Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Female Posts: 304 Location: THE MOON Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #45 on Oct 16, 2007, 10:36am »
She didn't dare squirm, but she was afraid of enjoying this - shaken to her core, though she daren't show it. How could she; she was the village disappointment; she couldn't just randomly acquire a social life! This was too complicated, or rather, not complicated enough; this was the only excuse she could think of, and she knew it wouldn't be good enough for him.
She felt his warm breath on her hair, a bit, heartbeat speeding up rapidly from the moment they came into such close contact. Hopefully he couldn't hear it like she could, pounding in her chest, beating in her ears like a drum. Wait... no way. There was no way she was experiencing a symptom similar to calf - eyed idiots. It wasn't possible; she was the cold, hard temper tantrum, always ready to explode. She was supposed to end up an old maid... right? That's how the story always went; it was the pretty girls who were rescued by their stupid princes, who sat patiently while they did their needlepoint. Well, too late for that; she'd thrown her most recent stitchwork in the fire; it'd been awful. Besides, she wasn't the type to sit around and wait. But then, she wasn't the type to go seek anything; that was just too weird, too much like the overly eager girls they'd outrun.
What to do?
It wasn't her oh so illogical mind that prompted the decision; she actually couldn't pinpoint where the suggestion came from. But she listened to it, and followed the suggestion; she didn't resist his arms, didn't pull away, and... liked the closeness. Scrunching her face in distant disgust at herself, she pushed aside such things, letting in a long, hesitant breath and attempting to embrace the new, whatever that might be. She felt his lips against her forehead, which would have been chilly due to the weather, but was instead warm, her face a bit flushed, glad that it wasn't completely visable. He released her, after several moments, and her wrist was not hers again, though gently this time, both deliberate and hesitant. He kept looking back at her, his smiles tugging at her conscience, at her usual desire to piss people off - she couldn't bring herself to do anything stupid now, his smiles wouldn't let her. They pushed back the impetulanceness of her nature, almost asking for her to be more than that.
Where were they? Of course, she'd seen this house before; she'd seen all houses before, but how did this relate to anything? She'd never met the residents face to face; sure she'd seen the woman out a couple of times, though someone had once mentioned that her husband wasn't doing very well...
Shit.
She suddenly knew exactly why they were there, and it unnerved her. This was his house; his home. His parents. She was intruding; it felt wrong; when she'd asked about his home and family, she hadn't meant for him to have to show her in such clarity. Why would he do that? It was clear she wasn't about to introduce him to her family; that was suicide!
"You don't have to, if you... if you don't want to."
She allowed quietly, her voice half muted to tell him that he wasn't obligated.
"'Don't let depression get you down!'? That's like saying, 'Don't let an orgasm bring you joy!'"
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 118 Location: URANUS >8D Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #46 on Oct 17, 2007, 3:40am »
Arawnn felt himself pause, hesitate just as his hand was on the door, hearing her soft voice tell him he didn't owe her this.
He sent a doubtful glance back at her without turning his head, to see the proof on her face; she was uncomfortable about seeing his parents - his home - like this.
He almost backed away, almost delayed truly facing how bad their situation was, but he didn't. He never backed down.
He shook his head slightly, closing his eyes angrily at himself for thinking those frightened thoughts, and then pushed open the door, calling out, "Ma!"
He stepped lightly into the small sitting room. The fireplace was crackling happily, and the rugs that were thrown on the floor were hand-made. There was a small table where his father had used to carve little statues out of wood. The dust was gathering and Arawnn frowned in memory; all the times as a child he had sat on Finch's lap chattering non-stop about someone he had seen that day, or about a little woodland animal that had found his handful of food alluring. Then as a young teenager where Finch had taught him how to carve as well. He remembered all the little scrapes he had been rewarded with as he perfected his hand-eye co-ordination, or the small shaves of wood that were - more or less - part of the finished product.
The statues he had made were arranged along a shelf above the table. He smiled at them, spotting his favourite; a hare standing with his ears up, alert for foxes, or falcons. It wasn't as good as his fathers' had been, but it was unmistakable as his.
He glanced at the rocking chair and suddenly realised his mother should be sitting there, knitting, like she usually did this time of day. Her knitting needles and balls of wool were in their basket, obviously untouched for today.
Arawnn gestured for Alia to follow - she'd had enough time to look around here - then made his way toward the kitchen. He stopped however when a weak voice called his name...from his father's room. "Arry?"
He froze and slowly turned in the direction of the voice and responded, "Aye Pap. Tis me." He walked slowly into his father's room and leaned off the door frame. If anything, Finch looked worse than he had a few hours ago.
"C'mere boy. Wha' brings ye back here then?" Finch asked, clearly puzzled. Arawnn didn't have a chance to look behind him to see if Alia had followed him or not, but he felt a sudden twinge of uncertainty of her seeing his father like this.
"Ahh Pap...I was worried...t'as all," he replied quietly, walking to the side of his father's bed. Finch coughed throatily, and Arawnn looked away, wincing at each one.
"I'm a'right Arry. Jus' a li'l tired is all," his father said, almost happily.
"Actually Pap...ther's someone who'd like te meet ye...I spose...Alia?" Arawnn hoped she hadn't run off when he called her, and his father looked toward the door expectantly, percieving that he had called someone's name.
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Female Posts: 304 Location: THE MOON Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #47 on Oct 17, 2007, 11:49am »
He hesitated, but didn't give in to the tension in the air. It wasn't overbearing, just unnerving, for both obvious and unobvious reasons. And then he walked inside, shouting a single word that made her almost freeze. There was no turning back; this was the point of no return, and she was crossing over into the abyss of the unknown.
She followed him inside.
It was cozy inside; much like her own home, except rather empty of life. Signs of it were everywhere, of course, handmade furnishings that made it feel like a true home, instead of just a house, but the people were missing. There were no raucous sounds of yelling, teasing, and laughter, like at her house. True, hers was often rather empty during the day, with just her mother going back and forth, getting her duties and chores done, but still, her brothers would pop in several times during the day, to pester her for something to drink, too lazy to get something for themselves.
She followed his gaze to see the carvings displayed proudly on a shelf, noting which one seemed to draw his eyes towards it. The house was homey, and comfortable, and yet, there was a vague sense of vacancy, as if life here was not as it once was. The chair was empty, the table was gathering dust, and there were no sounds, until a small, masculine voice called out from another room. Arawnn leaned against the wood of the doorframe, and Alia halted, not sure if she was meant to see beyond, into the room. Of course, even from where she stood, she could see partly into the room, where a man lay in a bed, weakened, by something that clearly was not new. He coughed, and her eyes were drawn to Arawnn was bearing up worse than his father, saddened by being able to do nothing, she presumed. She was solemn, now; silent until Arawnn spoke her name, her eyes shooting up to his hesitating for a moment, as if giving him a chance to undo his words, if he so wished. But he didn't, and so she slowly stepped forward, immediately wishing she'd taken the time to do as her mother had wanted; to wash the soot and dirt from her face and do something with her hair, such as plaiting it in a braid.
Eyes of icy light blue lost their cold look, and she didn't hardly feel her legs as she neared the bed, a polite smile sliding onto her face. Her hands were behind her back, fingers twiddling and fidgeting for a moment in awkwardness, before she took a deep breath, calmed herself, and let her arms drop to her sides. She tried to keep any sort of flush from creeping up her face, in slight guilt at Arawnn's slightly battered face - it was all his fault, and surely his parents had noticed. And, knowing parents in general, surely they'd asked about it. What might Arawnn have said in reply to such an inquiry?
" 'Ello," she offered with a warm, if small, smile. For once, she didn't want to give a bad impression; couldn't dare give a bad impression.
"'Don't let depression get you down!'? That's like saying, 'Don't let an orgasm bring you joy!'"
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 118 Location: URANUS >8D Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #48 on Oct 17, 2007, 7:42pm »
Arawnn held back the relieved breath that welled up as Alia wandered forward, almost shyly, toward him and his father. She had an air of uncertaintly about her, but it just made Finch smile.
Actually, he beamed. "Ello then young 'un. Yer name'd be Alia then?" he said, half-asking Arawnn. He nodded as his father reached out to take one of her hands, then said, "Her full name is Alianora Pap..."
Finch raised his eyebrows in surprise, really taking her in. He smiled again, obviously thinking this was either a girl he was very interested in at the moment, or the same girl who had battered his face.
With 'is luck, it'd be both, Finch thought, eyeing the sooted face and slightly windswept hair. But he could already see she was strong. Stronger than those other pansy girls tottering about the village. No...this girl knew what she wanted, and how to get it.
Arawnn shifted slightly, getting uneasy at how silent his father was. He must be thinking quite hard then. "Wha's yer last name Alianora?" Finch asked, before turning away quickly and letting out another cough.
Arawnn sighed and jammed a hand into his pocket, shuffling his feet a bit. Suddenly he asked, "Pap. Wher's Ma? I called ou' to 'er an' she didn't call back."
Finch turned back to them and said in a croaky voice, "I think she's ou'side bringin' in te washin'..." he replied, then as if on cue, he heard the back door open, and Tradora's voice - obviously singing - rang out in the house. There was a 'thump' as she deposited the basket of washing by her chair in the sitting room.
"Finch! I though' I heard Arry call me...is he 'ere?" she asked, in a slightly sing-song voice.
Arawnn almost rolled his eyes, before he called back, "Aye Ma! It's Arry...an' I have a visitor who wants te meet ye." Finch winked at Arawnn just as Tradora bounced into her husbands now, kind-of-crowded room.
"Arry! Oh luv! Twice in one day! My aren' we lucky?" she exclaimed, claiming a hug from him. He stopped her from admiring his muscles as he shifted out of Tradora's line of sight to reveal Alia.
Tradora froze, her mouth an 'o' as she looked Alia up and down - twice - to see if she really was there. Then she yelped happily, now turning her attention to the young woman. "My my...so...who's this then?" she asked, hearing her husband answer the girls name.
She leaned back and whispered to Arawnn, "She's a pretty 'un Arry...ye've done well..." making him flush and murmure, "Ma..." He shrugged helplessly at Alia - when Tradora had a thought or made a decision, that was it...usually.
He hoped this wasn't freaking her out...although it probably was. Tradora took Alia's other hand as she said more to herself, "We've been waitin' for 'im to bring home a nice, strong lass...isn't today good?"
"Ma...it's not like that..." Arawnn started, now feeling strangely confused at his mother. He knew she was excited, but wasn't she overreacting a little? He hadn't even explained the situation. He doubted he'd have a chance now.
Tradora took a kerchief out of her apron pocket - one Arawnn had given her a few weeks ago - and gently wiped the soot and dirt of Alia's face. Arawnn rested a hand over his mouth to hide his smile; when she was being attacked by his mother and her kerchief, Alia looked quite adorable, though he didn't think she enjoyed it that much.
When the majority of the black soot was gone, Tradora and Finch let go of her hands and admired her. Even Arawnn hadn't seen her face so clean before. Suddenly he didn't know why she wanted it kept hidden ander all that dirt. She had nothing to be ashamed of, and his parent's thought so too.
[[Yea...A little out-of-it an the moment but...oh well...lol]]
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Female Posts: 304 Location: THE MOON Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #49 on Oct 17, 2007, 9:02pm »
She sure was nervous, but managed to suppress the butterflies in her stomach; was she really this bad at meeting people? Jeez. Getting a better grip on herself, moved forward a bit more, making it a bit easier on the man - Arawnn's father - to take her hand.
"Yes.."
She half breathed quietly, a smile still on her face. However, the smile didn't look plastered on, or faked. Sincere; genuine. And that was a rarity. She held steady as he studied her, feeling quite self conscious of the state she was in. She looked terrible, and they all knew it. Great. The best thing she could do was stand tall, showing that her battered clothes in no way reflected the inside of her, or at least, she hoped it didn't reflect that.. She wasn't so sure she knew the inside of herself, any more, with what crazy things were going on this winter.
"Calvey," she replied calmly, and more sure of herself this time, though her tone was still gentle. She remained silent as Arawnn's mother asked for him, for she was quite unused to being in other people's homes; not many people ever invited her in. Actually, not many people ever invited her anywhere. Except for Arawnn. Or 'Arry', as his parents seemed to call him. The nickname amused her mildly, though she wasn't sure why. She looked to Arawnn as he mentioned her presence vaguely, taking a deep breath, and preparing herself to meet another person. She was probably meeting more people the proper way today than in the past couple of years.
And she didn't miss the wink from Arawnn's father to him, though she wasn't sure what to make of it, regarding herself. When the woman bustled into the room, greeting her son with such joy on her face, Alia tilted her head ever so slightly, a faint, small smile on her face at their embrace. It was... sweet, really.
And then he moved.
The woman looked frozen in a mixture of shock and surprise, and Alia hoped desperately that it was okay that she was here. Usually disrupting lives was her reason for existing, but Arawnn seemed to enjoy turning everything she knew upside down and inside out, darn the lad. When it was clear that the woman was rather happy about all of this, by means of a positive outburst, Alia would have been startled, were it not for the fact that she grew up with four trouble causing brothers.
Arawnn's father - Finch - supplied her name, sparing Alia from having to find her voice, leaving her to bite her lip visibly, quite unsure of what to say. Arawnn's mother whispered something to him, something she didn't quite catch wind of, but she knew it was about her, and she had the decency to flush pink somewhat, something she hadn't done it... she couldn't even remember when. She'd probably beaten up whoever'd pointed it out, though.. Actually, it seemed to make Arawnn's face turn the same colour, which made her feel a bit better. Arawnn's mother took her other hand, and she was comforted by their unhidden joy at her being there, though she couldn't figure out why it mattered so much. Surely they didn't think... Er.. Wait, from the looks of it, they did.
She was of mixed feelings when Arawnn attempted to correct the situation, taken by surprise when a hankerchief appeared from out of nowhere, powered by Tradora's hand. Eyes ever so startled, and open a slight more than usual, she stood perfectly still, shoulders hunched up a slight bit, for she was quite unused to such attention. It definitely wasn't bad, but the smile Arawnn was attempting -and unsuccessfully - to hide made her flash a glare at him. However, the shape of her mouth hinted that she didn't mind much, though she felt very out of place. Her mother didn't do this sort of thing; her mother threatened with anything she could think of until Alia made herself a smidgen more presentable. Well, less unpresentable, anyway.
The woman keep working away, her touch firm, yet gentle, leaving Alia to wonder how much dirt and soot had gathered on her face; she never really took the time to assess her appearance before going anywhere. It wasn't as she'd had any warning before coming here. Another small glare was sent Arawnn's way. He was going to get an earful. When Tradora finished, they all let go of their hold on her, and merely... looked at her. It was.. unnerving, to say the least. Cheeks tinged red, she wasn't experienced with positive reactions enough to be flattered by the attention, and merely felt... out of breath, for one thing.
"I, uh.. " she started, breaking the silence. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." She finished with a mere hint of her former confidence, arrogance gone. This had swept her completely off her feet, and she was now in unknown waters. Glancing at Arawnn's face, she noticed again the marks she'd left, and she bit her lip hard, releasing hold when she tasted the metallic blood against her taste buds.
"Sorry, I... I suppose I tend to.. overreact." She said, ending slightly dully, for 'overreacting' was an extremely mild way of phrasing it. That she tended to blow up unexpectedly might be a bit more accurate. Just a bit. The apology was directed mostly at Arawnn's parents, and it was the first time in a long time that she'd regretted something. If they didn't already know that she was the cause of his wounds, they'd certainly think her insane, now.
"'Don't let depression get you down!'? That's like saying, 'Don't let an orgasm bring you joy!'"
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 118 Location: URANUS >8D Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #50 on Oct 17, 2007, 10:23pm »
It amused Arawnn to no end, the small glares she sent his way, which only made his smile widen. His parents had already warmed to her, but he wasn't surprised. He'd actually though his mother would faint in shock.
He could see she felt uneasy under his parents' gazes, even if they weren't malicious or disappointed. He moved his hand away from his mouth, no longer trying to hide something he knew Alia could see anyway, and gauged his parents' reactions; Finch was smiling appreciatively and Tradora clapped her hands once in obvious delight.
He however, folded his arms and leaned against the wall, now getting a good look at her. She might feel as if he were taking advantage of the situation but what man wouldn't? He was 'allowed' to eye her as his parents wouldn't think it strange.
It would take days for Tradora to stop chattering about this, and he doubted the smile on Finch's face would leave him any time soon. "Oh no! The pleasure's all ours! We assure ye!" the man said happily and Tradora nodded in agreement.
It took a moment for her next words to sink in, but when they did, his parents stared at him for a moment, making his eyes dart nervously around the room, and then, Tradora laughed while Finch shook his head, chuckling.
They turned back to Alia and Tradora patted her shoulder, still chortling good-naturedly. "So yer the one responsible for gettin' Arry in'o this state! Ha! Ye did a fine job! We're not mad at ye...besides, I still remember e'ery other time he came home at midnight with cuts and bruises all o'er him coz of his street brawlin'."
At this, Arawnn looked out the window, ignoring that comment. He was always uncomfortable when someone mentioned that, never mind why.
Tradora asked Alia, suddenly concerned, 'Are ye hungry luv? Would ye li'e somethin' ter eat?" She more or less tugged Alia out into the kitchen, chattering about something-or-other. Arawnn watched them go, sighing quietly.
"She'll be a'right Arry. She's just excited coz ye finally brought a girl home, is all," Finch said, that smile still on his face. Arawnn nodded, flashed him a grin then followed the women into the kitchen.
His mother was asking Alia wanted to eat, so he took advantage of her distraction, to creep over to the pot on the stove. He lifted the lid and almost crowed at the scent of his mothers soup.
He grabbed the ladle, scooped some out, and quickly tasted it. He wasn't prepeard for how hot it was though and yelped, making his mother turn to him. He dropped the ladle on the wooden bench when Tradora frowned at him. He pointed at his scorched tongue and she sighed.
"Ma...ith's hoth," he stated, making Tradora roll her eyes at him. "Well it iz," he said indignantly. He probably looked like a child who'd gotten caught stealing a cookie out of the jar then saying the cookie had said 'Eat me!' but...oh well. He liked his mothers soup.
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Female Posts: 304 Location: THE MOON Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #51 on Oct 17, 2007, 11:25pm »
Ugh. His smile only grew when she glared at him, which wasn't at all the reaction it was supposed to have. Was he suddenly immune to her anger? That would suck.. And what was this? Now he wasn't even attempting to be discreet about it, the scoundrel. On the other hand, it made her think less of his parents being right next to her, studying her every aspect. It was weird; everyone always flinched at the sight of her, as if wondering whose life she'd ruin that day. She was used to it that way; this was just too different. Too positive, and heartfelt, even if it was completely displaced; they seemed to think she was perfect. Had they not heard of her temper? Surely it was famous in the village by now.
And now he was observing her, too. He was perfectly fine with this all, that much was clear, and he was even enjoying himself, as well, while she was the object in question. Why were men such animals? Of course, that was a question for another day. But, when her next comment, the admittance of being the reason for his somewhat battered face. It was clear as ever, having been so recent, and when he averted his gaze from his parents', she smirked to herself. Ha. So there. And.. they didn't seem to mind that she'd done it. A fine job? Wow, her mother was nothing like this.
Street brawling?
"Oh really?" She reaffirmed slowly, eyes glaring straight at Arawnn. So he was used to hand to hand fighting? Why the hell hadn't he defended himself? She hated all of these unsolved mysteries; they were beyond irritating. At least he'd taken her temper rather well, except for one incident, that had actually ended with her apologizing. And meaning it. Ugh. Of course, before she could say anything more to Arawnn about this little detail he'd casually forgotten to mention, his mother was whisking her off to the kitchen, clearly enjoying herself. She was feeling a bit more at home, having something to bug Arawnn about, and so was more easy going with his mother, the warm and bubbly Tradora.
Arawnn then trailed after, having had a moment of private with his father, sneaking around them to sample the soup that'd been prepared beforehand. Hearing him yelp like a silly child, though with a man's voice, she couldn't help but laugh at him, loud and clear, enjoying his moment of discomfort. Snickering as he pointed to his tongue and demonstrated his inability to speak properly, she teased.
"Oh come on, I bet it's not that bad," though she didn't dare repeat his mistake.
Nearing him before he could close his mouth, she glanced at his tongue, and rolled her eyes.
"It's just redder than usual. You big baby. You can stand being beaten up by a girl, but you can't endure a bit of soup? Jeez.."
She said, rolling her eyes and relishing in the moment. Of course, she wasn't completely heartless; she would've fetched cold water for him, however it wasn't her house, and she wasn't sure where anything was. Yes, Alia can be nice. Shocking, we know. "It does smell good.." she admitted wholesomely to Arawnn's mother, a hint of a sheepish smile on her face. She could almost feel the lack of soot and dirt on her face, for although she washed regularly, dirt and the like always seemed attracted to her skin, what with 'romping about like a boy' all day, as her mother phrased it when it more charitable moods. But strangely enough, she felt vaguely.. exposed, as if it'd been a sort of mask, before.
"'Don't let depression get you down!'? That's like saying, 'Don't let an orgasm bring you joy!'"
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 118 Location: URANUS >8D Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #52 on Jan 12, 2009, 11:10am »
(OMG! After...how long? Sh!te. This was really bugging me, because I hadn't responded and I just REALLY. NEEDED. TO POST THIS. Don't hate me if it sucks D8 )
Even though Arawnn had informed Tradora that he didn't want his tales of street brawling told to anyone, it seemed his mother had other ideas. It was a stage in his life he'd rather not revisit, in any shape or form (ignoring the fact that he'd been one of the best). It had been bad enough that he had gotten involved in the first place. No matter what he himself said, he had NOT enjoyed sneaking back into his bedroom, snatching some of his mother's herb-water and cleaning the cuts on his face. Split lips were the worst...
Running the tip of his finger over his scalded tongue he mock-glared at Alia who'd ribbed him for panicking over such a small injury. Tradora just laughed at the familiar way she insulted him and he harrumphed - as well as he could - before taking the cold flask of water his mother had passed him.
After he'd taken a good, long swig, he sighed "Why don't you try to eat something that delicious while it's still hot. I swear. You're all out to get me. Food, my own mother..." He rolled his eyes, smiling, showing he didn't accuse her of anything.
Arawnn "Mhm"ed in agreement to what Alia stated about his mother's soup, while Tradora beamed at the compliment. As he strode over to the other side of the kitchen to start taking utensils and bread from the shelves, his mother took out a small teaspoonful of the soup and offered it to Alia. "Try some dear. Tell me if you think it might need some more salt."
Arawnn stilled at this; something was telling him that this was some sort of test his mother had thought up. And...well, Alia wasn't a kitchen-person. From what he could tell, the soup had been missing one small dash of...his eyes zeroed in on the missing ingredient hanging on the wall near the back door - Basil.
He'd figured it wasn't quite finished, but the soup tasted good in all stages of cooking. He hadn't really noticed the lack of herb until just now. Yeah. Real perceptive. Way to go. He chewed the inside of his cheek, awaiting Alia's response.
Arawnn blinked suddenly. He realised...Alia. Was in a kitchen. A KITCHEN. Where people cooked. Food. A place dubbed as, 'Women's Territory'. It was extremely odd. Though she did look uncomfortable, it was probably just because it wasn't her house. But...it was quite endearing to see her like this.
He relaxed against the bench, folding his arms across his chest, plucking a small lump of cheese off the cutting board and nibbling on it, thinking.
(Blargraglehackrar! O_O That...sucked. Big time. XD )
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Female Posts: 304 Location: THE MOON Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #53 on Jan 12, 2009, 11:36pm »
[Holy fuck.. Over a year, apparently. and like 3 months. creepy...]
Alianora rolled her eyes at his displeasure at receiving no sympathy. It wasn't HER fault he'd been totally smart and had done that. Nope, she hadn't done anything to cause it. He had no one to blame but himself. His glare, and how it wasn't actually in angry seriousness, made her vaguely amused. Alia half hid a snicker, turning her icy blue gaze back to Arawnn's mother when she spoke, and obviously to Alia. She bit her lip, hope her hesitancy didn't show in her eyes. Her opinion? On the soup?
Alia's mother had tried SO many times to corral Alia in the kitchen in hopes of making a 'proper housewife' out of her, so of course Alia had always rebelled against such occasions. She could never remember which herb was which, but could get by if she smelled them one by one; it allowed her to single out which was the one she wanted. Trying to look normal and casual as she did it, Alia took the spoonful and savoured it in her mouth. It tasted quite wonderful; different from what her own mother's style tended to be, but still very good. Actually, she decided she liked whatever the difference was, and not just because it was a new sensation to her.
"Well.. it's no' really missin' salt.." If she HAD to add something.. What would it be? Obviously Tradora was open to suggestions, so Alia didn't feel quite as inclined to blindly say it was perfect, like so many people always wanted. But, oh, she didn't know what to add.
Although she didn't want to disappoint them - they were so nice, after all - she had to wonder what on earth had cause them to like her at all in the first place. Most everyone living in this village new her name, as they new everyone else's. However, she was a wild child, the girl romping about outside and whooping like a boy while others were learning to knit. Actually, Alia HAD learned to knit, but for the longest time her efforts had been disastrous, until cold weather had urged her to make something usable, for once. All the same, she had few desirable 'housewife' traits, and that made her something to be turned away, right there. And, if you're going to be turned away, might as well do it properly - as in, in the extreme.
Alia felt a horrid lump in her throat. She didn't know what to tell the kindly woman. "I-.. I donna know.. I can'fer the life o'me remember t'names of herbs.."
Defeat. And it didn't feel good. Not to say she quite wished she knew, for that would mean paying attention to her mother's 'cooking lessons', but still. Oh well. Everyone else had a foul image of her, so a little disappointment in the kitchen was to be expected. She only looked Tradora in the eyes once, and didn't look at Arawnn at all; he'd probably be smug about her shortcomings. On the other hand, he might not. That bothered her - not being able to tell how he'd react to something she did.
"'Don't let depression get you down!'? That's like saying, 'Don't let an orgasm bring you joy!'"
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 118 Location: URANUS >8D Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #54 on Jan 13, 2009, 12:08am »
(Jesus H. Christ. That long? ~feels bad~ )
Tradora raised an eyebrow at the younger woman's words but didn't say anything, just watching as she came to the conclusion that it needed a herb not salt.
Well, that's a start, Arawnn though, tapping his fingers lightly on the bench behind him. He watched his mother closely but couldn't glean much from her unreadable expression. She was thinking, that much was for certain, but was it good or ill against Alia?
Getting restless, Arawnn strode to the back door, and began idling with the dried herbs and spices there, picking off small, shriveled leaves and smelling them. He waved the basil gently, hoping to get Alia's attention.
Tradora herself took a quick spoonful of the soup, giving it a taste before nodding, as if she agreed with Alia. Well...of course you do, sneaky woman, Arawnn though, frowning slightly.
She ushered Arawnn out of the way of the herbs before lightly pulling Alia toward them, babbling on about them, rattling off names like, 'Parsley' and, 'Sage'. He had the feeling Alia didn't recognize many of the names, or at least the herbs that went with the names.
Why was his mother suddenly being all sneaky-like? Or maybe...it was just a way to get to know her better. Everyone knew who she was - she'd had some dramatic run-ins with most citizens. Perhaps Tradora figured she didn't know much in the way of being a good wife?
His mother had to be one of the most open-minded people he knew. She didn't seem to hold her lack of knowledge against Alia. I think she sees an opportunity to teach actually, Arawnn though with the slightest hint of a smile. Though he wasn't sure Alia would leap at the prospect of being taught... Quite certain actually, that she wouldn't want to be taught. But Tradora wasn't the kind to give up. She'd helped him retreat from the gangs of the village, after all.
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Female Posts: 304 Location: THE MOON Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #55 on Jan 13, 2009, 12:36am »
[Holy indeed. And yes. All your fault. XD jk]
Alia felt like an assessment was being gathered from this incident, and she didn't like it one bit. This wasn't really the sort of scene that would end at all okay if she just said something foul and ran off, and after all, these were Arawnn's parents! Wait, did that even make a difference? They were just more people, people who wanted to see how much of a failure at 'staying in her place' she was. But she couldn't snap at them now; she'd been admitted into their abode, had glimpsed into their humble lives and had been treated kindly.
She didn't like this feeling of being involved; it make an ungraceful retreat all the more impossible. If she liked them, cared about them at all, it would just make things different. Why had Arawnn brought her here? She mentally sighed. Oh yeah. He'd hugged her, hugged her fierce like he needed it or else he'd die, and then had brought her here. Great. So she couldn't bail just yet; she had to stick it out.
Alianora was NOT known for 'sticking it out'. Ever. This wasn't going to be fun.
Tradora, by now, had tasted the soup herself, nodded in agreement, and was now pulling Alia over to the wall opposite. She'd caught a glimpse of Arawnn holding something - an herb obviously, but she had no idea which one. How was that supposed to help her? Then again, they obviously didn't realize how kitchen-handicapped she was, she supposed. Not only had she little (successful) experience in cooking, but she couldn't name an herb without smelling it. Total failure.
She tried to keep up, tried to listen, but she had trouble staying focused; she didn't want to learn this. It was all wrong; it was steps towards that path she'd vowed to stay far away from. Lips pursed and fists clenched, she was in no danger of becoming violent, but she was definitely not having a fun time. She tried to look neutral, since looking interested already felt like a lost cause. It was strange; with her mother doing these sorts of things in the kitchen made her feel annoyed and aggravated; made her feel a need to be free and wild. But in this kitchen, with this woman, she couldn't possibly feel aggravated or anything close to aggressive. But she DID feel off; wrong. Fidgety, like she couldn't breathe, couldn't focus on trying to absorb information.
"I-.." she stuttered in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry.." she said by way of a quick excuse, before fleeing the room to get outside. She leaned against the wall in the cold fresh air and breathed deep, over and over, trying to calm her heart. How silly, to feel that helpless and uncomfortable in there! Her skin no longer felt hot and prickly and clammy at the same time, no matter that she knew it'd all been in her mind. She stared off and at the ground, one hand on her stomach like she felt sick, and the other poised halfway through running her fingers through her sooty hair.
"'Don't let depression get you down!'? That's like saying, 'Don't let an orgasm bring you joy!'"
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Male Posts: 118 Location: URANUS >8D Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #56 on Jan 13, 2009, 1:03am »
( D8 Nuuuuu!)
Arawnn could see Alia becoming more and more uncomfortable with the situation. Tradora noticed it too, but didn't try to stop Alia as she apologized and rushed out the door.
He sighed, his mother smiling reassuringly at him, lightly gesturing at the door. Arawnn nodded, and slowly made his way out after her. He shrugged as he went past Tradora and she gave him a pat on the shoulder before returning to her soup.
He opened the door slowly, so she wouldn't be alarmed, stepping out into the frigid air. Surprised by how cold it'd gotten he rubbed his arms and hunched over slightly, before turning to the mildly distraught young woman he had the pleasure of knowing.
"Alia? Why did you come out here? It's cold," he asked softly, taking a few more hesitant steps toward her. She'd looked so out of place in the kitchen, but he hadn't realized it'd affected her this much. He cleared his throat and stood next to her, leaning back against the wall, before looking down at her again.
She really did look like she was about to have a panic attack... He lightly rested an arm on her shoulder, pressing gently into his coat that she was still wearing. "Alia. Look at me."
He used the same tone as when he had apologized to her the day before, a firm command that she listen to what he said. "It was just one of my mother's ways of getting to know you. She wasn't going to scowl or scorn you if you didn't know. It's a bit...backward, the way my mother works. But she didn't mean you ill."
He stood in front of her, petting her hair, taking the hand that was running shakily through it and clasping it softly in one hand. He kept calm hoping she would as well. He didn't like seeing her like this. At all. It was too out of character. Too...open. But he didn't begrudge her for it.
Joined: Dec 2006 Gender: Female Posts: 304 Location: THE MOON Karma: 8,388,607
Re: Past and Present (Parker duh) « Reply #57 on Jan 13, 2009, 1:30am »
Alia felt awful. She knew she wasn't going to be sick, wasn't going to faint or anything, but still, to feel so physically terrible after just being shown some herbs. She was the completely polar opposite of 'nerves of steel', it seemed. She knew she didn't handle things well, but she'd been okay with that; she'd been used to people not liking her much; almost took a sort of pride in it. Inside that kitchen she'd just come out of, she hadn't felt like she was about to explode - she'd felt worse, if anything. To feel so weak, and in front of nice people.. how embarrassing.
Not exactly the tough image she'd been building up and keeping erect like a shield. She didn't even hardly know how to react. It was only a moment before she saw Arawnn from the corner of her eye, next to her and then in front. Her gaze was distant, to the right and beyond him, jaw half clenched, heart only gradually slowing. She ignored his comment on the temperature; almost couldn't answer. He said to look at him, and she did for a moment, but felt like she couldn't linger on his eyes. Too nice; he was being too nice. He was like.. apologizing to her, like he'd done before, and she was still not used to it. How could she be? She was usually the wrong doer, or at least always the one told to apologize. Spitefully, she tended to refuse.
Arawnn was touching her hair, she looked at him now, eyes hard and glaring, as if trying to get up the image she usually had. "What're you doing?" Her voice sounded weird to her own ears. Not quite croaky, but definitely not as steady as she'd wanted to sound. A bit of shakiness to it, maybe.
"Alia? ALIANORA?!"
Cue Bryce's enter on stage left..
Alia's mind froze, her gaze snapping to the oldest brother closest to her age. She instinctively shoved Arawnn away, trying to look as normal as possible, but her brother new her well. She could see it on his face - alarm to concern to rage.
"You! Whot did yeh do to 'er?!"
Oh crap.
"Bryce! There you are!" she feigned, trying to distract him. "Ma said she wos lookin fer ya." She looked at him hard until he noticed, and she took the opportunity to start leading him away before his mind got too set on doing something to Arawnn. "Come on, I t'ink she's pissed about t'e hogs getting out agin.." Bryce actually listened a bit to this; his expression turned into a scowl, and he glared at Arawnn before reluctantly being dragged away. The hogs were his responsibility, and well, he felt being part of the little rebellion was way more important.
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