Bleed Magic [Dorrance/Ren]

As the two talked, Dorrance began to calm down. Ren squeezing her hand helped with that slightly. She listened as Marie and Ren exchanged talks and how Ren suggested she'd be staying in Saoirse for a long time.

It was then another thought came to Dorrance. She had always had it at the back of her mind, but after the party arrangement, there really wasn't a plan as to what would happen next. Dorrance had planned to propose Ren just stay in her mansion, but that was indefinite if she got other jobs, wouldn't it?

...

Dorrance couldn't afford that. She couldn't afford to going back to feeling cold and being alone in that awful manor. She let the thought go, however...for now. She could think of a plan in the future. What was important was that Ren was with her now and seemed pretty set on staying. Now that they were going to be sharing the same room for the night and there was a mention of drinking, that gave Dorrance another idea.

"Well, that's lovely to hear!" Marie told Ren. "Dorrance is very lucky to have you as a guest."

"Yes," Dorrance said, in a far more calm and composed manner. "I quite am."

She'd squeeze Ren's hand back in response and stick close by her.

The three eventually made it to the dining room which appeared to be twice the size of Dorrance's own. Cream walls and gold accents decorated the walls. Golden curtains framed large windows that looked out into the dreamy night and quiet fields. Ornate dressing tables decorated each side of the room and had vases filled with white and pink roses.

The Duke was already standing at one end of the table and urged everyone to sit down.

"Ah, there everyone is," he said. "Please, sit! Sit!"

The butler from earlier had appeared as well and was pulling out the seats for everyone, eventually moving to help Ren and Dorrance into their own.

"Darling, where are the kids?" Marie asked.

The Duke, who had relaxed into his seat looked at her absently.

"Oh, they should be here soon," he said.

As if on cue, everyone would hear running in the hallways.

"Aaaand there they are now," he said.

"Hey! No pushing!"

"You pushed me first!"

"Going to the dinner table is not a race!"

"It is now!"

The bickering continued as two blonde and blue-eyed children stumbled into the living room. They were close to identical, that much was sure. However, while one was a girl the other was a boy. Both wore well-dressed in black clothes of Saoirsian fashion. The girl wore a long ballooned dress with frills and a bow choker. She also wore a rabbit-eared bow as a headband to keep her short blonde hair tidy. The boy meanwhile wore a black suit with a pale orange vest and shirt.

"Children, children, what's all the ruckus?" the Duke asked.

The girl pointed at her sibling.

"He kept pushing me!" she said.

"Well, you stick by so close!" the brother whined. "You act as if we don't have enough space to walk in!"

Marie pointed her fan at the both of them and frowned. "That's enough from you two. We have guests. Your aunt Dorrance is here as is her friend."

Marie then looked at Ren.

"Ren, these are our two children, Riliane and Allen," she said. "Children, say hello."

The two slowly turned to the two guests, curtsying and bowing.

"Hello," they said. The girl then moved closer to Ren.

"You're the bard mommy was talking about," she said with bright eyes. "I've heard so much. Tell me is it hard to be a bard? I've always wanted to be one!"

Marie chuckled and explained to Ren.

"Riliane has always loved music," she said. "She dreams of performing at the royal court some day. Something I'm sure you've done in the past?"

Ren, again, had to keep her eyes in check as the reached the dining room. It was utterly massive. What do people even do with all this space!? The luxury alone was boggling her mind. Still, she had to keep a straight face. She couldn't let these people know she was basically a country bumpkin!

After a moment, horror filled her.

Children.

Two of them.

Dorrance would feel Ren tense up quite a bit as they argued their way into the dining hall. Ren was a kind soul, but she hated kids. They were the worst. They were loud and messy and for some reason always had some unknown stickyness on their hands. It wouldn't be a problem if they kept their distance, but THEY ALWAYS RAN UP TO HER. They'd tug on her dress and mess it up! It was always before a performance!

She forced on a gentle smile as they bowed and did her best to not scooch closer to Dorrance as the girl approached. "Tis not hard to be a bard, but it takes work to be a good one." Technically, anyone could be a bard, it just took a lot of practice and work to simply make ends meet. As talented as Ren was, she was not all that successful usually. Meeting Dorrance was a stroke of good fortune. "Do you play instruments or dance?"

Her head turned towards the woman as she spoke up once more. Ren was nodding and smiling along up until the last part of her sentence. Her breath hitched a moment, but she spoke up shortly after. "A bard plays many places. The royal court is simply a stop on a grand tour." She said cooly. She...REALLY wanted to play at the Royal Court. It would be the highlight of her entire career! Hell she wouldn't mind Eisleyn's court so long as she wasn't beheaded afterwards!

Imagine, Ren Everette bringing music back to Eisleyn.

Hah, like she'd go there. Too cold.

"Practice hard and I'm sure you'll make it." She smiled once more at the girl, hoping to just...hurry the conversation along.

"Quite true about that, Miss Ren!" Marie said. "I'm sure you've done performances for far more than a royal court before. It'd be wrong to keep your talents for only nobles to enjoy, right?"

Meanwhile, the little girl's eyes shone as Ren encouraged her and she soon moved over to Dorrance, holding her arm affectionately.

"Hear that, Auntie Dorrance? If I practice hard enough, I can perform in the Royal Court one day!" she said.

Ren would notice Dorrance's face soften and the mint-haired girl would smile as she stroked the young one's head.

"I'm sure you will!" she said. "It's a lovely aspiration."

Riliane beamed and started to nuzzle against Dorrance's arm. She then looked at Ren and smiled at her question.

"Oh, yes, quite!" she said. She raised a hand and started counting on her fingers. "Let's see, I'm playing piano--I practice with Uncle Richard! And then I also play the harp thanks to Auntie Dorrance. I know the flute too! I used to play the lute, but I stopped those lessons since I don't have a tutor. Oh! And I play violin too!"

"Yeah, and it keeps me up at night when she's practicing her arpeggios!" Allen said huffily with crossed arms.

Riliane stuck her tongue out at him. "You're just mad because no one pays painters to perform on stage!"

"At least I actually get paid for my work!"

"Momma! Allen's being mean again!" Riliane whined.

"You were first!"

The two looked like they were about to devolve into yet another argument, but Dorrance straightened up in her chair and raised her hands, gesturing for them to keep calm.

"Alright, alright you two calm down," she said gently. "Both of you are very talented in what you do. You shouldn't be fighting about it."

"Yes, Auntie Dorrance!" the two said.

"Now go to your seats, children," she said sweetly, to which both proceeded to do.

The two rushed to their seats, to which the Duke smiled pleasingly.

"Really, Dorrance, these two only ever seem to listen to you," he said. "It's a shame you and Gallerian never had children of your own."

Dorrance's expression would slightly glare at the Duke, but would revert when Marie interjected.

"You're too harsh on her, dear," she said. "And it's not too late for her! I'm sure Dorrance aspires to have kids of her own one day, am I correct?"

Now this made her flush. Dorrance uneasily looked to the side and clasped her hands together.

"W-well, yes of course!" she said with a meek smile. "I've always liked the idea of children running about in the house, taking care of them, and whatnot. But it's not something I personally require in my life, at least not now. All I require is a loving partner."

Ren would feel Dorrance's hand slip to hold hers underneath the table before being given an affectionate glance.

Soon enough, the meals started pouring in. The butler brought on vichyssoise for their starting course and also started pouring some wine.

As the meals were served, the small talk started once again.

"So, it seems a few servants have gone missing around these parts of the countryside," the Duke said as he began eating. "That's the third case this week. I think they belonged to Futapie's."

"Is that so?" Dorrance asked. "What have people said the cause is?"

The Duke shrugged.

"Some say that it might be linked to the death of that orchard woman in Ieness," he said. "Since that's when the missing cases started. I'd honestly just say the Futapie's are so unbearable that they just left."

"Gallerian that's an awful thing to say about the Futapie's," Marie said. "And should we talking about such a grim subject in front of a guest? I'm so sorry Miss Ren. We can stop if you want."

Ren simply watched Dorrance with a smile as she interacted with the children. It seemed about right that she would be good with kids. She seemed so cool and collected with them too, Ren was easily flustered around them, not really knowing what to do. "Oh my, you're quite talented little one." Ren beamed. At the very least they shared a common interest. Ren very nearly offered to tutor the young woman, but hesitated. She wasn't sure if that was something she really wanted to do, especially once the two started fighting once more.

Of course, Dorrance was quick to handle things.

Thank the Gods Dorrance was here.

Ren's good mood, of course, tanked as the Duke spoke up. What an idiot! Shouldn't nobles have better social graces than that!? Ren very nearly found herself glaring, but Dorrance was quick to speak up. For a moment, Ren felt her heart sink. Its not like she could...provide children for Dorrance. Sure adoption was a thing, but ren REALLY didn't want kids. She'd be a terrible mother and she knew it...

Fortunately, Dorrance then continued on, stating how it wasn't a requirement. Ren practically beamed at her next comment, a small blush appearing on her face as her hand was taken. She so very badly wanted to hug Dorrance and kiss her right now.

As soon as these nobles turned their back it was definitely happening.

The conversation quickly shifted moods though, Ren, went straight for the wine as it was poured. She'd...try not to drink until she passed out again. Noble's wine must be stronger than she's used to. Still, she was listening with interest. Was there a murderer loose in Saoirse? "Anything common amongst them? Besides them being servants of Futapie?" Ren immediately wanted to figure it out. It would make a lovely story.

When asked if it was too grim, Ren simply shook her head. "I am a bard, I am interested in all stories, grim or not." She let out a small laugh before settling back into listening. She didn't want to miss a detail after all.

The Duke pinched his chin as he tried to recall details.

"Well, there's not much info on the missing servants," he said. "I do know they all went missing around the night time as they had been seen during the day. As for the woman who was killed, she was extremely drenched in blood. She looked like she had been torn apart by some animal, but the wounds were so precise, it must have been a sharp weapon of sorts or--"

"Gallerian!" Marie scolded. "The children are right here!"

But if Ren turned to look at them, both seemed pretty relaxed. Riliane was even just propping her face on her arms lazily.

"Oh, father's already told us this last night," she said. "Just before we went to bed!"

"It's nothing compared to his bedtime stories," Allen piped in.

Ren would notice Marie send a seething glare the Duke's way, to which he merely tugged at his collar.

"Well, our guest asked," he said. "But yes, that's all I know so far. Richard can probably give me the details in the morning--if he's not too uptight about it. He's always such a by-the-books fellow, after all. My main assumption is that it may be an Incantus from how fascinating the death was. Let's hope though that's not the fate of the servants."

He then nodded a bit towards Ren.

"And please be careful yourself tonight, you two," he told her and Dorrance. "While I"d like to say we're safe around here, straying off into the woods for strolls is off-limits until the threat is gone."

As if one cue, everyone would hear the cawing of a crow.

Ren listened intently as the story continued. It seemed it was a murderer indeed! Someone who was surgically picking apart their prey. Her heart began to pound just a bit harder. Ren was by no means a coward, but that didn't mean she didn't recognize danger. She should be safe here, but she was definitely going to keep her knife near her from now on.

Geez, Saoirse was turning out to be a different kind of dangerous than Saadedge huh? Ren took another deep drink of her wine. At this point, it was already nearly empty. She...really needed to pace herself. At least it was helping her relax.

"I appreciate the warning. We will be sure to tread lightl-" At the cawing of the crow, Dorrance would suddenly feel Ren press against her. On instinct the girl had up and slipped across from her chair. She was practically on Dorrance's lap now, her arms wrapped around Dorrance's arm. She glanced wide eyed towards the sound for a moment.

Then she remembered where she was. "Oh hehe." Slowly she let go of Dorrance, sliding back to her seat. "It seems I was quite taken by that story..." The girl's face slowly began to turn red. Her eyes fell downwards as her hands twisted a part of her skirt out of a mix of nerves and embarrassment. "My apologies, tis an overacting imagine nation on my part." Gods this was so embarrassing. Idly, her hand reached for her cup, taking another drink as she prepared for whatever comments they would have to say.

Dorrance was taken aback by Ren's sudden jumpiness, but she would be lying if she said she disliked it. Ren pressing against her suddenly made an urge to hug and cuddle her intense and save from a reassuring squeeze around the arms, she had to do her best to restrain herself. Oh, and she was also just outright bashful at the moment. She was red as a tomato.

"R-Ren, my dearest," she said gently, her face flushed and her body trembling from embarrassment. "Everything alright?"

The Duke and Marie looked at them curiously, but Ren soon explained herself and everyone relaxed.

"See, dear? Your stories can be upsetting," Marie nagged.

"Miss Everett, my sincerest apologies," the Duke said, smiling but obviously a little sheepish. "But yes, we can put behind such discussions. To lighten the mood, why don't we talk about how you and Dorrance? You two seem rather close?"

There was a distinct tone to his question that kind of suggested he was withholding something he knew. Dorrance's bashfulness dissipated, but only because she knew what the Duke was trying to do.

"We are quite close, yes," Dorrance said in a flat tone. "Ren's been nothing but a delight, plus I'd like to think we're kindred spirits in a sense. Is there a problem with that?"

The testiness in Dorrance's voice was palpable, but the Duke smiled casually and took a sip of wine.

"Oh, not at all," he said. "I think it's quite lovely. And do you, Miss Everett, feel the same way?"

Ren placed a hand over one of her burning cheeks as dorrance asked if she was okay. "S-sorry, I just got a little overexcited." She gave a bashful smile, wanting nothing more than to just hide under the table and never come out. Why did a crow have to go and caw AS SOON as the Duke was finished with his story.

Damn it all...

And then Duke decided to change topics. An eyebrow arched as he mentioned her and Dorrance's relationship. Ren took another sip, finishing off her wine as Dorrance spoke. There was an edge in her voice. She seemed upset. Her eyes swiveled back and forth and then narrowed.

Oh.

When she was asked how she felt about Dorrance, Ren calmly put her cup down and reached for Dorrance's hand. To hell with whatever rules nobility tried to place on such relationships, she would not have someone play with Dorrance's emotions and experiences. A smile tugged on her lips as she briefly glanced at Dorrance. "I do. It seems that Lady Dorrance has quite easily captured my heart." She let out a small giggle, her face still burning as she beamed at Dorrance. There, that should put any of the Duke's bullshit to rest.

Gods help him if he kept pushing at Dorrance.

Dorrance's face instantly turned red--redder than the wine glass, even.

"I-iii....iii...."

The same bashful squeaking sounds she had made earlier were back and soon nothing but air seemed to exit her mouth as she sat in her seat frozen.

"That's so nice~" Marie suddenly cooed from her own seat. "Ren--I hope you don't mind me simply calling you that--it really does delight me that you're so thoughtful to Dorrance."

"Auntie Dorrance?" Riliane said as she poked at Dorrance's arm. "Are you okay? You're all red! Did you drink too much wine?"

"I....i....ahhhhhhh....."

She ducked her head and quickly held up her glass, drinking heavily as she raised the bottle and started doing the same for Ren. Aside from just wanting to make sure Ren was entertained, she also wouldn't be able to say things that made Dorrance blush if she was occupied drinking..right?

Whatever the case, the Duke merely smirked and decided to leave the topic at that. The rest of dinner went along smoothly. The main course consisted of a roast fowl, stews, and vegetables. Side dishes and bread were served in plenty as well. By the time it was for dessert, Marie stood up.

"Well, I guess this is our cue for heading into the courtyard," she said. "The children would like to perform as well for the occasion."

"Yes, indeed!" Riliane said brightly. "I've been practicing hard plus maybe Miss Everett can give me some tips on how to improve! I'm going to go get my violin! Allen, you're singing right?"

The boy groaned.

"Fiiine," he said. "But just because you promised me your sweet roll."

The children would rush from the dinner table and would resume to running through the wide hallways. Dorrance stood up to, but instead of heading to the courtyard through the door, she turned to Ren blushing.

"R-Ren, my dear," she said meekly. "I-is it alright if you accompany me to fetch something real quick from the guest room?"

She seemed nervous about something, but it was hard to say what.

"That's quite alright Lady Marie. I'm not much for formalities myself I'm afraid." She giggled before turning back towards Dorrance, who'd been oddly silent.

Oh Gods...As she took in Dorrance, a glint appeared in her eyes. She looked so damn cute right now. Ren wanted nothing more than to hold her close. Imagine her surprise when she grabbed a glass and began drinking WHILE pushing the entire bottle of wine towards her lips. Ren's eyes widened and, she ended up accidentally taking large gulps of the wine in her surprise. Luckily, it stopped before she choked. She took a long breath, feeling the warmth spread throughout her body. She was fine. This was okay.

She tried to focus on eating just a bit more throughout the dinner, but she found Dorrance often holding a glass to her lips. She couldn't say no to her, so she ended up drinking far more than she actually ate. By the end of the dinner, there was a near constant heat in her cheeks and her vision was pretty much constantly swimming. Somehow, she'd managed to keep from slurring. She'd watched every word she'd said, but, by the time dinner ended, she was having a hard time keeping herself off of Dorrance.

"I'd be happy to give any knowledge I know!" She chirped before the two children ran off. Ren took a small breath and pushed herself from the chair. OOOOO Okay. She was alright. She was fine. Oh man how was she going to play like this? Suddenly, that worry went away as she looked over at Dorrance. She smiled wide, taking a step towards her and gently taking her hand once again. "Anything for my dear Dorrance. Lead the way, love."

Oh wow, she was saying the first thing that came to her head now huh? No revisions. That was....probably okay. As Dorrance led her, she'd hear happy humming coming from Ren, who totally wouldn't stumble every so often. The closer they got the room, the closer Ren seemed to get. By the time they were at the doorway, she was practically on her shoulder, one hand having taken Dorrance's and the other wrapped gingerly around her arm.

Then, they arrived at their destination. Ren could control herself no longer as she wrapped her arms tightly around Dorrance and nuzzled into her neck. "Dorranncceee." She suddenly whined. "Nobility is hard. How am I supposed to not hug and kiss you when you're so cute all the time?" With Ren's guard finally down, Dorrance would quickly see how drunk she'd gotten the bard over the course of the meal.