Eulia gave a contented sigh as she plunked down onto the chair nearest the fire. The warmed mead kep her hands comftorable and she had a meat pasty on order. Eulia loved the Dancing Dove. Now all she had to do was wait for the others to get there.

OOC: Ahem... A place to fight out our acts and such for any upcoming shows. If you'd like to join the rambling roses go to suggestions and requests and there will be a forum called "The Rambling Roses" Ta ta and much love.

Anna pushed through the back door, dripping wet, her blue woolen dress muddied from her ankles to halfway up her waist. She took off her floppy brimmed hat carefully, trying not to get any wetter than she already was, then methodically squeezed the water from her long dark horsetail, letting it fall onto the already sopping doormat below. Upon seeing Eulia, her face brightened into a grin.

“I got it,” she declared, pulling a small brown paper parcel out of the bodice of her dress. “I caught ‘im right before he had t’close shop. Your beads, milady,” she said, performing a mock curtsey for Eulia’s benefit.

“He didn’t have the blue ones you wanted, exactly,” she said, coming over, and sitting down next to her fellow troubadour, “but these’ll do well enough. Tell me what you think.” She handed over the package.

Smiling broadly Eulia unwrapped the package. Lifting the strand of pearly white beads out of the sodden mass of brown paper she started to talk.

"These ought to work quite nicely I dare say. Either way them nobles wear whatever they bloody well please. Don't matter one way or another which is what. Only reason I wanted blue is that it might've matched the dress we're having made. How much do I owe you?"

As the barmaid set the food before her Eulia breathed in the hearty scent of meat and dug into the pasty. As she ate she talked around her food.

"So what say we do a sort of one man adventure thing, or one woman since Horace and the rest of 'em blaggards took off. Bloody pirates. Waited for the pay and then left the Rambling Rose to do her own work nevermind contract. But we can't bring the blinkin' provost into the contracting anyway can we since our patrons are of such a questionable nature. SO what say you to this. I'm one of them nobles who fell in love with a knight yanno standard love story. But then he got taken by some bloody scanrans. SO shes sittin up in some tower bawlin her pretty heart out, when she decides he can't be dead. SO she goes on a crazy travelling adventure where Strawberry dances as weather and you play stormy music. She gets tossed around a bit and then she gets to the borderlands finds out hes really dead and does herself in. We can elaborate obviously no question about that but I'm thinkin thats the best we can do with the people we have left. "

"Can you get me one of them too?" Anna called out to the barmaid.

"Mmph." she said, when Eulia had finished her description. "We'd need a good set for somethin' like that... Say we scrap the tower, 's too hard, just have some plain backdrop, and you can wander around the audience, as you search for your handsome nob."

She chewed her lip. "Guess it'd work. You'd need to pull out some mighty fine acting, though." She lifted an eyebrow meaningfully. "I'm guessin' he's dead when you actually find him?"

"Ah." she said, flipping her hand toward the beads. "Those'll be three copper bits. What, you didn't expect 'em to be real, did you?"

Snorting at Anna's last statement Eulia raised an eyebrow.
"Really Anna I'm not tht stupid. You wouldn't pop for anything that useless. Anyway they look like glass with something swirled in 'em. Course hes dead. We don't have any fine men around to play the part do we? Even if we did 'e wouldn't be necessary. Well I was thinking it could be a sort of ridiculous play making fun of the lady you know. Have her be sentimentally stupid and the like. Make her up really pasty and sick lookin. As for the set I can buy some canvas and we could paint it like a forest with mountains in the background. I think thats proper for the borderlands."
Tossing three small coins onto the table Eulia draped the beads about her neck. Sucking in her cheeks and bulging out her eyes she acted the part dramatically
" Oh dark and dreary world!!! How could you take my love from my arms and cast him to the savage Scanrans in the north? With him my heart dies, and so should I!"
Letting her features relax Eulia chuckled.
"How's that for a noble?"

"A farce?" she asked. "That could work, most certainly." She laughed suddenly, throwing her head back. "I can just see it now..." she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "And at the end, you can die, most dramatically of a broken heart. Aah." She sighed, putting on a romantic air. "You sure you need a dress made?" she asked. "I thought we had some good nob gear, or at least last time I'd checked. Or did they run off with that too..?"

[Yeah, ok, I didn't log in, it's a pain in the arse, get over it...]

"Whats this I hear 'bout nobs?" Berry asked in her chipper self, walking towards the table with a beat in her steps. In her hands was the meal one of them ordered. Leave hued eyes glanced at the table, as she curtsied to place the order on the table. Looking up again, gasped lightly at the dirt and wetness of Anna. "Anna-heart, why don't you go change? If you need clothes feel free to borrow from me."

At that, the soft chimes of bells in the distant, signaled a relief sigh from the dancer. "At last! My shift is done." Grabbing up a chair, she twirled it gently before sitting down in dance.

"I'll change later," Anna said lightly, readily accepting the food. She smiled at Berry sweetly. "We're discussing our newest performance, you see." She took a bite of the pasty. "Mmph, this is actually good!" she exclaimed. "Did we get a new cook?"

"Hmph...." Strawberry muttered in response to Anna changing later. Berry just hoped she didn't wet the floor and chair too much. Grinning, she nodded at Anna. Lightly, she rested an elbow on the table, chin resting in her hand. "I would like to know. I've got the time."

Berry just smirked. "Why, no. The cook just had a bit of help." She winked lightly. The cook had taken up a fresh love with one of the barmaids. It was cute almost.

((Eulia, could you put a full space between paragraphs for the short attention spanned members with eye problems of the forum such as myself?))


Sam plunked himself down, putting as much distant between them and him as was possible and still be in the loop of conversation. He was closer to Anna than the others, of course. As par normal.

He flicked a hand as a greeting and settled his chin into his palms.

"Oi Sam me boy! What say you to playin' some rain for us lonesome weather battered nobleladies?"

Shifting in her chair towards Anna Eulia clucked.

"Now Mistress Strange! You know me better than that. I'm not getting it made up special;I'm just having it altered a bit to fit my lovely form."Eulia grinned cheerfully into her mug.

"No offense meant Strawberry," SHe bagan as she swilled down the last of her drink "But I notice no difference. I find as I grow older my taste is less refined and I can eat more of whats put before me. In my way of thinking thats a good thing. All the more to shove down my slimy gullet."

"Now Anna and myself were thinking this. Short on hands as we are we have to do a one woman show featuring myself. Now I'm playin a nob whos fallen in love with a brawny knight. Now this chaps gets hied away by some Scanrans, but she thinks he ain't dead. Just captured. So brilliant thing she is, up she goes up to the borderlands to save him. Then after getting tossed about in the wilds she finds his body (preserved mind), and then out of sorrow she does herself in. Now hows that for a show?"

Crispin burst through the door to the Dove, already a few drinks inside him for the day. When he was sure his entrance had attracted enough attention he declared loudly;

"Fear not good citizens of Corus, your leading light has returned. Women you can stop crying in to your handkerchief, men, hankies away too. Your errant child has returned to the fold."

He gave a dramatic bow as greetings were shouted across the common room to him. The denizens of the Dove were used to Crispin and his nonsense especially when he was two sheets to the wind already.

He flashed a charming smile at the barmaid who passed him his usual drink and he headed to the corner where the other Roses were sat.

Pulling out a chair he smiled around at everyone.

"Hello my little ducklings, sorry to dash off on you all like that but you know how it is. Father was out of town and if I didn't show up for my annual visit with mother, well...there would have been wailing and gnashing of teeth and more guilt than even I can handle. So how are we? Anna? Eulia? Berry, looking divine as always," he gave her a wink.

He turned his attention to Sam.

"Sammy dearest, my little ray of sunshine!" He blew Sam a kiss knowing it would go down like a lead weight with the distant young man. "I know you missed me but moping over it will do none of us any good."

He finally stopped talking and looked around at the occupants of the table.

"It's okay, I'm done. I'll behave myself now."

"A likely story. Here comes my nob in shining armor." drawled Eulia raising an eyebrow at Crispin.

Sighing at no one in particular Eulia took a sip of her mead and looked Crispin full in the eye.

"Don't try to make me explain again. Berry oh divine one" she said with a chuckle "Why don't you give our lovely lush an introduction to the play"

Guilt indeed Eulia thought with a tinge of amusement. If the flamboyant man was capable of feeling guilt she'd never seen a spark of it. As she turned back to her mug she caught a whiff of alcohol about his person.
" Lovely" she said under her breath

“Oh yes, Crispy, just bawling my eyes out over here,” Sam grumbled, hunching his shoulders and attempting to vanish altogether for a moment before he let them slouch back down.

“Angst and deth, I’m sure Jono’ll be thrilled to write it,” Sam told Eulia. All his opinions voiced of the conversation thus far he sank back into silence and hoped for someone else to speak up soon.

Sam’s wish was granted. Kat’s walk was imperious. She always managed to stride into a room like she owned the place when she wanted the attention. Just as well as she could slouch into the room and garner no attention what so ever. The first was generally how she walked all the time.

She seated herself lightly. “So?” was the only thing she uttered.

"I know." said Eulia thinking of her part with relish. "I love being overly dramatic, its fun to make people laugh. So what Kat?"

"So, as in 'so, what's going on?'." Kat elaborated and gave a sigh that seemed to say honestly. "You people don't just sit without doing something or talking about something. I don't believe you could if you tried. Not to say there would be a point in doing such, but I don't think that you could."

She folded her hands, "and so to echo myself, So? What's going on?"

" Oh Kat, you of all people should know I simply believe in people saying what they mean the first time around" Eulia stated in an overly prim voice.
"SO, I suppose I have to recap the whole bloddy thing over again. Nob in love, knight gets carried away by scanrans, she thinks he ain't dead, so she goes gets tossed around a bit, finds his body and then kills herself. I was thinkin maybe Crispin could be lying around in the audience and I could get really close to him a couple times just to make the audience have a reaction and then I could fall over him and proceed to blubber my heart out. Course we'd have to bloody him up a bit. But dear old crisp wouldn't mind that would you mate?"

Kat rolled her eyes and gave her a brittle smile. “Anyone with an IQ of two would have figured out the meaning. So, anyone seen Jono to see what he thinks?”

Bristling a bit Eulia snorted "I'm a very literal person Kat" she pointed out wryly.
"Jonothan hasn't shown up yet. If I have to wait to much longer I'm going to have to beat him when he gets here."

Jono entered the bar and slipped into a seat next to Kat. "There's no need for the threats, 'Lia. I'm here and I heard. Nobs, tragic love story, very typical."

"Very succesful, and slightly morbid just for you doll. Anyway I wouldn't bother beating you." Eulia brightened at Jono's appearance. "Appearing instantly doesn't qualify as much longer."

Jono shrugged. "Sounds more," he paused casting around for the right word, "geniunely far more sappy as she's all geniunely optimistic til the end. But, eh, whatever."

"Yes genuinely optimistic as she gets beaten about by the elements, wild animals etc. Jono, open up your mind to the ideas. I want to have a bit of fun with it."

Eulia rose from her seat and made a big pretense of rushing about looking for something and then she crumpled dramatically to the floor. Lifting her head up, she grinned.

“Oh, yes,” Jono responded without enthusiasm as he always did. He heaved a deep sigh and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. Absently he began moving his pen over the page. He watched Eulia crumble to the ground and rolled his eyes.

Crispin watched the back and forth banter with amusement until he couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore.

"Well! As much as me lying on my back for an hour will be enough to amuse the crowds for a lifetime, as far as I can figure it out my only role in this play is to be dead. You see my problem with this anyone?"

He pushed his hair back out of his eyes.

"Eulia darling, this fragile little personality of mine needs attention from the crowd now and then!" He smirked at the girl.

Jono nibbled on the back of the pen. “So here’s what we’ll do, have a bit with Lia pining for her love who’s so far away. A few emotional outtakes of their relationship, yadda yadda yadda. And then we’ll cut to Cris who as already been suitably beaten and left for ded and yay and verily, a very nice deth soliloquy for you before the Black God comes for your soul. And then it’s back to Lia, wringing her hands and wailing.”

Berry just smiled pleasantly at the complement. "Only more divine when moving." She returned his wink with one of her own. This wink consisted of bringing up one of her pale shoulders to a tilt of her head so her cheek made contact with the shoulder. She then clucked lightly at Lia, "Once I hear the beautiful music-" Berry paused to offer a grin at Sam and Anna, "I will conduct a dance."

Like Crispin, she too watch the two talk it out. She greeted Kat with a nod of her head, Jono too.

When Crispin spoke, she tilted her head. Her attention wavered to Jono as he spoke. Than, she flashed a sort of flirtatious smile. Standing up, she ran a finger along the back of his neck. "I can offer quite the Dance of Death if you would like."

(Damnit, I forgot to change accounts =\ Sorry >.<)

"A grand death scene would suffice Jono thank you."

He gave him a nod. He admired the young man's skill at writing. For all his joking around he could only be as good as the playwrites material. Jono always made sure it was exceptional and it was one of the things that made the Rose's performances a cut above especially their serious works which were popular with the higher society.

He smiled inwardly as he saw 'Berry's flirtatious behaviour. Ordinarly neither Sam nor Jono were good marks for someone after romance.

"Incidentally I saw some plays by a new troupe in Port Caynn. The Shadowlarks they were called. Performances weren't much cop but they seem to have dusted off all the old legends and they're going down a storm. It's something we might have to pre-empt before they start getting ideas about putting their show on the road."

He caught the eye of the bartender and gestured to their table.
"A bottle of wine over here?"

"Anyway," he continued, "I think I can get us a performance at the palace. A big ball coming up there to celebrate His Majesty's birthday. I have a..." He grinned wickedly, "willing friend who can put the good word in for us."

“Or,” Jono began merely thinking out loud, tilting his head to the side to alleviate Berry's tickle, “we could still keep you alive ‘til almost the very end. In which, you are finally overcome by your wounds, valiantly, of course, only to have you dye in your lover’s arm. And then Lia stabs herself through the heart.” Jono paused. “Oh that’s good,” he mumbled and began writing even faster.

Arching her back off the floor Eulia flipped to her feet.

"Whoo!! Crispin I wouldn't deny you anything for the world, anyway I think it would be a lovely idea to perform at the castle. I just wish we came by it in more... Oh I don't know the word... On more honorable terms?" she said with a disgustingly innocent look on her face.

Eyeing Berry's behavior Eulia started to laugh out loud.
"Oh dear, Berry! Just think of the trauma you're putting poor Sammy through!!! Tsk, tsk, you really ought to have a care for his poor young mind." her eyes twinkling she turned her chair around and plunked onto it.

Winking at Jono Eulia chuckled "I knew you could think of something."

"Hmm... I don't like rivals though. We ought to think of something for that. But I'm only full of so many ideas. Anyway divine stories stay the same don't they? The gods don't like misrepresentation. Just brush up our costumes, make the details more interesting and the like. easy enough, but of course we'll have to have some of our own stuff. Just doing the exact same thing won't keep these.. what did you call them? Skylarks? out of town. "

Sam set Eulia a glare of doom. “I’m quite fine sitting here, with no one touching me. So I’d appreciate if you didn’t insinuate other wise, ay? And don’t call me Sammy.”

"Ah Eulia dishonour is all relative. If it gets us what we want what's the problem. Once we're noticed by the King it opens up endless posibilities for our merry band, then we can work on our own merits, but for now MY merits will prove rather useful."

He called the bartender again.

"Can we get glasses for this wine? Much as I know my reputation I don't plan to drink the whole thing myself...certainly not from the bottle anyway."

The glasses arrived and he busied himself pouring for everyone.

"So," He looked round at Anna, Sam and Kat, "what do we have by way of music for this little masterpiece of ours?"

For all his flamboyance, Crispin had been in the performance business for a long time, he knew what needed to be done to make performances successful even if it meant using less orthadox methods to get there.

Berry stopped at the suggestion of performing up at the castle. She grinned. "It would be so nice to perform on those nice, smooth marble floors." She stated, flirtatious behaviour seemingly gone for the moment. "For the wind, I might even be able to slide a bit longer." Absent mindly, she pushed off, getting no farther then her own chair before stopping dead. Years of practice have made it possible for putting her other foot down for support after such a slide.

At Lia's comment, she looked over at Sam and just smiled. She respected the boys space, do to the fact she's quite fond of his work.

Sitting down lightly in her seat, she grinned up at the bartender as he poured the drink. "Thanks, chum!" When he finished, she gently picked it up, taking a sip, as she returned to listening.

Entirely unaffected by Sam's look Eulia smiled coyly , "Me? Insinuate? Not on your life doll. Anyway Crispin, I don't suppose I really mind, it's just that I wish such things weren't necessary."

Taking a glass full of wine Eulia took a dainty sip and glanced around.

"At the risk of being redundant, what are we going to do about the Skylarks? Anyone have an idea?"

“Given where we are why don’t we just ask someone seated nearby to knock them off for us should they invade our territory,” Kat responded dryly.


She began making circles on the table with her index finger. “I don’t see how it could actually be that much of a problem. We aren’t often performing out of the Dove and I’ve never heard of anyone other than us performing in the Dove. And I doubt anyone ever comes to the Dove to hear us play.”

"My dear Kat" Eulia began "Think of the palace. The king may choose whomever he wishes. If we don't make an effort to make ourselves known to him then what, dearest, do you suppose we do if the Skylarks win his favor. It would be a rather well paying job I'm sure. Besides the provosts men would be buzzing around the city like flies if we did off with a whole troupe."

“Not all of them, that would just be rude. Just a couple, like their leads.” Kat’s smile was sufficiently wicked to convey that she had little remorse over such an act, but it vanished after only a moment.

“But we also have one thing they haven’t got.”

"What love? Me? I know I'm quite a rare catch aren't I?" laughing quietly she turned her head and rested it on her arm.
"The favor of the rogue? Or Crispins friend? or perhaps illegitemacy all around?"

Kat rolled her eyes. “Connections and we’re local. The people would grumble if the King openly supported a group that wasn’t Corus based. And . . ." she glanced at Jono out of the corner of her eyes. "a poet of some renown. Jono’s work is all exclusive to us and no one can perform the plays, legally, without getting the rights and as I haven’t let anyone near them. We have fresh stuff. Of course, they’re bound to bad some bad knock offs. My father took me to one the other day. It was loosely based off of some Jono’s work. Good, as long as you weren’t acquainted with the original. In which case, I spent the entire time with my head bowed so Father wouldn’t see me laughing.”

Kat made it a point to carefully perserve everything written or created by the troupe. She hated copycats and was a big advocate for making sure that the creator got what they deserved for his or hers piece-respect.