| Logs |
2011 July 30
| Neverneverwhere |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
| Realms: Taps Logs |
Say A Prayer for the Cowboy
After some discussion of logistics, Sulochana decides to take Sam back to the caravan right away, so he can get started settling in. She also asks Eacharn if she and her newest 'employee' might have a lift in his carriage as he heads back to the Goldenrod. The Hetaera will give Roy a hug and let him know she'll be returning in a few hours; she promised little Mary she'd be there for after-lessons and to spend the night. She quietly adds to her lover, "Sweetheart, I suspect she's going to be a little needy and clingy for a while. Is it all right if I just stay at the palace for a few days?"
Roy smiles wryly and hugs 'Chana tightly, resting his cheek against the top of her head, "'Spect I'm gonna be that way too. G'wan. Git back soon's you can."
Sulochana leans against Roy for a moment, simply savoring the warmth and safety of relaxing in his arms. She whispers softly to him, just before she steps away, "It's all right... I think I will be too, dear one." For a moment her hands hold him tightly -- then she's gracefully turning, the pleasantly calm Hetaera's mask firmly in place again.
Roy lets her go and turns to Sam, "Truth be told, cowboy, yer lucky ma cherie's merciful."
Sam nods, smiling wryly. It doesn't reach his eyes at all, "I doubt that not at all."
Sulochana accepts Eacharn's courteously offered arm, heading out to where the little cabriolet awaits them. "Come, let's get things moving."
Once they get out to Eacharn's carriage the king says, "I think the cowboy should sit up with the driver. I have a bit of private business I'd like to go over with you while we're riding." Sam nods and steps up next to the driver. He's already handed over his gunbelt to 'Chana, though he kept his Bowie knife. The cowboy is polite to the driver and gives his word not to interfere in the driving of the carriage. Eacharn offers his hand to 'Chana for assistance getting into the carriage.
Sulochana nods relaxedly, accepting the St. Louis king's hand up into the smart little carriage, "That's fine." She's still somewhat tired, and it's making her seem almost dreamily relaxed as she settles and leans against Eacharn. "Mmm... what did you wish to talk about, your majesty?"
Eacharn slides his arm around 'Chana, pulling her close against his side as the carriage gets underway. He takes a moment to breathe in the scent of her hair, reclassifying it a little now he knows she has a feline form. His voice is soft enough to stay private as they move, "What you said to the cowboy about Roy's proposal... was that true?" He's not even aware of the little thrill of nervousness in his body.
The Hetaera sighs and relaxes a bit; she trusts Eacharn to behave and to be protective if necessary. Her voice is also intimately soft, low and unwittingly throaty with tiredness, "Mmm? Oh, yes, he did indeed propose. For me to most effectively use the command voice I really need to be telling the truth. That's why I phrased it the way I did, in fact." She chuckles quietly, stretching her legs and pointing her toes before curling up against Eacharn, cat-like. "Neither of us are the marrying kind, after all, so if I'd said I was Roy's fiancee it would have been a lie, you know?"
Eacharn relaxes slowly. That had been the part that had truly worried him, after all. "So if you aren't marrying him, you are still open to other suitors?" He is not a toppish type, but he can tell his Lady wants to be petted, and so he does: long, slow strokes of his hand along her arm and side and hip.
Sulochana sighs softly, feeling both tiredness and relaxation sweeping over her; she feels safe, and consequently unworried about letting her emotions show. She leans her head against Eacharn's arm, not quite purring, "Mmmm... feels lovely, pretty pony." She laughs softly at his query, "Suitors? Sweet boy, I truly am not the marrying kind. That's part of the reason I am a Hetaera, in fact: I enjoy giving and receiving attentions from my clients. But yes, I am open to suitors as a Hetaera. Definitely." She glances sideways up at him, curious as to this line of questioning -- then notices the slight pinkness over his nose and cheeks from exposure to the sun yesterday. She giggles, reaching up one small finger to lightly touch the tip of his nose, "I think you need some aloe from Suze, dear!"
Eacharn's voice is getting a bit throaty; he laughs as she touches his face, "I will gladly let her minister to me if you insist, My Lady. I am not afraid of a bit of sun." He feels rather pleased his Lady feels comfortable enough to curl up against him like that. It nudges the proud stallion part of himself.
Sulochana's face warms with an affectionate smile, and she pats his arm, "I really need a bath, too. Dear Roy gave me a bit of a wash-off last night, but I want a good scrubbing as well, especially my toes and fingers." She gets a wry look, adding a bit disgustedly, "Need to brush my teeth too... and Fantine is going to be in quite a tizzy when she hears I'm going to be at the palace for... hmm... maybe a week straight? How much longer will the negotiations be on-going, do you know?"
Eacharn looks up at the back of Sam's head and fights the urge to shove the cowboy off the seat of the carriage and under its wheels. Being aggressive and combative like that will not impress his Lady, "Less time than before, now that I'm seeing just how Houston is behaving. I'll change my orders to my generals and the others tonight." He resists the urge to offer to scrub her himself.
Sulochana nods thoughtfully, considering a bit... then glances at Eacharn. She'd thought he might offer her a nice hot bath at his ship, but it sounds like he's going to be busy talking to his generals. A pity; she's not above accepting some of his lovely sensuous energy just now. Instead she simply sighs softly, murmuring, "Ah. Hmm. Well, I do not want to hold you and your party up. Is departing for St. Louis in a week acceptable to you, dear?"
Eacharn, as keyed up as he is, senses the disappointment in his Lady's voice and murmurs against her ear, "I do have a lovely tub on the Goldenrod... and my generals will all be abed by now..." He raises one of her hands to his mouth and kisses the fingernails, voice barely a whisper, "I would be honored to serve you tonight."
Sulochana sits up enough so she can turn her head and look with startled delight at Eacharn, although she keeps her voice low and soft, "Oh, pony -- that would be so lovely! You are sure it will not take you from your duties as king?"
Eacharn brushes her hair back at the temple and says, "My duty as king right now is to help my fellow-king... and to take care of you. Departing in a week will be plenty of time." The Hetaera sighs happily, relaxing and cuddling up contentedly against Eacharn again until they reach the caravan.
Once there she grins at Eacharn, eyes twinkling, and invites him to walk with her to the chirugeon's wagon. She has Sam come along, and as they walk she introduces people to the newest 'recruit,' along with a very quick synopsis of why he's there -- she won't lie to her right-hand people, after all. Ohkwari raises an eyebrow at the story, his expression grimly stolid; Alg snarls, his mouth fang-filled as he crouches between his lady and the new cowboy; Fantine (as expected) gasps and runs off to start packing something suitable for her mam'zelle; Sna'tha folds her arms and stares in icy silence at Sam.
Sam doesn't gawk exactly, but he does look around very carefully at everything in the caravan -- and he stays well out of Alg's way when the goblin bares his teeth. The cowboy might not be familiar with goblins, but he knows what it means when a dog does that, and he's not stupid. The cowboy touches the brim of his hat with every introduction and takes it clean off when he's introduced to Sna'tha -- he knows a momma, even if she's not biological, when he meets one, "Ma'am. Won't try to justify what I did. Will say I tried to be as much a gentleman as I could." Sna'tha's glamour is not completely covering her as she slightly narrows her eyes, and she makes no effort to hide the four grimly folded arms as she continues to stare at Sam -- much like she would if she were inspecting a particularly unpleasant bug.
Suze, upon 'Chana's polite request, comes out with a small jar of aloe gel, and the Hetaera dabs some on a finger, then stands on tiptoes and grins mischievously at Eacharn as she carefully spreads it over the slightly sunburned skin. "There, is that better, dear?" She's carefully not keeping Sam on a metaphorical short leash, so he can react naturally to the others. If he's going to be unable to work with supernaturals, after all, the tiger-woman wants to find out now -- not out on the trail.
Rather than soothing the pinkness, it makes the king's face go even pinker when she dabs the cooling gel on his skin, "My thanks, Lady."
Sulochana dimples mischievously at Eacharn, "You're quite welcome -- wouldn't want you damaged, after all!"
Eacharn is starting to feel rather eager to get back to the Goldenrod with his Lady. He murmurs as she turns away, "Oh, but it's no fun if there aren't a few marks..." but then he keeps his mouth shut for a moment. He wants to stay off Sna'tha's radar for the time being.
Sulochana giggles and turns to Sna'tha, giving the sidhe woman a tight hug as she murmurs, "Give him a chance, please, godsmama?" Sna'tha looks away from Sam to her godsdaughter as she almost fiercely returns the hug, hissing softly, "We shall see." She's gone as swiftly as she arrived, with a buzzing of wings, and Sulochana turns toward Sam with a small smile and a tired sigh. "All right, let's find Del and hand you off to her."
As she steps towards Sam there's a small thunder of hoofbeats approaching from behind the cowboy, and Sulochana smiles as she looks that way. An amused voice comments, "Well, hello there, cowboy! You're sure a long ways from home!" The other caravaneers have headed off for their various jobs, and Eacharn is well behind Sulochana, listening to Suze give him a few directions on how to use the little jar of aloe she's pressing into his hands. The Hetaera continues walking calmly toward Sam.
Sam turns slowly around to see who spoke to him; he finds himself face-to-hip with a mounted Amazon. He's never seen any of the Amazons outside the prairies. Pippa is regarding the cowboy with frank interest. Poly is scowling at him, her bow in one hand; she's already heard of what Sam has done -- with a little embellishment in the telling from the caravan grapevine. Sam takes a step back, eyes widening. Amazon. Bow. Danger. He pulls out his Bowie knife and moves to put himself between 'Chana and the two pony-mounted women. "Careful, ma'am..."
Poly stiffens at the knife being drawn, an arrow appearing with almost magical swiftness in her recurved bow, and her pony shifting and snorting nervously. Pippa, on the other hand, grins delightedly and turns ostentatiously to glance behind her -- where she knows no one else stands -- then back at Sam and Sulochana. Her eyes are sparkling mischievously as she murmurs in her native tongue, "He's cute!"
Sulochana laughs softly at that, then puzzledly inquires, "Sam, what is wrong, please?"
The cowboy isn't giving any ground. If it takes getting shot, he's going to protect the woman that showed him such mercy. "Amazons, ma'am. They're deadly shots... not sure how they got past your guards..."
Sulochana blinks startledly, her voice incredulous, "What?!"
Pippa laughs aloud, then cheerfully says, "It's not his fault, Mama Nightmane. The cowboys are always the first wave moving north -- they and their cattle -- when the southern tyrants try to push their petty hierarchies into our land." She waves a hand at Sam, still grinning, "He's pretty much what we fight all the time on our southern borders, you know?" The young Amazon is deliberately speaking in English. She's not above taking this opportunity to tease the new guy! Poly's gaze is getting as icy as Sna'tha's was, and both hands are on her bow now, although she's not yet raised and aimed it at the strange cowboy.
The title of respect and affection startles both men, but Eacharn is better at schooling his expression to stillness. Is this woman 'Chana's daughter? Sam blusters and stutters a bit, but there's nothing he can say that doesn't agree with what Pippa's saying. Still, there's that bow, so his knife is still out. Sulochana shakes her head in amusement, muttering a soft, "Men!" under her breath. She steps up to Sam, her voice firm, "Put the knife away, please. These are my foster daughters, and I shall be quite unhappy if the three of you tangle violently."
Pippa giggles, shifting back to her native tongue, "Oh, come on, shield-sister, admit it -- you think he's cute too!" The Hetaera laughs again at that! Poly snarls quietly, still glaring at Sam over the nocked bow. Pippa's grin gets wicked as she innocently murmurs -- still in the Amazonian language, "Whaaat? Don't you ever want children, Hippolyta? And here I thought you needed a nice man still to do that...?" Sulochana's eyes dance at that, and she has to hastily cover a cough! Poly snorts, dismissively glancing away from the cowboy.
Sam blinks and looks down at 'Chana in shock. "But... they're..." He shakes his head. No. There's nothing expected about this woman that's offered him a berth and her mercy. He puts the knife away carefully and holds up his hands to show them empty, "They won't get no guff from me, ma'am." He lowers his voice to ask, "Uhm... what're they saying?" He's obviously worried it has something to do with harming him.
Sulochana smiles, although her voice is stern, "Good." Pippa cheerfully -- and with great accuracy -- translates, and Sam goes slowly brick-red. He's not a wilting flower, but he's not used to women being so frank -- especially women he figures would sooner shoot him than look at him. He stammers, trying to come up with an appropriate reply, and can't.
Sulochana's grin is not unkind as she studies the cowboy. Pippa, however, is utterly delighted, and leans forward on her pony, "Oh, you're adorable! What's your name, cowboy?" Poly rolls her eyes resignedly behind Pippa as she stows her weaponry -- although she no longer looks unhappy at her shield-sister's interest in the man.
Sam had given 'Chana and the kings his given name, but at being questioned by the Amazons he reverts to his trail-name -- the name he used when he was actively driving cattle, "Folks call me Bronc, ma'am. Short for Bronco." Eacharn snorts very softly at the cowboy using a horse for a name.
Sulochana blinks at that, one eyebrow going up. Pippa is thrilled, sticking to English as she crows, "Oh, a horse name -- that's an excellent sign!" She beams at Poly and Sulochana, "Mama Nightmane, we heard he's going to be one of the horse wranglers. Can Poly and I take him to see Del, please?"
The Hetaera laughs and waves them off, "Have fun, children!" and Pippa hoots excitedly, "Yeah! Grab him up, Poly, and let's go get him a horse and take him riding!" Poly nods once, darting an amused and affectionate glance at her shield-sister as she knees her horse over to Sam. She leans down and casually grabs his arm to swing him up behind her, and the two ponies nearly stampede off together, Pippa giving a cheerfully triumphant call as they depart, "Thanks for letting us have him, Mama Nightmane!" Sam/Bronc doesn't actually yelp as he's pulled up behind Poly, but he does get something of a startled look on his face. This night is going in directions he never in his wildest imaginings could have guessed. He's not stupid, however. He holds on tight to the Amazon warrior as he's carried off to find a horse to go riding.
Eacharn waits until they're gone to say, "I think your new recruit is going to have his hands full..."
Sulochana laughs as she calls after them, "Take him with you to retrieve whatever horses they were going to use in their getaway, girls!" Pippa whirls back to listen, then nods once and raises a hand to show she got it before she nudges her pony into a gallop after the other. Sulochana turns to Eacharn, clearly still quite pleased. "Mmm? Oh, he'll be fine. At heart he's a good man, and if he behaves they might even take him home with them someday. Houston won't ever find him there." She chuckles fondly as she glances back towards where the thunder of hooves is dying out, then sighs happily as she takes Eacharn's arm again. "It's not like it's that unusual here, after all."
Carefully Eacharn asks, "My Lady... is that what your life is usually like?"
"Hmm? Usually, yes -- not the kidnapping, but having enthusiastic and happy family members? Certainly." The Hetaera can't resist her mischievous addition as she starts Eacharn walking towards his ship again, "Why do you ask, dear? Did you want my foster daughters corralling you as well, mmm?" Eacharn very quickly assures her he is quite satisfied with just one person holding his reins right now!
[Previous Log] [Index] [Next Log]