Thread: Bright Young Thing ::: {Prince of Smut & Ariamella}

RE Bright Young Thing Prince Ariamella Scarlett sat near the back of the room, admiring a painting that hung tastefully on the far wall before standing to get a closer look. Just by looking at the expert brushstrokes it was obvious that it had cost something of a small fortune, and even she had the refinement of appreciating great art. Beautiful yellow, orange and pink hues softly tinged the sunset sky within the frame, and some sort of large, pale-brown brick building stood as the only erect form of civilization against the rolling hills of agricultural greenery. In the background, a silhouette of a mountainous landscape was painted softly in the distance, and the whole scene struck her as some sort of dream land out of Europe. She raised her hand to touch the oil painting and- and a sudden uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, the very same feeling that appeared whenever something was wrong.... Her hand dropped to her side as she turned around, the frills and beads on her dress swishing this way and that at the sudden movement. Ahem.. The interruption caught her off guard, abruptly breaking the silence but not in a rough, unwanted way. Oh my. She had been expecting some thuggish, greasy man to come forth and demand answers as to why she and Penelope had been evading the house edge on all the games they had played, but the man who spoke was neither thuggish or greasy. In fact, he appeared to be of high status himself, as his well-tailored suit and leather shoes did not go unnoticed by the cool blue eyes that had been trained at a young age to look for class in the way men dressed. As her eyes roamed up to look his face, they were matched with such intensity that she had to look away for a moment, and she immediately recognized the sinking feeling in her abdomen. He was tall, dark and handsome with classic good looks, and from past experience Scarlett knew this probably meant trouble... trouble with an easy face and impeccable fashion. What really held her attention though was the strong, clean-shaven jaw that supported the man's charming, effortless smile. It matched the rest of his chiseled features, boyish as they were, and she found herself starting to smile back. Even as he gestured for them to sit down, he never once lost the air of confidence that surrounded him he was obviously an important man and was perfectly okay with making that known. She stayed silent during his introduction, only noting that this juice joint was his club, and that his first name was instantly recognizable as Italian. Her eyes flicked over to the painting on the wall before locking with his brown eyes again, this time holding the gaze even after the waiter's mild interruption. I don't exactly recall agreeing to have a drink with you, she mentioned with slight amusement but accepted the proffered drink anyway, replacing its spot on the table with her empty glass. She shrugged in an uninterested way before continuing, Penny and I just seem to have a stroke of good luck at those kinds of activities. I mean, it's really more of her hobby than mine, but I don't mind offering my assistance when I can. Scarlett withheld the exchange of her name by falling into an almost uncomfortable silence while she pondered on what name to give. It had to be something common enough that it could easily be mixed in with a mass of other female names but unique enough that she could remember it... My name is Ruby, she finally said, thinking herself clever for choosing one that was similar to her own in terms of color. This is quite the club you have running here. It certainly is the bee's knees... Anyway, as I told the gentleman who took the time out of his evening to keep me here in the most ungentlemanly way possible, Lady Luck is just kinder to some of us than others. Perhaps she just decided not to smile upon your club tonight. And that is a shame indeed... Scarlett looked away now, a flash of regret washing over her face for just a moment as she rethought her words, silently kicking herself over her cheeky tongue. Oh well, there was nothing to be done that could reverse it. May I ask why you take interest in me? Sure I've had more than a couple runs of good fortune but- a pause ensued while she frowned the stirring feeling in her stomach shot up in intensity, and she was immediately aware that something else was wrong, though she couldn't pin exactly what it was. ... But I don't think it's terribly unusual, don't you think?