The light rain outside this afternoon was a welcomed break to the heated temperatures of summer. No doubt the sun's burning rays singed more than skin, tempers and emotions were known to flair in the roasting months of the year's midpoint. Isuelt had left the Sanctuary after spending the morning languishing over a relaxing breakfast and walk about the gardens, something she rarely did. Yet, when the occasion dictated, such as it did with the late morning's rain, she was no stranger to leisure.

After a healthy ride through mud-slackened streets, the Scathachian arrived at the Inn. The hood of her gray cloak was heavy on her head as she dismounted and made her way to the porch steps. The mud clung to her boots and threatened to shirk off on whatever floor she dared to come upon. The porch of the Red Dragon Inn housed two patrons this day, Keaton was speaking to a well-dressed dainty flower of a woman.

"...In its own right, it is," the musician looked at the street, at the buildings that surrounded them, new and old, modern and medieval - mostly older on this block - and in all his spying, he caught sight of an Isuelt. He whistled in greeting to her and waved her over. "Issy! Someone here you should meet."

The dainty flower turned around to face Isuelt, and smiled. The Scathachian raised a gloved hand up at the whistle, first to acknowledge Keaton and to also push a damp tendril from her temple. Once under the shelter of the overhang, she pushed back her hood, ?Hey sexy. What's that now?? Her eyes looked to the flower as those muddy boots then made their way up the stairs and onto the porch.

"Issy, this is Lilly. Lilly... Issy." Gesturing between the two with a smile. "Lilly's new in Rhy'Din."

The Judge nodded to Lilly, ?Ah..hey there.? And in offering a glove, she realized it was a bit muddy. A quick fix as she wiped the glove on her pants and once more extended it. ?Hi.?

?Very nice to meet you, Issy,? came the sweet voice of Lillyan Maddox as the women shook hands.

?Welcome to the wildest spot this side of Metro.? Isuelt then gestured in a ribbing fashion to Keaton, ?You scouting out the local talent??
He smirked at this, brown eyes lowered to his guitar for a moment, giving it a pat.

?I'm being made feel very welcome,? she smiled to Keaton then chuckled at Isuelt's remark. ?His music is what drew me here actually.?

Isuelt sniffed and then shook her head a bit, drying out those locks, ?So, Lilly...what brings you here besides the sweet dulcet tones of Keaton's instrument??

Keaton jerked a thumb in Isuelt?s way - he couldn?t resist this remark - he whispered none-too-quietly to Lilly, "That's what she likes to call it."

As Lilly chucked demurely, Isuelt let a bit of laughter slide at Keaton?s volley.

He took the women?s gaiety as a go-ahead. "She's an odd one with her metaphors..." as he shook his head. "Great moves in the sack, but you never know what on earth she's talking about." As a punctuating mark, he elbowed the tall Scathachian. Out came the fox within the musician, delighting in teasing and mischief. He couldn?t help but grin from ear to ear.

?Yeah, yeah, yeah....but you're usually not in the habit of bedding women because of what they say, are you Keat?? Isuelt then paused for effect before she added, ?God knows I'm not.?

And as Lilly waited curiously for an earnest response from Keaton, he continued in his mischief, "I have to be honest, Issy - it's the way you look at me. Those eyes, I just get lost in them." All this, of course, in a deadpan.

The easy coolness of the day was in her blood and would afford her an unusually jovial manner. Isuelt was considerably less than deadpan. She laughed and lunged forward toward him to plant a kiss right on his mouth, as she figured that would break him of his near-flawless act. Of course, to add insult to injury, a muddy gloved finger found its way to his ear and danced there a bit.

"Ah - what the - !" He leaned as far back as he could, his arms tensed on the railing to keep himself from toppling over onto the muddy street as she managed the peck, followed by the muddy wet-willy. "Oh - oh, that's it!"

Isuelt leaned back to grin at him with a "check mate" expression, as Lilly watched the two, wondering at this odd relationship they shared.

The musician grabbed his own ears, then her hands, getting his hands plenty muddy. He then leaned forward again to pat her cheeks lightly, covering the sides of her face in mud. "You always look sexy, Issy - but I think you've got something on your face."

?Oa-wah....! Uh!? Her face was pinched in a labored expression, tongue pushed lightly between her lips. A moment only before she recovered herself and shook her head, still a jovial grin on her mouth. ?That's okay, Keaton. I know you want me more when I'm all dirty,? she cast a wink to Lilly.

"Roll around in the mud some more and I'll do it right here, right out front. I've got a rubber on me," he smirked true to fox nature Then he looked over at Lilly, "Sorry for all this. A lot of us are... well, really friendly, here at the Red Dragon."

?I must be undesirable then,? presumed the dainty flower as she coyly looked down to her clean dress.

He shrugged at this, looking over her gown. "Immaculately white... yeah, wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot-pole. Take a dive in a mud puddle and I can guarantee no restraint. Just you hope Issy doesn't get to you first. She'll eat you up.?

Adding to his friendly banter, Isuelt chimed in, ?That's okay, dollface....a few hours with me and I'll make sure any woman is good and dirty.?

"See, what'd I tell ya?"

As if on cue, Jewell Ravenlock stepped out the front door of the Inn, and into the wet afternoon. ?It stinks in there,? she remarked to the gathering on the porch.

Keaton?s ear twitched as he heard Jewell, ?Not too muddy for your Royal Highness, is it?"

?Just a tad, but..? she made that step outside, shaking her head at the messy state Isuelt and Keaton were in. ?Children, what did I tell you about playing in the mud??

?Sorry, Mom!? Isuelt was now playing to an enlarged audience and cast a cheesy grin to Jewell. She then opened up her arms, mud still on her cheeks, ?What.....no kiss??

"Jewell!" The musician immediately rose from his seat, wrapped Jewell up in a muddy-armed muddy-faced hug, kissing her on the nose. "I've missed you! So much that I just had to get you dirty. You know how I am about our kinky stuff," he waggled his eyebrows. Of course the Scathachian would joined to make it a group hug, and to add a bit more mud.

And just like that, as the Empress was just about to deny Issy the pleasure of getting her dirty, Keaton just went ahead with his deadly hug-kiss combination. She should have been used to it by now, and her laugh proved that perhaps she was. ?Kinky is good an? all, Keats..just don't get any in my drink!? And as she was hugged from both sides, any foul mood from the events last night was eased away.

Chuckling, Isuelt peeled off from the hug, and looked to Lilly, ?So, you never said what brought ya here, doll.?

"I'll be careful about the drink, I promise," Keaton quietly replied to Jewell, between covering her forehead and cheeks in quick pecks to get her muddy, before finally let her go. A pat on her shoulders, "There we are."

Jewell looked herself over. ?Now you got my clothes all messy, Keats, I'm gonna have to take them off,? she teased.

"I know. It's a sacrifice you'll have to make," he grinned and fired off a wink at her, then leaned over the railing.

The Scathachian?s dark gaze was still trained on the newcomer as she began to explain, ?I'm...? she paused, she'd never had to explain her quest to anyone before, how did one explain the dark shadows? ?I'm just appreciating the view of new lands,? Lilly decided that was benign enough.

Isuelt rolled her shoulders lightly, shaking off a bit more water. She nodded to Lilly, ?Well, that's original.?

As Jewell started the task of brushing herself clean, she continued to Keaton, ?I don't have the stamina to let Issy jump me just now, so I'm gonna head upstairs and clean up. Have to meet a housing contractor person..thing...in a bit.? She frowned, business wasn't her deal.

"Au revoir, lover!" Keaton called past Issy to Jewell.

?Later, hot stuff!? She blew Keaton and Issy muddy kisses, a wave for Lillyan. She was quickly getting out of this muddy situation.

It could be argued that this Ravenlock had the gift of premonition. For as she walked back inside to the Inn, Keaton leaned further over the railing, feet locked with the bars to keep him from toppling over into a puddle. Securing his treasure, he tensed his muscles to upright himself slowly. "Who said anything about Issy?" as he walked up behind the woman in question, and slapped a handful of mud onto the back of the Scathachian's neck.

Frozen in place, as if stunned silent, Isuelt looked back to Keaton, ?You... are... so... asking for it!?

"Asking for what, Miss Muddy Smooch? Miss Muddy Wet-Willy?" He arched a dark eyebrow with a playful grin, his hand still on the back of her neck, rubbing the mud in.

?And don't start that sweet talk with my, mon cher.....you know it doesn't work!? Her head leaned back, trying to make the area of skin exposed less...and less. Though the grin on her face belied her words, ?I'm so going to kick your little fox ass from one end of this porch to the other!?

"Will you now?" He patted her shoulder, then wiped his hand off on it as he resumed his lean on the railing. "It's a pretty long porch, so you - g'hey!" Keaton felt a large wet splat hit his shoulder, slinging mud onto his neck, ear, and into his hair. Lilly had decided to play, too.

His instinctive duck, much too late, saw mud splatter his left side. He wiped it off onto his hands... and turned to Lilly with the Devil's grin.

The Scathachian watched the two of them, spitting out a stray drop of mud that found its way to her mouth. She was wearing quite a shocked expression, ?Hey, you're gonna fit in just fine around here.? To which Lilly grinned, curtseyed and matched Keaton?s grin with a devious gleam of her own. Taking a pause to look down and examine herself, Isuelt smirked and shook out her hands, ?I think I've got more on me than my horse does now.?
"Yes..." Keaton agreed as he sauntered over to Lilly and rubbed his hands in a very absurd way over her face and in her hair, streaking it all in mud. "Yes, you're going to fit - right - in." With the last three words, he gave three pats to her stomach, leaving three muddy handprints on her impeccable white gown.

Isuelt?s mouth simply hung open, her slackened jaw was picture perfect. Keaton doing that to her was one thing, but to a finely dressed lady? Keaton had either totally flipped his wig, or he had just gotten laid. ?You see Trixie last night, doll??
"I'll tell you about it later, sexy," he answered to Issy with a wink over his shoulder, as Lilly began to react to Keaton?s muddy assault. The woman in once-white grinned ever so politely, and placed her hands on Keaton's shoulders leaning her face extremely close to his. He could feel her breath against his lips, as she stared into his eyes.

Thinking the woman was going to scream about the mudslinging, Isuelt began, ?Honey, it's okay. There's a washroom insi-? She was stopped short as she watched the woman move in on Keaton. A single thought played through her mind: This woman would indeed fit in around here.

Being stared at and seduced, all prelude-to-a-kiss style... Keaton beat Lilly to the punch. He landed his hands on her shoulders and pressed a big muddy kiss right to Lilly's forehead. He let out a laugh and broke away. His steps were aiming for Isuelt's side, uncertain what the woman's reaction to that would be, though not caring too terribly much, clearly.

With a quick swipe of her leg, Lilly tripped him as he leapt to Issy for safety. "Oop!" He lost balance on one foot but hopped along three times on the other, nearly plowing into Issy. It didn't take much for the Scathachian and her reflexes to react to the trip. Her arms grabbed at him, and succeeded in keeping him off the floor as the two slammed into the railing. His eyebrows were raised, though he chuckled, "Hey now, that could've hurt." Taking the initiative, Lilly pounced at Keaton. Up and over the railing, the three of them landed into the mud, dazed by the quick trip and impact.

?Did I hurt you?? Lilly asked sincerely as she stared down at him.

?Bloody hell, Lady!? came the yelp from the gypsy as she tried to move into a sitting position. She was caught under one of them, limbs in disarray.

"Mmm... nope,? Keaton offered in answer to Lilly. He checked his limbs, and then checked one of Isuelt's by accident... he lifted himself up to get a look at her. "You okay down there, Issy?"
?Just peachy, sexy,? still trying to manipulate her own limbs to a standing position.

?I'm being too rough,? a small pout from Lilly who stood, shaking the mud from her hands. ?That's what I thought you liked,? a playful smile tossed to Keaton.

"No, the problem was, love - it's not rough enough," he grinned as he straightened up, offering a hand to help Issy to her feet. "You need to take lessons from this woman." He smacking Isuelt?s behind, leaving a muddy handprint as a souvenir.

?Not enough?? the devious grin reappeared on Lilly?s lips.

?Wait!? Isuelt cast a staying hand out to Lilly. ?That wasn't an invitation!?

Keaton continued in a whisper to Lilly, "She'll meet you at midnight. That's when she always gives her lessons." He nodded knowingly.

Although she had at first appeared pristine, Lilly was loosening up nicely, ?I like you, Issy. But I'll pass on the lessons, thank you. At least from her anyway,? she wiggled her eyebrows at Keaton.

Ever the player, he offered, ?I?ll bring the riding crop!?

Shaking her head, looking at the three of them, Isuelt butted in, ?Now, let's get inside before I have to start charging people for this...?

As the rain began to lighten into a mist, a second Scathachian, Jenai Angelique, approached the porch of the Inn. Rivers of red strands stuck to her face and framed her large lavender eyes as she came up the steps and out of the weather. Her smile grew as she saw Issy outside.

?Alrighty...all lessons are on hold until I get the mud out of my bloody ears!? Isuelt chided. ?Keaton, you are getting me upstairs and into a hot tub. Comprenez-vous??

"Inside, you said?" Now, Issy may have been the warrior, the one who killed people and trained hard, but Keaton got a decent workout. He'd worked as a roadie before, and lifting Issy was no problem. His shoulder met her stomach as he knelt. Then straightening, he lifted her over his shoulder. "I'm already on it," he grinned.

Not being one to wear a cloak hood, but rather feel the rain on her cheeks, Jenai easily watched her elder Scathachian Sister and the company she was with. Though it surprised her to see Isuelt lifted in such a manner...and not fight back.

"It was nice meeting you, Lilly! Oh, and Sis I haven't met yet - sorry, but your Sister's getting a little carried away!" as Keaton went in through the front door, it was all Isuelt could do but wave to her Sister and to Lilly.

Lilly waved and grinned to them as she retook a spot on the porch. Jenai was right on Keaton?s heels as she insisted on carrying on a conversation with Isuelt, as if nothing were out of the ordinary. ?What are you doing??

A tap on Keaton?s back from the tall Scatachian, and Keaton put her down at the base of the stairs. ?Keaton, this is Jenai.?

"Jenai, pleased to meet you," he offered a muddy hand, then thought better, and withdrew it.

She looked him up and down, ?Charmed.?

?We're just gonna get cleaned up and then we'll be back down,? Isuelt continued.

?Okay, I?ll be waiting here when you come back down,? she grinned as she stood dripping rain on the floor. ?I?ll get some drinks on.?

Keaton blinked at Jenai, thinking she was a little different from the personality types of Kristia, Isuelt, and Trixie. "In separate tubs," he added quickly. Then looking to Isuelt, "You know Trixie's going to kill you." He grins.

?Why?!? What am I doing? I didn't start an.....okay, I started it.?

"Nah, she'll be fine with it. We'll all have a big mud party tonight - then we'll kick you kids out so we can fool around." He chuckled as he makes his way up the stairs towards the room he keeps rented out here.
Isuelt grinned as she leaned forward and landed the cleanest peck she could on Jenai's cheek, ?Be right back, cher.? She then caught up to Keaton and placed a hand on his shoulder. ?Come you, I've got a key left over from the other night.?
"I've got my own up here," as they headed up the stairs. "Think the guy who was borrowing it moved out. You got spare clothes?"
?You think I keep men's clothes up there??

"No, for yourself! Silly." Their voices faded as they went upstairs.