The Drow Queen of Glaley [Very NSFW]

[Zevran]

Rising to his feet, Zevran offers a bow to go with his smile, then turns away to find Obi once again. He seems unconcerned, even whistling a jaunty tune, as he looks about the market.

[GamesMaster]

Obi isn't far, pointedly looking away rather than watch Zevran work. Their pecking order has been made perfectly clear: husband outranks bondservant, even to Noire. So he has no room to stop Zevran doing anything he damn well pleases with his time, the little coin he's given as an allowance, or his hair ties. But he doesn't have to like it. 

[Zevran]

Zevran fights the urge to roll his eyes as he makes his way over to Obi. "Nothing catching your eye?" he asks blandly. 

[GamesMaster]

Obi glances at him, then at the stall he was just at. "I have no need of women's jewlery," he says blandly. "Nothing at this stall tempts me in the slightest."

[Zevran]

Then why were you browsing here? "Shame. Amethyst matches you well."

[GamesMaster]

"You are welcome to purchase what you desire with your own funds," he says blandly. Was that... something approaching a joke or humor?

[Zevran]

A quirk of his lips, almost a smile, is Obi's first answer. The second is, "the necklace please. The braided one, with the purple rocks." Once payment is exchanged for product, Zevran turns and holds the necklace out to Obi with a flourish. 

[GamesMaster]

Obi takes it, hesitantly fastening it around his neck. He examines himself in the mirror and... pauses a moment, a thoughtful expression on his normally-stoic face. Then it's gone, and he's moving forward to the next stall, already checking over the grocery list. 

[Zevran]

It's rather strange, being on this side of reaching out. 

Nice though.

Zevran trails after Obi, humming a contented melody with smiling lips.

[NPCs]

Coquette's study slash tea room is filled with a quiet, industrious sort of silence broken only by the rustle of fabric, steady breathing and--

"Sooooo... is it true that women in Glaley can go their entire lives without seeing another naked woman unless they birth a daughter?"

Four minutes. Almost four and a half in fact. That's a new record for Vessu. She's actually surprisingly nice, even pleasant to spend time with. She's no fool for certain, but it's very clear her heart and passion is with art; sewing and weaving most recently, but she's got some modest skill in painting with oils and charcoal sketching, plus some real, solid talent in stone etching. She has far less talent in sarcasm or double-speak, leaning more on discretion and polite deflection when pulled into politics. Truth be told, if Coquette closed her eyes and pretended Vessu was speaking in common, it's an effortless imagining to picture her as one of the many lesser noblewomen she'd encountered in Alessia's social get-togethers. 

Once she opens her eyes, that falls apart very, very rapidly of course. Deep, almost glossy black skin would stand out more than a little in Alessia. Especially given that the skin in question is covered in less fabric than one of the socks Coquette would have worn as a teenager. Vessu's preferred manner of dress is a weave, almost a web, of thick silk threads adorned with beadwork and small stone charms that she'd made herself. The only thing else covering her are dozens of tattoos, all of them types of lizards aside from her familiga's crest. Evidently, her other joy is her dozens of pet lizards.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Even then, in many cases. They take the babe as soon as it's born and swaddle it up, and many use nannies to do all the messy work of changing and feeding the babe." She smiles just a touch, almost indulgently. 

[NPCs]

"Huh."

Vessu bobs her head, focus dropping back to her work. She curls in a little, head lowering to peer at a tricky bit, and Coquette notices that she's stuck the tip of her tongue out from between pursed lips. A rather adorable expression, despite her outfit, and one that makes it clear that for all the years Vessu has spent learning various crafts, she's still only just past her majority. The young woman is so focused she doesn't notice Justinia slink across the table to stare imperiously at her for a handful of seconds, then sniff disdainfully. Displeased by the lack of regard, the proud feline neatly picks up Vessu's pincushion and struts over to Coquette, as if to give her most faithful minion a chance to do better.

[Coquette Blacquin]

Coquette smiles to herself. So like Alisenne... I wonder where she is now? Married off, I expect? With her own children, by now. Probably half grown or more. Humans grow so quickly, after all. Is it too soon for them to have children? It can't have been that long, can it?

[NPCs]

"Blat."

The pincushion tumbles into Coquette's lap as Justinia slinks off in a huff. A few seconds later, Vessu's head comes up to peer over in her direction, the sound being heard but delayed in registering due to the drow's focus. "Sorry, did you say something?" she asks politely.

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Hmm? Ah, no, it was Justinia," she laughs, reaching out to stroke the cat's head gently, hoping to catch her before she goes far.