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Undertow — Rio and Dartmouth

Rio, daughter of Bleys

meets

Dartmouth, son of Brand

© 2004 John Lees, Leslie Lightfoot and Simone Cooper

 

--Leslie:
[Rio's reaction to Dartmouth]
Dartmouth ­ 'Curious and curious.' Rio would have no patience at all with 'the Slump' and would totally ditch Dartmouth if he was acting this way around her. But when he's being an outgoing gentleman, Rio would definitely be interested in his company.

--John:
Keep in mind Dartmouth only does this when he is bored, and rarely if ever does he do this in Amber because it is too new for him there (and there is so much going on for him to observe). So the real question is 'how boring is Rio?' It doesn't sound like you are boring in the conventional sense, so why would you ever see the slump to be turned off by it?

--Leslie:
If there is one thing that Rio is not, it's boring.

I only mentioned the Slump in case they met in Kashfa or something. But if they met at the Twentieth Anniversary, then obviously no, Rio wouldn't know about it.

--John:
I presume we would meet at a social function of some sort in the last few years (after Brand's return probably, like the Twentieth anniversary) and he would be as charming as possible while somewhat reserved initially (no doubt feeling a bit like the odd man out). Essentially, once he met you casually, he would make every effort to make your acquaintence and be engaging if you seemed open to ssuch an attempt (just in case you would hate everything connected to Brand, in which case he will try to minimize any conflict by strategic withdrawal).

--Leslie:
At the Twentieth Anniversary it is then. And charming is wonderful. Rio loves charming men.

Rio would definitely sense Dartmouth's initial reserve, but it wouldn't bother her. She'd probably just think of him as initially shy. And lots of men are that way when confronted with all that is Rio.

Rio has no clue about the politics of Amber, who Brand is or why people seem to dislike him. And even if or when it was explained to her, she would *never* transfer the sins of the father to the son. Each person is a unique being to her, of their own nature and beauty. So if Dartmouth is revealing his unique charming-ness, then Rio would be all for getting to know him better.

--John:
The only thing he does not do is suffer fools. From your bio, Rio sounds like she is active and full of energy, as long as she isn't a twit bouncing from wall to wall (and I doubt she is) he would love to converse with Rio about all manner of things - but he will always try to steer the conversation towards her life, her focus and her interests. He will often ask Rio's advice in those things which she shows interest in (for example, *and this is simply an example it may or may not apply to Rio*, were Rio to express an interest in fashion, he would consistantly request her opinion as to his clothing and always have different things that she might like if he knew he was going to be seeing her at a given function.)

--Leslie:
Hmmmm. Rio's focus and her interests are... odd. No, she isn't stupid by any means. But she also doesn't think entirely like a normal person. She can make small talk like no one's business, but it sounds like Dartmouth would go beyond that.

Assuming that is the case, Dartmouth would discover that words and conversations that have true meaning are often difficult for Rio. Almost as though she was having difficulty 'translating' something that wasn't framed by language. Her speech is peppered with Spanish phrases, but even those don't seem sufficient for what Rio is trying to express in a deep conversation.

While she does have a great deal of fondness for nice things ­ men, art, music, and yes, extreme sports ;) and can certainly advise on how to fit into a fashionable style-oriented environment ­ these things are merely expressions of what Rio does think is important; passion, involvement / engagement, emotion, truth and *life.*

--John:
Dartmouth needs stimulation or he goes into his slump, when Rio is around, he will probably feed off of her passion and enjoy the show as she stirs things up. She would be one of the few people that actually got him interested if he was in a slump.

--Leslie:
Hmmm. I don't know. This might be Rio's reaction if she found Dartmouth in the slump. She would come bouncing up to him, alight with some new enthusiasm, "Dartmouth! Dartmouth! There is a new fire-eater performing in Hasbene Square. You must come see!"

After that Rio would only try once or twice to convince Dartmouth to come with her. And if he was too sulky, she might even throw some small thing at him, before flouncing away.

Rio likes Dartmouth well enough, but she's not really a nurse or healer type and gets impatient with unresponsiveness pretty quickly.

--John.
He is actually quite intrigued with the way that she lives her life. His own style is positively repressed when compared to hers, but he can certainly appreciate that way she does things; actually he finds that very quality attractive and entertaining.

--Leslie:
<laugh> Everyone's style is repressed when compared to Rio's. But she couldn't be anything other than what she is. On that she is quite, quite firm. She is Rio and Rio is thus. Therefore, she is thus and so it is. Yet another example of odd Rio think

Rio doesn't talk much about her past. Or her future. She is vastly more engaged in what is going on around her at this very instant.

--John:
He will try to tease it out of her rather than ask directly then. e.g. "Have you ever been to the Kingdom of Fassier? I have heard that their beaches are some of the most beautiful in the Golden Circle." These sort of indirect questions pick out past events, unless she somehow doesn't recall or
something.

--Leslie:
Lessee. Using the above as an example, this might be the response to that kind of leading. "Fassier? No. I do not travel the Circle. But I do like beaches. And sand... the way it shimmers, si? Each grain a heart of mirrors for the different lights." She'd cock her head, staring off into space. "There was a... clock? Hourglass. That is the word. The sand drifting down, piling into mountain of time past. It was black, this sand. And I thought, how? Is the past black? Or the future? And both collected from the hearts of mirrors." She'd end with a smile, looking back at
Dartmouth.

It's not that she doesn't recall exactly. It's that she connects things together strangely. And seems pretty uninterested in any actual events that may have occurred. Rio's memories as expressed to Dartmouth are more sense and insight collages than 'then we went here and did this' type recountings.

--John:
The only thing that might put Rio off is that Dartmouth is not extactly an 'extreme sports' kind of guy, while there is nothing specific in your write-up about this, it seems like she would go for that type. Think James Bond rather than Xander Cage, Cary Grant rather than Jimmy Stewart.

--Leslie:
She does go for that kind of guy. She definitely has a thrill-seeker side to her. But she also has a serious art-appreciater side to her as well.

I have a feeling that something Rio and Dartmouth might share is the fine art of people watching. There is nothing more fascinating than the flow and ebb of a social gathering. Watching the swirls of emotion and intent; meeting, melding and pulling/pushing apart. Of course, Rio can't resist occasionally dropping the stone of herself into the pond to see what swirls where.

--John:
Excellent, he waits and watches along with her. He does indeed throw stones of his own, but only once he is in his element. He feels Amber proper is presently beyond him and he is still acquiring information. It would appear that his stone-throwing would be a bit more calculated. But if you were say, in a club, relatively simple surroundings, he would almost immediately seize on opprtunities to get things started, be it a conga-line or an assignation with more than one woman (unbeknownst to them, coordinating time and place while circulating). If something leads to a brawl, that's okay too.

--Leslie:
That's great! Rio definitely needs someone to go clubbing with in Amber. Of course, I have no idea what the scene is like in Amber, but Random's king so there should be a few good nightspots. Sounds like they do have very similar approaches to social gatherings, though Rio tends to watch a little less and lean a little more to spontaneous 'stone-throwing'.

And Rio has absolutely no problem with a brawl starting either. ;)

--John:
He would also be relatively open to any social engagements that she might invite him to.

--Leslie:
Would Dartmouth be the type to ask to a gallery opening? Or out dancing?

--John:
Yes, he seems to be very knowledgible about the technical aspects of art and painting. He has an admiration for more classical styles, not as much for things like modern art. Ugh.

--Leslie:
Rio's tastes are more eclectic. She likes things that show and evoke passion, regardless of their style. A stunning oil still-life of a bowl fruit will only get yawns from Rio, whereas two blue swirls slashed with green that sing with anger and conflict will thrill her. Pretentious modern art with it's heavy-handed 'meaning' would evoke laughter at best. Whereas the primitive frieze of an orchard frolic on an urn will bring a warm smile of fondness to her lips.

Basically, for Rio ­ if it's real, if it's true, it doesn't matter the style, technique or medium.

--John:
He likes to dance, but once again more of a formal style, one that is complex and intricate while not overly energetic. He would go to a 'club' of some sort, but mainly to watch. He seems interested in the kinds of men that Rio is attracted to.

--Leslie:
Watching is fine. Rio doesn't have any problem at all with being watched.

The kind of men Rio is attracted match her taste in art. They're an eclectic bunch, from the pretty to the rich to the thrilling to the artistic. But each and every one of them is vibrant. Not hyper or active per se, but intense. Each in their own way.

--John:
If Rio asked him to such stuff, Dartmouth would respond positively. He would also then ask her to things like costume balls and Mardi Gras type celebrations, places where frivilous and lighthearted tend to accumulate. He would also inquire as to what Rio's opinion would be of any suitable females for him. His tastes here are pretty broad bordering on experimental, but he would be trying to get her impressions more than anything.

--Leslie:
She'd cock her head and look at him with a quiet smile. "To match the mood, mi cousin. No more."

Thus, she'd point out women that seem to match or compliment Dartmouth's current mood and might seem to carry that on for the night or for a few days. Rio would never even consider a woman for Dartmouth with a relationship 'life-expentency' of more than a few weeks.

* * *

other writings: Background, Quiz, "Rio and Andrew", "Rio and Blade", "Rio and Dartmouth", "Rio and Duncan", Undertow log, "Blade and not Rio", Ebb Tide log

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