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 Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:16 pm
Ziazan let out a snort of laughter. "Never known him not to be impulsive. It's like that tiny part of his brain that tells him to 'shut up' is turned off constantly. However, since you asked." It got up and flipped through the deck to find the card asked for, then hugged it to its little body, eyes closed a moment. It grinned wide and looked at the woman.
"Would you be sad if he drew it by chance? That he hadn't expected to draw The Lovers, but took it as a sign? Fao is smart enough to know the trickery of his trade, but he is not without some belief in the hands he deals out, either." The proto set the card down on the table, face up, and put the rest back in the deck. "He picked this deck to use for you because it's his most prized possession, and because he truly believes in its ability to have some truth in the fate it shows people. He wanted to know about you or he wouldn't have used this deck. Does that answer your question?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:24 pm
Ellandr blushed. Furiously. She had been somewhat-expecting an answer along those lines, but it didn't mean she was any more prepared to hear it. "Th-thank you, Z-Ziazan," she stammered, her fingers catching in her hair as she spoke. "It - it doesn't sadden me. . . b-but I must admit I'm - I'm not quite sure wh-what to do..."
Oh, drat, couldn't her face stay a normal complexion for more than two minutes at a time?
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:30 pm
Ziazan shrugged, sitting back on the deck, the Lovers card still sitting out. "I can't see the future. You'll do what you feel is right."
The proto didn't get a chance to say more thanks to Fao ducking back through the flap of the tent, still talking to someone outside. "As much as I'd love to go watch the burlesque ladies practice their routine, I already have plans, Bill. You'll just have to go without me. Tragic, I know." He turned and saw Ellandra, remembering that, oh, right, there was a very shy and beautiful girl staying in his tent. Blushing a little, he gave a sheepish grin and held out the tray in his hands, some clothes draped over one arm. "They had eggs this morning."
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:38 pm
Ellandra kept her gaze away from Faolan, though she couldn't keep the blush on her face from increasing at his presence - though she, surprisingly, fought the urge to roll her eyes when she heard the tail end of the conversation he'd been having. It was rather obvious where Ziazan had picked up its lack of tact. "E-eggs are f-fine," she said quietly.
"A-and . . . .um. . . . p-please don't - don't t-take this the wrong way, b-but. . . . could you. . . .u-um . . . put a s-shirt on? Please?" He plea came out sounding more like the desperate squeak of a frightened animal than a true word, but hopefully it would get her point across.
Though she couldn't see why he'd gone through all this trouble for her, when their were obviously many girls around - all of whom, she was sure, were vastly more beautiful and less shy than herself. What in the world could be keeping this man's attention on her of all people?
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Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:56 pm
"Shirt? Oh, right. Of course, darlin'," he said, moving to set the tray of food down on the table and drape the clothes he'd brought over a chair. He picked up the card Zia had left out, pausing a moment to look at it curiously before setting it back on the deck. He slinked past Ellandre and went to the very well-worn dresser he'd been loaned while staying in the tent. After a moment of rummaging about in it, he produced a nearly threadbare t-shirt and slipped it on, the shirt not doing much to hide the definition of his muscles.
He scooted back around the bed to sit down at the table in the chair not currently wearing clothes and smiled at her. "They didn't have tea, so I brought coffee and lots of cream and sugar for you. I managed to get some bacon, too." And some odd questions about who he could possibly be sharing his tent with this time, though he didn't think Ellandra would want to know that information and had kept his impulsive need to blurt things out in check . . . this time. He pulled a foot up on the seat of the chair, resting his arms around his leg and smiled at her, less charming and more open and friendly. "Brought you some clothes, too. One of the trapeze girls loaned them to me. She's about your size, I think. Figured you'd like some fresh clothes that weren't mine to go home in."
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 9:56 am
Ellandra's blush remained, but she was at least able to handle looking in Faolan's general direction now. She chewed her lip a little and didn't take the food just yet, still attempting to get her hair into some semblance of order."I - I. . . thank you," she said hesitantly, chewing her lip a little. "Y-you didn't have to - to go to a-all of this t-trouble. . ." Really, he hadn't. She could have gone home in the clothes she'd worn here - although that idea didn't really appeal to her, as she wasn't one to prefer re-wearing clothes when there was another option.
She smiled a little, looking over to Ziazan for a moment before daring just one hesitant glance to the fortune-teller's eyes. Almost immediately, she dropped her gaze again, but not quite before she'd met his smile with her own timid one. "Ziazan and - and I h-had a. . . a n-nice t-talk while you were - were g-gone," she said, unable to keep another smile from spreading across her features. There was just the barest hint of amusement in her features and her voice as she added, "It h-had some. . . v-very. . . .ah, i-interesting things to - to say."
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 2:23 pm
"Really now? I'll just have you know that its lying. I don't suck my thumb in my sleep," Faolan chuckled, then shrugged, settling in at the table to eat. "Seriously, what did you two talk about?"
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 2:59 pm
Ellandra laughed just a little, trying to relax a bit. "A-actually, I w-woke up l-last night once and - and y-you . . . . do suck y-you thumb, I'm - I'm a-afraid." Then she paused and ducked her head a little, twirling her hair around her fingers. More than ever, she was acutely aware of the fact that she was still in this man's bed. "I . . . I asked it to read the . . . the . . . card y-you drew, y-yesterday," she admitted, ducking her head even further as her face inflamed to an immense degree.
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 9:31 pm
"Zia's gotten rather adept at using the cards," Fao said before taking a bite of bacon, looking at the proto. The creature just gave him a look and the young man blinked. He looked at Ellandra. "You mean you had it use its ability on the card. Why?"
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 9:46 pm
Ellandra bit her lip, and, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders - she was not just getting out of bed like this - and made her way over to the table, hesitating a little beside it, not sure if she should move the clothes and sit down or not. She bit her lip and glanced at Zia as well, adjusting her impromptu blanket-cloak before answering, "I - I wanted to know if. . . you had i-intended to - to draw that one or - or not...." Her face flushed and she dropped her gaze to the ground. "I - I . . . sorry. . ."
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 9:59 pm
Fao smiled at her, leaning over to get the clothes from the other chair and put them on the bed. "Sit, darlin', and eat before it's cold. There's nothing wrong with being curious. Hell, I live my life in a constant state of curiosity. Can't live in Farstep without being inquisitive, you know. Don't be sorry on wanting to know the truth. I take it Zia set you true on it, yeah? I didn't know what card I was going to draw, but, well, that's the one I did. I've never known that particular deck to steer me wrong."
He cleared his throat, pointed ears drooping slightly as he looked away, a slight blush showing on his cheeks. "Not that I'm trying to say that we should listen to the cards, 'cause what the card represents ain't always what the symbol is." He turned his gaze to the food on his plate, nudging the bits of egg around, not sure the explanation was going well. He liked the girl, even if she was too good for him and likely wouldn't think about him after she was back in her highborn society trappings again, but for now . . . she was there, in his home, and he liked her. "After . . . um, after you get done eating and change clothes, I'll see you back to your home. The carnival won't need me to be working till the evening, so it should be plenty of time to get you home safe and all."
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 10:20 pm
Ellandra obligingly sat down, and keeping one hand on her improvised cloak to hold it in place, began eating. After nibbling at her food in silence for a few minutes, simply listening to Faolan talk, she swallowed and dared to look at him, a blush gracing her face yet again.
"I - I. . . .thank you . . . you're being - s-so very h-helpful. . ." She trailed off and chewed on her lip for a moment, grey eyes darkening as she recognized the signs of uncertainty appearing on the fortune-teller's features. After deliberating on what to do for a short time, she hesitantly set her fork aside and reached across the table, lightly touching Faolan's hand with her own. "R-really... th-thank you. . . and - and w-when would be a - a g-good day for me to - to come back and - g-give Zia that - that scarf?"
After all, she had promised to do that!
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 10:31 pm
Fao sucked a bit of bacon down the wrong way at the touch to his hand and pulled away to cover his mouth and turn away while coughing. After a moment, he got his breathing back under control and gave her a "I'm okay" smile, waving her away a bit. He leaned back against his chair, giving a glance to Zia before settling his gaze on the girl across from him.
"Come back anytime, Ellandra. So long as we're here, you're welcome to visit, and I don't think the carnival is moving for at least another couple of weeks yet," he told her, though the smile faded a bit at the idea that Farstep would be moving soon and might not be close enough for her to visit. He bit his lower lip, then shrugged and shook his head. "We can worry about your next visit after you get home safely from this one. Ain't no rush on the scarf." Especially since he figured she'd never be back.
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 10:49 pm
Ellandra bit her lip, sensing that he was brushing her off, and frowned. "P-please don't. . . don't do that," she said, taking on a displeased expression. "I - I will come back here, and I will bring a scarf for Ziazan - and - and I will not have you brush me off as being so rude as to go back on my word!"
She had risen out of her chair as she spoke and rested her hands on the table, her improvised cloak dropping to the floor and her long hair falling forward around her shoulders and arms as she spoke. "Please, please don't make a liar out of me! It's obvious you don't believe I'd want to come back, but I'm afraid you're mistaken if you think so!"
Suddenly, awareness of what she was doing came back to her and Ellandra's eyes widened, her face paling drastically and then coloring with a fierce blush. She fell back into her chair and hastily gathered the blanket around herself again. The indignant-but-timid young woman said nothing, however, because she truly meant every word she'd just said - and because any apology she tried to spit out now would be so incoherent as to be meaningless.
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Posted: Fri May 01, 2009 11:08 pm
Faolan's eyes widened at the young woman going off on him. He blinked a bit, unsure what to say really, even after she stopped yelling at him. After a moment he got up and moved away from the table, keeping his back to her so she could collect herself. He rested his hands on the dresser, sighing softly.
"It's not that . . . I mean, I didn't think . . ." He licked his lips trying to figure out what he wanted to say. "I didn't mean to insult you or call you a liar. I've just . . . I mean, from my experience, people that don't lead this life rarely want much to do with it. I don't mean to say you won't be back, I just . . . I don't understand why." He looked back at her, all charm and carelessness gone, replaced with self-doubt and worry. They were not emotions he was intimate with and he wasn't sure how to deal with them and the girl that made him so self-conscious.
Ziazan fluttered over to light on Ellandra's shoulder and looked up at the girl. "Tell him."
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