Aww I feel horrible about this. We'll try and make our return :P

Enveloped into a sea of chaos, men rushed at Kitten surrounding her while yelling their questions. She tried to answer one and then the other but soon her own voice was drowned out. She managed to slip out from the crowd unnoticed and she stood on the side watching the guards and volunteers debating with themselves. She heard men groaning saying they did not have time to look into prostitutes and their problems, they obviously were not worth it. It stung but she shrugged it off, what surprise is it that men were idiots.

She heard one man who was obviously interested enough, take charge. He must have been one of the leaders because he yelled, "Ho! These men here are to stay and question the staff. The rest, you are to go back home as we already have our hands tied. We only need a few men. You can report back later to me, but do not worry about that just now. Volunteers, we need you o a search party. Grab your torches and ride past the walls and bring back the body."

Jodelle stood up in protest, "This is ludicrous. We have a tavern to run and I can't have my clients scared off by the city guard and some death of a girl." The man and Jodelle negotiated and he agreed to take girls one at a time, upstairs in the private quarters, making sure not to disturb the business. Kitten hoped they did not go in her room, and if they did, that Margo had enough sense to hide her contraband. All the men filed up with Marianna, Sapphira's maid, leading them. The main room looked normal again. With a sense of false security, Kitten tried to make over to her sisters; she desperately needed to talk and be with them. She was interrupted by the man who had spoke earlier.

"Can I take you upstairs?"

For a second, she wasn't sure what he was asking and turned white with fury. Realizing what he meant she replied, "I must stay downstairs as I run it. But you're welcome to sit at this table in the far corner, as long as I can monitor the crowd."

They took a seat as the customers began to emerge. The girls looked a little shaken, but they feared the punishment that could be inflicted upon them if they did not do their best. It was a rough night for all of them anyways, and if someone were to chastise them, it would not be Kitten tonight. The man looked at her with steady eyes. "Let's begin with your name."

"Emmeline Lunaire Belrose."

"And you go by Kitten?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It was a nickname given to me some time back. It suits me better than my own name."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"And you have a twin sister?"

"Yes."

"What about the other girl?"

"She is my sister too."

"By blood?"

"We have the same father. Her mother raised me."

"Tell me about your family."

"My father was a blasted idiot."

"And your mother?"

"The maid was a whore."

"How old were you?"

"Young, but Jodelle's mother had always raised us."

"How did you come about this tavern?"

"It was Jodelle's investment. I was lucky enough to be invited to join."

"What sort of place is this...tavern?"

"A place of all pleasures."

"Have you had violence surrounding it before?"

"The occasional bar brawl but nothing of this seriousness."

"Did you know the girl killed?"

"I recognized her but I don't know much about her. You'd have to ask Jodelle or one of the girls for more information."

"But she's an employee of yours."

"I don't deal with the girls. I lead gambling games and encourage men to drink more."

"Is it possible a man unknown to you murdered her?"

"I don't know all of the people who come in here, but ...I don't know. This whole situation is bizarre to me. We send our boy servants on errands. The girls never get out of the house, except for the monthly trip they get to relax for a few days. I checked earlier and it wasn't her turn. I don't have any idea why she was out, so far away. We always stick close together."

"Could she have been taken from here?"

"Absolutely not. We always have people in every corner of this place inside and out. Someone should have noticed her screaming or fighting in protest."

"But she could have been led willingly."

"The girls are not supposed to leave under any circumstance."

"Who do you think has done this?"

"I don't bloody know. I try not to deal with psychopaths."

"So you don't know anyone that could have done this terrible deed?"

Something made Kitten hesitate but she answered with a cold, "No."

"Was she here last night?"

"I..I can't remember."

"Why not?"

"I had one too many to drink and the place was packed. I wouldn't have noticed sober."

"Okay moving along, is there anyone new here that's been hanging around past their welcoming."

Kitten could see Jon from across the room, being interviewed himself. It wasn't that he should have left, but he was certainly new. Suspiscions began to cloud her. "There's a man who came yesterday to the Haus before the party."

"He was early?"

"Very."

"Why?"

"I have no idea."

"What did he do?"

"Well, he...he sort of went around the Haus."

"What is his name?"

"Jon Smythe."

"What do you know about him?"

Kitten racked her brain to try and answer his question. She looked over at him, his features and composure. The man looked in her direction. "Is that him?" "Yes it is."

She paused. "I don't know much about him. He, he's a merchant and his family ring shows that he is of good standing. That's all that could help."

"Do you know anything at all?"

Kitten stood up in anger and barked, "I will not subject myself to this."

The man stood up with her and tried to arrange a room to stay the night. He mentioned having someone stay for protection. He grabbed her hand and she shook it off.

"Personally, I would prefer if you did not stay but that's something you'll have to run by Jodelle. I would hope to hire a rogue than have some washed-up city guard attempt to protect me. Good night..." She trailed off trying to think of his name but realized he had not told her, "whoever you are." She walked towards the crowd of festivities.

No one really ever knows that place you go to when you're unconscious. In the moment, you know where you've been taken and yet, you're lost and stuck between two worlds. Kitten could feel being lain upon a table and attended to. The coolness of the rag placed upon her cheek stung, more than it should have. She couldn't stop running, awake or asleep. She tried to scream out to those around her the body the body the body. But everytime she opend her mouth she knew that her mind was disconnected from the physical world. She kept running through the darkness and in a moment she was falling, help me help me please someone, she shrieked. But in the real world, she was just stirring, returning to the world slowly as she drew upon her life energy.

She opened her eyes and could see the servants and Jon about her with caring eyes. Jon begins to speak to her but she doesn't hear his words, just watched his mouth moving. She noded slowly to indicate that she had been paying attention. Her eyes were locked on the glass of water he held. He brought it to her lips and she drank much at first. Her mouth and tongue were so dry she could not mutter a word. "Slowly, slowly, just a little at first." Jon said. She heeded his instructions and sipped the water sparingly. As she felt the cool liquid spread throughout her inner body, she tried to shake the numbness of her body. She wiggled her toes and kicked her feet. She felt a sharp pain in left foot. Kitten tried to remember why she was on the table and why she was in such a bad state. Jon interrupted her stream of thoughts when he asked gently, "Why did you run in here like the Dark One himself was on your heels?"

Now she remembered what happened. Across her blank mind flashed the horrific images of Elisa, one of their longest working girls. Kitten saw a profuse amount of blood draining from her eyes and the wicked smile that exposed all her teeth. And the smell, of rotting flesh and maggots defiling her dead body, Kitten tried to hold back a sob that shook her whole being. She turned her face away from the crowd around her and cried deeply. She felt Jon's hand on her shoulder, trying to find out what exactly had transpired. She tried to say through short breaths and waves of sobs, Elisa, it's Elisa. She wiped her eyes and held on to Jon to stand up. She could see the confusion on his face. "Margo." Kitten called out softly. Her servant was by her side in seconds. "Call the city guard and all the men in this village. There's been a disastrous crime and this is no place for Jodelle, Sapphira nor I." She grabbed Jon's hand to help her up the stairs to her room. She walked in and closed the door behind them. She needed some time to collect herself and regain her composure before the men arrived.

She drew upon her basin and washed her face of the mud. She touched lightly the wound on her cheek. It was too tender to try and cover it up with her powders. As she dried her face, she began to tell Jon everything that had happened before. She stripped down to her small clothes and began to quickly wipe herself down. In another time she would have asked Jon to help but Kitten wasn't in the mood. She looked down at her foot and saw she was missing a toenail. Aargh, she mumbled in pain. She scrubbed it clean and slipped on the softest shoes she owned. She sprayed perfume on her nearly naked body. She moved to her wardrobe and grabbed a simple white robe, still recounting the story to Jon. She looked in the mirror and tried to comb out the tangled mess of her hair. Ow ow ow. Her whole body throbbed in pain. She braided her hair and finished the story. Only one tear managed to escape the whole time she spoke and so she knew she was strong enough to face the guards and elders downstairs. Jon accompanied her as they made it to the main room where a crowd of men had joined. When they saw her, they quieted down the ruckus they had been causing. She waited until all eyes were on her before she spoke.

"My name is Emmeline Belrose and there is a murderer among us."

Emmeline Belrose

"One two three, one two three, one two three, up. One two three, one two three, one two three, down." Up and down, side to side, Kitten had trouble keeping up with the dance. Usually she could keep to the pace of her sister's instructions but she wasn't concentrating and her mind was roaming the free space inside of it. She stretched her legs apart, moved her arms as gracefully as she could together, wrapped them around her side, and twirled. It was custom after a heavy night of partying/drinking all the girls got together and danced, their form of exercise to beat their hangovers. They stripped down to their drawers (puffy shorts reaching their knees) and their brassieres. Kitten kept the same twist in her hair from breakfast, held by the ivory comb.

She leaped across the room with four other girls. She felt like a horse, her horse, bounding through the field. "Higher." Distantly she heard Sapphira call out. Kitten wiggled her butt at her sister, really it didn't matter the precision in which she did her exercises as long as she was doing them. To be frank, she still had her mind on breakfast (how painfully slow it dragged out) and last night. She was unresolved on what she would do. What if she just didn't do anything? She could act casual, not as cold as this morning. She shouldn't fixate on this merchant, she had much more urgent ....Wham! And she hit the wall.

"That was on purpose." She winced in pain. She turned her back to Sapphira and the others, though she could perfectly envision her reaction. She walked out of the room and made to her own. It was enough exercise for one day, she thought. She met Margo up the stairs, looking at her frantically. "What is it now?" Margo looked down and looked up, not making eye contact with her Mistress. "Say it already." She watched hesitation and remorse wash over the girl's face. "Anthem is sick. She hasn't been eating."

"What??" Kitten turned around and was face to face with her waiting-girl. "I give that man," she spat, " one job, and one job only. And he can't even do that!" She ran to her room and put one of her simple riding tunics on and tied it together with a rope. She slipped on cloth shoes that were tough enough to last rides and forest grounds. She slipped out of her window since it faced the back and she could make it to the building much faster that way. She jogged a quarter of a mile until she reached the place where they kept most of the animals that were to be slaughtered for meals. They had some livestock that the sisters had allowed their servants to keep for extra wages. And of course, towards the back, there were stables to keep their horses. As she walked in moving towards the back, she saw the caretaker, Mr. Caius. She pushed past him in fury as he threw his hands up in an attempted explanation. "ONE TASK, that's all I've asked for!" She screamed at him.

Kitten walked up to Anthem, who was sitting in the corner of her pin. "My baby." She curled up next to her horse and began to stroke her back. She could see the sadness in her horse's eyes. "I'm sorry, I've been away so long. It's okay, mommy's here now." She yelled for Caius to bring her some food and she held Anthem's face firmly as she fed it to her. The horse refused at first but Kitten managed to make her eat. "Shhh," she whispered as she brushed through her thick black mane. Anthem was very special to her. She had raised her since she was a foal. Kitten had gotten her from a distant land and you can see how exotic she was from the horses around her. Anthem was a deep, chocolate brown with a thick black mane and tail. Each leg seemed to have been dipped ever so slightly in a white hue. Anthem had grown to be strong and Kitten took pride in her horse's agility and endurance. Kitten tried desperately to lead Anthem up and out of the gloomy pin that surrounded her. "I'll be back soon to deal with you later," she told the frightened Caius. Trotting out of the barn, Kitten thought twice of mounting her then. She wanted Anthem to use all her strength to move and thought it better if she led her, trailing in front of her.

"A nice walk past the walls, into the deep forest, that should do you good, my dear." She began telling Anthem everything she could remember about last night and waking up with another man in her bed. She told her about the awkward breakfast and the way that she couldn't get him out of her head. Maybe it was crazy speaking to an animal, but Anthem was her only true friend that wasn't her family or wasn't paid by her. There was a genuine bond that tied them together and she could feel it whether together or apart from her. Hours past by as they marched along, Anthem began to nudge her from behind and so Kitten mounted her, feeling it was safe now. She loved the feeling of riding, at first their pace was slow but then she began to pick up speed. Kitten loved the way the wind threw her hair and tears graced her eyes from the sheer acceleration of Anthem. When they rode, they were united, connected, her horse was just an extension of her own being and she loved the closeness to Nature she felt.

They continued on their own mental path when suddenly Anthem began to rear up and screech. Kitten was thrown from her back and she hit the tree next to her. Throbbing in pain she was close to blacking out and tried to grip onto the edges of her consciousness. Her vision was gone but she could hear Anthem's hooves pounding away in the distance. "Great." Her hands reached out for some sort of support and she grabbed a low branch and hiked herself up. She closed her eyes and opened them a few times and when her vision came into focus she screamed louder than she ever had in her life. Her scream was so high pitched, if someone were there to hear it would sound like nails scratching against the most irritable surface imaginable.

Though she wouldn't have had time to notice all the details on account of her running miles in minutes, the thing sitting near Kitten was grotesque. Hunched and sitting against an opposite tree, there was a body of a girl, once alive. Her eyes had been taken out completely and her mouth was carved into a permanent smile. What's worse was Kitten had recognized the body as one of the "girls" at the house, whose hair had been dyed blonde post mortum. She was clad in a simple white sheet with a flower garland in her hair. The body had been cleaned of all blood except for a single streak of blood running from the eye socket and down the cheek. Her hands were placed in her lap.

Kitten couldn't think. She couldn't breath. She wasn't sure the way to get out but she knew she had to reach the walls. She had to get back home. Who knows how long she kept running? But finally her legs led her back to the Haus and she tore through the door landing on the main floor. She was white as a ghost or like the body strewn in the woods. She landed in Jon's arms before finally fainting to escape the horror she'd seen.

Emmeline Belrose

OOC/Edit Foal is a baby horse. Color of hair dyed.

Kitten unwillingly stepped through the window to see Jon smiling sheepishly at her. "Well, he's smitten," she said internally. She watched curiously as he gave her a gift she supposed was meant to be given last night, if she hadn't been so stone-faced drunk. She smiled and gave a simple thank you for the hand-carved ivory comb. He reached for her hand and kissed her wrist. She held her breath so that her heartbeat would be slowed and not give the appearance of any unwanted conclusions. Jon then stood up and told her what she should wear, giving a few more orders before leaving the room.

"You let a man sleep with you and all of a sudden he has this idea that he owes you." She paused. "Well if that were true, I'd have more people own me than I could count." She looked down at the dress laid upon the bed. It was so hideous, an old fashion she had meant to give to one of her waiting-women. "Too bad." She grabbed a knife that she learned to keep concealed on her from Bethesda. She viciously cut up the dress and walked out of her room to the edge of the gallery. She could plainly see Jon sitting with Jodelle and Sapphira at the breakfast table. With a loud, "Ho!" to get their attention, she threw the shredded pieces of the awful dress over the ledge.

She headed back to the room without waiting to see their reactions. She slipped out of Sapphira's dress and donned a loose, flowing rose-colored frock. She sat down upon her bed to examine the gift given to her. She held her breath. It was exquisite, not something she would have expected from him. Swiftly, she made her hair into a twist with the ivory comb securing it in place. She couldn't resist not wearing something of such fine craftsmanship. She smoothed out the pleats of her dress while hardening her emotions in preparation. She had to show Jon that whatever was between them was not a commonplace relationship. And never would she let a man give her instructions, whether intentional or accidental. She left her room and walked as slowly as possible, meaning to keep Jon waiting.

Finally, she approached the table, wishing good morrow to her sisters and kissing them each. Jodelle sat at the head of the table with Sapphira to her right. Kitten took her place opposite her twin, and diagonal to Jon. With a smile on her face, she lightly asked, "Now, which of my lovely sisters invited this man to attend out break-fast?"

Jodelle eyed her sister and hissed hoarsely. "We should be hospitable to our guests, my dear. And unless we suddenly have several semi-permanent residents, I would say Mr. Smythe is rather entitled to sit at the morning table with us."

"I'm sorry. Guests usually do not stay until sunrise." Kitten shot Jon her most icy glance, warning him without words against mentioning anything that had transpired between them. She could see Sapphira suppressing a giggle, and kicked her from under the table while maintaining her composure. She refused to let her sisters think there was anything between her sisters and the merchant, even if there was.

The hall filled quickly with chatter and laughter as the girls who worked last night came to eat with their mistresses. Before anyone began eating, Jodelle and Sapphira stood up. Kitten slowly followed suit, out of courtesy, not because she had anything to do with what was about to happen. She half-listened to Jodelle's eloquent speech, and Sapphira's clear calculations of last night. The two announced the evening's best performer - a direct reflection of the revenues they brought in. Everyone stood to applaud as the gleeful girl took her place at the end of the table opposite Jodelle. Kitten watched Jon as he looked upon the lucky girl. She was curious to see his reaction. Breakfast began only to be interrupted by the agitating Elliot, with Kitten half there, half somewhere else...

Emmeline Belrose

Kitten woke up with a stabbing pain in her clenched hand. She threw her arm over the bed and relaxed it, thereby letting the object in her hand drop. She tried to open her eyes but the light was so bright in the room that it intesified her headache. Her vision slowly came back to her though, faster than her consciousness. She saw blurs in front of her until the first thing came into focus, the body of a man next to her. "Where am I?" She lifted her head to see the face of Jon near her, "Light!" She yelled inside herself. She was completely shocked to see his face. She looked down to see that she was wearing an immodest shift dress. Well, she apparently had changed out of her clothes. She was scared to see, but she lifted the blanket covering Jon to see him in his small clothes. "Oh Light! Light! Light!" She jumped out of bed, holding on to her nightstand for support. She saw Jon stir and she looked wild-eyed out of the room. She thought of grabbing some sort of cover, but didn't want to be there when he awoke. Thus she ran out of the room as fast as she could barefoot. She made it down the stairs in seconds, and kept going, past all the busy servants that only saw a whiff of her as she passed by. She threw open the door of the tavern and did not stop running until she had made it to the clearing deep in the woods surrounding the Haus. She slumped down against the base of one of the trees, sitting in the dirt with her toes sprawled in mud.

"I slept with him. Did I sleep with him? Light! I slept with him. How could I have slept with him??" Her mind was racing at the prospect of what she had done with Jon. She tilted her head back and groaned. her thoughts were muggy and she tried to recall the events that had transpired last night. She could see colors: reds, blues, yellows, and greens. She could hear sounds: music, cheering, yelling, and a gentle voice that had laid her to sleep. She banged her head against the bark of the tree. She wanted to remember something more substantial but the whole evening was just swirls of colors and blackness. "Beginning, how did it start?" Like a light switch being flipped, the visions of last night flooded within her. She could see herself and Jon. She could see Sapphira and Jodelle. She could see men and women everywhere. She could see happiness, drunkenness, and pain...pain on Jon's face. She couldn't remember why. She tried to trace what she did that night to see what led her to sleeping with the merchant but there were gaping holes between memories, and nothing after her dance with Sapphira. She had no idea what she was going to do. She noticed he drank sparingly, and he certainly would remember what happened last night. She couldn't let him know that she didn't and especially not let her sisters know either. She decided it was only logical they had done it in some fit of passion. She had to keep her senses about her and act as if it were just another night. She stood up and tried to wipe the mud that caked her body. She ran back to the tavern into Sapphira's room. "Interesting." Sapphira noticed her bed was untouched. She had the servants help her wash up in the basin as quickly as she could. She grabbed the first dress she could find in her sister's closet. She held it before her and realized it was nothing she would ever wear. It was a hunter green dress and the cut she did not care for, at least it was fitted somewhat. She had no time to brush her hair so she braided it and rushed downstairs. She sat on the white fur carpet as if she had been there casually all morning. She began to wait for Jon to come down and after some time she became impatient. She wanted to find out what he was doing without walking into her room. She went out to the back door and found the stones she had laid upon the wall to enable her to climb up and down to the covering under her window. She tied the dress to the side and went up as quietly as she could. She slipped and tore a little of the dress but promised herself she would make it up to Sapphira. She had made it up to her window finally only to see Jon staring at her from the other side. She was mortified and tried to think of something to say. "It's such a lovely morning, isn't it? I was just getting some fresh air..."

Emmeline Belrose

In the middle of her passion, Kitten was mortified to see Jon in front of her. She could see the anger pass through his face as well as the disappointment and sadness. And though she was clearly intoxicated, she could feel his pain pierce through the cloud of confusion that surrounded her. Before she had a chance to say anything, he had already excused himself and was heading towards the stairs. She had never seen a man react like that, never seen someone besides her sisters care about her. She was screaming on the inside, hoping somehow someone would hear her. She tried to push off the two men that were around her like vultures, but her movements were too sluggish. "Get off of me!" She managed to say through slurred speech. She gathered her strength and shoved one of the men off and pushed herself off the seat she was in. She fell to the floor only to have a servant help her up. "Get me, Margo." she whispered. Up came Margo with a glass of cool water that Kitten drank. She was determined to confront Jon or at least try to fix her mistake. She wrapped her arms around Margo who carefully assisted her to the stairs. Though not many steps on a sober day, the path before her seemed daunting and impossible. She ascended three steps before throwing up over the banister. She knew she looked like a fool, but she wasn't thinking of it then. She took one more step and was breathless, and so she sat down drinking more of her water. "Why do I always do such rash things before thinking?" She wasn't sure if she said it aloud or in her head, but Margo was visibly shocked when Kitten hit her own forehead. "I'm so drunk I can't even remember what I was doing." Margo lifted her up once again and slowly brought her to the top. Kitten paused again in a failed attempt to regain her composure. Everything in front of her was spinning and it was all that she could do to keep herself from vomiting again.

When Margo led her to in front of Jon's room, Kitten dismissed her. She looked at the room in front of her, wiped her mouth, pushed back her hair and smoothed out her dress. She had meant to knock on Jon's door but ended up thudding against it. When he opened it, she had also meant to explain everything she was feeling but somehow she only was able to say a soft "I'm sorry" before passing out in his arms for the rest of the night.

Emmeline Belrose

Kitten sat dealing cards to the men around her, chewing over her rejection. Since she had parted with Jon, she watched him making advances with her sisters. He had danced with Sapphira, he had drank with Jodelle, and gave them each some mysterious present that Kitten could not make out from where she was in the crowd. And what had she gotten from her own date? Nothing, except an empty arm to walk around with. Her thoughts were interrupted by the game at hand. She dealed again slyly. One of the men at the table had made a previous arrangement with her as he did from time to time. They had agreed on signals that would help the man make decisions on what hand to play. He payed her a lofty sum, more so than he would receive from winning, but she learned that for some men money didn't matter, it was all about their pride. She took another drink from her glass, hoping that with each sip the haziness would blur her mind and she would forget the feelings that were tearing inside her.

"Do I like him?" She thought to herself. She knew the answer was yes but admitting it out front was impossible. She thought of the things she did like about him. She liked his smile, she liked how polite and courteous he was and how different he acted from the men she was accustomed to, and she liked being around him because he was straightforward, honest, and kind. She grabbed the full glass and finished it. Over the years she had developed a high tolerance to alcohol, surpassing most of her male visitors and so she knew it was going to take a lot of drinking to get to the point of blissful ignorance she hoped to attain.

She tugged at her hair and brushed it behind her ear. The man saw her signal and threw his cards on the table, grabbing all the money from the center. "Hoorah!" people screamed. All the men stood up now, some fighting and some cheering. Usually Kitten would have been right in the middle of the fight, adding fire to the flame, but she was in such a somber mood, she walked away from it.

She advanced towards the bar which she saw inhabited mostly by the girls and the men that were picking them. She was feeling a little feisty and thought she should have at least a little bit of fun tonight. She put one gold mark on the table and looked around at the man standing nearby. She said, "Anyone who can out-drink me can have the gold piece. I'll only go against three of you so pick your best and let the game begin" She smiled sheepishly.

Drink after drink, Kitten took. She beat the first man easily as he walked out of the Haus in embarrassment. The second man was harder and she barely came out on top. She was in the midst of going against the third one. She raised her eyebrows at the bartender who secretly managed to dilute her drink with water and other liquids. Still, she had been drinking all night and the relief the bartender gave her was slight. She could feel herself at the end of consciousness when the man's head next to her slammed against the bar. "Phew," she thought to herself, "That was a close one." She felt that she had to get away from the bar, she was tired of the applause and compliments as unfulfilling as they were.

She walked close to the walls for support, looking for something else to occupy herself with. She was avoiding Jon, Sapphira, and Jodelle. She had absolutely no desire to speak to any of them. "How could he not want me?" "Does he like Sapphira better? Or his senior, Jodelle?" "Was she not enough?" "Why did she even care?" "Why couldn't she forget about him as easily as she could forget the other men that had come into her life?" While different questions crossed her mind, she bumped into a young and highly attractive man that could be no older than her by a few months. He introduced himself as Brent and his friend next to him was some simple name she couldn't hear over the music and hollering. "I'd tell you my name but I don't even know it anymore! But guess what, my date left me and I'm in a sour mood. Think you boys can cheer me up?" They had pulled three chairs near each other in one of the more solitary spaces in tavern. Guy number one had his arm around her waist with his hands running up and down her torso. Guy number two was breathing hard on her neck, kissing the entire area down to the start of her dress. She could feel her heart beating against his lips as he pressed it to her translucent skin. "Finally," she breathed, "A distraction."

Emmeline Belrose

Kitten was close to killing her wait staff. Oh, so close. No one had been able to find her moonstone necklace and she absolutely refused to go out without it. She threw her lamp against the wall and watched it smash into pieces. She was furious. She threw all her clothes out of her closet. She turned over her bed. She even threw one of her drawers out of her window (breaking the window too).

"Margo, find it NOW, before I will have your hide for a saddle cloth."

Light! She was so late. Sapphira had come into her room earlier asking why she was not ready and Kitten almost threw a shoe at her face. Almost.

"Emmy, Emmy! Look! Look at my crown!" Elliott ran around her room with his arms in the air. Kitten hissed. She grabbed him from his arm and picked him up.

"You boneheaded fool! That necklace is mine." She ripped it off his head. She thought if Jodelle would be okay with her throwing him too.

"Get him out before I kill him." Kitten wrapped her amulet around her neck, with the moon pendant sitting upon her breast, moving with each of her breaths. She looked in the mirror one final time. Her hair had been made into curls that fell upon her back. Her makeup was perfect with her eyes big and her lips tempting. She loved her red, satin dress. It cut below the start of her chest and it hugged her waist before flaring out. It stopped at her ankles, but was easy to lift up for dancing. The sleeves past her elbow with white lace at the cuffs. Her favorite was the bodice which was decorated with jewels and gold ribbons. She smiled looking at herself, because she knew all eyes would be on her and she loved the attention. She motioned to Margo to go down the stairs and to have someone blow the horn whenever she walked upon the first step of the staircase. She knew exactly how to make an entrance.

She gave Margo a few minutes before she left the room. As she walked out, she saw Jon from behind. She called his name and watched him turn around. She found herself a little bit surprised by his attire. She expected something utterly plain but his clothes were very complimentary, at least for her.

"Are you ready?" She asked him. He held out his arm and she wrapped her hand around it. They walked up to the staircase as Margo let out a blast from the horn. She had her eyes on the crowd as everyone stopped what they were doing to figure out what was going on. She said as loud as she could "Welcome to our Haus!" As she and Jon descended, the room was filled with applause and whistles. She smiled to herself, things were certainly going better.

She walked out onto the floor, hugging and greeting her former clientele. She introduced Jon to all of them. "Come with me and I'll show you the important men." She whispered in his ear. She showed him well-established merchants, leaders in the community, and affluent men. Thereupon one of the local, powerful mayors came up to Kitten and Jon. He handed her a glass of wine and she took it happily. They stood speaking for a while until the girls flooded the floor, each grabbing a man and dancing to a music style more suited to couples. The mayor grabbed Kitten's hand and said, "Jon, it was so nice speaking to you, but if you excuse me I'd like to have one dance with this fine lady." Not looking back to see Jon's reaction, Kitten glided onto the floor and began to dance with the mayor. "What a pig." She thought to herself. He couldn't keep her hands off of her. He had pulled her so close she was stuck to him and he had his hands on inappropriate places. But she smiled and did not let it show on her face. He was one of her biggest customers and he endorsed their tavern in his town. So she put up with him, even though he had a wife and six kids. She let herself not feel, which was easy for her to do.

"What are the chances I can get you for tonight?" He asked her.

"Slim." She said coyly. The partners began to switch and Kitten went to find Jon. She saw him speaking to Sapphira alone in a corner. She thought of interrupting before she saw Jon pull out a gift wrapped in cloth that he presented to Sapphira. She watched her twin exclaim in excitement. As she was observing a man came up to her to ask how much she was. She replied with, "More than you can afford."

Kitten was ablaze. "Okay," she thought, "I can do much better." She grabbed a cup of their strongest liquor and downed it in seconds. She clapped at the musicians and told them to change their songs to something more upbeat. She took of her shoes, grabbed a cup of beer and had a few men lift her onto the table. She was just a little bit dizzy and found herself stumbling.

"Here, here!" She yelled. She had a group of men around her table waiting anxiously to see her next move. She began to sing an old, rowdy song that everyone in the room knew. It involved beats and jumps, and also lots of drinking. The men began to clap as she danced on the table and sang. On each tenth clap, the men would toast together and she would jump, lifting her skirts. It was a fun little song and it always kept the party going. Sapphira was lifted onto the table with her. They both loved doing the dance together, their dresses high and men cheering. At the end of the song, Kitten grabbed Sapphira and kissed her full on the lips. It's something they did on occasion, not because they enjoyed it. To her and her sister, it was normal, something you do with family. But they did it because it always seemed to drive everyone wild in the room. All the men began shouting and banging on the tables. Kitten smirked. She always got the attention she wanted.

Emmeline Belrose

Hey everyone! Anyone is welcome to post on the thread, boys and girls. I forgot to put open to all as a subtitle but don't hesitate to come :)

Kitten came running down the stairs. She felt she was running out of time and she wanted the party to go perfectly (or in the case of taverns, the opposite of perfect). She went through a mental checklist. Food, drinks, sweeping, decorations, makeup, hair...something was missing. She went through the list over and over again when she turned to see a man standing near one of the tables. She was taken aback for a moment.Who is he?,she thought to herself. She eyed him curiously. He was of normal height. He wasn't a person she hadn't seen before. What caught her eye was the ring he wore upon his finger. A family heirloom was enough to intrigue her, if only for a minute. The man before smiled and bowed before her. She watched his eyes, there was some slight thing she hadn't noticed before. She looked down and figured she knew what it was. The thing she had forgotten in all the chaos: the dress to go over her white slip. In her head, she thought she might as well act normal.

She answered his introduction with a simple "Charmed." She held out her hand to have him kiss it.

"I'd introduce myself but I imagine you have a vague idea of who I am, since you're here and so ahead of time. You can call me Kitten.She stood there watching him for a moment before Sapphira walked up behind her.

"Oh sister! Come. Meet our first guest of tonight." She paused. "Jon Smythe!" As the two acquainted themselves, she walked over to the bar and grabbed the finest bottle of wine the Haus had. She grabbed three cups and poured an equal amount in each. The thought of lacing his cup with something that would help her to get to know him better came across her mind, but she'd have no way of doing that without being seen.

"Here." She handed the glasses to Sapphira and Jon. "To our first guest!" Before she had time to finish the toast, Jodelle began to descend the stairs. Seeing her, Kitten ran to grab her a glass and handed it to her as she reached the floor. She bowed her head slightly because she knew that her sister did not like it, but out of the sheer respect and love for her, she could not help it.

"Jodelle, this is our first guest. He was so eager to come to our party, he couldn't wait till it started." In a circle they all huddled together to celebrate a new time in their lives. It only took Kitten once to raise the glass to her lips to finish the drink. She loved the way it set her body on fire, helping to prepare herself for the long night ahead of her.

All three were joking and making small talk. Kitten had tuned out the conversation. She was watching Jon. She liked when he spoke, he was somewhat polite and charming, but no different than any other man. She was bored. She saw him looking at her.

"You know," Kitten said, "I'd love to persuade you to be my escort to the party. I seem to be in the shortage of one. If you're interested, stop by my room beforehand. It's the last room on the right in the left wing of the upstairs corridor. Now.." She kept speaking before anyone could interrupt. She could see Sapphira's questioning eyes and knew exactly what she was thinking. She looked back at her with a small smile. Seventeen years and they knew each other better than they knew their own selves. "I'll have servants take your bags, which are all over my tables, upstairs to one of the guest rooms. You're to stay the night, free of charge. Think of it as a present for being our first customer. One of our girls will give you a tour of the Haus if you'd like, but as my sisters and I have important things to tend to, it'd be beneficial if you could stay in your room until the celebration begins. You seem to have been traveling, you'll have some time to wash up and get ready. If you need clothes I'm sure we have some left behind that would fit your stature. Now I must go."

She walked up to her room and forgot all about Jon. She put on her dress and finished last minute details. With Margo and a few other of her waiting-women, she went over plans and strategies. Tonight would certainly be a good night.

Emmeline Belrose

Kitten made sure to wake up before the stroke of dawn to begin the preparations of their grand re-opening party. She got up the girls, the help, and the boy servants from their cots. Each had a designated task Jodelle and Sapphira had already assigned them. Kitten liked being the facilitator.

She walked out of the tavern near the workhouse out back, so that she could watch the animals that were to be slaughtered for the celebration. “No that’s not right”, she told the boy. Grabbing a knife, she showed him the proper way to slit the sheep’s throat so that the blood would drain out correctly. He began to hang the sheep upside down and she walked back inside to see the maids in the kitchen.

Weeks before, she had secured all the necessary spices for the feast. The men that came tonight were to have the best meats and sweets Caemlyn had to offer. In the adjacent room, the finest ale was being brewed. Near the many barrels, they had stockpiled aged wine for their more prestigious of customers. Kitten observed the way that the women cut vegetables and boiled water, waiting for the meat to be brought in. “All’s well here”, she thought to herself.

She went down the corridor until she reached the main room. She couldn’t decide if the room was prettier during the day or night. She loved the big windows that let light dance upon the floors, whether it came from the Sun or the Stars. She loved the new cherry wood they had put into the floor. The tavern beforehand was falling apart. Jodelle had bought it for an incredibly low price and she certainly received what she paid for. Her and her sisters had painstakingly saved to have the Haus closed and re-done. They had imported the most luxurious silks and fabrics, the most hearty wood, and the most vivacious men to tear apart the place and put it back together. To kill boredom, she had followed the men as they worked, giving them meaningless critiques and orders to somehow reassert her dominance. They had done a fine job, as she looked around at the many identical, round tables filling the void. Each had sturdy, wooden chairs that were able to withstand even the most portly of men. The fireplace was opposite the bar. It was a great stone mass that could warm up the entire room in minutes. In front of the fireplace lay great animal skins as carpets. Many would gather around for toasts and tales. As for the bar, it was refurbished. She personally envisioned the addition of the grand mirror. It took a great number of men to install it; the mirror was so vast it covered the entire section of the wall. It made the Haus look much bigger than it was and Kitten found it amusing to watch drunkards’ confusion between reality and imitation.

“You’ll have to scrub harder—like this,” she yelled and pantomimed at one of the girls on the floor.

She ran into the special den they had added to the building to entertain their wealthy customers. She found the girls sprawled all over the newly upholstered furniture.

“Margo, come here. Fetch me the candles. The rest of you, up! Up!”

She ran back out until she reached the beginning of the staircase. She eyed from there that each table had already been given three small candles. Margo handed her the larger and brighter ones, as Kitten stood hanging off the banister trying to place them in the light fixtures. She realized she’d have to come back later to light them all.

She ascended the stairs until it brought her to their fitting room. She found their servant seamstress there threading last minute alterations.

“How fares your day?”

The girl replied with a detailed explanation of her work. All the “girls” were to have warm, spring colored, low-cut dresses. Kitten could see the array of pink, green, blue, and yellow fabrics. Kitten had helped design an imposing and yet beautiful, red and gold dress (she had made sure that she would be the only one wearing that shade). She vainly thought of how great it would look with her dark hair and fair skin.

“I should be finished with yours in two hours time.”

Kitten loved her seamstress; she was her favorite worker they employed. The woman was straightforward and hardworking. Kitten made a point of rewarding her patience and diligence. She gave the woman a wide grin before leaving the room.

Busy hours past slowly while Kitten stayed in her room working on her own make up and hair. Her dressing-woman was in the room helping her squeeze into the dress to make sure it fit suitably. She applied several layers of expensive parfumes made to last all night. She had powdered her face, lined her eyes, and rouged her lips. She could see in the rooms across the hall her twin, Sapphira, stretching (to prepare for a long night of dancing) and Jodelle explaining final details of the night to her workers. She could hardly contain herself. She could hear the music filling up her chest. She could feel her bare feet on the strong wood tables, dancing and jumping. But most of all she could see the gold and silver coins being dropped one by one in front of her eyes. Clink. Clink. Clink.

Kitten was so eager she could not contain herself. She yelled to her sisters, “Almost ready!” She noted the sun had not yet set, and so the Three still had time…

Emmeline Belrose

Woo! Time to rp :D

Maybe I can join too ^_^

Thank you ^_^

Awesome. But I'm a little confused. Do we *have* to start out with three separate threads? I think we were hoping to start out in one thread together. Also I thought that we would post our threads in "Dragon Reborn Role Playing: South".

I can't tell if you mean me OOC or not hahaha

I sent my bio to FLDiv@dragonmount.com. Is that correct?

And thanks for the welcome :)

Hey everyone! My cousins and I should be sending our bios today or tomorrow to be checked. But the Belrose sisters just wanted to say hello! We're hoping to roleplay twins and an older sister, all three of which run a tavern off of Caemlyn Road(Jodelle, Sapphira, and Kitten Belrose to be exact). We'll be in need of employees (guards, musicians, female entertainers) in the near future, so just a head's up :)

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your comment :)

I love this bio! It's so interesting :D

Thank you for your input, Mystica! If you read my twin's post in the Welcome Inn you'll see that we are aware of the rule and we will of course be respecting it. I'll have to talk to my siblings about our characters and we'll make sure to place the tavern accordingly. We were just wondering if there was any special interest in a particular town.

Great advice Quibby! Hope to see you soon :)

Hi y'all!! I'm writing a character who will be the assistant proprietor to a tavern along with a couple of my girls (who will write sister bios to my character). This tavern may have rooms above it, just in case you gentlemen wanna get a bit comfier. Now, since my twin's post in the Welcome Inn didn't get any replies, could y'all possibly give me an idea as to where YOU think would be the best place for us to situate our business? Also, would you prefer the name Huge Jugs or Haus of Three?