to suffer the presence of someone who'd lain with demons and pretended as if it that was somehow fine. Snorting, she turned away, stalking away into the next room to take a heavy seat by the fire, pulling off her rawhide gloves and shoving them into her belt, she removed her flask and took a long drink. Perhaps it wasn't just her presence here that itched so terribly at Lavinia's mind, but her appearance. She looked fine, perfect even, certainly no worse than the last time they'd seen each other, if anything she looked better though admittedly that was not a high bar to jump. The chair creaked under her weight as she leaned back and curled her fingers around the armrests, staring into the leaping embers of the fire, brooding. How could She be just fine, here while Lavinia had been wasting in a town bereft of such evils merely a dozen or so miles north? There was a god and it seemed to have a particular grudge against the tan warrior woman, if her most recent visit to the Hamlet were any indication.

[Bloodtrailkiller]

/Taas/

The cycle of iron bound tea coming in and out of Taas' hand kept her mundanely busy while she quietly and rather blatantly judged those that spilled their bodies in through the door. A veritable display of clothes, snug and loose, armor practical and not so; tensions rose and unwound, and twisted again.
Taas' single brow rose and furrowed like a due measure of such judgements and observations, as she looked down at the well and chilled cup of tea.

A quirked frown, or perhaps an attempt at a smile, was all she gave before she cracked open her maw and sucked down the precious liquids inside with a very long draw.

The time, as she slowly inclined her head and hand up and up to keep the flow of tea going, was spent to meander around and behind Tilly's left shoulder: giving a light brush of her fingertips across the good Mother's shoulder to let her know that Taas was there.

She noted Lavinia's hasty withdrawal at the sight of an undeniable partner of some sort: warrior-esque, softer, the meat on her bones... toned, pale. Callous on the elbows, the shoulders, softer on the stretches and without scars.
Taas squinted with her good eye, as she slowly lowered the iron cup and... realized she'd 'aught to stow it away anywhere, so she awkwardly held onto it while she made to hold her Oud more comfortably at her belly.
'Courcy', the gingerly hellion was named before she entered the home, her otherworldly senses catching her scent in kind as she'd approached the door. A warrior's name, yet still softened. Yet she was one of the few... if not the only one to have brought a blatant weapon to the party.

Barbarous, even by Taas' own mind; perhaps malicious, though she found an air and look on Courcy's face that rather matched her own.
Taas chewed her lip, and gave one last look over Courcy's attire before moving onto the rather slinksome rogue who'd be Dufay.

Over-preparedness, and her obnoxious nature all triggered an impossible to suppress roll of her eye. To think someone like that could exist outside of the Courts was practically heretical... Yet, it's the very company Taas found herself loathe to enjoy. Though, the bubbly nature was almost nulling her own; the pale-haired merc hadn't accounted for being so strained by so much social interaction.
She wasn't one for reclusing like that shadowy hag had done, thinking herself unnoticed no doubt, but she was more familiar with broadly addressing crowds... Something a curious and unmistakable bardly girl was all too apparently familiar with.

That was enough to bring her out of her growing scowl from behind Tilly's shoulder, as the girl named Winifred danced and bowed like a jester in a court, Taas smiled kindly. Tried to, again, as her cheeks strained and her teeth were bared in a thin line that looked more like a wolf baring its teeth in contrast to any real amusement.
The mandolin, too, was something that inspired a rise in Taas. If not a touch of jealous competition; which she was all too delighted to see come to.

Silence abound, she figured she'd held her tongue long enough in this party, after all and she made to speak up; clearing her throat still wet from the tea (it almost got rid of her firey rasp) she approached the one named Courcy rather poignantly, offering a subdued, an warmer smile than before as her brow rose expectantly and she fixed her wulfenite eyes on Courcy's own azurite ones.
A gloved hand, with yellowed alabaster fingers jutting out from the cut digits of the glove, rose and greeted the weapon-wielding girl.
" 'Eyo: what party tricks've you got planned with-that?"
The fingers curled, and jabbed a finger at her halberd with a flare of combative, warning teeth: a hound hinting at a bark.

//

[black379]

The redhead rolled her shoulders while she spied Lavinia slinking away. On one hand she was grateful to avoid the interaction, but on the other she would have rather dealt with the inevitable butting-of-heads sooner than later. A fist wrung around the neck of her halberd before the lupine woman caught her attention. Her sapphire glare drifted to Taas, but softened as it fell on her grisly scars and robust figure.

"It's not here to make merry, and neither am I." Courcy offered, pursing her lips in contrast to the broader woman's toothy sneer. She crossed her arms, the head of her weapon bowing to one side as it was cradled in the nook of her arm. Surveilling the snowy-haired merc, it was apparent she was not of the same ilk as the other girls - Taas even seemed rather coarse to be in Tilly's company at all. Then again, the hellion considered herself, and Lavinia for that matter, weren't so gentle as the others.

"I assured Blood nothing would happen to-" The ginger paused briefly, hints of dourness returning to her face. "To his wife... But I plan not to bloody my blade, if at all possible." She expressed with a scoff, an attempt to maintain some congeniality, yet remain strict in her duty. "Really. Don't mind me."

[The Carrying Blade]

As Aria walked up to the front door with Ariel, her mind was a bit preoccupied with just how many people would be at this party, and which ones might pose a problem for her new friend here. Probably the overly flirty or active, maybe the two women with weapons for more physical danger, she just hoped this Tilly would keep things under control.

She let go of Ariel's hand and knocked on the door a few times, calling out, "I'm here for Mrs.Tilly's party!" Retracting her hand she moved and pulled out her gift which was withheld in a blue box with a clasp on the front to keep it closed.

[Vanitypirate]

Tlly's murkish eyes widened as the ball of energy that was Winifried unfurled in front of her-- and nearly bumped right into her. But this was significantly more welcome than the sadsack woman who sulked in the corner. As such, Tilly drew a grateful smile and gladly shook Winifred's hand.

"You think I'm important? You don't even know my name." She seemed delighted, as she beamed and quirked her head. Though, a shadow soon passed over her expression as her fingers felt the mountains and valleys of the other woman's scarred palm.
Her smile grew momentarily pained. Did she just shake a warty hand? She had not spied the scarring or ridges earlier, and Florence had warned her to avoid contagion wherever possible, those with unfortunate boils or bumps or blisters.
Tilly silently cursed herself for not examining the hand before she took it, and for neglecting to find a pair of gloves that fit, but nodded and smiled despite it all. She relinquished the hand, and made to peer at it, but she still pivoted back around as her shoulder was brushed across, simultaneously clicking the front door closed in one smooth motion.

There they were, Courcy and Taas, and she supposed they were getting along as swimmingly as she could have hoped, albeit it still called for some intervention-- for her dignity, if nothing else.

"'Keep his wife safe'? Heavens, I'm standing right here." She planted both hands on her hips and took a step forward, straightening her back in spite of aching joints.
Tilly gave a small laugh, "I'd like to think I've handled far worse than a bitty tea party, please! I've never needed anybody to nanny me before."

She tapped at the tooth of the poleaxe and looked to Taas,
"This one's named Courcy, and she's a peach, absolutely; I've known her nearly as long as I've been here."
And then she waved a hand in Taas's general direction,
"Yes, and this is a relative of Lekalis's who I've really only just had the pleasure of meeting, and she's a right sweet-heart. You'll love her. Her name's Taas."

Tilly brushed off the front of her coat and rose her voice so that it would be audible to everyone in the room,
"And, if you didn't already know it, I'm your host! You can call me Tilly, and-" She made a wide gesture to the coatrack in the far corner of the room, "Kindly stow away your weaponry and pointy, steely, things. Ooh, yes, and your coats and your boots as well--"

There was a knock on the door.

Tilly sighed, deflated, and held up a single finger, and gave a small smile, "Try very hard to enjoy yourselves while you're here, hm?"

Tilly turned again and opened the door widely, but her face fell when she caught sight of the gathering outside.

It was a man-- a feminine one, at that-- and a woman with a level of fanciful dress she hadn't seen since she was a child.
All manners had left her, and she stared dumbly at the pair.

"Erm..."

[The Carrying Blade]

"Hello there, my name's Aria and this here is Ariel." She gestured to her new friend.
"I'm sorry for dressing so fancy but it's rare when I get to wear less than 15 layers of cloth. And I hope you don't mind accepting this housewarming gift, been holding onto it for so long thought it would do better in someone else's possession than to collect dust." She mentioned, holding out the blue box for Tilly to accept.

She smiled, hoping the missing part of her right arm wasn't off putting Tilly. She only truly hoped that she hadn't just interrupted her during something important, the already mass of guests that had come in was most likely taxing on the burdened woman.

[Bloodtrailkiller]

/Taas/

The spry Taas clucked her tongue and wagged her head too and fro in admonishment, shrugging at Courcy now; finding her words quickly with her, it was a delight to put it simply. Her smile only widened as she noted Courcy's gaze lighten in lieu of her own undoubtedly molten one.

She shot a glance over her shoulder to Tilly, and bowed her head as she listened; glancing to Courcy before with a subdued smile at the mention of her relation to Lekalis.
The Hellion'd spoken her word as a protector of the good Tilly, though that much was rather plaintive in her stature and nature of speaking. She had to admit, it was a little surprising to see the firey-haired Courcy speak in such a dower tone.

Surely, something was on her mind... and for better or worse, Taas was curious.
Though, her pompous scoff and shrug rather implied she'd little interest at all as she gave a little roll of her eye at the end of all the dallying introductions.
"Oh aye, I bet... Though... peaches? She seems more like a ginger t'me though." She chortled at the end of her own jest, before offering a hand to Courcy.

"Pleasure's mine--" She nodded to Courcy's attire, though her eye seemed to linger on her braided collar.
"-- 'M sure 'tis a lot o'boys pleasure too; seein that much collar." Another small giggle, though her features sobered to something less pushily jubilant, and her good ear seemed to twitch for a moment.
"Dunno if you're tryin' to be clever or not though; keepin eyes off the good Lordess here." she gave a small jerk of her head to Tilly

//

[hopper]

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Wynne! Well, Winifred but that's sort of long so feel free to stick with Wynne."
If the brightly dressed girl noticed Tilly's discomfort, she hardly showed it as she wrapped her knuckles against the hollow surface of her mandolin.
"Any request?"
She asked amiably, a light melody thrumming in the air as she plucked the thin strings. Though it was scuffed, scratched and perhaps slightly travel-worn, that did not show in the sound it produced, or the player's skill was such hat any deficiencies on the part of the instrument were well covered. Turning to Dufay she cocked her head to the side, same slightly mischievous grin on her face as she asked "I don't think you'd like sleeping on me very much, I'm not as comfy as a look. Sleeping with me however..."
She tittered, sticking a tongue out as she took a half step and spun around, already heading for another conversation. 

She strolled towards the pair of women that'd just been described by the hostess, the white haired woman and her fire-haired companion made for an interesting pair and Winifred couldn't help but want to introduce herself especially given the instrument the taller woman had hefted over her shoulder. Stepping up beside Taas, she cleared her throat, peering inquisitively at the woman while continuing to play her aimless song.
"That's a real nice instrument! What's it called?"
She leaned close to it, eyes scanning the peculiar thing. It seemed almost misshapen with its round, squat body and the headstock jutting out at a sharp angle from the neck. How could it be tuned? Why was the body so rotund? It was a far cry from the swirling lines of the jester's mandolin, with its scroll that curled so gracefully off the body, and sleek headstock whose curves almost mimicked that of the ocean sea.

[relentless]

Dufay merely watched the woman saunter and spiral, though after those words left her mouth, she couldn't help but stare slightly wide eyed and snicker. She had a bit of play in her ground, something Dufay didn't anticipate. She heard this was a sleepover... perhaps she could sleepunder one of these ripe ladies, or several.

Dufay wasn't picky. Hell.. if the host asked, she'd offer to do some wet works.

But for now, she was in the mood to mingle, to flirt, wink and tease. Perhaps this was an ample opportunity to spread some verbal love around the place.

She sauntered forward a few moments later after Winny had inquired about the scarred woman's lute. Speaking of which, Dufay took a gander at her fearsome looks and physical build.

'Cute.' She thought.

Then there was that fiery headed Hellion. An interested one, appearing so full of life in appearance, only to be a rather gloomy creature underneath. After analysing them from a far, she noticed the backroom with the boiling hearth was open, and she could openly spy Lavinias figure, but only just.

Sauntering forward in a casual, minor hip swaying minor, she would pass behind Winny, and as she did Dufay's index finger would extend outward to glide across Winnys lower back, partially gliding further down but not leaving her back as she walked on ahead,her index finfer retracting as it met with thin air. She slowed her pacing and turned around to backpedel as she stared at Winny.
"Sleepovers are fun, no? Especially with... interesting company."
Dufay hummed in her direction with a wide grin, before she stopped completely to spy at Taas''s behind, a tongue trailed behind the back of her teeth as she stared for a moment, only to look back up over her shoulder and toward Courcy.

"Speaking of interesting company... have fun chatting with all the ladies! Catch you soon. "
Dufay encouraged, letting her gaze linger on Courcy eyes with a grin and a wink to finish it off before she pivoted quickly and walked into the back room as if nothing happened. She was speaking to Winny at that time, though she enjoyed passing her predator eyes onto multiple morsels of delicious meat, leaving them wondering if she were going for them all at once.

Who knew. She just loved to have fun.

Making her way into the back room, in is rather fresh atmosphere, she strode in between the two chairs angled at a 45 degree angle at their opposites, going closer to the hearth. Dufay gave Lavinia a momentary smile, fresh and proper, before looking into the fire and extending her hands to warm them up.

"Mmmm, a lovely fire, no?"
Dufay giggled rhetorically, before producing a relaxed breath of air as her hands weren't marred with that much numbness from the hamlets atmosphere, rubbing her hands together with delight.
"It really is quite a wonderful design... never had one before, well, at least one that I owned anyway."
Dufay rambled on in jealousy, sighing happily as she slowed her rubbing of hands and looked down at Lavinia.

"Enjoying yourself love?"
Dufay asked with a kind,slightly cheeky smile as she turned about and sat in the chair next to Lavinias.

[azmoham]

"Not especially."
The tall woman groused, sinking lower in her chair. She'd come to warm a friend's home and wet her mugs and presently all she was accomplishing was to frown ghoulishly at her fireplace. But what else was she to do? Act as if this was just an average party filled with average people? That she herself had not suffered terribly in this same town not too long before and that one of the conspirators in that suffering was not chatting idly in the next room over? That the friend she'd come to warm was pregnant by a man she'd abused through her idiocy? It was too much for her to stomach, not at least without a more sufficiently merry (drunk) mood in full swing to better mask her bitterness.
"If you truly want to please me, I'd suggest finding the biggest cup you can and filling it with the strongest drink she has, then bringing it back so at the very least if I have to be angry, at least I can be angry and drunk."
She cast a sardonic smirk up at the woman, eyes playing from her thin face to her lithe hands and down her body before returning to the fire. Then again, perhaps drunkenness would only breed further misery, given that she was surrounded by heavily armed women, most of whom were not terribly harsh on the eye. The combination could easily result in a brawl, or worse, or were she lucky, better.

[relentless]

Dufay tutted loudly, waving her away as if she were her daughter courting boys with utter glee. At least the woman admitted that she was gloomy, unlike the other who was more content to close herself in. Returning the same mocking smirk, she cocked her head, switching it to gleeful wide smile as she crossed her arms.
"Now now darling, that'd mean I have to get up again and leave such a damsel in distress such as yourself allll aloooone! Buuuuut... I can get you that drink if you really want, dove."
Dufay admitted, though she wetted her lips as she kicked her legs up atop each other, giving Lavinia the same courtesy to look up her body and down again, though her eyes relaxed more on her upper chest than anything else before looking back into the fire.

"But won't lie love, don't think the Godmother would be packing some ol' moonshine! Hehehe..."
Dufay hummed with humour, though she waved her hand again at Lavinia.
"I'll check with her, no need to thank me, should be thanking you for being oh so sweet."
Dufay finished off, standing up slowly from her chair, stretching with arms extended up in the air which made her figure more pronounced.

She was still flirting, just through body language. If that wasn't obvious before, well... yeah.

A couple seconds later, she let her arms fall down, and she turned toward Lavinia, cocking her hip at her.
"What's your fancy then? You got any liquids you'd like to taste?"
Dufay asked innocently enough, raising her eyebrows and producing a half crooked smile at her as she waited for a reply.