[i]Black Raven Inn:[/i]

Paul caught sight of the two figures entering the tavern long before they spied him, of course.  He knew them to be females by their general shapes and sizes, but his presumption that they were just two more tavern wenches arriving to pocket some coin was dashed when they pulled back their hoods and revealed themselves.  [i]A Lady and her hand maiden,[/i] he thought as they found and began to study him as he already had them.  [i]But ... what are they doing here ... at this hour ... with NO Escort?[/i]

He was seriously contemplating the idea that they were the [i]contact[/i] for which he and Orden had been waiting.  But rather than being Count Barker's envoy to welcome him back to Westrock, Paul thought the odds were more likely that one or the other -- or both -- were assassins sent by the Regent to ensure that the Duchy remained in Lar's hands.

Although Paul couldn't hear the word, it was obvious when the presumed servant mouthed to her servant, [color=orange]"Go."[/color]  As the bright haired one approached, Paul donned a polite smile and stance -- his hand casually upon the hilt of his dagger.

[color=tan]"I am pleased that you have finally returned, my Lord"[/color]

Paul bowed politely, bending at the hips while keeping his gaze upon her.  "Thank you, m'lady."

As he rose to height, he took a step to his right and turned one of the cushioned chairs to face the one he'd been warming for hours.  "Would you honor me with your company, m'lady?"  He looked toward the door, adding quickly, "Would your hand maiden like to join us?"  The invitation had two purposes: one was to have both potential assassins before him, where he could better see the attack coming; while the other was to see what kind of relationship -- strictly Mistress-Servant or more familiar -- existed between the two women.

After the young woman had dealt with his dual invitations, Paul made obvious his ignorance, as well as his flirtatious way.  "Please forgive me, m'lady.  I do not believe myself [i]capable[/i] of forgetting the name of a Lady as [i]indescribably[/i] beautiful as yourself.  Therefore, I am [i]forced[/i] to believe that we have not been introduced before..."  He raised an extended finger in a [i]Wait![/i] gesture before she could speak, adding with a wide smirk, "...[i]however ...!...[/i] if, by chance, I [i]have[/i] tragically forgotten you, please allow me to lay the blame upon the many times I have [i]thumped[/i] my skull in battle, and [i]not[/i] any chance that you, m'lady, are in any way unforgettable."

He gave her another slight bow from his seated position.  As she responded to his playfulness, and he to her response, Paul peeked past her as yet another woman entering the tavern.  This one -- a brunette as stunning as the blonde sitting before him -- [i]also[/i] scanned the tavern, [i]also[/i] set her gaze upon Paul, and [i]also[/i] headed his way with purpose.  But the brunette's demeanor was far different than the blonde's: she was confident, determined, and -- Paul could tell by her body language -- not at all the [i]lady[/i] sitting before him now.  

Again Paul was thinking [i]assassin[/i], and again his hand casually slipped down to his waist to find the hilt of his dagger.  And yet even prepared as he was for an attack, he didn't see what was coming [i]coming[/i]: in a flash, he was wearing both the tankard of ale and the woman who had been carrying it.

[color=lightgreen]"Forgive me, my Lord. I was momentarily unsteady on my feet."[/color]

Paul was caught between emotions and responses to them: he wanted to laugh at the obviousness of her ploy to meet him, yet at the same time wanted to dress down the woman who was obviously of the peasant class for interrupting a conversation between Nobles.  But peasant or not, Paul wasn't the type to show rudeness to a female, so instead he politely helped her back to her feet with one hand as his second casually returned his dagger to its scabbard without anyone having realized he'd pulled it.

[color=lightgreen]"I have soiled your clothes."[/color] She bowed her head low again. [color=lightgreen]"A-allow me to make ammends, my Lord."[/color]

"No harm done, m'lady," Paul responded, using the same polite tone he'd shown the other woman.  He squeezed at some of the loose cloth, causing the ale to drip off to the floor.  Laughing, he looked to the brunette and said, "If I find myself thirsty later, I'll simply suck on my clothing."

He looked to the blonde for her reaction to the unexpected interruption...