Ask to Join The Lady and the Knave

Grace is effortless when born into it.

◇─✧─💎─✧─◇

The damp wind brushed softly against Laetitia's lilac coloring as she sat as the edge of her garden. This was not her first time being so close to her manor's exit, far from it. But today just seemed so peaceful that she had to at least observe the experiences of other creatures passing by, feline, avian, reptilian, mammalian, anything she could find, her pale green eyes seemed to be locked onto it. Until....

A bicolor form came into view, the coils of the fur resembled that of the LaPerm breed, but there was something... wild about him. Intriguing to say the absolute least. Against her inner judgments, Laetitia lifted from her elegant lay with the poise she had trained into her from when she could first walk, now it came as if it were first nature. Sometimes it made her feel separated from her companions like Smokey... Duskmantle... more, probably more, she recalled meeting a queen, Ember...something. It was a while ago. Regardless, it felt she would bring honor to hospitality.

"Salut! You there! What pursuit occupies you at such a remove from the..." She paused, to investigate his scent, unsure of where it was from, but it smelt of water, of fish... though the fish she ate were a little bit more faint in scent than the radiance that clung to his fur. "...Waterway?" She assumed he had come from the cats occupying the river system by scent, but if she was wrong, she was sure she would be corrected... at least, she hoped she would be.

Retirement? I prefer ‘extended vacation with benefits.’
✧ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ❦ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ✧

Tangleloon's ears perked immediately at the voice that floated across the garden. His paws slowed, pale green eyes lifting toward the lilac she-cat with immediate fascination. A small grin tugged at his whiskers before dipping forward in an exaguurated bow of sorts.

"Caught red pawed...Ah, Loitering. Wandering." He gave her a curious once over, abnormal pupils taking her in as he seemed simply delighted. She held herself like a swan - all elegant and composed.

And stars above, the way she spoke!

"Waterway! You make the River sound terribly glamorous, you know." His tail curled upward behind him as he stepped closer to the fence line, though respectfully shy of trespassing further into her garden. Rainwater still clung in beads to the curls along his chest.

"Fish and reeds and river muck all very glamorous things. I hail from the 'waterways' themselves. My name is Tangleloon and I happen to be a professional busy body - among other things...But I don't wish to bore you with all my titles." He puffed his chest with mock grandeur before his head tilted towards her again.

"And you are...Surely a cat who says salut instead of 'hey you' must have their own story."

Grace is effortless when born into it.

◇─✧─💎─✧─◇

Laetitia seemed just as amused with Tangleloon as he was with her, he may not have spoken with as much eloquency as she had, but there was a flair in his voice that seemed to have a pull on every word that he spoke. A story-teller by heart, as it seemed. But... busy-body worked as well. The lilac she-cat gave a warm purr to greet him, still holding herself with the grace she had developed like she was born with it.

"Indeed, 'glamour,' as you so aptly observe, is a quality upon which the Von Noon felines pride themselves." She chirped, her long-furred tail drifting to gesture to the manor behind when she spoke of her cattery. There was a hint of pride there, but not a lot of conviction, yet still, the words carried with elegance and poise as they should do. "We converse with eloquence and composure." she added, making truth of the statement simply by the way she held herself when speaking. One of the fanciest in Whitehart, so she thought.

When Tangleloon asked of her introduction she let out a chirp from the back of her throat. "Oui! Though many of said tales occur from acquainting myself with the felines of the forest." She began curling her wispy tail around her pale paws. "My formal appellation is Laetitia Von Noon, as my lineage dictates, yet many affectionately refer to me simply as Laetitia. You may refer to me as such as well."

Retirement? I prefer ‘extended vacation with benefits.’
✧ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ❦ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ✧

Tangleloon looked positively enchanted by the cadence of her voice alone like a tom being handed a jeweled fish. "That's a name! Was it gifted by your Two-Legs?" A grin split across his face before he dipped his head again, curls bouncing. "Forest cats, you say? You must mean Clan cats!"

Then as if suddenly remembering himself, Tangleloon cranked his his chest out with renewed importance and sat taller near the garden fence. "Well... Since you’ve honored me with your formal appellation, I suppose it would be rude not to provide the full spectacle in return." He cleared his throat with absurd seriousness.

"Tangleloon of RiverClan...! Stacker of Stone Towers, Soundest of Sleepers and...according to at least one kit, Senior Storyteller of RippleClan, which is a very prestigious title, I'll have you know..."

He hoped up onto the fence as his long, curly coat bobbed with clownish absurdity.

"And now an acquaintance of the illustrious Laetitia Von Noon. Not bad, right?"

Grace is effortless when born into it.

◇─✧─💎─✧─◇

When Tangleloon wove the tale of his titles and rose to her stature on the fence, Laetitia let a smile curl the sides of her mouth, something that lay between amusement and fascination. He was unlike Duskmantle or Ember, but perhaps something far more intriguing to her. Something much more to her level of entertainment. She would hope for this encounter to continue beyond pleasantries.

"Oh mon dieu! A feline of such numerous appellations must be venerated within his noble 'clan'!" She replied, almost in a cheering, sing-song tone as her tail tip twitched, the only indicator of her excitement beyond the sparkle in her pale green eyes. She had never met a cat such as Tangleloon and it changed her perspective of the cats hailing from what she now knew where called 'clans'.

Her ears pricked at the mention of two-legs, for a moment, she was unsure of the words, however, the more she thought of it, the more the definition came to her, the only creatures she knew with two legs had been the attendants that raised her inside of the manor. "Ah! You must refer to the beings who attend to mon frère and myself. Indeed, my name was bestowed upon me by them." Her triangular muzzle rose, proud of her own title, even if it was only one. She held it with pride and without wavering... usually.

However, another question ebbed at the very mind that was keeping the conversation going, perhaps the question could do just than, instead of answering enquiries of the curly furred tom, she would ask them. "Pray, how does a cat of your ilk acquire so many distinguished titles?"

Retirement? I prefer ‘extended vacation with benefits.’
✧ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ❦ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ✧

Tangleloon's whiskers quivered with delight at her reaction. "You do know how to make a tom feel gloriously important." His curly coat bobbed dramatically atop the fence he now straddled with the neighborly she-cat. Surely kittypets weren't that bad if they were all like Laetitia.

He held a paw up, paused at his chest as he considered his words. "I must confess...such titles are honorary and mostly upholded by the smallest amount us, but titles are funny things, aren't they?" A soft laugh bubbled from him before he settled more comfortably on the wood, curls spilling around his paws in damp ringlets from the earlier rain.

His pale eyes flicked toward the gardens around them, warm sunlight catching strangely in his mismatched pupils. "I stack river stones! Although I suppose I could try using other types of stones too...Soundest sleeper, well, that's from my...very unique condition." He could have sounded embarassed, but his grin softened the edges of his anxiety.

He tilted his head toward her then. "Though now I wonder if Whitehart grants titles too. Surely a cat who speaks like poetry must possess more than just Laetitia Von Noon? We could...make our own, if not? Who leads your Clan so that we may make a suggestion?"

Grace is effortless when born into it.

◇─✧─💎─✧─◇

Laetitia's smile grew at the mention of the smallest of his clan, kittens! Kittens bestowed his titles to him! Adorable! A purr rose in her throat at the notion, almost forgetting her delicate poise at the idea of a kitten bringing forth a title to such a noble of Tangleloon's kind. "The most diminutive of felines may indeed be of paramount importance. Their intellects are molded by those in their proximity." She added, watching as the coils of his long fur draped damply over his paws. She bent to briefly groom the dampness from them. Scandelous for her ilk? Perhaps, but it was a kind notion to commit to. "Appellations bestowed in youth oftentimes endure for an extended period."

When asked if Whitehart had given titles to cats, her smile cracked open with gleaming white teeth. "Verily, I am the noble lady of the Von Noon dynasty. Yet my beloved frère is the rightful heir." she answered him, flicking her silky, lengthy tail behind her, still not really lingering comfortably on the fence, but allowing Tangleloon to have his rest.

The more she thought of her cattery, the more that the ways of their workings occurred more prominently to her... once again, and her smile drooped ever so slightly. "I... shall likely in due course receive a suitor to sire a litter... for my cattery." She explained, however she didn't seem as confident about the path laid before her, as much as she tried. She felt that her attendants shouldn't have rights to her own autonomy, and yet, here they were, her lifestyle built around appearances. It is how it must be. 

"But pray, do not concern yourself with my affairs." She spoke again, shaking her head in an attempt to rid her mind of her thoughts, turning back to Tangleloon with a smile that no longer reached her eyes. "If you hail from the waterway, you must have journeyed for some time. Would you care for a place to repose your paws?"

Retirement? I prefer ‘extended vacation with benefits.’
✧ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ❦ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ✧

Tangleloon shivered when she bent to groom the rain from his curls before a small laugh took him. Oh, it tickled! His grin lingered but as Laetitia spoke of heirs and suitors and litters chosen for her something set in his jaw.

Still...he didn't pry when she waved it away. Instead he leaned theatrically against the fencepost, nearly sliding off it entirely before correcting himself at the last second. "Such a noble burden...Meanwhile my Clan expects me to rest on my laurels."

When she spoke of her offer, the triangles of his ears perked with surprise. "O-Oh!" He half stammered, a rare moment when he felt lost for words. Echos of the Code flashed in his mind, pricking the ends of his curls like the prick of a bramble.

"A soft place to rest...Well, as long as you don't convince me to abandon the waterways forever. My warrior ancestors would...disapprove."

He hopped lightly down from the fence, paws sinking into damp garden soil as he peered toward the manor with obvious fascination. He would have fearlessly led the way...if he wasn't a bit hesitant still.

Grace is effortless when born into it.

◇─✧─💎─✧─◇

Laetitia's eyes softened when Tangleloon had spoke of resting upon his own laurels. A soft purr rose from her throat then she let out a sweet giggle. "At times, to repose upon one’s laurels affords the opportunity to behold the world in its resplendence." she breathed gently, letting herself relax a bit in Tangleloon's presence. She then gave him a coy smile. "And to truly earn the titles you bear." 

"Bien!" Laetitia cheered at the acceptance of his offer before slipping from the fence into the Garden of the Von Noon manor. At his worry, she turned and let a soft laugh slip delicately from her throat. "The waterway shall remain, now and for all eternity, your abode. I seek only... the solace of gentle companionship." She replied calling with a flick of her tail to a soft looking garden of fresh, well maintained grass. "Simply within the tender embrace of the garden’s verdant grass." she trilled as she slipped onto the fresh scent and rolled for a few moments before letting her body rest comfortably on her back.

Laetitia then found herself staring at the chocolate tom, his coils bounced as he moved, it was a marvel to look at, his eyes, they were unique and such a leafy pale green. The pupils of his eyes caught her attention, the asymmetry of his eyes was almost beautiful, the intrigue soon found itself to her words. "You are a wonder, Tangleloon... yet you spoke of a condition? If it is not too forward of me to inquire, to what does that refer?"

Retirement? I prefer ‘extended vacation with benefits.’
✧ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ❦ ⭒ ♦ ⭒ ✧

Tangleloon hesitated only a moment longer before padding after her into the garden. The scent here was different from the riverbanks... He watched Laetitia roll amongst the greenery and couldn't suppress a warm chuckle as he joined her.

Even if her curosity brought a flick of nervousness to his eyes he still smiled. "Ahh, the dreadful inconvience." His tail curled lazily over his hind paws as he gazed up toward the clear sky above the garden."Well...Sometimes my body simply decides it's done standing. Or anything, really."

He snorted softly at himself."Sometimes if I'm startled. Sometimes for no reason at all except perhaps StarClan enjoys practical jokes." His voice remained airy and musical despite the subject.

"I crumple, mostly!"He turned his head toward her, odd pupils catching the sunlight. And somehow...he made it sound like a triumph.