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 Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 2:12 pm
The day was sweltering. A heat wave had come over the region Cyrus City lied in, and despite the fact the multitudes of homes and buildings had cast much needed shade over the city at this time of day, it did little to keep the humidity from rising and making the air thick. As a result the streets were bare, save for local merchants and the brave.
Tevadi was one of those brave few, though no one paid much attention to her. Who would pay much attention to that of a sweaty, dirty child covered in tattered clothes? No. No one saw her there, though she preferred it. It made things hard for to gain any money, she'd admit, but it was better to have a hard time gaining money than to easily gain it and be noticed.
The pale little girl sat on a bench, wooden and a little wobbly by the canal. She needed a break, or a drink, one of those two. She couldn't tell which at the moment. Rubbing her eyes lazily, she bit back a yelp. The sweat from her brow stung her eyes. She needed a bath. Maybe in the fountain later on.
Tevadi sighed and looked around her. Just some carts, just some people, nothing to be worried about at the moment, "...I need a drink."
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 2:41 pm
Jiang-Chen counted himself lucky today. Humidity was one thing that never bothered him, and while the heat was unpleasant, the canal water was just a few degrees cooler, enough to make a world of difference for his comfort. The emptiness of the streets was beneficial as well- on days like today, the merchants were so desperate for business that most wouldn't think twice about his appearance, as long as he wanted to buy something (and could get their attention from the canals). The little leather pouch he wore tied around his waist already had several treasures he'd acquired today, clattering together merrily with the remainder of his pieces.
He rounded the next corner and surfaced, peering automatically at the street signs to get his bearings. As he turned back to continue on his way, however, he caught a glimpse of navy in the corner of his eye, and did a prompt double-take.
He blinked several times, his mind taking a moment to believe what his eyes were seeing. Glancing furtively up and down the street, he slipped below the surface and came up near the bench, keeping his head fairly low to the water. Looking around again, he called out in a whisper he hoped was loud enough to reach her ears (they were big, they should help her hear better, right?).
"Tevadi. Tevadi, over here."
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 5:37 pm
Tevadi felt a chill go down her spine when she heard her name be called. It was an automatic response for her at this point to be wary of anyone who either new her name or had come to be so accustomed to seeing her face that they could pick her out of the crowd. That was generally when she moved to another part of the city, a place where she isn't recognized.
Tevadi slowly turned her head, searching for where the voice had come from. No one around here knew her name by heart yet, they still had to guess it frequently. She got up from where she sat on the wobbly bench and took a couple steps forward and from side to side. Trying to see the surrounding area better. No one she recognized.
It was only when she turned to look over the canal that she caught the sight of someone in the water. The black of horns and the white sheen of wet hair.
"Jiang...?" She whispered, skittering to the edge of the pavement to look into the canal. It was him. It was Jiang-Chen.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2011 6:20 pm
He reached up to grab the edge of the canal and lever himself higher out of the water as she approached- between Tevadi herself and the shade of the bench, he was still fairly obscured to the few people in the street. He gave the shifty eyes up and down the road one last time, then turned and gave his friend a small smile. "I am glad to see you are well."
Okay, so 'well' was maybe not quite it. His brows furrowed as he took in how tattered her clothing had become, and the dirt smudged across her skin. It was obvious that she wasn't having an easy time of things, and the lowered brows turned into a full-on frown. "Are you well?" It felt like a stupid question as soon as it left his mouth, but she really wasn't looking so good.
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:08 pm
Tevadi's happiness at running into Jiang-Chen quickly muddled as he noticed her appearance and asked if she was doing well. She was doing ok, or as ok as she could possibly hope for when she was begging for money, and sleeping wherever she could find some shelter, but she wasn't about to tell him that.
"I'm...," She looked away for a moment before forcing herself to look him in the eye. She found out quickly if you didn't make eye contact with people, they were less likely to give you anything. You couldn't look pitiful if you were avoiding eye contact, "... No. Not really."
That was stupid, she thought to herself internally. You were supposed to tell him you were ok, so than he'd stop worrying.
She couldn't bring herself to lie to him. After all, she had already confided in him previously, so it wouldn't be like he couldn't tell she was lying through her teeth. Especially considering her state of being...
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 5:53 pm
His frown remained, though the concerned slant to his eyebrows marked the expression as more worried than upset. She was looking thinner too, wasn't she? It was hard to tell past the grime and tattered clothes. "What has happened since the party? Have you escaped your pursuers?" The last part said in barely a whisper, distrustful of even the nearly-empty street around them. The fact that she was out in daylight suggested that she felt at least slightly safe from capture, for the moment at least, didn't it? Safe enough for them to talk for a moment, at least.
Needing to do something more to help his friend, he peered into his little leather satchel, poking the contents around with a claw. A few pieces were left, along with the various sparkly things he'd acquired that day - some of them would probably be good for bartering off. His brows furrowed, and something of an internal struggle probably showed on his face.
...He couldn't do it. Not even for Tevadi. He quickly picked the pieces out from amongst the treasures (the money was unimportant- dull and grubby, and Mother had boatloads of it anyways), and pressed the small handful of coins into Tevadi's palms. "This is all I have at the moment. It should be a few meals, at the very least?" Truthfully, he had no idea how far the pieces would go- he rarely, if ever, paid for meals himself on the rare occasions he ate out. "Please, tell me what else I may do to help?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 6:40 pm
Tevadi made a puzzled expression before turning into something akin to uncertainty. Truth be told, she had stopped paying attention after some time. She was so concerned about making some money so she could buy something to eat and finding shelter she wouldn't be run out of she hadn't thought about the people coming after her. Mostly, whenever she saw anyone of authority she automatically shied away. Like it was programmed into her at this point.
"I... I think so," She replied sheepishly, feeling slightly ashamed she hadn't even been consciously paying attention for the danger she had been avoiding in the first place.
"I'm still here, right?" She joked. Ok, half-joked. It wasn't really a joke, because she isn't very convincing when it comes to humor. But it was the truth. She was still here, so presumably the danger had passed. Or she hoped it passed. Now she was definitely focusing far too much on this, what with her eyes darting around to see who was within ear shot.
When Jiang-Chen pulled the piece from his bag and shoved them into her hands, she gave him a pained look. This was his money and he was giving it to her, and she didn't deserve it. She hasn't begged for it, or sang for it. She felt terribly guilty for his kind gesture.
"Jiang... You don't have to," She said quietly, hesitantly offering it back to him. "It's your money... I.... don't deserve it."
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 7:42 pm
His eyebrow twitched just slightly at her shaky reply. He was well aware that not everyone was as ...cautious as he was, but if anyone could benefit at the moment from a healthy dose of paranoia, it would be Tevadi. "...Regardless, I am relieved you are safe, for the moment at least." He smiled up at her slightly, wanting to reassure her that he wasn't angry with her, just concerned.
When she tried to return the money, however, he looked almost taken-aback. "Do not be absurd, you need it." His brow furrowed again, this time in confusion. "Money is of no concern to me, Mother will give me more if I ask." Unknown to him, that probably made it sound worse. "It is the only means I have to help you at the moment. Is that not what friends do? Help?" She certainly seemed to need some right about now.
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Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2012 8:44 am
Tevadi looked tentatively at Jiang before looking away as he spoke of how she needed the money, and how it was his only means of helping her at the moment. His words were true. Friends helped friends, in any means necessary. He was offering her help, and she was being ungrateful by refusing it.
Although outwardly she still seemed apprehensive, internally she was elated by his words. He called himself her friend. She had a friend.
"...Thank you, Jiang," She said quietly, pulling her outstretched hand back and stuffing the money given to her by her friend into a filthy pocket of her pants.
She was silent for a few moments before realizing she hadn't asked him how he'd been. Not wanting to be rude, she fidgeted with her hands and tried to give him her best smile. She didn't want this somber mood to continue.
"Uhm, how have you been Jiang?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 1:24 am
He watched calmly as she had her internal struggle, fully prepared to shove the coins back into her hands again if she tried to return them a second time- she wasn't leaving without that money, and he was going to make sure of it. When she didn't, he let a smile cross his face- an actual, full-fledged smile, that even reached his eyes. It was probably the warmest his expression had ever been. "You are most welcome, Tevadi." She obviously wasn't the only one who valued the friendship.
When she asked how he'd been, his expression quickly slipped back into something a little more normal for him. "I have been well enough. Despite keeping careful watch while I am in the city-" he had been looking for her just as much as any threats, but he wasn't about to tell her that- "I have noticed nothing particularly suspicious. There have been no signs that others who were there at the party are being pursued." Yet, anyways. He certainly wasn't going to be letting his guard down. "Otherwise, nothing of particular note has happened. I spend the majority of my time at home- I have been doing a great deal of reading as of late." In truth, he'd been a bit bored, but compared to what Tevadi was living, his life was charmed- he wasn't going to be doing any complaining. Not to her, anyways.
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 9:14 pm
"...Reading?" She asked, her eyes a little mystified as she looked at him. For her, he had always been an oddity. Not in the sense that he was weird and something you'd see in the street shows as you passed, but in the way where he was like sunshine during cloudy days. Whenever he spoke, he always seemed to bring interesting things to her world.
"Reading like with books? The kind with the words?" She asked, not very versed in the art of reading herself. She knew enough to read the signs and to read the crude boards at bakeries when she managed to scrape up enough money for something she considered nice. Beyond that, her books needed pictures and vibrantly colored ones.
Tevadi pocketed the coins into her tattered clothing, making sure to double check that she hadn't accidentally shoved them into a pocket with a hole. Jiang wouldn't be pleased if she lost the money he gave her, and she didn't want to make him upset. He'd been so generous.
"Do you get your books from the book place?" She asked, now fixated on the fact that he reads things. "Uhm, uhm... the.... lee-bru-ry?"
Tevadi's pale blueish skin tinged red for a moment, realizing she had pronounced the word she was thinking of wrong. It was embarrassing for her, since Jiang seemed so learned and she felt like she was cursed with a simple mind and tongue.
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2012 10:56 pm
He nodded, though his expression said that he was slightly mystified by her question. "With words, yes. They are the kind I prefer, ones with too many illustrations I finish with too quickly." He didn’t dislike the pictures, but he just wasn’t able to admire them at length the way he could a real object- it just wasn’t the same. He watched with no apparent interest as she stuffed the coins into a pocket, but looking closely enough one might be able to see the trace of approval in his expression, just the barest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.
He had to take a second with her next question, brows furrowed for barely a moment as he tried to decipher her pronunciation, but fortunately ‘the book place’ had been a large clue, and his expression quickly returned to normal. "Ah, no actually. According to mother, her father was something of a scholar, and enjoyed collecting books before he passed away. As mother is… poor at throwing things away-" He shook his head, looking exasperated- ironic, coming from the tiny king of trinket hoarders. "-the majority of them are still in her possession. Many of them have been packed away in boxes, but enough still populate various shelves in the house that it would take me a great deal of time to read them all." Many of them, no doubt, wouldn’t be of much interest to him anyways though. "I confess that I have never actually been to the library in the city." Maybe Tevadi had been? She had probably seen a great deal more of the city than he, though maybe not better parts recently.
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 5:04 pm
"You have lots of books?" Tevadi asked, fidgeting with her clothes as they spoke. His house sounded absolutely amazing to her. So many books that they needed to be put in boxes? That must be a fun place to live. Not like how she lived, bouncing from one abandoned home to another, or finding a nice box to hide in.
"Can, uhm...," Tevadi went quiet for a moment, feeling uneasy asking Jiang for anything. They were friends, and he had already been such a good friend to her that she didn't want to soil it by asking to much of him.
"Do, uhm," She started again, looking down to the ground as she spoke, fiddling with her clothes again. "Do you think, uhm, maybe I could see all the books sometime? I really... like books."
At least, she really wanted to like books. Her picture books were nice. She was sure if she could learn how to read the words, she'd like the books without the pictures too.
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 10:39 pm
He hummed and tilted his head in a vague sort of gesture. "They are not mine, persay, but I can read them at my leisure, yes. So in a way I suppose it is rather like the library- I may read the books, but must then return them to Mother in good condition. Though I admit there are a few that I may have... 'adopted', one might say." Among them an illustrated guide to koi varities which he would deny keeping to his dying day.
He tilted his head inquisitively as she began her question, at first waiting patiently for her to continue, but as her stuttering and fidgeting continued, his expression became more and more concerned. He'd thought that the dire portion of the conversation was behind them, but her unease with whatever it was she wanted to ask had his defenses up again. He was just a moment shy of asking her what was wrong, when she finally managed to get her question out.
...And completely took the wind out of his sails. He sighed loudly in relief, and a great deal of tension abruptly left his shoulders. "Of course you may, Tevadi. You are welcome at my home at any time." He sighed again and shook his head slightly, more at himself than anything. "My appologies, I had thought that perhaps it was something more serious, to have you seeming so concerned." Obviously he thought absolutely nothing of inviting Tevadi to his house, regardless of her appearance at the time.
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 9:35 am
Tevadi brightened up as Jiang said she was welcome to his house at anytime. Her mind wandered for a moment, making up grand halls with velveteen carpets and lace curtains like the ones she'd peaked in on when she was begging in the nicer neighborhoods. She'd have to make sure she was nice and clean if she decided to go visit him, she didn't want to track dirty feet into his house.
But coming to your house is serious, She thought to herself idly, finding the prospect of embarrassing him in front of his mom her biggest concern in actually visiting him.
"I'm sorry." She apologized, scratching her head a little remorsefully, "I didn't mean to worry you, Jiang."
Having forgotten about the sweltering heat and humidity, she was quickly reminded when the condensation from her hair quickly slipped down her face and into her eyes, causing an unpleasant stinging. She recoiled slightly, shaking her head and quickly rubbing at her eyes with her hands.
"Oww." She whined, rubbing furiously.
Scooting closer to the edge of the canal, Tevadi dunked her hand into the water bringing it up to her face and scooting back a little before using it to wash off her face. She didn't want to wash off her face over the canal, because Jiang was in there and she didn't want the dirt to muck up the nice water.
"It is too hot," She commented, as the water she used to wash her face began to quickly evaporated from her pale blueish skin.
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