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 Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 8:16 pm
  SettingThe Trinh Family Glass Shop just a few streets over from the main street. Nilgün finds herself venturing inside after hearing about the revered family's work. It is here that she has her first encounter with Cais.
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 9:10 pm
So this was it; the Trinh Family Glass Shop.
Word had been buzzing all around the Imperial City for months. News traveled fast throughout the streets, though that wasn't surprising. Gossip traveled fast by word of mouth by Legionnaire and Nobleman alike. The skinny on the small glass shop just a few streets down from the main street was no exception. It was official. The verdict was out: the Trinh Family Glass Shop was the best glass shop in the entire city. Lunarians from every part of the city - from the Imperial Palace to the Noble Estates - flocked through the doors of the shop. Even those from outside the city walls, the Lunarians who lived in the small villages dotting the outskirts, frequented it from time to time. Well, now it was Nilgün's turn. She had heard about the shop from one of the students at the Academy, and after picking up what they had said, decided she couldn't stay away from the store any longer. She had to see it for herself.
So there the Lunarian girl stood outside of the shop, coal-colored eyes gazing at the sign outside, money pouch in hand. A content smile graced her glossy pink lips as she pushed open the door to walk inside. This trip - it would be worth it. She could feel it already. With any luck, she would find something to purchase as well, be it a small trinket or something of more substance. The coins in the girl's purse (although, admittedly, there weren't very many of them) seemed to be burning a hole in the silk material of the bag. Like any typical girl her age, Nil was eager to make a purchase. Today she was even more so, especially due to the fact that her last makeup spree had been less than fruitful.
Now that she was actually inside the glass shop, the blue-skinned Lunarian stood in awe at everything she saw. Like a typical day, the store was crowded. Lunarians of all sizes gazed at the wares while some with a bit more money on their hands plucked things from the shelves. Gingerly they held them, carrying them to the register as they waited in line to purchase their items. It was a packed house, true, but that didn't stop her. Nil fluidly weaved her way in and out of the bodies before finally stopping at a shelf in the corner of the store. This is where she would pause, and this is where she would gaze at the items on the shelf. All of the pieces there were beautiful; every single one.
Another smile. Nilgün had to commend herself. What could she say? She had an eye for beauty.
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:30 pm
His hat barely peaked out from behind the counter where Cais was busily gathering more wares for the showroom while his father, Dinh, tended to the exchange of money. A typical busy day for the Trinh family glass works.
As the shuffle of Lunarians moved closer to the main counter, Cais ducked away through the small opening of the line and began placing shimmering trinkets on now empty shelves. Days had come and past where the homely shop had been filled to the brim with jingling wallets and wide eyes. "The same as yesterday." He muttered, turning a vase before him into a position where the sun would assist with its glimmer.
Cais wished they'd hurry. Nothing annoyed him more than people taking far too much time to decide on something to buy. He had grown exceedingly impatient with the customers, which created tension on himself as he watched the hustle and bustle of customers flow and ebb. He was happy to see the business giving life to his family, but it was merely a blur in his eyes. He flipped his gaze back to the crowd, eyes flat.
Beyond the blur of the Lunarian mob, a bright pink piqued his interest. Shoving the box gently to the side, the two red discs in his eyes kept their one way gaze. Standing silently he pushed his hands through the crowd, breaking them away. Ignoring the "Watch it kid" remark he usually got, he fought his way through. Making his way slowly to the Lunarian girl's side, he cleared his throat lightly, "Hello, may I help you?" He plastered a smile on his face while his heart began a slow rise in beats.
She was staring at some of the works, some of his works. Who could resist the urge to assist when it was pertinent? Cais couldn't.
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Posted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 10:44 pm
How convenient! She had only just walked into the shop, and already someone was walking by to assist her. Talk about quality service!
In response to his question, the girl didn't reply verbally right away. She just bobbed her head at the moment, instead. A delicate hand reached out after that, carefully grasping the handle of a gorgeous handheld mirror. The quality of it was amazing, what with it's shining, reflective surface and the intricate design of the handle of the mirror itself. Nilgün had expensive taste, no doubt, but it was clear as to why she was immediately drawn to such an item. It suited her to a T.
"Yes, you may," she said politely, finally turning her head to gaze down at Cais. There was a warm, happy sparkle in her eyes when she spoke to him - a mixture, perhaps, of curiosity and desire. "Can you please tell me how much this is?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 2:17 am
The glittering of the mirror isn't what caught Cais's gaze as his eyes glanced upward into the face of the pale skinned beauty. He bit his lip to pull back from it and glanced at the mirror. Immediately he recognized it as one of his mother's pieces. Her words rang out in his memory, "I'm sure a beautiful girl will appreciate this mirror," she had said.
She called it. He thought, regaining his composure. "That one there is...". He stalled, catching her eyes. "For you, 58." Trailing off, he fought back the urge to blush. Though he was sure if his father overheard him cutting a price nearly in half, he would be reprimanded. But he had never been in this sort of situation before, how else should he react?. Once his father saw her he was sure he'd understand. Pushing the negative thoughts aside, he looked back directly at her.
He saw her excited eyes as she brightened slightly. Adjusting himself, he stood as tall as possible (at least, for him). Awkwardly, he bit his lip and batted possible ice breakers in his head. Nothing. Silently, his eyes remained glued to her face.
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Posted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 7:54 am
Cais seemed at a loss for words when Nilgün looked at him, but she hardly seemed to notice. It was a scenario that happened all too frequently when she was concerned, so it began to become second nature to the Legionnaire girl. A guy would look at her, come to a halt in his thought processes, and then leave an awkward aura between the two of them. Well, that wouldn't be happening today. She didn't comment on his staring at her, and instead busied herself otherwise.
"Fifty-eight..." she repeated, whispering to herself, "...Fifty-eight." Nilgün worked her hands quickly to untie the string of her silk money pouch. A hand then reached down, dipping inside to feel the contents within. Only a handful of coins could be felt through her fingers; eight, maybe ten, tops. Noway near enough for the price of the beautiful mirror. As her hand retracted back, mentally, she cursed herself. Why couldn't her grandparents be rich? If she lived with her parents then buying an item such as the mirror would have been no problem. Then again, the Legionnaire had to remember that money wasn't everything. Worldly possessions would never bring her as much happiness as a kind and devout spirit would, or so her grandmother told her. To the elderly Lunarians she lived with, money was just a convenience - something they used to by what they needed and that was that. All of the other lavish things they possessed, to tell the truth, had been gifts. Never would they buy so many material goods just for their own personal satisfaction.
Their granddaughter, however, did not share the same mindset. At least, not at the moment. As a young Lunarian girl, she couldn't help but care for the more material things in this world. They were what made life interesting, considering how fast a recently bought item could become a topic of interest. Girls at the Academy always compared market purchases or finds with one another. It was just a way of life, and to have something like the mirror from the Trinh's shop...well. It would make Nilgün the talk of the Academy yet again. Who wouldn't want that kind of attention?
She tied her bag back up as quickly as she had untied it once her hand was fully out. An apologetic, slightly sheepish expression flushed across her face afterward. If the pretty Lunarian girl was slightly embarrassed over her lack of funding, then it showed. "Guess I'll just have to keep saving..." Although it pained her to admit it, Nil would have to do just that. Her tattoo stand never made much money (granted, she never charged all that much, and customers were few and far between) However much she managed to save, though, would go immediately into savings. She would put it all into a fund and save until she had the proper amount. Then, when she reached the required amount, she would come back, buy the mirror, and walk out feeling content and pleased with herself. Yeah, that would work. It was a sure-fire plan!
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 12:28 am
As Cais watched her sparkling expression fade he felt a sudden churn in his stomach. With an embarrassed aura about her, he watched as she tied her bag tightly. Disheartened at her expression, Cais's eyes filled with empathy. One could easily assume while looking her over that she was incredibly wealthy. The way her hair was kept, makeup and clothes... Cais stomped down on his thought so as not to wander into odd places. Shaking his head a little he stared at the shining mirror thoughtfully.
Fumbling over his words, his tongue moved on it's own. "I think the mirror is perfect for you," he said, shyly. "So... if you wanted to just pay a little bit now and the rest later..." He was failing miserably. That wasn't the way to get noticed.
Glancing into her eyes gave him a chill then a sudden warmth deep in his chest. He continued strongly."I mean to say, if you want to do some sort of payment plan." He smiled gently at her. "I'd let you." The thought to just let her take it came to his mind several times, but what sort of message would that send?
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 12:53 am
Perfect? Really? Nilgün couldn't help but smile at this and blush a bit. Slightly flattered, her attentio was then brought to the mirror again. Cais was right, of course. It suited her well, what with the floral accents on her clothes and all. Plus it was of high quality, something that something the girl appreciated in most of the things she had. It wasn't that cheaper things were bad; they weren't. The blue Lunarian just tended not to get cheap quality things as much, since they had a tendency to break more easily. Quality over quantity.
"Do you really think so..?" She then paused when the green Lunarian mentioned a payment plan. Her expression faltered at this, a mask of unsurity plastered on her face now. "I appreciate the offer of a payment plan, but..." The young woman faltered and hesitated a bit. How to say this the right way without sounding mean or disrespectful by declining his generous offer, "but I'm afraid I can't." Her unsure look changed into one of sincere apology. If she had the means to accept his offer, then she would, but unfortunately she did not. "I'd be too afraid of not making the payments on time. Plus I don't have a steady income of money. ...I'm sorry."
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Posted: Fri Apr 23, 2010 1:43 am
His heart sank and flared at the same time. A tempest inside him whirled up and he bit his lip sharply to suppress the feeling while his face flushed wildly with the negative emotion. Though it was painfully obvious the Lunarian girl had meant no ill-will towards him by her declination, Cais still felt he had been stung by a wasp. Opening his mouth to speak, he stopped and abruptly he closed it. There in her eyes was sincerity, a sincerity not often seen by his gazing red discs. Subsiding the angry tremors in his body, he sighed lightly.
"Well," It came off sharply, he bit his tongue immediately, regretting the tone. Forcing a calmness he continued. "I can put it on hold for you, if I can just get your name." A smile pursed their way through his lips. "I can even keep it down in the shop so if you want to stop by and use it you can. Whenever you want." The prospect of getting her name pumped new a new spark into his demeanor. Perhaps he should introduce himself first? A bright grin shimmered across his lips. "I'm-"
It wasn't destined to be so simple. Suddenly he felt the clamping grip of his father's rough hand on his shoulder, "Cais, there's a lot that needs tending. I can help this customer." He said lightly, glancing at the girl with a blink. The light blue skin, the teal and blue scales, Dinh recognized it immediately. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry for interrupting your conversation. You must be of the Radd family. It's such a pleasure to have you in our shop." A smile flashed on the older merchant's face while a confused one washed over Cais's. Radd family? The name had graced his father's tabletop conversations before, but he was still unsure of exactly what his dealings with them were. Through this, Cais had known the family to be upstanding Nobles, though had never met them outside of reputation. His hear fluttered happily. If my father knows her family and they're Nobles... Oh how his mind wandered.
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Posted: Sat Apr 24, 2010 6:06 pm
The Legionnaire girl was about to tell Cais no yet again. She was about to tell him that it was alright; that he didn't have to go through that much trouble for her over an item so small as a mirror. If it wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be. She didn't want to be the cause of such hassle, especially when someone else with the money could rightly by the mirror and take it home with them. So long as it found a proper home, that's all that mattered. With her mouth opened to speak, Nil held back the moment she heard the young Lunarian's father speak.
Dinh, owner of the Trinh Family glass, mentioned her family. After mentioning her family, he then said it was a pleasure to have her in the shop. Well...this was a predicament now, wasn't it? Here was the Persian Lunarian, who went to so many lengths to keep her family ties under wraps from most of the Lunarians in the city, being asked about them openly by a shop owner (and a famous one, at that). She couldn't exactly weasle her way out of this conversation, either. Dinh had recognized her immediatly, and thus she had to be honest with him.
"Yes, sir," she said politely, her eyes flicking from Cais, to Dinh and back to Cais again. "My name is Nilgün Raad -- Sarfraz and Zuleika Raad are my parents." There. She had managed to get it out and tell Dinh of her lineage. The blue Lunarian couldn't help but pray in the back of her mind. She prayed that he wouldn't ask her anymore personal questions. That way she wouldn't give away anything important that would make things more difficult for her later on. She couldn't deal with that.
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 1:59 am
Dinh nodded back to her with a smile, "Any member of the Radd family is welcome here." he said, oblivious to the nature of the conversation he'd stumbled into. "Feel free to browse as you wish, my son can assist you, I'm sure." He flashed another smile her way before casually maneuvering his way back to the main counter.
Blinking, Cais slowly came back to his senses. Nilgün. He repeated the name in his head over and over again. He could swear he heard a near ring to it. Breaking away from his clouded mind, he went on with the basic formalities, ignoring the awkward conversation brought upon by his father. (Though he insanely curious, he felt the idea of prying to be contrary to which message he wanted to send.) "Nice to meet you Nilgün." He said with a glittering grin, "As you may have heard my father say, my name is Cais." He paused, catching her eyes again and swallowed slightly. "So, about the mirror..."
Temptation was getting the better of him now. Not only did he find her stunning, her family knew his family. How could the situation not be perfect? So many words the inner male in him was screaming to say... and yet the knot embedded in his stomach was still reluctant to give release, preventing any such action. It was maddening that such a small and innocent meeting could have such an effect on him. He cursed it and respected it, though he was unsure of how to continue. Awkwardly, he adverted his gaze to contemplate.
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:49 am
Any member? Did the elder Lunarian seriously mean that? While the idea that any member of her family could come into the glass shop, the young girl couldn't help but have her serious doubts. Perhaps he just met her parents? He wasn't aware that her grandparents were Legion after all, was he? Then again, the Legionnaire was also sure that Cais and his family weren't aware of the tension between the various members of her family. Her grandparents, while she knew they wouldn't come to the shop, would probably be welcomed with open arms. It was a nice thought, but just...too nice. It was too good to be true.
"Thank you, sir," the warrior in-training found herself saying, giving Dinh a slight nod of her head out of respect. The shop owner seemed like a really nice man; the Noble boy was lucky to come from such a family. When he made his way over to the main counter, the Persian took this time to turn her attention back to the boy her age. So...Cais was his name? It suited him.
Just as she thought the subject of the mirror was done and over with, there it was brought up again. When he mentioned it, Nil's eyes couldn't help but fall on the superb piece of craftsmanship. The sea-green haired Lunarian still held it in his grasp carefully, so as not to take the chance of dropping it. It seemed to call to her as she gazed into the reflective portion of the mirror. The materialistic, more selfish half of the girl wanted to rip the relic out of his hands and take it right there. Who wouldn't want something like that? It was gorgeous, and not only that, but it suited her. Almost as if it were made for her. The better half of the girl refrained from doing that, and instead the Persian met the boy's gaze with an assured look.
"Keep it. I can't take it."
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 8:29 pm
Flashing back to her was an almost sharp gaze from beneath his sea-green hair. The grasp on the glittering treasure clenched tightly as their eyes locked. Finally the voice inside broke loose. Inside of him was a bee hive swarming angrily, filling to the brim with emotion. With a sharp gaze he held the mirror out to her firmly and with a half smile pursing through his lips, "I want you to have it. Don't worry about the payment."
Though his voice was strained, his eyes twinkled with sincerity. Truly a girl like that deserved it, money or no money... and whether or not she knew it. Holding it out firmly, he glanced back at it, then back into her eyes. "Please, just take it." He pleaded, though firmly.
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 8:41 pm
When the boy extended out the mirror to her, she knew there was no turning back. He obviously wanted her to have it that badly, and to turn it down would just be a slap in the face. The female Lunarian couldn't do that to him (well, technically, she could, but that would be in extremely poor taste). As the girl stared at the precious item, wavering thoughts bounced back and forth in her brain. One half said to take it, and the other said to just leave it be. In the end, however, the Legionnaire's more materialistic side won the battle.
Carefully, she reached out and grasped the mirror by the handle. The mirror was a delicate item, so one had to be always watchful when handling it, lest it drop to the floor and shatter into a million pieces. "Thank you..." she finally managed to get out, her voice but a mere whisper. "I-...I don't.." She faltered, clearly unable to find the right words to say. A sharp intake of air followed this, to which Nilgün seemed to find the words she was looking for. "At least allow me to make it up to you in some way. How about an outing? We can go for a walk and spend some time together."
It was the least she could do at this point.
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Posted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 9:05 pm
As the mirror's weight left his hand the knot in his stomach loosened into butterflies. It was as if something finally clicked into place, he nodded happily to her. "You're welcome." He said, simply. Blinking, he caught her suggestion of an outing. Euphoria trickled down through his body and he smiled genuinely at her. "You don't need to, but..." He calmed slightly, "I'd like that very much."
So many words he would love to say, so many daydreams flooding his young mind. He was taken aback, but elated at the thought to get to know the light blue Lunarian in a more personal manner. Looking back to his preoccupied father, he turned again. "Is there a place you'd like to meet? Just tell me when and where." Curiosity held him, a captivation he hadn't felt. He wanted to know more about her, that was clear, and this was the best way for that.
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