La Salon Écarlate (The Scarlet Lounge)

Zaræn chuckled at Nicolas's words. Ah, the mind of an innocent man could produce such poetry. So many men did not understand that to win a woman all that was needed was to speak from the heart. It was only when you wished to woo a woman that you required a clever tongue. These two lovers would figure it out for themselves eventually, but with a little push they could get there faster.

"Well said Nicolas, with a little polish you could almost be a poet."

The bartender nods to his amour when she gives him her request. He then takes his plate of food and begins to eat. It was fine fare and enjoyable. A little classier than his own tavern, but that was to be expected.

He had no response to Eleniel's...artistic opinions. He sincerely hoped the bit of color he could feel rising to his cheeks could be blamed on the wine, and he quickly drained the rest of his glass to help cover it. He greatly...appreciated her comments, and they were very good to know. The arrival of dinner was very good timing in his opinion. Two bites later and he found himself agreeing wholeheartedly with Eleniel's opinion.

"I must concur with Eleniel, Morrigan. You have an excellent chef. I may have to send some of mine to learn from him."

Zaræn covers a smile behind his glass at Len's words. Skys above, these two were barely being subtle. His glass is once again finished and he waves for another. Like almost everything he does, the bartender excelled at drinking. He felt only pleasantly warm after two stiff drinks and it would be a while before it got to him more than that. He digs back into the rich stew holding his tongue for now. There would be plenty of chance to be pithy shortly. For know though he will let the two... stew on Morrigan's suggestion.

"I am no poet by any means Morrigan, writing was never something I had much of a talent for doing. Dancing on the other hand... when I was younger and just beginning to learn the 'noble pursuits of a Lord' as my father called them, he insisted my dance training begin a uear before I was to learn the sword, so that I would already know how to move my body instinctually, that all the parts would work together in sync and in harmony. I rather enjoyed it I must say, its physically demandimg yet peaceful, so there is no danger and ot becomes a relaxing activity."

He was as good a dancer as he was a swordsman, which was to say, excellent. The physical pursuits had always entertained him, and he threw himself at them with vigor. He wondered what it would be like to dance with Eleniel, she was probably an excellent dancer, after all, she moved with such grace.

He was nearly halfway done with his meal by this point, still thoroughly satisfied with his choice, and maintaining a steady pace on his glass of wine such that all the flavors mixed together delightfully.

Zaræn accommodated his Amour readily and returned the kiss eagerly. His glass was refilled and he swirls the Crimson liquid idly. So he had to get Nicolas and Len upstairs? He takes a drink and finishes the last dregs of his stew, then wiping his mouth he says nonchalantly.

"Her other duties include singing. I don't think either of you have seen her perform, so I think we should adjourn to the second floor shortly. I assure you she is quite spectacular."

He grins at them. Sometimes you needed to be subtle, other times you could be direct. By his estimation the two were far too polite to refuse him, so no trickery needed to get them upstairs.

"I also look forward to seeing you again Morrigan."

He had finished his meal just before Morrigan had left, but his wine glass was still half-full, and he continued to sip at it as he pondered Zaraen's question. He looked into Eleniel's eyes and realized he really couldn't say no, even if he had wanted to. He gave her a warm smile before responding to Zaraen's inquiry.

"Of course we can go hear her sing. If she's as good at singing as her chef is at cooking I would guess we are in for a treat."

"She should be on stage momentarily. You two should get ready."

Zaræn said with a lazy smile. He had followed the two up, not that they had noticed. They were so cute holding hands and wondering what to do. With a casual ease he places hands on both of their shoulders. Then without ceremony he pushes them onto the dance floor. He smile turns from lazy to wicked and he dances away with laugh.

"Have fun you two!"

Lord Soult found himself being dragged upstairs by Eleniel, then pushed onto the dance floor by Zaraen. For being the Lord of his own fief, he sure found himself not in charge of himself this evening. He went with the flow though, grabbing Eleniel's hands in his just before Morrigan began to sing and he looked her in those beautiful eyes and...

"It would seem the fates, or at the very least your friends Zaraen and Morrigan, have transpired to bring us to this point. With that being said, I would hate to disappoint anyone, least of all you, and since we are already here...would you care to dance with me Eleniel?"

His tone betrayed none of the nervousness in his chest, merely the same calm, confident tone he always had, the wine enhancing it a bit to add some...compassion to it.

His hand moved to her waist as her moved to his shoulder and he began to lead. He had not been lying about his dancing skills, every motion carried out with power and grace in near perfect timing with the music. The song's lyrics made him realize that Zaraen and Morrigan had been setting this up the whole time, that pair would certainly take some watching during the wine tasting. He appreciated their efforts though, and they had set it up perfectly for him to do exactly as the song suggested. Which, judging by the look in Eleniel's eyes, was exactly what she wanted him to do. When her eyes met his he leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, allowing her to pull away from it should she so wish.