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 Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 12:09 am
Who: Aysel Vartanian (Celestriakle) and Elsie Crane (Rown) ~~~~~ The sun glimmered down from the sky, sparkling amidst the blue like a mirage. Indeed, it was a fitting simile: The bright sky barely tempered the natural chill of the Shyregoedian environment. The temperature had to have been in the mid-to-low sixties, but that was enough for the natives to break out the shorts and sleeveless shirts and dresses. Currently, the sky's pendulum hung about center, draining the majority of shadows from the landscape and signaling noon to the busy people below. It was a market day in the decently sized town, and the village center was packed with solicitors trying to sell their wares and skills and the customers they presented to. Among the throngs of people was an outsider--not quite a girl, not quite a woman--with long sleeves, freezing feet, and arms full of cloth.
Just one task. Only one. That was all requested of her. Unfortunately, it was also one of the ones she despised most. It was so pretentious on the part of her aunt: Find a seamstress and get her to turn this cloth into the noble's latest fashions. For this, she would get a jar. She had pestered for it for a while now, but Aunty Sevda was waiting for a golden opportunity: A rare desire like that made for great leverage. What with so many responsibilities, it was hard for Aunty to do it herself, and Aysel had avoided it until they had moved here. Luckily, it only occurred once every several months.
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Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 7:48 am
Noel had completely decided since his first few times out on the town that he no longer would be required to ride in Elsie's bodice, or somewhere out of sight. It was too stuffy as he'd protested once or twice, or simply unable to see well as he'd said the other times. Elsie, with her generally good heart and unwillingness to see Noel unhappy, had obliged the small creature to the point or allowing him to ride about her shoulders, or in her hand whenever the call arose for it. Noel seemed far happier for this change of pace, and with it Elsie was glad as well.
Of course having her Plague in such a visible state caused several different reactions amongst the townsfolk as she walked about them; some people bowed their heads towards her as if honoring her, others spat at her feet and called her words that she related to being a devil. There were some that ignored her entirely as she progressed along, and Elsie was probably more inclined to appreciate them than those who were making a fuss. She was used to different reactions, what with her being a well-known street walker who'd gotten pregnant from one of her Johns, but Elsie wasn't used to the sheer magnitude of their different responses.
"Do not trouble yourself. I am all that matters, you know."
Noel's breathy voice graced, the rich smell of coffee and perhaps rot invading her nose as he moved about her shoulders in whatever little dance he was doing. Noel was quite astute when it came to understand Elsie's concerns, or the reactions of the people on the street, though for what it was worth he seemed not to care. So long as he was with Elsie - his mother - he didn't care in the slightest. Or so he'd said anyway.
It was in this manner that the pair were walking towards one of the local cloth stores, Elsie in need of some to repair one of Thomas's pairs of paints. She had more than her fair share of humble coin, seeing as some of the people in reverence threw money at her 'for blessing and protection against disease', and while most people would have let it lay, or gotten angry, Elsie refused to let her pride or anything else get in the way. Coin was coin, and pride did not fill empty stomach or repair worn past repair clothing.
"Mother, look out."
So lost in her thoughts was Elsie that she did not see the young woman until it was too late, both her and the figure colliding against one another.
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Posted: Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:27 am
Such crowds... thought Aysel with disdain. They only made her job of identifying each stand all the harder. Not remotely willing to fight them to see, she stood and stared, trying to catch a glimpse. This tactic proved to be successful enough; it only took her a couple of minutes with minimal contact. On the other hand, it relied on the fact that those on the move would go around her; her attention was focused entirely elsewhere, so slam! She never saw the other woman coming and toppled to the ground, barely with enough time to shout, "No!" and twist so she fell upon her back, keeping the cloth she held safe. "Ow..." Forget her own simple attire; that was what needed to stay clean and, once recovered from the stunning effect of being suddenly struck, the first thing she checked before standing and brushing herself off. Not that it helped much; the damage was done. Assured of the safety of the two most important nouns present, she finally turned to the one who had hit her.
It took her a minute or two before she actually said anything. Taking stock of the stranger was priority. Detail-oriented eyes examined her, the scar, the crooked nose. But mostly, they focused on the Plague. She had seen nothing like it ever before. She hadn't even heard of any such creatures. Her curiosity about it completely washed away any other emotion she may have held towards its Keeper. "What... what is that thing?" she asked quietly.
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2010 9:35 am
"You had best learn to watch your words. I am no thing, my name is Noel. You would do well to remember it."
Noel's tiny mouth was instantly set into a frown, a quick change from the grin he'd been wearing during the impact. Initially he'd shown concern for Elsie, cooing softly and rubbing her cheek with his hand to see if she was all right, though when this complete stranger dared to ignore his mother and simply press her luck onto him his tiny mood soured. Elsie had to bite softly on her inner lip to prevent herself from chuckling, seeing as the unhappiness of a child-like creature no larger than her thumb was amusing and adorable; it didn't exactly strike fear into her heart, that was for certain.
"Never mind what he's saying, Noel just likes to pretend he is far more fierce than he actually is. Are you all right? I hope I didn't damage your goods when I walked into you."
Elsie had managed to stay on her feet through the whole collision, seeing as she'd been the one with a bit more meat on her bones as well as a little hint of height. This stranger before her was young, probably only a year or two the woman's junior, but that didn't mean Elsie would speak coldly or rudely to her. The accident had been the seamstress's fault, after all.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:18 am
It speaks! Surprise washed over her anew, blocking out all other thoughts and emotions to make room for a reassessment of the creature, and she blinked, backing just an inch. She was unable to muster a reply, though, before the woman spoke. "Noel..." she whispered, just barely vocal, before looking down and lightly touching the cloth in her hands. "Yes, yes... I'm fine. A little dirty, but ok. The cloth is safe and clean too, thank goodness." She really was more concerned about the cloth than herself, and it came through. When it came to waste, Aunty and a hiding were synonymous. Looking back up, she blinked again at Noel. "But please... Could you tell me what he is, exactly? A pixie? A gnome? I've seen nothing like it..." It seemed her curiosity about the plague was the only thing able to overcome the somber quiet her voice usually carried.
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Posted: Mon Sep 13, 2010 2:17 pm
"You keep speaking as though I am an object and not here to be spoken with. You can direct your questions at me, woman, I will answer."
Noel was given a firm pat on the head by Elsie's finger at his ever increasing saucy tone, though the pat wasn't at all meant to punish him; it was mostly to get his attention so he'd stop glaring at the poor young woman and stop leaking out that spicy smell of rotting coffee. Part of it worked, he turned to look at Elsie, but the smell continued to ooze from his body and into the air. His Grimm Mother's nose wrinkled a bit at the rather strong scent, but it wasn't anything more than what she was already used to.
"Noel, manners. You're being rude to her just because she's curious."
"But Mother, I - "
"Noel."
The exchange would have been hilarious if the woman had been speaking to an actual child and not something the size of her thumb that reeked of death, so to any who passed by it instead looked like a puppet show put on by the local whore to amuse and steal from a poor, unsuspecting soul.
". . . fine. I am called a Plague, or so Mother has told me. A creature born of death mixed with flesh, a being beyond your mortal understanding. I am not a pixie or gnome, and take offense at being compared to such."
Noel moved his arm and his wisp with a flourish, as though telling some sort of grand tale.
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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 12:15 am
"I.. I'm sorry. Like I said, I've never seen anything like... you." Internally, she felt a bit torn. On one hand, he was cute in a creepy sort of way and the way he and she interacted was very much endearing; it reminded her of her own mother. But a creature of death...? Named after something that has killed and is killing those she treasures most? That certainly put her off. She wavered in her stance a bit, softly biting her lower lip and shifting her gaze about, then remembered the cloth she had forgotten. He index and thumb rubbed the material in her fingers as she asked, "Oh, before I forget again... You wouldn't happen to know a seamstress, would you?" Now, she made a conscious effort to direct her next question at Noel. Her tone shifted slightly, from the normal pitch to the slight, hushed awe of something not entirely known or understood. "Where did you come from?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 9:20 am
"You are not very bright, are you?"
"Noel, enough. I can handle you being a little rude, but you can't talk like this to other people."
Elsie moved her hand and placed Noel back into the seam of her bodice, no longer allowing him the freedom to be out and speak with others. It was a suitable enough punishment considering his tone was becoming more than the gentle woman though acceptable to a stranger, and Noel certainly knew it as well. He huffed a bit, smelling like rot once again, but he didn't protest any further.
"I'm sorry for Noel's behavior, I don't know how he got that way."
There was a faint blush and an embarrassed smile on Elsie's lips, a look that made her seem way older than her meager nineteen years on the surface of the world. Instead of letting this awkward moment continue on to ruin the conversation, the woman decided to answer both questions in an effort to be friendly and perhaps not drive this child away.
"As for where Noel came from, it's a long story that I'm afraid I would rather not speak of at the moment. Such things are better left in my memories, if that is alright with you? Though I can help you with your sewing - I myself am a Seamstress. Please allow me the honor of your task, no payment, as my apologizes for my son's words and actions."
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Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 11:50 pm
That comment actually stung a little and she flinched back, indignation touching her features, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Noel had been subdued, and her emotions had been appeased. Yet it was only then did she finally connect the scent to the Plague. She had noticed it earlier--who couldn't?-- but she hadn't thought much of it; people were smelly. But the sudden surge when the little boy was put away lead her in the right direction, and the realization hit her with a soft, hardly audible, "Oh." She blinked back, focusing again on Elsie. "It's ok; I don't mind." It was a small lie, though only in a single sense. She honestly didn't mind as long as he got reprimanded for his behavior.
Simply from the way Elsie acted, Aysel assumed her to be significantly older than she was. She was bad at gauging ages from appearance alone, so she drew much more from acting. She would have guessed mid-twenties. She nodded understandingly when Elsie declined; she wouldn't press the matter. She still wasn't entirely sure what to think about a living plague. She wasn't sure she wanted to know where something like that came from. She really got excited when she heard that this woman was a seamstress and do the work free. Her expression brightened considerably. Aunty would be happy. "Are you? Would you? That's wonderful! Thank you!" She offered her cloth to Elsie. "Basically, my aunt wanted me to get someone to fashion this to look like that of the nobles around here. Oh, and my name's Aysel. Aysel Vartanian. What's yours?" Shifting the cloth to all be held in one arm, she held out her hand to shake.
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