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[Daerra Elariel]

Daerra tried her best to calm herself down. Today had been stressful enough, and she had not needed Riordan Casuana to add to it. She was supposed to be meeting her father, and she had to be completely composed when dealing with him. She had decided to have JinJin drop her off early, so she would have time to think. As she walked, the crowd parted, and she caught a familiar form in the distance.

Daerra nearly turned around and went in the other direction. Who did Damien Deveaux think he was, walking around where anyone could bump into him? She was beginning to turn when she stopped herself. Stop this foolishness, she thought. You bested him after the Casuana ball. He has no power over you any longer. Just go up and say hello!

As she turned around, she smoothed her skirts, and quickly checked a shop window to make sure her hair was still together. With Aaron not speaking to her, Riordan pestering her, and her father waiting, perhaps a little verbal spar with Damien was just what she needed to recenter herself. He would certainly be infuriating enough to make her forget all about Riordan Casuana.

"Why good morning, Lord Damien. What a surprise to see you here," she said, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

[Etienne Deveaux]

Since he was, of course, not Damien, Etienne had no idea that the woman was speaking to him at first. Instead, he was about to look around rather warily for Damien, in case his cousin had decided to dog his steps even on his day off. Etienne had caught up with the overdue work (forcing him to forgo a ball for paperwork? That was cruel!) and now he ought to be free. But he wouldn't put it past Damien to drag him back, especially once he found section 5.8.

In consequence, the touch on his shoulder made him nearly leap out of his skin. He whirled, eyes wide with startlement, to face the woman standing there, then composed himself as soon as he realized what had just happened.

"I'm terribly sorry to disappoint," he said with a smile, designed to wipe away all memory of his undignified surprise, and bowed. "Etienne Deveaux, my Lady; you're looking for my cousin. I don't think he's here. If he is, I hope you'll excuse me, because I will need to be somewhere else in an expedient fashion. But if he is not, how may I be of service?"

[Daerra Elariel]

Daerra's smile remained firmly in place, but her eyes widened slightly with surprise before she could bring them back under control. Lord Ruler, there were two of them? No, though they were nearly identical from behind, it soon became clear that this 'Etienne' was nothing like Damien. He smiled for one thing, and he had a sense of humour. That could be infuriating in an entirely different way.

"I apologize, Lord Etienne. I must have mistaken you, how foolish of me. I am Daerra Elariel, and am pleased to meet your aquaintance," she said with a curtsy. Now what did she do? She hadn't intended to have a conversation with a man she had never met before. Should she try and extricate herself? Or should speak more with the man, try to figure out who he was, and how he fit into the Deveaux family? The Deveauxs were on the rise, with this possible Venture alliance in the works. And maybe he would reveal something about his cousin. Cousins, Daerra reminded herself. Camille was proving to be a formidable adversary as well. I suppose I have a little time to spare...

"I'm surprised we've never met before. Have you been in Luthadel for long?"

[Etienne Deveaux]

Etienne had no reservations whatsoever about speaking to new people, particularly a pretty woman, although Daerra Elariel would have been...slightly out of place in his usual circles. His smile morphed into a lopsided grin. If only there was a Deveaux Smoker around, conveniently, he could Riot her, but as it was he was forced to rely on a smile and words to win her over. "Oh, it doesn't matter; you're not the first, and I daresay not the last, either." Blasted family resemblance. At least he didn't really look like Damien; he would have had to stuff a dueling-cane up his rear in order to manage that, he expected.

"I've lived here my entire life," he added. "I've simply not had the good fortune to meet you before now. But I should be happy to make up for lost time. Would you care to walk with me, Lady Daerra?"

[Daerra Elariel]

Daerra observed Etienne carefully, trying to take his measure, so she would know how to best manipulate him. He was young, younger than Damien certainly, and likely Camille as well. He smiled easily, and certainly wasn't intimidated by her. Daerra wasn't sure whether she should be offended or pleased by that. Suddenly, something he said caught her attention.

His whole life? Really? Daerra knew all the most important nobility in Luthadel, or at least, she thought she did. How low on the totem pole was this Etienne? Of course, she did not let her sour thoughts spoil her face. Her eyes sparkled, and her smile widened as she pretended to contemplate his proposal. It was a little presumptuous of him, but if she wanted to find out more, she would have to accept.

"Well, my appointment in the hotel district isn't for a while yet, I suppose we could walk for a while, provided you don't take me in the wrong direction." She laughed softly, and strode past him, then turned and waited for him to catch up. "Tell me about yourself, Lord Etienne. How is it that we've lived in Luthadel all this time and never met?"

[Etienne Deveaux]

Etienne was briefly dismayed when she swept right along with a rustle of skirts, without even giving him a chance to offer his arm. He did not stand there stupidly looking after her, though, and quickened his step to fall in next to her to hold it out a little belatedly. It felt slightly awkward after she had marched on past, but he prevented himself from displaying that. Awkward or not, Etienne Deveaux would not be daunted!

"Ah, it's a sorry thing," he said, with a little sigh of theatrical melancholy, "they don't let me out much. I spend my days in endless drudgery. But every once in a while, there is a ray of light into this unhappy existence." He smiled at her, to make it quite clear as to what he was referring.

[Daerra Elariel]

Daerra raised an eyebrow. Etienne was certainly no Damien. He no doubt thought he was quite the charmer, with that theatrical sigh, and his little smile. Daerra had seen it all before, and she was hardly impressed. But what should she do next? Should she play along, hopefully encouraging him to open up to her, or let him know she was onto him?

In the end, she decided on a combination of both. "Why Lord Etienne, you are such a charmer," she said with a teasing smile. "A ray of light," she said dramatically. " I don't think I've ever received such a compliment." Daerra continued walking, ignoring his offered arm, then looked back over her shoulder coyly. "Are you coming or not Lord Etienne? I haven't got all day. I'm still waiting to hear about how sorry your life is." She gave him one of her best imitations of Aaron's winks. Thinking of her brother made Daerra's heart want to wrench, but she pushed those useless emotions aside. She would work things out with Aaron eventually. She had to. Until then however, she didn't need him. She could not afford to.

[Etienne Deveaux]

She strode right onwards past his arm as if it didn't exist, which wounded Etienne a little. He investigated his coat sleeve briefly to be sure that something hadn't happened without his knowledge, but there was only a little ash that had drifted onto it, no pigeon droppings or anything like that.

"You're either very kind, or very cruel," he informed her, turning a full-force spaniel expression on her, projecting pathos to the best of his ability. "That eyebrow cut me to the quick, you know, to the very quick; and I'm terribly hurt that you won't take my arm. I do know you saw it. But you're willing to listen to my tragic life story, so I'm left to assume there's a core of compassion within you. Where should I start, then?"

[Daerra Elariel]

Daerra laughed delightedly. Men usually liked it when women laughed at their jokes. "Cruel, Lord Etienne? Now you're making me feel bad. What if I had a reason for not taking your arm, hmmm? I have two of my own you see, and I'd hate to deprive you of yours. You might need them, after all." Daerra mentally rolled her eyes. She sounded like Aaron. She continued however. Etienne seemed to responding well so far, and she couldn't break character now. "Start where it's most tragic. That way, if our conversation is interrupted, I won't miss the good parts."

[Etienne Deveaux]

Even though she still did not take his arm, Etienne was highly encouraged when Daerra laughed, and then returned with a joke of her own. He broke his expression of wretched despondency for a few seconds, flashing a grin at her, before he promptly resumed it as if it had never been gone. “Where it’s most tragic? It’s difficult to choose that place in my tale of woe, Lady Daerra, but…I believe that my most recent heartbreak may indeed be the worst. I have been assigned to my cousin Damien as his assistant.”

[Daerra Elariel]

Something clicked into place in Daerra's head. So, this man was Damien's assistant, was he? Perhaps Lord Etienne could be useful after all. "Traumatic, Lord Etienne? To me that seems like a great opportunity. Your cousin is a skilled business man, is he not? In the few encounters I have had with him, he was always been kind and gracious," Daerra gave the man a wry grin. "Perhaps this the best place to start. I'm curious to know how any encounter with such a polite man could be considered 'traumatic'." The irony of the statement made her smile even more.

[Etienne Deveaux]

"Kind and gracious, Lady Daerra?" Etienne shook his head at her, conveying beaten-puppy with every bone in his body. "A slavedriver. A perfect monster. He works me all day and night; I am forced to be up at the crack of dawn." He completely ignored the inherent contradiction in those two statements. "Yesterday, he obliged me to complete a two-week report inside of a single day. There is no appealing to his better nature; he simply does not have it. Reason and emotion alike fail to reach him. He is cruel and inhumane, Lady Daerra; I regret to open your eyes to his true character."

[Daerra Elariel]

Daerra looked away form Etienne for a moment so she could roll her eyes in truth, pretending to smooth her skirts and adjust her parasol as she did so. The man was obviously exaggerating. He was likely just a lay-a-bout. She had no sympathy for people whose only problem was laziness. This particular buffoon however, worked with Damien Deveaux, and that made him interesting. And useful. Where Damien was concerned, she was determined to use every advantage she could get.

"The crack of dawn?" she asked flatly, raising another eyebrow. "You don't say." Daerra brought her hand to her mouth and gave an exaggerated yawn. "I'm afraid you will have to do better than that, Lord Etienne, if you wish to destroy my opinion of Damien Deveaux. At the Casuana ball, he was the perfect gentleman."

[Etienne Deveaux]

"Lady Daerra, your lack of compassion is still more crushing than my plight in the first place," Etienne said plaintively. He decided to keep the conversation strictly away from the Casuana ball. Considering what he had heard of it, it seemed rather safer than the alternative. Besides, Etienne had not been there. "I barely eat anymore; I breathe paperwork, and slowly fade into a mere ghost of my former self. Is it not wicked enough that he is destroying my soul?"

[Daerra Elariel]

His comment on eating made reminded Daerra her own stomach. It felt blessedly empty today (she hated feeling bloated), and while she was beginning to feel hungry, she pushed the craving away. She would eat later. There were more important things to do at the moment.

Her current line of questioning, appeared to be getting her no where. If I wanted melodrama, I'd just go talk to Aaron... the thought was another dagger in her back. How dare he abandon her? It was annoying anyways. Focus on the task at hand! It was time for a new tactic Daerra stopped suddenly, turned to face Etienne, and looked deep into his eyes. They were a deep, dark, Deveaux brown, but they were very different than his cousin's. Damien's eyes were like stone, giving very little away. Etienne's, however, were full of emotion, life, and vitality. Whatever he said, he was obviously enjoying himself. Daerra lingered there for a moment, just staring into his eyes, barely even blinking. "Hmm," she said with a secretive smile, taking a step back when she felt she had built enough tension. "Interesting." Not waiting for him to respond, she turned around and began walking again, trusting that he would follow.

[Etienne Deveaux]

She was supposed to laugh at him; he had been expecting her to laugh. He had seen her expression earlier, before she turned away for that moment to brush at her dress. Plainly, she had formed a more appropriate judgement of his character than Damien did (if only he’d see things correctly, life would be so much easier.) Consequently, when she stopped – he stopped as well, of course – and then stared directly into his eyes, he found himself unexpectedly without anything at all to say. Etienne always had something to say. He made it a point to always have the last word. But he really did not know what to do or what to think.

Why was she looking at him like that? What was that supposed to mean? She had very pretty eyes; it was hard not to notice when she was looking right in his, without so much as blinking. And she was absolutely silent as well. He felt a strange sort of tension, or a fascination, kept riveted by that stare. And then she smiled, and turned away to walk right on as if nothing at all had just happened.

Closing his mouth, Etienne trailed after her, then hurried to catch up and match her pace again. He searched for words. What?? – That was all that was occurring to him. He did not even realize he had said it aloud.

[Daerra Elariel]

Daerra smiled at Etienne's breathless query. Her hook had been baited well, and now he had bitten. Now to test if he was stuck or not. When she spoke, she let a hint of sweetness and innocence creep into it. "Oh nothing important. I apologize for interrupting you. You were saying?"

[Etienne Deveaux]

Some portions of Etienne’s scattered thoughts having now caught up with his mouth, he realized he had actually said that, and determined that he wouldn’t make that mistake again. He’d really sounded pretty foolish, hadn’t he? Now, Etienne made a point of sounding foolish all the time, but only in certain ways. Speechless-foolish was one that he tried to avoid. “I forgot what I was saying!” he announced, cheerfully. “I believe you drove my sorrows right out of my head, Lady Daerra.”

[Daerra Elariel]

"Drove them out of your head, did I," asked Daerra, with another sly smile. Inside, she was growing anxious. She had expected him to ask about what she had seen right away. While not necessary to her plan of attack, any time her expectations were false worried her. "Well then, I suppose your life shall be much happier for it. You can find a way to thank me later." She continued walking, but began to look up at the sky, whistfully, no longer meeting Etienne's eye. "You are an interesting young man, Etienne Deveaux. I think it is good to be interesting."

[Etienne Deveaux]

"So long as I remain with you," Etienne answered, smile back in place and brain now mostly collected together again, "it shall be a great deal happier. I owe you and your eyes a debt." She was no longer looking at him, but purposefully avoiding his gaze and looking upwards. She couldn't possibly be shy, not really? "I am?" he said, and then amended promptly, "I mean - ah, I mean, I'm glad you think so; I wouldn't want to be boring. I'm not sure whether it's worse than being bored or not." He paused for a second to draw breath, then inquired, "You're interesting, you know, Lady Daerra; you're not at all like what they say about you. So...it's only fair, isn't it, for you to tell me something about yourself?"

"What are you thinking about?" His head tipped to one side, he watched her with intent curiosity.