houseofcards_rp | It's Swing Time~

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It's Swing Time~

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Elisha's motivation for organizing - or, honestly, delegating the organization of - a semi-formal dance party. Lucinda had suggested a ball, with stars in her eyes. She probably had already picked out ballgowns and themes in her head when Elisha had nixed the thing and - in a moment of desperation, with the memory of the swing-themed Fox wedding still in his head - suggest a Spring Swing, instead.

Everyone had run with it, and Elisha was pleased to say it had come out well. He was even more pleased to say that he didn't have to wear a suit, even if he stepped out into the lantern-lit gardens in everything but the tie. He paused near the raised dais provided for dancing and gave the small band the signal to start up the music before he attempted to fade back in the crowd. Not that that ever worked.

"Let the games begin," he murmured to no one in particular as he picked up a glass of champagne off a tray.

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"Oh, I've picked up a few tricks over the years." Some unmentionable in polite company, naturally. But one did what was necessary.

Ivona perched on one of the barstools and delicately sipped at her drink. "Mother longs for the 'good old days', when swords were part of the ensemble and skirts always drug the floor." She shook her head with a chuckle, "Made the butlers' jobs a touch easier, I'd imagine."

"Ah, yes. Xena in formal-wear. Personally, I'm a fan of the shorter, more practical length." And the higher, more impractical heels, but that went without saying. "Those days are long gone and not coming back," he added, though. "Throwing knives and daggers are more practical to the modern Spade."

And of course, the weapons they'd always had: their sharp, devious minds.

"What did you think of Katya's announcement this week?"

"Mm, I was surprised, to say the least. I was certain they'd have found a way to twist Victor's arm into taking the spot, regardless of his protestations." Pulling the olive off its toothpick with her teeth, Ivona took a sip of vodka and swallowed before continuing.

"Yet I'm sure their Majesties have their reasons, be those what they may." Not that she was petulant in the least--Ivona knew full well her history with Clive had slashed any chance she might have ever had for such a position if he'd ever become more than a Ten, and look, lightning had struck. No, she quite enjoyed her work where she was.

"Although I will say it'll be quite interesting a dance to watch, given the friction between David's son and our former Ace." Her devious smirk deepened as she smiled it into her glass. "Downright entertaining, I'd even bet."

"He would have been thrilled, I'm sure." As would his wife; he is pretty sure he wouldn't want to be married to Victor Fox at the best of times, no matter how much he admired the man's style in certain areas. With him stuck in a Face position? That'd be a joy.

He did smirk a bit, though. "No one would be good enough in Julien's opinion," he said, "but if he wanted to remain Ace, attacking the Queen of Diamonds was a poor way to start." Especially since Säde had hardly been the first person Julien had attacked; a deplorable lack of control, Laureline would have said.

"Decidedly not," Ivona agreed with a delicate snort. "What was the man even thinking? But then, if he wasn't, and his control has slipped that much, then perhaps it was for the best, hm? Given the gossip mill I've heard since coming home, I'm surprise it took Clive and Katya this long." But then, they'd never really seemed to have had much of a leash on Julien; David had managed it, barely.

"One would think the Spades have been blunted over time, perhaps. If the Ace cannot be our sharpest, what does that speak for the rest of us, then?" She shrugged a shoulder, musing. "But I am glad he's not let his circumstance goad him into doing something rash. Promising, at least."

"Perhaps it's merely that Julien is an Ace from a different time." A different reign; Katya and Clive were not and would never be Athena and David. Though he suspected that behind her bright smiles, Katya was as paranoid as the previous monarchs had ever been. "And we need an Ace who's sharpest in the new way." They'd see if that Ace was Ethan. Jordan did think he could be it, of course.

But only time would tell.

"It will be interesting to see what he does with this," he said. "It seems he's doing specialized training at the moment."

"I envy his patience, if nothing else. Dealing with those chattering teenagers all the day long would drive me to madness. Or dreadful acts of violence, perhaps." She placed the empty glass on the counter and signaled for another.

"Although I've never pegged our dear Ethan as being very politically savvy, so it'll be interesting indeed. But leopards have been known to change their spots, so we'll simply have to see, hm?"

"He suggested we set explosives up around the Arcana embassy back when that poofed into existence," Jordan said dryly as he picked up his drink again. "But he's been calmer since he came back this time, so..."

He shrugged his shoulders. They were all growing up, he thought, at different speeds and in different ways. Jordan couldn't say he wasn't going through his own growing pains. He took another drink.

"If you were in human resources," he asked, veering onto another topic without warning, though in his defense it was one that had long been on his mind. "Where would you assign me?" The archives were, after all, where Laureline had put him and he found himself increasingly resenting the place.

Ivona laughed. "That does sound like him, yes. In all, not a bad idea, if lacking in sophistication. Well, perhaps experience Outside has somewhat tamed such a tempestuous tiger. We'll see."

The random change of subject surprised her, but Ivona lifted her brows in query and considered it thoughtfully, slowly sipping her vodka. "Well...that all depends, I suppose. You're educated, nuanced, attractive, witty, most of the time politically correct," she twinkled at him, then went on, "driven, streamlined...with your upbringing and background, you'd do well as a liaison or ambassador, and no, I'm not suggesting my line of work by default, either."

She paused, looking at him contemplatively. "Where do you believe your strengths lie? What do you want to do, Jordan?"

"You're a flatterer, Ivona." Though the liaison thing was worth considering, he thought; not to one of the other Suits, because that's increasingly seemed useless, given that the Royals all tend to cut out the middle man and talk to each other.

He finished off his bourbon and signaled for another, his lips tightening into a rather perturbed sort of expression before he shrugged. "I don't know," he said, "which is a good part of the problem, so to speak."

The former she waved off with a smile, then sat back and tapped her nails on the counter, nonplussed.

"Ah. Yes, I can see how that might be an issue. Hm." She drummed her fingers for a moment, eventually suggesting, "What of the medical field? Or the finance department?" Well, probably not finance, all things considered.

"Teaching, perhaps? Or something in business, maybe?"

They were all good suggestions, really. Ivona knew his strengths and weaknesses well, after all, and there were parts of him that would enjoy all those things.

Teach what, though, was the question. A question for later, at least.

"Finance strikes me as an idea that would get me quickly murdered," he said dryly. "Mrs. Fox is very possessive of her department, I think."

He took another drink and sighed. "The problem," he said, "is I always wanted to be King."

"Mm, she is, I gather. Hmm." Ivona sat back, considering, but then her eyebrows shot up at Jordan's confession.

"King? King of...Spades? Hearts? Or just King in general?"

This was certainly interesting.

Oh, to give the expected answer or the honest one. Jordan was silent for a moment, touching his finger to his temple before giving Ivona a sidelong look.

"King of Spades," he said. "Though Hearts is what mother intended."

Still, he won't challenge his cousin, so it's likely an ambition that's dead in the water.

Well, it was understandable; Jordan did always seem to have deep ambition, at least in her view. That family was known for reaching high, all around. Also, apparently, indecisiveness.

"So why not work for it, then?" Not that she had anything against her former lover in the position, but ambition and challenge was how the Spades operated. "If it's what you truly want."

He's not generally all that indecisive. It's been a relatively new development. But then again, so much of his life was driven by Laureline - so it might be more accurate to say he's never had that much decision-making to do.

He looks over at her with a raised eyebrow. "I do actually like my cousin," he said. "At least enough to not necessarily want to strike him down from it." Though, that would certainly be unexpected.

One of Ivona's eyebrows went up.

"What does family feeling have to do with professional ability? It shouldn't matter a whit whether or not the current King is your cousin or not, Jordan. If you believe him unfit for the job, and you feel you could provide better service, then Challenge him for it."

She finished off her drink and slid the empty glass aside.

"It's as simple as that, love."

"I don't believe him unfit," Jordan said, and flicked Ivona a look over the edge of his glass. "Do you think he is?"

Despite his words, this was planting a seed he wouldn't have considered a few months ago. If he wanted to be King, why not? It wasn't going to happen tomorrow. He had three ranks before he became a Ten.

He might want to work in something more visible than archives, though.

"To be honest," and she was, ironically, "I can't say for sure. I haven't been on-Deck long enough to produce a valid opinion." She paused a moment, considering.

"I will say, however, that from what I do know of Clive, he's not nearly as ruthless as he perhaps should be, given his new job. In point of fact, he has the worst habit of backing away from tough situations."

"He is from the nice side of the family." More of a Kelly in some ways, Jordan thought, than a Bernard. He imagined that if Laureline hadn't decamped to the Hearts, he might have been the one betrothed to Ivona Wolf.

Which was an odd thought, really.

"I wonder if there have been any tough situations so far..." He really, he thought, needed to get his ear closer to the ground. He'd been slacking.

"A handicap, in our Suit, darling," Ivona pointed out crisply. "Regardless of this 'new image' our Royals seem to be advocating, Spades will be Spades, in the end. History speaks for itself, really."

Requesting a simple glass of ice water, Ivona shrugged lightly. "I haven't heard of any warranting notice. Things have been unusually quiet, these past few weeks. Pleasant, if a touch suspicious."

"Image is just that. Image." Very rarely had much to do with what was underneath, and he doubted that Katya was really particularly kind and gentle.

He finished off his bourbon and tapped a finger against his glass, his eyes narrowed in a way that bespoke trouble. "Nothing particularly odd, no," he said. "But that in itself is odd."

Ivona did have her doubts. She knew Clive Kelly very well, after all. But Katya--well, their Queen did have her secrets, everyone knew. Time would tell. And only the survivors would write the histories, as the saying went.

"Anticipating something dire to come roaring out of the woods, love?" she gently teased, tapping a perfect fingernail against the back of his hand. "While I grant the lack of catastrophe around here is a bit disconcerting, I've resolved to simply enjoy the breather. Heaven knows there will be time enough for panic and crisis later."

She gave Jordan a knowing look. "Translation, Sir Novak: Seize the night." A giggle. "And whatever else you can reach."

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It's Swing Time~

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