Race stands before the audience wearing a black eye-mask up to his face, purple and green feathers stick out above one eye. He?s also wearing a satin dress. A victorian styled gold with little pearls of green and purple laced along the bodice. He hardly smiles as the crowd roars and snickers. The man?s bared shoulders hint at a toned, athletic form hidden away in the layers of frill. Race slowly lowers the mask while looking over the crowd.

?Mardis Gras was this week, last saturday was an amazing bash thrown in the Marketplace by the Duel of Swords staff and an awesome host, Canaan Devillier. Sadly I couldn?t make it, but that?s why tonight?s our Mardis Gras special!?

Xydaco music starts and confetti falls from the ceiling as the crowd cheers.

?Monday night was Governor Ilnaren?s weekly Town Hall meeting. A bit out of schedule because of all the different title fights taking place this week. You guys see that? Every Baron under siege. It?s like Melanie is suddenly Marie Antoinette going ?Let them eat cake!? and the dueling community is going ?Nope, we don?t like these people?.

A cardboard cutout of Marie Antoinette with Melanie?s face is carted across the stage as a sound byte plays ?You mad bruh??

The crowd?s cackling in laughter before it?s even halfway past the man.

Race stares at the cutout as it disappears off stage before looking the other way, somewhere behind the curtains in the wings. ?Where do you guys get these things??

?Anyway!? said while adjusting his dress around the shoulders and chest. ?Watch authorities are looking for a suspect wanted for Criminal. Mischief. You?ve all seen the ads for that Passion Powder stuff, yeah? Well it didn?t take long for one of the city?s creatively twisted to put this potent lust potion to use. There came a brief report that a sack full of pixies, dredged and battered in the stuff, were thrown in the middle of the Inn. The crowd never stood a chance.?

More mad laughter erupts from the audience even before he?s done. ?Thankfully no one is hurt, though I?m sure there are a few pregnancy tests pending. And somewhere there?s a tribe of pixies wondering what have they done, with the worlds worst migraines.?

?Speaking of the Watch, many of the suspects arrested in last week?s gang violence seem to have been part of an attempted riot at the Tower of Gulshan. From sources the riot was quelled quickly by staff with assistance from mages on loan from Old Market. That sounds fishy doesn?t it? I know if it were me? And I was part of some Fairy Mafia, that the first rule of good business is to have some Watch people on the payroll. Both in offices and prisons to make sure my people are taken care of. That?s just me though. I?m not part of the mob, or in law enforcement.? He turns to look at the camera. ?I just play one on t.v.? Charmingly, rugged smile.

The crowd laughs harder, but it?s short lived in tapered chortles.

?Madness is almost upon us and since my good friend Ebon could not compete in the tournament, I signed up for him. Just don?t tell him that.? Race winks and makes a shushing gesture at the audience who starts cheering and whistling. ?That?s right ladies and gentleman, I?m stepping off the bench and into the Arena for it?s biggest event. Be sure to come out and support me and the 64 other duelists entered! Stop down at the Line and place wagers.

Now let?s get on with our show! My first guest tonight is none other than the...ravishing..? Race gives bedroom eyes to the camera and works one shoulder. ?Thorn. Owner of Kaos cafe and maestro to the successful Booze-Fest as well as models for Play Elf. She?s trendy, hot, and a total peach.? The audience whistles and makes a few cat-calls.

?Ladies and gentleman, give it up and show the woman your love; welcome Thorn!? as Race turns to walk towards his desk.

There was a loud whistle, a redneck's stamp of approval let loose between her fingers before she sauntered her happy-ass on screen.

Ice pick heels were the color of moonlight and wishes, and matched the abbreviated sheathe of a dress in shade and shimmer perfectly. The silky material clung and hugged and moulded even with its halter neckline and nearly backless plunge. Or, maybe because of it?
The thigh length fall of nearly white was loose, tumbling and rioting down her spine in lazy waves and half born curls to lick at the backs of her thighs, pinned here and there with silver and moonstone clips. A choker of silver and diamonds hugged her throat, and those signature belled rings chimed merrily, manically when she flagged finger blurring waves all about

Pausing now and then to pose in teasingly provocative ways, her grin was edged in wickedness and delight. Her amethyst eyes lit with back alley promises and dark corner dreams.

"Race." Thorn purred in a manner meant to tickle the ego, she held out her hands to him when she came within arm's reach.

Plenty of whistles from the crowd as she poses.

Taking her hands, Race grins at the way she says his name and looks to the audience as if doing a stage whisper Thorn can't hear. "Good thing I'm wearing a dress, or I'd have a three-ring circus in my pants." His face turns serious as he looks back to Thorn. "Do it again," said in a playful whisper, giving her a welcoming hug.
Oh, that wicked twinkle in her eye. Her laughter was full throated and better suited to the sunwashed balconies of a brothel.

"Long as you don't face plant, it's all good right?" Though, judging from the impish way her smile shifted and the twitching of her lips, the image was amusing as all hell. In the manner of all physical comedy.

"Hopefully, probably. Fashion Week's coming up, and a friend, Mai Silverblood, is going to be doing a booth and, I think maybe a show again this year. I know a booth, not sure about the show part. I'll be there for, and in, that again. And I pose for Kitty's Mag, pretty often. Plus, there's all kinds of events to put together for folks who want it catered and planned by my company." An easy, almost lazy shrug lifted a mostly bare shoulder; the left with it's acid splatter scarring showing plainly.

"At the very least there's definitely going to be another Booze Fest this Fall." With this, she winked at the crowd, adding in a cheery little crinkle at the tip of her nose for their reaction.

"All of that, is great to hear. I remember running into you at the last Booze Fest. My bartending troup and dancer's the Plex Girls were there doing flair demonstrations for Mad Hatter Brewery. Was a good event, lots of vendors. Definitely a good addition to the city. Do you know yet if you're just going to model for Silverblood? Any side-jobs?"

Between whistles at her antics and the mention of the Plex Girls, Race is shaking his head with a laugh.

"Oh, gods the Plex Girls." The way she rolled her eyes and fanned herself told the tale of Thorn's, very much enjoying every bit of his troupe. A great deal yes.

"And thank you. I realized we don't have many events in the Fall, and the last few years our big events have been kind of tapering off so I figured why not throw one? I'm just, tickled pink and absolutely thrilled that so many vendors hopped on the wagon. And of course, the whole thing would've been a wash if it hadn't been for all'a y'all!" The twang was there again, ramped up intentionally as she pointed at the audience, ran the gesture from left to right and back again. "So a huge thank you to you too!" When the crowd erupted, she beamed and preened just a little, and applauded right along with them.

"Well, Mai has a line of lingerie she designed, basically around me. It's inspired by me, called the Thorns of Lust. So I'm pretty much exclusively her model when it comes to clothes. Other things, I actually hadn't thought of yet. So, maybe we'll see?" Auburn brows lifted in time with the shrug.

?Designed around you, that like being a living mannequin?? He teases and sips from his logo?d mug. ?The Plex Girls are pretty popular with a lot of folks, you should come by WonderPlex in the summer when they?re promoting some of the new attractions. Unfortunately they vetoed wet t-shirts. But were fine exhibiting a water ride.? A shrug as the audience laughs.

"Aww, no wet tee shirts? That's pretty jacked." She looked genuinely disappointed there. "I'd've been down to compete. -- I'd've lost to the redhead, but still."

"Kind of like being a living mannequin. Sometimes she hunts me down with what she's put together for me, wherever I am, I go change into it, and parade around right there." Thoughtful narrowing of her eyes, though nothing at all could dim the smoky delight in them for long. Not even the stroking of her chin could detract from the lascivious twist of her mouth. "That's led to some interesting side effects. Think one guy wound up falling dick first into another because of it." True story! Just, no names.

Yep. he's snickering at that right along with the crowd. "Well that's one way to hide a boner, hey you!" points to some imaginary person. "C'mere! Wanna talk about a horse and a backhoe."

"Even though you're not in the public view as far as headlines, it's good to know you keep busy and are always keeping up on what's going on. You ran for governor, had some respectable votes. Going to try and run again?"

She very nearly choked on her own spit there. "I might. I think it depends on who runs this year, or how many people actually run." And here she leaned forward as though she was sharing a bit of a secret.

"Main reason I threw my hat in the ring was so there'd be a chance for the whole election process. At the time, there weren't all that many candidates, and there likely weren't going to be any debates of anything like that. Nothing worse, in my opinion, than a populace that doesn't know what it's government is doing. Or hells, who its government even is." This statement was met with mixed approval, Rhy'din is a land of chaos that, usually, seemed to prefer pretending there were no rules or powers that be.

"But, most likely, yeah I'll throw my hat in again. How about you?" Playfully she turned the question back around to him, with a wink that blatantly said she was kidding.

"I ran because it sounded fun to compete against Ebon. I might go again, but it depends on who else is running. I'd rather be the lesser evil really. They get overlooked and have all the fun." Offered with a grin. "So we've got Fashion Week, skin mags, Booze Fest,politics. That sounds like all the bases have been covered...and we've got about ten minutes left..." he drums fingers on the desk and looks from her to the crowd and back.

Oh, she's eying him suspiciously now. Lips twitching because nothing really beats back her smile for long.

"Wanna make out like teenagers?" he asks deadpan...getting ruckus laughter from the crowd. "We'll be back after these messages from our sponsors!"

Fun fact, she was reaching out as though to snag him in for a toe curling, toss your skirt over your head kiss before the screen went dark into the commercial break.



Sitting at his desk, Race?s face is covered in red lipstick blotches, his hair a ragged mess. Eyes wide and slightly glazed over he coughs a bit. His silence is overshadowed by light laughter from the audience.

?Ahem. My uh, next guest is someone recent to Rhydin?s gaggle of local celebrities. You all got a taste of him at the Mardis Gras event in the Marketplace. Give a round of cheers for Canaan Devillier!?

Rhydin's best Cajun waltzed on screen from backstage, all smiles and dressed casually in blue button down shirt, jeans, and boots. At least the laces are tied for once! He waved to audience and made his way to his designated seat, but not before he leaned across Race's desk to shake the man's hand. The Cajun's looking a little star-struck himself.

Cane sat quickly and made himself comfortable, elbows on either knee. "T'anks fer havin' me on da show t'nigh'. Love yer outfit. Wish I'd known ta dress up." He looked down at himself a little helplessly, then back up to Race. "We could'a matched."

"Well you know, first date and all. Need to keep all the surprises for the third one." Fired back with a grin and sparse laughter from the audience.

"Well yeah, but I mean...could'a brought'cha flowers 'r somet'in!" Quiet chuckle. "Nex' date fer sure."

"Why Mister Devillier...I do declare..." Race starts in a horrible southern accent then stops. "Wait, I better not declare. That means I do it later." More laughter from the audience as he gives the note cards a crack on the desktop. "How was it hosting your first major event for the Duel of Swords?"

"It was great! Ya know, I'm originally from N'awlin's an' it was great ta be able ta give Rhydin a taste 'a my hometown. Haven't been livin' here f' long, so I ain' sure what ot'er kinda parties have happened in da pas', but bein' able ta put on a show fer DoS was an absolute blast. Dris an' I had a fantastic time."

"Well if you're ever feeling homesick, I own club Ampersand. Named after the famous Ampersand in N'awlins. You're more than welcome to come by and enjoy drinks and the atmosphere." Making the friendly offer with a nod. "I can imagine how much of a blast it was. We had Dris on here just last week. He's every bit the showman."

"I will definitely be stoppin' on by soon." Canaan nodded assuredly and moved on to respond to Race's comments about Dris. He turned his hands out, palms up. "We play off each ot'er nicely, it's been fun workin' wit' 'im pas' couple'a months. Couldn'a pulled dat party off wit'out his help." Hands came back together again and he looked out over the crowd. "I ain' been to a fais do-do dat crazy in a long, long time. Did'ja see how many folk was dere? Loved seein' everyone comin' out ta have a good time, supportin' de Duels."

"I didn't, but I saw the photos after. Needless to say that if anyone screwed up on Valentine's Day, they made it up at your party in spades. And other objects as well!" Flashes the crowd a grin and slaps his cards against the desk. "Speaking of spades and objects...let's play a game!" Lights flash random game-show music.

Cane laughed, lifting a hand to scratch at the layer of hair blanketing his jaw. Then his eyes widened along with his smile. "Spades an' objects. Oh, Jesus." Hands were rubbed together and he inched forward to sit at the very edge of his seat.

"Ever play Family Feud, Cane?" Race asked while sitting up straighter.

The Cajun's chin dipped in an attempt to hide the smile for his imminent chagrin. And then he nodded, looking back up. "No, but I know how it's played." Hands clapped together. "Let's do dis!"

"All right, Cane. We surveyed about a hundred people. Asked them five questions. We're going to ask you the same five. Answer with the first thing that comes to mind. All right? At the end, we'll see how you did."

Catching his lower lip between his teeth, Canaan nodded.

Five blank spots appear on a projection screen. Along with slots for points. "Name something you'd find in a man's medicine cabinet"

"Razor."

"Name something to avoid on a first date."

"Uhh, bringing up an ex?"

"Something a woman might do to a cheating husband or boyfriend"

He pulled a bit of a face and shook his head minutely from side to side, searching for an answer. "Uhh." Lifting a hand, Cane smoothed a few fingers over the hair on his chin. "Prolly...kick 'im out' de house."

"Something you'd only see in Rhydin?"

"A woman meet a man an' two weeks later have his child."
"Name something you wouldn't expect to find on Tara's night stand." Everyone knew the little red vampire, right?

"Oh man. Tara's gon' light me on fire again f'dis, but...hell. 'Chicken Soup for the Wayward Soul'."

That. Gets the crowd cackling.

Cane snickered, too, wearing a toothy grin and looking like he was expecting the tiny terror to come charging out of the audience any second.

"All right, let's see how you did Cane." Race starts once the laughter dies down. "Name something you'd find in a man's medicine cabinet. survey says!" He stops to whisper, "I've always wanted to say that."

The screen jumps up with Razor. And then an 88. "Eighty-eight said Razor."

The Cajun straightened up, nodding a few times.

"Number one answer was Shaving cream. Next one. Something to avoid on the first date. You said..." screen light up with Talk about an Ex. "Talk about an ex. Survey said..." There's a pause as the numbers beep into place. "66."

"Really? What is worse'n talkin' 'bout'cher ex?"

"Number one answer was having to hide the body."

Members of the audience start cackling.

"Okay, good point," he replied in concession.

"Third one..." Race looks up at the board. "Something a woman might do to a cheating husband or boyfriend. You said kick'im out the house. Survey said..." A 75 crops up. "Number one answer was prepare a funeral."

"Ya know, I did wonder if stabbin' was involved. Shouldn' surprise me in a place like dis."

"I said cut off his junk, personally." Getting laughter from the women in the audience.

"Women always go fer the 'D'!" Cane rolls his head back with a laugh.

"True dat. True dat." Race responds with a solemn nod. "All right. Something you only see in Rhydin. You said woman meets a man, and has his baby two weeks later."

Survey beeps! 90. "That was the number one answer."

"Last one. Something you'd never expect to see on Tara's nightstand. You said Chicken Soup for the Wayward Soul" Race puts his hand on Cane?s shoulders as they both look to the bard, the crowd laughing again at the guests answer.

Canaan squinted at the board while they waited for the answer to show up. "Lawd knows dere was prolly a hundred differen' answers fer dis question."

"I know, right?" The board pops up with....?Survey says!?

A 5.

"Not bad, considering."

Still, he chuckled. It had been a humorous answer. "What was da number 1 answer, Race?"

Race purses his lips at what the card says then looks at Cane as if to say, Really? "The number one answer is...."

..."A pregnancy test!" Race is just rolling his eyes.

The Cajun's eyes closed and he hung his head. "My answer was totally better," he said when glancing back up.

"That's the best one I've seen. I said breath mints." shrugging amid laughter from the crowd.

He chuckled noiselessly and tipped a finger toward the man. "If I get anot'er day 'a burnin' added ta my sentence, I'm gonna hold'ja responsible!"

"Feel free, She owes me money." Grinning with a wink.

?That?s our show everybody!? Both men blow kisses to the crowd and bow, which causes a bunch of wadded up paper to fall out of the front of Race?s dress.