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<blockquote data-quote="Drusilia Nailo" data-source="post: 602513" data-attributes="member: 2062">Dru took in a deep puff from the cigar, and then let the smoke drift back out of her mouth.&nbsp; It burned her lungs a little, but it was nothing like the first time she'd tried this...&nbsp; She leaned forward in her chair, affecting nonchalance, and threw the dice.&nbsp; They bounced across the table a couple of times, both of them rolling high.&nbsp; &nbsp; Jalin, one of her father's people, and her caretaker for the afternoon, laughed aloud, slapping her on the back.&nbsp; &quot;What a girl!&nbsp; You can tell that you're Tensin Naïlo's daughter, through and through,&quot; he said approvingly.&nbsp; He winked.&nbsp; &quot;I'll bet that you can hold your liquor too,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru grinned.&nbsp; &quot;I can,&quot; she said.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jalin laughed again, barely giving his son, Alust, a glance.&nbsp; &quot;You're quite a girl,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &quot;Someone that a father could be proud of.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru watched Alust out of the corner of her eye.&nbsp; The small elf glared at her and his father impartially.&nbsp; He reached out, and took one of Jalin's cigars, lighting it in the candle, and then took a deep puff, imitating Dru.&nbsp; There was a moment's pause, and then Alust turned bright red, and started coughing violently.&nbsp; He leaned forward, putting his head on the table, and wheezed for&nbsp;air.&nbsp; &nbsp; Jalin sighed, looking at Alust.&nbsp; &quot;Take a drink, boy,&quot; he said harshly, shoving the tankard of ale over to him.&nbsp; &nbsp; Alust continued coughing, but weakly reached out to take the tankard, and then swallowed some of the contents.&nbsp; This only seemed to renew his coughing.&nbsp; &quot;I...hate....ale,&quot; he managed to get out between coughs.&nbsp; &quot;You...know...that.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Jalin grumbled a little bit, looking apologetically at Dru.&nbsp; &quot;He's not as tough as you are, despite my best efforts,&quot; he said, as if Alust wasn't even there.Dru blinked, horrified, feeling bad for Alust, even if he was a little snit.&nbsp; &nbsp; Alust's coughing finally subsided, and he straightened up, mustering as much dignity as he could in the situation.&nbsp; &quot;Is it my throw?&quot;&nbsp; He threw the dice on the table, and scowled when their sum was lower than Dru's had been.&nbsp; &nbsp; Jalin snorted, and swept the dice up into his hands, shaking them up.&nbsp; He threw them, and got a perfect roll.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Dru stared at him, incredulously.&nbsp; &quot;That's the fourth time in a row that you've gotten that, Jalin,&quot; she said.&nbsp; &quot;I think that you're cheating!&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Instead of taking offense, he laughed loudly.&nbsp; &quot;Cheating, you say?&nbsp; It's only cheating if you're caught.&nbsp; Here, let me show you how I've been doing it,&quot; he said, eyes twinkling.&nbsp; &nbsp; An hour later, they were still playing, letting Dru practice cheating without being obvious about it.&nbsp; &quot;No, no,&quot; snapped Jalin, smacking the back of her hand.&nbsp; &quot;I saw you palming the extra die.&nbsp; You can't be that obvious about it, not if you don't want to get caught.&nbsp; Getting caught can be fatal in this town.&nbsp; Think, girl!&nbsp; Use those nimble little fingers of yours for once.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Alust smirked at her, perhaps glad that Dru was finally getting the sharp end of Jalin's tongue.&nbsp; Dru, who was used to her father's dagger, wasn't fazed.&nbsp; &quot;Yeah, yeah, whatever,&quot; she grumbled at him.&nbsp; It's only fatal if they're stronger than you in a fight.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Jalin looked at her, and then laughed again.&nbsp; &quot;That's the spirit!&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Alust scowled.&nbsp; &quot;If you're so good in a fight, then why do you have scars all over your arms?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru stared at him, and said icily, &quot;Those were from training.&nbsp; If you had been trained the way that I have been, you'd have scars too.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;More,&quot; said Jalin.&nbsp; &quot;He's pathetic with a blade of any kind.&nbsp; But you,&quot; he said, grinning at her.&nbsp; &quot;I heard about what happened at Swag Fest the other night.&nbsp; Congratulations!&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru felt bad for Alust, suddenly, knowing how she'd feel if Papa ever criticized her publicly.&nbsp; &quot;It wasn't that important,&quot; she said modestly.&nbsp; &quot;He was just a human, and wasn't even very good.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Nonsense,&quot; said Jalin firmly.&nbsp; &quot;He was your first kill, and it was well done too.&nbsp; I wish that I could have seen it!&nbsp; Any fight that you can walk away from is a good fight.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru shrugged, glancing over at the seething Alust.&nbsp; &quot;I had trouble walking away from it,&quot; she said, turning back to the grinning Jalin.&nbsp; &quot;If Ivellimor hadn't taken me back to his apartment and given me some curing potions, I'd still be wounded.&nbsp; He got me and good, right up the belly,&quot; she admitted.&nbsp; &nbsp; Jalin made a hand motion, as if waving away her words.&nbsp; &quot;Nonsense.&nbsp; You got away, and you're still alive.&nbsp; Your opponent isn't.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Dru nodded, and took a sip of the ale.&nbsp; &quot;True.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Jalin smirked at Alust.&nbsp; &quot;You'd better be careful,&quot; he said to him.&nbsp; &quot;You're going to lose your lady love to Ivellimor if you don't move quickly.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Father!&quot;&nbsp; Alust flushed bright red, and leapt to his feet.&nbsp; &quot;She is not my lady love.&nbsp; Ivellimor can have her,&quot; he sneered.&nbsp; &quot;Like I'd want a scarred up girl.&quot;&nbsp; And with that, he stormed out of the game room of Tensin Naïlo's house.&nbsp; A few seconds later, they heard the outside door slamming shut, as Alust went outdoors.&nbsp; &nbsp; There was a moment of silence.&nbsp; Dru sat there, embarrassed, not knowing what to say.&nbsp; Jalin finally cleared his throat.&nbsp; &quot;I'm sorry that you had to see that,&quot; he said, embarrassed.&nbsp; &quot;His mother coddles him, and he expects everyone else to do the same.&nbsp; How he's even lived to be this age is a surprise to me.&nbsp; But... we can't choose our children, right?&quot;&nbsp; He turned to her, grinning again.&nbsp; &quot;Though I'm sure that your father has no regrets about you.&nbsp; I wish...&quot; he trailed off, and then shook his head.&nbsp; &quot;It's no matter.&nbsp; Now, you cheat again, and I'll watch.&nbsp; You're going to get this right if it takes you six more hours.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Drusilia Nailo, post: 602513, member: 2062"] Dru took in a deep puff from the cigar, and then let the smoke drift back out of her mouth. It burned her lungs a little, but it was nothing like the first time she'd tried this... She leaned forward in her chair, affecting nonchalance, and threw the dice. They bounced across the table a couple of times, both of them rolling high. Jalin, one of her father's people, and her caretaker for the afternoon, laughed aloud, slapping her on the back. "What a girl! You can tell that you're Tensin Naïlo's daughter, through and through," he said approvingly. He winked. "I'll bet that you can hold your liquor too," he said. Dru grinned. "I can," she said. Jalin laughed again, barely giving his son, Alust, a glance. "You're quite a girl," he said. "Someone that a father could be proud of." Dru watched Alust out of the corner of her eye. The small elf glared at her and his father impartially. He reached out, and took one of Jalin's cigars, lighting it in the candle, and then took a deep puff, imitating Dru. There was a moment's pause, and then Alust turned bright red, and started coughing violently. He leaned forward, putting his head on the table, and wheezed for air. Jalin sighed, looking at Alust. "Take a drink, boy," he said harshly, shoving the tankard of ale over to him. Alust continued coughing, but weakly reached out to take the tankard, and then swallowed some of the contents. This only seemed to renew his coughing. "I...hate....ale," he managed to get out between coughs. "You...know...that." Jalin grumbled a little bit, looking apologetically at Dru. "He's not as tough as you are, despite my best efforts," he said, as if Alust wasn't even there. Dru blinked, horrified, feeling bad for Alust, even if he was a little snit. Alust's coughing finally subsided, and he straightened up, mustering as much dignity as he could in the situation. "Is it my throw?" He threw the dice on the table, and scowled when their sum was lower than Dru's had been. Jalin snorted, and swept the dice up into his hands, shaking them up. He threw them, and got a perfect roll. Dru stared at him, incredulously. "That's the fourth time in a row that you've gotten that, Jalin," she said. "I think that you're cheating!" Instead of taking offense, he laughed loudly. "Cheating, you say? It's only cheating if you're caught. Here, let me show you how I've been doing it," he said, eyes twinkling. An hour later, they were still playing, letting Dru practice cheating without being obvious about it. "No, no," snapped Jalin, smacking the back of her hand. "I saw you palming the extra die. You can't be that obvious about it, not if you don't want to get caught. Getting caught can be fatal in this town. Think, girl! Use those nimble little fingers of yours for once." Alust smirked at her, perhaps glad that Dru was finally getting the sharp end of Jalin's tongue. Dru, who was used to her father's dagger, wasn't fazed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," she grumbled at him. It's only fatal if they're stronger than you in a fight." Jalin looked at her, and then laughed again. "That's the spirit!" Alust scowled. "If you're so good in a fight, then why do you have scars all over your arms?" Dru stared at him, and said icily, "Those were from training. If you had been trained the way that I have been, you'd have scars too." "More," said Jalin. "He's pathetic with a blade of any kind. But you," he said, grinning at her. "I heard about what happened at Swag Fest the other night. Congratulations!" Dru felt bad for Alust, suddenly, knowing how she'd feel if Papa ever criticized her publicly. "It wasn't that important," she said modestly. "He was just a human, and wasn't even very good." "Nonsense," said Jalin firmly. "He was your first kill, and it was well done too. I wish that I could have seen it! Any fight that you can walk away from is a good fight." Dru shrugged, glancing over at the seething Alust. "I had trouble walking away from it," she said, turning back to the grinning Jalin. "If Ivellimor hadn't taken me back to his apartment and given me some curing potions, I'd still be wounded. He got me and good, right up the belly," she admitted. Jalin made a hand motion, as if waving away her words. "Nonsense. You got away, and you're still alive. Your opponent isn't." Dru nodded, and took a sip of the ale. "True." Jalin smirked at Alust. "You'd better be careful," he said to him. "You're going to lose your lady love to Ivellimor if you don't move quickly." "Father!" Alust flushed bright red, and leapt to his feet. "She is not my lady love. Ivellimor can have her," he sneered. "Like I'd want a scarred up girl." And with that, he stormed out of the game room of Tensin Naïlo's house. A few seconds later, they heard the outside door slamming shut, as Alust went outdoors. There was a moment of silence. Dru sat there, embarrassed, not knowing what to say. Jalin finally cleared his throat. "I'm sorry that you had to see that," he said, embarrassed. "His mother coddles him, and he expects everyone else to do the same. How he's even lived to be this age is a surprise to me. But... we can't choose our children, right?" He turned to her, grinning again. "Though I'm sure that your father has no regrets about you. I wish..." he trailed off, and then shook his head. "It's no matter. Now, you cheat again, and I'll watch. You're going to get this right if it takes you six more hours." [/QUOTE]

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