|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2014 9:54 pm
Where: Vermillion bakery
When: Evening, January 1st
Who: Cesc and Melisande
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2014 10:11 pm
This wasn't the first time she'd found herself outside the bakery in the dark. Melisande paid the cab driver and slipped out of the backseat, shouldering her pale leather tote. Her hair was still straightened from New Years Eve, but she'd tied it back into a simple ponytail to keep it out of her face. Her bangs blew across her forehead when the wind picked up, and she tucked them behind her ear with a shiver.
The lights were off, the warmth of the bakery dimmed. She didn't see anyone within, and she held her phone uncertainly. Pasha burrowed a little deeper into her oversized white knit sweater and drifted towards the door. The neatly posted hours on the little sign told her the bakery had closed almost an hour ago. The Muse lifted her hand and knocked gently anyway.
He'd said anytime...hadn't he? He'd wished to see her more than once in a blue moon? Pasha glanced up at the sky, shivered, and knocked quietly again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 5:13 pm
It was his first time closing alone in a very long time.
Rhedefre hadn't wanted a big to-do for New Year's Eve last night. Vivi and Shepard were another story, dressing to the nines -- Vivi in sky high heels and a tiny dress, Shepard actually wearing cologne -- and so Cesc had offered to give them a full day off, start to finish, to nurse their hangovers and sleep in late. Vivi had arisen fresh as a daisy and spent her day out; Shepard had arisen fresh as a muddy bog and spent his day in his wood shop. They'd gone out to dinner together a while ago, now, after checking on him more times than Cesc was comfortable admitting.
He was well now. He felt stronger, better. His hair had grown back well, curling back at his cheeks, a little unrulier than before. He'd still stopped shaving quite as often, letting his stubble go on days when he was not manning the shop's front counter. And he was bigger than before, his arms thicker and his chest wider, from all the training he'd done with Iorek in the past months. But most of all, his calm had returned to him, the aura back in place like warmth from fire.
"But a word so soft and gentle/ Makes it easier to bear..." the stag sang softly, stacking a chair atop its table, slowly wiping down its legs and joints. He floated away, to the next table, and hefted up another chair.
The knocking startled him from his song, and for a moment, Cesc looked up expecting to see Vivi and Shepard, shrugging without their keys. The sight of Melisande brightened his face, his golden eyes lighting, and he floated quickly to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open.
"Melisande!" he greeted warmly, his head out in the cold, the breath puffing visibly from him. "Hello, happy new year!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2014 5:32 pm
It was a relief to see him...not just after so long, but to see him happy. Melisande's smile answered his automatically, and she took him in almost shyly. "Happy New Years! You've changed." She said, eyes still warmly upon him. "You look...more like you."
It wasn't just that he looked older. There was a confidence in the way he moved that was easy to appreciate. Her smile faded slowly, and she kept her eyes on his. "I hope it's okay I'm here. I have a phone now, but I didn't have your number." She hadn't even tried to find it. Part of her was worried that he wouldn't wish to see her, if she had called. Melisande hadn't forgotten his sad smile before he'd floated away from her...
Memories of the Jungle were hard. She shivered, but that could easily be blamed on the cold as she was still outside the bakery door. "Do you have time to visit?" Time and the desire? Her smile returned, a little uncertain at the corners as it wavered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 6:03 pm
"I always have time to visit with you," said Rhedefre with a smile, floating away from the threshold and holding the door open for the Muse. There was a real pleasure in his face that did not fade beyond its initial surprise, a true delight in seeing her there. "And I have a phone -- a number, at least, for your phone, should you like it. It's always a pleasure to see you. Come in, tell me how you are."
There was a faint sense of anxiety in his words, a concern for her that lay beneath his happiness to see her again. Cesc wanted badly to know that Melisande was well, that the jungle had not scarred her as it had him, that she had not needed months to find herself again.
His eyes, ever honest, spoke his concern to her, and he looked at her directly, gold into blue, as he always did.
The bakery was half-lighted, dim but not unpleasantly so, striking a mood of the afterhours. Over half the tables were cleaned, with their chairs stacked atop them, and the other half were wiped down and awaiting more. The floor gleamed and the shelves were all empty, all the pretty display cases showcasing nothing within. The baskets that hung on the back wall, usually stocked with bread, had nothing but their linen liners, and the chalk board proclaiming specials was nothing but black. There was music, though, soft and lilting, that had kept Cesc company before Melisande arrived, and there was ever a warmth to the bakery that did not fade. It was still comfortable, still pleasant.
"Can I get you anything?" asked Cesc. "Or take your coat?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 6:30 pm
She ducked her head with a smile and drifted in, grateful for the invitation. The chill left her almost instantly. Though the cases were empty, the bakery still smelled amazing.
Pasha shook her head at his kind requests. "I'm fine, thank you." She met his gaze just as openly, and a hint of concern showed in her eyes. "It's...the first day of a new year. I couldn't imagine starting it without seeing you." Melisande slipped out from under the strap of her bag and set it by the door. She crossed the distance between them, and offered her hands to the Stag gracefully.
"I wanted to ask how you are. I haven't seen you, since..." She was to the point, but it was still hard to talk about. There was no color in her face, but Melisande slipped her hands into his warmly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 4:38 pm
Cesc closed the door quietly after Melisande, the soft tinkle of the bells punctuating her arrival into the store. He followed her within, his eyes trailing her, warm and fond. His smile grew as she spoke, initially, and he laughed a soft breath of a laugh.
"What a compliment for me! I cannot think of a better way to start a year, myself," he said, accepting her hands into his own. There was a roughness to the texture of the skin on his hands that had never quite healed, never quite left since the jungle. He was still gentle and easy as he held her hands, still warm, but no longer was his skin perfectly smooth as in his younger days.
The smile on his face wavered, dimmed, but only slightly as Melisande spoke. He looked at her frankly, eyes on hers, so that she could see that he was untroubled. His glowing light, ever so slowly, had overtaken the shadows Khadlok left within him.
Not perfect. But he had hope. And strength.
"It is perhaps better you did not," said the stag with a rueful laugh, squeezing her hands gently. "It may not have done either of us any good then. But nightmares pass. I am as you see me -- whole and well and fit enough, I hope. Full of interest and concern, as always, for you." He paused, the humor fading from his pleasant mouth. "I have wondered more than once, are you well? Your wing, is it sound?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 10:46 pm
Melisande looked closely, unabashed, her hands small in his. She could see the ghost of it still lurking at the edges of him, but it was familiar to her. It was the cost of living, enduring trials like these. He was strong enough.
Pasha's slow smile was something rare. She'd never have wished for the Stag to experience anything like he had, but in a way, they understood each other better now. "Nightmares pass." The Muse repeated, and returned his squeeze. "I'm...well. My wing is almost healed." She extended both wings slowly, experimentally. Their feathered span was impressive in the cozy space. "Rivener and Zul have taken it upon themselves to watch over me. I'm fairly certain I won't get so much as a splinter ever again."
Her cheeks pinked as she laughed, but she didn't release Cesc's hands. Instead, she pulled him closer and guided his hands gracefully around her waist for a hug, wrapping her own arms warmly over his shoulders. It was so different here, in the quiet of the bakery with the Stag. It was peaceful.
"Once in a blue moon is too long, Rhedefre." Her voice was quiet and hopeful, blossoms against his cheek. "Here's to a brighter year."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 10:48 pm
Cesc watched Melisande without evasion as she stretched out her wing. In months past, there would have been a true flash of concern across his face, an anxiety for her well-being -- but something had softened in his face. There was still concern, certainly, a true desire to see her well and to know that she was better. But now there was something more in his eyes, a faith that she would be well, a belief in her resiliency. He knew, had always known from meeting her, that she had suffered. Beauty and light and grace had all been good to the Muse, life had not. This much he knew. For a long time, it made him wish he could hover over her, arms open, to keep the wind from tousling her hair or the light from shining too harshly on her.
But now, he knew better.
Melisande had suffered and her looks, her unspoiled sweetness, her gentleness belied her strength. The glorious light-kissed expanse of her wings were not merely fluff. Now he had suffered, and he knew the signs. He knew it to be true.
She would be well.
"Have they?" Cesc showed a moment of surprise as Melisande spoke of Rivener and Zul, but the surprise quickly faded. He was acquainted with Rivener -- not in the most pleasant of ways -- but knew his pride, his strength, and easily remembered his eagnerness for Melisande's attention. As for Zul... Zul was a protector. And any man too long in the gaze of the bright-eyed Muse could not help but be ensnared. Any person, Cesc thought.
Distantly, the knowledge worried him...
"I cannot be surprised," the stag laughed. "Beware the fate of the splinter that tries."
She hugged him, placed him as she wanted him, and Cesc tucked his chin against her neck and shoulder and pressed her close. She spoke and he laughed, his breath tickling her skin. It was a pleased sound.
"Far too long, I think." He pulled just slightly away to see her better, still wearing his grin. "But a treat is a treat. May this year bring you only joy, my friend, it is all I hope for. Joy and, perhaps, sweets."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 11:12 pm
They pulled away as gracefully as they'd come together. Pasha's hands smoothed along his arms as she drifted back, smile still bringing light to her face. "Speaking of sweets…"
She excused herself with the barest dip of her chin, turning to lift something carefully from her bag by the door. The Muse cradled the little basket of strawberries carefully, as though they were quail eggs unfit to rattle. "I know they're not in season, but…I did my best. Did you know plants like it when you sing to them?" She flashed another smile, eyes startlingly blue behind the pale strands of her bangs. The basket was crowded with the tiny fruits, obviously homegrown, each as red as a ruby. She handed them over with her lashes lowered. "I hope you enjoy them."
Pasha watched the way his hands wrapped around the basket as he accepted them, eyes moving up to his face when he spoke. It was obvious there was something more on her mind, but the Sigel couldn't make herself rush. It was only Cesc's closing duties that nagged at her. She knew that drill all too well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:22 pm
For a moment, Cesc watched Melisande with curiosity, inclining his head as she pulled something from her bag. His brow furrowed just slightly as she brought it forward. His first thought was that it was some kind of small animal -- something she had found that he could bring some help to. But as he realized what it truly was, his face lit into a smile and a faint, short laugh escaped him.
"Strawberries!" he exclaimed, taking them from the Muse's gentle hands. "You must be a miracle worker. Or perhaps your song is? I had no idea they enjoyed music."
He looked from the strawberries to the Muse fondly. "A promise fulfilled, these are."
She had said it to him at -- that place. When they were all broken and bruised. She'd promised that there would be good again, and sweets, and she had been right.
Rhedefre's smile was wide and pleased and true. He gestured to her with a motion of his head, toward one of the few tables with chairs still around it. "Come, sit with me. Let's enjoy them together."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:25 am
"You remember." Nothing in the world would stop her from keeping a promise she'd made to the Stag, but the fact that he remembered her words that day was touching.
It pleased her to see him so happy. It warmed her from the inside out, and the glow showed on her cheeks when she smiled. Pasha followed him to the table and accepted the chair gracefully. "Thank you! Please don't let me put your evening off schedule. I can always lend a hand, if you'd like!" The Sigel laughed at the memory of the last time she'd offered to help. She'd ended up in one of Vivi's aprons and had done more sampling than actual helping! Pasha glanced over to the bakery cases, remembering Cesc's warm voice as he'd offered her a song. Her hand closed around the ring she always wore around her neck, and for once, her smile seemed content rather than sad.
"I do love coming to see you here. You're always welcome to stop by our place, as well! It's not as…delicious…but I imagine you'd look rather dashing in a second hand fedora."
Melisande picked one of the largest berries off the top, a lopsided beauty with a little seeded dimple, and offered it across to Cesc. She'd pushed up the sleeves of her white knit sweater, slender wrists not at as much risk of staining.
"Any resolutions this year?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2014 6:51 pm
"Of course I do," laughed Cesc lightly, settling down into one chair. A faint, rueful expression twisted his smile for a moment as a thought snaked into his brain -- you don't often forget a bright spot in total darkness, do you?
He shook his head, and immediately the purity had returned to his grin. Melisande was still a spot of brilliance, good days or bad. He listened as she spoke and his eyes dipped to the ring that disappeared beneath her fingers. He immediately looked up again, and did not ask, although he wondered -- was it Zul's or Rivener's?
"You know," he piped up, taking the offered berry from Melisande. "I do not actually know what your place actually is."
A second-hand fedora? He had met her that second time at a shop, he remembered -- she was standing outside it with her back against the door, if he recalled correctly. Wasn't that a clothing store...?
He bit into the berry thoughtfully -- he had a strange way of eating them. Twisting off the stem and leaves, he held the strawberry gently from the tip and ate them top-first, leaving the point of the berry for last. That was the sweetest part, and he always saved them until the end.
Cesc's eyes fluttered shut. He did not often eat -- dawn and deeds and dew were his mainstays -- but he now and then allowed himself tastes and pure ingredients. Strawberries he loved the most.
"These are lovely," he told Melisande, with every reverence as though she were the chef of the meal. "Your singing has sweetened them nicely in the winter!"
He paused as she continued, his smile becoming lopsided. "Yes, of course. To be stronger, I suppose... I have been working hard at it."
With a light laugh, he patted his thicker arms, although it was clear that was not all he meant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 11, 2014 8:43 am
She didn't comment on the twist in his smile, though she noticed it, nor did her warm expression change. Too many times, Pasha had been looked at with pity. Whatever was within a person was a part of them…and the Stag was perfect as he was. "It's my friend Viola's place, actually, though it feels like I'm there more often than she is. Second Chances, a thrift store!" Pasha remembered the day they'd had a chance meeting, right on that very block. Cesc had been a life saver that day. Affection was obvious on her face as she watched him enjoy the strawberry, and she blushed as he complimented them. "Everything has a spirit. Appealing to it just takes a little know how!" She didn't bother to mention the Dreaming, that was a strange story for quite another day. Instead, she selected a berry for herself, and nibbled the tip off first. She had noticed the change in his physique, but she had chalked it up to time. The fact that Cesc had been working at it surprised her. "Working hard at becoming…stronger? For…baseball? Or just for you?" Pasha's smile flickered to life and she reached across to touch the Stag's arm just as he had. "You do look different!" It was true. Though his grace remained, he was no longer the delicate Frei she'd met at the Garden Party. "One morning soon you'll wake, and there will be more Cesc!" She laughed, and patted her own stomach with a clean hand. "I think you'll like it. You'll call me when it happens, won't you? We can pick out longer shirts from Second Chances! I've learned quite a bit about fitting them." Melisande twisted in her seat, showing the perfectly angled cuts in the back of her sweater for her wings. She'd edged the cuts with clever seams so the knit didn't unravel. Around the base of each wing was a pale ribbon, still looped there from the festivities the night before.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 15, 2014 10:49 pm
Cesc smiled, his face brightening with recognition as she described the store. It made his memory more complete, like adding a piece of the puzzle retroactively -- he could envision it now. Mannequins in the window, expertly merchandized and fashioned with care. Of course Melisande must have had some hand in it. When had he seen her look anything but lovely in her choice of dress? "I know the place now, yes! I will have to come by and visit you there sometime."
He smiled, rubbing his slightly stubbled face with his knuckles, a look of boyish self-consciousness crossing his face as she touched him. There were some days, still, where he looked in the mirror and felt vaguely uncomfortable with what he found there, for reasons he could not pinpoint. But he felt better now, better than he had in months.
"Working on what I can," he said. "And I trust nobody more than you to dress me if one day I do grow. I do not know how it works -- I don't think I know anyone that does. Unless you do, of course."
He paused for a moment, taking another strawberry. He seemed to be weighing his next words, and he turned the fruit over in his fingers, gentle as though he were examining an egg. His eyes flickered up to Melisande's.
"I ... I think about it sometimes," he said, quiet and low, but steady. "I did not have the strength then, in the jungle. You know, or I think you know, of my power. You sparked it, that one day, outside your store. I can hear the lost, should they favor me by speaking. I can find what wishes to be found. In the jungle, I thought I could help more." He shook his head, his eyes dropping down to the red of the strawberry. "I was not strong enough then, not in any way. And I know this isn't fair, not to you or to myself, but sometimes I wonder if we had been together then..."
Rhedefre stopped, shaking his head again. "No, forgive me. I do not know what happened that day when you ... ignited me. It truly isn't fair to speculate. What's in the past is immoveable past."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
