Dual Melodies – Description Assignment
Part of my 2YN assignments is to describe my main characters from the POV of someone who isn’t them. Here is your first view of what the characters of Dual Melodies will look like. Let me know what you think! I could really use come constructively info on what you think about the scene! Please follow this link to leave a comment.
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Ronae sat back against one of the plush couches and held her cup up to her lips. She drank only a sip, but held her cup there and tilted her head back. Court Fashion considered it ‘tacky’ to not be a little drunk by the third course, but Ronae wanted to be clear headed tonight and those who refused to indulge weren’t invited back. In her line of business, that would amount to career suicide.
“That’s the Naini, isn’t it?” Sadi was pretty and her words slurred. She wasn’t faking it.
Ronae denied herself the urge to perk up as she saw one of the people she’d been waiting for. The girl was blonde, curvy and she was an average height for women in the court today. Glancing at the woman’s shoes, she noticed they had a very short heel. Ronae changed her assessment of average height to slightly taller than. The simple blue dress she wore stood out among the rest of the women’s darker, more vibrant colours. Her hair was light and short compared to the current fashion. Ronae stacked up the woman with the information she’d been able to dig up on the Naini and decided that this couldn’t be her. The outfit wasn’t expensive enough and though she was pretty, she seemed unused to the finery around her.
“I don’t think so, Sadi. She must be someone else.” Sadi frowned and tried hard to think. The amount of wine she’d already drunk couldn’t have made it any easier. Pleased at her own deductive skills, but annoyed at finding the wrong person, Ronae dismissed her from further consideration.
Her date, Jon broke the tension with another bad joke, taking the attention off Ronae, and she laughed. The joke wasn’t funny, but only someone sober would have realized that. Besides, the inane conversation allowed Ronae to ignore most of it and run through what she knew of the Naini instead.
Edoe Naini had defeated the Dead Armies nearly a millennia ago. A son of God, his blood had the power to neutralize them. Unfortunately, the problem was a recurring one and now Naini’s bloodline had become diluted enough that only one descendent could call upon their blood’s power to save them. Seventeen year old, Rapture Dorae was that one. At least, according to the priests who had made a point over fussing around with everyone who had a connection to the now dead Naini family.
She paused, seeing a flash of dark purple in the corner of her vision. Turning, her jaw dropped and her hand clenched her wineglass tightly. Her breath came faster and she drained what was left in her cup in a single gulp. She regained her focus as a waiter refilled her cup, smirking at the layer of wax in the bottom.
‘That, Sadi, is the Naini.’ Sadi turned over to look and Ronae let her eyes wander over the woman’s form.
A bit shorter than current fashion preferred everything else about her was perfect. Her hair gleamed, so light that it may have been white instead of blonde. It floated behind her almost creating a corona around the thin, willowy form. Every movement of the woman had an almost physical response in the people around her. Ronae gasped when the girl laughed, her breasts bouncing uncontrolled in the dark, thin fabric of her dress. She smiled at a man who gave up his wine glass to her, though by the red in her cheeks she had drunken quite enough already.
Ronae sat back, realizing that she’d perked forward as though she’d never been trained to control herself. She’d never had such a physical response from someone before, never seen a woman who radiated sex and desire with every movement she made. While she watched, her mind rifling through the implications, Lord Anonn’s third son Malin stepped up to the Naini. Though she sat across the room, she could hear his words clearly.
“I think you may have had enough to drink, my Lady. Perhaps I can take you to a room where you can rest?” Though his words were kind, his meaning was clear. The Naini giggled conspiratorially.
“Yes… I’d love to. You’ll help me find someplace… suitable?”
The Naini’s fingers walked up Malin’s chest and Ronae looked away embarrassed as Malin grinned. Sadi yelped as the two began heading towards the private rooms, “She can’t mean what I thought she meant, can she, Ronae?”
Ronae took another sip of her wine and shrugged nonchalantly.”It seems to me that she means exactly that.”
“But Malin can’t.” Sadi railed. “He’s engaged to marry Sirin. She’s my friend. More importantly, she’s here! Her family won’t stand for this…”
“It will be quite the scandal. And it won’t be only Sirin’s reputation that takes the hit.” Ronae looked at her date in surprise. It was the most intelligent and coherent thing Jon had said all night. He raised his eyebrow at her and grinned. Ronae blushed as she realized that she’d been outplayed. Putting his cup down, Jon stood and held out his hand.
“Shall we dance, Ronae?” She took his hand and then stepped onto the floor. Glancing at his own goblet, she saw a bit of wax in the bottom, before the servant arrived to refill both.
‘What are you playing Jon?’ She said as they danced away from their friends. He smiled at her.
‘You won’t be able to see what happens from our table, my dear. This gives you a reason to be up and about.’ While Ronae was still trying to see through his sudden change, Jon tripped on the rug, flinging her to the wall. She caught it, but slid to the floor. Jon moved to stand near her at the wall. “My dear, I’m sorry, are you alright?” Ronae would have been annoyed, but he conveniently positioned himself to block her observation of the Naini from prying eyes.
From behind Jon, a low green heel and a green hem that stopped too high to be fashionable stomped by. Ronae glanced at her and blanched, unable to look away.
The woman had skin the shade of parched dirt and her hair was an oily shade of mud, just long enough to cover her ears. The too-short dress couldn’t hide the woman’s huge leg muscles and whatever dressmaker had decided to leave the girls arms bare must never have seen them. There was no grace to her, only hardness. She seemed tall until she got close to the Naini who stood a few inches taller. Ronae couldn’t understand how she had ever thought her tall and decided that it was due the woman’s imposing presence. Her small form radiated violence and Ronae unkindly thought that she would have been more comfortable in a soldiers dress uniform. Jon’s assessment agreed with hers as he muttered under his breath, “Putting that one up in a dress is like putting a pink bow on your favourite canon. The ruse isn’t going to fool anyone.”
The woman stopped in front of the Naini. “Rapture, come with me.” Her tone was harsh, more used to a battlefield than the ballroom. Malin stepped in front of Rapture, though she obviously knew this monster in green.
“The lady needs a bit of rest. You should return to the party.” Malin’s voice was quiet and the Naini giggled, drunkenly, behind him, “Yes, a relaxing massage…” Ronae had to stop herself from imagining Rapture moaning under a set of artful hands. She’d never been attracted to a woman before and admitted to herself that she found the feeling unsettling.
The woman tried to move past Malin as if he hadn’t spoken. “I’m taking you back to Crystal.”
Malin moved to stop her and the woman reacted, almost instinctively to the perceived attack. She picked up Malin and tossed him into at a wall, like a street urchin the guards had just caught picking someone’s pocket in the marketplace. Except of course, that Malin was no tiny street urchin. He was a grown man and enjoyed keeping himself not only fit, but muscular. That there was no comparison between the two boggled Ronae’s mind.
“Talia!” Rapture’s voice was annoyed but not shocked. It was clear that this type of behavior from her friend wasn’t new. A handsome man with darker brown hair and a ready smile seemed to appear out of nowhere, stopping any further outbursts. Speaking quietly to Rapture, he led her away from Talia, past Ronae who took Jon’s hand to help her up. She got up in time to see the attractive man clearly. Tall, sharp features, thin eyebrows and large expressive eyes. His eyelashes were entirely unfair on a man and he wore a plain hat topped with the longest blue feather she’d ever seen. Rapture fell against the woman in the light blue dress that Sadi had identified as the Naini and Ronae assumed that she must have been Crystal.
“Thank you, Richard.” She untangled Rapture’s hands from her waist while Rapture whined about how mean Talia and Richard were being to her and the nice man she’d been with.
Richard bowed, grace incarnate and spoke to a passing maid. “My companion requires one of your strongest Coccai drinks.” The maid nodded, then realized who he wanted it for and blushed red. The handsome man disappeared back into the crowd as Talia walked up to Rapture and Crystal. Ronae tried to watch where he went through the crowd, but the man was a master and she lost sight of him quickly. Jon helped her walk back to her table, past the now crying Naini.
“I hope you got what you needed Ronae. I would hate for people to think that I couldn’t dance by having to pitch you into another wall.”
Ronae grinned up at him. “Oh, I don’t think it will be necessary, Jon.” She kissed him on the cheek. She could tell that now the Naini and her protectors in the city, life in the Capital was about to get much more interesting.