decay will feed the bloom » open, m&g/q&a

[CLEO R. C.]

CLEO ROUX-CIPHER

Ah, she remembered this one.

Lilyspoise's return had warranted an entirely inappropriate joke from Cleo, or more so, one that the half-deaf bengal hadn't exactly contemplated before the words just up and left her mouth. She didn't regret the bluntness of her introduction, but had been particularly taken aback when Lily responded with equal fervor- bone and teeth, and a half veiled 'pleasure to meet you'. The tiny snake charmer would be lying then if she claimed that she wasn't at least somewhat intrigued by this mysterious entity, though such interest was hidden easily by the mask of aloofness that danced upon her cinnamon hued face as she arrived.

A question and answer session? Plus a meet and greet? Eshe had never discussed anything even closely pertaining to the former with the young Cleo, but she saw herself as smart enough to at least figure out that Lily would openly be answering any question thrown in her direction. Why? Did this complete stranger truly trust the members of the Typhoon so much that she'd be willing to answer any and all of their inquiries? Kudos to her then, but even the faint admiration she felt towards the older female was short lived, a suspicious gaze traversing her form with a frown.

[color=#445544]"Where'd you go?" Cleo finally inquired, ears perking, [color=#445544]"And please... Speak up." It wasn't a command, just a weakly delivered request. She was tired of having to strain her one good ear to hear broken remnants of speech. Besides, asking someone to repeat themselves was far from an option. She was too good to admit that she needed to hear things many times before she could actually catch what others were saying. Perfect... Cleo, you are perfect. She reminded herself, albeit not convincingly. As if she somehow heard the thought, Eshe wrapped tighter around her form, a faint wince escaping the rosetted bengal in response. [color=#445544]"Oh... And what's your favorite kind of snake?"

© MADI