|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 9:58 am
They weren't strangers, she had to remind herself. Whomever it was that she was being set up to meet for a meal this evening would certainly not be a stranger to her once she saw them, considering everyone in Ghenza pretty much knew everyone else. The only time you were unknown is if you were a shut-in or were gone for long periods of time that people forget your name, though the 'being gone' was a bit much. No one left Ghenza, ever. Sure people had come in from a place no one else knew about, but there was no way she was set for a meal with one of them, right? Her parents were as xenophobic as they come, and they certainly wouldn't have done that to their only child.
You're fretting. Makes me uneasy.
From where he stood a few feet behind her Ranask chimed in his feelings over the whole situation, his eyes turning yellow for a brief second before rolling back to the calm blue-green he wore in his handler's presence. He'd been uneasy since she announced to him their plans for the evening, but since Ranaru had seemed happy then he would be happy. For now, anyway.
"I guess I should try and dress nice? I don't have many nice clothes, I usually wear anything and everything I have when I work, so if anything I did have was nice it's now ruined by stain or whatever else I'm using."
Ranaru looked in the chest at the foot of her bed with slight sadness, all her clothing faded from being washed roughly or covered with stain that ruined the natural color. Perhaps she would have to go to a tailor tomorrow to request something new, something bright. She was a girl after all, she needed to look nice once in a while!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:18 am
Well...
So then...
...It wasn't like he could back out of it now. Varan and the others had talked him into it, he'd said he'd do it, so he had to do it. As the last single member of his little group of friends, Alexius had found himself the focus of their attention for some months now. High time he found himself a girl, they said. Maybe they were right... Yet he wasn't comfortable with the idea of getting too close to anyone else. He just... he just liked his space was all... although there was a lot of it. Not really physically, his house wasn't huge by any means, but it felt pretty big some evenings... Yet he still couldn't feel alright about the idea of someone else living here. It was his private place. He didn't know if he wanted to share it with anyone, ever... But it was lonely sometimes.
"You have me," Alexisk pointed out, her mental voice somewhat sulky. "You don't need anyone but me, LexMine, I don't want you to want to be with someone else more than me, that's not fair!"
"Life's not fair," the tailor muttered distractedly as he opened his wardrobe and peered inside. He knew what he was going to wear, but as yet he hadn't manage to find the shirt that went with the tunic and leggings. "It's not like I'm going to abandon you or anything," he went on as he scanned the shelves for the elusive garment. "Whoever she is, she's not going to make me forget about you." Forgetting Ali was quite impossible, given how she tended to chatter away at him.
"So... You'll still need me even if you really like her?" Alexisk made a soft keening noise and came up beside her handler, bumping her head against his hip gently.
"Of course I will," Alexius paused in his hunt to turn and smile down at his companion, stroking her head affectionately as he did so. "I'll always need you Ali, no human could look after me as well as you do... Ahha!" On turning back to the wardrobe, he spotted the shirt and extracted it carefully. "Right then," he closed the wardrobe with a decisive clunk, "best get ready, hadn't I?"
"Yes," Alexisk back off with a soft sigh, still unconvinced, "I guess so."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 10:47 am
Because of her leg and the bad weather they'd been having lately Ranaru set off to the meeting point much earlier then the arrival time had stated, her goal to get there a few moments early instead of arriving several minutes late. She never did well in the cold months because of the stiffness and the occasional pain, but she wasn't the type to let that slow her down. She could work just fine on one leg as she could two, so what would it matter? Ranask grumbled something at her side about trying too hard and being abused for it, but she passed it over as she found her destination.
According to her parents and friends, a joint venture perhaps, she was supposed to meet someone near the fields and have a meal with them there. Ranask was allowed along, of course, but she had to bring the food. While Ranaru wasn't overly skilled at making anything that a person was required to eat, she still had some confidence in her cooking and baking abilities that lead her to not seek out her bakercraft Grandmother for aide. Most of what she'd made didn't look burnt and probably wouldn't make her or her companion sick, but she couldn't help fretting just a little bit over it.
"Maybe I should have worn something different too. This was my last outfit that didn't have tar or stain on it, I look so run down."
Ranask remarked that she looked fine, and he nudged his wedge head against Rana's back to encourage her. Now, with nerves, she would wait.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:24 am
He was far more accustomed to checking if other people looked good than he was to checking himself. Still, he'd done his best, and he was fairly sure that he didn't have loose threads hanging down or an uneven hem or anything like that. Black knee boots, black leggings, white shirt, blue tunic with silver embroidery around the hems that went with his eyes, black belt with a silvery buckle. It was a good outfit. He knew it was good. He was pretty sure that he looked good in it, so why was he so nervous? Oh yes, because this was his first date ever. How had he got to thirty turns without going on a date? Shards.
Sighing to himself, Alexius adjusted the hang of his satchel. Tonight, along with the usual spare clothes, it contained a blanket to spread out and sit on, and two bottles of rather nice wine; one white and one red. He hoped his date drank. Surely he would have been told if she didn't. Maybe he should have brought some juice or something as well. Still, too late now, they were getting close to the meeting point.
"I smell them!" Alexisk rumbled deep in her throat, still not sure she was happy about all of this. "I know them... not sure who they are but we know them, not amazingly but a bit... A woman, and a wher..." With the sun still out, although not high in the sky, she had her first two sets of eyelids closed making her vision nearly useless for helping her work out who the pair before them were. She wanted to know, now, she wanted to know who this female who wanted to take Lex away from her was!
"Mmmh?" Alexius spotted the pair shortly after Ali scented them. It was hard to make out the details of the woman as yet but the wher... yes, he knew who they were going to meet now. "Ranaru and Ranask," he sent to his companion, "at least they didn't pick out a deadglow for me." Gimpy and Twitcher, who'd dreamed that one up?... Well, actually, maybe it would be a good thing. Only one way to find out, he supposed.
As they drew nearer to the other pair, Alexius raised one hand in greeting. Here went then. His heart was racing. He really hoped he wasn't about to make a massive fool of himself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:57 am
Alexisk.
Ranask's quick indification of the Green wher that was approaching him lead to an even faster paling of Ranaru's face as she placed the name of the beast with the man who was her handler, and her cheeks quickly turned red as she had no choice but to raise her hand back in greeting.
Ruskie, I'm dressed like a poor urchin and I'm meeting a Tailor. He's probably going to think I don't care about my clothing and I'll offend him and -
She stopped talking in an effort not to overwhelm her companion, his eyes already shifting to a yellow as the others approached. Instead she kept her thoughts to herself as best she could about feeling entirely dirty even though she'd cleaned herself the best she could, her hair even slightly styled to look nice. Her clothes were faded, this was true, but they weren't stained at least or threadbare. She simply just didn't own anything nicer, and a little pit in the bottom of her stomach started to form with nerves as she hoped he wouldn't judge her.
But then, she shouldn't try to judge him either. If she could recall correctly his Wher was assistance, much like her own, though his was more medical instead of movement like Ranask. Seizures, wasn't it? She'd heard of a few people who had such a thing, okay probably only Alexius. No time to dwell on that now though, he was here!
"Goo....good day, Alexius."
Rana wanted to say something witty, like 'fancy meeting you here' or 'you're a sight for sore eyes', but nothing else came out. She was too nervous, this was her first date too!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 12:10 pm
"Umm... Yes. Hello. Good afternoon..." Well, he'd talked, that was a start... This was Ranaru, he'd spoken to her plenty of times without feeling nervous, this was no different. It was just that they were going to have a meal together, and that he would be expected to be warm and witty and charming, and his friends would want to know how it had gone afterwards... Just try to relax. The worst that could happen was it all going tits up, and them deciding not to see one another again, ever, to avoid embarrassment all round.
"Neither of you seem happy to be here, let's just go," Alexisk suggested, without much hope that her handler would listen. He was set on this, and so they were going to have to do it. She hoped they didn't get on... Was she supposed to talk to Ranask? She supposed it couldn't hurt, even if he was a bit snappy. "Hello Ranask... How are you?" Maybe she should just go and fly around for a while, Lex wasn't going to pay any attention to her at all, she could tell.
Too uneasy in himself to notice his wher's dissatisfaction, Alexius searched for something else to say. "Your hair looks nice like that," he said eventually, "I don't think I've seen you do it like that before." He had settled on leaving his own hair loose in the end, he'd even got the ends trimmed yesterday so that it was nice and even. He looked fine, she looked fine too... though her clothes could be better. Still, she was a practical woman, she probably didn't own clothes merely for the purpose of looking good like he did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 12:54 pm
"Ah, thanks. I wanted to try something different for once, seeing as my hair is usually covered in sawdust. I'm glad you like it."
Ranaru smiled softly as her cheeks blushed a bit red from the compliment, and her brain quickly reminded her that perhaps returning one was in her best interests. People like being complimented, and she knew Alexius to be quite proud of his work. The stuff he tailored was never shabby and even now he looked smart in his clothes, enough that she had to look him up and down twice to take in all the fine details.
Yes, compliment time. Right.
"Your clothing looks stunning. I have to admit that every time I see you I always look forward to seeing what you've made. I am jealous of you to have such a skill with your hands."
There, it was natural for a Craftman to admire and respect another's work, right? She wasn't just using empty flattery in her case though, she always did enjoy his work. Rana was still feeling quite...poor in his presence, though she was slowly growing at ease. Ranask was occupied now as well with the conversation from Alexisk, and he swung his head towards the Green.
Doing well, Rana is unhappy. She is uneasy this is not right.
Ranask was nowhere near as smart as Alexisk was, Ranaru unable to afford many herbs at the time of his birth and formative Turns to grow his intellegance, so he often did not speak to others outside of Ranaru. They sometimes viewed him childish and not worth speaking to, his thought patterns often too simple. Ranaru liked that he wasn't too complex, but that was different.
"Ah, but...um, shall we sit?"
Ranaru didn't want to admit that standing hurt her leg, but it did - at least with the weather being the way it was. She didn't want to appear too weak, or the complaining sort. This was bad.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 1:22 pm
"Ah, sit, right," Alexius nodded and reached into his pack, removing the blanket he had brought and shaking it out flat before lying it on the ground. "Hope this is alright for eating on," he added after a moment as he sank to the ground, "I thought about trying to bring chairs and a table and things but it all seemed too difficult..." Oh, he should respond to her compliment, right? Of course he should, this was a date, he couldn't get away with being distant and somewhat standoffish.
"Thank you," he smoothed the fabric of his tunic and offered Ranaru one of his usual very faint smiles. "I made this set a few months ago, when the hype over that tainted person started up. I was keeping to myself for a while, didn't really fancy the dark mood that seemed to be hanging around. Could probably have got lynched for sneezing..." Not that things had improved much, and some of the improvement had slipped away again with the arrival of the strangers. This was a date though, they ought to be talking about uplifting things, or at least about themselves and one another. Plague certainly wasn't an acceptable topic.
"Maybe I could make something for you sometime," Alexius went on, trying to steer the subject back away from illness. "I could always use a new project to work on. I like to be busy." She probably knew that, but it was something to share about himself. This was a first date after all, and while he liked her well enough Ranaru was not in his circle of trusted friends, he didn't fancy sharing anything really deep with her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 1:53 pm
Ranaru gave a sigh of thanks when Alexius produced a blanket for them to sit on, her mind chiding her that she hadn't thought of such a thing despite bringing plates and cups and all else they would need ( she didn't bring a drink, as she was told ). Trying not to show the discomfort on her face she moved into a seated position, her dress moving about her and settled down enough that it covered most of her legs and her boots, giving her a country woman look. Ranask looked over as he had felt her little pain, but it wasn't enough for him to worry since she wasn't outward wincing or crying anyway - Ranaru was a strong woman and he couldn't remember why she was hurt in the first place.
"Would you really? Make something for me that is? I've always wanted some of your work to, but I've never been forward enough to ask. I suppose I just did though, hmm."
She gave herself a mental slap, she sounded stupid and like a teenager fawning over something! She was twenty-nine Turns this year, hardly a child, so why act so foolishly! She should stick to the important topics and keep going from there, only answering with personal feelings when the time was right for it.
"About the plague though, I remember hearing about the infected person being amongst our ranks. I went to stay with my parents during that time, as my mother insisted I be at her side until the problem went away. It's a terrifying thought such a disease could have come here to Ghenza, and the same feeling goes towards these newcomers - the outsiders. I try not to bother with them too often, keeping myself engrossed in my work. I have several projects at home I should be doing right now, but. . . but it's good to be out and with others."
Craaaaap. Way to make yourself sound like a workaholic. Not that you aren't, and he probably already knows that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:11 pm
Okay, well, they were going to talk about it anyway. He didn't mind that, mostly because it meant he didn't need to get into anything mushy and personal. His friends told him he'd never get anywhere with women if he couldn't look deep into their eyes and profess them to be the sole light of his life, but they could get stuffed, he wasn't going to make a fool of himself like that. Just go with the flow, and hope for the best.
"Mmmh, yes, the fuss started long before these people came in from High Reaches Weyr... I've not had anything to do with them myself either. I've got far more important things to do than gawp at the outsiders... like work," he quirked a faint smile at Ranaru. "Maybe that's why our friends and relatives set us up, common ground and everything." He didn't mention the Gimpy and Twitcher similarity, he didn't know her well enough to know how sensitive she was about her leg, and he certainly didn't know her well enough to willingly bring up the subject of his own hated weakness. Hopefully she wouldn't either, he hated talking about it, thinking about it, everything about it just turned his stomach.
"Why about me?" Though Alexisk had settled down a little way away from her handler she had been listening to his thoughts intently, so intently in fact that she had forgotten to reply to Ranask. "You'd never have got me if you weren't ill, would you?"
...Well, he supposed not. Some good had come of it then, he couldn't imagine life without his annoying, sweet, hyperactive partner. That was all though; Ali was good, everything else was awful and beyond awful. "Anyway," Alexius turned his mind away from the subject and nodded to Ranaru as he fished in his bag for the bottles of wine, "I'd be happy to make you something. Anything you had in mind? Any styles or colours?" This was good, this was something light and easy to talk about. Really dates weren't so hard once you found the right thing to talk about.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 3:36 pm
"There hasn't been a carpenter amongst their ranks to my knowledge, as neither my father nor I have been asked to house any of them. I've heard several of the farming families have gotten the Riders of those little dragons, but that's the extent of my knowledge there. I finished my work on their shelves too quickly to overhear anything else, sometimes it's a problem that I don't like to dawdle on certain tasks."
You like to talk a lot, what are you saying?
I'm saying I don't like that kind of gossip. You know that.
Ranaru turned her head to address Ranask for a brief moment but turned it back just in time to hear Alexius mention how similar their interests seemed to be, and she nodded her head in full agreement. She'd often been told that she and Tailor Alexius were quite similar in how they were workaholics, and listening to the man speak did allow her to understand that some of it was right. . . only she called it passionate, not being a workaholic.
"I wouldn't call us workaholics though, I'd say we're more the passionate type - if I'm to understand you work yourself in the same way I do. I can't stand to be idle if I know there is something I could be doing for someone else, and sometimes I get in over my head. Thankfully Ruskie is there to keep me alive when I fall asleep in places I shouldn't be. You Alexisk helps you in the same way, right? I've never really been told what she does for you, but I won't press on that issue. There are some things that are best left unspoken between two people."
She would have reached down to rub her leg were she any Turns younger, but instead she simply just smiled as her companion moved the conversation back towards clothing for her. It really did make her heart pound to think she'd be getting something from someone as skilled as Alexius, and Rana did the best she could to prevent her cheeks and her expression from giving away all of her excitement.
"I'm almost tempted to leave it to your preferences, since I've been told I have no flair for style. I keep myself simple in whatever I can do, since I ruin most of my clothing through my work. It would be nice to have something I can wear out that I don't feel ashamed in when standing next to others in such fine clothes."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 3:29 am
"Mrr," Alexius made a disapproving noise in the back of his throat and shrugged, "people can call me whatever they like, it matters little to me..." There was a more friendly way to put that, and this was a date so he ought to try it. "I... would say passionate instead though," he smiled faintly, almost apologetically at Ranaru for his earlier grumbling, "I just love what I do, and hate being idle." He might prefer the term passionate, but workaholic might well be closer to the mark. He had to work harder than everyone else. He had to make up for it.
"You don't need to," Alexisk raised her head slightly to regard her handler, "you don't need to make up for anything, you could work a lot less and have time for other things... Like playing with me. We could play every day!" She got to run around every day at least - almost every day - but she didn't get her handler's undivided attnetion for long periods of time all that often. It would be nice to play with him every day... If this date went well he'd have even less time for her. Huffing deep in her chest, the green dropped her head back down onto her forefeet and watched the pair of humans with dull eyes. Stupid woman, Lex was Hers!
Though she wasn't sharing her precice thoughts with him, Alexius felt his wher's mood darken. He chose to ignore her. "How about I draw up a few design ideas over the next few days and let you choose one?" he suggested, locating the two bottles at last and brninging them out of the bag. "Speaking of choosing," he held the up to Ranaru, "red or white?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 2:19 pm
Ranaru was amused with her own wher's mild grumblings, mostly about how he'd been spoken to and was now clearly being ignored. This was why he didn't like others, they ignored him, and he gave a mental huff of his own which left his handler to smile and chuckle softly. She was polite enough to put a hand over her mouth and close her eyes, lest her companion think her laughter was directed at him. The last thing Ranaru wanted to do right now was offend someone, most of all offend the person she was considering to be her date.
"Hmm, since you're offering and I know where these grapes come from, I'd say let's go with the red. I've always liked the richer flavor, when I decide to drink."
The Carpenter wasn't much for alcohol, only because she had a very weak tolerance for it, but she did enjoy a social drink now and then. On special occasions she would drink at her parents home, or at the homes of her friends, but never enough to get more than a light spin in her head and a bit more of a limp in her walk. She knew her limits thankfully, and could slightly boast that she had never had a night of drinking she couldn't remember.
"And to go with the wine, what would you like to try first? I...made a few different things, I wasn't sure what you'd want to eat."
The direct and more exact translation of that sentence was 'I had no idea who was coming so I made as much as possible hoping at least one dish would please whomever it was', but Ranaru played it off well as she reached for the basket that contained the meal she'd made. There were different bubbly pies and a few meat rolls, as well as something that smelt rather sweet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 6:16 am
"Umm... Humm... Meatrolls look like a good place to start," Alexius gave a small, faintly amused smile. "You might not guess it from me being such a skinny b*****d, but I'm fond of food of almost all kinds. Should probably learn to cook better myself but," he shrugged and fished out his pocket knife to uncork the wine, "I'm too busy with other things. I can cook well enough to survive, and I get nice food when I go to visit my parents; mother's not a baker by craft but she can still whip up a pretty nice meal." As he spoke, Alexius pulled the cork free, and promptly realised he hadn't brought anything to drink it out of.
Bugger.
"Umm... Did you by any chance bring cups?" he asked, feeling decidedly embarrassed. He'd thought he'd remembered everything, how could he have skipped something so obvious?
"Why are they doing this?" Alexisk said to Ranask, finally remembering the other wher's presence. "They're both awkward and tense... and no offense but I don't like it. I don't want to share Mine with Yours. He's Mine." So it had been ever since she came out of her shell. She didn't actually remember her first moments of consciousness, but Lex did. They had been perfect together, they were perfect. They didn't need anyone else.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 7:42 am
Ranask looked at the Green as she spoke to him, his eyes whirling a mixture of yellow and blue at the words that pounded in his head. He was used to being ignored because he wasn't that bright, he was used to only speaking to Ranaru as well, so to have someone else bombard him after he figured they were done with him was a bit much.
If she is happy, then I am happy. Love for her makes it okay for that, for now. Can share if needed, because she will always love me.
For being so simple he said rather profound things every now and then, Ranask's mind understanding the very basics of emotion. Perhaps it was because he was still so childlike that he was allowed to not worry over the troubles that came with time and wisdom, instead able to focus on whatever it was before him and that alone.
As for Ranaru it was her turn to blanch as she shook her head from side to side, eyes wide. She hadn't even though to bring cups, she'd brought all the other utensils with her like forks and knives, since she hadn't expected to need cups. It couldn't fall that it was Ranaru's fault, nor would she try and push the blame on to Alexius for forgetting, instead her mind tried to figure something out.
"I don't have cups, but I have some rather small bowls if we want to try something different. Who says cups are needed for wine when the whole point of it is to be drank? If I wanted to be even more forward I could say we just share from the bottle itself, though I don't know how we'll that would end for me."
It was a light-hearted attempt. A veryyy.....trite attempt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
