Thick as Thieves

Thick as Thieves
Date of Scene:	11 November 2012
Location:	Fluorgis - Airship Port
Synopsis:	Drowning his -- let's call them sorrows -- before the magnificent vista of arriving and departing airships in Fluorgis, Ivo is chanced upon by his favorite femme fatale Priel, the perfect person to exploit his moment of weakness. Amidst their eternal battle of wits and wiles, a glorious plan is concocted. What havoc will these two canny manipulators wreak in the name of a more interesting world...?
Cast of Characters:	Ivo Galvan, Priel Aylin

---

Ivo Galvan has posed:
Ivo sets down his glass and sighs.

Though a young man who, despite his cunning and composure, only transcends the teenage status of his fellow Seekers by a single year, his gusty exhalation is tinged with the world-weariness of the middle-aged. This is not due to the uniqueness of his situation, unique though it may be. On the contrary, the problem that besets him now as assailed men of many ages for generations, and will perhaps assail them until the end of time.

Being amongst the airships calms him. Though familiar with the intertwining of the magical and the mechanical, flight was not a greatly researched area back on his home world, and upon his first arrival in Fluorgis he regarded them with a childish delight. Since then, for the most part, he has -- even with all his playfulness and endless frivolity -- been a rock for the Shard Seekers, taking care of business, ensuring their status in the city is secure, while his friends do most of the gallivanting off on glorious quests. (Most of it.) Though always in search of the new, rather than being driven by wanderlust, Ivo takes a special pleasure in making meaning out of the mundane. Simple interactions with strangers, not continent-spanning journeys, are his go-to adventures. He's a patient man.

But all patience wears thin sometimes.

Gazing into the wavering amber surface of the liquor in his glass in the airship port's bar, seated on a stool before a vast window revealing the great vessels stationed outside, the knight-errant's blue eyes see reflected back at them a long-suffering look. Drifting up in his mind are images of all the attractive women he's met on his travels so far, of which there are many. Each one he's managed an entertaining rapport with, and at the time, that's always what he wants. But when, the other day, he flirted with Maira out of one side of his mouth and Viola with the other, and the opportunity to teach one of them how to swim came up, well--

"I need a woman," he mutters to himself quietly, finally admitting it.

This is no good. No good at all.

If he's actually /tempted/, he'll hurt someone, and ruin all his fun.

Well... but it would be nice...

Ugh, no, no! Think of the children! Think of mocking the children!

Yes. Remember your true purpose, Ivo Galvan.

Priel Aylin has posed:
Within that very same bar was a certain headheaded adventurer. Over at the bartender's counter in the back, seated on a stool and happily chatting up the man. It seemed that she and Ivo had totally missed each other initially. But that would not last much longer. "Thanks for the info, Mister~ I'll be sure to put it to good use~" And with a wink to the bartender, she swiveled around in her stool, taking up her glass with her, which contained a clear liquid. Of course it totally wasn't water.

"Hmn?"

A brief sweep of the bar with her eyes, while she took a sip of her drink, revealed to her a familiar(and still stupid looking) cape. Now there was only /one/ person she knew who proudly wore such a silly thing. Ivo Galvan; wannabe knight extraordinaire. "Ohoooooo~"

With her interest piqued now, the girl rose up from her seat at the bartender's counter and sauntered her way over to the knight from behind, a michievous smile playing across her face. Once in range, she....casually wrapping her arms around his neck in a loose hug. One hand kept hold of her drink, fingers holding it from the rim above.

"Well, well, well...If it isn't Mr. Knight? Long time no see, hmm~?"

Leave it to Priel to greet someone in that manner of course.

"You're going to turn into an old man if you keep up that sort of posture, you know~?"

Ivo Galvan has posed:
Ivo, resplendent in his magnificent cloak which has reduced masses of maidens to swooning in admiration, is indeed a bit more slumped than usual, showing a fatigue that he would fain keep a secret from his allies, and not only due to its source. As his new teacher in the art of the sword has perceived in him, for all that Ivo's father criticized him for a lack of determination, his loyalty and devotion to the Seekers is real, as is his fondness for them. But however he might tease them, the gaggle of cute younger girls he calls his friends could never interest him in /this/ way. No, a less innocent, more mature, more seductive woman is what he yearns for, what he mustn't admit to. It's only here, where he is safely ensconced away from his acquaintances, that he can let such superficial desires pass through and lower his guard a little--

"Wh..."

An intoxicating aroma causes his jaw to drop, strands of silky red hair falling about his shoulders, and a warm softness pressing against his back causes his glass to almost slip from his grasp. Poleaxed, he looks down at the arms draped over him uncomprehendingly, bereft of his typical poise.

"...Urgh."

And as soon as he hears Priel's voice, Ivo slumps slightly, eyes closing in consternation as he realizes he's already lost a point in their eternal game.

Still, that moment passes, and then it seems as though her presence as actually cheered him up; though his smile is wry, his eyes show their usual amused interest as he tilts his head to look over his shoulder at her. "Priel," he greets, lightly clinking his glass against hers, as it's now conveniently held in front of his chest. "Very true. I think you've revivified me already. Shall I prove to you my youthful vigor?" Their usual banter seems to comfort him somehow.

"It'd be an honor to buy your next drink," he offers, suggestively tilting his head over to the stool next to him. "I've got a little extra saved up from the Seekers' missions." His wry smile evens out and broadens a little. "I've missed you, Priel. We aren't so different, you and I." He's never said so explicitly, and he doesn't seem to care to go into detail, but despite his airy tone, he sounds as though he believes that. "How have your own ventures been going? Our group's pulled together quite well. We haven't failed a quest yet. Headquarters has become quite comfortable. And all the little ladies with crushes on Reize seem to be getting along with each other too. It's all..."

He leans back slightly, resuming his typical posture, and his eyes begin to sparkle with their usual interest and vitality.

"...rather boring."

He sure doesn't /look/ bored.

Priel Aylin has posed:
"Have I? Oh my...my skills are getting better and better without me lifting a finger~" Giggling lightly, she removed her arms from around Ivo, moving to plop down into the next stool.

"Well, I suppose I wouldn't mind having my next drink paid for if you're THAT loaded now~" Eyes twinkling with amusement, Priel downed the rest of drink, setting her glass down onto the surface before her. "My ventures? Hmn, nothing much to speak of" The redhead spoke plainly, shrugging a shoulder. "Just the usual antics. Explore this ruin, plunder that treasure, gather this information...." trailing off at that though, her eyes lowered a bit as she got to the ext point of interest. "Still nothing regarding those elusive 'world shards' now...I begin to wonder if they even exist."

Falling silent for a few moments, Priel pondered on that point before shaking her head slightly. "Nevertheless, you and those bumbling fools are managing to not blow yourselves up?" Glancing over at the knight with a smirk, she tilted her head slightly as she asked.

"I'm not sure whether I should be impressed, or counting down the days till it actually happens! Ahahahaha!" Bursting out into lighthearted laughter, Priel brought a hand to her mouth to muffle it, though not really trying. "Boring though? Hah! I can imagine how that sort of thing WOULD be boring. All of those little girls prancing about, all smiles and rainbows..."

A devilish grin came across the girl's face at that comment though. "Clearly you need something to spice up your life right now~" Tapping her chin in thought for a but, she pondered the possibilities. "...Well, there WAS that one time I chased that silly girl through the desert...what was her name? Shiki? ...Though the aftermath was not exactly as I had planned it...Hmn."

Shrugging again at that, she went on. "Anyway! What I'm saying is...plant some seeds of chaos within their ranks and then sit back and watch them panic! Easy~!"

Ivo Galvan has posed:
Ivo's heart skips a beat as Priel giggles softly right next to him, her breath tickling his ear, but this time, prepared, he valiantly maintains his poker face until she extracts herself from his back and seats herself next to him. Ugh, he's still vulnerable in this, ahem, weakened state. There's got to be something he can do about this. ...Maybe... He glances sidelong at Priel, briefly speculative.

Cue a camera overlay a la Scan from FF8, in which a big target square appears around Priel, atop which is written THREAT RATING: S and beneath DO NOT ENGAGE.

...Yeah, he's not /that/ drunk.

Once the wave of mingled relief and disappointment washes over him, his easy grin returns. After all, whatever opinion his allies may have about this young woman, Ivo's always enjoyed her presence. Maybe it validates him somehow. She's like him, but worse, so he can't be all that bad, right? Right. Also, she's a lot of fun. "Oh, I'm rolling in it," he boasts with a casual shrug, before extracting a decidedly not-bulging coinpurse and raising a finger to the bartender before pointing at Priel's glass, the universal signal for I Am Hitting On This Woman So You Know What To Do. "Yeah, I heard you plundered some treasure. Reize wasn't too happy about it, and he was even less happy when I started laughing." His grin broadens. "But I contented him by fixing up our heated outdoor bath in the garden with that copper ore you left behind. Desert nights get cold." Ivo Galvan, useful guy to have around.

His grin softens back to a slight smile at the mention of World Shards, however. "Keep hope alive, Priel Aylin," he says lightly as her glass is refilled. "It's only once hope gets you moving that anything of interest can be found. Even if the Shards are a lie, who knows what truths might be unveiled? All we can do is prepare ourselves for them. Cheers." He lifts his glass again. "With luck, though, we should soon have access to the Fire Crystal, and we'll know for sure whether the rumored Shards exist."

"Ha ha ha, somehow." He seems amused at their success too. Though previously he has argued with Priel for the Seekers' viability and, indeed, had anticipated that it would work out, still he regards his current lifestyle, as he does almost everything, from a certain distance. "Indeed. I do appreciate rainbows, but..."

His grin broadens.

"...what's a rainbow without a rainstorm to precede it?"

He actually /bursts/ into laughter when Priel mentions her Shiki escapade, and when he turns to look back at the redhead, he almost has tears in his eyes. He definitely doesn't show /this/ level of mirth around his allies. "I can't believe you threatened to eat her!" he exclaims, but he sounds anything but indignant. Rather, he sounds like an artist marveling at the work of another. "She believed you, you know! She's still terrified of you! Ha ha ha!" Yes, terror, how hilarious.

"Spice, huh?" Once his mirth subsides a little, Ivo's smile turns thoughtful, his eyes as contemplative as they are delighted. "Hmm... perhaps a little cinnamon? Or would it be paprika?" No, you smell more like cinnamon, he manages /not/ to say aloud. "Those girls are all at peace with each other now because apparently they've promised to 'share' Reize. I shudder to think." Oh, not the foursome. More like the thought of them all skipping and laughing in a field of flowers. Of course, real Ivo would find that super entertaining, but he finds himself naturally playing to Priel's tastes right now, and enjoying it quite a bit. "I wonder what would happen if..."

As a new ploy dawns on him, Ivo looks nothing less than enthused.

"...a /new/ girl entered the fray... as competition?"

Priel Aylin has posed:
"Oh? Did she now? Well, maybe I put on a bit TOO good of an act now..." Tapping her chin in feigned thought for a moment, she offered Ivo an amused smile and a shake of her head. "Ah yes, rainbows are quite fine and dandy, but indeed...without hardship, you come to appreciate that rainbow less and less, no~?"

Nodding in confirmation to her own words, Priel idly swished the liquid in her glass about as she listened to him talk about the 'home situation', to much interest of course. Interest in how to throw a wrench into the works of course. "Wow. That DOES sound awfully boring! No pain or strife? Everyone is laughing happily? Ridiculous! The girls /I/ new would be at each others throats...in subtle ways." With a roll of the eyes, the redhead sighed and took a sip, considering her next words. "....Ehehehehe~ Oh dear...indeed. Imagine IF a new girl entered the fray and completely ruined their happy little family fun time? Why, I can see the looks on their faces already!" Unable to help herself now, Priel burst out into laughter openly as the mental image assailed her mind. "

"Oh, I think...I think I actually want to try that now! JUST to see the looks on their faces when their precious little boy is grabbed away from them~! Ahahahahaha!"

Ivo Galvan has posed:
Careful, Ivo. You're playing with fire.

His eyebrow twitches once, making his grin look slightly frozen for a moment, when she mentions 'pain and strife'. "Well, that might be going a /little/ far, but..." he manages, glancing off to the side as he taps his now-empty glass, ordering another for himself as well. Yes, Priel isn't going to play by his rules. But isn't that the point, in a way? She can do what he can't do. He's stuck in the middle ground, between the Good and the Beautiful -- or in this case, the Interesting.

That's why, even when he duels Raiya-sensei and feels that strange new passion for battle he only ever felt the one time he faced the Heartless, as his world died around him, he can't refute his father's critique: that he is impure, that he waffles, that no matter how noble he tries to be at heart he is trapped between being two very different men. That he cannot fight with all his heart -- or love with all his heart. That he lacks 'fire'.

Well, Priel certainly has 'fire' of a sort.

And that is what banishes the melancholy as quickly as it threatens to cloud over him, his grin redoubling after he takes another sip of the amber liquor. Hm, now that he thinks about it, should he have ordered this? Oh well, can't hurt. "It's hard to resist laughing even thinking about it. I can just imagine what I'd say. 'Watch out, girls. Priel knows the secret ways to win men's hearts.' Oh! Oh, no, just imagine-- Lily--!" Ivo cuts himself off, laughing so hard he has to set down his drink. "Ha ha ha... 'Ivo, what secret ways?' What if you threatened to teach her... Shiki would lose it! Ha ha ha, poor Shiki!" He does actually feel sorry for her, but not sorry enough.

When the explosion of mirth subsides, he takes another sip from his drink and waves his hand idly through the air, another smile playing about his lips as one eyebrow arches. "Of course," he calmly adds, "it'd be no fun if they thought they didn't have a chance. We'll have to give them hope that, even if they can't win him from you, you might lose interest in Reize." He swirls his drink about in its glass. "Like, say... if we too were lovers."

Effortlessly, he pivots from plan-making to an offensive move in their endless battle. But then, perhaps this too is part of the plan.

Priel Aylin has posed:
Sipping her own drink, Priel listens to Ivo, smiling at his laughter regarding each of the girl's reactions. "Oh yes, of course. I certainly wouldn't want them to think that I WON now! After all, a kid like that is...not exactly my taste."

Sensing an attack in their unspoken, eternal battle, the girls smile widened at his last words. "Ohhh~?" Sounding either mighty interested, or mighty entertained, Priel took another sip before setting the glass down. "Lovers, hmn? Why...I do like the sound of that~" Reaching over, she gently cupped the knight's cheek as she spoke. "After all, rather than children like him, I think I would prefer a /man/ like you~"

And then she leans forward to whisper in his ear. "But alas, you're not quite there just yet~"

And with that, she resumed proper distance, winking playfully at Ivo. "In any case, when shall we enact this glorious little fun time, hmm~?"

Ivo Galvan has posed:
Was that a flicker of hope in his breast as Priel mentions Reize not being to her taste? Ivo quickly crushes it. Damn his precarious, er, emotional state right now. He must remained unfazed, like a true man, a true knight!

Wait, she likes the sound of it?

"I thought you might," the dashing swordsman blatantly lies, taking a nonchalant sip of his drink to hide his bewildered amusement. He, in fact, had no idea how Priel would react, but this is better than he could have imagined. She seems to play along with almost anything. He can't imagine a better partner in crime. Except maybe for her likelihood of stabbing him in the back.

But then, who wants a predictable life?

"Of course you do," he murmurs with a calm confidence that is completely, but persuasively, feigned. "And rather than children like those Reize frolics about with, I much prefer a... woman like you." Always best to salt your lies with truths. To his immense credit, Ivo doesn't react in the slightest as the charming redhead reaches out to touch his cheek, gazing at her with the same distant curiosity, slight smile, and faint twinkle of amused interest as before.

Until he inhales again.

For as she leans in, her hair's aroma wafts up ones more and causes his throat to go dry, his body barking at him to forget these abstract pleasures of social gaming and spread this dragon girl's-- wings. Let's go with wings.

Thus will she detect the slightest of eager shudders as she whispers in his ear, which he will be silently cursing himself for allowing, likely for the next half-hour or so.

Not that he shows any sign of doing so as she takes her seat, his expression just as it was. "At your convenience," he says easily, smile splitting into another grin. "In the evening, when Reize and the girls have gathered again... why don't I... introduce you as a new member of our team?" An eyebrow raises again. "You have a persuasive reason to be seeking a World Shard, and it's not as though any of us have our movements restricted by group obligations. You're welcome to rest in the girls' dorms, such as they are. And bathe. You're especially welcome to bathe."

That playful grin--

"Besides..."

--becomes a rather more sincere smile.

"...this way, I can help you out, Priel."

Whether she believes it or not, or whether she'll ever believe it, she's a refugee, just like him -- and, he's beginning to suspect, they may have more in common than just that. He does want to be of service to her.

Maybe by helping her, he can help himself.

Priel Aylin has posed:
Of course, that crack in the armor did not go unnoticed by Priel, but rather than exploit it, she decides for now that it would be better stored away for future use. At least she knew now that he isn't quite as unflappable as he seemed in certain aspects. How interesting...

"I see, well that could work. I hardly have any plans for the evening now..." Rubbing her chin lightly in thought, she nods afterward to confirm her own words, smiling wide as the thoughts of the others reactions to her appearance would be. "Right then, I suppose I can come before them as a 'new member' and worm my way into their little happy circle of flowers and sugar~" Worm her way in? Perhaps she meant, FORCE her way in and piss everyone off gloriously.

The mention of using the girls dorms, Priel's smile widens, her eyes narrowing in amusement at the knight.

"Oho~ well, I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Giggling to herself then, the redhead took hold of her glass, downing the rest of her drink. In the meantime, she listened to his words. His express intention to help somehow. ".....Thank you, Ivo." And with that, she hopped off her stool and onto her own feet again. "Well, I believe I will be off for now. I'm going to look into some things in the meantime."

She takes a few steps for the door before turning her gaze back towards Ivo, winking playfully again. "Shall we meet in the town's center come evening then~?"

Ivo Galvan has posed:
"Sure would," he admits easily. "I only want you for your body anyway."

He flashes a charming grin, and takes another sip.

"Understood." He nods, and the mirth fades from his features again when she thanks him, leaving only a soft smile. "Yeah... of course." At last, he'll be able to get to know this enigmatic woman a little better. Whoever she is at heart, she's about as interesting as it gets. And what more could he ask for?

Well...

No, Ivo, remember, don't go there.

But at her wink, he can't help grinning all over again.

"Let's."