Curiosity killed the crow (and moth)-DONE

Lily tugged Mikhail by the sleeve into the brightly colored building with a wide eyed curiosity. He seemed to be going along with it so far. She'd seen something shiny and grabbed his arm out of reflex. If she didn't she'd end up running off without him. That would be bad right? What if she got lost? Oh yeah, Mikhail was a crow. He could just fly over the city and find her. She let go of his sleeve once they were both through the doors and she stopped to gawk at the place.

Lily bounced with excitement and squealed as she took a hold of Mikhail's arm again. "Sir Mikhail, Sir Mikhail! It's all pretty and pink in here and there's lots of vibrant colors and oooh look, they have drinks here. Wow. Momma would have had me blister bottomed if I'd ever dressed like that! I wanna try that sometime. Can I? Would Master mind terribly much? Would you?" The words flooded from her in a wash of excitement as she dragged him inside and then pushed him by the small of his back towards a booth. "Let's people watch. It should be very interesting in here~"

Lily tucked her dress behind her knees and scooted happily into a booth. The first genuine smile on her lips since Leo had found her seemed to brighten the room to match her spirits. In this moment she had forgotten her sadness as curiosity bubbled brightly and overtook her misgivings. She felt comfortable around Mikhail. He didn't talk much so she could talk a lot more. They didn't have to sit in silence and Lily preferred talking to quiet people more anyways. She patted the seat next to her as she made sure there was plenty of room for him to sit.

"What do you think Sir Mikhail? Isn't it cheerful and happy in here? I like this place, it's cozy and the colors are comforting." She didn't mind too much when Mikhail didn't answer her. Since they'd arrived she'd shed her depression for curiosity and grown more cheerful as they had passed. Maybe it had something to do with the crow's presence and quietude or perhaps it was the true Lily finally showing herself to her new companion.

She smiled up at Mikhail, bright eyes shining sweetly as she hugged his arm and snuggled against him. "Do you think we can stay here a while? I've been through a lot of cities but this one is the most interesting one I've seen in a long time. Actually..." She paused as her usual melancholy began to settle over her and she quieted. "Actually, it's the first city I've not been homeless in..." A few stray tears welled up in her eyes and she buried her face in Mikhail's bicep to hide them. "I still can't say thank you enough for taking me in. You and Master both. Thank you." The words were a whisper for Mikhail's ears only.

She made as if to adjust her hat and secretly wiped her eyes before looking back up at Mikhail with a brave smile plastered over her face, her eyes reflected the truth however, she was aching inside. The same deep heartache that never went away for very long. There was nothing in the world that seemed capable of numbing or healing it. Not yet. "If I had any money I'd get you something to drink. You must be tired after letting me drag you around town like this. I'm sorry, I'll figure something out. Promise."

The city seemed safe enough to the crow, which was to be expected of the city where Weapons and Meisters were trained and lived. Having walked around the city all day with the vibrant, and colorfully dressed, Lilliana Nariko, he had started to feel rather worn out. To be with Master Leo during his important meeting would be much more worthwhile, as well as fulfilling his curiosity at just what exactly a witch would have to discuss with the man who organizes their extermination. He had tried to deduce the plan using what he knew of Master Leo and the way he acted before they had left, but his thoughts were constantly being interrupted by the chattering woman beside him. As he opened his mouth to suggest a moment of silence so he could think, she began dragging him to a strange, bright building, which instantly grabbed his curiosity.

Bright things were always interesting, and as the duo wandered into the building, everything seemed very bright, very captivating. He almost didn't realize he had been led to a seat already, and nodded silently to Lilliana before sitting down beside her and removing his hat to set it on the table. Everyone did indeed seem to be enjoying themselves, especially the men that were surrounded by women that he could only assume were waitresses. He wasn't sure what kind of pleasure these men could get being surrounded by women, to Mikhail it would just be a distraction from his studies. The humans however seemed to have less of an importance on such matters, indulging in less fulfilling pursuits.

Feeling a sort of strange wetness on his sleeve, Mikhail looked down at Lilliana, squeezing his arm tight as she hid her face in his arm and whispered to him. "It was Master's decision. There's no need to thank me Miss Nariko." Even after she looked up, something appeared wrong. Thinking for a moment, with his chin resting in his hand, Mikhail put a hand on the girls shoulder, staring into her eyes before peeking over her head again. The man in the other booth had done this and the woman he was with seemed to have become quite happy from the gesture. Moving his hand down her arm, again copying the man, Mikhail intended to hold her hand, but the mention of a drink sparked his memory, causing him to stop at her wrist.

"No need to worry, Master Leo has provided me with some money in order to, 'enjoy ourselves.' with." Reaching for his wallet, Mikhail flagged down a waitress and was given a couple glasses of some drink. Mikhail had requested a surprise and the woman seemed to giggle while pouring in 2 different liquids. With the woman leaving, Mikhail couldn't help but stare at her outfit, which even he found to be too little for someone to be wearing in public. "These women have some interesting outfits. I find it difficult to not watch." Taking a sip of his drink, Mikhail felt a slight burning sensation as it went down his throat, however it wasn't an unpleasant taste.

A rash of goosebumps broke out across Lily's arm as Mikhail caressed her shoulder, moving toward her hand. Her face lit up like the forth of July with the attention and for a split second her brain stopped working entirely. She almost forgot how to breathe until Mikhail's motion was stopped with the revelation of her words. Oh, a drink? They were getting drinks. How did drinks work again? She tried to remember but every shred of useful information fled from her as she remembered the sensation of Mikhail's hand on her shoulder. Almost, so close! He'd almost held her hand! That meant he liked her.

She coughed into her glove softly and gratefully accepted the drink. He'd successfully found a way to make her be quiet as she tried to process what was happening and how it felt to be in the place of the beautiful damsels in the stories. Oh my. O h me oh my, what do I do? What do I say? I'm not ready for this!! Oh, what if he's just being friendly? Yeah, he's just being friendly... Don't get your hopes up silly. He couldn't like you... Could he? She squinched her eyes shut tight and tried to collect herself. When she gathered her thoughts the drinks had been delivered and Lily looked at the oddly colored drink suspiciously, slipping under the table as if to hide from it with only her eyes above the level of the table. What was this? A potion?

Lily poked the glass tentatively as if she'd never seen a drink before and then watched Mikhail drink his before she slid back up into the booth and sheepishly rearranged her her skirt. If he wasn't afraid neither was she! She took the pinkish drink and gulped it down with sudden rue. Oh that wasn't tasty at all! She gasped for air as she finished her drink and coughed weakly into her elbow. Oh dear, that wasn't a very nice drink. That tasted more like a nasty potion. "Sir Mikhail I thought we were getting drinks. That tasted like a bad batch of pixie tears." She said it rather matter of factly but she'd never had anything with alcohol in it. She felt a little sick and quickly covered her mouth to stifle a groan. "Sir Mikhail, I don't feel so well." The burning liquid was taking effect quickly as she began to feel a little dizzy and nauseous.

She gave a soft groan and leaned against Mikhail trying to keep her stomach from losing it's contents, including the less than delicious concoction she'd guzzled. It wouldn't be polite to lose her stomach in front of Mikhail, that would be quite unlady like and rude. She knew she should excuse herself to take care of it but she didn't know where to excuse herself to. What to do? She'd just have to keep her stomach down and hope for the best. At worst she'd have a fine mess on her hands and in her lap. She'd never dare let a drop of such a vulgar substance as vomit even touch Mikhail because of her poor decision making.

His companion seemed to have an odd reaction to the drink, Mikhail took note as he sipped a bit more, and watched her staring at her own. He didn't fail to notice her reaction to the gesture he copied from the other man either, keeping it in mind later for a quick way to get some quiet when she's around. He debated trying what the rest of the men were trying to do, holding the women closer to their body and whispering in their ears. However, he had nothing to say that needed to be kept private like they apparently did, some were so secret that it required lips pressed against the ear itself. Such an unappealing act really, but Mikhail's curiosity was starting to get the better of him when it came to the way these people acted here. Just what was this place used for?

"The lady said that these drinks would be sure to do what we needed them to. Perhaps you are starting to get ill?" Placing his hand gently on Lilli's forehead, Mikhail tried to see if the girl was running a fever of some kind. She did seem to be warm, and as his hand sat there for a minute, she was getting warmer and warmer with no signs of cooling off. "If you need a rest, it looks as though you can lay down here. The other people seem to be doing so." Making room in case the girl felt the need to, Mikhail slid to the end of the bench and left her room. Sadly it seemed she wouldn't have room to lay her head down unless Mikhail's leg was adequate.

It might be bad if Mikhail went and let Master Leo's new friend fall ill and lose interest in being part of their group due to his own mistake. Master Leo was trusting Mikhail to keep her safe and entertained her while he was at this important meeting. Making sure to move the drink away from her in case she mistakenly tried to drink it again, Mikhail took a little sip just to make sure it was the same as his. Seeing as it was, he opted to have hers, as the taste was growing on him, while smoothing his pants out to make it more comfortable should she lay down.

Lily looked up at his hand, her eyes crossing almost comically as he checked her for a fever. She did feel a little warm. Her cheeks were flushing already as the alcohol took effect and she began to feel just a little groggy as well as dizzy and sick. That drink must have been a powerful potion. She'd have to learn what ingredients were in it so she could avoid such concoctions in the future. She'd probably be boring to Mikhail now but maybe he could use some quiet. He seemed to have been thinking most of the day anyways. Oh, why am I always such a bother?

Lily nodded and graciously accepted his offer as she laid down and rested her head on his thigh; her hat was placed on the side of her head to keep the light out. People watching was suddenly much less interesting. The light began to feel like she hadn't used her eye protect potion at all. It pierced through her weak eyes like a knife and she clenched her eyes shut with a soft moan. Her stomach churned and settled as she got comfortable on the booth, tucking her dress under her so as not to show off how far up her stocking actually went. It would be quite unbecoming of a young lady to show off her bottom.

She took a shaky breath and tried to force her stomach to calm. Eventually the nausea would pass and she'd begin to feel rather tingly. She was warm and her face felt numb. Maybe that potion wasn't all bad, just icky at first. She was beginning to feel a little... OH. That was new. She usually only got that feeling when she was reading a select few of her romance novels. The top shelf stuff that nobody liked admitted to reading. Maybe that was what the waitress was talking about? Oh. OH HECK NAH. Lily bolted upright and all but tried to climb straight over Mikhail to get to someplace she could lose her stomach as it churned in protest to the sudden movement.

"Sir Mikhail, I must find the powder room at once!" The words weren't quite a shout but she had more than Mikhail's attention with the distressed statement. Her hands went up to her mouth and she knew she'd never make it in time. With no other options available she grabbed her hat from where it had landed on the floor when she sat up. Without another second's delay she turned it upside down and horked into the bowl of her favorite hat. How unlady like...

With Lilliana now resting on his lap, Mikhail took the chance to finish both of the drinks, feeling a little bit strange now that he had finished and let them settle awhile. Perhaps it really was a potion, maybe someone had set them up and the effects were delayed with Mikhail for some reason. He began to look around, but no one seemed suspicious, and everyone else was simply having a good time, smiling with women hanging all over them as if they were just another article of clothing. He was taking careful note of the ways these men interacted with women, and grew more and more curious why they would even attempt such a thing. From Mikhail's experience, women were never that exciting, and often louder than Mikhail preferred. Still the nagging voice of curiosity in his head drove him to form an idea that might help him understand.

As he observed the men more, taking careful notes on each and every move, word, and slight body language, Mikhail began to wonder if every personality would be this easy to duplicate. While the emotional aspect would be a struggle, he felt certain that through enough study of the people it would come around. He had allowed his hand to rest over Lilliana's shoulder for comfort reasons, but she seemed to be getting warmer still. It was similar to how the other men were sitting, but they had a different hand placement that he felt might be a personal violation. He was about to check on Lilli until she suddenly sprang to life.

She seemed desperate for a bathroom, and looked like she was about to fall over before grabbing her hat and forcing her self into it. From the sounds, his assessment of her being ill was accurate, and began patting her head lightly as he had found people in some of his books did for the sick. He had always wondered why such a thing would help, as no medical book mentioned such a thing. After getting the attention of a waitress and assisting Lilliana to the bathroom, Mikhail patiently waited outside the Ladies Room. He was quite certain there would be no more surprise drinks from this place.

Lily stumbled from the restroom after having scrubbed her hat as thoroughly as she'd rinsed her mouth out. This wasn't very fun. This place wasn't a place she wanted to stay very long. Not right now. She'd come back sometime and see what really happened here but she had a fair idea now. That was why all the ladies were all over the gentlemen. She'd thought it odd. It was something like a harem but much less direct and not privatized.

She looked up at Mikhail and made a childish gesture, reaching up in silent question. She wanted him to pick her up and hold her. She'd have to be extra nice to Mikhail and make all this up to him. Tears filled her eyes as she reached and stretched up on her tip toes. She felt awful and only hoped she didn't look the same with her sopping wet hat on her head again. She just wanted to feel better.

A sniffle escaped her as she began to cry. "I don't like this. I wanna go. Can we go somewhere else? Somewhere quiet? Pretty please Sir Mikhail?" She sobbed weakly, he head hanging in shame as her hands began to fall back down to her sides in quiet frustration. You're not a child Lily, don't try to have him pick you up and comfort you for your stupid mistake. A quiet keening rose in Lily's throat as the tears came in their full strength now. She was always such a bother. She didn't want to bother Mikhail or Master Leo.

Her stomach rumbled in aggravation at it's now empty state and she crossed her arms over it. The twisting in her tummy was very unhelpful toward her feeling better but she didn't want Mikhail to spend any more money on her. Master Leo had given him the money and even though it was for them to enjoy themselves she still felt bad for having wasted it. Pale cheeks darkened with a blush as she cried and kept her face down. She hoped Mikhail wouldn't be too upset with her for crying. She'd be really nice to him later and make it up to him. How does he even put up with me?

He had it, the personality of these men was firmly implanted in his mind now, mixed with a little bit that he'd picked up from some stories that fit well with the men. All he really needed was a subject to test these things on before the ideas escaped his mind at the concept of another mystery. Before he could stop a woman entering the bathroom however, which they seemed to be quite focused on getting to, Lilliana came out. She was wearing the hat, which seemed to had been washed very thoroughly, but was still wet and droopy. He was about to abandon the idea of testing here, as she seemed quite upset, which ruined most of the lines. Then the idea came to him as she dropped her arms, looking down to the ground as the hat cutely hid her face more.

Placing his hand under her chin, Mikhail lifted her face up to his and crouched down a bit to look her in the eye, using his other hand to wipe away her tears. "You shouldn't ruin such a pretty sight with tears of sadness. They take away from the true beauty of your shimmering eyes, dear Lilliana." Mikhail took her hat off and placed his own on top of her head, and while it was a bit too big for her, it worked out well for shading her eyes. Placing his arm around the small of her back, Mikhail began to lead her out of the club. "If Lady Lilliana wishes to go somewhere more private, I would be more than happy to fulfill that wish." With that, Mikhail swept her up, and began carrying her to the door.

As far as using the personality, things went exactly as he had hoped that the would, although the hat part was improvised, he found himself quite satisfied with the way things turned out. The true test would be whether Lilliana had been properly wooed by his actions, and if not, he would need to discover what was wrong to properly adjust. Until the personality was perfect, he would never fully understand the way men acted around women. Through testing every personality in the world, he would be better able to understand everyone.

Lily blushed hotly as Mikhail lifted her face and spoke. Pretty? Her heart wanted to pound out of her chest. Had he really called her pretty? Beautiful? Her eyes? She was used to her sister always saying her eyes were pretty but this was the first time anyone else had shared Cecilia's opinion. Her tears stopped almost immediately as she took his words in and then she found him wiping the offending stains from her burning cheeks. The next thing she knew her hat was being removed and Mikhail's was on her head instead.

He was so kind, even when she was sad. No wonder Master Leo liked him so much. She graced him with the singularly most dazzling smile she had ever shown. A blossom of joy chasing every sign of sadness away as she let him scoop her up by the door and snuggled quickly into his chest. She clung to him as though for dear life. The first breath of life whistling through the battered ruins of her broken heart. How much something so simple could affect her, he had no idea how powerful his words and actions were. Like the first drops of rain falling on a parched desert, Lily felt a relief to the pain that had chased her for so many years.

Loneliness seemed to melt as she curled up in his grasp and took a deep breath of the scent he carried. He smelled somewhat like she expected; a faint trace of musty tomes, only a bare hint of sweat, and crisp cologne with a sweet undertone to the sharp scent. She decided rather quickly that she very much liked the scent of his cologne and would certainly have to find him a huge bottle of it for whatever special occasion she could find as an excuse. Baby blues looked up at him in perfect trust as she pulled her arms closer to clasp her hands behind his neck comfortably.

"Pretty please?" She did want to go somewhere more private. She wasn't sure if she should kiss him yet or wait. She should probably wait a little bit but she couldn't help herself. He'd been so sweet and maybe, just maybe he was the princely hero she'd been waiting for all along. She couldn't risk it. She leaned up and pressed a tender kiss to the corner of his mouth, along his scar. She'd found the scar fascinating when she'd finally noticed it. She had wondered how he came by it. She'd have to ask him. Her breath smelled sweet, a faint aroma of peppermint, rose, and eucalyptus. She was quite thankful for having had the sweet breath potion prepared weeks ago. It had come in handy twice in the same ten minutes today. She made a mental note to always have it prepared now. She might need it more often.

A near flawless imitation it seemed, and at least when it came to Lilliana's reaction. The rest of the men were having similar results, however, he still questioned whether it was as easy with other women, or if Miss Nariko had simply been influenced by having been around him so much. His thoughts were broken by the girl once again as he felt something soft and wet come in contact with the corner of his mouth, and a sweet smell filled his senses. He stumbled a bit in surprise as he realized it was what some of his books had referred to as a sign of affection, a kiss he believed. The personality worked a lot better than he had expected it to, but from what he read it was customary to return said affection with your own sign, your own kiss.

He glanced down at the girl and debated the right place to place a kiss, but as he hadn't ever looked up the appropriate place to place one, the whole thing was a tad confusing. Glancing back at the other men, they had returned the kiss on the ladies lips, which was somewhere he was a bit hesitant to go. A few had gone with a kiss to the forehead, so there was no specific area he needed to aim for. Mikhail's lips parted a bit as he tried to duplicate the way the others had done it, pushing his lips out a bit and moving them to her forehead. He wasn't sure if it was how you're supposed to kiss, but he had done the best he could with the limited views on it he had. To perfect his persona, he would have to get much better at acts like these.

As they exited CHUPA♡CABRA'S, Mikhail set the young girl down and ran a finger over his scar while thinking whether he had an appropriate book on this subject. "I'm in need of some research it seems before I can make things perfect. I'm going in search of instructions to this type of thing, please try not to leave my side." With that, Mikhail began walking off, in search of a book store to do research on what he believed was called, relationships. The pursuit of knowledge never ends.

Lily blushed hotly as he kissed her forehead. He was a bit clumsy, pushing his lips out too far but she didn't mind the wet smooch one bit. He did like her! her heart fluttered and she found it almost hard to breathe. Wow. He actually was rather charming and kind. She was still a bit dizzy from all the new emotions running through her. Her head was as confused and astounded as her heart. It was to be expected, he was the first person outside her family to kiss her. Well, he was the first man outside her family to have kissed her.

Her head was still spinning when he spoke. She barely heard the words through the blood rushing in her ears and understood the words even less. "I'm in need of some research it seems before I can make things perfect. I'm going in search of instructions to this type of thing, please try not to leave my side." Lily's head tilted to the side with a completely clueless expression as she tried to make heads or tails of what he was saying. The gears ground and ground until you could almost smell the smoke coming out her ears for her effort to think.

"Re-search?..." By the time Lily got the word out she realized Mikhail was no longer standing in front of her or anywhere to be seen for that matter. The fog of her mind cleared suddenly as panic set in. Where was he? Which way did he go? Oh no, he'd just said to stay with him and she'd already lost him! She wanted to call out but then someone came through the door and startled her. Without even looking which direction she was going she ran. She turned several corners, dodged through as many alleyways as she could and found the first hiding spot she could cram herself into that had no light exposure. All to get away from a stranger. Old habits die hard.

By the time she got up the courage to wander out she'd find herself wandering about in the open hoping to find Mikhail. He would be able to find her easier than she could find him. "Sir Mikhail?" Oh well, she'd have to put on a brave face and try to find a wide open place where he could easily find her. She wandered off following store faces and making a mental map of where she had been from her new starting point. She'd have to get her bearings if she wanted to be able to find her way around.