Ghosts (Kero)

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#C9C06e;border:3px #C9C06e ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#9E943E]

[ Avelina ]

Are you sure you don't want to take a few servants? Be careful. Be back at a decent hour. Try to have fun. He's a really nice guy. You'll like him. You need a boyfriend. Avelina Egilart wasn't sure how many times she'd heard all these things even today, let alone before. The last one, in particular, was drilled into her head constantly, to a point she honestly just wanted to slap her mother on occasion. She knew the woman was only worried for her, but seeing as she couldn't tell her the truth to explain, it did become exceptionally annoying.

That was all right though. Today would be all right. She did have slightly higher hopes than usual. The man she was being set up with today was a friend of her father's rather than tracked down by the girls. It was someone he really wanted her to meet, which spoke highly of the man's character indeed. Perhaps not until she'd apparently seemed so down (actually it was more annoyed) about Alaric's latest catch he'd drug home, but still.. Of course, the downside was he could be ugly as sin, because daddy wasn't really concerned about that, but eh. Ava wasn't too strong on looks anyway. Aside from that, the place ought to be fun. They were supposed to be headed to Evergreen for dinner and a movie or the like; that was where she was supposed to be headed now. Instead, Ava picked up her phone, dialing the number she'd been given to contact the man. "Hey. Change of plans."

=====

So now here she stood, Beside her, Jonah the Venomoth clung to a broken piece of pillar or something similar here not far from the entrance. She didn't really mind the wait. She'd given him such late notice, after all. So long as he showed up eventually she'd be fine. "Think we'll find any treasure?" she teased the bug casually, receiving an annoyed eye-roll in the process.

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[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] A change of plans… Lance had no issues with the change. It was far different form what was originally planed and nothing like Lance would normally give for a date. Yet somehow it was a nice change of pace. The only issue it had caused was his choice of attire. For the meal and movies his usual fancy suits would work. For a walk in an old temple, well, he didn’t feel his choice of clothing was suitable. It had forced him to return to his hotel to change again. This time he had chosen to wear almost the same outfit he had worn when visiting the Tower. A white jacket with black stitching. A black, almost skin tight sleeveless shirt and long black pants with a belt to hold it all up. He knew the place they were heading to could be dangerous and he also knew it could be harsh. So, with little thought on the matter, he brought along a sword that would sit by his side until needed. He wasn’t overly skilled with a sword but he knew enough to use it properly. Once he was dressed, he left again, knowing he was a bit late. Surely she would understand and if not it was no big deal. He wasn’t expecting this girl to be anything special. He had only agreed to the date with her because he had not wanted to be rude to her father. He had made good friends with the man and he wanted to keep it that way for now. The more nobles who trusted him the better. It was true, Lance had been trying to woo another woman before this but she wouldn’t know about this date. If this date turned out better than Ruka well, he would just dump the breeder. He had no issues with breaking hearts. After all, he did it often. However, he wasn’t going to make such calls yet. He hadn’t even seen the woman yet. For all he knew there could be a very good reason as to why she was single in the first place. Fonally he arrived, his dark blue eyes scanning the area around him as he made his way towards the main entrance of the temple. That’s when he saw her. The beautiful blond woman. He knew right off that it had to be her. In some ways she looked like her father. Beauty was a check but what about the rest? She had sounded sweet enough on the phone but Lance knew better than to rely on that alone. “I am, Lance Rossi.” He introduced himself once he made his way up to the girl. Just as he always did when attempting to woo or impress a woman, he gave a small bow, taking her hand and lightly pressing a kiss upon it. When he stood up straight again a rather soft smile slipped onto his lips. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#C9C06e;border:3px #C9C06e ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#9E943E]

[ Avelina ]

For what must have been at least half an hour, the young noblewoman simply stood there patiently, mostly just reviewing theories and studies she'd read on this place and daydreaming of the last and only time she'd been before. Really, she didn't mind in the slightest, though. Her only problem was that her nice pale-blue-fading-to-brown dress would get dirty if she sat down. She was on her feet more than some noblewomen at least; it was just a mild annoyance when she actually became aware of it.

When her date finally arrived, she honestly didn't notice him until he was just about ten feet away, though she did not allow herself to look surprised. She'd known he was coming, after all, and getting lost in thought was hardly new. Ava surveyed this once-heir as she accepted his gesture and greeting, holding a small smile of her own. He was tall and good-looking and had a nice voice, all good. Of course, that hair and the instant romanticism did make her mentally facewall, but she wouldn't judge him on such superficial similarities just yet.

"Avelina Egilart," she responded in her typical small, demure voice. She knew she must have sounded so much more confident on the phone, even if not exactly brimming with boldness then, but it was rather easier speaking to someone when one didn't have to see their reactions immediately. It was also easier to forget oneself and expectations. With a small curtsy, she added, "Pleasure to meet you, Lord Rossi.." The Venomoth just sat on his perch a few feet away, watching the two half-heartedly.

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[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lord Rossi… he couldn’t remember the last time someone used that formality. In an odd way it was soothing and yet at the same time he hated it. He knew the reason he had the title from her had nothing to do with the accomplishments he had made but simply because of his birth right. “A pleasure.” he replied calmly before adding, “That title belongs to my brother now, please, just call me Lance.” He hadn’t realized it until now that this date was going to be slightly harder than their original plain. Dinner and movies was much easier to appear proper and to hide ones true intentions. Being out in the middle of no where, where unexpected things could happen at any time was much harder. Sure, unexpected things could happen on a regular date as well, but that was less likely. Right now he knew nothing about this woman. Did she have strong outlook on the nobles and the rebellion? Was she one of those sickening people who believed pokemon were more than just animals with useful powers? From what he could judge so far she was living off her fathers money. Not that he expected any different from a woman. It was at least better than running off in an attempt to find a job. From what little he knew about her brother though… “I have to apologize for this,” By this he was claiming the date, “Your father had sounded rather insistent that I meet you. Though I have to admit,” Lance turned, his eyes scanning the area around them, landing on the moth for a moment before falling back onto her, “I did not see myself standing here today. It is a rather peculiar first date.” He smiled then, his usual fake, innocent smile that he learned to do so well even before his family was eliminated. It was the smile that most ladies told him was his charmer. He would be hesitant to believe them but it seemed to work every time. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#C9C06e;border:3px #C9C06e ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#999039]

[ Avelina ]

Ava blushed rather deeply as a slight 'oh shit' reflex kicked in. Averting her eyes to the ground and away, she hurriedly mumbled in her tiny dove's voice, "Ah- I'm sorry.. I.. thought if you didn't want to you'd say something on the phone and-.." She huddled a little and turned slightly, half in true embarrassment and half playing up the role of the innocent. "I just... don't really get to go out much... And I'm such a terrible trainer." And that was full and complete truth. Jonah had actually been raised by Van, and when Van released him for her to catch, she'd actually had to have Alaric do that for her.

"W-..we don't have to stay if you don't want.. I.. just hoped..." She looked up to him with hopeful but sad eyes. "You might be willing to protect me..? So I could explore a little?" Jonah, who knew entirely too well just how aggressive his trainer could be even if she was inexperienced with Pokemon, mentally laughed. Not that she didn't need protection in a place like this; just the way she asked amused him. "Ifyouwouldn'tmind.. It'suptoyou.."

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[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] So she was ‘that; kind of person. The innocent type who greatly did not want to get in the way of others. Lance could never figure out if those were acts right away or not. Mostly because it was usually a fifty, fifty chance that it was or wasn’t. Though those chances could be higher as the lies as he may have just never caught on that it was a lie. Girls were tricky. “I wouldn’t mind at the least.” Lance replied with that ever so soft smile, “It will make things more interesting. I find the same old routines for dates to grow boring anyway, wouldn’t agree?” With that said, Lance reached down to his belt, pushing his white jacket aside as he pulled out a pokeball. With a flash of red light after tossing the ball up into the air, an oddly coloured Sceptile appeared. “Vipin, Avelina.” Lance introduced them for the pure caution of not knowing where this woman stood on the views of pokemon. “Use flash to guide use through the temple.” He then commanded, the Sceptile giving him a nod, his tail starting to glow before he walked through the entrance of the old building. Lance then held out an arm for the young woman to take before preparing to following Vipin inside. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#C9C06e;border:3px #C9C06e ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#999039]

[ Avelina ]

At Lance's question, Ava opened her mouth to answer, but shut it again when he pulled out a PokeBall. Somehow, she actually jumped slightly at the formation of the Sceptile. In her mind she blamed the shock of the color, though really it was more that she just wasn't expecting something so big. "He's beautiful..." she murmured.

She then noticed and slightly reluctantly took his arm, forcing a faint smile. It was just a day. He seemed nice, and it would get her mother off her for a while. Anyway... It wasn't like she'd heard anything from Van in four years. She may as well try to enjoy herself a little, right..? "Though I eh.." She blushed. "I don't actually date much." Not in the traditional way anyway. She and Van always snuck around, and she'd done her best to avoid too much otherwise.

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[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] “Even more of a reason to follow your desires.” Lance replied as she claimed that she didn’t date often. He had the feeling that was the case with her anyway. If she did have dates often he doubted her father would have asked him to take her out. That or he figured she had interests in someone that her family didn’t approve of. Either way, Lance wasn’t expecting much out of her. He figured her to be like all the other arranged dates. It would be long and boring, lasting only until one of them knew they could get away with going home not too early, and not too late. Then they would probably never see each other again. If they did, most likely it would only be through the other family members. Or so, that’s how Lance was believing the night would turn out. He really had no imagination for these sorts of things. The possibility of love, or partnership just never seemed to cross his selfish mind. It was dark inside the temple, with over grown roots and vines lining the dark, damp walls and flooring. At least, through the entrance they had came in. Lance almost wondered if it would look more like a building or temple rather than a cave once they walked deeper inside. At least with the light from Vipin’s tail they could see where they walking. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#C9C06e;border:3px #C9C06e ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#999039]

[ Avelina ]

Within her mind, Ava gave a rather caustic laugh. As if she hadn't been trying her damnedest all this time. A little difficult to do anything when too much when she was concerned the object of her desires would be not only kept from her but harshly punished if her father found out about him. But she'd told herself she wasn't going to dwell.

Looking around at the temple, she took in all the scenery then. The details would have been different even if they weren't a blur in her mind, but the basic concept was just as she remembered. It was both calming and unnerving.. ... Sort of like the silence. Not that she was necessarily complaining, but she did want to be able to say she gave this an honest shot, even if most likely a poor one. "So... have you ever been here before..?"

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[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance found himself eyes bits and pieces of the walls of the temple as they walked, though he really didn’t see much that interested him. “I’ve been outside the temple before.” Lance replied, his eyes still looking at anything but her, “Never been inside though. Y-” He was just about to ask the same question when something under his foot suddenly sunk into the ground making a rather loud, ‘click’ sound. That sound was followed by a very loud rumbling before everything suddenly went silent again. “What was that?

[/b]” Lance asked, his eyes now wildly searching around. Even Vipin seemed worried and confused. “May-” Once again he was cut off as the ground below them suddenly began to crumble, causing him to lose balance as he fell. He hit the ground below with a rather loud thud as he landed on his back. It had been a story drop from where they had been originally. After the fall, Lance just laid there, his eyes shut and his face crunched in pain. At least it was obvious that he was still concise. What in the world had happened was beyond him, but he was far from happy about it. Vipin, who had managed to stay up on the other floor, leaned down the hole and looked at his master. He wasn’t sure if he should be jumping down with them or helping them back up.

[/color][/scrolly]
[bg=black][/td][/tr][/table][/center]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#C9C06e;border:3px #C9C06e ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#999039]

[ Avelina ]

Ava's eyes had grown wide and wary at the click, while her mind raced to find other possible answers: ones that didn't involve them-- And suddenly she was falling, and then a literally crashing wave of pain accompanied by a sharp but brief shriek. The small echo of this was the only sound afterward aside from their pained breathing. That clumsy! Fucking! IDIOT! How could he walk RIGHT THE HELL INTO--

The woman was less than pleased. The last time she'd been here, her guide knew what he was doing, and guided them so surely that she'd forgotten the place had traps until the clicking sound, having no memories of them herself and passively placing priority on experience over texts. Only two things really kept her from going off on him. Were it just the sake of appearance she was worried for now, Ava would have just told her mother the man was an oaf and taken whatever accusations of being too picky or whatever that she had.

But no, for one, she was the one that suggested this temple in the first place. He'd just said he'd never been inside, and she forgot her own textbook knowledge of it, so while she was still rather skeptic that he had any it wasn't proof. Logically, she couldn't claim it was really his fault, though that logic only took her actual feelings so far. Second, she was fairly certain she'd twisted or sprained something in that fall. If it was as serious as it felt- and she'd never more strongly hoped that she was just being paranoid- it was going to be impossible to hide it completely from her parents. She was going to need to lie about just how she managed to injure herself, and the odds of Lance joining her on it were significantly higher if she was on his good side. That meant she should probably be checking on him right about now.

Instead, she too just lay there in searing pain for a short while, whimpering slightly. Meanwhile, Jonah, who had been hovering along a few yards behind all the way, had reached the edge of the whole and peered down. After seeing Vipin was apparently conflicted, he gave a mental shrug (however a moth might shrug) and fluttered down into the dark hole. He gave a brief look to the man, then moved to the girl he'd sworn he'd protect. "...Jonahhh?" Avelina groaned. As a moth, he had no trouble seeing everything quite clearly, but at her question it occurred to him they may not be able to see much down here with the Sceptile still up above. He used his own Flash then, thorax lighting to make him look like some bastard firefly hybrid.

Finally, Ava managed to use Jonah's help to shift into a sitting position, looking and slightly leaning over toward Lance. "Are.... you okay....?" she somewhat squeaked, then letting out a small hiss as she tried to move more.

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[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] “A… moment.” Lance replied to her, his voice low with a half irritation as he lay there. The only reason he had been here was because of her and now he… no. He had to be the gentlemen about this. After all, he was the male and it was his duty to please the woman. So, very slowly, he pulled himself up into a sitting position. His head was spinning and his body was acing everywhere but he tried his best to ignore it as a hand lifted to head. Once the spinning slowed, his dark blue eyes shifted over to the girl. “I’m ok, but are you?” Lance asked, slowly standing himself up, still ignoring the throbbing pain rushing through his body. He leaned down slightly so she could wrap her arms around his neck, using his body as support so she could stand as well. It would depend on how badly she was hurt on whether or not he would have Vipin pull them up or if they would need find a new way out by walking. Finding a set of stairs couldn’t be too hard, right? Most likely the trap floor had been someone’s sick joke or something. Or maybe… “Are there other traps we should be aware of?” Lance then asked as he stood himself up, his dark eyes looking down the tunnel like hall. He was slightly curious if they had just happened to run into a trap room that no one else had discovered yet. Perhaps it had been completely missed for years. If that were true they could be one step closer to finding this ’hidden treasure’ that was supposedly hidden in the temple. That alone interested Lance. Treasure wasn’t always riches and gold. Perhaps it was a rare pokemon that no one else had been able to get to. A legendary pokemon… Getting his hands on one of those would be perfect. Imagine the power he would have if he could capture one and lock up it’s soul. No. He was just dreaming now. If there was a pokemon treasure all the way down here, he had a good feeling it would be powerful, but he doubted it would a legendary. That would just be too lucky. “Vipin!” Lance suddenly snapped as his eyes drifted back up to the Sceptile who was still just watching them from above, “Get down here.” He hadn’t realized it yet but he had let his ‘kind’ act slip a bit with that one command of the Sceptile. Normally he would have been more aware of himself but with the pain pulsing through his body he couldn’t help but grow a bit on edge. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#C9C06e;border:3px #C9C06e ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#999039]

[ Avelina ]

"Mm? I..." Ava had whimpered, watching as Lance got up and finding she somewhat admired his persistence. Of course, she was also quite aware somewhere that he just may not be as injured or have a naturally higher threshold for pain, either of which would make this admiration rather less justified, but at the moment she'd take what she could get to make this day seem better and hushed her logic.

She really didn't think she was all right at all, but as lovely as it was playing the part of the helpless innocent, there were certain boundaries between 'oh please help me' and being outright needy. While injury was usually fine, this soon after meeting without having already established herself as any particular view in his eyes rather encouraged her pride to take hold. She honestly doubted she'd be able to hide it, let alone for long at all, but hopefully just seeing that she was trying to be strong would make a good impression.

It took her a moment to realize just why Lance had probably knelt down, but she did finally pin it after a few seconds judging from the rest of his pose. She already had hold of Jonah, however, and simply motioned with her head to him before giving Lance a sweet if slightly skeptic 'thanks but I've got it' look. After receiving a sign of go-ahead, the Venomoth pulled his trainer to her feet, causing her to hiss again lightly, though she managed to suppress most of it. Once up, she had to lean to one side a bit to take some weight off her injured side, but tried to make it look as subtle and natural as possible.

Upon his question, she had found herself a little taken aback, thinking carefully. She knew the short answer: yes, the temple was known for traps. How to spot them, what other types may exist, and the best ways to avoid them, however, were all things she struggled to recall if she may know. Once the Sceptile had joined them- significantly brightening the hall now with both Pokemon-lanterns- she finally mumbled, "Mmhmm.. but I..." She blushed a bit, averting her eyes. "I don't really know much about them..."

Curse this lack of knowledge. After a few moments, she hesitantly added, "My... my last guide knew the temple really well, so we didn't actually run into any traps..." And what she wouldn't give to go back to that, for oh so many reasons. Looking around now that this corridor was so visible, she tried to determine if she may have been here before, but to no avail.[/blockquote][/td][/tr][/table]

[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance found himself frowning when she refused to take his offered hand. The foolish woman. Even as a noble the girl had not been properly raised to respect men. It didn’t matter if she needed help or not she should have taken his help. It was his duty as a man to help a fallen woman and she was denying him of that duty making him feel useless. Had she no respect at all? What was almost as bad as her denying his help was that she had no idea how to get out of the place yet she had been to the place before. Had the guide not told her there were traps in this place? He probably had and she hadn’t listened. It was ok… he would deal with this. He just needed to keep his cool and work things out. So, once again he looked up, seeing that Vipin hadn’t come down yet. That only caused him to lose his temper that slight bit more as he found himself snapping at the pokemon. “I said get down here, Now” The Sceptile almost grinned hearing Lance’s second, sharp demand, knowing all too well he was getting on his nerves. But, keeping his expression emotionless, Vipin finally hopped down, filling the room with light. You see, despite being together for so long, Lance and Vipin didn’t fully get along. Lance saw the pokemon as nothing more than servant and Vipin… well he saw his trainer as a cold hearted bastard. But who was keeping track of that? Either way, Vipin took advantage of making Lance show his true inner self whenever he got the chance even if it were only for a moment. “Well, lets make the best of this,” Lance replied to Avelina, his voice softening again “We can still explore some more as we find a way out. Will you be ok to walk?” He turned to look at her after asking this, waiting to see what her answer would be. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#C9C06e;border:3px #C9C06e ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#999039]

[ Avelina ]

Ava jumped slightly as Lance raised his voice. It had only been a little for just a moment, but it was so unexpected, particularly the way her father praised the man. It scared her a little, yet.. at the same time, it was just a little bit alluring. Whether she'd like it or not was another story, but it seemed there was more to this noble than the perfect gentleman she'd heard so much about, and her curiosity was now piqued. Not that she intended to go prodding him with sticks aiming for more outbursts, or anything. She'd just be watching a little more carefully.

"I... should be?" she lied with a forced smile. Testing her weight on her own, she went stiff and held her breath a moment in the attempt to hide her harsh wince. When she finally let that go, she drew a deep breath and sighed with a more legitimate if less pleased smile. Turning this to him, she all but whimpered, "Though.. I might.. like to hold your arm, just in case? Just.. if you don't mind, and it's not too much trouble..?" No she totally didn't need it she was just being cuddly, really. ...Not that she had any idea what she was going to do once Jonah got tired if he said no.

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[Lady Leaf]

[scrolly:h(230),w(390),sy,as(padding:4px;margin-top:10px;margin-left:10px;)] Lance tilted his head slightly as Ava replied to him though as she attempted to stand on her own he found his expression growing to that of slight worry. He wasn’t truly worried about her but as the years had passed he learned to look worried when any woman was in even the slightest bit of pain. It was only natural to care for them as he was, after all, a man. Unless of course that woman deserved to be in pain… in this case, Avelina certainly did not. Powers he hoped her father wouldn’t be upset with him for bringing her back in such poor shape. “Certainly, it’s no trouble at all.” he replied to her softly as changed her mind about letting him helped. That was much better. She was finally allowing him to be the man he was suppose to be. He folded his arm and held it out for her to take after speaking as that was the most noble way to offer help to a woman in need. “I apologize. This is my own fault. I should have been paying more attention to our surroundings.” He claimed as he slowly began to walk, hoping that she would walk with him. “I will make it up to you someday. Anything you want. Just ask and I shall try my best to make it happen. Within… reason of course.” Women liked having that option. Or at lest most of them that he dated had. There were a few who turned it down but even they slightly showed the enjoyment of it at least being offered. Most them wanted such simple things too. At lest things that his money had no problems buying no matter the cost. Though he had the odd one who asked for something that had nothing to do with money. Those were often a bit harder but he had never had an issue with fulfilling them. That was the most important part. Fulfilling the requests. Usually that was the perfect way to wrap them around his tiny finger. [/scrolly] [bg=black]

[Admiral Striker General]

[atrb=style,width:475px;color:#C9C06e;border:3px #C9C06e ridge;][atrb=bgcolor,#999039]

[ Avelina ]

You should have been, Ava thought somewhat sharply, shifting from Jonah to Lance then. At his offer, she very nearly laughed, but that would have been very unbecoming of a noblewoman, after all. I'm not so sure you'd care to help with what I want, she thought to herself. "I'll keep that in mind," she replied instead, simple and meek. A moment later, her face went rather blank in a sudden realization, and she was at that moment rather grateful for the poor lighting. Depending on... just how this day went...? Maybe he could help.. A man who.. wasn't just especially affiliated with the nobility as a whole anymore but knew a lot about them, with ridiculous access to his own money and resources and who obviously had at least a little free time on his hands? That.. just might actually work... Really, the only question, assuming he was sincere in already promising her this one request, was ensuring he'd be more loyal to her that to her father...

Feigning a light sigh, she softly noted, "I suppose we may as well start looking, then, assuming we both watch our step.." As if her steps would be so heavy and clumsy, but she supposed the formality must sound nice. "In the meantime, why don't you tell me about yourself?" If there was one thing that damn near every human being, regardless of gender, loved to talk about... "My father told me a little about your family and business, but.." He could take that however he wanted: an invitation to elaborate on either or an opportunity to move past that and straight to Lance, the man behind the titles.

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