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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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 Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 8:38 am
 Hrm.
Criofan was perched on a rock in the middle of the Fae Clearing, sometimes glancing from left to right so he could sight anything that was a threat. The fae had came to relax a bit now that he had gotten some time alone--his daughter, Zaria, had begged Criofan to let her go over to Vangelis' house today and he allowed it since the wilwarin had gotten some proper sleep recently--but instead of anything particularly soothing, he found himself just staring out into the foliage with no proper relaxation.
While he wasn't necessarily doing anything soothing, the oddly quiet leprechaun fae couldn't even think of anything soothing. Couldn't think of anything negative either, really. He just couldn't bring himself to care about much of anything. Tricking people was fun enough, and messing with Amapola--whom he despised--was amusing enough, but his amusement was only temporary and then the joy was gone again. Sucked away by some invisible, vengeful vacuum that made sure the Pae'il gave up on life young.
It all left a lingering question of "Now what?", but somehow, all at the same time, Criofan didn't particularly care about what was supposed to come now. He didn't care about much of anything, really. Nothing besides gold, that was, and the matters of business transactions. He did something, and got something in return. It was a give and take that kept him moving forward despite nothing to really look forward to, except maybe more golden trinkets. He liked anything that shined the color of gold. ...Most things, anyway.
It also left the question of why he even let it go so far that he became this dull, but that wasn't something Criofan was really prepared to address. He wasn't sure if he ever wanted to address it. Instead, he would shake his head clear and move to sit on top of the boulder, still glancing out in the distance as if he was expecting something to happen. But if nothing came, he wouldn't be particularly surprised.
After all, he came to relax. Relaxation usually involved being away from any Pae'il these days.
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:29 am
 Ugh. Oooof. Argh!
Last trip for today. The last damn trip.
The exhausted faerie was carrying a couple large-sized rocks in a worn canvas sack slung over her shoulder as she attempted the flight from the mountains down to the forest. She was trying to finish up the landscaping in her front yard, by completing the stone wall surrounding the plot of land she'd declared as her own.
As she approached the Fae Clearing (which was on the way to her home) she adjusted the strap on the bag, trying to transfer some of the weight around to make it not such a strain on her one shoulder. In a sorry, momentarily lapse in judgement, she decided to swap shoulders mid-air, trying to save time because she just wanted to get this over with.
First, the smaller of the rocks slipped out of the bag. A cantelope-sized rock hurled itself towards the ground, and in a moment of panic, Joi dipped to try and catch it, letting loose her grip on the canvas bag just long enough for it to slip away.
"Oh Guardians, please don't let there be anyone down there..." Joi was thinking outloud as she zipped down to try and intercept the big rocks. She'd managed to grap the strap of the canvas bag, but the momentum the pumpkin-sized rock had gained was just too much for the fae to stop.
"LOOK OUT BELOW!!!" she shrieked, hoping and praying there was no one in the clearing today.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:41 am
Ping!
The hell? Criofan glanced behind him, noting the small rock that was now resting near the boulder he had perched on. Where had that thing come from? Criofan leaned over the side of the boulder, before glancing over to the side and determining it must have been some devious birds making a nest over in the trees. So, lamely, he stuck his tongue out towards the trees and closed his eyes to relax again.
...That didn't last long.
"LOOK OUT BELOW!!!"
Criofan glanced upwards.
"Aw s**t."
The leprechaun fae barrel rolled off the boulder, falling over onto the grassy ground (but not without managing to scrape his leg on the sharp part of the rock). Still, with only the oddly lucky time a leprechaun could have, he managed to get out of the way just as the rather large rocks smashed into the boulder and began to roll off in different directions or stop dead, causing the boulder to form mild cracks and grooves where there weren't any before.
Criofan groaned and arched his back at an attempt at a stretch from the ground before he burst back to a sitting position and then to his feet as if nothing had particularly happened. The blood dripping from his right leg was unimportant. "You're lucky I'm lucky!" snapped Criofan, glaring mildly at the source of the voice... another fae.
Pink and blue with white hair, no, she didn't look like anyone he recognized. He hadn't come to interact with people, but at the same time, he had no reason to be rude to her either. A general neutral feeling settled in once again as he plucked up the pumpkin-shape rocked that had just finally stopped rolling near his feet. "Probably shouldn't carry so much weight in one bag."
Of course, she could if she wanted. Wasn't his problem, really. Well, until the damn rocks started falling on him.
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:57 am
It was the glimmer and twinkle that she seen below in the clearing as the rock in the canvas pulled her downwards that caused her to panic, which unfortunately also made her irrational in her actions. She tried pulling up on the strap, only to have it rip, and the rock tumble from the bag to smack the larger boulder in the clearing. She watched the shiney fae roll to the side just in the nick of time which distracted her train of thought just long enough.
She was relieved the fae escaped potential death, but she failed to realize that she was still heading towards the ground herself.
A last second reaction and she managed to steer herself, at the very least, to miss careening headfirst into the boulder. Instead, she hit the ground rolling.
She was only disoriented for a moment or two, but her concern was the other fae, and if he or she was ok. Getting to her feet, she ran towards the male fae.
"I'm glad you are lucky." she quickly responded to his sharp words, ignoring the annoyance behind them. (truth be told, she would have been a bit more angry and yelled, so she'd been expecting worse) "Are you alright? I'm sorry I didn't---" she noticed the gash on his leg at this point, as it was hard to miss the red among the yellow.
"Oh crap, uhm..." she knelt beside the fae, looking around for something to possible help, but sadly, all she could see was rocks and grass. "How bad are you hurt?"
She felt awful, and worse, helpless.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 4:10 am
Now she was running at him. What, was she mad that he picked up her pumpkin rock? Why did he always seem to attract the crazy ones? First it was that crazy Erylia that couldn't seem to keep her emotions steady, then it was that Amapola who was happy to see him one night and wanted to kill him every day after that, and now it was some crazy female fae charging--
Oh. She just wanted to know if he was alright. Well then. That was normal, he guessed. Least she wasn't bull-rushing him.
"I'm fine, really." He knit his brows, watching at the now frantic fae began looking around as if trying to find something. The cut wasn't that bad; it was just a gash from a rock. It'd heal just like everything else. Well, like most things. Criofan set down the rock so he could bend down and look at her on her level on the ground, watching with a quirked brow as her expression was twisting from panicked to obviously worried.
To show that he was fine and that she should really stop worrying over him like that--this body wasn't worth that much, anyway--he licked his finger and wiped off the dripping blood with it. As an afterthought, he decided to ask, "What were you doing lugging all these rocks around, anyway?" What she was doing dropping them over his head was the better question, but Criofan didn't need to make her even more panicky. The last thing he needed was another overly emotional woman on his hands.
And by the Guardians, had he had enough of those for one left time. A vague, dejected sigh escaped his lips, seeming to have no particular source or reason, before he plopped down on his rear in the grasses behind him.
Most Pae'il, at this time, would have thought it a good idea to ask if Joi, too, was alright. Not Criofan. He seemed more curious as to what the hell she thought she was doing, not if she was injured. Really, that wasn't of any concern to him. His concern was why there were crazy faes dropping rocks on his head, and if there were any more on the way.
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 4:35 am
Seeing that he was obviously okay, and acting kinda strange, well, at least strange to Joi since her experiences with others was slightly skewedl; she let herself flop backwards and she sat there, regaining her composure and trying to calm herself enough to think about what just happened.
I dropped two large rocks, nearly on top of this guy, and I panicked. Lovely.
Hefting a sigh that allowed her to blow a stray lock of hair out of her face, she focused back to the golden fae on the grass as he spoke to her again. "I am trying to build a wall, and I was trying to speed up the process by carrying 2 rocks for my last trip of the day." she felt kinda silly admitting that, because she was certain there was more efficient ways to cart rocks, but she just didn't think pushing (or pulling) a cart would be any easier over the terrian than just making several trips while flying. Afterall, that was her first accident.
"Are you sure you are ok?" she was poking at that sigh, and the fact that he seemed, well, not happy. And not just because he'd nearly had a rock hit his head. He seemed ... sad.
Remembering her manners, she leaned forward, and on her hands and knees, closed the small distance (it really wasn't far, too far to bother standing fully to walk) and she extended her hand out to the stranger. "I'm Joi. I don't believe I've ever seen you around here before."
She lived nearby so she thought maybe if he did too, she would have seen him by now. But on the otherhand, she was living an isolated life these days.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 11:49 pm
She was building a wall, so she was carrying rocks through the air to build her wall. Already, Criofan could see issues with this. Wouldn't it be easier to drag them behind her? And maybe, just maybe, she could find a place that had been closer to her house so she wouldn't've been flying over his head in the first place?
And yet again came the question if he was okay. If he wasn't okay, he would have said so, and Criofan was certainly okay. He was almost always in a state of being 'okay.' Nothing more, nothing less. "I wouldn't've said I was okay if I wasn't... Joi."
Joi wasn't a terrible name. Certainly implied more cheerfulness and less of this panicky, nervous mood she seemed to be showing either. With a shrug, he decided that he might-as-well and grasped her hand in turn, simply giving her the name, "Criofan." While not his full name, it probably already let her know too much about him. He had never met another Pae'il with that name, after all.
The only one with a name close was his daughter. "That's because I'm living over at the Headquarters for the moment." It allowed him to get away from everyone and not mess with his sibling's lives. "I assume you live around here?" She had better been living around there, or she was wasting her time with that obnoxiously deadly rock-flying.
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:14 am
Touchy.
"Well, I was just making sure is all." She crooked a smile and backed off after shaking his hand. Not a terribly friendly fella, this one. But nonetheless, Joi had still learned to be polite, even if circumstances made it difficult.
"Nice to meet you, Criofan." She dusted some of the dirt off her legs and stood up. She pointed to the edge of the clearing to the West. "I live in the forest there, nearby that new gorge." Joi paused a moment considering her real reason for building a stone wall around a tree in a forest.
With a bit of an awkward grin she turned back to Criofan, feeling slightly defensive, "I uhh, need to put up a wall to keep uhm... you know, thinking on it, maybe I am wasting my time." her lil grin turned to a frown as she considered more deeply. She didn't know this guy, nor did she think she'd ever see him beyond this one encounter, so she was sure he wouldn't care, but she couldn't stop herself from talking. He was the first pae in a very long time that she'd talked to, that wasn't her mother or sister. "I was building a wall on the edge of my garden near the gorge, for security and to keep little ones from falling. There aren't rocks big enough in the forest, so I had to ... transport."
"Well, there's my story I guess. So what brought you here today? HQ has nearly everything a Pae would need..."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 1:25 am
Criofan tended to be standoffish, and defensive if people pushed too hard. Continuous questioning, to Criofan, counted as pushing too hard. But with the subject off him and if he was alright, Criofan shifted to a position that was obviously less twitchy and a tad more relaxed... not that he had a very wide spectrum of displayed emotion anyway. That much was probably already obvious.
He watched as she stood up before choosing to join her, vaguely wiping at his cut before pushing himself back onto his feet. Probably would have to disinfect it later. No matter. "I wouldn't've asked if I wasn't interested," Criofan pointed out, with something vaguely resembling a smirk. It seemed more like a bitter attempt at being happy. "Though I'm not sure what there is to keep out here. Loka Nei always seemed peaceful enough to me, besides when those faun were charging around."
Rais had retreated back to his tree. It was... disappointing. Criofan was hoping to ally with him and then use that new alliance to his advantage. Erylia would be sorry she ever decided it was time to jerk him around like a ... jerked around thing. When the topic came back to him, he frowned briefly, but he was willing to answer.
Suppose she deserved something for him prodding her with questions. "Except quiet. Headquarters is always loud, full of people. Can never get away from people you don't want to see." He seemed to have some people particularly in mind, but there was no point in saying who unless she showed signs of knowing them. He crossed his arms and shrugged before offering, "Fae Clearing's peaceful. Can't relax, but peaceful enough."
Criofan offered the pumpkin rock, perhaps in an attempt to get the subject back off him. "Any reason why you picked up a rock shaped like a pumpkin? Doesn't seem very constructive to wall building."
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:18 am
Joi arched her brows as she watched Criofan while he spoke. He was certainly the oddest pae she ever met. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was about him that was so ... off, though. "Its not so much what I want to keep out, as what I thought I wanted to keep in." she spoke plainly as she tucked a loose wisp of hair behind her ear.
She laughed lightly at his description of the HQ, thinking he certainly nailed it. "Yeah, can't say I blame you there."
"And it is peaceful, for good reason. Are you familiar with the history of the Clearing?" she quirked an eyebrow at him, wondering if maybe he was new to the island or something as he didn't seem to recall the significance of the Clearing, or the forest. Or maybe she just took for granted that her mother was big on teaching the nonsense she got out of those books in the HQ.
Joi reached out to take the rock from his hands "Thanks. Though shape doesn't matter. They're like puzzle pieces, with mortar to fill in the gaps." Curious, when she took the took the rock, she tried to sneak a glance to see if she could see his hands. To see if he had hands of a hard-worker or the hands of someone privileged. It might help in understanding him, she figured.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 2:35 am
There was a story to the Clearing? Well, Criofan could recall Esmee saying something about a peaceful clearing in the Loka Nei Forest, and this would seem to fit the description, but honestly, Criofan never paid much attention to the things that had poured out of her mouth when he was younger. In fact, he still found himself tuning her out half the time. She never had anything particularly of interest to say.
"Fair enough," replied Criofan, as he handed the rock back to her. His hands were lithe, much like the rest of his body. They weren't so much the dainty, sensitive hands of someone privileged as the quick hands of someone who was probably good at those sleight of hand tricks that took so much skill to perform. "Though I don't recall much of this history you're referring to. Fill me in?"
If it kept her from asking more questions about him, it was welcomed. Admittedly, Criofan himself didn't particularly care, but there was a lot to be learned from someone by just watching their cues. How enthusastic they got about one thing, how they rolled their eyes when it came to another, how they reacted, the inflection of their voice.
For someone who had kleptomania narrowed down to a science, these were all very important skills. Not that he was planning to swipe anything from her. Really, all she had was a pumpkin-shaped rock. There was absolutely nothing he could possibly use that for, and it certainly wasn't golden in color. Besides, she was talking to him without being too overly annoying.
Compared to most, that was an improvement.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:04 am
Joi was surprised that he wanted to hear the history of it. Pleasantly surprised really. It meant perhaps a real conversation with another Pae. Who knows, maybe he'd enjoy the story and it'd cheer him up? She figured couldn't hurt to try at least. "Well, to be honest, its the most exciting story, nor am I a skilled story-teller, but my mother insisted on educating me on the history of the island as she learned it herself from the books in the library at the HQ." Joi explained, supposing that way he wouldn't disappointed if the story fell short.
"Its just a long time ago, before we -- faerie Pae'il -- existed, there was a temple on this spot. But during one of the Great Wars, it was completely obliterated. The temple was said to be of great importance to the lil fairies that flit around the island ... uhm, like the mellons. They were apparently so devastated at the loss, that they buried the ruins, and this became hallowed ground. Rumors say this is the spot where the Guardians created the first Faerie Pae'il, too. In the image of the lil fairies. But that's just speculation." She spoke very gracefully, as if this was information was as common as her name or talking about the weather.
"Its special -- sacred -- to faeries. We're drawn here, for mostly unknown reasons." Joi clasped her hands together behind her and looked up towards the sky as she spoke. There was a certain calmness in her as she talked about the Fae Clearing. "During the full moon, if you come here and listen closely, you can hear the Song of the Fae. Its said to be very magical and enlightening." She smiled and looked back down at Criofan, hoping maybe that he was enjoying what she was saying.
"The temple has been being reconstructed, not too far from here. A little angel girl started it, as sort of a religious task. Although I'm not sure why it wasn't rebuilt here."
She might have gotten a little caught up, but she was happy to share the story about why the Fae Clearing was so special with another faerie Pae'il.
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:17 am
At first, Criofan was paying more attention to her facial expressions than the actual words that were coming out of her mouth. She was excited. Very excited. It vaguely reminded him of Amapola until she decided that he actually had to take responsibility and wasn't going to leave him alone until he did. That should make him wary of her.
Yet there was something ... pleasant? about how enthused she was. So he took himself out of his observing state so he could listen more closely to what she was actually saying. Pae'il Faeries were made after the little faeries flying around? It was an interesting thought. Criofan had always wondered where the little faeries had actually come from, but thinking that they were first was a little disappointing. They were obviously modeled off of the likes of him.
...Okay, he wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. He wasn't as lucky as he hoped.
Legitimately curious, he remarked, "The full moon, eh? Never been here on a full moon... though I suppose I don't come here often at night, either. I'll have to come here sometime." The Song of the Fae was curious. She made it sound like some kind of mystical experience, whatever it was, especially with these references to a temple that she was making afterwards. A temple within the forest? Perhaps he needed to explore this place more closely in the future. It could provide a good place to stash his ever increasing collection of golden objects, if nothing else.
Joi had gotten caught up, but it didn't have the same feeling as Amapola who didn't know when to shut her happy button off, or the same feeling as Erylia who no doubt had something utterly degrading in mind. This, while still a little too happy for his current state, was tolerable. He'd take it. "Your mother sounds like my sister, spending all of her time in books. Too bad my sister has absolutely nothing interesting to say."
It was hard to tell if he was saying this in jest or if he was being completely serious. That horrid attempt at a smirk really wasn't making it more obvious, either.
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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 3:50 am
Joi smiled, and was happy to see that Criofan seemed to find it interesting. She couldn't be certain, but she at least hoped it was a bit of a softening of his unhappiness she sense.
"I'm not certain when the next full moon would be. I'm terrible with keeping track of those things, but, maybe the next one I see, I can come get you?" she didn't even think though about what she was saying until after the words came out. Crud. "I mean, I could come remind you or something..." She hid her real expression, but instead, tried to remain a lil oblivious to what she'd just inadvertently done. "It really is a moving experience, at least, the first time." I did not just try to make a date with this guy. I can't believe I just did that. I was only trying to be friendly. Yes. Friendly. At least, that's what she kept telling herself.
Joi chuckled, finding herself enjoying his company actually. "My mom probably knows your sister if she's spent any time at all in the HQ. It was my second home for a long time when I was growing up." It was the combination of Criofan's face and his remark about his sister not having anything interesting to say that caused her to lose it and she started laughing. Was it really that funny? It was, when she took into account that she imagined her own sister and what she would have said about her.
"Sorry, that just reminded me of my own sister. Smart as she is, she's dull as rocks."
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:03 pm
Honestly, Criofan hadn't seen the romantic implications until she scrambled to cover herself. It wasn't that he was dense; honestly, it was because Criofan had all but completely shunned romance forever. It bit him in the a**. Erylia ruined him for what he was and what he would ever be, and one-night stands were the equivalent of disaster, considering the events afterwards consisted of chaos and acknowledgement.
Needless to say, Criofan looked a little surprised when she corrected herself, but it wasn't so much that he was interested in the prospect of a date than the fact that he hadn't noticed the reference in the first place. "Sure," he replied, after a couple moments, giving up on the horrid smirk as his expression fell back into his usual bored appearance. "I'd like that. Give me something to do."
And just like that, Joi was onto something else and was laughing like he had said the funniest thing ever known to man. This made the leprechaun fae quirk a confused eyebrow, but at her remark, he crossed his arms and chuckled. "Oh Guardians, someone understands. I thought only my brother Texas understood it. She just goes on for hours about things completely irrelevant to anyone's existance. Why exactly would I care about the migration patterns of ducks, or how deadly chlorine can be?"
This was the most enthused that Joi had seen them in their short conversation. Whether it was surprising or not, it was because he was talking about something he simply couldn't stand. "She's not around much anymore, though. Got triplets and a strange relationship I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Works for me. What's your sister like?"
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