*Thomas is looking at you.*
Raul Arcadio strides in with a confident step, head held high, a pleasant smile on his dark face for any and all.
Thomas , off to one side of the room reading to three small children and one cat, does not immediately take note of the stylish man's entrance.
Raul Arcadio pauses to look around, striking a casual pose with one hand in his pocket. He surveys the Project with amiable familiarity.
Thomas looks up as he turns a page, and stops, finger keeping his place. "May I he--" he says, and stops. Then, with deep and vibrant incredulity, he says, "Pid?"
Raul Arcadio beams, sharp, white teeth flashing a dazzling grin. "Thomas," he replies in a rolling basso.
Thomas blinks. To the children, he says, "The princess made sure the dragon was /absolutely/ dead, and then she went home alone. The prince was still watching the front door, and missed the entire thing. They both lived happily ever after, even though they never saw each other again." Duty done, albeit in a somewhat perfunctory fashion, he stands up, lets himself out of the little wooden enclosure, and crosses over toward the Gnawer. "Well," he says.
Raul Arcadio spreads his hands out and does a slow turn for Thomas' admiration. "You like?" he inquires. "Las chicas think I am the cat's meow." He flashes that devastating grin again.
Thomas looks....baffled. And amused. And possibly a little worried. "If you say so. I thought you were....investigating other options?"
*Xandra is looking at you.*
Raul Arcadio settles into a casual pose, one hand sweeping back the lower edge of the blazer and settling on his hip. "I am still investigating many options," he replies with a wink. "This -" he sweeps his other hand to indicate his clothing "- is part of my ongoing studies. To see if I could. Do you understand?" His gestures are carefully elegant, to the observer who knows him well, almost too studied to be real, but he seems to be working on it.
Thomas's brows quirk. "I've seen something very like, yes. Watch out that what's an experiment to you is not otherwise construed by other parties, eh?" He regards Pid appraisingly, and then grins. "Very nice. Not my type, mind you, but very nice."
Raul Arcadio looks saddened (in fun). "What, you do not care for the sexy Latino?" he asks, demonstrating his qualifications for the title by setting a hand to his belly and doing a little hip-swaying Latin step for Thomas.
Thomas snorts. "Really, I think everything is complicated enough without that. But the hips are a nice touch, I admit."
From afar, Thomas has a brief, giddy vision of Thomas and Pid actually getting involved. Aaiiiiieeeeee. :)
Long distance to Thomas: Raul Arcadio CACKLES!
Thomas pages: Nonononononononononononononono
Long distance to Thomas: Raul Arcadio BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Raul Arcadio grins. "Thank you. I watched a number of Hispanic television channels to learn that. I think all the dancing is the same, no matter what they call it."
Thomas chuckles. "Have you abandoned your previous manner of speech altogether?"
Raul Arcadio shakes his head. "Naw, izza hardta keep up dis fancy sheeet, yah?" He chuckles.
Thomas laughs. "I think I'm relieved."
"Besides," Raul Arcadio says, slipping smoothly back into his south of the borderisms, "there are reasons not to go about like this much longer. At least at present." He shrugs. "Really, it was just to see if I could do it. It's been so long since I really *tried*, you know?"
Thomas folds his arms across his chest, assessing. "What have you done?"
Raul Arcadio looks shocked! "Me? No, no, senor, it is not I. The problem lies with one of my good friends, who, for reasons of winning a dare, must be impoverished and convince all his friends to be similarly impoverished. My looking like this," another elegant sweep of the hand, "would ruin his chances entirely."
Thomas adjusts his glasses. "Do I believe you?" he wonders. "I think I do believe you. Astonishing."
Raul Arcadio smiles, eyebrows high. "Indeed," he affirms.
Thomas grins. "Well." He seems uncertain what else to say.
Raul Arcadio cocks his head. "I suppose that asking you to go dancing would be utterly out of the question, si?"
Color lunges into Thomas's face, and then leaves it again, just as precipitously. He clears his throat. "I." He says coherently. "That is. Ah. I'm. Busy." Another clearing of the throat. "But thank you."
Long distance to Thomas: Raul Arcadio CACKLES!
Raul Arcadio seems oddly surprised by the reaction, but Thomas can almost see him writing it down for future pondering. "That's all right. I'm not sure where one would *go* dancing in St. Claire."
Thomas pushes his glasses up again. "There must be a place that isn't named for vampires," he says drily.
Raul Arcadio nods, looking puzzled. "What is this 'Demilich' anyway? It sounds German."
Thomas wafts a hand back and forth indecisively. "As far as I can gather, 'lich' is an entirely made-up word, having to do with the undead. Demi, of course, means 'half.'"
Raul Arcadio blinks. "How can you be 'half-undead'? That's a little like 'slightly dead' or 'a little pregnant', isn't it?"
Thomas grins mirthlessly. "To tell you the truth, I've never really wanted to find out."
Raul Arcadio shudders as his imagination obviously gets the better of him. "Neither do I," he comments prayerfully.
Thomas looks amused, and wryly sympathetic. "Precisely."
Raul Arcadio buries his hands in his pockets and frowns into the air. "I should probably slip into something more comfortable."
Thomas's lips twitch. "I can hardly wait."
Raul Arcadio smiles winningly. "Just my usual, going back to being just Pid again, instead of --" he straightens, pushing out his chest, and drops his voice an octave "-- Raul Arcadio del Rio Guitterez!"
Thomas repeats, "Raul Arcadio del... So, if someon comes here looking for Raul, do I know you or not?"
Raul Arcadio shakes his head firmly. "You do not!" He pauses. "Unless it's a really hot chica, you know?" He winks at Thomas.
Thomas gazes blandly at the Gnawer. "And you want to trustmy judgement on that count?" he asks with dry incredulity. "No, no. I think blanket ignorance is by far the best policy."
Raul Arcadio shakes his head. "What, you wouldn't know a hot collie if you saw her?"
"No, Pid," Thomas says with gentle matter-of-factness.
Raul Arcadio peers at Thomas closely. "It wuzza joke, ya know," he says, a little worriedly.
Back to home.