Painting.
By popular demand, a sequel/ prequel to Portrait.
Party
One word could easily describe the scene that all country girls dream of facing, the scene in which they imagined the knight of their dreams sweeping them off their feet to a life of adventure and romance: Boring.
Nadil, Lykouleon and Raselene, at least (and for once), concurred on this fact.
And, well, a party to view a painting? One comment that comes to mind is, 'good god, don't these people have anything better to do?"
Raselene quietly voiced the above concern.
"Good god, don't these people have anything better to do?"
"Unlikely," rumbled Lykouleon from somewhere to her right.
"Look at Lady Elizabeth's dress," she hissed. "There were floods in her father's fief this year. The cost of the materials alone could rebuild all ten of the villages that were swept away. And it's new."
Nadil looked faintly surprised, "I'm not sure if you're bitching about the dress or the villages."
"Maturity? From the first daughter of the richest family in the kingdom?"
All three swung around, Nadil and Lykouleon instinctively moving forward to block her, and Nadil bared a fang.
"Get out of our faces, Kharl," sneered Raselene. "Run back to your master, Renkin wizard."
The white haired demon smirked at them. Included in the Arinan diplomatic party by virtue of his master's influence, Raselene and Lykouleon had taken an instant dislike to him. After one conversation with the demon supremacist (it would have been nice not to be the only demon here…), Nadil was forced to agree.
Now, Kharl opened his eyes very wide and chirped, "And miss this all-important event? This is quite possibly the only portrait ever made which will feature all three of you together." He smiled, a sweet polite fake little smile which made Nadil's claws flex.
"Ignore him," ordered Lykouleon, sotto voice.
Under the cover of the elvish artist pontificating on about the merits of his painting (which only differed from the several other hundred paintings in the castle because of its subject matter), Raselene snarled, "I'd happily skin him."
"Oh, I don't know," breathed Nadil reflectively. He still hadn't sheathed his claws. "He might have his uses."
Lykouleon shrugged. "If you think so."
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And that was the end of the 'Painting' series. I hope you enjoyed it.