As Henrietta babbled on about the Crusades, [Timothy](http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/75166/posts/char#post-2323135) could not even feel his mouth slowly slackening from an impressed half-gape into a wry smile, so fixated was he on her. And as she talked energetically, it didn't seem like she lost any of her elegance. From the boy's point of view, each smile and lingering look of her eyes on the people around her was delivered majestically and expertly. Along with her natural good looks, her mannerisms made it impossible for her not to simply be endearing. Cadwal was right, Timothy thought; she really was a master temptress - no, not temptress, that is too harsh of a word; a master charmer, then. 

And this charm of hers, this God-given _Gift_, must allow her to maintain a position of power amongst the diverse student body. Hers is a smile that promises everything. Hers is a smile that is an effective tool of manipulation. But who was he to question her motives like this? Timothy cautioned himself against presumptuousness. It was not good to judge so readily. Therefore, he was continually cordial as he shared, talking rapidly:

"A-and it was a Norman noble by the name of Robert Guiscard who took over Naples and Muslim Sicily, becoming the king of Southern Italy. His conquests would prove to be the amongst the most destabilizing forces in the eleventh century, for immediately after did the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I request for Western Aid against the Seljuks, who had conquered Asia Minor. Pope Urban II, while concerned at Guiscard's growing power, also saw the formation of a Christian Kingdom of Sicily as a good sign, and so went on with the First Crusade: not just a holy war in the name of God, but one to reaffirm Papal authority diminished from when, decades ago, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV sacked Rome in the climax of a political spat between him and the belligerent Pope Gregory VII, who excommunicated the Emperor _twice_."

Mildly out of breath, and concerned at his outward dignity from his sudden burst of energy, he offered: "Henrietta, I am a big history buff regarding the Crusades. I would love it if I could help."

_"She threw the dog a bone and the dog went for it,"_ Cadwal sighed.

_"I'm just offering my help here,"_ Timothy defended himself.

_"You are the fish, and you took the bait."_

_"I thought you were all for me helping others whenever I could?"_

_"And I thought you wanted nothing to do with Henrietta."_

_"I said I wanted nothing to do with joining her gang. It doesn't mean I can't talk to her."_

_"Boy, **this is** what she does to induct freshmen into her gang."_