(So she'd rather just be...never mind....)

Celina: ...there is the distraction of Sir William's comment about overlaying his Paris on Rebma. She doesn't care to be overlayed--for some reason.

(Maybe the diplomatic corps would be a poor career choice)

Cambina: As for Aisling, I wouldn't recommend being her second unless you want to be up at the crack of dawn on a regular basis.

(Sort of a Tom Lehrer-Godzilla type dude)

Novak: Like a very sarcastic boyscout, Brennan always comes prepared.

(Mirror, mirror, and the fall)

Bleys: "If you were looking for someone who looked like you," he says to Brennan, "where would you look first?" There is something in his tone or phrasing that reminds Brennan very much of Dworkin's voice.

"In a mirror," Brennan says, almost without thinking.

(The next cover-boy for AQ)

Meera: I have determined that like all experienced Amberites, Marius has managed to make waiting with his hand out look like a completely natural and casual way to spend his time. In fact, he's got a pose and everything.

(Simple. He cheated.)

Aisling: Yeah, you didn't run into personal opposition from the royal house of Chaos before. I wonder how Corwin survived?

(Don't they teach this stuff in monarch school?)

Martin: The next time someone shows up to kill you, try not to run towards them. It'll make my life easier.

(But then again, they never did)

Reid: They sure don't make 'em like they used to...

Llewella: Princes of Amber, or coronations?

(De gustibus....)

Folly: Y'know, I'll bet that crap you usually drink would burn the nasties right out of his wound.

Jerod: Hey, the crap I drink would invite the little buggers to stay.

(Ask Conner - he sure wishes he'd used a tenderizer)

Celina: "As for eating a triton..." She leans against Sir William's shoulder as she is filling his plate with sauteed rim of viifish. She turns briefly to watch him. "...you don't want to do that, they are -very- chewy."

(Time, time, time, look what you've done to me....)

Blake: That depends I suspect on whether Jovian is actually trying to time it, or simply looking to motivate the help...:)

Mark: Alas, the only way Jovian can actually cause others to time it (without their own dragons) is to kick their a$$ into next Tirsday. Which, I suppose, counts as motivation.

(Cut! Roger, can we get a rewrite here?)

Robin: 'Hey, Solange. You, me, sisters forever.' Eeeeeewww. 'So what do you think Mom did that got her name wiped even more thoroughly than Unkie Brand's is going to be?' Probably not. 'Well, so you're the one that killed her. Not me.' Yikes! Definitely not!

(Gosh, sorry, didn't mean to....)

Random: "Hey!" he says accusingly to Martin. "You're bleeding!"

(And next we'll have the Bermuda Love Triangle....)

Meera: [OOC: All he knows about Vialle is that she's 1) lovely, and 2) from Rebma. Those two add up to: untrustworthy, probably a pirate at heart. Unless all those issues his mom left him of "Playrebman" really had it wrong. As a good member of the King's Navy, he's got to restrain her... and that gives him more thoughts that will someday get him in trouble with Random.]

(Depends...is it where she's keeping her brains ATM?)

Paige: "Merle, I know 'shifters can survive the loss of limbs, but what about their head?" she asks quietly. "'Cus I think Aisling's about to get hers bitten off."

(IOW, not my job to take the crack pipe away from Random....)

Vere raises an eyebrow at the idea of negotiating with an enemy who has so publicly demonstrated her willingness to invade the king's domain and attack his subjects, but refrains from comment.

(Punch and Marty, or, Aisling has gone bye-bye)

Aisling: "But if you'd rather attack Dara here in Amber, why, I'm willing to work on that, too -- we could have a puppet show!" Aisling's left hand, representing Dara, floats waveringly up as she intones its line, "Ambeeer weeeiill beeee destroooi--" and then the bits of her right hand fly up and smack it down with a resounding CLAP! And she grins with expansive, all-encompassing good spirits, barely short of laughing.

Madeline: She's gone off the deep end. But she's pleased to invite everyone, Martin included, to join her. Come on in! The water's fine! ;)

(Another such victory and we shall be undone)

Marius: Perhaps an Empress' grace could improve this situation?"

Folly: The way a spark improves gunpowder, perhaps.

(Extremism in the name of psycho hosebeast control is no vice)

Random: And, of course, they have full royal blessing if they have to strangle Dara with her own intestines to do so.

(Castle security is always in good taste)

Merlin's eyes go wide. "She has eaten a guard?"

(More career advice, by counterexample)

Lilly: Uncle Julian still managed to make her uncomfortable. Her almost killing his son had gotten their relationship off to something of a bad start.

(The Cavity Creeps are at the gates!)

Blake: This might be a Masquerade, but for him it's just warfare in disguise.

Karen: Dude, this is Jerod. Brushing his teeth is warfare in disguise.

(Her reputation exceeds her)

Jerod (to Lilly): "I was curious to see whether Paige had worn off on you or not." Jerod says with a smile. "But you have your father's directness. There is hope for you yet."

(Oh, and yours was so very functional)

Brennan (re: the Winters): "What a peculiar family."

(Memo to Gilt: Livery for castle servants shall include tight orange t-shirts)

Jovian: "Some refreshment, dear Lady?" He offers her a wing.

Karen: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! I guess Random had some say over the catering after all.... ;)

(I'd like to be, under the skir--ahem, sea....)

Marius: "Ah, but I am not in the fool's role," he gestures towards the Harlequin. "I merely find the most joy in that which is simple, slipping in and out of the moist..." he touches his tongue to his upper lip, "...waves," he finishes. He laughs aloud. "And cracking open oysters, although I have no need for pearls." He chuckles again.

"Then the simple joy you find in them is to taste of their soft insides?" Folly ventures with a grin. Yes, she's definitely blushing now.

(Out of character but so in character....)

Kris: Paige puts her arm around Lilly's back, pulling her close. He nimble fingers find the clasp for Lilly's silken sheath and releases it. The moonlight is striking on Lilly bare shoulder as the dress falls to the garden path. "I thought you'd never ask, Lilly. Let me show you," Paige whispers warmly into her ear as they...

All together now... We blame Meera. [weg]

(I, Lucas, do for myself and my airs....)

Karen: I, Lucas, son of a bitch, do swear to you the same fidelity I give my lovely wife. I will bear you true allegiance, humoring your whims with a minimum of disdain from this hour forward until my death or until I fall out of fashion -- which, I promise you, would be the end of the world.

(And all this time we were worried about Brand)

Novak: Then it is time for all those long centuries of plotting and planning to come to fruition-- In a lightning fast movement, Brennan reaches out and snatches the Jewel with his left hand, stabbing Random with the blade in the right, trumping away on the wings of his conspirat--

Wait. Wrong campaign.

(Inspiring lyrics, but you can't dance to it)

"I, Folly, daughter of none and of all,
Do humbly pledge my fealty to Amber and her King,
upholding your authority through whatsoever time and fate may bring,
'til death shall make her claim on me or the last tower falls."

"I, Random the King, do witness your oath and bind you withal.
I swear I will defend you and uphold your rights
from those who would harm you, with all my might,
'til death shall make her claim on you or the last tower falls."

(Just what we need...Ossian haunting the castle until the world ends...)

Random: I, Random the King, hear your oath, and shall remember. And I do swear that I will defend you and yours from every creature, with all my power, until your death or the world ends. You're allowed to slack off if you die.

Ossian: "That's generous, but can you afford it?" Ossian murmurs quietly.

(♫ Cause waking up is hard to do... ♫)

Meera: Marius wakes from his blood-stained reverie at the knock. He looks at the sprawl of what remains of poor Amethyst and quickly palms the knives, the way Caine showed him. He answers the door with an oblique, "I'm awake," and turns back to survey his `work.'

[TAKE TWO]

(She must be on Vialle's payroll)

Chuck: [Reid has] actually made an effort to clean up for the occasion. It's not entirely clear if that was his own idea, or the influence of his new secretary.

(A trick certain others we know could stand to learn)

Aisling: "Why, in Chaos we practice the most traditional of arts, that of keeping one's heart in a secret location." He delivers that with Benedictine tranquility. You can't actually tell if he's joking.

(Marius has certainly...changed....)

Novak: What is conjury and probability manipulation for, if not prancing around in your dead mother's clothing?

(But the Pattern does sort of look like spaghetti...)

Lucas: Metaphysics is all one big blob from the standpoint of catering.

(You're positive this isn't SWtE...?)

GM: ...but the human mouth is a cesspit of germs. Of course, it's still better than nothing, and it's not like the conditions are ideal.

Leslie: Ah, but what of the One True Mouth?