(1412) Richard Black and Asa Clarke

[Asa]

Continued from here...

For a moment, he just stared, the polite smile fixed on his face as he made a slow, unnecessary blink.

Is it just me? Or did that sound like a review of a whorehouse on Yelp?

He almost turned to find Twist so he could share the thought. He could almost hear the trill of laughter and accusation in her eyes that all roads led to Rome, with him. Still.

"Ah, it sounds as if you've kept wonderful company. Lady Star always made for excellent company, and it's a shame she had to leave the Domain. Lady," Again, he subtly changed the man's form of address to the Invictus-proper one, "Sage and Whip French have also both been long term residents. You've either been quite quite fortunate or have excellent taste."

Maybe he was being funny, too.

"Tell me, Mr. Black, what do you think of your new Priscus?"

[SoraLow]

The correction was not lost upon him nor was what he said about Velma no longer being in the Domain, was this related to her recent resignation as Priscus? He decides to answer the Prince's question first. "I can't say that I know him all that well but he was selected by Lady," he interrupts his sentence for half a second to leave the point of correction in tact, "Star selected him so I am confident that he's whats best for the family." once hes satisfied with his answer Richard's curiosity returns. "Forgive me your grace, I hadn't realized that Lady Star had actually gone anywhere. If you don't mind my asking, will she be returning soon?"

[Asa]

An eyebrow edged up.

"I can't say I knew Lady Star well enough for her to share her plans with me," Asa answered.

Of course, if the stunning Daeva had, there was no guarantee he would have shared them with Richard, either.

"Just for the sake of conversation, had the new choice of Priscus been acceptable, who do you think would have stepped forward?"

[SoraLow]

Richard prepared himself to answer yet another question, he wanted to make sure to select his words carefully to avoid effecting anyone's requiem negatively. Not that Richard had any problems with 'playing the game' it was more so for the sake of not gaining any unwanted or more accurately unintentional enemies. "That's tough to say. Excluding our current Priscus of course I'd have to say Whip Black." he hated the way that sounded out loud, "She strikes me as the ambitious type and she certainly possess a level of respect within the family." Richard considers mentioning himself however he decides against it, better to earns status and respect than make such blatant bids for it, besides that it might be considered over reaching even if this was just for the sake of conversation.

[Asa]

"Ah, Whip Black. We spoke the other night," Asa answered with a smile, showing he'd made the proper connection.

"She's been a resident of the city for some time," he continued. "It's not surprising that she's respected. Although, I'm always interested to hear opinions -- what makes you think that she's the ambitious type?"

A flicker of interest sparked in Asa's eyes as he glanced over at the conversation Chris Wooding had just joined, but returned to the Daeva with his full attention.

[SoraLow]

Richard was quite pleased with himself knowing that he had finally managed to speak with someone of status in the domain without screwing up the titles like an outsider. "I think it has a lot to do with her personality and willingness to speak up. When I last saw her at our family meeting she seemed quite eager to make her voice heard. I wish there was more I could tell you on the matter your grace." Richard takes advantage of a momentary pause in the conversation to take a quick look around the room. Court was starting to fill and was shaping out to be packed event. It never ceased to amaze him how many times he could attend court and still run into so many new faces. "It seems as though this Domain is flourishing. Every time I come here I see Kindred that I've never met before. It's refreshing I'd say"

[Asa]

The smile widened slightly in genuine mirth.

Allison Black , being forward? He remembered the first time he saw her, violating Elysium without a second thought.

"Indeed, Whip Black is remarkably personable. You'll have no argument from me on that account," Asa answered.

I wonder, when was the last time two men stood around talking about Allison Black's personality?

Not that it wasn't wonderful, and one of her remarkable qualities, it just wasn't the obvious one. Eyes flickered away again as a trio retreated to the Reeve's office. For a moment, his eyes remained on them, then returned to Richard. Successful delegation only happens when events are allowed to proceed without interruption.

"Sacramento has been a waypoint for many. As far back as I can recall, it has always had a stream of new arrivals." And departures. Some, willingly. "So, tell me, Mr. Black, what brought you to Sacramento?"

[SoraLow]

Richard smiles in return as Richard starts to realize that he is actually enjoying a conversation with the Prince whom seems genuinely interested in him. It was a good sign. "Solitude" he says plainly,"Just isn't for me" he shakes his head slowly as he speaks, "I spent a lot of time alone. A lot of time. For me it was like waking up one night and realizing that it would never end. An endless night filled with nothing but the same ole shit. After awhile days and hours felt like the same thing. That's when I realized that despite the obvious threat that strangers posed literally any life was better than the one I had, or lack there of I should say." Richard tries to rein in his answer as he becomes increasingly aware that he hadn't really addressed the actual question, "Anyway, I had to leave Chicago. I was far from famous but you know..people knew of me, I did a little under ground boxing here and there. Long story short I knew eventually I was gonna have to make a change of scenery before folks started to question why Richard 'Blazin' Black never seemed to get older and still hit like he was in his prime. So I wandered and eventually I decided to head out to Cali, once I got here I just never found a good enough reason to leave."

[Asa]

"Oh, you're a boxer?" Asa asked.

"Rumor has it, every now and then, there are... underground matches." Asa shrugged. Why would something so lowbrow interest the Prince of Sacramento?

"Immortality does present it's own difficulties," he continued. "Aside from our unique society, one will eventually find themselves in that solitary state you mentioned." He paused, uncertain where to go with the conversation. Eventually, he made a decision. "Well, I'm glad you've found what you were looking for; or, at least, haven't found what you're not looking for."

Asa lapsed into polite silence.

[SoraLow]

"Oh I'm sure, any city this populated is bound to have some sort of fight club. There is money in it, quick money at that." Richard holds his hand up with his rub ribbing against his middle and index fingers ,"..and where theres quick money you can usually stumble across useful people.Under ground boxing was my main hustle for a long time. It's always something I can fall back on. But right now I am more focused on my art. I am expecting to host an exposition some time in the near future." Richard allows the gaps of silence to linger briefly before providing a potential out,"Well.. I thank you kindly for your time your Grace. I had been meaning to make myself known to you for awhile now and I hope that when an invitation to my expo lands on your desk you would find it within your interest."