Welcome to Gaia! ::

Her cutting interruption was stinging - for a moment. Jessie's lips then, as she carried on, split into a smirk. It might have looked like a rude gesture if she'd caught it, for him to laugh at her distress, but her eyes were fixed on the floor. The truth was, he hadn't drawn the connection before, but was suddenly and explicitly reminded of Celeste. Any offense at her sudden petulance was brushed off by experience.

Still, no matter how desireable cracking the shell and having her speak out may have been, he wouldn't push her. Straightening up, he waited for her to pull herself together and ask something of him, to which he replied with a smile, "I believe I've already implied it, but I do not sleep - not as humans do. You saw me asleep with your own eyes yesterday."

Very cryptic for a just-woken human mind, he understood, but nevermind. The pressing matter of breakfast had been on his mind, going so far as to turn and glance at the door seconds before she spoke. But... it would keep, and he didn't really want to go down and face the priestess so soon after that... misunderstanding. Not to let a silence fall, he continued to speak. "But we talk rather too much about me for my liking. It's hardly a conversation if I stand here giving one of my infamous speeches. How old are you?"

That seemed like a nice, straightforward question to start off with - intriguing, too. How old was she? Between training and Coline going off by herself, as she usually did, they never really had much time to talk. These snatches of conversation were precious.







(( My god this is a crappy post, but I don't care. It's a post, and you get the general idea >3>; *hurriedly does homework before class* ))

The single red eye flickered with shock, eyebrow shooting up. "Eighteen?"

Another connection suddenly drew itself - less pleasant this time. He did his best to shake it out of his mind, shrugging at her as she made her inquiry. "I didn't really think about it, but... I was expecting early twenties."

It could have been worse. She could have been... sixteen, or something of the like. Dear god, then he really would feel like a filthy old man! Repressing the thought and the slight twinge of self-disgust, he continued. "You're very mature for your age. Shockingly so."

"Hm?" Jessie replied concernedly, shifting closer to her. "What do you mean?"



(( LOLZSHORT

Whether or not Coline intends for him to hear her, he's got the slightly advanced hearing, so... I don't think it would make sense if he let it go and moved on to something else.

Why am I analysing and explaining this two-sentence post hurr 8D ))

Panic-stricken eyes shot up in surprise. He couldn't have heard her, not with--Oh. Yes, that was right, he wasn't human; he was drow. If his wide pointed ears weren't enough to hint a sharper sense of hearing, she didn't know what did. Which made it all more embarrassing for her, not being able to make the connection sooner.

"That's..." she began, hesitation waning upon realizing that there was little point in dodging the question now. Coline took in one long breath, letting it all out with one audible sigh, her eyes cast down to the floor in deep contemplation. "How do I say this..."

"I was sent to the orphanage when I was a but a year old. That was what the matron has always told me, although she could never give me a straight answer when I would ask exactly when I was born. I get the feeling she didn't know of it herself. It was the same way with most of the children taking shelter there, and it wasn't a matter worth pursuing anyway, considering..." she closed her eyes and gave way for a short pause. "To keep track of our years we would simply go by the day we were brought into the orphanage. In my case, that was roughly... two months ago, if I'm not mistaken."

Her lids fluttered open to gaze up at the drow, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "I'm sorry. That must sound very strange to you."

Coline body tensed upon his touch, but soon relaxed, eyes still steady and focused on the wooden floor. "No, don't be. You learn to come to terms with it in time." she answered, spoken like a well-practiced chant.

A few more moments passed in silence before she finally retracted her hand. The feeling of unease was starting to creep up her form yet again; whether or not this was mirrored by her actions, she wasn't certain. "Was there something else you wanted to inquire about? If not, I think it would be best if we prepared to set out. I would not want to impose myself on the Priestess for much longer than necessary..."

Her gaze managed to drift back towards him at some point, and she watched him with curiosity as he trailed off, blinking incredulously once he had made his intentions known.

"Well..." she began, brow furrowed and lips pursed. "I highly doubt that I would make for an interesting subject matter, but if you insist... then I'll answer your questions to the best of my knowledge." her lips broke into an awkward grin. "...What would you like to know?"

(( I think a week and a day has passed since you were last here... unless you were here after the timeskip and I just cant remember straight~ Harata can be wherever you want. ))