Corisande: Twins Walk To The Suites

While Bleys chatted with Corwin, Crispin gently edged his sister out of the room with him. His pack was under his arm, he kept an eye out for any too alert servant.

When they were out of earshot, he shot his sister a baleful look. "Don't be too mad, alright?"

Cori glared back at him. "Look, if you want to get in even more trouble with the Queen and get dragged up here to live full-time, just let me know. I'll stop bothering to keep you out of the soup for stealing Martin's stuff. I hope whatever kisses you sneak in the bushes with Lillith are worth it!"

"I didn't steal it!" He stopped her, grabbing her shoulder and turning her to him. "Look, if I was going to steal something, do you think it would be a dip like Martin? And if I did, do you think I'd wave it under Lex's nose? Think about it! It was stuffed inside that other book!"

Cori angrily jerked her arm free from Crispin's grasp.

"I know that, you idiot! Do you think Martin will care? Or Uncle Random, or Aunt Vialle? If you get caught showing off the book we got today, much less some tidbit of Martin's that was in it, you'll be right back where you were this morning! And you did it in front of that little sneak Sera, and Dante, who's almost as bad, and Keenan, who should be smacked for a stupid little whiner. Any of them could turn you over and then where will we be?"

Crispin's face fell as his hand dropped away. His shoulders sagged.

"You're right... But dad wouldn't let it happen." He looked up, suddenly looking younger than Corisande. "Would he?"

Cori met Crispin's gaze, and bit her lower lip.

"I don't think so, unless it was such a big deal he couldn't stop them. Like," she swallowed, "something that really upset Uncle Random."

She nibbled her lip a little more. "I better find out how upset Lex thinks his parents will be when this comes out. Because I'm pretty sure it will."

Crispin nodded. He took her hand, leading them into their father's suite. By the time the door was closed, his face had brightened again.

"Stupid me! If Random said he was going to do that, Dad would just take us out into shadow and raise us there! Probably someplace warm and fantastic..."

"Maybe," said Cori, but her heart wasn't in arguing with Crispin any more.

She flopped into a chair and waited to see whether their father would have anything to say.

He came, several minutes later. Corisande could hear him chatting with someone outside the door, laughing at a shared joke. When he came into the suite, he still looked light in his outlook. His gaze fell on the sullen twins.

"One would think we just came from a funeral, not a dinner!"

Cori shot a look at her brother and rolled her eyes before turning to Bleys. "We're going hunting tomorrow with Harri and Lex and some of the others in Arden. Then we're going shopping in town, because Harri doesn't have any things."

She added, "Some of our cousins are stupid."

"They get it from only the best bloodlines," rejoined Bleys, and Crispin snickered. After a flash of a smile, he realized Corisande wasn't laughing as well.

"Why do you say that? What happened?"

"Nothing," Cori said. "Just Keenan is a whiny baby, and I wouldn't do anything fun with him because I bet he'd rat you out, and Lillith is a bi--brat, and Dante has a mean streak."

She added, "You learn a lot when you keep your mouth shut." Her eyes fell on Crispin, to see if he took the point.

"Lillith is not a brat!" said Crispin before her point sunk home. "I mean... you just don't know her like I do."

"It would be rather awkward if she did," pointed out Bleys as he took up a nick-nack. "But look on the bright side, Cori-- you only named three. That's not even half of what was there!"

Bleys' retort elicited a snort and a grin, as if Cori couldn't quite help herself. "Were as many of your sisters and brothers brats?" she asked her father.

After a moment, she added, "Tonight."

"Caine," replied Caine without any hesitation. "But that's to be expected. For the most part, they were dreadfully bland, as they can be when we're all supposed to be getting along and being good adults."

On the mantle, a grandmother clock politely chimes out the hour. For a young pair of Royals, the hour is late. "Unless you want to risk falling asleep on your hunt, you might want to get to bed..."

"Yes, Daddy," Cori said obediently, and came to present her cheek for a kiss.

Once she had received her kiss, she went off to her chamber to prepare for bed. While Bleys was looking the other direction, she stuck her tongue out at Crispin.

[OOC: hardly fair to complain about misidentifying Bleys as Caine and point out that grandmother clocks normally sit on the ground (she said, looking at hers), but I'm unfair today]

[Oops... Well, that's what we have Edit Buttons for!]



The next morning, Corisande woke to the smell of toast, buttered and sugared... and fresh apricots... and spiced tea... and scrambled eggs... and some bacon...

Really, really close.

She opened her eyes, and she saw her brother on the bed next to her, already dressed and repentant, a breakfast laid out at her bedside. He was trying very hard not to eat it.

"Morning! It's seven, in case you were wondering."

Cori blinked, then sat up and oriented to the unfamiliar surroundings and the wrongheaded light. She sniffed at the scent of the food, and focused on her brother.

"Oh, Crispin. You brought me breakfast." His expression sunk in, then, and the memory of their argument last night. "Oh! Crispin! Thank you." She leaned over and gave her brother a hug. "You're the best brother ever."

She offered him a piece of bacon from the tray with one hand as she pulled the plate of eggs over onto her lap with the other. "I didn't mean to snap last night. I was just worried after the trouble we almost got in."

He took the bacon, then eased down onto his stomach as he ate it. He looked up at her, the morning light glittering in his eyes. "You know what? I had the greatest idea about what we could do today." He let a dramatic pause spread, then grinned.

"We really could go hunting, and then go shopping."

Between bites of egg, Cori grinned at Crispin. "You know what? I think that's the second-best idea you've had all day." With her fork, she gestured at the plate, indicating the best idea he'd had all day.

[OOC: I can gloss the rest of breakfast and dressing if I need to catch up with the rest of the group.]

"And I plan on having more," he said as the bacon disappeared, and then one of her muffins...



The Twins were the ones most likely to be up, given Cripsin's internal clock. Alexius made his way to their father's suites, only to discover Bleys already gone. The maid lead him to Corisande's room, where they were dining on her bed.

"Hullo, Lex," Cori said, showing no dismay that she was still in her nightclothes when he arrived. Even though the thin nightgown revealed conclusively to Alexius' experienced eyes that Cori was growing into a woman, she apparently hadn't developed the instinct for modesty. Perhaps she didn't consider Alexius a threat to her modesty--or her virtue--just yet.

She tossed a muffin in Alexius' direction. "I'm almost done with breakfast, or what Crispin's leaving me of it," she continued with a teasing grin at her brother. "I'll be dressed in a minute after that." Whatever argument had come between Cori and Crispin last night was apparently resolved. Completely so, in fact.

Alexius blinked his eyes a few times, at the unexpected, but not unpleasant, sight of Bleys' daughter in less than he had ever seen her before.

To be precise, it was the least that he had seen Cori in--except for one instance. Alexius was never sure if Cori and Crispin realized they were observed, but several years ago, the half-Rebman had accidentally come across Cori and Crispin, late at night, at a watering hole off of one of the rivulets of Arden.

The two of them were swimming unclad. This didn't particularly bother Alexius at the time, and he watched them, under the moon and stars for a few moments before slipping back to the Castle.

He was disappointed, though. He had been looking forward to swimming that night, himself.

Still, in comparison to that, this was different, and Random and Vialle's son nearly dropped the tossed muffin in surprise.

"Oh, I've eaten breakfast with Mom and Dad." Alexius said casually, but he bit into the muffin anyway. ""Banana walnut, I believe." Alexius observed.

"If you two would prefer me to wait outside..." he said, his voice trailing off casually and carefully turning his gaze from his underdressed female cousin to his male one.

"Oh, no, that's OK," Cori replied, snagging the last piece of bacon from her plate and biting into it, apparently oblivious to Alexius' discomfort. Then she stopped and looked at him. "Lex, did you sleep badly? Did your dad wake you up early with drumming or something?"

[OOC: I think we better not go too much further so Crispin can get his response in]

Crispin's eyes caught Alexius's. Something flashed in them, too quick to read, but brightly enough to know it wasn't anything nice.

"We'd better hurry," he said quickly, and lept up from his prostrate pose. He then proceeded to climb over his sister, upsetting the last drips of orange juice from her cup and jostling her tray. He grabbed the coverlet on her lap and, as he passed, tossed it up so it alighted on her chest.

Alexius hit the floor and took Alexius's arm, and started to usher him out the door before either could say much of anything.

Alexius was mightily surprised by the reaction by Crispin, and was taken aback enough that Crispin was able to manhandle him out of their quarters, and across the threshold before he knew it.

"Hey, Hey, I get the point." Random's son protested, once they were outside.

From the room that the boys had just left, Cori's slightly bewildered voice drifted into the hallway. "Okay, I guess I'll ... get dressed now."

She looked down at the ruined remains of breakfast. With a little effort, most of it was on the tray, although the coverlet would require laundering after part of it landed in the juice. She shrugged, stood up, and went to get dressed.

Out in the sitting room, Crispin shut the door, then proceeded to not look at Alexius. He found a bookself to stare at instead. His fingers drummed on his arm and his foot beat a nervous tattoo.

"So, I suppose your dad's letting you out of court stuff, huh?" he said, his voice tight.

With the tension thicker than the mists of Arden in spring, Alexius didn't quite look at Crispin either.

"Well, I think Dad wants me." Alexius paused in mid sentence, thinking better of his words. "Wants me to make sure Harri is safe. Stranger in a Strange Land and all that." Alexius said.

From within the room, the boys heard the squeak of the clothespress opening and closing as Cori went about dressing.



Alone, Cori doffed her nightclothes and stood in front of the clothespress, pondering her outfit. She chose a pair of dark trousers and slid them up over her hips. Then a white shirt, and finally an embroidered vest. She buttoned the last item up, noticing it was a little tight. Obviously she was having another one of those growth spurts. It would be good to be fitted for some new things this afternoon.

The image that confronted Cori when she looked in the mirror annoyed her. The vest gapped embarrassingly across her front. She stopped and glared at her reflection as she deftly unfastened the buttons she had just done up. A second vest, newer than the first, was still a little uncomfortable, but didn't show white in between the fasteners. Daddy wouldn't like that. Definitely time for clothes shopping again.

She slammed the clothespress door a little harder than she meant to, and picked up her boots to take out into the hall. Surely Crispin wouldn't make a silly fuss about Lex seeing her sock-clad feet.



Cori opened the door to her chamber, fully dressed except for her boots, which she had in hand. As he admired the handsome vest and trousers she was wearing--Bleys' children were always well-dressed--Alexius confirmed that she had definitely acquired some curves since the last time he'd paid attention to her shape.

"Let me put my boots on and we'll go," she told Crispin and Alexius.

Cori sat down in a chair and bent over to put on her boots, affording Alexius a fine view of a shapely, rounded rear end in pants that were a little too tight.

"All right." Alexius said, turning from his not-quite-look at Crispin to briefly regard Cori instead as she came in.

He had intended just to turn and look at something else, but something, be it blind luck or something else drew his eyes around, past Crispin, and to his sister. It might have been the angle, or the opportunity, but Alexius found himself looking at Corisande's behind.

He held the gaze and the view for a few heartbeats more. Perhaps long enough for Cori to realize it, or Crispin. Rebmans did and could blush, and he did so as he finally tore his eyes away from the sight, and he alighted upon the bookcase next to the one Crispin was studying.

"You guys got copies of Patrice of Branagh's sea novels!" he said, by way of changing the suddenly uncomfortable and unexpected thoughts going through Alexius' head.

Cori seemed oblivious to Alexius' gaze, but she was busy with her boots.

"Yeah," Cori replied. "I liked them. You want to borrow the first one? I'm sure they have it in the library too."

"Well, its different having your own copies." Alexius pointed out, walking toward the bookcase and running his fingers along the spine of the book.

"Perhaps" he finally turned to look at Cori again. Most of the color of his cheeks had returned to its natural light blue. "when we get back from our day. Getting books out of the library can incur the wrath of the librarians." Alexius grinned. His head bobbed toward Crispin.

"And they tend to be possessive about their treasures."

Cori shrugged. "We don't live up here, so we don't have access to the library on a daily basis." She sounded a bit wistful.

Alexius nods.

"It just gives you more incentive to come and visit up here." he responded with a grin. He let his fingers run across the book's binding a moment or two more before withdrawing his digits.

"Visit. Yes. I like visiting," she said to Alexius, but her eyes were on Crispin. She finished tugging her second boot on and went to stand by her brother, lacing her fingers in his.

Crispin took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers and giving them a squeeze. His eyes were dark as he looked at Alexius.

"Our dad has a library. We'll just have to get him to add a few more things to it.

"Come on... Harri's probably waiting."

"She would be at that." Alexius agreed readily. "We're probably already late." If he noticed the dark look, he didn't react to it.

Alexius gave a nod at the reaffirming gesture of the twins, and turned to lead them to Harri's suite.

"Last time you let me sleep in, I bet," Cori said teasingly to her brother as they went out into the hall.