|
|
Post by DesperateDark on Aug 13, 2009 12:43:47 GMT -5
Note: Apologies for the brain-frying title, it will probably happen again.
About a month and a half had passed since the insanity that was Oceana, Reyes' cookies and Aras' house. Aurelia, for the most part, had done her best to try and avoid Aras and the embarrassment that would inevitably come along with it. Being such a small town and living in general proximity to each other didn't help much, however, and she occasionally had to say hello to him on the streets and make small talk when they happen to wander into the same store as each other. Other then that, she would slip out of sight when she saw he was around and pretend not to hear him once or twice.
It was also inevitable that one morning, after she had woken up at Reyes' house from a cold spring night, that she found she had a missed call on her phone. Aurelia didn't bother to check it right away, and went about her daily routine about Reyes' house, which included checking the stitches on her brow. Reyes, or more like his caribou talisman, had kicked her in the face when Reyes asked her to put something on his head, which resulted in a trip to the clinic and stitches along her eyebrow. That'll do, caribou, that'll do.
She didn't have to play housewife at his place, since Reyes never really slept. He had somniphobia, meaning he was scared of sleep, which, in turn, made him an insomniac. How he managed to stay so cheerful without sleep was beyond her; Reyes never took any pills and rarely drank coffee.
After a breakfast of bacon and skittles pancakes--thank you Reyes, I can now taste the greasy rainbow--she finally got around to checking her phone. It was a number she didn't recognize, but she had an idea of who it was. Aurelia decided to not call back; she would rather avoid the awkwardness anyways.
But that didn't sit well with the person on the other end, and whoever it was called back an hour or two later. She picked it up without looking, and the first thing she heard was Mr. Aras Duval as she tried to organize Reyes' Mozart music. Being distracted as she was, she just kept going "uh-huh" and "yep" to everything he said, and only after she hung up did she realize that she had agreed to see him over a coffee.
"Who was that?" Reyes voice came from the kitchen where he was cleaning up.
"Nobody."
"Don't lie, I know it was somebody." A pause. "So you're going out later?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Because it was somebody!"
Aurelia only rolled her eyes and continued to sort all the music laying around, from Mozart to theme music to old rock and everywhere in between. She even found music for a few instruments the Japanese man didn't play, one of which being the piano. Around two p.m. she realized it was about fifteen minutes until her rendezvous with Mr. Duval, got her coat and began to head out.
"Wait!" Before she got to turn around to see what Reyes wanted, a brown paper bag sailed through the air and hit her in the back of the head--like she needed more stitches anyways. "Give this to whoever you're seeing, and be safe!" Reyes called from his doorway before closing the bright red painted door. Oh Reyes and his gift baskets.
So, on this sunny afternoon, with a brown paper bag in her hand, she made her way to The Nine Muses Cafe to see Mr. Aras Duval. Aurelia could only hope that his neighbours weren't there too.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 13, 2009 16:52:30 GMT -5
He would have taken Aurelia up on her offer for coffee earlier, but it was clear that neither of them had any great love for the cold. Aurelia in particular seemed to have a great antipathy towards it; her systems had seemed on the verge of shutting down that winter night. Asking her to step outside when the temperature was in the single-digit range might result in him being on the receiving end of another backhand the next time they came face-to-face.
They'd passed each other on the streets a couple of times since, exchanging not much more than a perfunctory greeting. Each time, Aurelia had seemed quite reluctant to get a conversation going; once, Aras was almost certain that she ignored him intentionally. Given the events of their first meeting, he found it difficult to hold it against her. (The Lorentzes were still occasionally giving him odd looks when they passed each other in the corridor.)
He'd called her on a whim this morning, after searching through the pockets of several coats for the scrap of paper with her number, and again a couple hours later when she didn't pick up the first time. She'd recognized his voice immediately but seemed quite distracted. Although her responses were positive, by the time they hung up, he wasn't quite sure if she had actually heard a word he'd said.
Nevertheless, he found himself standing outside the Nine Muses Cafe that afternoon, leaning against the wall and sweeping his gaze up and down the street. Every time someone pushed open the door of the cafe, gentle music and the smell of freshly-ground coffee drifted out into the air. Though Aras had felt the remnants of the winter chill this morning, they had quickly dissipated as the sunlight warmed the air. By afternoon, the weather was comfortably cool, and he had only needed to throw on a light jacket before heading out.
Spying Aurelia walking up the street, a paper bag in hand, he straightened up and waved.
|
|
|
|
Post by DesperateDark on Aug 13, 2009 18:51:26 GMT -5
Walking up the street towards the cafe, she swept her gaze around to take in the sights. People were beginning to plant flowers in their windows and the plants were coming back to life. It was nice, really, as soon as all the brown and yellow grass would disappear. She was thinking about all this, the plants and fauna, until suddenly her talisman did the mental equivalent of shrieking in her ears by going; Turn around, turn around! Oh for the love of Buddha, turn around and go back to Reyes' house![/b]
"What!?" She actually asked out loud and, being so startled, tripped over her own shoes and nearly fell face-first into the pavement. It was only after she had straightened herself out did she see why her talisman had started screaming. Aras was standing by the door of The Nine Muses Cafe and waving at her. By the way her talisman was shrieking, it was as if instead of waving, Aras was going to throw a hand-grenade.
Aurelia paused for a moment before heading towards him anyways, much to the revulsion of her talisman. She had agreed to come, so she would. And she felt a bit guilty about ignoring him so many times on the streets in the past few weeks.
"Afternoon, Mr. Duval." She nodded at him once she came close enough to smell the coffee every time the door opened. "Here, Reyes told me to give this to 'whoever I was going to see'." She handed him the brown paper bag and couldn't help but think that it might have been those bacon-skittles pancakes he had given her to eat that morning. The bottom of the bag was beginning to become spotted with oil. Wow, she felt sorry for him already.
Aurelia held open the door for him with one hand before heading inside and upstairs herself. The air was crisp, but still warm, so she decided that they might as well sit on the balcony. Her talisman continued to hassle her about it, still thinking that Aras was, indeed, a pervert and that she should avoid him at all costs. She had gotten over that incident a bit ago, but her talisman clearly had not.
Quickly picking out an empty table, Aurelia sat down and waited for Aras to do the same. The place was busy, since it was a Saturday and nearly none of the regular citizens had work going on. The menus didn't come along for a while, but she didn't mind. With any luck, today wasn't going to end up like a month and a half ago at Oceana.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 13, 2009 21:28:53 GMT -5
Aurelia didn't catch sight of him right away, but before he could call out to her, she gave a start, tripped, and practically kissed the sidewalk. While the sidewalk may have appreciated the gesture, she certainly didn't look too pleased as she got to her feet. The vulture snickered, which immediately earned it a sharp reprimand from Aras for being a sadist.
Despite her fall, she looked unhurt--though her dignity might have taken a bit of a beating. Upon closer inspection, she seemed to have gotten stitches on her eyebrow sometime in the recent past, obviously not from the close brush with the cement.
Whatever it was, she deser--
Oh, shut up. His talisman sulked.
Aras graciously accepted the bag she handed him, managing not to make a face--with appreciable success--when he discovered the origins of the contents. "Tell him I said 'thank you,'" he said evenly. He'd put off for as long as possible finding out what exactly was in the bag.
He raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised, when she greeted him by last name. "Why the formality?" Then, with a bit of a smile: "I think I preferred it when you couldn't get my first name right."
He followed her upstairs and onto the balcony. The chairs and tables were warm with sunlight, the atmosphere pleasant, if a tad busy. Spying an empty table near the railing, they quickly claimed it. While they waited for their menus, the vulture had begun to grumble again about how it trusted Aurelia as much as it would trust a shark in the midst of a feeding frenzy, and why the hell had he called her in the first place, it had been a perfectly fine day.
"So how've you been? And what happened...?" He gestured vaguely at his own eyebrow.
|
|
|
|
Post by DesperateDark on Aug 13, 2009 22:21:34 GMT -5
"Alright then," Aurelia gazed off into the distance for a minute before refocusing on Aras. She then tried to remember his name, but to no avail and she had to settle for guessing until he actually told her his name. She would then write it down on her wrist and try to remember. "I know it starts with an A, so... Alex? Andre?" Probably all wrong, but she would make an effort.
"So how've you been? And what happened...?" He motioned at his own eyebrow, which in turn made her trace a line along the stitching in hers.
"Reyes threw a granola bar at me and I couldn't catch it on time. Ended up smacking me in the face." Lies![/b] Her talisman shrieked almost melodramatically. Is that all you got? Flying killer granola bars!? She rolled her eyes inwardly at her talisman, but she knew that a granola bar causing enough damage to require stitches was mostly implausible. But then again, Reyes had a good throwing arm and his granola bars could be used as paperweights. But it certainly beat then telling Aras that Reyes' talisman had kicked her in the face any day.
"I've been fine enough, avoiding the cold, getting injured and the likes." Then with a bit of wryness: "I half expected to see you back at Reyes' house sooner." Of course, Aurelia didn't blame him at all for not wanting to go back to Reyes' house within the past month and a half. The man probably just needed to give his sanity some rest before he would throw it out the window once again.
"And how about you?" Aurelia asked as she absent-mindedly ran her finger along the rim of her glass of water, making a melodious squeaking sound. It was a habit of hers, along with rubbing her knuckles when she got nervous. "What trouble have you been getting in and out of lately?"
And now you get up, get going and never see him again. Her talisman poked at her mentally, forcing her to tilt her head to the side that didn't hurt so much from the jabbing. Her komodo had already made it abundantly clear that he didn't like Aras, and advised her to feel the same.
The menus came at last, along with a smiling waitress that reminded her of Reyes, oddly. She had recently ate breakfast--again, thank you Reyes for the greasy rainbow--so decided against eating anything more. Aurelia much preferred raw meat anyways.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 14, 2009 19:21:23 GMT -5
"Aras," he corrected for what would probably be the first of many times in the near future. He didn't particularly mind; it was amusing, and almost a bit endearing. The vulture just rolled its eyes, though for whom the action was meant was unclear.
At her explanation of her injury, he laughed. Liar! his talisman hissed, unknowingly echoing Aurelia's talisman. Does she really expect us to believe that ridiculous story? She can't come up with anything better? Implausible as it was, Aras decided to play along anyway, doing his best to keep the vulture's opinion out of the conversation. "What, did he make it himself? Out of rocks?"
His smile turned a bit rueful when she brought up the idea of visiting Reyes' house once again. Surprisingly, his talisman had little objection to the idea--As long as she's not there, it grunted--and not for the first time did he wonder if his spirit guide really did have his best interests at heart. It didn't seem too concerned about the soundness of his mind.
"I barely escaped with my sanity intact last time. I needed a break." Maybe it would be better if he visited at an hour that wasn't past midnight. Or maybe that would only mean that Reyes would have even more energy than he'd had that night.
Now that was a scary thought.
"I've been fine. Staying out of trouble, for the most part." The Elders had their hands full with some newly-arrived reinforcements, or so he'd heard. Whatever the reason, he found himself with the time to laze on the couch with a novel or two. "Can't wait until the spring weather finally sets in, though." A brief interruption as their waitress brought the menus. Aras glanced over it quickly before settling on just a latte; he wasn't feeling too hungry.
Curiosity got the better of him. "What's in here?" he asked, tapping the brown paper bag, which had been shoved to the edge of the table. He would have taken a look, but he knew full well that a visual of Reyes' cooking wasn't even half the story. Hopefully, Aurelia would let him know just what he was getting into if he ever decided to open the bag.
|
|
|
|
Post by DesperateDark on Aug 14, 2009 20:50:38 GMT -5
Okay, so now she knew his name was, in fact, Aras Duval. Now all she needed to do was keep that in memory and it would be smooth sailing. Good luck with that, Aurelia was never good with English names anyways. Then when she explained her injury, he laughed at her, either for her stupid injury or at her in general. Probably at you. She ignored her komodo and took note of his laugh; positive sign. ”What, did he make it himself? Out of rocks?”
“I wouldn’t run that past Reyes. You’d be surprised at what the man puts in his food.” And she wouldn’t be too surprised if Reyes did slip a few rocks in it to aid digestion or something of the sort. Those so-called granola bars were like bricks that could probably cause much damage multiple parts of the anatomy.
“Hm, good.” She nodded absently; trying to listen to him as her talisman once again began to rant about how he didn’t trust him. Her talisman lived in her head, so it was pretty hard to ignore. “I like the warm weather; you’ve already seen the results of the cold. Really sorry about your ear, by the way.” Yes, she remembered the incident that involved her machete nearly sexing up his ear.
Aras questioned what was in the paper bag while tapping at it gently, and even Aurelia had to admit that she didn’t know what it housed. “I have no idea, I didn’t open it. Probably leftover breakfast for you, though.” A pause as she took a sidelong glance at said bag. “Bacon-skittles pancakes… Or a granola bar, most likely.” Or some more of those cookies. But she didn’t say that out loud, of course not.
The smiley waitress brought out their drinks; a latte for Aras and a mug of tea for her, coffee and tea, black and white, opposites. Aurelia took a sip and tried to decide whether the throbbing in her head was her talisman poking at her or the stitches. Both, probably.
“So,” another sip and a pause. The drink itself was fine, but it was more of the warmth that she sought, being the komodo dragon that she was. “Long time no see. You haven’t exactly changed since the last time I saw you. Hair grew out a bit, dyed it pink and blue.” Of course, the last bit was just her random musings again—habitual, once you lived around a man like Reyes for long enough.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 15, 2009 0:29:08 GMT -5
She was responding to his remarks and inquiries, but Aurelia seemed somewhat... distracted as she spoke. Part of her mind was elsewhere--not that the same couldn't be said of Aras. Despite his requests that it stop, the vulture continued to rail at Aurelia, continuously warning him that she might have her machete on her at this very moment. It was getting rather difficult to concentrate with a voice in his head spouting advice nonstop, especially when this advice all dealt with not trusting the woman with whom he was trying to hold a decent conversation.
Probably plotting ways to get back at you, that's why she isn't paying attention...
When she apologized for the incident, his talisman snorted skeptically. "It's still attached, isn't it?" Aras said with a shrug and a grin. If he hadn't gone unscathed, he wouldn't have brushed the matter aside with such nonchalance. Since he had, however, it was possible to look back on it with a sense of humor, which was better than holding a grudge (though the vulture plainly disagreed). Hopefully, Aurelia thought the same way, and if he ever mentioned walking in on her again, her immediate reaction would not be to go for her machete.
Are you kidding? The moment she finds an excuse, she'll pull that thing out on you again. Really, you should...
Aurelia hazarded a couple of guesses as to the contents of the paper bag, and Aras decided against opening it until sometime later. When he was bored, perhaps, and in need of some form of entertainment. Still, he eyed the bag with a healthy amount of trepidation.
...and she put you in a headlock. You can't forget that...
By this point, he wanted very dearly to knock his talisman upside the head. But all he could do right now was drink his coffee and ignore the vulture to the best of his ability.
...and you have to admit she--hey, are you even listening? Pay attention! The vulture pecked him, hard.
Aras literally winced. "Sorry. I, ah, have a headache," he explained, aware of how terribly lame that sounded. "It's strange; I didn't have it this morning, but..." He trailed off, taking a few seconds to regain his composure and to promise himself he would find some way to get back at his talisman for this.
|
|
|
|
Post by DesperateDark on Aug 15, 2009 11:36:58 GMT -5
Okay, how about this? Pull your machete out, and if he runs, you never see him again. A man that’s good for you should be brave, correct?[/b] She couldn’t believe how ridiculous that suggestion from her talisman was. Of course he would run. In fact, if she pulled out her machete now, she’d clear the whole café.
She narrowly noticed how Aras grimaced and told her that he had a headache and it was strange because it wasn’t there this morning. Her own headache was beginning to set in, thanks to her komodo’s jabbing, but she decided not to mention it. “Oh…” She looked at him for a moment, and her talisman immediately caught on.
No! No no no! I do not approve of this![/b] He hissed violently, jabbing at her over and over again. But Aurelia didn’t particularly care at the moment, and if her talisman was going to report back to her parents, then so be it.
“Here,” Aurelia leaned forward, took Aras’ head in both her hands and began to rub his temples. Yes, she had been ‘Americanized’, according to her talisman, siblings and family back in Vietnam, but she still retained some form of her old ways to fall back on.
She tried not twitch and jab Aras in the eye, but it was harder said then done with the way her talisman was screaming at her to stop. Though his face wasn’t exactly pulled close to hers, she was still a bit self-conscious at their proximity. Then again, it could’ve been her talisman influencing that.
“Better?” Aurelia pulled away at last, though still watched him as she tugged her fingers one by one, each of them making an audible cracking noise. Her fingers went stiff every time after doing that, but she did it often for Reyes, whom had frequent headaches. It worked for him, or the Japanese man was just being polite. If it was the latter, then she had just discovered a whole new level of embarrassing.
Which reminded her…
“So…” She glanced at him over the rim of her cup of tea, trying to break the tension. “How’re the neighbours?”
Truth be told, she didn’t know him all that well. In fact, she barely knew anything past that his name was Aras Duval, he was a man, they shared a common dislike of the cold and that her talisman hated him with a passion.
Maybe it was just out of spite to her talisman, or maybe she herself just wanted to make a friend that wasn’t completely off their rocker, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to get to know Aras better.
Her talisman disagreed.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 15, 2009 18:25:11 GMT -5
Comprehension dawned on Aurelia's face, as if she knew the exact cause of his headache. And she very well might have. She probably had a talisman of her own--See? You know nothing about her, besides that she has a machete and knows how to use it, the vulture hissed--though Aras had not really thought to ask. Now that he thought about it, her peculiar hatred for the cold (which transcended even his) might be a side-effect of having a talisman. Something native to the tropics, perhaps, or a reptile of sorts.
"Here," she said, leaning forward, and before he could determine her intentions she had placed her hands on either side of his head and was massaging his temples. The gesture was entirely unexpected, and Aras nearly jerked away when the vulture began to screech its opposition.
He told the vulture to stuff it. It didn't.
So he forced himself to relax, concentrating on the cool touch of Aurelia's fingers, trying not to feel too self-conscious about the contact. Anyone on the balcony who noticed them might assume they were together, but he didn't mind; as long as there was no-one they recognized, they would be spared some social mortification. At least, he hoped that there were no familiar faces on the balcony right now.
"Better?" Aurelia leaned back again, cracking her knuckles habitually.
Aras found that he was indeed better. Whether that was a result of Aurelia's efforts or because the vulture was too busy delivering its tirade to peck at him, he did not know. Nevertheless, he nodded. "Thanks."
Another awkward pause, during which his talisman advised him to get up and leave. She's just trying to lull you into a false sense of security. Next time, you'll find yourself-- Aurelia was speaking again, inquiring after the neighbors.
"Sleeping better at night." Aras gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Mrs. Lorentz still occasionally gives me weird looks, Mr. Lorentz pretends to have forgotten about the incident, and their kids are still completely--" another jab from the vulture, another wince from him-- "clueless."
He decided he had had enough. "Sorry about that, but..." He tapped a finger to his skull. "I'll be honest with you. She won't leave me alone."
The vulture practically screamed at him.
|
|
|
|
Post by DesperateDark on Aug 15, 2009 23:55:20 GMT -5
Once she had finished up rubbing his temples and asked him if he felt better, he nodded his thanks. Well, that was alright then, at least it worked. She couldn’t help a nervous chuckle as well when he told her how the neighbours were doing. Hopefully, she would never find herself having to face the Lorentzes again. “I’m still really sorry about all that.”
He suddenly flinched before speaking again. "Sorry about that, but..." Aras gently tapped the side of his head with a finger. "I'll be honest with you. She won't leave me alone."
That kinky bastard![/b] Her talisman shrieked louder then she had ever heard it and gave her a hard jab right behind her left eye. This, in turn, made her gasp in surprise and inhale a mouthful of hot liquids she preferred not to have in her lungs. Aurelia put her mug down, turned away slightly and coughed into the side of her fist until she felt like she could breathe properly again.
“Uh… Excuse me, she?” Aurelia raised an eyebrow inquisitively. Her komodo, on the other hand, began to rant once again. You see what I am speaking of? You know nothing about him! I say kill him, just in case he’s an Innocent sent to eliminate you.[/b] “I’m sorry; I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She kept her body language relaxed, but her eyes forward and trained on him. Okay, so he had a talisman too, and that was a fact. Or he had an imaginary girlfriend that lived in his head, but Aurelia was more inclined to believe the former. And, of course, there was the complication of figuring out where his alliance was.
“Who is this ‘she’ that lives in your head?” Taking another sip of her tea, more calmly this time. Ah, why did Aras have to complicate such a careful conversation? Aurelia was anything but an actor, so she knew she couldn’t keep up the semblance for too long before it went sour.
“Unless, being honest, you’re talking about…” No, oh no, don’t you dare! More sharp jabs rained down inside her head, but she did her best to keep a calm face. Aurelia leaned forward again, mouthing the word slowly but deliberately.
Talisman
|
|
|
|
Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 16, 2009 18:21:55 GMT -5
Hoping it wasn't he who caused Aurelia to ungracefully inhale her tea, Aras waited for her to clear her airway while the vulture continued to shriek at him. The diatribe involved more than a few obscenities, though he wasn't sure whether they were directed at him or at the woman sitting across from him. Probably both, with the insults of the 'hopeless idiot' nature meant for him and the 'crazy bitch' sort meant for Aurelia.
“Uh… Excuse me, she?” Aurelia gave him a look that either meant she was mildly confused or thought he had lost it completely but was being polite. “I’m sorry; I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
For a moment, he thought he'd made a mistake. How embarrassing would it be if Aurelia truly had no idea and thought he'd assigned genders to the voices in his head? The vulture was substantially more pleased about this than he was. Now that she thinks you've gone off the deep end--which you have, by the way--this would be the perfect time to leave. Get up, walk down the stairs, and never see her again. Go. Now. It made as if to stab him again, and Aras had to consciously stop himself from flinching.
Aurelia brought her face closer to his, a meaningful look in her eye, appearing far calmer than he felt. With such an air of secrecy about her, the reflex to lean forward was only natural. She mouthed a single word--but that was all they needed.
Talisman.
Aras looked her in the eye and nodded. There; the secret was out, and he would find out sooner or later whether or not he'd made a foolish move.
|
|
|
|
Post by DesperateDark on Aug 16, 2009 21:05:02 GMT -5
Aras looked her in the eyes, and she returned the gaze with equal evenness. A slight pause, as if time had been stuck still, before he gave a single nod of his head. Talisman, yes. He must be an Innocent, he's too mild to be a proper Hunter![/b] Her talisman riled up once again, making suggestions and hurling insults of the 'you idiot!' selection.
Then descended a long, contemplative silence between the two of them. Aurelia didn't know whether there was really nothing else to say, or that neither of them knew how to go about the topic. She could have taken a guess at his talisman, but knowing what little she did about him, even that was a shot in the dark.
Alright, Aurelia-cakes, enough social time. Get up, get going. Now.[/b] A sharp jab to the back of her skull, and she actually found herself standing up under her komodo's influences. There was a moment of hesitation; trying to decide whether to leave right now, or sit back down.
Aurelia sat back down, and her talisman hissed, giving her a number of hardy stabs in her skull for doing so. She flinched physically this time and wondered if there was such a thing as a mental bruise. "And I'll be honest with you." Her lips curled up into a slightly playful half-smile, though it seemed a bit stiff. Maybe she should stop trying to force smiles. "He won't leave me alone. We have something in common then, other then hatred of the cold."
Her talisman swore, then said something akin to "That's it, I'm leaving you!". Aurelia actually found that a bit amusing, since she and her komodo knew perfectly well that they couldn't be separated--Reyes had tried and failed in that endeavour. He hated his caribou and vice versa, so it'd probably be better if they were separated.
She took advantage of the brief quiet in her mind to sum up the things she knew about Aras. And, upon closer inspection, she found that his eyes were, indeed, hazel and not brown like she had originally thought. No idea how that was important, but she took what she could.
"Will this be awkward from now on?" Another sip of her tea before and after asking her rather brusque question. It was then that her talisman jumped right back in and said that it was always awkward and always will be.
Sadly, and her talisman knew this full well and began saying so, if Aras did turn out to be an Innocent, then Aurelia might be assigned to hunt him down eventually. She sincerely hoped that would never happen, but if it did, then it was too bad. He's a nice guy, anyways.
|
|
|
|
Post by Aras|Ofelia on Aug 17, 2009 1:24:42 GMT -5
A prolonged and thoughtful silence settled between them, each left his or her speculations. There was, unavoidably, the ever-present question of where the other's loyalties lay. Neither was naive enough to expect a straight answer to a direct inquiry. Aras' only clue was that Aurelia was close friends with Reyes; however, Reyes was the type to make friends with anybody, regardless of allegiance, so their friendship could hardly even be considered a clue at all.
Without warning, Aurelia got to her feet. Aras looked up at her, startled--and not to mention a bit taken aback. He couldn't blame her if she wanted to leave, though; she (and her talisman) had probably deemed it unwise to continue the conversation. Seems like she has more sense than you do. The vulture again. Let her go. And then we'll have to watch our backs for the next several weeks, thanks to your stupidity.
As reluctant as he was to agree with his talisman, letting Aurelia go seemed the best course of action. He was about to bid her a casual farewell when she sat back down again. She flinched much in the same way he had before she spoke. "And I'll be honest with you." A smile--a tad forced, but a smile nonetheless. "He won't leave me alone. We have something in common then, other then hatred of the cold."
The vulture hollered several threats at Aurelia's talisman, though of course Aras was the only one who could hear any of it. He could swear that his spirit's seething animosity could be felt by Aurelia's, and vice versa, which in no way helped matters. For one reason or another, their talismans seemed to have already established a deep hatred for the other.
At her question, he just grinned. "I can't imagine anything more awkward than meeting my neighbors that morning. So yes, it might be, but we've survived worse."
Wrapping his fingers around the coffee mug, he stared off into the distance for a few moments, smile fading, trying not to consider the possibility that they were on opposing sides. Things were complicated enough as it was. The safest bet would be to part ways and never voluntarily meet up again, but Aras found that he disliked that idea almost as much as the vulture liked it.
"How the hell does Reyes manage it?" he mused, bringing his gaze back to his companion. "He doesn't seem to distrust anyone--even complete strangers."
|
|
|
|
Post by DesperateDark on Aug 17, 2009 12:04:21 GMT -5
Aras grinned and brought up the neighbours once again, and she only shrugged with the slight smile still lingering on her features. She watched as Aras began to stare absently off into the distance, the grin waning from his face. It could be helped, she supposed; now that they were both wary. So much for finding a friend that wasn’t crazy. Humans were social creatures, and despite Aurelia’s closed nature, she still liked to make a friend or two once in a while.
"How the hell does Reyes manage it?" he Aras brought his attention back to her. "He doesn't seem to distrust anyone--even complete strangers."
Aurelia pulled her hat down a bit and lowered her gaze to her mug of tea, lips pressed into another flat line. She didn’t know how much Aras really knew about Reyes, and she didn’t know how much Reyes wanted him to find out, so she kept if vague. “The guy had and has it really tough, so I guess he wants to give chances to everyone.”
Despite wanting to think that Reyes told her everything like he claimed he did, Aurelia knew he lied. He was a happy sort of person, but it got hard to tell when the smiles were genuine and when they were pasted on. As for his trust, she didn’t have the faintest clue.
No time to feel sorry for yourself, keep on your toes.[/b] Poke, poke. “Aish…” Aurelia’s talisman poked at her once again, but this time causing her brow to twitch slightly. This, in turn, pulled her stitches. Thankfully they were just small and would heal quickly, but that is if her talisman would stop pulling them.
“How long have we been here?” Aurelia glanced at her phone to catch the time. As soon as she took it out of her pocket, the phone suddenly began to ring and startled her. She fumbled with it for a second before she took a firm grip on it. "Excuse me for a minute." Aurelia turned away from her companion as she picked up the phone.
"Hello?" A pause, then her brow knit in frustration only five seconds into the call. "Partner? Why would I need a..." A long, awkward pause as she looked back up at Aras. Scepticism was probably the only word to describe her expression as she quickly finished up the call.
Aurelia got up, pulled her hat farther over her eyes, shoved her hands in her pockets and said: "Hey, partner."
|
|
