Chivalry

Eye of the Day fans her pale face with a few flutters of her thin hand and smooths her simple but flattering dress. She savors her drink as if dying for the relief of the cool draught, though in reality a blazing inferno in the hearth would barely have fazed her.

The scent of sandalwood and musk settles next to her, the voice speaking High Realm with a heavy southern accent. "That ... gentleman does not know how to treat a lady."

Her eyes snap in his direction, as if she had not been tracking him from the moment he took his first steps toward her. The eyes that meet hers are like glittering pieces of onyx set in mahogany. A grateful sigh escapes her lips as she smiles, but she waves dismissively in the direction of Path of Ashes. "Oh, I may have overreacted a bit."

He rests a hand confidently on his ornately-carved dagger. "Would it not unduly disturb the peace of the Plaza, I would teach him a lesson in manners."

The image of Path of Ashes turning the patron inside-out with one hand flashes across her mind. She bites her lip and blinks a few times, letting the image pass. Perhaps he will assume that she is merely abashed by his display of concern. "It's just that I've had my affections toyed with before. Such a life he promised me, and where is he now? No, I have no desire to be played like that again."

His shoulders square from affronted sensibilities. "Another gentleman who is unworthy of the name."

She raps her empty glass down on the bar decisively. "Oh, if I ever see him again, I'll tell him exactly what I think of him! Perhaps you've heard of him - Obsidian Saint?"