The Dating Game

It's early evening, and just outside the Ox Strength Tavern, a perculiar group comes walking up. A tall warrior, wearing what looks to be fresh new clothes and hair that's been styled into a high ponytail, a small half-elf girl that's in her best dress with her hair clean and also similarily styled, and a dire panther who's fur has been groomed until it gleams and with a new collar around her neck and a bow on top of her head (the panther looks disgruntled about it). In the man's arms is a bouquet of what looks to be expensive roses and he steps inside and starts to look around.

It's as rowdy as even inside the Ox, people laughing and shouting, there's even a fight happening in one corner that most are ignoring. A fair few of the people seem interested in Rosie, who has her lute in her arms, strumming out a fast and upbeat dance tune that she's spinning along to, long flowing dress twirling with her. Some of the watchers are clapping along, stomping their feet to the beat, until..

A spin and a flurry of wavy red hair and Rosie catches sight of the new arrivals, quickly ending her tune with a few cheery chords and a final curtsey. "Excuse me, my date has arrived.", she tells the small crowd, some who moan and curse, others who whistle and look over to see who the man might be. "'ey, go on Rosie!", one of them can be heard calling.

With some flushed freckled cheeks, Rosie waves them away dismissively and swings her lute up onto her back, starting to approach Darius and family.

Aika, being the one who has meticulously crafted this entire scenario, nudges Darius once Rosie approaches him. Darius is thereby pushed forwards and gulping, says his rehearsed lines, "I know these roses are a poor substitute for your beauty, but please accept them as a token of my esteem..." Aika is mouthing the words behind him whispering them in case he forgot, leaving nothing to chance, the girl is. Fluffy for her part, just tries to look cute, even though she really isn't a fan of having a hair bow on her head.

Moving up to the group, Rosie looks over the roses with a smile, catching out of the corner of her eye the mouthed words from Aika, the crafty little girl. "That's really nice. Did you think of that?", she asks, though is talking to the girl rather than Darius, smiling in amusement.

Reaching up, she brushes a few red strands of hair from her vision, then accepts the roses gracefully. "You look nice, your hair looks good like that.", she notes, lifting the roses to inhale the scent before pulling one from the bunch. She snaps the stem only a couple of inches from the rose, then reaches out to tuck it into Aika's hair, by her ear. "Perfect.", she nods.

Her attention drifts back to Darius, looking up at him appreciately, a softness growing in her pale blue eyes, the noise of the tavern fading into the background for a moment. Until Bubbles drops from the ceiling beams and lands on Darius' shoulder with a surprising screech, it's as if he was going out of his way to try and make him jump!

And Darius was so focused on Rosie himself, about to respond, when Bubbles does that that he does indeed yelp and says, "Ack..." He gives Bubbles a raised eyebrow and says, "You're a cheeky monkey, aren't you?" Aika blushes and curtseys to Rosie, an obviously practised long and hard in front of the mirror one, and says, "Well, if I didn't, he might do something silly..." She smiles, "Everything is all planned out by the way, I'll nudge him on occasion to remind him of stuff though, and thank you, you look really nice too. Right Daddy?" Here she nudges her father with feeling. Darius oofs and chuckles at Aika and then looks Rosie up and down appreciatively, "You always look lovely, Rosie, I'm the luckiest man in this city right now..." The patrons of the Tavern (the male ones at least) would probably agree wholeheartedly!

Bubbles tilts his head back and makes a chimp-like laugh, bounces on Darius' shoulder, then leaps from him straight over to land on Rosie's shoulder. He tries to reach down at the roses, but she smacks his fingers before they reach. "Not for you.", the young woman tells him, rolling her eyes in amusement.

"I hope I don't spoil your plans.", Rosie replies to Aika, "I wouldn't like to do something you haven't prepared.", there's a definite teasing tone in her voice, as if she intends to do just that.

"He ain't wrong, girl!", one of the nearby patrons calls, an old but friendly drunk, like a rosy cheeked grandfather. "Oh shush.", Rosie replies, her freckled cheeks flushing again, as she turns her attention back to Darius. "So..", she starts to ask, hop-stepping forward so she can reach out with her free arm, small, soft fingers closing around his hand, ".. what's the first part of the plan?", now much closer she's having to look up quite far due to the height difference.

Darius immediately replies before Aika can prompt him, wanting to at least have SOME semblance of control over this, "We're going to a restaurant in the Noble Quarter that I managed to get a reservation for... after that..." Here he looks at Aika, "You and Fluffy will be going home because it'll be close to your bedtime and I can take it from there." Aika pouts but then says, "You better! I spent ALL DAY making sure you knew exactly what to do and say!" Darius chuckles, "Yes, yes, all will work out as you intend it, I'm sure... just remember, life is what happens when you're making plans and if I know anything at all, my guess is that Rosie here will throw a few wrinkles into things just to tweak our noses." He grins at Rosie, "Right?"

"I would never do such a thing!", Rosie replies, faking insult but giving a sneaky grin at Aika, nodding and mouthing, "I would.", but then her eyes are back on Darius and she looks the perfect innocent angel once again. "Are you sure it's not too expensive?", she asks, "We could have a sandwich on the banks of the river, if that's better.".

"And surely you're not sending her home?", Rosie looking to Aika, "On a day like today? After dressing up and everything!", giving the girl a sly smile before looking up at Darius. "Wherever we're going, we should go soon. I think we're drawing an audience.".

Darius chuckles and puts her hand around the crook of his arm and says, "Oh, I'm sure she'd follow us everywhere if she could, but she does have a strict bedtime after all." Aika mouths back, "I'll be hiding in the shadows watching!" Darius leads the group out of the tavern and into the street. He takes a meandering route to the Noble Quarter, the pace slow and steady, and he replies to her other question, "Not really, I just got paid for my last job so I really don't mind splurging on a good meal now and then. And besides, it took a lot of favors to be able to get the reservation, so I am going to keep it."

When Darius isn't looking, Rosie gives Aika a thumbs up at her 'hiding in the shadows' plan, quickly turning her attention back to Darius before he spots what's happening. Arm in arm, she follows along, her other arm holding the roses while Bubbles enjoys the ride on her shoulder.

"If you're sure..", Rosie replies, ".. you don't have to make so much fuss just for me.", she smiles, glancing up, her pale blue eyes showing she does appreciate it.

Darius laughs softly, and the lines of his face ease when he does so, he replies, "Of course I do, Aika would kick me in the shin if I didn't." He grins again at Aika who is looking completely innocent beside them. He continues as he turns back to Rosie, "Besides, you are worth it, normally my amorous adventures are more..." Here he stops, eyes glancing back towards Aika and then changes what he was going to say, "Well, never mind, it no longer matters now." It takes about an hour, but eventually Darius leads the group to a very high crust restaurant in the middle of the Noble Quarter, the maitre d' checks Darius's credentials very carefully, but eventually once some gold is passed is quite solicitious and leads the group to a private table in the back. The room is darkened and lit only by soft candlelight and a famous bard plays his harp in the background, romantic songs that stir the heart and passion.

If Darius had his credentials checked, Rosie is no doubt being looked down the nose at, with her patchwork dress, cheeky little monkey and bare feet; at least her lute looks expensive, so that's something. Keeping her head down as she heads for the table, she seems to be thankful for the darkened, candlelit area, if only to keep gazes off her.

Placing her roses to one side, Rosie reaches up to gather up Bubbles and place him down in a seat nearby, pointing a finger at him that reads 'Stay!', before her attention is returned to the gathering. "Brief?", the young woman asks, finishing the sentence for Darius. Ignoring etiquette she rests an elbow on the table, chin on her upraised hand, gazing across the table at Darius. "I had a boyfriend once.", then ponders that for a moment before correcting herself, "I was /going/ to have a boyfriend. I think. I think he liked me.", a brief wrinkling of her brow. "I snuck away at night to meet him, but that's when I stepped the wrong way and got myself lost.".

Darius coughs then and says, "Yes, that would be an excellent way of putting it." He then listens and nods as Aika leans forwards and says with wide eyes, "You snuck out to meet a boy???" Darius sees the wheels turning in her head and says quickly, "Oh no, you're not going to even think about boys until you're 30, at LEAST!" Aika makes a face and says, "That's not fair Daddy!"

With a smile and a nod, Rosie replies to Aika, "My mother was just like your father, she would smack a boy just for looking at me. Just like that.", she mimics a slap across the head for the girl, "Bop! So I had to sneak away.". Leaning forward a little, she lowers her voice to a whisper, making it look like it's between the two, but loud enough so Darius can hear, "I'm very good at sneaking too. I'll teach you the tricks sometime!", a nod, a secret wink between the pair, then she leans back again.

"I didn't see him, there was a portal right there, shimmering so soft in the air I didn't even see it, and then.. boof!", her hands mimic a small explosion, there's a even a magical flash of light that sparks onto the table to add emphasis, "I was somewhere else! Just like that.", a shake of her head as she remembers. "A jungle, where I found Bubbles and I was nearly eaten by a cat even bigger than that one.", a nod to the bow wearing kitty.

Darius raises an eyebrow and says, "A portal? How did that happen?" The waiter comes to take their order and then leaves unobtrusively as Aika winks back.

Lifting her head from her upraised hand, Rosie instead twirls a finger into her wavy red hair, wrapping the strands around. "They're everywhere in the Vast.", she explains, "Most are really easy to see, but this one..", a brief but gentle bite upon her lower lip.

"Well, mother would say that the Vast is alive and takes you where you need to be.", the young woman says, "So maybe I'm meant to be here. Maybe we're supposed to be on this date because of something that's going to happen in the future.". Pulling her finger through the strands, they spring into a curl as she places her hands back onto the table. "That's if you believe what my mother says.".

Looking to Darius, she smiles, "What about you? How did you come to be here?"

Aika blinks and then says, "Ohmygosh! That would mean the two of you are destined to be lovers! That's so romantic!" She actually has hearts in her eyes at that thought, Darius for his part just shakes his head at his daughter and smiles, "You just REALLY want a mother and siblings, don't you?" Aika nods vigorously, Fluffy growl-purrs in agreement, Darius just sighs. He then looks at Rosie and then leans back and says, "Now that... is a long story, since I don't want little ears to hear the whole sordid tale I'll just say this, I was an orphan from Dragonier who through the charity of my foster parents managed to become a warrior and so, ended up here. /IF/ we get some alone time together, I'll tell you the whole tale." Aika pouts at that.

Leaning forward, she says quietly to Aika, "I'll tell you his secrets later!", she nods, smiling at the girl before relaxing back into her seat. Looking around, her eyes focus on the bard, listening to the music for a while, a perceptive person might notice her fingers moving as if working out the tune on an imaginary lute.

"Well, tell me how you have a daughter, at least?", she says, turning her attention back to those at the table.

Darius chuckles and both Aika and Darius look at each other. Darius then says, Well, it started with a murder in the Market District. A shopkeeper was ritually murdered and through some investigation, we learned that the perpertrator was a middle aged bald man and his tracks lead to an old abandonned house being used as an orphanage with an old granny as caretaker." Aika picks up the story then, "So Daddy brought Fluffy in because all us children were trying to hide and caught me and since she's so cute and Daddy was so nice and heroic, I told him that the person he was looking for was the old granny in disguise. After that Daddy adopted me and found good homes for the rest of my friends." She smiles brilliantly at her father and says softly, "He's a hero, he saved me." Darius blushes and says, "I was only doing my job..."

While listening, Rosie becomes a little more focused on the pair than usual, even her features take in the story, a soft, "Ooh.", and widened eyes at talk of ritual murders. So focused is she that she doesn't realise Bubbles has become restless and wandered off. "That's a lot of responsibility.", she notes at Darius' decision to adopt, "What about your hero.. ing. Heroing?", a slight look of puzzlement as she finds the right words, "Adventuring!", a soft chuckle to herself.

And then from across the room comes the cry of, "That monkey stole my carrot!", then another one a few tables over, "Hey! Come back with those!", and then a startled scream for an older lady further along. "There's a beast in here!". Rosie glances so quickly to where she left Bubbles that she's struck with a moment of dizziness, then her attention whips over to where all the commotion is coming from. "Oh no..".

Darius was about to reply when the cry comes up about a monkey and Darius echoes her, "Oh no..." He stands up and says, "Aika, you take the left, I'll take the right, Rosie can sneak up and try and grab him and we can cut off his escape route."

Hopping to her feet, Rosie pauses a second to get a sense of where the monkey might be, before taking off toward his general location. "He's this way!", she calls back, but that gives away her secret. An older man stands up in front of her, "Is that thing yours?", he asks, causing her to screech to a stop in front of him.

"It's not a /thing/, it's Bubbles!", she exclaims with a huff, then looks past the man at the woman who is fanning herself after her shock. "I'm /so/ sorry madam.", she says, pushing past the man to stop in front of the older lady, resting hands briefly on her shoulders, "Are you feeling alright?".

"Get off me!", the older lady, waving her hands to get Rosie, which she's happy to do. "Right!", and off she goes again, looking for Bubbles.

GAME: Rosie rolls sleight: (7)+sleight: 7

GAME: Rosie rolls sleight+1d20: sleight+(9): 9

GAME: Darius rolls slight: (12)+slight: 12

GAME: Rosie rolls sleight of hand: (15)+11: 26

The very perceptive might note that the older lady's pearl necklace has vanished and Rosie's dress pocket is a little more full.

Darius walks over and attempts to calm things down, "Madam, please forgive us, the monkey is the lady's familiar and unfortunately is not trained yet, I am willing to pay for damages if there have been any unfortunate accidents." Aika noticed, but gapes at Rosie, but otherwise says nothing as Darius doesn't even see it.

GAME: Darius rolls diplomacy: (10)+4: 14

There's a little crash a table over, as Bubbles bounds across the table and sends plates flying in all directions, including the meals that were on them. "Bubbles! Come back here!", Rosie calls, giving chase, foot on a chair to launch herself over the table and land on the other side, the noble couple watching in confusion as a person soars over their place.

Rosie lands perfectly without breaking stride, scooping down quickly to pick up the little monkey. The perceptive, again, might note that the monkey is more willing than it looks to be caught. "Got him!", she calls, twirling around to look over the mess that the outburst has caused. "Oops.. um..". The man who led them to their table is red faced and fuming, while a couple of customers are deciding to leave. ".. Sorry?".

GAME: Rosie rolls acrobatics+3: (13)+7+3: 23

The maitre d' then shouts, "Out! I never should have allowed you in in the first place! You will pay for all the damages and never again will you darken our door!" Darius sighs then and heads over to settle up with the management as Aika moves next to Rosie and whispers, "Why did you take that lady's necklace?" More curious than anything really. Quite a lot of gold passes between Darius and the management before they are satisfried and the group is escorted right out of the premises with nary a farewell and a slammed door in their faces.

Looking from Darius to Aika and then to the maitre d', Rosie sighs and heads for the door, her cheeky little monkey munching the stolen carrot as he's carried in her arms. "Look at what you've done.", she says down to him, "You spoilt our date.", a huff and a glare, but there's a sparkle of amusement in her eyes at the same time, as if she really just wants to giggle.

When out of earshot and away from the premises, she reaches out and boops Aika on the end of her nose. "You've got good eyes.", she notes. After a few moments of thought, she explains, "Because she was wearing them.", a simple reason, but it's enough for her. To stop the girls confusion, she continues, "If she can afford to wear something like that, she can afford to lose them too. And I have to find my family, which is going to cost money that I don't have.".

Stopping while Darius is getting shouted at by the maitre d', Rosie crouches down in front of the young girl, a curious tilt of her head. "Do you think your father would be mad?", a glance up to see if he's moving closer, "I do like him, you know?".

Aika thinks, "He might be mad, but he's a hero, so if you told him you needed money to find your family, he'd help you out... he really likes you too." She smiles at Rosie and says, "I told him to get you a ring, but he said something about needing to get to know you a lot better first and something about sleeping together that I didn't understand."

Darius walks over to the group and raises an eyebrow and says, "What are you two scheming about now?"

That certainly causes a flush of red across Rosie's freckled cheeks, "Sleeping together? Oh my..", blinking once or twice, a hint of panic at the thought. The red is still there when Darius approaches, the young woman rising back to her not so full height to reply, "Um. We were just talking about.. the date. Maybe we should have that sandwich by the river..?". With that thought still in mind, she's having a hard time looking straight at Darius.

Once Darius has caught up, Rosie starts to walk alongside, "I'm sorry about Bubbles, he..", then forgets that and motions back to the restaurant, "I hope you didn't have to pay too much.".

Darius shrugs and says, "It happens, it's fine... I think a sandwich by the river would be fine, what do you think Aika?" Aika hmms and then nods, "I guess it can't be helped, you can kiss her there by the river, it'll be more romantic that way..." Darius blinks himself and then coughs, "Uh, Aika, you're forgetting that it's not up to me about kissing, Rosie here has SOME say in it you know..." Aika blinks and puts her hands over her mouth, "Oops... I didn't think about that..." So much for perfect plans.

Looking up the night sky, Rosie hmm's softly to herself, "It's quite late and I'm sure it's close to bedtime for some.", a glance down at Aika. Looking at her for a moment, she asks, "Can you hold Bubbles while I do something?", lifting Bubbles up and passing him across, whispering something to him before he leaves.

Not wanting to be held, Bubbles clambers up onto Aika's shoulder and places both his hands over her eyes, so she can't see, while Rosie quickly twirls to Darius, steps up close, rises on tiptoe and with a moments warning through her soft blue eyes, plants a little kiss upon his lips.