Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Dark Lord rises from his chair, laying a hand on Ramji's shoulder. He takes a moment to steady his stance before striding to the bar. Ramji watches him as he works his way through the crowd. Laila's eyes follow his when she notices his concern for the Fae. He kisses her cheek and rises, apologizing to their companions.
"I must check on my Captain."
Guunnar stands from the table he is visiting at almost the same time. Other Riders around the room have also risen. Most stay where they are, watching. Others have begun to move towards the bar. None have seen the Sidhe this drunk. Tipsy, merry, relaxed, yes. Drunk enough to have passed out at a table? To have a slight stagger to his steps? Never.
Ramji and Guunnar meet halfway. They say nothing, moving to bracket Keon as he continues forward. They manage to halt him, talking quietly. He shakes his head and leans across the bar to Monty. The marmurr smiles and slips a note to Tori as the current song ends. She offers a hand to keon and steadies him as he mounts the stage. The men turn away, Guunnar lifting two fingers to touch his forehead. The standing Riders settle back, curious expressions on their usually stoic features.
Ike's sultry voice floats over the crowd. "It seems we have a request to slow the music down for a bit, and a request to give the mike to one of the True Minstrels currently among us. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Lord Keon Blackthorn, the Dealg Drubh..."
Keon stares out at the crowd for a moment before he speaks. His words are a bit slurred, very much a country Irish brogue, but as he speaks, the intoxication seems to fall away, his tones becoming more and more the eloquence of a Lord of the High Court.
"First, an ye all f'give me, I dinna ken what I was thinkin' ta drink a Viking's drink. I be stickin' wi' poteen and raspberry wine." There is a general laughter.
"Seriously though... This place has become a Haven to many Races. We are welcome here, whether we be Shifter, Gar, Fae, Vampyre, Human, and even Demon. We are not judged by WHAT we are, but WHO we are."
He pauses for a few moments, picking his next words carefully. "Many of us have found love inside these walls. There is the love that sneaks in and entwines itself around a heart unexpectedly." He nods to Ramji, where he now sits beside Laila.
"Some have been in love for centuries." Alise blushes as Stoney openly blows her a kiss. His mind caresses hers more intimately. "Some have found true magic." Ob rises and blows a kiss to Pandora, tickling her with his mental touch. Monty stands before the stage, pulling a rose from thin air to offer to his Ike.
"Then, there is the love that doesn't die. This is for those who have found love, those that have been touched by its caress for even a moment, and for those, like my beloved Cassie, who have stepped beyond the Veil. I believe that Bryan Adams wrote these words for all of us here."
Ike touches her strings, the tentative first notes, and the lights dim. Keon's black hair falls forward over his shoulders. The blue of Cassie's strand shimmers in the stage lights. Head bowed, he croons softly.
It still feels like our first night together
Feels like the first kiss
It's getting better baby
No one can better this
Still holding on
You're still the one
First time our eyes met
Same feeling I get
Only feels much stronger
I wanna love you longer
Do you still turn the fire on?
His head comes up, hand stretching out, coming back as a clenched fist on Please.
So if you're feeling lonely, don't
You're the only one I'll ever want
I only want to make it go
So if I love you a little more than I should
Please forgive me, I know not what I do
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
Don't deny me, this pain I'm going through
Please forgive me, if I need you like I do
Please believe me (Oh believe it), every word I say is true
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
People have come out on the floor. Ramji holds Laila close, swaying to the beat. He can see Traeger and Rowan and several other regulars. it dawns on him that the gars would have help their partners as well, and he was keeping them from each other. Catching a glimpse of Pandora's smile, he knows they are holding them in that way only the soulbound can do.
A blue haze in the corner moves forward, drifting into the dim lights. Some look up, watching it pass, as others never notice. It weaves its way through the dancers, coalescing into the barest image of Cassie. Keon focuses on her singing to her and her alone.
Still feels like our best times are together
Feels like the first touch
Still getting closer baby
Can't get closer enough
Still holding on
You're still number one
I remember the smell of your skin
I remember everything
I remember all the moves
I remember you yeah
I remember the nights, you know I still do
So if you're feeling lonely, don't
You're the only one I'll ever want
I only want to make it go
So if I love you a little more than I should
Please forgive me, I know not what I do
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
Don't deny me, this pain I'm going through
Please forgive me, if I need you like I do
Please believe me (Oh believe it), every word I say is true
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
The Gars have picked up on Cassie, channeling the wards to give her more substance. Her form becomes more, smokey instead of sheer mist.
The one thing I'm sure of
Is the way we make love
The one thing I depend on
Is for us to stay strong
With every word and every breath I'm praying
That's why I'm saying
Please forgive me, I know not what I do
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
Don't deny me, this pain I'm going through
Please forgive me, if I need you like I do
Babe believe it, every word I say is true
Please forgive me, if I can't stop loving you
No, believe, I don't know what I do
Please forgive me, I can't stop loving you
The music slows, and she fades, reaching to touch, then blowing a kiss when she realises it is impossible before the Veils thin more. Keon sings the last sad phrase, as his fingers stroke where her cheek would have been.
I can't stop loving you
The room goes dark, and Keon whispers into the mike... "and to think, all I wanted in the beginning was to be her underwear...."
The lights flare up as Ike wrings and "uhoh" from her strings. Ob taps into the beat. Keon's hair drifts back on a wind of its own. His hips rock as he lets loose.
I wanna be your t-shirt when it's wet - I wanna be the shower when you sweat
I gotta be the tattoo on your skin - yeah lemme be your bed baby - when you climb in
I wanna be the sheets when you sleep - let me be the secrets that you keep
I gotta be the spoon - ta stir your cream
I wanna be the one that really makes you scream
Ramji stares at Keon, stunned. He leads Laila from the floor, watching the quiet man he has known for many decades become someone else. Guunnar shakes his head as he passes, escorting a woman to the floor.
The Viking tells the younger Rider, "Ve best keep eye on Keon. I tell Monty no more. Kapitan ist flagged."
The crowd has thinned, leaving only those who usually stay the whole time, or those who were having way too much fun to want to leave. Tori takes a sip of her glass and grins at Ike. The blonde gar laughs, grinning from pretty ear to pretty ear.Tori talks quietly to keon, her hand over the mike. Keon's eyes light with a wicked gleam.
The Dark Fae scans the crowd. he spies the soul he is looking for and greets him by name.
"Hey Jackie.. Jackie Stone!"
Jack looks up, and salutes them with his bottle, or maybe his finger. Keon isn't quite sure at this point.
"Do ye ken how we say good night ta the last callers in the pubs of Ol' Ireland?"
Jack shakes his head, playing along.
"There be a song we sing, an I was thinkin' ye may just kno' it. Maybe ye could come on up here, an help me out? Patti, sweet darlin'... Get that lad another beer as we last call the House. I think he's goin' ta need it." He looks in his mug and turns it over, finding it empty. "Come ta t'ink on it.. .I'll be havin' one too."
Monty and Patti shake their heads. Guunnar's voice comes from the tables. "Nicht mer fur dich." Keon flips him off, to the general laughter of the Taveners. The Gars laugh as well knowing, as drunk as he is, Keon is still acting as if he were even more so.
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