Nicolau Gets Confronted By Two Nobles - RPLOG
Participants
Date
4/10/479
Log
Nicolau sits around at the bar and drinks. This is standard. He is doing it alone. This is nonstandard. He whistles along to some unheard tune against the lip of a wine glass, boredly considering it.
The door slams open with a shuddering CRASH as Sven Snowmark comes stomping into the inn. He does not look to the left or to the right, but makes a beeline to the bar and to Nicolau. He says not a word, but lays a meaty paw on the back of the other puma's head and bashes him against the bar. Then he nods once and takes a seat. "Sven is thirsty," he says, as if nothing strange had just happened.
Nicolau is bashed into the bar, his wine spilling across the floor behind the counter with his glass soon following to shatter in the puddle. He frowns and looks over it while rubbing his muzzle, nodding in greeting to Sven.
Sven knocks back two shots of something clear and definitely not water before looking at Nicolau with a frown. "Do you know," he says, "What we are doing to liars in Snowhame?"
Nicolau rolls his eyes and shakes his head, just staring ahead at the wall behind the bar.
"We are stripping them naked and making them walk through city streets," Sven says, matter of fact-ly, "But here, is too hot. Taking clothes off is too nice for liars. So Sven is not doing this." The burly puma throws back another shot of his poison of choice and considers Nicolau. "So now, Sven must find other thing for not-cousin Nico."
Nicolau offers no reply. He just leans an elbow on the bar and stares ahead some more.
Sven stares at Nicolau. "Sven usually gets better reaction than this," he says, throwing back another drink, "Maybe Sven is rattling Nico's brains too much?" He peers at the other puma and waves a hand in front of his vacant gaze.
Nicolau watches the hand and lets out a deep sigh before turning to Sven. "I am not in the mood for the dramatics," he admits, rubbing his forehead. "I know you want the reaction, but I don't have it in me. Cousin." He gives a halfhearted wink.
Nyet!" Sven growls, raising a finger in warning, "Unless Nico is wanting Sven to be angry, he is not calling cousin." The puma knocks back another shot of paint thinner and frowns at Nicolau. "Anton is telling me that you are lying," he says, "But what Sven is not knowing is why. For why you are calling yourself Snowmark?"
Nicolau hides a smirk as the finger is raised. "I mean it only as a friend, darling," he assures the puma. "And I make lots of bad decisions when I am drunk. And being a Snowmark had entitled me to some nice drinks, some attention, as well as a very nice meal with our dear Flora. It's an excellent experience, really."
Sven looks surprised at that last revelation and freezes with his glass halfway to his lips. "You had meal with Flora?" he asks, "Pretty Flora? Highlady Flora? For why Matthews did not murder you?"
Nicolau tilts his head at Sven. "Sorry, who?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Flora's lifebond, yes. The one who went missing," sounds the voice of a familiar tigress, as she rides into the inn on her usual golem, Bastet.
"Matthews has disappeared, yes. However, that does not explain why Mister Nicolau saw the need to lie to Mister Sven Snowmark, no."
Sven opens his mouth to reply to Nico, then snaps it shut when Flora arrives. His frown turns into a huge grin. "Hello Pretty Flora!" he crows, "You are not telling me that you are coming! Come! Come! Sven will buy you drink!"
Nicolau groans and leans on the bar as Flora enters the fray, cringing to the sound of her golem walking along. "Well, I've said why. I'll excuse myself so you can get along." He sighs and gets to his feet, smoothing out his jacket and offering an apology to the bartender for the smashed glass.
"No. Mister Nicolau is staying until this has been sorted out, yes. Assuming that Mister Nicolau hopes to ever go out to eat with Flora again," Flora notes, before turning to Sven.
"Apple juice. Not cider. No alcohol, no."
Sven turns a frown back on Nicolau. "Sit," he commands, "Sit or Nico is not welcome on Aurora ever again. We will talk." The burly puma nods at Flora and waves to the bartender, indicating that he should fill Flora's order.
Nicolau sighs deeply and slumps back on his stool. "Well, I was working under the assumption that I would never be allowed to do either, so this is an enticing offer." He sighs. "I told you, I was drunk and lied for fun. It was fun. It's not like I was going to come out and say just kidding, you'd wear my skin."
"So, tell Flora, then. Who is Mister Nicolau, really? And why would lying be... Fun?" the tigress offers as she takes a sip of her applejuice, tail twitching behind her, a clear sign of agitation, minor at the very least. "Are there other things Mister Nicolau lied about?" she questions, brow raised.
"Who you are thinking Sven is?" Sven asks, "Why I would be angry at joke? Joke is funny! Joke that goes too long? Is not so funny." He tosses back another drink. It is amazing that he is not reeling by now with all that alcohol in his system. His ears flick up, interested in Nicolau's answer.
Nicolau shakes his head and puts his palms out in surrender to Flora. "Mister Nicolau is Mister Nicolau! Nothing more! And nothing less," he adds, with a wink. "I haven't breathed a word of a lie around you, I promise on my own life. Well.. I lied to the restaurant.. but that was a damn good table." He coughs into his fist, glancing to Sven. "Well, the joke only just lasted for a few conversations. Harmless!"
"Flora is quite sure Mister Sven Snowmark is the one to decide if the joke went on too long, yes."
"Flora assumes Mister Nicolau will be apologizing to the restaurant, yes? And Mister Nicolau is, or was, actually a merchant, and nothing else?" she asks, brow still raised. Another sip. She seems quite calm, in any case.
"If is for good table for Pretty Flora, maybe Sven does not mind so much." The burly feline sets down his latest shot with a thump. "Still," he says, "Is not much fun when Sven is not in on joke." For someone who has just consumed the amount of alcohol that Sven has, he seems awfully clear of eye and mind.
Nicolau offers a shrug. "See? The Snowmark name was used only for the noblest of intentions, mister Sven," he assures him, before nodding to Flora. "I would have included him had he been less inclined to violence. And I was indeed a merchant. You saw it with your own eyes, and the senses don't tell lies!"
"The senses lie all the time, Mister Nicolau," she offers, as she shakes her head lightly. "If one does not look carefully enough, the senses will lie, constantly," Flora notes. "A flower may smell of honey, but there's no honey to be found. A set of points may look like a picture from afar, but they're just points," she notes, before leaning back. "Flora is looking closer now, yes," she notes, keeping her eyes on Nicolau.
Sven just stares at Flora for a moment. "Nyet," he finally says, "Sven is not understanding. But is okay, Pretty Flora has beautiful way with words." Nicolau's comment, however, draws a frown from the burly puma. "Sven is not violent!" he protests, "Sven is welcome at all places in Firmament!" Except for Longtail Manor and most china shops.
Nicolau glances away, cringing at her last comment. "The smell of honey is just as sweet from the flower as it is from the honey.." he protests. "I suppose you don't want what you see," he suggests, shaking his head. "You know why. Am I allowed to leave, yet?"
"But the flower is not honey, no? The senses tell you there's honey, and there isn't. The senses lie," the cat notes, shrugging lightly at Sven, before shaking her head. "Flora did not say Flora had no interest. Flora did not say that about anything or anyone, no. However... Flora does want to be sure of who, or what, Flora is dealing with, yes. And lying to friends or acquiantances of Flora doesn't help, no. It means Flora has to look closer."
Sven waves at the bartender for one more drink, tossing it back and rising. "You two are welcome for talking the philosophy," he says, his Northern accent thick, "But remember, you are doing it with own names, da?" The shirtless puma waves a hand at the conversing pair and swaggers off to the door.
Nicolau taps his chin, before waving a hand dismissively toward Flora. "Ah, forget the honey," he says. "I've told you the lie's duration, reasoning, extent, and damages. There are no further discoveries to be made. I've shown all the honey you may smell, honey." He looks to Sven. "And frankly, I would say my more-distant-than-previously-claimed cousin and eye are getting along!" He gives the man a wave as he exits before focusing again on Flora, with a sheepish smile.
"Flora sees," the she-cat notes, still keeping her eyes on Nicolau. "Mister Nicolau will be making apologies to the restaurant then, yes?" Flora re-asks, never having gotten an answer to that question. And considering the fact she's asking the question again, 'no' is probably going to be the wrong answer.
Nicolau taps his chin. "I was personally considering, ah.. just never going back, myself. Having already eaten there, what's the trouble, anyway.." he says, waving a hand dismissively. "Our dear Sven said himself that getting pretty Flora a table was an honest use of the name!"
"So Mister Nicolau is -not- intending to make amends for his mistakes?" Floa questions, a brow raised, as she takes another sip of her drink. "Perhaps Flora should be going back to the Manor, and think things over, yes," she offers, although she's not standing up quite yet.
Nicolau holds his hands up and shrugs. "My dear, I'm not sure there was any harm done at all.. a reservation under any other name would have been the same, I'm sure? It was fully paid out of my pocket. Nobody has been harmed.." he purrs, offering yet another shrug. "Dishonesty at that level is.. not quite dishonesty. I prefer not to give my real name for such things, due to a certain.. lack of one. A first name being too personal."
"Then Mister Nicolau uses the name of his guest, yes?" Flora notes, before shaking her head lightly. "Flora is quite sure people can handle that much, yes. What Flora is not particularly fond of, is dishonestly. Flora has to spend enough time being distrustful of family, and Flora has no intention of willingly increasing the amount of it Flora has to deal with, in any form, no," she notes, before taking another sip of her drink.
"I've told you, Flora, you've recieved complete honesty," he says. "I didn't want to use yours.. it's an embarrassment to take advantage of that. It was meant to be a gift. It's not quite mine to give if i need to borrow from you," he murmurs. "Besides, aren't I entitled to the same service as any Snowmark? I don't intend on going back to apologize for a harmless white lie."
"Irrelevant. Illegitimate business is illegitimate business, yes," the she-cat concludes, not even bothering to look at Nicolau at this point, and simply flagging a waitress for another drink, finishing the last of her current glass of juice.
"Flora expects complete honesty. For Flora, and for others."
"As far as Flora is concerned, beings are equal."
Nicolau snorts. "An exchange of money and service is in no way illegitimate, regardless of the names the parties are known by," the he-cat adds. "I'm glad that's what you're concerned with, but it simply isn't the truth, if you want to look at it from a realistic perspective. I'd apologize if it meant you wouldn't shut me out, but I know already that would only make you tolerate me, at this point." He sighs and leans an elbow on the bar.
"If Mister Nicolau may remember, cousin Arie?" she offers, her tail flicking behind her. "Cousin Arie has stolen, ruined a big merchant's business. Among other things. But Flora is giving -her- a second chance, if she proves honest and remorseful, yes."
"What makes Mister Nicolau think that the same does not apply to him?" Flora notes, before shrugging her shoulders lightly.
"Mistakes happen. Sometimes, there are reasons for misdeeds. But once someone is in a position to repay their misdeeds, they should, yes. Even for something as simple as lying."
Nicolau drops what little smile he was trying to force toward Flora, rubbing his forehead. "Ah.. you're right," he says, waving a hand through the air. "I'm sorry. I will. I didn't.. mmh." He scratches the top of his muzzle before burying it in his hand.
"Right. So Mister Nicolau is going to apologize, yes?" the she-cat asks, a brow raised, keeping an eye on the tomcat, while gesturing for a light lunch. A sandwich, by the looks of things.
"Does Mister Nicolau want something? Flora has the bartender's attention anyways," she mumbles, as she looks to her own, usual table, perhaps even a little uncomfortably.
Nicolau groans and grits his teeth, nodding hurriedly to Flora. "Yes, of course. I- yes, sure. Do you want.. do you want to move?" he asks, noting the noblewoman's side glance to her table. "I would appreciate the return to routine just as much as you. Perhaps more," he chuckles.
"Flora was planning on moving to Flora's table anyways," the she-cat notes, as she moves from the stool Lord Snowmark practically pushed her into, if without touching her.
It doesn't take her all too long to take her usual seat, and splay out some of her paperwork. "Is there anything else Mister Nicolau wanted to discuss?" she asks, after a short pause, taking another sip of her drink, while making a couple checkmarks on her paperwork.
Nicolau watches the paperwork spread across the table as he arrives, a drink appearing in his hand on the way and being brought to his lips. "I am afraid my mind is rather, erm.. vacant, after that," he admits, crossing his legs and letting out a deep sigh.
"Vacant?" Flora questions, a brow raised. The notion of an empty mind is simply completely foreign to her, her ears flicking and twitching lightly as she keeps an eye on the tomcat. Sure, she's got lulls, periods where little will come to her, but having an empty mind entirely?
"Flora doesn't get it, no."
Nicolau scratches his chin, peering at Flora. "Oh, that's a phrase I wouldn't expect from you," he teases, winking at Flora. "I don't have quite a lot more to discuss.. publically, anyway. I'm afraid." He chuckles and wipes a hand down the front of his vest. His eyes wander across the bar as he lets out a deep sigh.
"Mister Nicolau really should get that twitch looked at, yes," Flora offers, before shrugging lightly. "So, there are things Mister Nicolau wishes to discuss in private, then?" she offers after a short pause, shrugging lightly as her sandwich arrives.
Nicolau snickers and flicks his eyelid in a more twitch-like manner. "More a habit than a twitch darling," he says, scratching his cheek. "Mm.. maybe. I'm not sure it's quite the right time for any real discussion." He sighs. "Oh, your pleasant friend and I spent some more time together the other day. Dear Fenris really intends on keeping you safe. What a gentleman."
"Yes. Friend Fenris does that, yes," Flora notes, her tails flicking lightly behind her as she flips through the paperwork in front of her. It doesn't seem like she's making much of Fenris's behavior, in either case, although she doesn't seem intent on being unfriendly, either.
"Flora will have to wait then, yes," she concludes after a short pause, taking another bite of her food.
Nicolau nods in agreement. "I suppose so." He gets up form his seat and brushes himself off, running his fingers back over his ears. "Mm.. I think that sounds llike a good idea," he murmurs. "I will take some time to myself for now."
Flora nods, and continues her work, practically in silence. Still, she offers Nicolau a smile, a soft earflick. "Flora will see Mister Nicolau later then, yes," she ofers, shrugging lightly, before getting back to her work and her lunch.
