Raye peeked out from behind the brighty painted wagon. There was a large crowd tonight. That was always good. Big crowds usually meant big money. And money was very important to a gypsy. But big crowds were especially important to her, someone who didn't make her money on a set fee for something like fortune-telling or trinket-selling. She was in a much riskier line of business. She was a dancer. Which meant she lived on the coins people threw at her feet of their own free will. She liked it that way. It meant that, in order to make enough money to live on, she had to be _good_. And, by the gods, she was. In fact, she was a whole lot better than good. She was _stunning_.
"And now, the highlight of the evening! The girl who has charmed kings with just a glance, let alone her fabulous dancing is going to do us the honour of performing tonight. And here she is!" Raye took her cue from the gypsy man's heavily accented voice. Bells on her wrists, ankles and hemline tinkling, she stepped into the light.
The crowd let out a collective gasp as she strode out confidently into the gypsy circle around the blazing fire. Raye smiled a dazzling, but mysterious smile. She knew what they'd been thinking. Charmed kings with just a glance? An outrageous lie, even for a gypsy! which was true, of course. She'd never even performed for obscure nobility, let alone royalty. But now, after seeing her, her audience had begun to have second thoughts. She could hear the urgent whispers of the crowd.
"Good heavens, just _look_ at her eyes!"
"They're _purple_!"
"So beautiful..."
"Are they real?"
"Purple..."
She walked over to the last person she'd heard coherently, an awkward youth. "I prefer the term violet, actually, and yes, they are real," She said, turning to the rest of the crowd with an amused smile. Then the music started. Raye's smile faded, and she began to dance.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
News of this gypsy and her sensuous dancing spread like wildfire through the town. It even reached the ears of a certain handsome nobleman, by way of his cousin's rather big mouth.
"Hey Jed!" Nephlyte yelled as he raced across the courtyard, towards the duckpond, waving a piece of paper over his head. "Have you heard about the new gypsies in town?" Jaedite turned to face his rather overexcited cousin. "There are always gypsies here at one point or other, Neph," he drawled. "Though I've never seen you quite so excited about them. Has your beloved Lita-I-couldn't-possible-tell-her-I-love-her-because-she-might-say-no-and-that -would-drive-me-to-suicide expressed an attraction to one of the gypsy men, causing you to become obsessed with driving them all out in case she decides to elope?"
Nephlyte turned a rather interesting shade of red. "WHAT!?" he spluttered, "No that is most certainly _NOT_ the reason! The nerve of some people! I, your kind and considerate cousin, was trying to tell you that there's a certain gypsy girl who's amazing dancing is the talk of the town, and was going to ask you, whether you'd like to come with me so we could see what all this shouting's about for ourselves. Here," he said, thrusting the piece of paper at Jaedite. "Read it for yourself!" Jaedite waved his cousin's hand away. "Oh I get it now. You want to pretend to be in love with this girl to make _Lita_ jealous, so she might hold you at knifepoint and force you to marry her, and spare you having to grow a backbone to ask her yourself."
His face grew pensive. "Actually, that is a pretty smart idea. I must remember this, in case I ever fall in love and don't want to propose because I am a total coward." He looked pointedly at Nephlyte.
"SHUT UP! What is it with you and marriage between me and Lita? Why is it that you turn everything into a hint, no, make that _blatant demand_ that I propose to Lita? Since when did the question of my marrying ever concern you?" Nephlyte demanded. Jaedite raised both his hands in a peaceable gesture. "Hey, cool it, Neph! You know I'm only teasing! But seriously, you should ask Lita to marry you before we're all old and grey. I _would_ like to have some little Neplytes and Litas to bounce on my knee."
"I just can't. Not yet. I mean, she'll probably say no, and I'll be totally devastated! And if you really want children to play with, why not have some of your own? Why don't _you_ get a wife?"
"Well, I know it sounds corny, but if I marry, I want to marry for love. I haven't even met a girl I _like_ yet, except for Lita, and I'd _hate_ to think of what you'd do to me if I tried to start courting her. You'd probably have me drawn, quatered, and hung upside down off the city walls or something."
"You got that right."
"Just ask her. You'd be surprised about what she'll say."
"Whatever." Nephlyte shrugged his shoulders. "So are we going or not?"
"Well, I suppose we'd better, because your scheme to get Lita jealous and marry you is never going to work if we don't even _meet_ the competition."
The ducks scattered, startled by Jaedite's enormous splash and loud squawk of protest at being pushed into the pond by Nephlyte.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"And now, the highlight of the evening! The girl who has charmed kings with just a glance, let alone her fabulous dancing is going to do us the honour of performing tonight. And here she is!" Raye took her cue from the gypsy man's heavily accented voice. Bells on her wrists, ankles and hemline tinkling, she stepped into the light.
The crowd let out a collective gasp as she strode out confidently into the gypsy circle around the blazing fire. Raye smiled a dazzling, but mysterious smile. She knew what they'd been thinking. Charmed kings with just a glance? An outrageous lie, even for a gypsy! which was true, of course. She'd never even performed for obscure nobility, let alone royalty. But now, after seeing her, her audience had begun to have second thoughts. She could hear the urgent whispers of the crowd.
"Good heavens, just _look_ at her eyes!"
"They're _purple_!"
"So beautiful..."
"Are they real?"
"Purple..."
She walked over to the last person she'd heard coherently, an awkward youth. "I prefer the term violet, actually, and yes, they are real," She said, turning to the rest of the crowd with an amused smile. Then the music started. Raye's smile faded, and she began to dance.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
News of this gypsy and her sensuous dancing spread like wildfire through the town. It even reached the ears of a certain handsome nobleman, by way of his cousin's rather big mouth.
"Hey Jed!" Nephlyte yelled as he raced across the courtyard, towards the duckpond, waving a piece of paper over his head. "Have you heard about the new gypsies in town?" Jaedite turned to face his rather overexcited cousin. "There are always gypsies here at one point or other, Neph," he drawled. "Though I've never seen you quite so excited about them. Has your beloved Lita-I-couldn't-possible-tell-her-I-love-her-because-she-might-say-no-and-that -would-drive-me-to-suicide expressed an attraction to one of the gypsy men, causing you to become obsessed with driving them all out in case she decides to elope?"
Nephlyte turned a rather interesting shade of red. "WHAT!?" he spluttered, "No that is most certainly _NOT_ the reason! The nerve of some people! I, your kind and considerate cousin, was trying to tell you that there's a certain gypsy girl who's amazing dancing is the talk of the town, and was going to ask you, whether you'd like to come with me so we could see what all this shouting's about for ourselves. Here," he said, thrusting the piece of paper at Jaedite. "Read it for yourself!" Jaedite waved his cousin's hand away. "Oh I get it now. You want to pretend to be in love with this girl to make _Lita_ jealous, so she might hold you at knifepoint and force you to marry her, and spare you having to grow a backbone to ask her yourself."
His face grew pensive. "Actually, that is a pretty smart idea. I must remember this, in case I ever fall in love and don't want to propose because I am a total coward." He looked pointedly at Nephlyte.
"SHUT UP! What is it with you and marriage between me and Lita? Why is it that you turn everything into a hint, no, make that _blatant demand_ that I propose to Lita? Since when did the question of my marrying ever concern you?" Nephlyte demanded. Jaedite raised both his hands in a peaceable gesture. "Hey, cool it, Neph! You know I'm only teasing! But seriously, you should ask Lita to marry you before we're all old and grey. I _would_ like to have some little Neplytes and Litas to bounce on my knee."
"I just can't. Not yet. I mean, she'll probably say no, and I'll be totally devastated! And if you really want children to play with, why not have some of your own? Why don't _you_ get a wife?"
"Well, I know it sounds corny, but if I marry, I want to marry for love. I haven't even met a girl I _like_ yet, except for Lita, and I'd _hate_ to think of what you'd do to me if I tried to start courting her. You'd probably have me drawn, quatered, and hung upside down off the city walls or something."
"You got that right."
"Just ask her. You'd be surprised about what she'll say."
"Whatever." Nephlyte shrugged his shoulders. "So are we going or not?"
"Well, I suppose we'd better, because your scheme to get Lita jealous and marry you is never going to work if we don't even _meet_ the competition."
The ducks scattered, startled by Jaedite's enormous splash and loud squawk of protest at being pushed into the pond by Nephlyte.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*