when the party's over

[Theo Davore]

Oh, he should know he was playing with fire. Like, literal fire. This woman smoldered and probably knew exactly what she was doing. If he wasn't careful- even being the professional schmoozer that he was- he would get sucked in too far.

Theo Davore was certainly playing a dangerous game, and he knew better. But when did he ever listen to reason?

He smirked, and she'd feel the subtle vibration within his chest from his soft chuckling. Then, his low voice at her ear, "You've been a distraction since the moment I laid eyes on you, my lady." And that wasn't a lie, so he felt like he should be straight to the point.

Now, he just needed to make sure he didn't get too attached.

"And tonight, I hope to distract you from your ailments." Perhaps he would succeed, perhaps not. Only time was going to tell. At the very least, he wanted to keep that smile (smug or otherwise) on her face for as long as possible.

After some time, they would be able to see the flickering torches and lanterns of the village in the distance, as well as hear music mingled in with laughter and loud voices. The closer they got, the figures in the streets became clearer. There were dancers, along with some "circus acts" while patrons lined the dirt road with their pints and cups of wine.

"Windport seems to be celebrating the new year early," he mused. In truth, the village just came alive like this fairly often because the people always felt the need to enjoy life, to celebrate what life gave them. They were a lively and rowdy bunch, but of the welcoming kind. The people simply loved a good drink and conversation, no matter where you came from, because there was no point to living if you couldn't live with others.

[Ariadne Boroughs]

"You've been a distraction since the moment I laid eyes on you, my lady."

Delighted, Ariadne threw back her head and laughed. She wondered if he knew he'd been just the same for her.

"And tonight, I hope to distract you from your ailments."

So far so good--she felt as if leaving the estate had left her morbid side wailing at the gates, threatening to overwhelm her the moment she returned. For now, though, she was free. She let her eyes fall closed as she leaned into Lord Davore's chest and felt the chill evening breeze play across her cheeks.

She sat up, alert and intrigued, as they neared the celebration in the town. The vibrant crowd had her smiling again in seconds. Now, this was the type of crowd she strove to create at her parties--a little wild, a little reckless, but everyone enjoying themselves.

"Perfect timing," she declared, looking over her shoulder to see what Lord Davore was thinking of the little faire. "We'll be right at home, don't you think?"

[Theo Davore]

The lady seemed to like her parties, but he couldn't be so sure that she thoroughly enjoyed them. It was likely that she was still holding back a little, or that she wasn't letting herself be as free as she wanted to. She had been brazen when they met, for certain, yet she was clearly haunted by so much still.

There were no puppet masters here. There were no judging, courtly eyes to watch them. The people of this village wouldn't care, because their freedom was something they strived to keep, and welcomed anyone who wanted the same. He knew this, felt it within his bones; he was born here, after all...

"Precisely," he replied back smoothly. "But you can cast the etiquette and decorum nonsense to the wind." He was bringing the horse to a stop just outside the village, where the music and laughter were much louder, and there were flickering lights and small fires everywhere they looked.

Theo slipped from the saddle first before helping her down, tying the reins to a nearby fence post before taking one of her hands. He began to lead her towards the crowd with a slowly increasing grin on his face. "Here, you are no marchioness. Tonight you are not Lady Boroughs, just Ariadne. Only Ariadne..." It was her night to do as she wished.