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 Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 10:45 pm
Izzy gave a little smile and grabbed her hand, leading her around the corner to a booth behind the counter. There was no chairs, but instead a small raise with a short legged table and cushions behind a beaded curtain. Ducking into it he sprawled out on two of the cushions, glad to be in his safe place.
Back here no body could spy on them, nobody could stare. He didn't see why they were staring- Tepin was just Tepin, after all. He tapped his face, suddenly realizing that they both had face tattoos. Another smile spread across his face and he laid back against the wall, not saying anything.
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 8:58 am
She timidly followed, suddenly feeling like a monster among butterflies. Was this the effect of playing? These were the same types of stares that Varu received daily when they went out… But Tepin wasn’t nearly as marked as he was.
But she left such depressing thoughts behind the beaded curtain, carefully pushing the strings of beads aside before ducking into the room. The small beads clacked into one another as the curtain closed behind her, separating the two from the rest of the world. It was as if in this small and cutoff room, they were free. There, they were simply allowed to be human.
Her eyes watched his every moment, feeling more and more at ease with each motion. She followed, flopping onto a curtain with more comfort than she had felt her entire stay in this strange shop.
“I’m sorry,” Her eyes stared strait into his as she fidgeted with the side of a cushion, “I didn’t know that--” She frowned, what was she supposed to call it? “My markings would cause so much attention.”
She almost felt bad for him, now. Here he was, still mostly untouched by the game, and yet he had to get the stares of others, just for his kindness. Those who played the game would frown upon them for not fighting, and those that didn’t would frown at them for being freaks. It seemed that no matter what she did, she would still be an outcast in one way or another.
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:03 pm
Shaking his head Izzy stretched his arms and took off his bag. "Th-th-they sh-shouldn't stare anyway. Y-you're n-not nearly as st-strange as them." He said. "Anyway, th-they stared at m-me my first f-f-few times here too. Th-the g-good thing about p-people is that th-they all stare at everyone. J-just at some m-more than others."
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:30 pm
She nodded in agreement, looking at the table for a brief moment of awkwardness. He really knew how to comfort her, didn’t he? It made it awkward for Tepin to speak, for fear of sounding like a complainer.
“Hey,” Her eyes darted up, looking into his, “I know this is sudden… But does your God ever talk to you? Did you get any powers, or… anything?”
She had been given very little, and her God didn’t seem to want to talk to her. He hadn’t even given her any powers. As far as Mixcoatl went, he had marked her and made her an outcast, yet gave her no means to protect herself. No matter what, she really just didn’t fit into this Game at all.
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 10:46 pm
Izzy blinked, and a sly smile spread over his face.
"T-Totec drops off s-seeds and p-plants for me t-to d-deliver a-along with m-my job..." He reached for his bag and looked at the curtain before taking out a small bag of dirt and putting some on the table. With one last look at the curtain his eyes went back to the small pile of dirt on the table. Placing his hands on either side of it he closed his eyes. Feeling the pulse of the dirt a few inches away from his hands he pushed it in his head. It didn't want to budge, so he scrunched his eyes and pushed harder.
At last he felt it give a bit, moving around to draw a circle in between his hands.
At least he could do something sort of cool in exchange for all the trouble the game, and Totec, brought him.
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 11:02 pm
The dirt seemed to move by some strange, unseen wind. It skittered across the tabletop, forming a circle. It took a moment for Tepin to realize just what had happened… at first, she didn’t believe it--But Varu could do the same exact thing with shadows…!
Was everyone somehow gifted with some strange power… Was she simply left so far behind?
“Ah, uhm,” She fidgeted more with her cushion, trying to look as though nothing was wrong, “That’s really cool. I’m jealous.”
It almost felt shameful to admit such a thing. Here she was jealous of moving a little dirt? What kind of a girl was she?
“I can’t do anything.” The confession seemed rather useless. It should be clear enough to any other player just how useless Tepin was. She didn’t know anything, couldn’t do anything-- she was a sitting duck. “And my God never talks to me, either.”
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 11:18 pm
He opened his eyes, pleased with his work... that is, until he looked up at Tepin. The slightly troubled look on her face made him feel a bit bad for his ability. Opening the bag and scraping the dirt off the table back into it, frowning a bit. "D-don't be, T-Tepin." He said softly. Izzy didn't think she realized how scared she had made him. The strength he felt when he thought she was going to kill him. "And d-don't say that. J-just 'cause I c-can move some dirt..." Putting it all away he shoved his bag away.
Scratching at the back of his arm he wondered why it had started itching so suddenly. Ignoring it he shook his head. "Y-your G-God must have a d-different way of showing h-himself then. L-like your strength."
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 11:34 pm
Her tan arms leaned on the table as she let out a dissatisfied sigh. Sure, it was easy to talk like that when you had powers!
“No, I’mma say it!” She glared up, her chin resting on the table, “Because if some other player attacks me, I can’t do a single thing!”
She knew that nothing had changed, other than her body. She was just as agile and strong as she had always been-- save for the growth and the markings, she was no different from any other bint-human walking these streets, oblivious to the game around her. The only difference was that she had a huge target on her back.
“Think about it,” Her expression softened, and she looked down at the grains that ran along the wood of the table, “If you were any other player, I would have been dead back in that ally.”
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2009 11:51 pm
The itching got a bit worse, and he kept scratching at it as he listened carefully to her words. She didn't really think she was still week, did she? "A-and if it h-hadn't been you in th-that alley I would have b-been d-dead." And if she hadn't been Tepin still, he would have been dead anyway.
"H-h-have you tried t-t-to t-test if y-you have any... a-abilities?" He asked. "M-maybe your p-p-powers only show in f-fights?" Yet deep in his head he hoped Tepin would never have to find out if she had powers.
Feeling a bit strained he frowned and, without thinking reached out for her hand. "D-don't be s-sad, please."
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 12:29 am
She frowned still, closing her eyes in a bratty pout. “No offense… But it’s not really smart to pick a fight when you don’t know if you can even fight.”
Hell, there were plenty of times that she could have gotten into fights, times where she had tried. But that just seemed so stupid now, realizing how little she could do with her own two hands. Really, there was nothing that she could do without something by her side to guide her.
Her pupils dilated a fraction as his hand reached for hers-- she hadn’t expected that motion at all! Still, it was friendly enough, so she calmed herself, letting him take her hand and wriggling her fingers playfully.
“It’s…” A sigh, she really didn’t know what she was trying to say, “Sad isn’t the right word. I’m frustrated. I want to be able to take care of myself. And I want to be able to do something with my own hands.”
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 1:55 pm
He smiled. The pout reminded him of the younger Tepin, and he shook his head slightly. "Y-you'll see." He said softly.
After she had taken his hand, he smiled again at the small tickling motion and squeezed her hands. He had noticed her eyes follow his hand... one day she'd realize just how dangerous she was. Her last comment left Izzy thinking a bit, just a bit since the back of his arm was still itching, but he looked at her with an idea.
"D-do you w-want to help m-me with a-a g-garden?" She wanted to do something with her own hands? How about growing things? It wouldn't help with defending herself, he thought, but it would keep her busy and active... and hopefully help keep her mind off of being useless.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 6:57 pm
Her eyes darted up to his face as her jaw dropped slightly. She hadn’t seen that coming at all! Here she was, rambling about violence… And he seemed to somehow come to that conclusion…?
Even if it was off-topic… She could admit that it did sound kinda fun.
“Stuff doesn’t grow anymore,” Though her words were negative, her eyes danced with curiosity, “Unless they are in centers, right?”
Just what was he thinking? He had said that his job was to deliver plants… But plants were a rare commodity. Clearly though, the dirt, the seeds-- this boy had to be the kid of some kind of plant god.
“Are you saying I’m wrong?” Her eyebrows raised with curiosity; she might like to try her hand in nonconforming to the standards of the world a bit more.
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2009 9:14 pm
Izzy's smile grew wider at her questions. "I-I'm not saying y-you're wrong... I j-j-just have a t-talent..." He said, eyes darting to his book bag. The dirt Totec supplied him with... he'd been testing with it. Seeing if he could make things grow... and they did. Fast. Healthy. While the plants took a bit more water and a bit more caring than normal plants, the fact was that he could make things grow.
"Y-you ch-chose a place and y-you'll see."
"Ding dong, darlin's?" The beaded curtain moved a bit and the tea woman poked her head in. "Ready fer yer tea, sweeties?"
Izzy grabbed his hand back, blushing a bit. He gave a small nod and looked at Tepin as the tea woman smiled to herself.
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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 9:16 am
She took his statement as a challenge, and her expression clearly showed that.
She knew the perfect place-- it’d be heaven on earth if Izzy really could pull it off.
When he pulled back, she jumped slightly, looking at his face before the realization hit her. A bright shade of red covered her face as she looked quickly to the shop owner, floundering for some sort of excuse.
“U-U-Uhm!” It was her turn to stutter now, she was so nervous that the woman would think strangely of her, “Y-Yea that’d be great, if you don’t mind.”
She looked back to the table shyly-- she probably thought they were horrible kids in the back room to do bad things.
“Sorry ‘bout this.”
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Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 9:52 pm
Izzy turned to look at the woman and gave a small smile. She set the tray down on the table and smiled at the two, pouring them both a cup before putting the tea pot down as well. Pulling a small bell out of her pocket she put it next to the pot. "If yah need anything else jus' ring tha bell." She said, backing out.
Izzy let out a breath and shook his head. "It's o-okay. She's a n-n-nice lady." He said, carefully picking up his tea and taking a sip.
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