A Dance with a Devil - RPLOG

Participants

• Katrina
• Terry

Date

26/7/478

Log

A rapt knock on the door of Terry's room, a soft rumble, and a flick of Katrina's tail. "Terry? I suggest you make yourself decent. You have thirty seconds," the she-cat notes, beginning to count in her head, before flicking her ears and smiling lightly to herself.

Terry rises with a jolt. The small ocelot had slept in, following a restless night filled with thoughts of the previous day. He gasps as he recognizes the voice and rolls out of bed, quickly dashing in front of the door while combing his hair with his fingers. "O-okay!" He says, before remembering he's currently topless. The ocelot darts back towards the bed, snatches his shirt and slips it on quickly, then turns around to face the door.

Soon, the handle turns, and Terry is once again greeted by Katrina's form, clad in the skin-tight leather outfit, while she simply gestures for the short ocelot to follow. "Lesson number three. A gentleman is never late, and never early. A gentleman arrives on time. We're going to the tailor first," the she-cat rumbles with a smile, another tailflick as she moves, once more swaying her hips. "And remember what I said about staring. It still applies."

Terry can't help but stare when it's pointed out, of course, but quickly looks away as that embarrassed flush to his cheek returns. "Y-yes 'maam." He follows her in a hurried pace until he catches up to walk alongside her. "A tailor, 'maam? There's no need to spend so many scepters on my account, I can make do with little..." He says as he looks up at her.

"Who said -I- was paying? You still have your thirty scepters, don't you?" the she-cat notes with a faint smile. "Relax, the tailor we're going to has a rather... Fair rate for members of our little organization... I wager fiteen, maybe twenty scepters'll do for an acceptable outfit in your size... And after that, it's time for a bit of... Practice."

Terry gasps at her words. More of his money spent by her. Clothes this time! He tries to mount a counter-argument, but stammers and nods. "Y-yes 'maam, as you say." He walks alongside her looking somewhat defeated, slumping his back. He perks up and looks at her. "Practice? It would be good to... uhm... earn some more scepters."

"No money today. Food and drink is far more important when starting out, and I'm going to show you how to steal it without stealing," the she-cat rumbles. "A true thief knows how to hide without hiding, and how to steal without stealing. That is our focus for today. For the first, you need clothes that match the occassion... For the second, you need a... Particular set of skills," the she-cat notes, before gesturing at a small, out of the way tailor, whose clothes nevertheless look rather expensive. "We have... An agreement with this tailor."

Terry shows the confusion in his features, looking up at the taller pantheress with a tilted head. "Steal without stealing? Hide without hiding?" This makes no sense for the poor ocelot, who simply follows along to the tailor shop, entering just behind her. This, of course, gives him another clear glimpse at her rear, which renews his blush and awkward glance away.

A smile, a soft rumble, and another tailflick as Katrina taps her staff on the ground. "Eduard. A client for you. Don't keep him waiting, hmm?" she rumbles, before an elderly tortoise appears from the back, seemingly rather... Hurried. "Now then... Little Terry here needs a suit. I trust twenty scepters will do?"

'Eduard' simply nods lightly, before gesturing Terry along to the measurement-booth, giving Katrina a rather forced smile...

Terry follows along obediently, sharing a look with the turtle as he steps onto the stool inside the booth, letting the turtle begin to measure him. He looks around, trying to figure what the usual price for a suit is here, and how much this pantheress is fleecing him for exactly. She seems to have a hold on quite a lot of beings... including himself, he notes with a blush.

As the tortoise continues measuring, around the arms, waist, legs and everywhere else relevant, Terry can quickly see that he's getting at least a fifty percent discount, if not more, on his suit. Most of these suits start at forty scepters, and some go up to several crown for the more extravagant suits and dresses ... Or the larger ones, of course... Seems she is, actually, getting him quite the discount.

Terry smiles down at the tortoise being in as friendly a manner as he can manage given the circumstances, but otherwise stands very stil as the measurements are taken. He instead takes to wondering about the pantheress, imagining her in his mind's eye now that he can't quite see her from inside the booth. He looks down at Eduard. "Thank you sir. Very.. uhm.. very kind of you." He offers with a weak smile.

Eduard offers Terry that same faint, forced smile as he finishes measuring, disappearing behind the curtain, before returning with a few suits that aren't quite Terry's size, but close enough to be adjusted, offering the ocelot the choice of which one he wants...

Terry looks over the options, tail flicking uncertainly to reflect his thoughts. He peers at Eduard before reaching to inspect one of them. It is a three-piece suit consisting of a waistcoat, a frock coat that goes down to about mid-thigh, and of course trousers. The frock and trousers are made of an elegant dark blue cotton fabric, with a discrete plaid pattern to it. The waistcoat is is made of plain wool, dyed brown to provide contrast with any shirt worn underneath. He nods, making his selection. "This one, please, Sir."

Again, Eduard nods, before gesturing for Terry to don the outfit, so that he can make the adjustments proper. His steps take him outside of the measuring room for a moment, as he gathers up a few tools to mark and adjust Terry's outfit to fit...

Terry stands very straight as he lets the tortoise work, especially after that waistcoat is tightened around him. He glances around the room, looking for a mirror to inspect himself in, and like in any tailor's shop there are plenty to be found, in various directions. His gaze stops at one where he can also see the pantheress, offering her a brief smile before he returns to focusing on standing still and straight.

Soon enough, the outfit is marked, then adjusted, and Terry is guided back to the front room, now wearing the rather stylish suit. The panthress herself smiles softly, before gesturing at Eduard. "Now, Terry. Don't forget to pay the man for his services," she notes, taking a moment to turn around and leave the store... "As I said before, a true thief knows how to steal without stealing... So lets get ourselves some breakfast, hmmm?" the cat rumbles moments after Terry exits the tailor, before taking a moment to look over her shoulder. "Should you need any new clothes, Eduard is your guy. He's quite... Generous with his discounts."

Terry hands over the twenty scepters to Eduard, pocketing the remaining ten into the pocket on his new trousers. Suits have a way to giving their wearers a straighter posture and more refined gait simply by the way they hug the wearer's frame, and Terry finds himself to be no exception to the rule as he follows after the pantheress with a much improved bearing. He nods at her words. "Yes 'mam, I will." He peers back at Eduard's store briefly, before returning his attention to the beautiful feline in front of him. "What exactly do you mean by 'steal without stealing'?" He asks, rather directly and with genuine curiosity.

"You'll see," the she-cat rumbles with a smile, before gesturing at a small inn to the side of the road. "A sharp-dressed being is more likely to get what they want, no matter how they go about things," she rumbles, before pushing open the door to the establishment, and striding in. A short glance follows, as she spots her mark. A being, already slightly buzzed at the bar, a male leopard, by the looks of things. "Observe. Hiding without hiding, and stealing without stealing... In that order. I only expect you to attempt the latter, for now. Never push your luck when you have no back-up options. Lesson four."

With her tell-tale gait, she moves, sways her hips, and strides through the establishment, tripping up an absent-minded fox along the way with her tail and effortlessly making it seem like the nearby lion is to blame... While swiping the latter's glass of wine in the process. Everything seems almost orchestrated as she takes a sip, sets the glass back down besides another unattentive being and moving towards her mark. Everything so fluidly, it's hard to believe, really.

Finally, she arrives at her intended seat, moving up besides the leopard. "Morning, handsome... I don't suppose you'd want to buy a girl a drink and a bite?" she rumbles, tone of voice suggesting a deeper-lying offer. One that doen't exist, of course. Even so, he's quick to summon the barman, and soon enough, Katrina has a breakfast and another glass of wine in front of her...

Terry observes the entire scene with unreserved jealousy. The pantheress is clearly in control of the entire situation, and seemingly effortlessly tricks every other being she engaged with. He clears his throat as he peers around the Inn, looking for a suitable 'mark', someone who would be impressed by his outfit, that he could do.. whatever it was that the pantheress did just then. Maybe a lonely female being, having breakfast on her own, or a patron that looks particularly wealthy by the bar counter somewhere.

As far as lone beings go, the inn almost seems like a goldmine. While several groups of beings are obviously present, such as the lion and a lupine friend of his, now quarreling with the poor armadillo Katrina planted his drink on, there's at least three or four single beings around as well. A young vixen, seated by herself to the side and an elderly puma-lady close to the bar, for example. Neither too excessively dressed, though evidently not without money either, based on the quality of their clothes. Furthermore, a male tiger seats himself close to the door, glancing around occasionally, and finally, a feminine polecat wearing rags is enjoying a loaf of bread in the center of the room.

Terry peers around at all the possibilities, and finally makes his choice. He walks towards the bar, making his way towards the elderly puma being. He approaches the stool next to her, but doesn't climb atop it right away. Instead the small ocelot looks up at the other being and asks with a smile. "Excuse me Miss, may I sit here or is this seat taken?" His tail flits curiously behind him, the ocelot trying to play up his childlike size in front of the elderly being.

"Of course, dearie. Seat's free," the puma offers with a genuine smile, a sip of her own drink, and a soft, relaxed purr as she looks Terry over with a smile. "Look at you. Dressed up all nice like that... Going to a posh party somewhere?"

Terry smiles brightly. "Thank you!" He slides up onto the seat, and shakes his head at her words. "No 'maam, I wish it were! Just having a quick meal before heading up to work is all." He smiles at her, then flags the barkeep and orders for himself a modest-looking breakfast, or at least what he figures is one - the day's porridge, some fruit and some juice. He looks back at the puma after ordering. "How about yourself miss?" He shuffles nervously. He had thought of making a pass at her, but decided against it at the last second.

A smile on the puma's lips, a nod as she looks back to Terry with a flick of her tail. "Work, huh? You a courtier, then?" she offers after a moment, before looking up. "Merchant? Something else?" she contemplates, staring off into the distance for a while...

Terry chuckles. "I suppose courtier is a good description." He's going to have to ask the pantheress what exactly a 'courtier' is later. "How about yourself miss? A lady of such obvious good bearing, you must be a noble." He pauses as his food is delivered, and he reaches into his pocket to retrieve.. nothing. He starts to fish around his empty pocket, as if trying to dig out a last scepter that was not there to be found.

"Psh. A noble? Hardly!" the puma rumbles with a friendly smile, before shaking her head. "Just a well-off merchant... Well, ex-merchant. I've retired by now, of course. Still do some minor trading just to keep busy, but hardly something I'd still call a job," the puma explains with a smile on her lips, before shaking her head. "Having trouble finding your coin, dearie?"

Terry continues to dig into his empty pocket, and switches to the other one. "N-no, I could have sworn I still had a few scepters left.." He looks up at the barkeep, and pushes his bowl of oatmeal porridge back. "I'm sorry, I don't think I can afford this right now.."

The puma smiles for a moment, before pulling out a few scepters of her own. "Here 'ya go. Can't have you starve now, hmm? I'm sure you've got important work to do today, helping the nobles in the courts and all that."

Terry blinks, then gives the puma a grateful smile. "Oh, thank you! He takes the bowl back, then shyly nods at her. "I.. I suppose so. My mentor says I'll eventually catch up on it all and actually start, you know... being someone." He quickly scoops up some of the porridge after mixing in a bit of fruit. "I will repay your kindness one day, I promise!" He says up to her. "If there's anything I could do for you, that is. I doubt you would need anything from the likes of me.." He helps himself to some more food, still not quite believing that this worked.

A smile on the puma's lips, and a shake of her head. "You eat up, and listen to your mentor. I'm sure you'll do just fine, dearie. And make sure to bring some coin to eat, next time, hmm? Can't always rely on the kindness of strangers, after all."

Terry nods quickly. "Yes 'maam." He returns to his food, eating happily and with a flitting tail behind him. His happines is entirely real, of course, both at having a nice breakfast for a change, and that this crazy plan worked. Maybe this panteress does know a thing or two she can teach the small ocelot. He eats up quickly, and turns back to the puma after he's done. "Thank you again miss.. I probably should get going now before I'm late, but maybe I'll see you around again?" He climbs down the stool, and waits for the old being's reply before waving farewell and heading outside.

"Of course, dear. Don't let me keep you from your work, hmm?" the puma offers with a smile. By now, Katrina's left her mark as well, and is heading for the outside world once more... With his coinpurse, too.

Terry walks off, out of line of sight of the Inn and its patrons, before turning his attention to Katrina. He smiles brightly at her, tail flitting excitedly. "It actually worked!" He exclaims, in a hushed tone. "I never knew it would be that easy!"

And of course, Katrina smiles from under her mask just as well, her ears flicking lightly. "See? I told you, there are -much- easier ways to get what you want... Subtler ways. Make your mark do the work for you, and things get -a lot- easier," the she-cat rumbles with a flick of her tail. "Now then... Any further questions before we continue?"

Terry shakes his head, still smiling up at her eagerly, tail flitting curiously. "No 'maam! I'm ready to go!" Seems that an ocelot with a full tummy is an eager ocelot as well. "Where are we going next?"

"We're going to a small club not far from here. I've made some reservations," the she-cat rumbles after a moment of pause, before gesturing down one of the streets, once again moving in front of Terry, hips swaying with every step, tail flicking lightly through the air.

Terry doesn't even realize it at first, but he does catch himself staring at the other feline's swaying hips once again, largely on account of having to stay close behind her to not get lost in the crowd, and with his new suit and vest forcing him to maintain some kind of posture. "A club, 'maam? That's like a.. a very fancy inn, isn't it?" He'd never been inside one, of course, but had heard mention of these places.

A smile, a soft rumble, and a flick of the ears. "Not quite... Think of it as a ballroom for those unable to attend official balls," the she-cat purrs with a smile, a soft rumble. "Like an inn, they serve food, but on select days, they offer the common being the option of enjoying the subtleties of a ball. To some extent, of course. It's not quite as fancy, but it's a good stepping-stone," she explains, smiling softly and flicking her ears.

Terry contiues to follow after her, nodding at her words. "A ball? Like.. with the fancy dresses and the dancing?" He bites his lip. "Are we going to steal things from the beings there? It seems very.. uhm.. risky."

"As I said, I've made some arrangements. I don't expect all too many people to be present, other than the musicians and the bartender. I've decided to move your dance-lessons forward a bit, considering you'll need to learn how to lead -and- follow," the panthress explains, before gestiring at a small building to the side. "Right here. Ain't much, but it'll do."

Terry nods quickly as the building is pointed out. "Yes 'maam." He pre-empts the next step by entering the building in front, to avoid being confronted by the other being's shapely thighs and svelte body once again. It's starting to get embarrassing and he's gonna get caught staring sooner or later.. He peers around the inside of the building, never having actually seen a ballroom before.

As the doors open, Terry is given the view of a relatively plain dancefloor, surrounded by wooden pillars and various tables. In one corner of the room, a bar is present, with a bear tending bar, while on the other side of the room, a small stage is present, where four beings are softly playing a light, classical tune.

Beyond the stage, there is a stairway leading up, to the second floor, where more tables are present for those currently not intending to dance. Of course, the entire area is completely devoid of beings beyond the staff, right now.

"Normally, they're closed at this hour. Not a lot of commerce in the morning," the femme rumbles, dropping a few scepters in the hand of a being by the door. "Admission-fee. Not too much, these places tend to charge a lot for food and drinks, though... Which is why we went for breakfast first."

Terry gasps as he looks around. The place may be plain by club standards, but it's still a very big, rather clean, well kept room, of the like the small street urchin has seldom seen. "This is a lovely place." He looks back at the pantheress and nods. "I see, clever." He smiles as he heads towards the dance floor. He notes again that it's completely empty right now, and turns around to face the pantheress. "S-so, am I.. I mean.. are we.. are you going to teach me how to dance?"

"We're starting... I doubt one lesson'll be enough... Now, it's customary for the male to ask the lady he's interested in to dance," she rumbles softly, smiling faintly towards the smaller feline, before gesturing for the band to play something else... A soft, sweeping waltz, by the sound of things...

Terry blinks, then stammers. "Ahem.. s-sorry." He pauses a moment. "M-miss, would you like to dance?" He didn't even notice the panteress' exact wording of 'the lady he's interested in', but he still obeys her suggestion without question.

A smile, a soft rumble, and a hand offered to Terry, clearly letting him take the lead right now, although, if past events are anything to go by, she'll be quick to correct him on any mistakes...

Terry reaches up to take her hand, their height difference apparent as they walk together towards the dance floor. He looks at her shapely, beautiful thighs, and coughs nervously. "I uh.. I think I have to..." He gently puts one hand around her waist, shyly, and looks down to the side. Seems he's not very used to such close physical contact.

A smile, a soft rumble, a flick of Katrina's tail as she rumbles. "Left hand around my hips. Right hand in my own. With someone your own size, you hook your arm around their back," the feline explains, before rumbling softly. "With someone slightly shorter than myself, around their waist. The important thing is that your arm is lowered slightly, and hooks under your partner's... When you're leading, of course."

The waltz goes one-two-thre, one-two-three... Depending on the tempo, you will make either short, quick movements, or slow, sweeping ones."

Terry is supposed to be 'leading', but he has no idea what to do. He steps awkwardly side to side, trying to keep pace with the waltz, but does not deliver a lot of cues on what sort of movement he's about to do, nor does he read Katrina's cues properly. He nearly steps on her foot once, and immediately apologises. "Sorry! I'm sorry for that.." He huffs, flustered. At least in his concentration he doesn't seem to mind the physical contact any more.

"Relax. We are here to practice," Katrina reminds him, taking a moment to place his hand in the right position, right at the curvature of her hip, arm barely above her tailbase. "Your movements should be fluid, with your feet only barely raised, as if you're floating slightly off the ground, no matter how fast they are. Secondly, the waltz is characterized by rotation," she adds, before rumbling softly. "And when you're leading, you should be guiding your partner along, and they should follow," she notes, before rumbling again. "From the top."

Terry nods quickly. "Yes 'maam." He becomes briefly aware once again of where his hand is, the young being's mind inevitably slipping to less pristine thoughts. He finds himself tugging at his dancing partner gently, trying to lead her in the dance, and especially focusing on not stepping on her again. He remembers the bit about rotation and tries to lead her in a small circle, turning slightly on each step.

A smile, a soft rumble. Far from perfect, of course, but a good start, at the very least. The she-cat follows his moves in much the same pace, trailing her own moves only slightly behind his, almost unnoticably so. "There are, of course, particular variants of the waltz you'll have to learn, both to perform, and to recognize. Along with other dances, of course. But that is of no concern right now. Right now, I want you to become comfortable with leading. Once that is done, in a few days, maybe a few weeks, you will learn to follow..."

Terry looks up at the other being, obviously happy that she seems pleased, at least. He tilts his head at her last comment. "'maam, wouldn't it be easier to learn how to follow first? Seems like it would be easier to follow than lead, at least.." He continues the gentle waltz at her pleasure, eager to both learn and live up to her expectations.

"Of course it would. Which is why we're not doing that... Once you're in the mindset of following, leading becomes harder... Vice versa as well, but... Less so," she notes, while her hips continue swaying along with the music.

Terry nods quickly. "Yes 'maam, as you say." He continues the slow waltz a bit longer, seeming to be getting used to it, and only once nearly tripping on his own foot while trying to turn in tempo. He nibbles on his lip before finally gathering up the courage to ask the question that's been rattling at him. " 'maam, if I may ask.. why have you been going to such lengths to teach me these things? Surely you do not do this to every street rat that nearly gets caught."

"As I said before... You have... Potential," the she-cat rumbles with a smile, and a flick of her tail, before teasing it along his thigh. "For one, unlike most that get caught, you got away... For another, we've been watching your movements, little Terry. Not many are... Selected, and the reasons for doing so are even more rarely shared."

"However, we believe you could be a valuable... Asset."

Terry balks at that. "W-watching my movements? Selected?" The small ocelot doesn't know whether to be feel afraid or honored that this being -and her organization - had been keeping tabs on him somehow, knew about him even though he was nothing but another homeless being in Firmament. He trips all over himself one more time, but recovers. "Y-yes 'maam. I uh. I hope not to disappoint." He offers her a nervous smile.

"Relax. You will do fine," the feline rumbles with a smile, a flick of her tail, teasing the appendage along his own. "Now, back to the dance, hmm?" she offers with a soft rumble, a flick of her ears. "Unless, of course, you had another suggestion?"

Terry blinks. "Uhm.. suggestion?" He can't help but briefly look down at hersvelte , but quickly shakes his head. "N-no, nothng 'maam. I... I'm more than happy to practice if it is what pleases you.." He smiles. "I'm learning much from you already, and we met less than a day ago."

A smile, a soft rumble, a continued tease of the tail as Katrina nods. "Of course. Still, if there's anything in particular you are curious about, do not hesitate to ask... Of course, whether or not you'll get an answer is a different matter altogether," she notes, swaying to the music, following his lead as he slowly improves.

Terry nods. "I'm curious about your.. group. You've always said 'our turf' and 'we', which implies, I think, that there's many of you." He bites his lip. "I also wanted to ask what you meant when you said yesterday that I could charm.. uhm.. beings of both genders." He stammers on the question, a small blush coming across his features.

"You are correct. There are many of us. In time, you'll get to know others," the she-cat notes, before shaking her head. "As for you... Your physique is... Sufficient to trick a male, given the right attire," the she-cat purrs softly into his ears, before her tail twitches again. "Of course, the manner of seduction is vastly different... But we'll get there."

Terry blushes more hotly as she speaks the words, the pantheress' words confirming his original assumption. "Y-yes 'maam, as you say." He continues the dance for a few more moments, until the music finally stops and kicks him out of the routine that he had already settled into. He blinks, glances around, and then lets go of his dance partner, smiling at her shyly.

"There you go. Good boy," the she-cat teases with a smile on her lips, before rumbling softly. "Anything else of note you'd like to know?" she offers after a short moment of silence, before looking towards one of the tables.

Terry smiles brightly, his tail flitting happily at the praise. He shakes his head. "No 'maam, nothing else." He peers to the side, following her gaze, then raises his hand. "Would you like to sit for a moment? We have been standing and dancing for quite a bit.."

Katrina smiles and nods. "Of course," she notes, before flagging the barman. "Two champagne, please," she offers, before looking at Terry. "I trust you've never... Enjoyed the finer things in life?"

Terry sits down with Katrina, actually smiling at her question. "N-no 'maam. Not unless you mean that one time I stole a wheel of stinky but tasty cheese from a stall up in the Saints' Square." He looks down briefly, then back up at her. "I've been living on my own for years now 'maam, doing anything I can. That usually means stealing to eat and squatting to sleep, certainly no.. no luxuries. No fancy clothes, no dancing, no honeyed oatmeal porridge with fruit.."

"Tsk. Honeyed oatmeal with fruit? After your first mission proper, you should try the roast duck... But that's still a good while in the future, of course. Still, it's a start, I suppose," she rumbles, before shaking her head lightly. "Do well, and you'll be considered a part of our... Family."

Terry perks up at that word, his tail flitting eagerly. "Family?" He averts his eyes briefly, a smile creeping up on his features before he shakes it away. "Y-yea, maybe next time I will try the duck. Well, assuming I can somehow afford the fifty sceptres or so.." He nibbles on his lip. "Maybe I should go and try to lift another crown.."

"As I said, for now, all your acts will go through me first. Until I deem it acceptable for you to try that one again, you will follow my training-regimen. Am I clear?" the she-cat rumbles, before watching Terry with a brow raised behind her mask. "You will always have at least a loaf of bread to eat in the evening... Assuming I see effort, of course. Success will be rewarded as well, logicially."

Terry shies back slightly, then nods. "Yes 'maam, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.. I just wanted to make sure I could afford it..." He looks down apologetically. "As you say, 'maam. I won't do anything unless you command it."

Katrina smiles, rumbling another "good boy" into his ears, before moving back, smiling as the waitress offers the two glasses of champagne to the duo. Her tail curls around lightly, and she takes a short sip from her own drink, before awaiting Terry's actions.

Terry looks up at her as she praises her again, tail flitting eagerly once more. He watches as the glass of champagne is put in front of him, and notes the other being pick up her glass and sip from it. He looks between the glass and Katrina, sensing this could somehow be another test of some kind. He reaches for his glass as well, seeking to take a sip of the bubbly beverage for the very first time.

"To a new start," the femme rumbles with a smile on her lips, a flick of her tail along his own, before she relaxes in her chair once again.

Terry blinks as the bubbly liquid burns a path down his throat, the ocelot being assaulted by both the pleasant, fine taste and the strong alcohol that he isn't quite used to. He nods. "To a new start.." He smiles at her, his tail rubbing up against hers in a similar way.

A smile, a soft rumble, and a flick of Katrina's ears, as she takes another sip from her drink. "Alcohol is... An acquired taste. Get to know it well, because it'll be served during several of your future assignments," the she-cat purrs softly.

Terry nods, taking another cautious sip of the liquid. "Yes 'mam, I will. It's very tasty, but strong.." He smiles, regardless, eager to please. "I will do my best." He tries another sip, trying to savour it through the alcohol, and smiles. "Is there anything else I should do, or learn? Anything I should.. uhm... focus on?"

"Everything," the femme concludes after a moment. "Learn to hide without hiding, to steal without stealing. Learn to dance, and simply... Learn. Pick up the tricks, the mannerisms of a true gentleman, and soon, you'll be able to steal the crown off of the King's head, should we want you to," she concludes.

Terry nearly drops his glass at the last one. Was it just a figure of speech, or an actual proposal? He licks his lips, tasting the alcohol. "Yes 'mam." Is the only answer he musters. "I've never been taught the.. mannerisms. I've never been refined in any way. I hope I don't disappoint you." His response is earnest, as is his smile. His tail flicks over hers.

A smile, a rumble, and a tailflick. "Good boy... Now, when you're finished, I'd fancy another dance... Sir."

Terry nods quickly. "Yes 'mam!" He sips his alcohol, avoiding the mistake of guzzling it down in a rather uncouth way. He slides out of his chair and walks around to Katrina's side, raising his hand at her. "Would you join me in the dance floor again, My Lady?" He intones, clearly trying to imagine how a 'gentleman' would speak and act based on what he's heard of nobility and their ilk.

A smile, and soon enough, the two are back on the dancefloor, and Terry's lessons continue...