The young woman's voice startled the inventor out of his study. He jerked his wrist and the scuttle into which he had been shaving a bar of soap tipped over, sloshing soapy water all over his work bench. The force of the miniature tsunami cleared a crowd of bottles from the edge of the table and they all fell onto the floor with a loud smash.
Flustered, he clawed a hand through his unruly hair. He just couldn't get used to the idea of suddenly having a woman among the company of his friends--especially one so openly
girlish. As he stooped to pick up the pieces of what remained of his experiment, he eyed the scarlet in her platinum locks, the bewitching colours of her eyes. It seemed so
obvious to him now. How could the others have not noticed it before?
"Apparently Siroc thinks the hygiene around here is inadequate," Ramon was saying. "Especially with a lovely lady around," he bowed graciously to the openly feminine musketeer and 'Jacque's' mouth showed signs of fighting back a scowl. "He's making some sort of special detergent for hair."
"I still don't see what's wrong with
normal soap," D'Artagnan nudged his glowering comrade admonishingly; she immediately straightened at his chiding.
"Because washing with
normal soap makes the hair brittle and it later compensates by becoming increasingly oily." Siroc rolled his eyes, his voice carrying a frustrated note. He took out an old rag and began sopping up the spilled solution on his desk, rearranging the bottles as he tried capturing every run away puddle of liquid. He grimaced as he picked up his notebook, now heavy with 'soap water' and dripping. "If I can invent a detergent that is more gentle on hair follicles, perhaps I can reduce the rate at which our hair secretes oil, minimizing certain...uhm... odours when we are unable to bathe as...frequently."
His eyes met the wide-eyed wonder-girl's, and he immediately became flustered, suddenly needing to busy his hands.
**
Cardinal Mazarin sat in his study, hands folded carefully on top of his desk watching as a nervous steward shakily poured him his cup of afternoon tea and placed it on a platter in front of the scowling ecclesiastic.
"Your Eminence," the servant bowed.
"Get out."
The man placed his right hand over his left shoulder and bowed again in the attitude of dismissal and escaped at once, the door clicking closed behind him.
Once the boy was gone, Mazarin pinched the inner-corners of his eyes with visible frustration. The stupid boy had put the refreshment platter on top of a stack of important documents in his bumbling idiocy and dribbled tea over a few of these, causing the ink to run. It was so difficult to get adequate hired help these days.
Especially with the recent 'disappearance' of yet another of his Captains.
He was so engrossed in his musings, that he nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of a deep, rumbling female voice behind him.
"In a sour mood today, your Grace?" The Cardinal whipped his head in the direction of the window-balcony, visibly alarmed. The velvet curtains were restless in the breeze, obscuring the sight of a lithe figured dressed entirely in black and red. She had one booted foot on top of the banister, the other on the floor, the rest of her body leaning up against parameter. She had an enormous black fedora concealing half her porcelain face, and her lips showed signs of amusement in having caused him apprehension.
Mazarin regained his composure and turned his attention back to his meal as if her presence here was of little consequence. "Haven't I told you once before about sneaking in here in broad daylight?"
"Thrice before, your Holiness." She grinned at him.
Impudent woman. "This better be important," daintily he lifted his tea cup to his lips, only to have the china abruptly knocked from his hands with a flash of a blade and it shattered against the opposing wall.
He slowly turned his body towards her--if looks could kill....
She looked unmoved by the threat of his fury. "It's poisoned," she supplied evenly. "You're not a very popular fellow about the palace, you know."
His mouth opened as if to make a comment.
"And before you say anything, I've already taken care of it," she sheathed her sword, and began plucking off her black gloves, one finger at a time. "The poor oaf will come home to an arrest warrant for robbery. Stealing from the king, tsk, tsk." A wide impish grin.
Mazarin wiped his face with his handkerchief and fixed her with a glare. He was reminded of his predecessor and his own
complications with a vixenish employee.
At the moment, she was hovering over him with a self-satisfied smirk on her face--or at least the portion that he could see. The
Madame Blanchet rarely permitted visual angles at which most of her features were visible. Occasionally he'd get a flash of one shocking green eye sunk in shadow, a highly arched brow, the delicate curve of an alabaster cheek.
"I'm a hideous woman, Cardinal" she had warned when he first hired her. He was sure she meant morally. He had seen her kill, had her drop blood-stained relics into his holy palms.
Mordaunt de Winter
had said she was a professional...
He glanced at the wall, now stained a peculiar brown--quite unusual for his regular tea--and he was immediately reminded why she had come so recommended. "Which is why I hired you to watch for me."
"And that's precisely why I'm here," she returned, thrusting a parchment into his hands. "There is a traitor in the ranks of the Order." She narrowed her eyes. "Someone's been talking."
Mazarin got up from his seat, meeting his female spy at eye level; her hat was at a slant over her visage and only one, wicked viridian orb was visible---the very picture of composure. His hands were curled into fists. "Who?"
"That's precisely it. I don't know."
The Cardinal's face flushed as crimson as his frock. "Then find out!"
OOC: Don't be intimidated by the huge block of writing; just trying to set up a villain storyline--I've got an idea where I want to take the five musketeers 
Mar 4, 2014 22:39:19 GMT -5
Feb 13, 2014 21:49:43 GMT -5
Feb 13, 2014 21:49:43 GMT -5
Aug 1, 2013 1:14:42 GMT -5
Aug 1, 2013 1:14:42 GMT -5
