Being told that the knight had been one of those who'd helped her didn't provide any comfort. On the contrary, it made her feel worse, her face truly reddening as she imagined what this man must think of her, how he must have laid her hands upon her. The Burhan didn't have an issue with having men touch her but she tended to like them to have her consent and she also preferred to be conscious before she let complete strangers lay hands upon her. What was more, she'd been in a very compromised sort of position so she definitely didn't want people who were strange to her around the place. As such, she was incredibly glad when Darcy sent him away.
"Thank you, Darcy. I appreciate your help, especially as I got myself into such an embarrassingly awkward situation," she murmured, fingers dancing down the side of her face, pushing her hair out of the way while she smiled sheepishly. A moment later though, the smile froze on her face, strangely fixed as it gradually diminished in intensity. Her eyes flickered through a few uncomfortable shades of blue, paling considerably as nervousness set in; she glanced at Caius before turning her gaze back to the Venora. It was quite clear that she'd read quite a bit into the familiarity between the Burhan and the Gawyne, or perhaps Caius had said something while Valeria had been out of it.
She moved her fingers to her mouth, beginning to chew idly on her fingernails as she watched the interaction between the couple as Darcy walked to the nearby bar. It didn't help that her old friend chose to speak in a manner that suggested that he wasn't taking this seriously. What was more, he didn't make any effort to deny that there was anything more than friendship between them. Considering what he'd told her while they were in Ericor's, she wanted to throttle him because he was such an idiot! The blonde wondered how on Idalos he'd ever managed to have any success with women at all. He only made it worse in her mind when he chose to speak in an aside to her, having a private interaction that certainly wouldn't look good from the other woman's perspective.
"It has nothing to do with whose advice I'll take. I know it was stupid but I have certain pressures- you wouldn't get it, Caius," she all but growled, incredibly frustrated with him for other reasons. She sighed, trying to rein in her annoyance. "I'm sorry that I basically fell on you. I'm sure it was frightening and I might not be that heavy but it probably wasn't a fun situation to find yourself in. But yes, better you than... Nathaniel Endor, say. I already fell into him this evening and I wish I could scrub the memory from my mind," she sighed, covering part of her face with her hand at the recollection.
When he spoke more loudly, seemingly eager to allow Darcy to hear every single word. The noblewoman actually snatched a cushion up that she'd been leaning on and flung it in the general direction of the man's head. She'd never been athletically inclined so chances were that it would miss but she was making a point more than anything. "Do yourself a favour and shut your sarding mouth or I might have to smack you in it," she threatened, puffing out an irritated breath. "You're acting like a total arse. Apologise to Darcy. Don't make me force you; you bloody well know that I know your weaknesses."
Carefully, she gently probed at her side to judge the state of the corset. She could probably take it off and store it with the rest of her belongings, and make do with more sensible undergarments. She sat up straight, smoothing down her dress and arranging her legs so that only a minimal amount of skin was visible through the slit in the skirt. The blonde turned her attention to the Venora, making it clear that she was speaking to her woman-to-woman.
"I'm very sorry for how it looked, Darcy, really, I am. There wasn't anything untoward going on, I swear. I didn't realise how much I'd had to drink or rather, I didn't want to admit how much it had affected me. I feel a lot more sober now and now a number of actions seem quite, quite regrettable," Valeria admitted, face reddened and irises a swirling disturbance of grey. "He was a comfortable pillow, I'll admit but he was mainly just putting up with me. I seem to recall him swearing at me for not just letting him stand there listening to you play. You were fantastic by the way."
She shot a sidelong glance at Caius before she replied to his question. "Yes, I'm fine or mostly fine. And if you force that Ser Haywood person on me, I will never forgive you. I choose my own company and I most definitely don't want to be stuck with some common knight, thank you very much!" she responded, nose wrinkling in contempt.
"Thank you, Darcy. I appreciate your help, especially as I got myself into such an embarrassingly awkward situation," she murmured, fingers dancing down the side of her face, pushing her hair out of the way while she smiled sheepishly. A moment later though, the smile froze on her face, strangely fixed as it gradually diminished in intensity. Her eyes flickered through a few uncomfortable shades of blue, paling considerably as nervousness set in; she glanced at Caius before turning her gaze back to the Venora. It was quite clear that she'd read quite a bit into the familiarity between the Burhan and the Gawyne, or perhaps Caius had said something while Valeria had been out of it.
She moved her fingers to her mouth, beginning to chew idly on her fingernails as she watched the interaction between the couple as Darcy walked to the nearby bar. It didn't help that her old friend chose to speak in a manner that suggested that he wasn't taking this seriously. What was more, he didn't make any effort to deny that there was anything more than friendship between them. Considering what he'd told her while they were in Ericor's, she wanted to throttle him because he was such an idiot! The blonde wondered how on Idalos he'd ever managed to have any success with women at all. He only made it worse in her mind when he chose to speak in an aside to her, having a private interaction that certainly wouldn't look good from the other woman's perspective.
"It has nothing to do with whose advice I'll take. I know it was stupid but I have certain pressures- you wouldn't get it, Caius," she all but growled, incredibly frustrated with him for other reasons. She sighed, trying to rein in her annoyance. "I'm sorry that I basically fell on you. I'm sure it was frightening and I might not be that heavy but it probably wasn't a fun situation to find yourself in. But yes, better you than... Nathaniel Endor, say. I already fell into him this evening and I wish I could scrub the memory from my mind," she sighed, covering part of her face with her hand at the recollection.
When he spoke more loudly, seemingly eager to allow Darcy to hear every single word. The noblewoman actually snatched a cushion up that she'd been leaning on and flung it in the general direction of the man's head. She'd never been athletically inclined so chances were that it would miss but she was making a point more than anything. "Do yourself a favour and shut your sarding mouth or I might have to smack you in it," she threatened, puffing out an irritated breath. "You're acting like a total arse. Apologise to Darcy. Don't make me force you; you bloody well know that I know your weaknesses."
Carefully, she gently probed at her side to judge the state of the corset. She could probably take it off and store it with the rest of her belongings, and make do with more sensible undergarments. She sat up straight, smoothing down her dress and arranging her legs so that only a minimal amount of skin was visible through the slit in the skirt. The blonde turned her attention to the Venora, making it clear that she was speaking to her woman-to-woman.
"I'm very sorry for how it looked, Darcy, really, I am. There wasn't anything untoward going on, I swear. I didn't realise how much I'd had to drink or rather, I didn't want to admit how much it had affected me. I feel a lot more sober now and now a number of actions seem quite, quite regrettable," Valeria admitted, face reddened and irises a swirling disturbance of grey. "He was a comfortable pillow, I'll admit but he was mainly just putting up with me. I seem to recall him swearing at me for not just letting him stand there listening to you play. You were fantastic by the way."
She shot a sidelong glance at Caius before she replied to his question. "Yes, I'm fine or mostly fine. And if you force that Ser Haywood person on me, I will never forgive you. I choose my own company and I most definitely don't want to be stuck with some common knight, thank you very much!" she responded, nose wrinkling in contempt.
