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 Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 7:36 pm
A Private RP between Lee & Mr. Katan (epicZILLA) and Rory (Jynk)
Location: Farstep; Lee's vardo.
Time: Late Morning
Weather: Slightly cloudy and cool.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:41 pm
Pacing back and forth outside the entrance to a curious carnival -- Farstep, he was told -- Mr. Katan had been spending quite some time preparing himself for what he might find inside. One of his more bulky servant was standing close by to aid him in whatever might come about. To put it lightly, he was a coward; he wasn't looking forward to fists flying, which he heard was what happened to poor William. Not to mention, he wasn't ready to be hated even more by his only child for taking her away from her apparent "husband". He wasn't entirely sure this was the place, either, even with the informants he'd hired telling him that it was, indeed, where his daughter was being "held captive". He shook his head at the thought; he wasn't a fool, and even though he wasn't a fan of the didikai, he knew she was here by choice.
He, on the other hand, wasn't here by choice. It wasn't that he didn't love his daughter and simply didn't care whether or not she came home -- far from it.
He and his wife had been sure she'd come home on her own; she wasn't cut out for that life and would be begging for the comforts of her family within a few days. It would teach her a valuable life lesson and would build character. She'd appreciate what she had, and might even value the education she was being offered. By now, though, a month had rolled around and there was still no sign of their daughter returning to them. So here he was now, fulfilling his wife's wishes and bringing her baby girl back to her. And he resented her for it.
Both he and Mrs. Katan wanted to blame someone other than themselves for their daughter's behavior, and while she chose to point a finger at Lee and the didikai, his anger was directed to his wife. Mrs. Katan hadn't thought to discuss with him the arranged marriage that forced Lee to flee, hadn't thought that his input was necessary in such a huge decision in his only child's life. He wouldn't have wanted his seventeen-year-old daughter married to anyone, be they a noble or a didikai man, reguardless of whatever reasoning Mrs. Katan gave behind the set-up. His wife had pushed her to this extreme. His wife was to blame. He wanted to believe that he had done nothing, and he would be the concerned, understanding parent in all this. But a month gives a man a long time to think about his actions, a long time to see where he went wrong.
Mr. Katan hadn't come to force his daughter home as his wife had requested. Why was he here? To talk. He wanted Lee to want to come home. It seemed counterproductive to make her return to the family. Being overly controlled was why she wanted to leave in the first place, wasn't it? Not to mention, it seemed like ages since he last laid eyes on his daughter, and even longer since he'd spoken to her. He loved her, no matter how little he showed it, and wanted to see her, wanted to know how she was holding up.
"Sir, we should search for Miss Lee soon." His servant was getting slightly restless, and for good reason. Taking a deep breath and nodding to his body guard for the day, Mr. Katan headed inside, knowing exactly where he was to find his daughter.
***
Lee had only just awoken, rubbing her eyes and sitting at the edge of her bed. As they adjusted, she noticed Lauss wasn't in the vardo, and hoped desperately he wasn't running around without clothes again. She'd forgotten to change from the night before, and though she didn't know it yet, she should have been thankful for that. She'd be getting some visitors very soon...
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 8:53 pm
Rory was busy at his own vardo, carefully wrapping the pochade box up for Lee. She'd left it behind the night before and, to his credit, the boy hadn't taken offense to that at all. Instead, he spent most of the night and morning (with some sleep in between) carving the wood of the box into intricate designs--knots and swirls and, on the top, a woodland scene of a stag by a creek, its doe drinking while the stag stood guard. He thought she might like the box decorated, his art housing hers.
Once the box was wrapped and he'd washed up after a night's sleeping, he dressed himself in his better jeans and a gray well-worn t-shirt with a lighter gray pattern trailing around the waist and up the left shoulder. He, like most didikai, didn't bother with shoes for the walk across the camps. Carefully tucking the newly-wrapped box under his arm, he headed for Lee's vardo, whistling a happy tune.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:14 pm
It hadn't taken Mr. Katan long to find the camps with the help of his servant. Having the money for private investigators certainly came in handy, especially when they can pinpoint the exact little... wagon thing... in which his daughter lived. The less time spent in this place the better. Surely he stuck out like a sore thumb, or at least he hoped he did. Well-dressed men followed by bodyguard surely weren't the norm around here. With little effort, he came upon Lee's vardo, stopping a few yards from it and gazing for a moment. His daughter was in there, wasn't she? He'd get to see her for the first time in a month... More nervous than he'd ever been, he prayed her husband wasn't inside at the moment. Stepping slowly forward, he nodded to his servant to keep his distance. No need to scare Lee. Tapping at the door gently, he let his head hang low as he waited. What took only a few seconds felt like a lifetime before he finally heard rustling within the small home.
Lee's heart skipped a beat, sure that whoever was knocking at the door was there to take a pants-less Lauss back home. Reluctantly, she stood from the bed and shuffled toward the door, rubbing her forehead before cracking the door open and finding a man standing outside. A man that resembled her father, but one that looked much older. Grayer hair, more wrinkles, more tired than she ever remembered her energetic father looking. Very worn. She stared down at him expressionless, and he stared up, neither saying a word for a long while.
Shuffling a bit, Mr. Katan cleared his throat, a sort of pathetic attempt to sound confident, and managed to utter, "Hello, Lee."
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:18 pm
Rory stopped at one of the vendors of baked goods on his way to Lee's. He figured she might not have had breakfast yet and had bought muffins and donuts, not sure what she preferred, and a bottle of cold milk. As he approached the black and silver vardo, he noticed a man at the door and a much larger man standing a few paces away, watching. The boy frowned and walked past the large man, determinedly walking to Lee's door.
"Lee? Be there trouble?" he called from behind the older man, wondering where Lee's servant boy had wandered off when he should have been here to help her.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:36 pm
Lee noticed Rory walking up, but couldn't get herself to smile and wave. Her eyes stayed glued to her father, even after Rory spoke out. "I'm not sure yet..."
Mr. Katan jumped, clearly startled to hear a male voice of any kind, and looked back for a brief moment, trying his hardest to ignore the boy. Was that her husband? Not that it mattered, he was here to talk to Lee and only Lee. "M-may I come in?" His voice was shaky, even when his body guard was visibly on full alert since Rory'd walked up.
Pondering his request for a moment, Lee pulled the door open further, allowing room for him to slip by. He hadn't pulled her away yet, and that was a step in the right direction. She'd trust him, simply because he looked so... frightened. He'd changed even more than she thought. Might not hurt to keep Rory around, either, if he was okay with it.
Mr. Katan sighed with relief, nodding to her graciously before entering her home. He was on his best behavior, which somehow felt strange when he was trying so hard for his own daughter.
Lee stepped outside for a moment and over to Rory, letting her worry show on her face now that her father couldn't see. "I dunno if you wanna stick around for this..."
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 9:45 pm
"As if I'd leave," Rory said, then held up the paper sack of baked goods and the bottle of milk. "Besides, I brought you some breakfast. Should be enough fae your guest." He stepped up to Lee and gave her a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek. "You also forgot th' pochade box, so I brought tha' t' you, too."
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:20 pm
Lee smiled faintly up at him, a small bit of excitement rising at the prospect of eating despite her father showing up. Blushing slightly but still appreciating Rory's kiss (something her father was cringing at inside the vardo), Lee eyes widened at his comment about the pochade box. "I-I did? I-I'm sorry..." Her voice was soft, as she wasn't entirely comfortable talking casually with Rory when her father was a few feet away. She felt rather terrible, but he didn't seem to be too offended by it. "Thank you..." She bit her lip before gesturing for Rory to come inside.
Lee took a quick glance to the body guard when she realized she recognized the man, waving to him with a small smile. He relaxed a bit, too, and smiled and nodded to the girl before once more standing tall and trying to look threatening. That certainly helped calm her nerves... Heading inside, Lee donned her serious face once more for her father, a sort of businessy look she'd actually learned from him. "You're here to take me back, right?" Stay strong, Lee. "I'm not coming."
The man looked down and folded his hands together, looking quite pathetic. "I imagined you'd feel that way... B-but before you think I'm going to steal you back, let me say that I'm not. Your mother and I both miss you, please know that Lee, but..." Dammit, why hadn't he planned out what he was going to say earlier? It certainly didn't help that a stranger was in the room, a stranger who, from what he witnessed moments ago, was almost definitely her husband. His son in law. "But I know why you left. And I don't want you to come home unless you choose to do so. It doesn't matter how long it takes, we just want you back, Lee."
A small bit of concern showed through on Lee face; as much as she wanted to believe his distressed attitude as an act, she simply couldn't. Her father was a proud man, and wouldn't make himself out to be a helpless parent on purpose. Still, her decision was already made. She knew he loved her, knew he wasn't lying, but also knew that she'd be going back to the same family, the same loneliness, the same pressure. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
Mr. Katan had to ask... "You're Faolan, I presume?" He spoke to Rory directly, a obviously fake confidence in his voice.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 10:47 pm
Rory just laughed at the man's question. "Do I look like Faolan, sir? Nae, I'm not him. Me name's Rory McCormick. I guess I be Lee's boyfriend." Was it presumptuous? Sure. He didn't care at the moment. He looked down at Lee. "Donnae worry on the box. Nae harm done, yeah? Besides, I prettied it up some fae you."
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:04 pm
Had the carnival already tainted his daughter this much? Both a husband and a boyfriend? He looked slightly nauseated at the boy's words, looking to his daughter with disbelief, unable to speak.
Looking up at Rory with a deep blush, she was slightly giddy to hear him call himself her boyfriend. Not only that, but she was glad to finally hear his last name... McCormick... Lee McCormick doesn't sound too bad... "You didn't have to do that... Can I see it?" Lee bit her lip, warmly smiling up at the boy. Noticing her father's expression, however, Lee hurried over to him and pulled the man into a seat to calm him. "Faolan and I aren't married." She could have said "anymore", but didn't suppose it would help the man much to learn that she had already moved onto another guy.
Mr. Katan put a hand to his forehead, sighing with relief. Still, it wasn't easy hearing she had a boyfriend, either. The only thing that was flashing through his mind was a pregnant Lee with little Rory's all around her. He suddenly felt faint...
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:07 pm
"O' course you can," Rory said, holding the wrapped box out to her. He didn't seem bothered by the mention of Faolan or her recent marriage to the man. She was single now, well, sort of. She was his now. He hoped, anyway.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:26 pm
Glancing worriedly at her father, Lee turned back to Rory, taking the gift from him and smiling softly. Biting her lip, she pulled off the wrapping to reveal the intricate carving he'd made, her eyes lighting up at the sight and her mouth slightly agape. "Oh, Rory, it's... it's beautiful." She let her fingers trail along the surface before opening it up and looking inside to find... well, all the art supplies she'd been missing since she moved. A bright smile crossed her lips before she looked back up to the boy. "Thank you..." Kissing him on the cheek, she would have done more had there not been an audience.
Mr. Katan looked to the side, regretting ever coming now. Somehow, this scene was much worse than he'd ever imagined he'd find. His daughter was behaving as if she were in love. In love with a pikey. It was disgusting. He kept quiet, waiting for his daughter to return to him. He must behave himself, though. He was competing with this fellow, now, it seemed; surely they both wanted Lee around. Somehow, he knew he'd end up losing the battle before it even started.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 11:45 pm
"Glad you like it, lass," Rory said, smiling and blushing a little. "Now you hae t' paint somethin' t' pay me back." He was teasing. Mostly. Conscious of the dislike the girl's father held for him, he leaned down, tilting Lee's chin up gently with his fingertips, and kissed her deeply, though brief. He stepped back, licking his lips and looked at Mr. Katan. "I guess it's a good thin' I brought extra fae breakfast."
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 12:07 am
"Heh, yeah, I guess I will..." She was clearly nervous. Actually being decent at painting would certainly have helped, but she'd slave away until she made something she could give him. His kiss, however, caught her by surprise, and her eyes went wide, her cheeks burning red after he backed away. Quickly glancing at her father, she looked back to Rory, shoving him gently and mouthing "don't", trying to look serious but failing as her mouth was cracking a smile the whole time. Rory was just making everything worse, in an adorable sort of way. At this rate, surely her father would run off back home, which, she supposed, was what she wanted, but she didn't want anyone to hate anyone else.
Mr. Katan had noticed the short silence and turned his head to see his daughter being kissed by... him. He groaned a bit, shaking his head and looking away immediately. It was torture... honestly, it wasn't even that Rory was a didikai. Any boy kissing his daughter deserved to be thrown down a well.
Lee nodded, picking up the bag Rory'd brought along with him and bringing it to her father. "Yeah, Rory brought food." Opening it, she peeked inside to see muffins and donuts, her face lighting up again. Holding it out for her father to see, she tilted her head. "Want some?" She lifted a donut out and turned back to Rory, beckoning him over a bit so he could pick out what he wanted. She felt a little bad, catering more to her father than to Rory, but it had been quite a while since she'd seen him, and she still felt a strong urge to please him. Not to mention, Rory seemed to be content enough as it was...
"No, no. I seem to have lost my appetite," Was all he could manage to say.
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Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 12:51 am
Rory frowned. Typical outsider man. He walked over and got a muffin out of the bag, resting an arm around Lee's shoulders. "By all means, sir, donnae gae 'cause o' me. This is prolly th' first time you seen your daughter in a long while, you know, really seen her."
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