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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on May 27, 2009 3:13:43 GMT -5
Not remotely interested in the bartender's altered stories, Nate's attention instead turned to his liege, who seemed to be angrier by the moment. He pulled his shoulders in, taking a larger swig of his drink than was perhaps necessary. This would be interesting-- Nathaniel didn't believe he needed to, or had a right, to try and get Mamoru to calm down, at least since it seemed like he was going to give the bartender a verbal lashing instead of a physical one. Still, he looked around them, thinking it might be better for Mamoru to not have much of an audience once he did unleash his fury.
However, Mamoru seemed to get a rein on his temper, and Nate let the tension in his shoulders release. While he wouldn't have interfered with his prince's dispensing of a chewing out, it didn't mean that he would have enjoyed listening to it, especially in such an arena-- he found himself thinking about what Makoto might make of it if Endymion was going off on the bartending staff.
Oblivious to his close call, the bartender looked up, his eyes widening in visible surprise as he realized that his conversant was none other than Chiba Mamoru.
"Hey, I didn't realize it was you!" Placing the knife and the lemon back down on the cutting board (probably a wise move), he leaned over slightly. "Is it really true that she threw herself at you naked with angel wings? I always did have trouble believing the whole virgin thing. And who was Seiya?"
Nate choked on his swallow of bloody mary, the spicy mix burning his sinuses and throat.
"Excuse me?" he rasped out at the bartender with a glare that was just as hot as the drink. "Dude, that's so not work apropos." He glanced warily at Mamoru, his outrage at the statement more for his prince's sake than anyone else's.
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on May 27, 2009 17:22:25 GMT -5
Mamoru certainly didn’t have to wait long for the bartender to continue the conversation. He rose an eyebrow when the guy seemed surprised about who he had been talking to. Personally, if it had been him he would have wanted to know who he was conversing with before talking about such things, after all what if it had been one of the senshi or even Lucan standing here. The bartender could have gotten himself into serious trouble speaking so disrespectfully about the queen. Mamoru had been angry, but technically speaking he wouldn’t have been able to do much more then lecture the guy. After all, he didn’t really have any power in the government anymore. All of these thoughts came slamming to a halt however the moment the bartender continued speaking.
The anger that he had been feeling only moments before intensified into a cold rage as he heard what the bartender actually had to say. Mamoru had no doubt how the man had gotten his information, Usagi must have been rambling. She had always been affected by even the smallest amount of alcohol when she was younger and now apparently she had indulged in far too much. He had no illusions about why she might have done so, after all she had come over here fresh from his conversation with her and so that had undoubtably been what had driven her to drinking so much. Hadn’t he done much the same the other night with Motoki and if he was honest with himself, he’d probably have done much the same tonight if he hadn’t have wound up talking with Khalid.
Mamoru also had no trouble figuring out what incident the bartender was referring to, although he wondered why Usagi had brought it up. There had really only been one time that he could think of where Usagi was naked with angel wings. It had taken every ounce of strength he had to keep such a firm hold on his self-control and not react like any other normal, red blooded man who suddenly found his arms wrapped around a beautiful naked woman that had been the love of his life in not just one but two different lifetimes. He had a little trouble figuring out why she was rambling on about that incident and it irritated him a lot more then he cared to admit to hear she had been talking about Seiya, but that was not what was bothering him. What was bothering him was the guy on the other side of the bar speaking so crassly about Usagi.
Mamoru was not a violent man, no matter what the press had been saying lately. He had only hit the guy at the bar in self defense. Therefore the thought of leaping across the bar and pounding the man into the floor only crossed his mind once and was immediately discarded. That course of action, though satisfying on so many levels, would only cause him more trouble then it was worth. Unfortunately, ignoring the man was also not something he was willing to do. The bartender had insulted Usagi’s honor and Mamoru would not allow that to go unpunished.
He set his glass down on the counter and pulled himself up to his full height before staring the bartender down with one of his best intimidating glares. Mamoru’s gaze glinted with cold fury as he growled, “What happened or did not happen between Usagi and me is not a topic up for discussion and it’s certainly not something you have any right to be sticking your nose into. You should learn to mind your own business, which in this case is serving drinks not questioning Usagi’s honor. She deserves far more respect then what you’ve shown her. Not just because she happens to be your queen and your employer, but because she’s done more for this world then you could ever guess at. I might not have the authority to fire you on the spot anymore, but I can promise you that I can and will make your life very difficult if I ever hear you say anything against Usagi again. Do you understand?”
It was an empty threat, there wasn’t really anything Mamoru could do to the guy short of reporting his behavior to someone else. However, that didn’t stop Mamoru from being angry enough to say it regardless of whatever consequences the words might hold for him later.
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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on May 28, 2009 22:02:33 GMT -5
Nathaniel held off on sipping his drink, observing the scene carefully. The bartender had overstepped his bounds and was about to pay for it, he was sure. Talking about someone' woman, even one's ex, was usually a recipe for disaster-- though he knew after he ended a few relationship of his own, he wouldn't have minded if the bartender bashed the woman. But Mamoru was still in love-- and he seemed to mind very much.
The bartender turned color under Mamoru's icy stare, fidgeting a bit but at least his lips remained firmly shut. He seemed too look like he wanted to say a great deal many things, but had enough sense to keep those things to himself.
"Perfectly," he responded when Mamoru asked him if he understood, picking up his cutting board and lemon and moving down the bar where a few parties were banging on it and demanding drinks. Nathaniel watched him go, letting out a sigh.
"Sorry about that," he apologized, after all it had been his idea to come over. "Who knew the staff was so bad? At least now you know."
He resumed sipping, realizing that soon he was going to have to trade his bloody mary for a flute of champagne. "It's getting close to midnight," he remarked.
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on May 29, 2009 1:45:20 GMT -5
Mamoru glared after the bartender for a moment before turning back to Nathaniel when the other man apologized. He shook his head and said, “It wasn’t your fault Nate. I’m beginning to think a good many of the palace staff aren’t all that great or at least that they all should have been taught what they can and can not do around here.” He shrugged somewhat irritably before muttering, “Knowing doesn’t make anything better though, it only changes what I was worried about.”
Mamoru glanced up at the time briefly when Nathaniel mentioned it was almost midnight. He should have gone to find Usagi the moment he stopped talking with Khalid, or maybe he shouldn’t have let her wander off to begin with. He certainly wasn’t going to get the chance to begin change her mind tonight and convince her to dance with him. From the sounds of things she wasn’t in any condition to dance, much less understand anything he might try to tell her. More then likely she wouldn’t remember much of what was said to her now.
He picked his drink back up before saying, “Nate, go find Makoto. Don’t miss the opportunity to share that first kiss of the New Year with her if she’ll have you. Don’t waste the moment staying here with me. She’d be much better company I assure you.”
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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on May 29, 2009 22:42:33 GMT -5
He nodded sympathetically, mentally filing about the knowledge about the Palace staff. Why couldn't they just fire them all and get better ones? That bartender was way out of line.
Nate felt his frown deepen at Mamoru's words. He found himself glancing to the place where he had last seen Makoto with the Queen and Venus and Khalid/Kunzite. "She's with the Queen, I couldn't go find her even if I did want to." And he did want to, very badly, but he wasn't about to admit it aloud when his prince was gloomily insisting that Makoto would be better company.
He felt a flash of anger go through him. Serenity was so selfish. She was drunk and being an attention whore-- monopolizing Makoto now, even as it drew nearer to midnight, and driving poor Mamoru to distraction. And for what? Because she was drunk? She didn't get enough attention as Queen? How childish and irresponsible-- Mamoru would be a must better ruler! He wouldn't do anything so infantile.
Nathaniel was acutely aware that he had spent the past few days in a combined drunken/drugged state, but he wasn't running the world then, and he hadn't even known about his true position as a Shitennou. She had no such excuse.
"I'm perfectly happy to be staying with you, Mamoru, though don't expect me to kiss you at midnight," he joked.
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on May 30, 2009 16:42:26 GMT -5
Mamoru glanced back to where he had last seen Usagi, that was right Makoto had been there as well. He had momentarily forgotten that, which did mean that Nathaniel wouldn’t be able to go after Makoto since she wouldn’t be willing to go anywhere until she was certain that Usagi was ok which she obviously wasn’t. He felt somewhat guilty for that as well, even if he wasn’t actually the one keeping Nathaniel from being with Makoto. If he hadn’t hurt Usagi then Nathaniel would be able to go after Makoto tonight. Instead of saying any of that aloud, he simply accepted it and said, “There’s still a little time before midnight. She might come out in time ...”
He cheered up just a little at Nahaniel’s next words, glad of the company regardless of whether he felt guilty or not. “I assure you Nate, that isn’t on my list of things to experience tonight. A charmer you might be, but it just doesn’t work for me ...”
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Post by Nathaniel Bernhardt on May 30, 2009 17:07:43 GMT -5
"Maybe," Nate responded neutrally. He doubted it, and anyway, he wasn't sure what the senshi would be doing at midnight. There would be plenty of time after tonight to pursue Makoto, he kept telling himself.
Finishing his drink, he set it down at the bar and stepped away, just grinning at Mamoru's response. "Doesn't work for me, either. Though speaking of midnight we might want to start migrating for the ball drop; maybe we can beat the rush."
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Post by Chiba Mamoru on May 30, 2009 17:45:53 GMT -5
Mamoru grinned before nodding in agreement to Nathaniel’s plan. Standing here certainly wasn’t doing him any good. “That sounds like a plan to me ...”
He swallowed down the last of his drink and lead the way to the south lawn.
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