Dante: The Youngers at Dinner
Keenan pushed back his chair. He was too full, even for dessert. He headed over to where the wolf was sitting on the floor and sat down next to him. "Hi," he said, quiet and a bit sullen. "Do you mind if I sit next to you? I'm a little tired of family," he added in a whisper.
Wolf whuffed slightly at the Boy who sat next to him. He sniffed at the Boy, tasting his scent and whuffed again in approval. He cocked his head, as if waiting for the Boy to say more.
Keenan was happy to oblige. "I didn't want to come in the first place," he said. "These things are always boring. I was having a good time at home. I don't get to go there nearly often enough, now that I live at the castle. I like it down by the docks better. People are so stuffy here. And Mum is at home, and Annie." He propped his elbow on his knee and his chin on his hand. "Annie couldn't come tonight. She had to help at the tavern. Sometimes she comes up to the castle, but she wasn't allowed tonight, and I don't think that's fair. Dad says that she's not a princess, but I don't see why she can't be. She's far nicer than the princesses I've met, anyway, and she lives with Mum and Dad and me, so she's family, right? I don't think being a princess should be based on who your parents are anyway, because just because your parents are royal doesn't mean they're good, right? And good people should be princes and princesses and kings and queens. Not bad." He cast a sour glance in Dulcifera's direction. "But Dad says no, anyway. I'm going to get him to change his mind, though. Annie would make a good princess." He smiled happily at the thought, then looked at Wolf apologetically. "Sorry... sometimes I talk too much."
Dante was looking across the table. He had moved as soon as the adults were out of sight to a place where he could babe-watch more effectively. His feet were on the chair that used to hold his mother.
He was eating bits of passion fruit.
Keenan reached out and buried his fingers in Wolf's ruff, scratching his neck absently (if Wolf allows). He looked first at Alexius, then at Corisande. He sighed. "No... I don't want Annie to get burned up on the Pattern. I know that she can't be a princess like that. But... well, I just wish that maybe the Pattern chose on something other than just blood." He shrugged. "And Annie isn't very proper, either," he told Alexius. "She's just nice."
Keenan ventured a tentative smile. "But you don't see so bad," he said to them.
Seramina slid from her chair and came over to where Keenan sat with Wolf. "Who's Annie?" she asked as she sat down on the floor near them.
"If I'm a prince, when I'm older I'll make sure that Annie gets to be whatever she wants," Keenan said. "Even a princess!" He lifted his chin, looking defiant. "Or at least a lady," he added with a shrug and a slightly sheepish smile.
He turned to Seramina. "Annie is a friend that I met when I was your age, or maybe younger," he said. "My dad took me down to the docks, and then he had to go deal with a problem, and he left me somewhere, and told me to stay right there... but I didn't. I went wandering, and I found a bunch of kids playing tin kick in an alley, and they taught me to play. One of them was Annie. She was the nicest one. The others made fun of my nice clothes." He wrinkled his nose and made a sour face. "And when we got tired of the game, we went up to the castle, so she could see it, because she never had before. And they made us take baths." He grinned. "We didn't get to stay long, because my dad found out, and he wasn't very happy.
"And then later she ended up working somewhere not very nice, and she nearly got sold to be a slave, but my dad rescued her, and now she lives with us and helps in the tavern. My mum runs a tavern," he added. "Martha's Mariners, down by the docks. Most people just call it Martha's... that's her name. I work there sometimes, even though I live in the castle now. You could probably come see it sometime, if you wanted to. Any of you." He smiled brightly at them.
Dante, again, stood up. This time he wandered toward Keenan, although he might have been moving toward Dulci.
"Keen, what's up?"
Keenan looked up from where he sat on the floor, and anyone who was looking at him could clearly see the flicker of annoyance that passed over his features. "Nothing," he said. "Lillith's over there." He jerked his chin in the girl's direction.
"Naw, Keen. Nothing over there I'm interested in." Regardless, Dante did look over at her. "You remember when we were at Jack's...?"
"Which time?" Keenan asked Dante. "The first time? Yeah... what about it?"
His fingers dug into Wolf's fur again, not ungently, but like he needed something solid to hold on to, and Wolf was the biggest, solidest object around.
[GM glanced over -- No ping from me]
[OOC: I don't understand why you split up the thread. Parts of the conversation are now lost or don't make sense because it got hacked apart. Consider the two conversations are happening in the same place, I don't see why they can't all be in the same thread. Because Keenan can overhear what's going on in the other conversation, and vice versa.
Maybe I'm just being dumb, but it doesn't make sense to me to split them up.]
[OOC: Because some folk ran off to the powder room?]
"Who do you think donated the sails?" Once more Dante glanced at Lillith.
Keenan shrugged. "Who cares?"
Sera carefully reached out and touched Wolf's fur. "Who's Jack?" she asked.
Dante jumped and turned to face Sera. Then he looked down to face Sera. "Don't they have age limits at these things? Jack is Lillith's brother, Keen is depressed because he couldn't bring his chica, and, at best, I'm goinng to end the evening looking into a glass of wine. Who are you?"
Wolf stood as quickly as the Boy jumped and nudged at the Boy to move back from the Little Girl with a soft snarl. He whuffed warningly at the Boy, then sat down again next to the other Boy.
Dante backed away. "Is this your dog?"
"It's not a dog," Keenan said, standing up and taking a step towards Dante. "It's a wolf. And I don't know whose it is, but I think maybe you'd better leave, because I don’t think he likes you very much. And I don't think he should, either, considering you're turning out to be just like your father – an unmannered jerk who isn't fit to be let out in public!" His voice rose as he spoke, and cracked as he finished. He flushed, but didn't back down.
Sera looked at Dante with a sullen look. "He' s called Wolf. And he is the friend of Princess Angharad, so be nice to him. And I'm Seramina. I'm your cousin," she said, sniffing as she scooted a little closer to Wolf.
"So who's Lilith?" Sera asked Keenan.
Keenan turned his back on Dante, not caring what the other boy did. "Lillith is the girl over there with Alexius. The tall one, not the young one. That one is Dulcifera." His nose wrinkled as he said her name. "She... Lillith, I mean... is Benedict's daughter, Jack's sister. Dante fancies her." He shrugged. "I don't see why."
Wolf whuffed slightly at the Boy who sat next to him. He sniffed at the Boy, tasting his scent and whuffed again in approval. He cocked his head, as if waiting for the Boy to say more.
Keenan was happy to oblige. "I didn't want to come in the first place," he said. "These things are always boring. I was having a good time at home. I don't get to go there nearly often enough, now that I live at the castle. I like it down by the docks better. People are so stuffy here. And Mum is at home, and Annie." He propped his elbow on his knee and his chin on his hand. "Annie couldn't come tonight. She had to help at the tavern. Sometimes she comes up to the castle, but she wasn't allowed tonight, and I don't think that's fair. Dad says that she's not a princess, but I don't see why she can't be. She's far nicer than the princesses I've met, anyway, and she lives with Mum and Dad and me, so she's family, right? I don't think being a princess should be based on who your parents are anyway, because just because your parents are royal doesn't mean they're good, right? And good people should be princes and princesses and kings and queens. Not bad." He cast a sour glance in Dulcifera's direction. "But Dad says no, anyway. I'm going to get him to change his mind, though. Annie would make a good princess." He smiled happily at the thought, then looked at Wolf apologetically. "Sorry... sometimes I talk too much."
Dante was looking across the table. He had moved as soon as the adults were out of sight to a place where he could babe-watch more effectively. His feet were on the chair that used to hold his mother.
He was eating bits of passion fruit.
Keenan reached out and buried his fingers in Wolf's ruff, scratching his neck absently (if Wolf allows). He looked first at Alexius, then at Corisande. He sighed. "No... I don't want Annie to get burned up on the Pattern. I know that she can't be a princess like that. But... well, I just wish that maybe the Pattern chose on something other than just blood." He shrugged. "And Annie isn't very proper, either," he told Alexius. "She's just nice."
Keenan ventured a tentative smile. "But you don't see so bad," he said to them.
Seramina slid from her chair and came over to where Keenan sat with Wolf. "Who's Annie?" she asked as she sat down on the floor near them.
"If I'm a prince, when I'm older I'll make sure that Annie gets to be whatever she wants," Keenan said. "Even a princess!" He lifted his chin, looking defiant. "Or at least a lady," he added with a shrug and a slightly sheepish smile.
He turned to Seramina. "Annie is a friend that I met when I was your age, or maybe younger," he said. "My dad took me down to the docks, and then he had to go deal with a problem, and he left me somewhere, and told me to stay right there... but I didn't. I went wandering, and I found a bunch of kids playing tin kick in an alley, and they taught me to play. One of them was Annie. She was the nicest one. The others made fun of my nice clothes." He wrinkled his nose and made a sour face. "And when we got tired of the game, we went up to the castle, so she could see it, because she never had before. And they made us take baths." He grinned. "We didn't get to stay long, because my dad found out, and he wasn't very happy.
"And then later she ended up working somewhere not very nice, and she nearly got sold to be a slave, but my dad rescued her, and now she lives with us and helps in the tavern. My mum runs a tavern," he added. "Martha's Mariners, down by the docks. Most people just call it Martha's... that's her name. I work there sometimes, even though I live in the castle now. You could probably come see it sometime, if you wanted to. Any of you." He smiled brightly at them.
Dante, again, stood up. This time he wandered toward Keenan, although he might have been moving toward Dulci.
"Keen, what's up?"
Keenan looked up from where he sat on the floor, and anyone who was looking at him could clearly see the flicker of annoyance that passed over his features. "Nothing," he said. "Lillith's over there." He jerked his chin in the girl's direction.
"Naw, Keen. Nothing over there I'm interested in." Regardless, Dante did look over at her. "You remember when we were at Jack's...?"
"Which time?" Keenan asked Dante. "The first time? Yeah... what about it?"
His fingers dug into Wolf's fur again, not ungently, but like he needed something solid to hold on to, and Wolf was the biggest, solidest object around.
[GM glanced over -- No ping from me]
[OOC: I don't understand why you split up the thread. Parts of the conversation are now lost or don't make sense because it got hacked apart. Consider the two conversations are happening in the same place, I don't see why they can't all be in the same thread. Because Keenan can overhear what's going on in the other conversation, and vice versa.
Maybe I'm just being dumb, but it doesn't make sense to me to split them up.]
[OOC: Because some folk ran off to the powder room?]
"Who do you think donated the sails?" Once more Dante glanced at Lillith.
Keenan shrugged. "Who cares?"
Sera carefully reached out and touched Wolf's fur. "Who's Jack?" she asked.
Dante jumped and turned to face Sera. Then he looked down to face Sera. "Don't they have age limits at these things? Jack is Lillith's brother, Keen is depressed because he couldn't bring his chica, and, at best, I'm goinng to end the evening looking into a glass of wine. Who are you?"
Wolf stood as quickly as the Boy jumped and nudged at the Boy to move back from the Little Girl with a soft snarl. He whuffed warningly at the Boy, then sat down again next to the other Boy.
Dante backed away. "Is this your dog?"
"It's not a dog," Keenan said, standing up and taking a step towards Dante. "It's a wolf. And I don't know whose it is, but I think maybe you'd better leave, because I don’t think he likes you very much. And I don't think he should, either, considering you're turning out to be just like your father – an unmannered jerk who isn't fit to be let out in public!" His voice rose as he spoke, and cracked as he finished. He flushed, but didn't back down.
Sera looked at Dante with a sullen look. "He' s called Wolf. And he is the friend of Princess Angharad, so be nice to him. And I'm Seramina. I'm your cousin," she said, sniffing as she scooted a little closer to Wolf.
"So who's Lilith?" Sera asked Keenan.
Keenan turned his back on Dante, not caring what the other boy did. "Lillith is the girl over there with Alexius. The tall one, not the young one. That one is Dulcifera." His nose wrinkled as he said her name. "She... Lillith, I mean... is Benedict's daughter, Jack's sister. Dante fancies her." He shrugged. "I don't see why."
posted by Timmy @ 8:21 PM
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