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 Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:44 pm
It was another normal evening for Crystal, having been sent home from her work so that Mary and the others could be properly trained. The flower girl had a knack for trying to do things to help out, which wasn't helping in this situation; her mother had all but swatted her with a pastry and her father had been laughing too hard to be of any assistance. It was almost two full weeks that she hadn't worked at night, and she'd hardly known what to do with herself.
The radio was playing in the background, a soft jazz station that had little words and all music, enough for her to work with. She had been doing the laundry and other menial things to pass the time, dressed in a very simple gown of sleeveless blue, gliding over her hardwood floors bare foot. Her curls had finally come back, although they were slightly looser and softer than usual. It was cool enough inside that she kept it down, which was a nice change from the heat.
Crystal hummed along with the music as she worked, putting some of her dresses away. What was a girl to do on a Friday night?
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 5:58 pm
The moon wasn't at its most beautiful, but it's crecent shaped smiled in the sky seemed to know that something was about to happen and the stars twinkled while they waited patiently. A shadow passed over the bright glow of the moon, but it was only a small speck and so anyone who noticed it would be more than unimpressed. Likely a bird out too late, no demon in the night chasing down the innocent.
In fact, the creature was just a tiny bat with something clutched in its claws. The item wasn't the small bats dinner though, much to its distaste; the poor thing was hungry and less than interested in being a little delivery boy. But what Qadir wanted, Qadir got. Finding the house that the man had asked him to go to wasn't that hard, he'd gone bug hunting in that area often. Finding the room where the person he was looking for was also less than difficult since the woman was humming to herself.
Landing just outside the window he'd flutter his wings against it and do his best to get her attention, clicking the item clutched in his claws against the glass.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:11 pm
Crystal had just put away another bundle of her clothes when she heard something strange. She turned and regarded her radio with a smoldering grey question, arching a slender brow as she walked over to it. The young woman listened, carefully turning the knob with a perplexed expression. The music sounded fine, but there was something offbeat, like the noise of tree branches on the window.
No sooner had she thought about it, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, turning again to face the window. She jumped, more than a little startled to see a bat at the glass by her desk. With a nervous smile, she approached the window, cooing at the panes, "Are you lost, little one? Your friends have not yet come out..." Crystal trailed off as she saw something clutched in the creature's claws, something that was definitely not a meal. She gave the creature a quizical glance before exiting the room, walking down the hallway and to the back door.
The flower girl stepped into the night, looking back towards where the bat had been. She wasn't afraid of bats, as they frequented the field she lived by and she knew myth from fact (as she should with hair like hers), but she was a little concerned about whatever was in its grasp. The woman hadn't been able to tell if something was stuck, or if it truly was holding something within its little claws. She carefully picked her way down the cobblestone path towards her bedroom window, looking up for the little creature.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:30 pm
The bat was pretty excited about the girl coming over to him so quickly, it meant he could get to his dinner faster, and Qadir had promised him some rare and good bugs for dinner to enjoy. But then he heard the girl moving away and out of the room and that was not a good sign. What was happening to her voice? Why wasn't she opening the window and letting him in? Was she afraid of bats? It hadn't sounded like she was scared of bats, she was talking as if she was kind.
Qadir was crouched around the other side of the house with his back to the direction Crystal was coming, so he didn't for a moment noticing her coming towards him, but maybe she didn't notice the dark lump pressed against her home. The bat had come over to Qadir when he could no longer hear the girl and Qadir held the small animal in the palm of his hand to listen to it cirp away. "What do you mean she left? Was she afraid? I didn't take her for the type to be afraid of bats. Alright, well give me the gem, hmm? he said, clearly babbling away to the bat in his hand before it flew off.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:36 pm
Crystal looked up over her window, frowning a little. She hadn't wanted to let a wild bat into her home - it would have taken forever to chase out, and she didn't want to frighten the poor thing - but it seemed it had left to find a better field. The woman hoped it hadn't been tangled in anything, but it seemed pretty lively. She had just about turned around to go back inside, her bare feet whispering over the stones when something stopped her.
She heard a voice. The woman froze in mid-step, turning around slowly with her eyes as large as the moon. She could have sworn she heard...
"Qadir?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:58 pm
A squeak could be heard, the most uncharactersitic thing that could have possible come out of Qadir, but there was also the sound of something being dropped. Sheepishly Qadir lifted his right hand to wave awkwardly at Crystal who had either obviously spied or heard him and so now he was caught. "I'm back," he said softly before bending over and hunting for the item he'd dropped, pushing away a box that was sitting by his feet so he could better search in the dark.
Finding what he was looking for he smiled and straightened, holding the small item in his right hand for with a closer look Crystal would notice the black sling that held his left arm hung up against his chest. "I've got presents for you my dear. I'm afraid I missed your birthday but I assure you it wasn't by any means my plan to let you believe I didn't remember it. Some ah...things came up at work and I'm afraid I was a bit incapacitated for a bit longer than I wanted to be. I wrote you a letter as well but it didn't quite make it to you."
Qadir smiled sheepishly and held out his hand for her, fingers open so that a small shimmering thing dripped from over the edge of his palm.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:15 pm
The woman could only stare. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Was she seeing things? Then, he spoke, and her spell was broken; Crystal fled towards him, stopping mere inches away as she spied the sling on his arm. She had almost leapt into his arms...or arm, as the case may be. Her eyes were wide and glimmering, almost as though there were unshed tears. "Qadir!" she whispered, still in shock, one hand straying upwards to touch his face, "When...what are you..." Her mind reeled, uncertain of what to ask first or if she even had the right to ask. Part of her wanted to slide around his sling for an embrace, and the other wanted to yank him down for a kiss; that thought brought her a little more to herself, her cheeks flushed with surprise and joy.
"You're hurt," she said obviously enough, her hand dropping from his face to his shoulder, before sliding down the length of his offered arm and taking his hand into both of hers. "My birthday?" The poor girl looked utterly perplexed, assaulted by too many thoughts and emotions to speak coherently. She turned her gaze down to the hand that was clasped within her own, one of her thumbs stroking his palm; she was vaguely aware that he was holding something, but she couldn't tell what in the tangle of their fingers.
Crystal turned her gaze back to him, all her thoughts racing through her eyes. "Can you come in? I..." She paused, before asking incredulously again, "My birthday?" She was clearly at a loss of what to do, gazing helplessly upon the face of the man she'd dreamed about many times. The woman desperately wanted to throw her arms around him and embrace him, but she was concerned about the sling, and mystified by the box at his feet. He certainly knew how to keep a girl guessing.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:39 pm
Qadir smiled and did his best to not laugh at the poor woman and the way she was acting. He didn't mean to confuse her, but at the same time all of her short, rapid questions were beginning to confuse him and all he was able to do was shake his head and wait for her to slow down a bit. If she had lept at him he would have gladly caught her, one handed or not, he wasn't so terrible that he'd go dropping her for any reason and he certainly wouldn't let a little bit of pain slow him down any. Leaning over he kissed her cheek softly "I just got back just now. I didn't dare stop anywhere else with the longing to see you, so I came straight from the plane. I hope I don't look too terrible after such a long flight," he confessed.
Looking down at her hand he attempted to manuver his own to better show her what he was holding. It was a plain silver bracelet, but there were 4 of them wrapped about each other and like the other things he'd given to her, they had a bit of an older feel about them. Likely, it was another artifact he'd dug up in the sands of his homeland. "I'm not too hurt," he'd say with a laugh, shaking his head a bit before wincing slightly and hoping she didn't notice. Unable to be seen by her was a slowly healing gash upon the side of his neck that started about half way down under his ear and curved around towards his collarbone, but thankfully his high necked jacket and other assorted clothes hid these things from her.
"You should know how fast vampires heal anyway, so you shouldn't worry about me at all, yes your birthday," he continued in the same breath since she'd said it twice." Moving to wrap his good arm about the woman he nudged her towards her front door. "Go ahead and open the door for me hmm? I'll need to carry this in with me and I'm afraid I wont be able to escort you like a true gentleman. Can you ever forgive me?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:00 pm
"You just...and you came...to me?" Her voice was soft, filled with amazement. The man had been away from his home for months, and he hadn't even gone by his abode for a short rest. It made her feel strangely warm, and not just from the kiss he'd gave her, although that certainly helped. She missed his wince of pain as she carefully looked over his sling; even if vampires did heal quickly, if he'd been detained since her birthday...he wasn't healing very fast.
The thought was momentarily brushed aside as he attempted to show her the gift she had apparently bowled right over. She shifted her hands enough to see the bracelet, her expression softening as she slid her fingers over it and back around his hand. Crystal took it gently from his palm, holding it between her forefinger and thumb, allowing it to trail over her pale skin like a tiny silver river. Her soft gaze turned back to him, a small but earnest smile lighting upon her lips. "Thank you, Qadir...you spoil me so." She felt so inadequate to wear such things, but if he felt she was worth it...she would try.
The woman curled the jewelry against her chest as he wrapped his arm around her, earning a wide and genuine grin. "The least I can do for my wounded knight," she said, only half joking. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before practically waltzing down the path to the back door, holding it open so that the warm light from within spilled upon the stones. "Please, welcome to my home."
The door let in to what appeared to be the living room. The room itself was made to seem large by the sparse but comfy furniture, namely a couch, a loveseat and two overstuffed chairs that were an earthen color to match the hardwood floors. A large stone fireplace could be found on the left side of the entrance, as well as a side door to the kitchen. Against the right side of the wall is a fairly large entertainment cabinet, although the doors were closed. The tables between the chairs and couches were decorated with live flowers and not much else. A few paintings can be found hanging on the wall, mostly of the flowered variety. To judge by this room, it isn't a large house, but it's homely.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:20 pm
No, the man wasn't healing very fast and to be honest he wasn't going to, but he wasn't going to let her worry about him when he knew he'd be fine within a few weeks. "Should I not have come? Is it too late for visits?" he asked with a toying smile. Crystal would have to get used to the fact that, for Qadir, there was never a time that was 'too late' for visiting, but surely there would be times that are 'too early'
Likely, yes, he was spoiling her, but technically Qadir had too much stuff and showered just about anyone he knew with gifts in hopes to get rid of it. Not to say that he didn't think the bracelet wasn't perfect for his Crystal, but it was better than the piece rotting in dust locked away in one of the many rooms in the second floor of his home.
He couldn't help but laugh at her words as he knelt down to grasp at the box with one hand, attempting to get it to fit into the crook of his body and doing quite the terrible job at it. He'd gotten the cab driver to place the box over by Crystal's home, but he hadn't thought further about how to best move it about. Finally he'd gotten the box up and struggled his way into her home to drop the box onto one of the chairs or couch or whatever was closest. The box might not even make it to one of those if they were too far away. The floor was just as acceptable in his opinion.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:31 pm
"Tsk!" she grinned as he came in, "I'd keep you here if I could. Come! Have a seat. Would you like a drink, or something to eat?" Crystal closed the door behind the vampire, taking a moment to get a better look at him now that they were in some dim light. He was quiet, but he was still smiling and laughing, although she had the feeling he'd do that no matter what. The woman reached up to brush his bangs from his eyes, smiling warmly at him, her eyes flitting over his face as though to see if anything had changed from what she'd memorized. With a quiet chuckle, she motioned towards the living room area and the dining room beyond it, where four chairs and a long table served as her meal place. From the dining area, a clear view could be seen of the kitchen, which looked practically brand new with wood cabinets and an island in the center.
She cast him a shy glance and carefully used her deft fingers to put the bracelet on, wanting to make him happy as she was. After securing it around her wrist, she turned and took his good hand in both of hers, tugging him playfully, "Tell me about your travels! What happened to your arm? And how do you know my birthday?" Crystal was grinning all but ear to ear, as though it were her birthday all over again and he was her gift. "Let me make you comfortable, I want you to rest, for I don't intend to release you for quite some time."
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:47 pm
Qadir certainly didn't look any different from the outside in any other way that she could see except the sling and he wouldn't really allow any of his other wounds to be seen. "No, really, I'm alright. I got plenty of food and drink on the airplane. Certainly not good food, but I'm plenty full of it," he said with a laugh and a short shrug so he wouldn't wince from the sound under his shirt once more. He didn't look in the direction that she motioned but when he tugged on his good arm (which was actually the side where the wound was, so calling it a good arm is less than appropriate) he was forced to pull his hand away from her, though he did it in the most polite way one could manage.
"I have no complaints about staying with you for as long as you desire my lady for certainly I have been gone too long for even petty gifts to make up for it, but I terribly apologize for my behavior before the night wears too long. I'm...not entirely myself today Miss Crystal." Taking her hand he pulled her gently over to the couch to sit down with the both of them and then released her to pull over the box he'd left near-by.
Smiling at all her questions he reached out to brush his fingers through her hair, "My travels were terribly boring for the most part and I know about your birthday because I have eyes and ears all over the place. How do you think I knew where you were, hmm? Don't you usually work at nights?" He knew better than to go talking about his arm. He'd rather focus on her and thus why he once more pushed the box towards her.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 8:58 pm
The flower girl was dense about a lot of things, but she was fairly certain that Qadir didn't pull away from her without reason; it concerned her deeply, but she would not push the issue if he did not so desire it. Crystal could feel that part of her she'd banished around him trying to come back, her training and teachings trying to resurface. She sat as he lead her, perfectly still as she watched him move and speak. When he reached out to her hair, however, her eyes fluttered and she tilted her head towards his hand although she was careful not to touch. "I didn't think about it," she murmured earnestly, "I was simply so happy to see you again, the means didn't seem important."
She turned her grey-blue gaze upon him once more, before shifting to the box, and then to his amber eyes again in question. This was for her, too? Her hands curled against her lap as she bit her lip, still feeling overwhelmed by his sudden presence. She was trying not to look at his arm, but it was hard when the past two times they'd seen each other, they were apart for mere seconds. "You can't expect me to believe a job like yours is boring," she smiled a little, "but yes...you know very well I work nights." Her smile warmed just a touch, remembering that night that had started out so innocently.
Not wanting to be rude, she motioned to the box with a nod of her head, causing some of her curls to bounce over her shoulders, "What is this? Certainly not your luggage?" Crystal cracked a grin, trying not to worry, although she wasn't good at hiding anything let alone her thoughts and feelings.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:06 pm
Qadir frowned slightly before leaning in and resting his forehead against her own. He sorely wished he could act himself for even just one night for her, but it was nearly impossible and it was due to the same creature that had given him these nasty wounds that did not allow him to wrap his arms about her and hold her close, to comfort her and assure her that he would be fine. "Please don't worry," he breathed softly before sitting back up and pushing the box completely to her press against her feet since she wasn't taking the hint.
"Of course it's not my luggage. I had that sent to my home with the cab. I don't think I could carry it very well at the moment either though. This is your birthday present. The bracelet is simply a gift for you from my homeland and from my very boring excursion." Qadir's job at the moment was less than boring, but it was also much more dangerous than he let on, which he would continue to keep from her in order to keep her from worrying.
He could sense her concern already, but he truly didn't know how best to approach it and keep her from worrying without explaining what happened, especially since it would reveal how dangerous his job was and since it would actually lead her to even more worry, something else he really didn't want.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:21 pm
Crystal relaxed a little at his touch, her grin softening into a smile, albeit a less strained one. "I can't help it. I apologize, Qadir," she ducked her head a little, tucking some of her locks behind her ear. This was supposed to be a happy moment, and she'd do anything to rid that frown from his handsome face. Just as he didn't want her to worry about him, she didn't want him to have to worry about her or her concerns; she wanted to enjoy the time she had with him, as long as he was willing, as she didn't truly want to keep him if he wasn't feeling well.
At his next words, her expression shifted into one of surprise. The bracelet wasn't her birthday gift? It was already so much more lavish and beautiful than she thought herself worthy of, and yet he insisted there was more! Her lips parted to say something, but instead remained in an 'o' of befuddlement before she leaned down to pick up the box and place it carefully on her lap. Delicate fingers caressed the box, trailing along its length and around the edges. She looked over to Qadir with a silent thrill before gently easing the gift open.
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