A hiccup?...
It were quite noticeable in his sister's friend, that there was a conscious altercation in the manner of her behavior. She were in strife with fumbling.
Something or someone were throwing her off, he took to notice.
Jerrid eased off a moment, smiling up at DEV, reaching for the glass she had brought him. Their caretaker in turn smiled back. DEV's presence were only complimentary and not at all a factor...
No, it weren't their nanny that were throwing the blond off her axis then.
"No no...not too much..." he found himself saying to his sister who were on the campaign of filling his and everyone's glass full.
"...still have to fly back through this storm..." Pft...like a snow storm would have any negligible affect on a mountain speeder. He and his sister could fly back to Mt Cetril blindfolded and in their sleep if they had too. Well, she most likely could...he'd need a glance or two at the instruments. But he was just as good a pilot, if ever that would be put to the test. He had to be...he was the male counterpart of them both. But his sister had undeniable attributes which were a challenge for him to exceed. Brother and sister were balanced in a way which could only be ascertained as a form of symbiotic existence. One could not really exist without the other. It could even be said that it were a unity of darkness and light, yet not fully understood by either. But the bond existed since the first stem cell upon conception split to create two, whereas, there should have only been one.
Only that Jerrid, following their bloodline tradition had privi to a lot more family history, their true nature. His sister not, yet she were seen aa a blessed anomaly, a part of him that were unstained. It were her spirit, her soul that were like the snow befalling all around them...pure.
His peripheral had focused him to watch the falling snow accumulate on the glass. How had he not metaphorically put the two together as such before?...
"Gah!..." There was little he could do, but hold his glass under the flowing red.
"I see we're playing by your house rules again..." Jerrid's attention were snatched back, when his sister filled his glass to the brim. He himself had gotten distracted in thought a second. He were one to talk now about Mariya's hiccups. Jerrid had become as much distracted from his center focus as their guest.
Still, this Mariya were no fumbling maiden...Jerrid knew that and her dossier. Well, enough of it to give her enough berth of respect. He himself were downplaying his part too here, even to his sister.
His ravens had uncovered that Mariya had been with special ops, then a body guard to a Chancellor...and of course her reputation in the Underworld and of course that of a bounty hunter. He had gone over many of her marks...the ones legally listed. No doubt in his mind they were just the tip of an iceberg.
No, this thoroughbred may not have yet touched upon the lore of balancing steel within, but Jerrid no doubt knew it wouldn't evade her should the attractive blonde put her mind to it.
Krrrrip... it were like a needle skipping across an antique sound disk.
Attractive?
Where had that come from?... he went to question his self.
Marina were still going about topping off the red on the sideline, giving Jerrid the opportunity and means of shaking his head at his sister's continued antics which nearly overflowed his glass. The old red were cresting the rim, prompting him to sip it so as to hold a more manageable glass.
DEV attentively once more offered him some chestnuts she had brought back from the kitchen. Jerrid graciously declined before finally replying to Mariya's questioning the similarities between the old and new Sovereigns.
"They are no doubt equal in quality, texture and taste." Wait a moment...were he just find himself exploring the woman's soft features?
"What mayhaps could have eluded the previous owners of your estates could be the fact that you allowed your staff to both harvest the crops and have the grapes ferment by their own means. " ...it had been but less than an eye-blink after he met up with her emeralds that he took to wander across her cheekbone as he spoke.
"You put full trust in their skills and judgement... took a back seat to micro-managing as opposed to your predecessors. " Jerrid found himself unknowingly slipping slowly down her soft jawline.
"That may have been the one factor which greatly suppressed achieving the originality of the wines." Berkana, he were staring at her lips!
"Ahem..." he blinked, breaking the spell.
"Then again, you could have just plainly lucked out...haha." He chuckled.
Oh, this wine talk had it's place, but not this evening as they were far from his mind and interest now. It were more than dragon-fire (the force) that was at work here. And this blonde had fire flickering within her that wanted to burn.
Jerrid had figured that it were him that were throwing his sister's friend off then. It were unfortunate. Even more so as to the 'why'... which eluded him. The girl had a strong connection to the heart of this fire, that much he were certain now. Only it appeared she weren't fully aware of it....much like that of his own sister.
He put his near full glass down beside him. The light of the open pit fire flickered it's reflection through the old vintage, making it almost seem like it had life of its own.
He had come to Mt Thul by curiosity for the blonde and now found his self with something else... something primal, ancient, but not ever forgotten.
He had felt this woman in his own heart for years, through his sister. Even felt it as Marina felt it..like she were another sister. He had readily accepted that.
But this night, he had taken this flicker of flame and found it taking on another form..reshaping it to that of a mate. It were time he bid his night's leave, lest Mariya see the fire burning in his eyes, and they were not the reflection of the flames which were before them in the fire-pit.
He had not come for that. Yet, why was he here?
"Well, much to my dear sister's insistence for me to wait out the storm, I must bid my leave." he said, slapping his palms on his thighs before he got up.
No, he didn't want to leave. But this fire now taking hold within him were of nothing he had experienced before. It were not fear, but his love for his sister that distance his self from Mariya this night. He so needed best feel the cold sting of the ice storm beyond the light of this chalet... and soon.
He prayed to Berkana that he make the darkness in time...and distance.
"I'll have the old Duke... er grandfather, iron out any details pertaining a contractual acquisition of present and future stocks... at the very least, say half a yearly yield?" Yes, he could divert his focus, if he consciously wanted to. Then again, it were easy enough to do so being it required of him to look into her greens again.
DEV who for some reason had walked away when he had started to talk about the wines, were now surprisingly presenting him with his overcoat. Jerrid didn't give her a second look. He knew she were attuned to him and were just following through with his wish to leave.
Marina on the other hand-
Well, he felt her heart descend a few levels.
Jerrid wished he could remain, even just to spend a few more rounds under his sister's game. But she were playing... he on the other hand, were not.
Besides, the girls had made plans which had not included him to begin with. His sister would get over it.
"You..." He cut in, speaking to Marina before she could voice her objection.
"...I will see, before I depart on family business again...hear?"
