<A> Holiday Cheer (Asedri/Keme/Ifan/Isambard)

[mistalina13]

Asedri had one flower left out of the ones she had originally found nestled together. It was considerably more simple (and normal) looking than the other two- petals painted in different tints and shades of green. The question was who should she give it to? The other two had practically screamed who they belonged to but this one was a bit less specific. So now she roamed the marketplace with flower in hand, looking for the right person to give the green flower a home.  

[midnight_medea]

Ifan happened to be in the market place that day too. Minus Isambard thankfully, of course the god was still implanted within him but he was being quiet. Assuming control of someone's body was draining, even for a god.

Ifan knew his days were numbered, the god grew stronger all the time and so he relished days like these when he did not have the irritating voice whispering in his ear. He wandered through the market, looking at the different trinkets and thinking of his family. He missed them, though he knew that he could not go home. Not knowing his fate was sealed.

The young man paused by a stall of brightly coloured jewellry and picked up a necklace to look at.  

[mistalina13]

She almost passed Ifan by except...

Wait. Turn around.

Asedri stopped and looked back over her shoulder, watching the tall dark haired man as he toyed with a necklace at one of the jewelry stalls. Him?

Why not? A burden weighs heavily on him...he could probably use the cheering up. What Keme left out was that she knew exactly what the burden was. There was a trace of mana lingering about him, muted much like her own. She wondered if the girl would be able to figure it out without being told.

The mouse turned back and headed toward the stall Ifan stood at. "That is very pretty."  

[midnight_medea]

Ifan had been miles away as he examined the necklace, miles almost literally. His mind with his family. It took a moment for the small voice to filter down to him. When it did he turned to look at the girl.
"Yes, it is." He spoke softly, returning the necklace to its place on the display. "Fine workmanship."  

[mistalina13]

"Looking for gifts?" She questioned, smiling when he looked down at her. Surely, he had family?

Her cheeks flushed a bit and her free hand fisted in her skirt. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself first." She curtsied. "My name is Asedri."  

[midnight_medea]

"No." He turned from the display so that he could look at her fully. "Just admiring the skill. I'm Ifan, nice to meet you Asedri." He held his hand out to her in a friendly manner. "I haven't seen you around here before."  

[mistalina13]

"It is nice to meet you too, Ifan." She let go of her skirt and took his offered hand. "That is not entirely surprising, it is a big place." That and compared to most people here she was tiny and thus easy to overlook, particularly when the marketplace was crowded. "That and I do not get out as much as I used to."  

[midnight_medea]

Ifan gave her hand a firm shake with the hand that held Industry's gem and nodded in agreement at her statement, that could be said of him too in reality. Isambard was the one who had been driving him. There was something about the girl ... something familiar and yet also different.
"Are you looking for anything in particular in the market."  

[mistalina13]

My my....whomever caught him was...impatient.

Asedri could hardly imagine that being comfortable, having a gem in the palm of your hand like that. For now she would ignore it, unless he decided to broach the subject first. That seemed the politest way to approach this. "A home for this, actually." She indicated the flower in her other hand. "Though, I think I might have found it."  

[midnight_medea]

Ifan looked down at the flower and smiled. There appeared to be nothing unusual about it so he wondered why she needed to find a home for it. Perhaps she was a gypsy, like in the old times where they had given their flowers away with a wish. His mother would tell him not to take them, to walk away. Not that he believed in all that stuff. Then again he hadn't believed in gods either.
"Oh? Where will you put it?"  

[mistalina13]

"I think it belongs with you." Asedri was certainly no gypsy but none the less she offered the flower to him freely and smiled. "Thought it might cheer you up." Despite the fact that he wore a smile now, Keme was right; Ifan still looked as if he could use some cheering up.  

[midnight_medea]

"Oh, thank you." Ifan reached out to take the flower with a smile. "You have cheered me up a lot, he looked down at the gem in his hand a moment. Being doomed was not much fun at all. "You remind me of home."  

[mistalina13]

Her smile brightened when he took the flower from her. I cheered him up! Good. She was glad to have done something good for someone else.

"Oh?" The comment about 'home' made her head c**k to the side just so, a curious expression on her face. If Ifan knew her better he would know how truly dangerous curious Asedri was.

He had not accepted the gem willingly then, as Asedri had. Between that and the fact that the gem was in his palm made Keme wonder just whose jewel he bore.  

[midnight_medea]

Ifan nodded and rubbed his hand.
"Yes, I have sisters, for some reason you remind me of them. They like cheering people up too." He smiled warmly. There was that feeling again, he had felt it when he was near others who had been duped like him. "You know what this is don't you?" he asked, holding his hand up so the gem was in plain view.  

[mistalina13]

"Ahhh...." That explained it. It was his family he missed.

Asedri glanced down at his hand then back up to his face, though she did not particularly need to. "I do." If only Ifan had seen her not too long ago, before she had started to change, he might have been appalled at the thought of a child host. "Perhaps this is a talk we should have elsewhere..." Rather than in the middle of the open market. "...are you fond of tea?"