Drinks with Coco 2.0! (the other table)

[Coco]

Near the table stocked with pastry, cake and sugary confections stood another table with beverages upon it, and it was next to this table that the Claviger now stood. She was within striking distance of those clustered around the other buffet table, notably L'aire, Lynn, and Morgan, but alas this was a different island of social refuge, and it was the luscious liquid of this island that Coco so dearly craved now. Immediately she set about mixing up two drinks, going heavy on the alcohol. Her deft hands made short work of assembling the concoctions and soon she was pressing a drink into Kyle's hand. She didn't wait for a toast, though, instead downing about half of her beverage in one long draw.

[Kyle Ferlen]

Kyle follows Coco over to the other table almost exactly like the blind being led by an aid - if not for the enthusiastic grin on his face. Day isn't ruined yet. Hah! He waves to Sasha at the other table with a comical enthusiasm matching that of his smile. He points and himself, then to Coco, then pantomimes taking a drink. He even throws in a thumbs up for good measure. Hopefully the Onyx would catch his drift and give him a few moments more to mend bridges with the Claviger. It isn't until a drink is thrust into his free and open hand that he realizes Coco had even gotten started.

"Ok. Here's to..." he pauses mid-sentence to watch half of Coco's drink disappear in a flash. Rather than protest, he shrugs and knocks back his own, practically finishing it. He covers a slight cough at the burn with his free hand then quickly turns back on the grin. "That's what I'm talkin about! This is supposed to be a party, right?" In another circumstance, he might actually have meant it. Different time, different place, with no immediate problems to address. It isn't far off from what he might do on a typical Friday night. Here and now, though, he just tries to keep the happy face on to discourage another outburst. There's got to be some ethical code I'm violatin by doin this. She'll get hammered way quicker than I will.

[Coco]

"Here here," Coco agreed, with surprisingly less force than one would expect from the normally outburst prone Courtier. But, with that agreement made, Coco tossed the last of her drink down and then began to make two more, her nerf sword forgotten upon the ground, a small trail of colored water slowly trailing away from it.

"So, tell me. You and L'aire. How is that for you?" the Claviger inquired, turning back to Kyle with the next round. She had to slow down if she wanted to remain able to walk, after all, and she had just been critiqued for not listening to others. So, two annoyingly righteous raccoons with one rapier. She'd not drink until he was done talking, and in doing so, she'd appear far more friendly.

[Kyle Ferlen]

The Minstrel grabs the second round and takes another big gulp of it. Not quite half the drink, this time. Probably for the better. Now he'd have something to sip and duck behind if things got hairy.

"Uh... pretty well. I'm surprised, to be honest." He wonders, briefly if 'surprised' is the best choice of words. "Well, I mean, she's not all about the glitz and glam like I am. She puts on a hell of a show... she just does it for different reasons. Artistic differences, ya know?" He takes another sip of his drink, glancing Sasha's way without really thinking about it.

"She's great, though. She thinks she's got all these things to improve about herself, but I knew from the first time I met her she had a good heart. Kinda glad she didn't go for the 'Nathan type'." he says with a wink for the other Spring, thinking back to the overt discussion of what might have happened if those two got together.

[Coco]

"Oh? So you don't think that the damaged and wandering are worthy of a good heart? And one who embraced the lost and abused wouldn't be worthy of your respect and admiration?" Coco queried with a bitter, mocking grin. "Or perhaps you're simply saying that its terribly unjust for someone like L'aire to have to put up with such bullshit, and that it would be horrendously terrifying to consider one such as her being attracted to such? Honestly, I couldn't fault you there. It would be terribly unfair, and rather disturbing. I mean, it's shocking how many knights slay a dragon not in the hopes of winning the princess, but rather in the hopes of being rescued by one. Simply petrifying to consider such emotional vampirism. No, much better to focus on the glitz and glam.

"Speaking of which, I heard that Lynn put out an album. You put any thought into releasing one yourself?" Coco elided, snatching a straw from the table, flicking it into place, and then taking a few dainty sips from it.

[Kyle Ferlen]

If he was hoping this was going to be easy... Jeez. What, exactly is she implying? He takes a long sip of his drink to cover for whatever might have made its way past his lips at her grim, shockingly harsh assessment. Even after the drink, the right words seem miles away.

"That's not really what I meant. Just..." 'Just' what? 'Just' it's not cool to talk about that like I wasn't there. Alright, cool it. Least she's not talkin down about Sasha. Another drink. He conjures up a smile again to dismiss the knotting of his eyebrows. "Never mind."

"Oh, really? Yeah, I'm workin on somethin. Well, that is, she and I were talkin about puttin one together. I've been meanin to give her a sample of some of my older stuff so she can mesh our two styles together. It should be fun to mix things up a little." That's right. Gotta stay cool and keep talkin shop. Don't let her get under my skin.

[Coco]

"Oh, really? A collaboration album? Fascinating. I'm sure you'll both create something marvelous," Coco commented taking another sip from her rink. After she swallowed, something like a smirk quirked her lips and she spoke around the straw. "After all, Lynn did mention that she prefers to collaborate with men." A broad grin formed around the straw, just for a moment, and then the Wasp went back to sipping for a few moments.

"What sort of material do you like to work with?" she asked after finally removing the straw. "Thematically, I mean. What is is that captures your interest? Or, perhaps that's an improper questions. Perhaps the proper one would be, what themes reflect your Art, rather than the opposite? You'll have to excuse me, it's been some months since I've had the opportunity to speak to an artist again."

[Kyle Ferlen]

Collaborate, huh? How many times had he used that word without thinking of it as an innuendo? Kyle doesn't know if he should feel defensive about the comment or jealous that he didn't think of it first. Touche, Coco...

"You'll have to excuse me." A genuine grin spreads on his face. "Been a long time since someone's asked. I guess what I'm all about is passion. I like to draw from what I've recently felt or experienced and pour it into my songs. If I'm mad about somethin, I'll write about it. Excited? Adventurous? In love? Same deal. It's kinda like confidin in a friend, but the friend is the music." A slight pause as he sips his drink again. "What about you? What's your thing?"

[Coco]

"What is my...art, you mean?" Coco queried back, an edged, though honest grin appearing across her lips. "Oh, my art is spectacular, Kyle, it is merely one that most desire never to see, not to it's fullest potential, so aweful is it. Indeed, there are some who would not call it an art at all, but those would be fools. Just because I do not wield a brush or a bow, or chain my movements to music does not mean it is not an art. Of course, that is not to say that what I do is not comparable in some ways. There is still the flashing of fervent footwork, the stunning sweep of exquisite instrumentation, the intimate brush with the sublime ethereality of fleeting beauty, and when executed with all earnestness, oh, how it can bring color to a room! But, alas, it is its own form of Art rather than imitation of another.

"In short, what I do is transform the brutality of violence into Art. I am a master of the sword, an artisan with an edge. Some might call me a fencer, but in truth I have transcended that paltry title. Such is why I am the Claviger, after all. No other in our court could possibly protect us so well, and indeed, I would even wager that none in this Freehold are as skilled as I when it comes to combat. Sadly," Coco elaborated, pausing to take another sip from her drink, "my art-form is not one that can be practiced alone. It needs a partner, a worthy partner, one that is able to hold up their end of the conversation for it to be anything other than an exhibition. So, as much as a silly soloist can tell me to focus upon myself, I can only do so to an extent. I cannot practice my Art alone."

[Kyle Ferlen]

"So cuttin people up with a sword is... art." He lets the statement hang, though not in incredulity. More like a processing of what she's said made real through vocalizing it again. "Cosima," he says, raising his glass in almost a salute, "I would hate to get on your bad side." and the last of his drink is finished. He glances at the nearest table and sets down his glass.

"Ever thought about holdin a competition? You know... to attract someone else as good as you are." Maybe 'attract' isn't the best word to use. Then again... it might be. The idea of two lovely ladies entangled in a mock duel - or entangled 'otherwise' - is certainly food for thought. The idea makes him grin a big goofy grin. Kyle also thinks that he's going a little too fast with his drinks; his mind is already in the gutter. "Just an idea, anyway. But honestly... practicing your Art is a good way to get your mind off things. Something to focus on besides Catherine's absence." A bold statement, probably, but an honest one.