Karen
Gitten sauntered up the stairs and across the balconies that looked down onto the bottom floor. She rather liked this bar. She rather liked _Erba_, come to think of it. Of course, she had just won a fight and received copious amounts of ale for her efforts so, what was there to hate? Slowly, she faded from view, making her way through the upper level of the Rose & Crown. The second door on the right, she reminded herself. Leaning awkwardly to the side, she used her slippery, beer covered elbow and opened the handle of the door before kicking it open with her foot.

The room was impressive. It was designed to resemble what, to a common person, a noble bedroom might look like. An "Ornate" Rug lay in the center of the room, a simple table and two chairs were positioned by the window sill, a circular wooden table and chairs was positioned by the balcony, complete with a single yellow rose in a tiny glass vase. A lone drink cart sat in the corner. The sheer white curtains of the canopy bed fluttered gently in the breeze coming in from the open double doors. To the discerning eye, it would be considered kitschy and insincere. To Gitten, it was a _palace_. 

" 'Dis is fancy livin', ay? What did a girl like me 'ave ta do to deserve a pl— Are 'dose strawberries?" She quickly made her way to the drink cart and began eating from the platter of food.
Beatrice
The door opening presented an interruption from a sense of the company that seemed to cloud her more often these days, cerulean hues flitting to find the source of the sound before leaning against the wall with raised brows, drink perfectly caged in porcelain digits. There were a plethora of places she'd visited, from Astoria to the Witherlands and grandeur wasn't lacking in any abode despite the differences in decorating style the land of colors had chosen in comparison to the icy wonderland but somehow they'd all managed their own charms. Watching the other woman's interest shift from the alcohol she'd been prepared to imbibe to the scarlet fruits set along the table, she nursed her own drink with a svelte sort of practiced ease, "You tend to enjoy the smaller things, don't you?" She muttered quietly, watching the other devour whatever there was to offer, "I'm assuming you brought me in here for a reason? Care to fill me in?"
Karen
Gitten spun around, hands covered in a light pink film. "Yeah..." She said, with a full mouth, bending over to fiddle with the straps on her boots. "You're a Poppy. And on top uff 'dat..." She had been making her way to the bed when she realized she left the remaining two tankards on top of the drink cart. She swiftly rectified her mistake, setting one on the nightstand and the other on the floor while she sat on the edge of the bed, shaking off her boots. They fell to the ground and the pirate crossed her legs, placing the tankard in her lap and leaning her back against one of the bedposts. She swallowed the rest of the strawberries, "I recognize you. I recognize you from somewhere and its freakin' me out."
Beatrice
"To be fair, the fact that I'm a Poppy should be quite a familiarizing thing, considering I work for your brother." The brunette pointed out, draining her glass before setting it aside. She wasn't a stranger to some people, they'd known who she was because they'd crossed paths with her but this person wasn't entirely someone she'd carried much business with if any. "There's a high possibility that you could have known my sister though— we tended to look incredibly similar and have often been confused for one another." Her voice remained even, the sting dull after the elapsed time. It had been buried a while back, and she'd continued living, even when work was no longer a part of the equation.
George
Bran nodded when Connor said he expected him to be knee deep in women, "I don't even know what I'm supposed to picture for that, but if you would have arrived a few days ago you'd be right. I've just ended a journey, and my Sister begged me to stop home for a few weeks. The winter weather has her indoors more often, and she was longing for company. She's now off to tea with Lady Whomever while I'm stuck with a lecture about every stone that's rolled over in Erba in the past 6 months..." He stopped talking to rub his forehead. He was rambling, and that wasn't like him. To be fair, he hadn't slept in about 3 days, so being a little all over the place wasn't really that surprising to him. His ship was freezing at night during the winter, it made it hard to sleep and he normally had problems with that anyway. He cut himself off long enough to laugh shortly before he gestured with his head towards the door.

___ 

Connor knew Bran well. Of course he was going to take comfort in the form of spirits. There was a secluded little brothel that was incredibly expensive a very short ride from Meros, and Brandon had a way with his guards. He told them to stay at home or he'd make them watch... From past experience they knew he wasn't joking so the older guards just let him go, following at a distance or not at all.

The ale in Erba was excellent. It was dark, a stout, but with a hint of sweetness that lingered on your tongue. Bran could drink gallons of it, and it was one of the things that he was happy to come home for. The girls poured them both large goblets of the ale in their receiving room that was always empty in the day time. There were colorful sheer curtains hanging overhead and plush seating. The girls were fully dressed in their loose fitting gowns, and the Duke and Prince were the only customers so early in the day.

Brandon was halfway through his ale when he asked Connor, "What brings you to this particularly lovely little duchy, My Marquis?" Bran rubbed his eyes then laughed shortly, "I know you're a Duke now, but My Duke doesn't have the same ring to it. Dear Duke? Darling Duke?" He laughed as he went for his ale again.
Bessie
"Both of those are terrible, I won't take offense to remaining 'My Marquis' to you. And you can take comfort in knowing that no one else will ever call me that again." He gave a small smirk, adjusting a bit in his seat to let his legs stretch onto the colorful rug beneath his boots. The warm colors were inviting, and the warmth of the fire was so intense it make anyone _wish_ they were nude. Most likely for the comfort of the women who worked in the brothel, but he appreciated it himself. 

"I have business with Queen Lane. Unfortunately, she wasn't available when I requested to see her, and from what I could get from her staff she's not due to return for a few more days." Connor lifted his ale with a small smile, "Which means you get to play host until I can attend my meeting with the Queen." The dark haired man laughed, and took a long drink from his goblet, his thumb catching the corner of his lips where a drop threatened to roll down his chin. 

"If Evelyn was so intent on having you home, why aren't _you_ attending her tea parties?"
Karen
She nodded in response to the mentioning of her sister. "Yeah thats... You're the one. Adonia's sister. How are you?" She cleared her throat, bringing the tankard to her lips and finished off the full glass. "Dat must've been ruff fer you. I'm uh... Sorry she 'ad to go and do what she did."
Beatrice
"It's an occupational hazard that we both were very aware of. I just didn't think one would survive when the other had fallen." She shrugged, her tone even and free of cracks or any other hint of pain, "I... Moved on, even though the King believed I needed time for mourning. Maybe he was right, but I haven't talked to him about it in the slightest so I suppose I'm meant to be satisfied with my own answers for the time being."
Karen
"Occupational 'azard? Well yeah, I guess dat 'appens when you..." Gitten cut herself off and smiled weakly. "Did you uhm..." Gitten leaned over the side of the bed and placed the tankard on the ground, drying off the palms of her hands on the legs of her pants. "Did you ever fink 'dat you'd be tha one to outlast 'er? I could 'ardly imagine losing a sibling." A boldfaced lie. If she had a copper peice for every time she imagined running Bradai through with a cutlass, she'd have at least one gold piece. If not two. She determined that she would do it for two gold pieces.
Beatrice
"I don't think either one of us deserves to survive in all honesty." She added after a thoughtful pause, a sense of dark humor coating her words with slick paint. "We're monsters, from the cradle to the grave, but no. I'd always thought I'd go out first." It was an accurate assumption made on her part, "She'd been so much more involved in the world, enjoyed it so much more. She'd have fun with the bits that made stomachs turn. It was as simple as that, and I perhaps just as quick too. I suppose it's strange to be a pair and suddenly only have one though."
Karen
"Well... I was 'da one tasked wiff finding 'er body and bringin' it back and preparing it for your boss so..." She sat back and closed her eyes, "If you need any questioned asked, please don't 'esitate. It's probably almost prepared by 'dis point. A few uff your coworkers were 'dere, and 'da 'ole fing 'as been kept under wraps so... Its not like your sister's reputation 'as been ruined after 'da fact."