knightly_cub | (no subject)

(no subject)

Thom was being chased across the ballroom. By all outward appearances he was simply crossing from one side to the other, pausing briefly to bow and exchange pleasantries with the prince, but Thom knew he was being chased as assuredly as a fox or doe knows to run from the sound of pounding hooves.

Not that his sister had such a heavy tread. Far from it. She had surprised him far too often for such an uncharitable thought to be accurate.

She finally cornered him by the balcony and yanked him outside in a swish of elegant silk or satin or some such finery in a delicate shade of... blue? Green? It was really rather hard to say standing in whatever moonlight managed to pierce the heavy clouds hanging over Corus. Thom blinked away the lingering brightness of the ballroom. "Grace," he said, resigned. "Hullo. Glad you're back."

"You sound it," she laughed brightly, smoothing her hands across his shoulders to make his tunic lie flat. "I've been looking for you, brother mine."

"Yes." A man being led to the gallows probably looked and sounded more cheerful. "I know. What do you want?"

Grace narrowed her eyes and looked as if she wished to argue the suggestion; she didn't. "I have a favor to ask. I'll make it worth your while," she added quickly, before he could roll his eyes and attempt an escape.

"So you always say. Somehow I still end up accountable."

Ignoring this, she continued, "I've made a bet with Maximus and I need your help losing it."

Thom stared at her, confused. "You wish to lose?"

"I do," she replied, a little too eager for his peace of mind. Grace patted her elaborately arranged hair and laughed, then tapped a finger against her lips. "I fear losing would do Max more harm than it would do me good, and I don't wish that on him. How could I?"

"I'm sure I don't know," he said, dryly. "What was the bet?"

"That he could -- or couldn't -- get you to, ah, allow someone's romantic attentions."

"What?" Thom felt himself turning as red as his hair.

"Your name just popped out, honestly. I am sorry for that. He was going on about his romantic prowess, you see, and there's this woman, Veradis, who clearly sees right through his nonsense, only he's too thickheaded to see what he's doing wrong. So I proposed our little game as a way to hammer the point home, but I fear his having to speak with her under my terms, should I win. He's simply not ready." Grace flashed her best smile.

"I-" Thom heard a sound like the ocean rising in his ears. "None of that made any sense at all, you realize."

Of course she knew. Of course. "Please, Thom? It isn't often I request help not winning."

"I'll give you that," he allowed, helpless in the face of that look -- which she also knew. "If I do this, I wish to make it perfectly clear I will be party to no further bets." Hadn't he already told Jamie just that? Repeatedly?

Grace nodded, lips suspiciously pressed together.

Thom said nothing for a long moment. "I'm still not sure I understand what you want me to do."

"Oh, just kiss someone. Make it look good," she answered, waving a hand in the air as if this wasn't asking him to do something totally out of character.

Thom groaned. "If it will help Max," he said slowly, "I will."

Beaming, Grace stood on her toes and threw her arms around his neck. "You are an exemplary brother, Sir Thom."

"No. Just a very tolerant one." He smiled thinly at her and wrapped an arm around her waist. It was good to see the horrid little bundle of trouble.

"There's one more thing..."

Thom groaned again.

He groaned more when he heard her out.

What she offered him in return, however, almost made up for it. For the first time in years, he went to sleep with new information on his uncle -- his namesake.

~ ~ ~

Milliways.

It usually made him smile, at least a little.

Not tonight. Tonight he's looking for Max and almost hoping not to find him, cowardly as that might be.

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A faint wince betrays Grace's concern.

"Max..."

Thom smiles rather charmingly. The woman laughs. She has excellent hair, Grace notes absently.

The faint scuffing sound coming from behind the bar might be Grace tapping her foot.

"Yes, m'dear?" Max doesn't look over at her as he asks, but he enjoys imagining a worried expression on her face.

His tone is already victorious, even if he hasn't won yet.

Excellent.

"I know when to hedge my bets," she says, voice softer than usual. Another moment of observation and she adds, "I can see where this is going."

Beat.

"If I conceded defeat in this matter, with all that entails, would you consider agreeing to a secondary deal?"

Leave her with her pride intact, Max. It's for your own good.

"A second deal?" Max repeats. "I'd have to hear it." Which is an invitation for her to go ahead and tell him what she's thinking.

After all, Max is willing to be a magnanimous victor.

Grace swallows, then goes back to chewing her lip.

Max should know just how much she hates losing.

"I think..."

Just then, Thom shifts in his seat and takes the woman's hand, pointing to her finger with his. It looks almost... tender.

She swears under her breath before continuing.

"I think my terms for you remain the same. As for me," she says, "you could have your choice: either I'll allow you to pick yourself for the date, or I'll confess who has recently caught my eye." Neither would be a hardship.

Another pause.

"I think perhaps I haven't given my brother enough credit," she tells Max, almost sad. "Betting against him feels disloyal, somehow. Maybe because Jamie said... No. All I mean is that I'd like to bet instead that he'll succeed. I bet she'll even go home with him!"

Essentially, she's betting Max is a better teacher than he knows. Her mind is a curious place.

Max quirks an eyebrow. "He's a quick study, but... seriously?" He doesn't really care about the new terms, but... it's not in Max's nature to pass up a total sucker's bet.

This?

This is the hardest part. Grace employs every trick she knows to control her emotions as she answers:

"I told Jamie about the bet. He got upset with me, which he never does, and suggested maybe I was playing too fast and loose with Thom's feelings. He's... not like us. I don't-"

She blows a piece of hair out of her eyes and actually blushes.

"This would make it better, I think."

Somehow?

Max eyes Grace, his expression just slightly suspicious. That sounds... a bit odd for her.

"How?" he presses. He's not really wary yet, just curious.

Grace sighs and waves her hand in the air again, regaining her composure, and says, "Because it will look like I meant to bet on Thom all along, not against him. I know, it's utter rubbish, but it won't be to him. Despite what some people think, I do know and care for my brother."

A shrug.

"And I'm not entirely opposed to what I would lose."

Thom straightens and abruptly drops the woman's hand; she looks a little confused. Grace raises her eyebrows again and leans forward even more, instantly alert.

Something feels... off about this whole thing. Almost out of character considering Grace. But Max doesn't have much time to decide, considering that it looks like Thom is just about to crash and burn. And it really isn't in Ma's nature to pass up a sucker bet...

"Deal."

Grace simply smiles and offers her hand.

"Deal."

Her eyes drift back to Thom and the woman. They are talking, but both are noticeably more stiff than they were earlier.

Max takes her hand and shakes his head in disappointment. "Sucker bet, you know."

He smirks. "I think I'll take my winnings in the form of unrestricting myself as a potential date." Not that he actually has any plans to force her to go out with him, but a little worry about the subject might do her some good...

Strange, she doesn't look worried. Nor does she release his hand.

"How do you know that isn't what I was after all along?" she teases. "Given the way you took yourself out of the running."

Thom glances over and immediately runs nervous fingers through his short hair. Then he leans forward. So does the woman. They seem to be having a heated conversation. How odd.

Max watches them idly out of the corner of his eye and smirks at Grace. "I know you a bit better than that, by now. Give me some credit."

"I suppose."

Grace squeezes his hand and lets go, then rests her head on his shoulder to watch.

It doesn't take long.

After a few more exchanges, the woman cracks a smile, rests her hands on Thom's cheeks and gives him a thorough kiss.

Thom doesn't struggle. He makes it look good, as promised.

"...oh, my."

He settles his arm companionably across Grace's shoulders. "Like I said, he's got some talent. And he's not bad looking." But going home with the woman? Max sort of doubts Thom will even give it a shot.

"He has good genes," she laughs.

And waits.

The kiss surprises even her. Who knew her brother had it in him?

Eventually, however, they stand and Thom offers the woman his arm. She takes it, and they walk out the front door.

Grace valiantly keeps the smug look off her face.

Max blinks.

Then again.

"Huh."

Because, really, what else is thereto say?

"Lucia has always liked redheads," notes Grace, smiling a bit.

Max chuckles in amusement and shakes his head. "Why don't you gather the rest of your plants? I'll buy a few rounds as consolation prizes for missing out on catching your brother."

She'd gotten him good. He is... almost proud of her for it. His ego iss badly bruised, but...

After a couple of seconds to think about it, Max decides that seducing a few of Grace's friends might just pay her back a bit.

Grace throws her head back in a laugh.

"Oh, you mean Anna, Caro and Samantha?"

She points out her friends, all met in the bar, as she calls out their names.

"Well. I wasn't sure what you'd look for when sending Thom out on the prowl. Goodness, it seems I owe a lot of favors," she adds, still laughing.

It might pay her back a bit, if she didn't think so highly of Max.

Max eyed them, then nodded. "Four. Good spread of styles, too."

He's still got his arm around her shoulder, so he squeezes gently. "Well, played, m'dear. Well played, indeed."

Ego most definitely bruised, but A) he couldn't give her the satisfaction of letting her know, and B) he'd heal, he always had.

Grace chews on her lip for a moment, then turns and wraps both arms around his waist in a hug.

"Technically, we both won. But you won first. I think you actually got through to him."

She's being serious.

"Fool me once," Max snorts, rolling his eyes. "I know you wouldn't have planted your friends if you hadn't primed Thom, too." She's too thorough to be sloppy with a move like this.

"I did," she admits, smiling up at him. "He knew there was a chance you might pick one of my friends, who was to identify herself as such when he sat down. It wasn't a sure thing, however, and he promised to try his best if you chose someone else."

She has the, ah, grace to look sheepish at her own ruthless tactics. She believes firmly that Thom needs to have more fun, that Max needed a little shaking up and that anyone who made a bet with her should really know better, but now, after the fact, she can recognize her own single-mindedness.

"That said, I was completely serious. The battle tactics analogy was inspired. Who knows, maybe he'll have some fun showing her the portrait gallery."

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