If only Raymond knew the events that led Pavetta into his orbit, the chance encounter in the wood with the lady of lions. They could have bonded over it: he too had felt a distinct urge to do something after Calliope found him, and with no alcohol to speak of for a thousand miles in any direction (he'd had a hell of a time of it, let me tell you).
Instead, he had immersed himself completely in the glitz and glamour of the festival as a fish takes to water, months of base survivalism doing nothing to blunt his edge. A crown of flowers - incongruous yet somehow so right for one of his bearing - and an enthusiasm for art were sufficient to forgive whatever foreign and heretical mannerisms he might let slip. Now he mingled with the crowd as someone danced with fire. Its crackling, wild light limned his otter-slick frame in a fierce glow, setting the bright copper of his coat ablaze.
Something besides the heat of the flames prickled at his neck and he glanced over his shoulder. A mare he did not recognize - which wasn't saying much, as he had nearly enough hooves to count the horses he recognized here - was staring at every inch of him with shameless abandon and took his eye contact as an invitation.
She was grey as a gathering storm with cascades of rose-tipped hair, with a faint odor of drink on her breath as she greeted him with needles rather than nods and slipped sinuously into his space.
Raymond chuckled at the jab, his eyes flashing brightly in the firelight. Taking his cue from her forwardness, the red stallion leaned in toward her ear so that she could clearly make out his lowered voice over the guttering flames and the dull roar of mingling crowds, each word rimmed with the amusement pulling at his dark lips.
"You know I asked the emcee if I could use a volunteer from the crowd, but for some reason he didn't seem too fond of the idea."
He did not need to act dangerous to be alluring.
But it certainly helped.
and at his feet they'll cast their golden crowns
when the man comes around
@Pavetta
aut viam inveniam aut faciam
