No Greater Taint Than Grace

[Faiz]

Faiz did not smile as he assumed he was meant to. Instead he fingered the top of the chair's armrest as he thought. Throwing him out was tempting as he did not like the man who clearly had no idea what real manners were. Everything the man had done fromt he start had irked him. Yet still he thought about letting him stay. Part of him wanted to hear the man out though.

As he thought about it more he shrugged the feeling off. The man offended him and that was far from the best apology he had ever seen. Therefor the man was to get rid of himself.

"Remove yourself from my household Lucraft. I have no interest in anything you may have to say and your very presence offends me. You can show yourself out - but if you try to look around or to take something be known that my staff is extremely shifty and everywhere at once. I am also very anal about keeping tracks of my things. I know the exact where of everything in my home including papers."

Faiz was content to let the implication of the warning hang in the air. If the man still tried to do something - for whatever reason - he was far more imbecilic than Faiz had originally thought.

((ooc: sorry it so short and if it overly insulting >.<)

[Alita Tress]

Alita chuckled to herself as the air around her sizzled, she fanned herself with a hand dramatically and cried "Oh, my, the testosterone is this room is making me giddy!" She whole-heartedly approved of Lucrafts removal, but found that Faiz's reaction was clouded by his pride.

"Honestly, gentlemen" She said, positioning herself on the arm of Faiz's chair, a innocent enough gesture, but which was really so that she was between the two men. "You would think you were commoners about to start a tavern brawl." She looked pointedly at Faiz "It is not gentlemanly to lose one's temper." and glanced away to Lucraft again as though it had been meant for both of them. "What kind of reputation would you make by having such arguments in front of a lady?"

Alita smirked a little and swept herself from the chair-arm, crossing the room halfway to Lucraft. "Sir, perhaps your visit can be rescheduled for a more hospitable time, Lord Arias has had a tiring day, I beleive rest and a forewarned visit, would make him a much more welcoming man."

[Oliver Lucraft]

{After writing my 50,000 word novel for NaNoWriMo with Lucraft as the main character - I have come to understand and grow far more intimate with his character than I had before. Though I do not think much has changed I give the warning that my style may be slightly different with him.)

Mmm, how unsurprising. He was being thrown out. Joyous of joys, let the heavens gave embrace to this most loud of proclamations. Here again, the man chose to insult him, to chide him with insults that slicked like water off his back. He could rise to it and let his mouth spit the bitter juices of contempt and profanation, rage and rage against the implication that he was a common thief. Oh, and how loved an argument particularly any debate about character, yet it was the lady who had soothed his vicious tongue.

His expression softened, green eyes harvesting her mild manor. Humiliation was what her tongue had filled his ears with, and yes, he did feel a sense of embarrassment cross over him (Not that he was unused so such a feeling - far from it). So as not to further drive ignominy down upon him, he chose to try and find dignity through the tension.

"Is it not strange that so many of our leaders and generals are men when it is so obvious that women are the wiser sex?," he bowed his head to her. Turning his attention to Faiz, he sighed, "I find it vulgar that you would think so lowly of me, but if I am to be branded as a sordid, then so I shall live to dispel such wretched wrongs. I give you my word that I did not come to your most beautiful of homes to fill the air with tension and contempt. If you should ever wish to visit my own home, I can assure my wife would do well to scrape away the rot you now see on my name." [/b]Repeating his offering wasn't going to change anything, but well, it was a start.

Smiling, he finished, "May you both lay well tonight, and let god bless you both."[/b]

He turned his back to them, tail flicking as he descended. Well, that had been foolish and awkward. Still, he smirked; what fun. So long as the consequences were not too grave, he would be sure to gossip with the gaggle of women his wife always invited over and laugh with his fellow country men at what a temper the 'scholar' had.

Finding himself back out in the cold, he shuffled uncomfortably as he made his way back down the street. That was enough for tonight, he would finish his list in the next few weeks. Faiz, however, could almost certainly be crossed off. Even if he too rallied for a fairer society, he would never admit it in his presence. Now.. He was sure he had to remember something...

Ah! Yes, the pottage. Grimacing and shaking his head in order to quash laughter, he began making his way down to the low market.

[Faiz]

(I find I like this Lucraft ^^ I apologize again if I am mean >.<)

Faiz resisted a smile until Lucraft had left and then he let it grow. It wasn't due from the fact that the man had left - although that did relax him greatly - it was what Miss Alita Tress had said. Without looking at her and instead writing he spoke and couldn't keep the humour out of his voice.

"I never once said I was a gentleman Lady, nor do I care about my reputation. I must admit however that sudden visits from rude guests in the middle of the night leave me sour. I shudder to think I upset your delecate sensibilities." He knew that she was far from having delicate sensibilities so it was merely jest. Faiz had not been this amused by someone in a long time. He beckoned in his butler and gave him a small envelope which held the note he had written. It was for Lord Lucraft giving him an appointment for the day after next to come and have lunch with Faiz while Lucraft explained what he wanted. Since it seemed it was soemthing private it would occur within his own home. Should Lucraft accept and - after some checking by Faiz - be who he said he was then Faiz was willing to hear him out in confidence. He wasn't sure why but the man did intrigue him. He imagined that many would be surprised by such a temper on a scholar but Faiz just assumed it came from his soldier side.

That and he got grumpy at night. The only reason he took Alita so in stride was that she did not immediately act like a rude and ignorant buffoon.

[Oliver Lucraft]

OOC: (Oh trust me, he is still highly critical, judgemental and self-centred ~ )

[Min-Ya]

(( I wouldn't expect anything less of him ^^ Yet he seems more....mature somehow. 'Tis telos btw))

Min-Ya was watchign the home fromt he shadows. She only briefly wondered why her mark had entered it. She would find out later and she had to focus right now. She had excellent night-time eyesight and could change from light to dark surroundings easily. She preferred the shadows. She waited not even twenty minutes before Lucruft came out of the house and went walking away. Min-Ya had the feeling he had been refused completely before it had begun. From her research she knew that the current Lord Arias and Lord Lucruft were not friends. Not the kind that would meet up in the middle of the night for a chat at least. No, Lucruft had been there for some other business.

She shoved that thought aside and quickly began to follow Lucruft to his new destination. He wouldn't see her even if she wasn't careful - the man seemed far to self absorbed for that to happen - yet she was extremely careful anyway to stay hidden. Min-Ya was an excellent assassin and information retriever and had no desire to fail. Failure equalled death in her world and she kind of liked living. As they walked to wherever he was going - the pottage based on our current direction - she thought about the orders she had recently recieved.

You may invlove mark at own descretion. Mark may not know confidential information.

Min-Ya thought the second sentence was horribly redundant but she understood that it was simply to confirm her instincts. The higher ups needed to protect themselves just as much as she needed to protect herself. It was the first sentence that threw her off her game. She had never before received an order that she could involve a mark. True, she had needed to involve others in other incestigations but never the one being studied and perhaps killed. It seemed extremely odd. Still it might be worth a shot. She decided quickly and was content with her choice. She would interact with him at the pottage.