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"Aw, is it that obvious?" she said, when he mentioned that it was apparent she wasn't from around here. Well, she supposed that wasn't much of a surprise. As she stood there at the crosswalk, she couldn't help but feel a little awkward as Jules stood watching her. Was there something on her face; in her hair? She was feeling a bit self conscious at that point.

"So..." she said, looking as the traffic seemed to disperse for the most part, and it seemed safe enough for them to cross. "Since you said you are from here, what do you often do for fun? Don't you ever feel you want to get out of the city?"

She remembered what little detail he gave about his past; about his mother and everything, but, she decided she would save those questions for a later time.

"Fun, eh? Well, I take up a number of hobbies. Meeting new people," at which point he graced his other hand towards Icilia. "volunteering at the animal shelters, hit the club for dancing every now and then...really, it's more of me finding the fun in things rather than just having things to do for fun, if that makes any sense?" There was no way Jules could possibly list the number of side jobs and bits of 'entertainment' he indulged in. "I don't smoke or drink. I don't use any substances, those sorts of things."

A short pause followed as he pondered the second question. "Want to leave the city? Well sure, but for the time that I am here I'm making the most of it. I've got a pretty big social circle here. At the...university." Man, that lie was so harsh he nearly gagged spitting it out. The university was filled with typical stereotypes one would expect to encounter. Nothing like the 'circle of friends' he actually had. "How about you? Do you often play hookie from your royal duties like this? What do you do normally when you fly the coop?" It couldn't have been a coincidence. Icilia's style of dress, where he first saw her...he pieced all of this together in his mind back at the opera house.

She nodded as he gave of a list of what he would usually do, and completely knew what he meant when he referred to finding the fun in things. That was often what she had to do, and she had become rather good at it. But, when things were meant to be fun, it was a bit more enjoyable.

She didn't seemed bothered by the fact that he had nearly hit the nail on the head with the royal duties comment. Nearly. She raised her hand and waved those words off as he finished speaking them.

"Hardly royal," she said, looking at him with what could be confused as a smile. It was more of a solemn expression as she remembered what had been.

"Since you seem to be putting all these things about me so quickly, and pretty accurately, I might as well tell you a bit more about me. My father was the last of a monarchy of a small country named Relious; which you may have heard was recently annexed into England. So now, we are really just ambassadors... pointless, waning ambassadors." She would give a sigh and looked to the buildings to their left.

"But, to be honest, things haven't really changed for me... I've been ill since I was a baby, so, I'm usually kept under lock and key. You can imagine how annoying it is to be followed around, or locked in your room for 'your own safety', nearly everyday of your life, only being allowed outside when you have an escort. So, here I am, breaking away from that. A girl has to have her freedom every now and then... no?" She gave a genuine smile at that last comment, accompanied by a wink.

With the coast clear the two of them began trekking across the street after a safe look to either side. It took Jules a minute to process exactly what Icilia had told him. At the point said conclusion arrived in his mind his footsteps stopped.

"I think that's the first time in a while I've had one of my comparisons be literal. So...you're telling me that you're a princess? Or rather, ex-princess? That's....pretty cool. But at least with the whole annexing you can hopefully space yourself from all of the bigwig mumbo jumbo. I never really did like being around those people. Most of them are so self-centered and don't appreciate the others that helped them get where they are now." Jules' eyes would have rolled at the thought of one of the plump showcase men had Icilia not stated something rather serious.

"You're...ill?" Their journey continued at a slightly slower pace as he investigated further. "It's not one of those crazy 'you're heart's going to stop at a random time' things is it? It's been a while since I renewed my first aid license so ....heh!" Icilia could gauge her health to some degree, the street wanderer deducted. If she's done this before, it can't be something like that. Regardless his concern for the woman was heightened slightly knowing of this. "Well, lucky for you, even if you are busted tonight you're not going to be in too much trouble." His arm tightened to pull hers closer in a nudging manner. "You've got an escort, after all."

The next set of thoughts tumbled through his mind. Where should they go? Jules cataloged the more nocturnal contacts that might prove entertaining as they continued walking.

She was silent as he spoke, feeling just the slightest bit flustered when her arm was pulled closer. She thought for a moment, on his words, and decided to jest with him a bit. "You ask... if my heart might stop..." She halted, squeezing his arm for a moment, before raising her hand her to her chest and taking heavy breaths.

After a few moments of acting, she grinned at him and nudged him on. "No, my illness is -- temporarily remedied," she said, looking in front of them again. "So, you don't have much to worry about. And, I would be more worried about you, if I got busted." She gave a little laugh.

"Do you want to take a second though into being my escort? You might be mistaken for a kidnapper."

She looked at a group of people that stood just outside of what looked to be a park. That might be nice. Walking and talking with a seemingly normal person. There was also a sidewalk show just down the road, a person playing a small stringed instrument, while a woman painting and dressed in gold did a sort of miming show. Farther down the road, she could see a line of people, most likely waiting to get into a night club. All seemed to be suitable things to entertain her for the moment.

"Assumptions may make a donkey out of you and me, but it's been a while since I've run from the boys in blue. They're pretty in shape around here, too. Sounds like an adventure if you ask me." His teeth flashed for only a moment in response. Jules would have inquired more about her illness had familiar faces not been prominent in the park. The two performers caught his eye and their trek redirected to cross paths with them. He looked to the man, then the woman. "Mister and Misses Esenzio, what a pleasant surprise!" Most of his dialogue was directed towards the man. "How are you this fine evening? Working on the skit again, I see."

Icilia was quite content with being led around. She had found the 2 performers interesting to begin with. So, needless to say, she was quite surprised that her companion knew them. Though, really what did she have to be surprised about? He did live here, so it would only be natural to assume he knew most from this city.

She watched them, as Jules began to converse, wondering if this was how they made their living, or if they had a side job to bring in extra income. She wondered what it would be like, just being able to perform for a living.

"Well if it isn't Caesar himself! Good to see you kid, how's the big top treating you?" chuckled the middle-aged man. His eyes hid behind large dark lenses mantled on his nose, the shades matching with his short, curly black hair. "Oh you know, we'll make it up there with you, even above you soon enough, Caesar!" The man extended his right hand, which Jules took firmly. Both males pulled in and patted each others' backs with their left hands. The miming woman paused for a moment and waved to Jules and his guest after the embrace had completed. Her presence overall gave off a very calm and quiet nature. She had yet to speak up once.

"And who might this little lady be? Your Cleopatra? She sure looks dressed for the act!" After a few sparse chuckles his wife's playful fist smacked into his arm. "H-hey! Excuse me, Your Majesty! I was just teasing. You're my Queen of the Nile, through thick and thin! Helena, you remember Jules....and this is...?"

Jules walked over to Helena and gave her a hug before beginning his introduction. "Icilia, my new client, I guess you could say. I'm escorting her through the city. Never know what will happen in the city, y'know?" Eyes wandered in their general area, then locked onto something on the ground: An open guitar case, the home of the stringed instrument Mr. Esenzio had set down temporarily within. "Icilia, this is Helena and Marcus Esenzio, the sleeper hit duet that's going to wake up to stardom on Broadway some day. They just need a little help from the audience along the way." The young man turned to Marcus and winked before returning his attention to Icilia.

Icilia looked to the exchanged between the three people, and nodded her head as Jules introduced her to them. She gave a slight bow of her head, and would say, "Nice to meet you both. You are quite the act. And you are on your way to Broadway? That sounds exciting. I love the musical arts, and watching acts just like yours. With your dedication, and hard work, I wouldn't doubt to see you there soon."

She wasn't about to ask how long they had been working on their act, trying to get where they wanted to go, because that might leave a bad taste in someone's mouth.

She also had a suspicion about the woman, but she wasn't about to voice that either.

"What the ex-Roman emperor means is that we're going to need the funds to get to the top. It's what the world revolves around these days." His shoulders hefted up only slightly at the notion. "Even if we don't get there, we have our own stage and audience right here in the city. Even if it's just one person, that's one more person than we had before, that's the way I see it. But maybe one day, right, Helena?"

The woman nodded with a smile upon her face. She then pointed to Icilia, then to her own eyes, then gestured to herself and Marcus. For the finale, she tossed her hands up into the air, leaped up, and spun around, her dress flowing with the motions. After this charade she stood upright before glancing to the young woman with a curious look upon her face.

A moment passed with no response before Jules piped up in a somewhat stunned manner. "O-oh, she's asking if you will come see them when they get there? Y'know, to the big time? Best way to catch fans is in the early stages, after all." The feel of the meeting etched towards that of an end, Jules' eyes becoming more active to the surrounding area than the conversation itself at this point.

"Oh, of course," Icilia would reply, adding a genuine smile to it. "I would indeed love to. May I watch you some now?" On the way here, she only caught a few glimpses of what the duo had to off. But regardless, she knew she would enjoy it. "Maybe, I could talk a few people into donating money to you, as well. I would hate to see you not being able to live your dream, just because of money. No promises, but I will see what I can do."

Her family, itself, was losing money by the day, but maybe she could bring it up to different members of the embassy, if she could even get the time to find them.

"Well, I don't normally offer free shows, but considering you're a guest of a celebrity, I think we can pull a few strings." A cackle erupted as he held up his instrument, a violin weathered by experience and hardship. The left hand reached behind him and extracted his weapon of choice: a bow far more beautiful than the actual fiddle itself. Two swirls about was all the warm up the man gave himself as the hairs pressed against the strings and slowly caressed them in smooth motions. His right hand riveted with complex finger movements as the somber melody paraded from the instrument's hollow base.

To match the mellow, somewhat depressing tune, Helena fell into an interpretive depression. Her body sank to the ground, her hands to her face. The left first emerged and slanted to her side, then her right reached up to the moon itself, her face beckoning for its companionship at her side. Helena's movements were soft yet flowing to the course of the music. After a single minute of harrowing music the tempo blared with a sense of anger! Marcus whipped the bow feverishly across the strings and arched his shoulder up and down to the rush of feelings emitted. Helena followed in suit, lashing her arms skyward as her body rose and her frame contorted in a tribal style fury of moves.

Jules nodded to himself after interlocking his own arms at his lower chest. They'd come a long way since he first saw him but that didn't stop him from being impressed each and every time. Cheeks rose and a glint of tooth emerged from his lips. The young man managed to excuse his attention to glance to his companion to see how she was enjoying their performance.

The trance the duo emanated seemed to apply the brakes to time's wheels, engulfing what seemed like fifteen but in truth only less than five precious minutes. A jolt of a finale left Helena toppled to the ground, as sorrow-filled as she expressed in the beginning. From lifeless to vibrant back to lifeless, what did their performance mean? That was the beauty of their performance: it was for the beholder to translate.

Icilia watched every movement that Helena made, as well as listened to every note created by the violin Marcus held. She loved the feel. Depressing struggles of life were her favorite types of performances to watch. And, they way she watched this one, being only a two man act, she couldn't help but feel impressed. There was much emotion in this, more than what she would have seen in large productions. And that was what made her raise her hands and give a light clap after the performance. Just a light clap, because if she had overly done it, then even then it wouldn't express how impressed she had been.

"That was --" she paused, trying to find the right words. "Beautifully depicted in an elegant fashion. I can only imagine what you could do with a lit stage and a sponsor supporting you." She offered a smile at the two, and then looked to Jules. "Have you mentioned them to the theater? You seemed to have known a few people there."

"I'd...rather not get these two mixed up with Fredrick's shenanigans. If they got any of the special treatment he gets me to give to people, I'd probably end up knocking his teeth out..." Jules sulked a bit to the thought. He really wanted these two to get up in notoriety, but without all of the hurdles he had to jump getting in their way.

"It's no big deal, Caesar. The people will eventually come about and realize what we have here. Either that or ol' Fred kicks the bucket and a new, less childish manager comes in his place. We're happy here. We don't NEED the fame or fortune. We make due with what we have here. Buuut...." Marcus stood up and put his left arm around Jules' shoulders. "If you happen to know how to get Fred to kick the bucket sooner or find any other interested persons looking for a starstruck duo, you know where to send them." A burst of laughter erupted from both of them, each of them slamming their hands on each others backs. Helena herself also motioned in the sense of a chuckle. She, however, made no sound even as her mouth was obviously open to expose such laughter.

"I'll keep a lookout for other opportunities for you guys, as I always do. Fredrick's not important enough to call in those kinds of favors though. He'd have to be....an emperor for that." Jules stuck his tongue out in a teasing manner as they again shared an exchange of giggles.

Icilia looked to each of them as they laughed, not quite sure she got what they found so funny. She tilted her head just a bit, and tried to find the humor. But, she of course, was not from around here, so it would be difficult for her to get obvious local humor like that. She would just give a shrug, and speak again, once things calmed a bit.

"Well, I will definitely spread word for you guys. I really did enjoy it, and thank you very much." She gave a little bow to them, and then looked to Jules. "I don't mean to be rude, but... staying in one place for too long would be a bad idea. I'm sure, by now, someone had realized I am missing."

"And so the chase begins? Or are you calling it a night so soon? It's still young and ...." The young man's eyes trailed off towards the streets to which his voice dwindled in a similar lost direction. It appears he had taken sight of something less than pleasant. A group of men in their middle ages with the bulk of regular weight lifters was gathered near where the two had come from. Their attire alluded to a lifelong profession of motorcycles and greasy wrench handling. Grizzled goatees, leather vests, and bandanas were adorned on a few of them. Jules could see five at the time his glance locked onto them. "No, I completely agree with you. We need to leave. Now." Without another word, Jules snatched Icilia's left hand and power walked in the opposite direction of the men who were slowly advancing on their position.

She was just about to say that she had no intention of ending the night so soon, but she didn't have the chance before Jules took her hand and began walking rather quickly away from their previous stand. She offered a quick wave to Helena and Marcus, before doing her best to keep pace with the male leading her down the road.

"Ah, why the hurry?" she said, glancing around. Maybe he had seen some authorities? She had nearly panicked at the thought, but caught no in sight. But she did see the big, buff looking men who seemed to have begun a persuit. "Don't tell me you have a bad history with them," she said to Jules, frowning just a little. If there was anything she wanted to avoid tonight, it was a conflict -- because things might get messy then.

"It's not so much I have a bad history with 'em....okay, yeah, I have a bad history with 'em. The greater of two bad things, just to get that straight." Jules shook his head as they headed out of the park and across another street. They were headed for the night club, whose line had grown quite a bit since when Icilia originally spotted it. "I'll explain as soon as we get away from 'em. It's strictly business oriented in nature..." What part of that nature had them coming after him was the detail that mystified Jules while retreating. "I'd rather not get m' clients mixed up with one another, I hope you understand."

Icilia would just nod her head as he explained it, but, she hardly understood. Of course, how was she suppose to? She knew very little detail in any of it, other than that it was 'business oriented'. But, she knew now wasn't the time to ask, and he did say he would explain once they were out of trouble. So, with the extremely long line, now at the night club. She would completely skip over the line, keeping in mind Jules' hurried disposition at that moment. She approached the bouncer at the door, who was letting those in after checking IDs. She grasped his hand, and gave a smile.

"We would like to go in, please," she said, motioning from herself to Jules. When she moved her hand back, the man looked in it, before giving a nod of his head. Icilia thanked him, and then turned to enter the night club, now leading Jules.