Mating Tradition

Rhea Tatopoulos is fiddling with some mechanical thingamajig. It looks like a compass attached to a tiny sort of pennant?... to anyone unfamiliar with wind measuring devices anyway.

Arleta would just walk past, muttering and frowning

Evi approaches after making the poor woman wait a few minutes, taking a stand beside her and leaning back against the rail.  "I mostly used you as an excuse to dodge some conversations I wasn't interested in having," she confessed, "It didn't work.  But I didn't lie, either.  So...I did have questions."

Rhea Tatopoulos swings her legs a little, softly tamping one boot heel and then the other against the masonry. "Heya!... Whaaat kinda questions? Like, 'where were you on the night of blah month blah at this hour'...? The answer to that is always gonna be, 'Not wherever I wasn't supposed to be'." Grin.

[Say] Evi: "No, more like...  Well, you mentioned a few things you weren't into.  So, what are you into?"

Rhea Tatopoulos grins a little. "Weelllll, lots."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "And when I say I'm into it. That doesn't mean it has to be a factor. Cramming every fetish into one night every night would probably kill someone."

[Say] Evi: "Call it a morbid curiosity.  Your realm of experience far exceeds mine, so..."

Rhea Tatopoulos gives a low whistle. "That's a lot of ground to cover. I like... power, a lot, so I top a lot, but it ain't necessary. I like it rough a lot but even that, you don't wanna scrub the varnish off the floors, amirite? Y'lose sensitivity going at it too hard too often!"

Evi narrows her eyes some and chews on her lower lip, looking out over the city beyond the mote.  "...I...have been plagued by a certain curiosity."

Rhea Tatopoulos grins crookedly as she puts away the gadget. "I kinda figured that when you were blushing into your drink all night."

[Say] Evi: "Yeah, yeah.  Don't remind me.  I spent years training to suppress certain things...like that...  Now that I don't need to, it's a lot harder to deny. So I'm awkward and unusual."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Need to? Were you raised in one of those churches that doesn't let the clergy have sex?"

[Say] Evi: "Yeah, I wasn't clergy."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Doesn't stop 'em from imposing their rules on anybody they can."

[Say] Evi: "My rules were in place to ensure I could do whatever was necessary whenever necessary, without my own feelings interfering. I'm sure you've met people like me before."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "All the time. So what kinda criminal? Cuz the only other people I meet who put that much effort into distancing themselves from a job are healers, and if you're not clergy..."

Evi nods a few times.  "Assassin.  I specialized in long-term infiltration and disguise.  Battlefield combat as a secondary for just-in-case scenarios."

Rhea Tatopoulos nods, pursing her lips a little. "Makes sense."

[Say] Evi: "Shadowdancer.  So."

Evi slips from where she stood and lowered herself to a seat next to Rhea.  "Like I said, awkward.  I think...you can help me answer some questions that can't be answered with words."

Evi takes a seat.

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "I mighta been born without half the emotional nonsense everyone else has, but I still wasn't born like ME. Nobody is. Nobody wakes up already knowing all about silk ropes and blindfolds."

[Say] Evi: "I kinda miss not having that nonsense.  I probably still lack most of it."

Rhea Tatopoulos laughs a bit. "Probably not."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "You're probably more like... someone who rolled on your arm until it fell asleep. And I'm more like someone born without an arm in the first place."

[Say] Evi: "So what is the story there?  Or is it rude to ask?"

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Story? Which part?"

[Say] Evi: "The emotional...gap. I know tieflings are a bit...different by nature, but they're never incapable."

Rhea Tatopoulos shrugs. "I dunno. I wouldn't even notice, I mean - you don't notice not having wings or something, but if you found out later on you were -supposed- to be half-dragon..."

[Say] Evi: "Good point."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Oh psh, I still have emotions. Just not all of them?"

[Say] Evi: "I said gap, not gaping hole." Evi chuckles lightly.

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Like I don't reeeally feel sad about my mom being dead. I knew some other kids who were orphans or half-orphans, and it upset 'em. Maybe because I didn't know her anyway, but."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "And things like, I dunno..."

Rhea Tatopoulos thinks.

[Say] Evi: "I've never known my parents.  And it doesn't bother me, either."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Oh yeah, some friends and I all read this new book once. It was fiction, dramatic, had this twist where the guy's best friend died in front of him, I forget. Anyway, they were just torn UP over this book. I reread it wondering what I'd -missed-. So y'knooow, stuff like that keeps happening, where I'm like, Oh shit, that's sad? Or like... I dunno. Y'ever feel bad about killing anyone?"

Evi considers this for a moment. "...No."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Oh. Heh. Most people do, I think. ...I mean... Bad enough about it they wouldn't in the first place, even."

[Say] Evi: "I suppose, looking back on it, I probably should feel bad.  Should I?  I-I'm not really sure."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "I'm either the best or worst person to ask that, because I'd say 'no'. Like, it doesn't matter who or why."

Evi 's expression contorts some, a confused frown dominating most of it.  "See, I came out here with questions and now I have more than I came with, and I'm sure I'm not helping you much either."

Rhea Tatopoulos grins. "I needed help? Other people are always bogged down by bad memories and heavy emotions, it's exhausting! I'm better off. The REAL reason, probably, is because I'm -not- the kinda tiefling from that kingdom. The ones who made pacts with Azmo."

[Say] Evi: "Yeah, exhausting.  I guess in that regard we both have it comparably easy.  Do you usually, uh, have this kind of conversation with people you offer to take home?"

Rhea Tatopoulos shrugs. "If they ask? It comes up if they... try to get romantic. 'Why are you so heaarrtless? Why won't you looove me?' Blech."

Evi answers with a bit of a laugh weaving between her words, "I assure you I'm not trying to get romantic.  I'm still working through understanding my lusts, and love is very far from an interest."

Rhea Tatopoulos grins. "Yeah, I know. But seriously? Grandma Succubus explains a lot about me if you know anything about demons."

[Say] Evi: "Right!  You had mentioned that earlier tonight."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "So that made my mom a cambion. And me, the only kinda tieflings you ever saw before the Spellplague. I'm lucky I didn't have a Glabrezu for a grandparent. I'd have a dog face and lobster claws on my nipples."

[Say] Evi: "Lucky indeed.  ...You don't do the whole succubus-energy-drainging thing, right?"

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Nope!"

[Say] Evi: "Oh, good."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "I got the shapeshifting, eventually."

[Say] Evi: "I saw."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "And that's it. Which is REAL nice by itself, so I can't complain. Oh, and seeing in the dark." She laughs. "I save so much money on candles."

[Say] Evi: "Mm, being able to see in the dark is a wonderful side-effect of training as a shadowdancer.  You seemed like a good candidate for someone to ask to help me answer these questions."

[Say] Evi: "So I guess my first real question is if you'd be willing."

Rhea Tatopoulos grins, leaning her elbow on her knee and her chin on her knuckles. "How in-depth do you want the answers?"

[Say] Evi: "I want to make a joke about depth here."

Rhea Tatopoulos winks. "I was half aiming for that."

Evi forces out a breath.  "No sarcastic deflections."  She clears her throat.  "How deeply can you answer?"

Rhea Tatopoulos grins further. "'Depends on the lube and the warm-up exercises'," she jokes. "...Mostly kidding on that, but also not? It's a bad idea to toss someone in the deep end of the lake, buut."

[Say] Evi: "I'd... Be happy to start with whatever you're most interested in, deep or shallow as it may be, and work from there."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Probably a good idea to say, what are you NOT into? Or not interested in finding out?"

Evi hums and again looks out over the city.  "...Um."

Evi cants her head.

Evi looks into her lap.

Evi turns her head skyward.

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "...That you know of."

Rhea Tatopoulos laughs a little.

[Say] Evi: "...If it belongs in a toilet, I'd rather not have it anywhere near me."

Rhea Tatopoulos snorts. "Yeahhh no, same here."

[Say] Evi: "And if I'm to learn anything, I would rather do it with my own mind.  Not a mind under any compulsions or poisons."

Rhea Tatopoulos huffs. "I don't do that!"

[Say] Evi: "...And there must be a candle lit at all times. Even if I wind up blindfolded."

[Say] Leonard Mathis: Oh, hello you two.

Rhea Tatopoulos blinks, now tilting her head a little. "Why the -"

[Say] Evi: "Oh, hey, Leo."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "...Oh, heeey there. You. Guy. Leo."

[Say] Leonard Mathis: "You forgot my name?"

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Nooo... Never."

[Say] Leonard Mathis: Liar...

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "I heard all about your romancey-dance."

[Say] Leonard Mathis: "Shut up.

Rhea Tatopoulos GRINS.

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "You swooooned in his arms as he swept you away blindfolded..." She sways, hugging her own arms.

Evi snorts out a short laugh.  "That's not what was said, I assure you," she offers Leo.

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "He was just dying to see you again, talked about how much he missed you all night!"

Leonard Mathis flicks a small stone from his pocket at Rhea. "Shut up..."

Rhea Tatopoulos deftly deflects the stone with her wrist.

[Say] Evi: "He didn't say -that- much, but Elliott seemed unusually content today."

[Say] Leonard Mathis: "Well that's good."

[Say] Evi: "He left a few hours ago, though."

Leonard Mathis covers his eyes with his hat.

[Say] Evi: "There's plenty of people still in there, though.  Go say hi."

[Say] Leonard Mathis: "Yeah yeah...You two are going to be the death of me."

Rhea Tatopoulos cackles.

[Say] Evi: "You never know."

Rhea Tatopoulos jokes even though (or because) he already went inside. "If the price is riiight..."

[Say] Evi: "...Where were we?"

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Ooh right. Sooo... Why the candle?"

[Say] Evi: "... ...I'm...uncomfortable in very dark places."

Rhea Tatopoulos blinks. "Even if you can see in the dark?"

[Say] Evi: "Yes."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "...Huh. I would've guessed 'elven mating tradition' or 'spell component'."

Evi drums her fingers along her knee in rapid succession.

Rhea Tatopoulos tilts her head at Evi.

[Say] Evi: "I mean, it's not hard to figure out, I guess. I haven't told anyone before.  I don't know why I'm telling you. The church that raised me was run by Dark Moon Monks."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "It's not hard to figure out you're afraid of the dark? Why would I figure that out from a shadowdancer?"

Evi shakes her head.  "It's not hard to figure out -why-."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Ehh... I don't know."

Evi shakes her head.  "It's not important."

Rhea Tatopoulos shrugs. "I've never heard of Dark Moon Monks anyway. I'm guessing a traumatic training regimen or one really defining bad memory of the dark."

[Say] Evi: "I suppose that's not surprising.  The Monks were agents of Shar, and it's said that Shar sees all that happens in the dark.  I'd rather not have the Mistress I ran away from watching, is all."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "...Oohhh."

[Say] Evi: "...Please keep that information between us.  As a courtesy."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Sure."

[Say] Evi: "Thank you.  On a more not-tangential note, that's about the list that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm sure I could give you a few yes-and-no's if you're inclined."

Rhea Tatopoulos nods. "Alright. Noted. And yeah, I was about to ask that. Like. The ass. Off-limits?"

[Say] Evi: "...Never thought about it.  No, I suppose not."

Rhea Tatopoulos laughs a little. "Never? Okay, that's a... 'later on' thing, because THAT is an easy way to hurt yourself."

[Say] Evi: "You'll probably hear me say that a lot."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Ehh, like I said! Everybody's new to everything at one point. Even someone like me was once a virgin! Hard as it is to believe, heheh."

[Say] Evi: "I suppose that would also come with a few sanitary precautions.  Um.  Anything else?"

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "We can worry about the whooole list another time. Hell, we don't even HAVE to do anything off-the-wall right away."

[Say] Evi: "I...just want to get this off my chest.  It's upset my whole balance."

Rhea Tatopoulos gives a little throaty chuckle. "Sudden awakenings?"

[Say] Evi: "That's a very good way of putting it. And it's frustrating not knowing what to do about it or having any power over it.  Which is ironic, because it's the loss of power that got me...started on this in the first place."

Rhea Tatopoulos laughs again. "Sometimes it hits you all at once like that."

Evi rubs the back of her neck for a moment before dropping both hands to her sides and rolling her neck, cracking several vertebrae with quiet pops in the process.  "So what's next?"

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "Weeell. We go to my place?"

[Say] Evi: "Right now?"

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "If you want to!"

Evi considers this for a moment, staring blankly once more out to the city. "...Alright."

Rhea Tatopoulos grins. "I was heading back either way, so whether I went to sleep right away or later on was the part still up in the air."

[Say] Evi: "Before we go, I have to make things at least a little awkward. Do you think Sully would mind?  Or should I not mention it?"

Rhea Tatopoulos looks taken aback. "Why would he?"

Evi shrugs meekly.  "He speaks of you with some fondness. But I suppose you're right.  He's not the type."

Rhea Tatopoulos narrows her eyes dubiously. "Like... -sarcastic- fondness? 'Ha ha, I sure miss putting up with that crazy bitch'?"

[Say] Evi: "...NNnnno.  Like the 'I would probably have sex with her again' fondness.  Not that he hasn't called you a crazy bitch, either.  I'm pretty sure he's used those exact words, actually."

Rhea Tatopoulos laughs. "Okay, good."

[Say] Evi: "Well.  I'm following you."

[Say] Rhea Tatopoulos: "And nah, he's not the jealous type. Not over ME anyway. I've already slept with at least two of his friends in the city, that I know of."

Rhea Tatopoulos jumps off the edge to the landing below.

Evi follows suit, though she lands on the stairs.