[P] tease a rattlesnake

[Pavetta]

p a v e t t a - - - He leaned in, his breath hot in her ears, his red skin illuminated by firelight. Devil. Sauve, smooth; he was not what Pavetta had initially expected. And yet it made sense that his tongue would be as sharp and clever as the blade on his tail. If not for the many goblets of dazzling drink, perhaps she might have engaged him in more pleasant conversation about the intricacy of his craft and how he had come by such a unique skill. They might have wandered the festival together admiring booths and venders and participating in elegant conversation. He certainly seemed elegant and it almost made her wish she was in more control so that she could keep up with his clever words and suave mannerisms. Instead, Pavetta was the brute and he was the beauty. No wonder she hadn’t made many friends. She found life outside her clan and the Order exhilarating but exhausting. She had been trained for this—social interaction and extravagant balls and festivals—and yet here she was, challenging a gentleman to a duel. She smiled. “I volunteer."   a pearl in pigshit, a diamond on the finger of a rotting corpse, creature in whom nothing, but nothing, remains of an elven woman ---

art by the epic odeen

@Raymond