One Heckuva Morning {Karmine, Cal, et al}

[Raelena St. John]

No one should be drinking at ten in the morning. Except Rae. Rae had a very good reason to drink. Because Rae had woken up that morning besides a girl she did not sleep with. Well, sleep in the Biblical terms. Clearly they slept together.

And now some idiot was lounging at the bar, and he had a drink.

In his defense, he'd ordered one and hadn't done more than take it down a fingerswidth or so. But he'd come in when the bar opened, ordered that drink, then sat down at the edge of the bar. And then there was the poetry.

Who sat at the end of a bar in a club and launched into romantic poetry.

"F**k it," Rae muttered, digging a cell phone out of her pocket. Rae had lately taken to giving out phones to all her friends. A company selected Rae as its spokeswoman, and felt it necessary to send her every new phone that came out. So Rae put them all on a shared plan and handed them off to people. Kennedy had one; Eryk had one; Cerri had one; now Eve had one; and, of course, Karmine had one. Whether or not he remembered he had it was something else. Or if the Fae even knew how to work the modern technology. Still, it let Rae vent.

"Idjit n mbar. drnkin mbooze. whin about minerva. ken it cal. get a** oer here. ASAP.

And "send."

Rae slid the phone down and continued glaring at the poetry spouting Faerie consort, wondering why he'd had to come to her club and make a nuisance of himself.

[Karmine de Arcadia]

Karmine had been in his office, oddly enough. He was thinking about what to do with his students, and while this wasn't often the place where Karmine thought, he felt like trying to pretend he was a professional today.

Yeah right.

It was more a surprise to Karmine then anyone else when his desk began ringing. He didn't have a music box or anything in there, what the hell? So he opened the draw and found that little thing Rae had given him a while back, he'd taken it because he knew the dangers of refusing something from Rae, you never really had a choice anyway. Kennedy had 'set it up' a while back, and had tried to explain exactly how it worked, but Karmine really didn't care, so of course he didn't listen. And now it was bleeping at him.

"....What?" He asked annoyed. He didn't much care for technology. Sure it could do some interesting things, but it was very much unneeded. He picked up the little box, no larger then a small purse, and noticed Rae's picture was on the front, with the word 'Calling' under it.

Oh! Is THAT what it did? It told him when someone was trying to call him, well that was interesting enough. Well there is only one place Raelena St. John would be this early in the morning, in another woman's bed that Karmine would never find, or, much more likely, in her pub.

But this thing was still bleeping at him...Karmine didn't care enough to figure it out, and buried under a pile of important looking files (Which he'd never looked at) and closed it in the desk. He then put one foot in the window frame and with a jump took off into the air, red wings trailing behind him.

He arrived at the pub in 7 minutes and 32 seconds, not his best time, but not too bad. And in he strolled with a wide grin.

"Am I ta assume by that worthless little piece of metal ya gave me tha ya wanted ta see me?" He asked as he walked in the door, unaware if Rae was even in the room. The first person he saw though was not Rae, it was Calcus. And he had a drink.

Now that wouldn't normally be odd, but Karmine recalled something. Calcus didn't drink...he'd NEVER seen him drink. That and he did not look his normal self, Karmine couldn't picture Cal, even if he did drink, to be one to drink alone.

"Ok...what'd ay miss?"

[cal]

"Alack, for fair maiden hath left me thither,
to sit at thee pub an' wither,
as I slowly drown myself in drink,
further into despair do I sink,
wither my happiness doth lie,
knoweth not she nor I,
but to love again, I doth strive,
that feeling, oh, to be alive."

Leave it to Cal to start reciting poetry off the cuff, in a slightly archaic tongue. He took another sip of his drink, wishing it were the stronger stuff of times past. These things always seemed to fade with time, and it simply did not please the Fae.

Really he didn't feel too good period. It had been a few weeks since he'd received the note, and Cal had reverted back to his vagabond ways. Which meant roaming streets, begging for handouts and handing out advice. Life as it had been before Minerva.

He sincerely considered seeking out Riana. But in truth, Cal was beginning to grow weary of women. Clearly they were more trouble then they were worth, and Cal's attempt at forging a relationship had gone down in flames. Better to salvage what he could from the wreckage and move on with his life.

Time to think,
Time to drink.
Time to sink.

[Raelena St. John]

Rae shot Karmine a weary look as the Faerie entered. In her estimation he hadn't fully understood the technology, and she made a mental note to have someone with more patience go over the intricacies of it again. Kennedy sounded like a likely candidate. Maybe he could even pick up Telepathy and just shove the instructions into Karmine's mind.

"Tha's pretty much wha' ye missed," grumbled the rock star, waving at the poetry reciting Cal. "He's been in here since I opened, doin' tha' s**t an' botherin' th' hell oota me. I disnae need tha' rubbish right now."

Rae snorted, and glared daggers at Cal. If looks could kill.

"Bleedin' arse picked th' wrong d**m pub ta go an' drink at. An' th' wrong d**m subject ta moan aboot," she spat, "th' sooner he leaves, th' better I'll feel."

She turned her angry eyes on Karmine now, "An' ye ken him, righ'? At least ye ken more aboot him then I. So get rid o' him."

Rae waved at the Fae insistently, giving him one last dirty look.

[Karmine de Arcadia]

Ok, so time to play connect the dots.

Calcus was in a bar, crying about losing a woman. Well he was engaged to a very possessive woman, that could only be a strain on his natural wanderer nature. Hell, it was one of the main reasons Karmine never settled down. But what had Cal done to earn this ire, Karmine didn't know. Maybe nothing and Minerva just grew tired of him, women could be like that sometime. Karmine didn't know grace and tact in situations like this, so he hopped over onto the stool next to Cal and popped his flask open, taking a long draw.

"That's tha problem with building a castle on an icy foundation, a little shake an everythin falls apart." He remarked without any change in normal Karmine attitude. "So let's 'ave a toast to everythin coming full circle, we meet again as we met for the first time, two aimless wanderers working down tha path of life."

He smirked, extending the flask sideways. "I think that, at least, is worth drinkin to."

Well, might as well start it off.

"So what brings ya down here?"

[cal]

For a few moments it didn't even appear as if Cal noticed Karmine. He simply stared ahead, expressionless. Then the corner of his mouth just quirked upward.

"Ice slides, my friend, moves along the path of least resistance, hard to pin down something like that," mused Cal. He tapped his fingers on the bar, then looked at them, then tapped them again. "Alas, who's to say that life does not go in a circle. You an' I, my friend, having met over an' over again. Eternally we return to this same spot to redo the same actions. Or perhaps we are reborn into finer bodies, you a camel, I a sheep. Then the sheep an' camel dream of meeting in a bar, an' their owners think both insane."

Cal chuckled, wrapping his hand around his drink.

"Many things have brought me to this path. The main event? Why, the lack of a current home," Cal turned to Karmine, smiling and raising an eyebrow, "I am here because I am not somewhere else, obviously. An' people say I'm a fool."

[Karmine de Arcadia]

"Tha only person I ever heard call ya a fool was yerself. Well, thar was another, but I'm sure ya know that already." He added waving his hand. "Lack o' a home eh? I know what thats like, been there maself for some time 'fore I decided to take a job for a few decades or so. The good ol' days eh? Was once a time when a man could make his life bein an aimless vagabond. No more though, such a sad turn of events."

He took another drink.

"And Ill assume, from years o' experience, that what brought you here was what brings many a mortal man down to the drink. Possession."

He leaned back as if reminded of something. "Everythin good in the world, all thins we enjoy, all of em fall apart when you add one word to em. Owenership. Tha second you start seeing somethin as yours, ya get jealous if someone else looks at it, and then it leads way to anger and problems. Nay, not worth it. Sometimes ya gotta claim ownership o'er somethin, like this." He said raising his flask for a second. "But claiming possesion of a person, they are yours and you are theres and all that, it's just foolish. Life's too short to waste with ownership an such. People need ta learn to share, life's a game, and some people may like ta play with just one person all the time, but I don't, and I doubt you do either."

Another sip to refresh his throat. "Does this mean we dun like the people we play with as much? Nae, jus means that we know the dangers possession brings, and decide to avoid em, and focus on tha fun times."

It made sense to him, so maybe it made sense to Cal. Ya never knew.

"Ya ken it?" He said, imitating Rae.

[cal]

"Thy accent ringeth false, my fine friend," intoned Cal dryly, though he now looked at Karmine and smirked, "though thy words ring true enough. Verily, thou mayst have struck to the very heart of thee matter. But pray, tis is a hard thing when love gets in the way. Thee heart is a fine vessel, though it oft crashes."

Sighing, Cal propped his head on one hand, leaning against the bar. With the other he grandly gestured.

"Twas not a one-sided possession either, my dear little friend," explained Cal, grinning. "For as they say, a cat may look to a king. But truly, this cat doth turn his eyes on the queen, an' lo, could he make her purr."

He had to wink at that, chuckling. "Tis probably my problem, my friend. Twould be easy enough to return to my old ways. But I hath traveled that path before. The path of freedom an' self-ownership. I honestly now wish to give a portion of myself an' try a new path. well, try again, in truth. But therein lies the problem. Fully killing the old me is truly an impossible task, as much I would strive to do so. An' thy sister doth attract thee eye a goodly deal."

Cal wiggled his eyebrows at that. "Though I suspect I do encounter a similar vexation should I turn that way. Perhaps I should take after our fine hostess an' consider my own sex. Twould be the easiest route, I suspect."

Again Cal's hand went to his glass, though he made no move to drink. Instead he simply smiled ruefully, turning to look straight ahead again.

[Karmine de Arcadia]

Karime listened to Cal with interest, and smirked at the part at making the queen purr. He would make a remark like that. He then took another drink, and almost spit it out in surprise at the next line.

He managed to catch himself, and swallowed hard. Gasping as he looked at him as if he was insane.

"Riana?! Are you SERIOUS?!" All form of accent had dropped from his voice, he never would have imagined them together. It was too odd to even consider, especially because she was the head of Minerva's gua-Wait...

"Cal...did something happen between you and my sister? Damned if I care, she's old enough to handle herself...but something about this whole situation doesn't make sense...Minerva knew what you were like, so it can't be she just got tired, that's quick even for us. And you are so, which means you didn't seek to do it, so what happened?"

Now he was somewhat serious, that tended to happen when you brought up his only existing family. She had a knack for ruining a good time. Still, her and Calcus? Oh if there was any truth to that he would be teasing her mercilessly.

And she'd probably beat Calcus because of it.

Karmine slumped his head into his hands. "Why do I get the feeling that this whole situation just got a lot more complicated?"

[cal]

"Ye lost ye accent fir a bit there, mate," drawled Cal, again grinning at his friend. He bounced his eyebrows, then gave his glass a jaunty little spin, finally flipping it over, the liquid pouring all over the bar.

"Nothing of note has occurred between your sister an' I. Just two cats meowin' at each other as they pass. Mutual interest expressed by not acted upon," he winked at Karmine, chuckling again. "But Minerva found out about little flirtations an' painted her own little picture. Probably lookin' for ways to get rid of me."

He winked at Karmine one last time, then flipped his glass over. One hand went to the puddle of alcohol, soaking his palm in it. Slowly he turned it vertical, watching the liquid drip from it, smiling.

"Things are rarely uncomplicated, my friend," said Cal. He placed both palms together, again chuckling. "We're people, an' people are rarely simple. Though honestly, love is the most complicated relationship of all. Tis quite interestin', an' if I weren't involved, I'd be laughing by now."

He tapped the liquid again, listening to the little splashes.

[Karmine de Arcadia]

Karmine made no effort to regain his accent, at this point he really didn't care. This was troublesome...if Minerva didn't trust her consort and the head of her own guard...this was bad...

"I hope, for her sake at least, that Minerva is still acting rational. It wouldn't be the first time I fought royalty for friends and family. I need to talk to Riana, but...agh no I can't. If I tell her she'll never believe me, think I am trying to trick her, she's got one hellofa stubborn streak, calls it 'loyalty' or some such rubbish. Never learned what the word even met she did."

"If Minerva thinks something happened between you two, and she is attacking you for it, it'll be a short time till she makes a move on my sis. And as stubborn as she is, she prolly won't even resist it, it's just her damn obedient nature. Ah DAMN IT!"

Karmine never cursed. He didn't like to show such emotion, it ruined the fun. Anger, love, such were fun emotions. Frustration was not. He slammed his fist on the counter for emphasis.

"My family helped cause one revolution in my lifetime, I'd really rather avoid a second... Ok, best case, Minerva releases her from service, and I have to deal with a manic depressive psycho dominatrix, I can deal with that..."

"Worst case..." He paused. "She decides that such a crime is punishable by death...and that turns really ugly really fast."

"Calcus, do me a favor, if you are going to flirt around, next time make sure you don't do it with royalty. They never think straight. Ok, possible kingdom crisis, and we three are the only ones who see it coming, any ideas on how to avoid what's forming from the ripples?"

Since when was he so serious?

Simple, family.

[cal]

Yes, the weight of the matter had sank in for Cal. He simply wasn't showing it, as he always did in situations like this. It just wasn't worth his effort.

"I'm not certain that Minerva is going to punish Riana," he offered, waving a hand, "but I wouldn't put it past her. She's quite possessive, our queen."

He chuckled, patting the spilled alcohol again. It held great interest for him, as he stared at it, whispering. Soon his hand was frozen to the bar, the alcohol hardened around it.

"Mayhaps we can avoid anything," he mused. "If I were to, say, offer myself up to Minerva. Fling my poor self upon her mercies, claiming her as my one an' only. You know."

He locked eyes with Karmine, "Tell her what she wants to hear. Anyway, if I do that, then perhaps we can simply continue along our chosen routes. I'm sure they'll be plenty of sexual tension betwixt myself an' your dear sister. But things of that nature are always there."

He mused for a few seconds, smiling slyly, "You could always attempt to seduce Minerva. That would be fun to watch."

[Karmine de Arcadia]

Karmine listened to Cal speak, sure there was a chance in his idea but.

"Any future built upon a lie can only lead to further destruction, it's collapse inevitable." He said in a rare moment of seriousness. "It's impossible to use a lie to make a good future for anyone, especially not for people of our age. What good would you throwing yourself at Minerva do? Even if she believed it, would you? You have to weight your options in this Calcus. My sister would tell me that one should do what is best for everyone, but it's not her life to live. We make the choices we are happiest with."

He seemed to have made his decision. "So you have to do what you want to, regardless of what it may be, and all we can do is deal with what comes as it comes. I'd never get angry at any man or women for doing what they wanted too, even if it means we come to violence. Just cause ya fight someone doesn't mean ya have to hate em after all."

At Cal's remark about him trying to seduce Minerva he grinned. "The dominating women might be your type, but Minerva ain't really mine. 'Sides, I'd be a little afraid for her safety if I started flirting with her. I can think of two women off the top of my head who'd bring up arms about that. One to Minerva, and one to me."

"Agh, I'm 300 years too old for all this drama."

[cal]

"Our whole foundation of existence is built upon lies," offered Cal. He waved a hand, smiling to himself. "All men are created equal. Inner peace lies within. You can buy happiness. True love conquers all."

He chuckled, moving one hand over to pick at the frozen appendage. It drew all his attention, and for several seconds he didn't respond to Karmine, didn't even look at the other man. Then he picked up the conversation as if he hadn't stopped.

"Lies become truth, if you tell them often enough," he pointed out. He turned to smile ruefully at his companion. "Besides, I really don't have a 'type.' I am, or was, with Minerva because she's beautiful, engaging, an' fascinates me. Your sister."

He chuckled again. "Your sister has many similar qualities. Then again, I also was intrigued by my old employer, Elle, an' she had little in common with either Faerie."

He whispered again, and the snow and ice crumpled. He wiggled the fingers, looking up at Karmine. "Drama's the spice of life, my friend! After several centuries, it's fun to have it every once in a while."

[Karmine de Arcadia]

"As fickle as the breeze." Karmine said sighing. "So what do we do now? Besides sit here and actually pay for drinks while making the bar owner want to throttle me?" He said, grinning at Rae.

"I mean, not like I mind playing it by ear, but sometimes it's good to have a plan." He then thought.

"You don't even have a place to stay, why don't you take back a job with the Academy? It'll keep ya away from Minerva, and give ya a roof over your head. I'm sure you could teach a bunch of idiot kids something worthwhile. You've lived long enough, and seen more history, and have a good knack of what people do, you could always do something like that. Beats sitting on the street then? Hell, they even have people whose job is to give advice to people, and as I recall ya liked doing that for free." Well, time to get him out of the gutter, whatever happened after that would work itself out.