"She could do better, but it was an arrangement her parents made so long ago." The lie slipped so easily as Mirannda polished off the wine. Nathaneal made offer of spicing up the night, which pulled an excited, hungry smile from her. "Well I hope so." Another mulled wine was passed over to her, the scent of cinnamon and clove wafting from the hot glass. For a moment, it was distracting just to appreciatively smell the beverage's steam.
As he spoke, she tried to draw conclusions from his reason. Likely, it was just as false as her own story. In this setting, she would not put it past him. Mirannda had to hand it to him, if it was all a fabrication, it spilled from his mouth just as easily, he could sell a pile of manure as gold. She frowned for a moment as he dropped a familiar name. "Abed… Isn't that nearly straight across Parvpora to the west of here?" The phoenix was not as new to the lands anymore, and she has spent some time figuring out the geography, or at least studied a map extensively.
Yet, finally, he made the request of a change of scenery. She beamed at him as a prostitute finally picking up a customer would. Sliding off her stool, her hips were naturally between his knees, as she placed her other hand on his second thigh. Mirannda leaned in, lips parted sensually and hovered a mere inch from his lips for a moment, letting the suspense build. His wine scent mingled with hers, and once again instincts screamed at her to run. There was something new, old and dangerous to his scent. Cold yet warm, with an underlying animal scent. Two distinct smells, mixing to the point of almost being undetectable. It was strange to have them both be there on the same person.
Playfully, with a dip and rising motion of her neck, the tip of her nose brushed against his as she pulled back with a teasing laugh. "I assume we'll use the room you purchased for the night? My room has my friend in it, and I'd hate to interrupt her slumber. Lead the way, Nathaneal." Looking over her shoulder as she glided over to the stairs leading to the rooms, she gave him a 'come and get me smile'. In truth, a night of fun with someone interesting was truly what she was after, so she was considering herself the huntress having successfully snared her prey. It was a shame she had a full glass of wine she was leaving behind, but she had the feeling she did not want to become too intoxicated right now with her instincts begging her to escape.
Waiting at the top of the stairs, she allowed Nathaneal to take point, leading them to his room. Upon the door's open invitation, Mirannda draped herself against the wall and bit her tongue. Her voice dropped to a husky purr. "Tell me, Nathaneal, what would you have of me?"
If only she knew what kind of danger she had allowed herself to walk into… Maybe she would not have phrased the question as such.