milliways_bar | (no subject)

Ramon is expecting Random to be waiting for him, so will be most upset if he's wrong.

'What're you reading?' He slides into the booth opposite him.

The happy smile that lights his face should leave very little doubt.

"King Lear. I can only stand tragedies when I'm in a good mood, otherwise I end up really depressed."

He snorts a laugh. 'But doesn't the tragedy bring you down?'

He's already eyeing him over carefully and wondering how quickly they can get through with dinner.

"Nope. The memories bring me up. I can't read through it about thinking about the time so and so dropped his sword into the front row and hit the director..."

He absorbs Ramon's look with a slight twist of the lips. Maybe so, maybe so.

'Oh yes, I'd forgotten about you being an actor. Where and when? And for how long etc etc, all the usual questions...' He grins and resumes his study of Random's body.

Random, increasingly aware of his gaze, stretches out in the booth, letting his legs hang off the end.

"Everywhere, really. On and off, especially England, Italy and France. I worked a lot in Bouffon, Comedia DelArte, and of course, Shakespeare. I was also a tumbler for Queen Elizabeth for a few years."

He sets the book gently on the table, and leans back in his seat.

Ramon's undressing him mentally and being quite open about it. He's fairly sure that Random will take it the right way and not be offended, but he'll stop if he's asked. For now.

Still, doesn't seem to him that it's minded. 'Queen Elizabeth? I bet that was interesting.'

He's struck by a thought. 'You acted Shakespeare? Ever have to do 'A Midsummer Night's Dream?'

"It was. She used to give me the same looks you are now, which made concentration a fine art."

He smiles, and gives Ramon a sweeping gaze of his own.

"But I loved it. And frankly, I asked Will not to have me in it. He directed what he wrote, so just temporarily retired me from the company and sent me to court to tumble. Which brings us back to Elizabeth."

His eyes snap up at that - all of it. 'So, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you seem to have done anything else. But why didn't you want to act it? I would think that you'd make a good Puck.'

And then...'Don't tell me that you and Queen Elizabeth...' He trails off, then laughs. 'You know, I never thought to ask you what you think of women.'

"I'm too old at this to have gender be an issue. It's more of an afterthought, really."

He rolls his eyes.

"And have you met Puck? He's in the bar. Though I couldn't whole heartedly reccomend it. He's a strange little thing. First thing he said to me was 'I'm fine now, darling; the view is much improved.'"

'Hmm...I guess. Lucky for me.'

He looks bemused at the eyerolling. 'No, I haven't met him. He sounds even more camp than you.' The bumused look turns to a proper amused grin.

Random rolls his eyes.

"I'm not camp. I'm short and well-dressed. They're very different things."

But he's grinning.

"What makes you say that?"

'Well yes, you're both of those things too. Maybe camp is the wrong word, but you...I don't know how to explain it.'

He's distracted by the way that Random is still sprawling a little on the other side of the booth. he tries to focus by asking, 'What did you want for dinner?'

"I see what you're trying to say."

He shakes his head, sitting up straight and pushing his hair out of his face and flagging down a passing waitrat.

"And I think I'd like... teriyaki beef. What about you?"

His brow creases a little as Random moves. Not just because his good view is closed off but also, 'Did I say something wrong?'

He looks at the rat. 'I'd order a steak but I'd look stupid trying to cut it with plastic cutlery and we'd be here all night. So - shoulder of lamb.'

Random bursts into laughter.

"The bar gives you plastic cutlery? Oh dear God..."

He manages to calm himself as the waitrat moves off.

"Sorry. And no, you didn't. I'm frankly considering deciding I'm not hungry and moving on to the champaigne."

He gets a glare for that. 'Yes, she does. I think she thinks its funny - or she hasn't realised what sort of weapons you can make out of snapped off plastic.'

He waves a hand. 'It's no big deal, I just took a couple of sharp knives off Castle and Roy.'

And he grins wickedly. 'Oh no Random - its your birthday. Got to have a birthday dinner, its a law or something.'

The look on his face will spell out that he holds that 'law' in the same regard he holds every other one.'

"Well, far be it for us upstanding and moral citizens to argue with that."

He smirks. And picks up the two plaits, and the plastic cutlery and chopsticks from the returning waitrat.

"That's hilarious. My bet is that she's laughing. She's never been above poking a little fun."

He sets the lamb and the fork and knife in front of Ramon and gracefully picks up the chopsticks.

'I expect she is,' he growls. 'But it's a damn pain in the ass. Still...' He grins a bit, '...you're right. Moral people like us need to respect the wishes of the bar that provides for us.' He nods emphatically, while eyeing the chopsticks.

'You always eat beef with those?'

"I eat everything with these. Though teriyaki is meant to be had so."

It's on a bed of rice and beansprouts.

"I find them more comfortable than regular cutlery. Simpler. Got into the habit when I lived in Tokyo and never got out of it."

He nods. 'Fair enough. What were you doing in Tokyo?'

He watches him for a moment. Random seems to like things simple, its weird.

Chopsticks have an elegant grace to them. These ones are Japonese, which are a little harder to eat with, but he's had practice.

"I was dancing, actually. In the Kabuki Theatre, down town."

He stares. Then laughs bemusedly. 'Actor, tumbler, fool, sea-dweller, terrorist...and now dancer. Anything you don't do?'

hre eats a bit, completely uninterested in the food. 'If you're over nine thousand years old - what did you start doing? Can't have started life as a wandering entertainer.'

"Um... if I think of it, I'll tell you."

And the best part about that is that he's completely serious.

"I started out as an assassin. It was a suitable area in which to train a prince."

Ramon just nods because he's secretly adding great in bed to the list too.

'Oh.' Not really a lot a person can say to that. He's not about to pretend to disapprove, because he doesn't. and it would be ridiculous anyway. 'Being a prince isn't enough? I thought you all just had to sit around and look regal or something.'

"Hah. Never in Amber. It's a violent place- the training's all that's kept me intact so far."

He smiles, tipping some soy sauce onto the rice.

"And if you sit around looking regal, it's practically screaming 'throw something sharp at me now!' what with all the other... 'Princes' around."

He pushes his food around some more, but just takes a drink. 'What's it like apart from being violent? Just like a regular city?'

"Nope. Beautiful old medieval castle on a hill. Drawbridge, moat, the whole shebang."

He sets his chopsticks down, and leans back in his seat. His voice is full of affection.

"One road winding through an enchanted forrest leading to the gate. Rather like something out of a fairy tale."

The affection is obvious as Random talks and he has to admit, the place sounds nice.

'You sound like you like it there. it must suck to be forced to move away.'

"I do. If I play my cards right, I'll get back there some day."

He shrugs, pushing the remaining teriyaki away from him, and looks up at Ramon.

"Where do you call home?"

'If your family sorts itself out you mean.'

He pours another drink and shrgs. 'I have houses and property all over South America. I move around them a fair bit, and just call whichever one I'm living in 'home'. It's more convenient that way.'

"That's intelligent, though I imagine I'd find it hard. And yes, if things in the linneage turn out the way I hope, I'll make it back there soon."

He cocks his head.

"Do you want to drink that? I've got champaigne waiting upstairs, you know."

He shrugs again, drinking faster. 'Some people don't like it I guess but I dont care where the hell I live.'

He puts the empty glass down and raises an eyebrown with a leer. 'Champagne? Well, its only right and proper that it gets drunk, seeing as we're celebrating your birthday and everything.'

"Well, I should hope so."

He slides out of the booth and stands, stretching.

"You'll help me, of course? Champagne, drunk alone, is rather flat, I find."

Ramon stands too, again shamelessly enjoying the view as it stretches in front of him. He waits until he's filly extended, then steps in and places his hands on the thin hips. He waits until the strtch is done, then kisses him quickly and lightly.

'Of course I'll help you. Don't want anything to be flat.'

Random just laughs at the shameless opportunism, and returns the kiss.

"Come on then. It's just up here."

He steps backwards, and sets off at a quick walk towards the stairs leading to his room.