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Post by Darvin on Jan 16, 2011 16:23:37 GMT -5
Glancing down at Evelie, he almost began a step back. Almost. He felt her fingers touch his face. "Six. Borel, the son, and four others."
After a moment, he squeezed her hand, slightly, though his taut muscles betrayed greater restraint. "Borel," he finally spoke, calmly, taking a step forward. He released her hand, and half-glanced back at her, "A moment, my lady."
The man turned, frowning, "Ah. D'vin. You're rather far from the Weyr, aren't you? I suppose it's not as much of an issue for you, without a dragon to tend to, any longer, is it?" He chuckled, softly, his tone light, conversational. "We all, of course, feel great sympathy for your loss." His tone carried, with those words, a weight of sincerity, which rang false beside his earlier words. "The boy has made false accusations against me. You, of course, know how important it can be to quell dissent, don't you? You must, to keep such a great beast in harness for so long. I doubt you, of all people, have forgotten such an important lesson." He took a half-step, diagonally, away from the boy, and toward D'vin - Not straight toward him, but at an angle. The shift in the group's focus was immediate.
"You are correct," D'vin commented, his tone icy. The muscles stood taut on his arms, as he fought to maintain control in face of Borel's insults. "My position gives me plenty of room to wander about as I would like. Strength," he paused, briefly, watching the man carefully, "Is less an issue of force, than of persuasion."
"But without threat of force to strengthen one's words, words are only that, are they not?"
"Threat of reward, I think, is perhaps better."
Borel laughed, quietly; A low, mocking sound. "Do you, then, think you would be... Better suited to lead than perhaps I?" He raised a brow, his expression one of innocent curiosity, though he couldn't keep the mocking expression from reaching his eyes.
Against the wall, the boy took a slow step back, and then another, beginning to back away from the group. Little notice was made. Their eyes were on D'vin. Some mocking, some amused, some outright hostile.
D'vin wavered, and calmly took one step aside, glancing back at Evelie. He stepped closer to her, and then turned, to fully face Borel. Inwardly, he fought, torn with indecision. By the time he turned fully to face Borel, however, the decision was made. Uneasily, but made.
"That is correct. I believe that even I would make a more fit leader than you, Borel. What the Weyr needs," he paused, intently locking gazes with the other man, "Is a strong leader, and a wise one, both."
A dissenting voice in the small group repeated, "A strong leader," with a slight hint of irony, "And a wise one, both."
Borel half-glanced back at his group of men, and gestured sharply. They followed him, turning like a school of fish, following him as he stalked down an adjoining hallway. Without another look, the Lord Holder's son quickly took off in another direction, with barely a grateful glance back. His grateful expression, however, was tinged with something... Else. Fear? Respect? Hostility? All of them, perhaps, at once.
And then the gravity of his own words pulled at his core, sinking into the pit of his stomach.
When he took Evelie's hand, his palms had a faint sheen of sweat, "... To the kitchens, then, my lady?" His tone was soft, distracted, though his grip was firm, but gentle.
Tag: Evelie
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Post by Evelie on Jan 16, 2011 23:07:27 GMT -5
Evelie nervously stayed put as she felt D’vin step forward. She wanted to tell him to be careful, but said nothing. It wouldn’t have helped.
Her eyes widened at Borel’s greeting, stunned at the phrase ‘without a dragon’. She hadn’t known D’vin had lost his dragon. Her heart instantly went out to him, while simultaneously hardening toward Borel’s false sincerity. The man was infuriatingly insulting. Her hackles rose at Borel’s mocking laugh.
"Do you, then, think you would be... Better suited to lead than perhaps I?"
I certainly do, Evie thought - then she realized how serious the question was. Her heart pounded hard against her chest as she waited for D’vin’s answer, tense. The hostility that emanated from some of the men was less than reassuring.
"That is correct...”
Evie took the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. As she heard many footsteps walking away, her thoughts idly wandered to the fate of the Lord Holder’s son, but assumed he had done the sensible thing and left while he had the chance, since she hadn’t heard anything from him during the formidable exchange. Whatever brief concern she felt for the boy was banished by her intense solicitude for D'vin.
“To the kitchens, then, my lady?”
She nodded, worried as she felt the sweat on his palms and heard the distraction in his voice. An onslaught of questions filled her mind, but instead she gently rested her head on his shoulder for a moment as they walked, wordlessly offering her support.
Tag: D’vin
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Post by Darvin on Jan 17, 2011 22:16:33 GMT -5
He gently released her hand, and placed it around her waist, his other hand reaching to take up her own.
He frowned, deeply, lost in thought, his feet taking him wordlessly toward the rich scent of delicious foods, and the spicy-sweet scent of Klah.
As they neared the kitchen, D'vin sighed, softly, and gave an amused chuckle. "Thank you, Ev." He squeezed her hand, softly. "I'm going to enjoy my time here, I think."
Tag: Evelie
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Post by Evelie on Jan 19, 2011 15:35:18 GMT -5
Evie grinned at the comfortable feel of his hand around her. As they walked, the scene she’d just witnessed kept running through her mind, her curiosity barely held in check. She hardly noticed the smell of the kitchens until D’vin’s chuckle brought her out of her thoughts.
"I'm going to enjoy my time here, I think."
She blushed a little. “I hope so. It will be nice to be able to spend more time with you.” Her free hand automatically lifted to feel for the entrance - an awkward experience, as she had no idea how close they were. She’d been relying on another person for once, instead of her solid and unchanging walls.
Shells, I’m starting to think of them as my walls now.
She lowered her hand with a small sigh. “When you enter, there should be a small table to the right and a little out of the way. I don’t usually have to worry about running into anyone over there.” And the fact that it is out of the way means we can talk with a little more privacy, she thought.
Tag D’vin
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Post by Darvin on Jan 20, 2011 12:42:40 GMT -5
He nodded, slightly, then cleared his throat with a slight chuckle, "Alright, then." He guided her forward, through the middle of the entrance, and a couple drudges paused to let them pass. He looked over to his left, and slowly led her toward the table. He looked over to the kitchens, and gestured with a nod of his head toward the table, catching the eye of a nearby drudge.
"Here," he spoke, softly, "The table's in front of you." He smiled, his voice barely above a whisper, his lips near her ear. He gently, almost hesitantly released her, and took a seat beside her, at the small table. The drudge came over, and placed down a pitcher of Klah, glancing at the pair expectantly. She smiled, slightly, and raised a brow at D'vin, her expression a mixture of curiosity, and warning. "So, what would you two like, then?"
D'vin smiled, "Whatever's hot, for me. And you, Ev?"
The Drudge rolled her eyes, slightly, and gave a soft, amused chuckle.
Tag: Ev
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Post by Evelie on Jan 20, 2011 21:14:00 GMT -5
Placing her hands on the table, Evie slowly sat. She heard something being set down on the table, accompanied by the strong scent of klah. Someone, likely a drudge, had placed a pitcher in front of them. Evie caught a strange tone in the drudge’s voice as she asked what they wanted. She wondered what was funny.
“Just some fruit and bread will be fine.”
She waited until she heard footsteps walking away from them. Very carefully, she asked, “Had you thought about becoming a candidate for Lord Holder before now, or was Borel insulting enough to spur your decision?”
Tag D’vin
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Post by Darvin on Jan 21, 2011 1:03:57 GMT -5
He winced, audibly, taking in a sharp breath. "I..." The hesitation in his tone spoke volumes. "I hadn't given it much thought, to be entirely honest." He sighed, softly.
"Well, I'd thought about it, from time to time, but I figured the race was tame enough that..." He paused. Recognition flavoured his murmured curse, "Shards and Shells!"
"Do you realize what I just did!?" His face hit his palms, elbows on the table. "Shards," he paused, "And," another, "Shells. I just put myself forth to be Lord Holder. I'm too old for this!" He began to laugh, first softly, and then a bit louder, "Lord Holder. I guess I'd have to take my old name back, wouldn't I? Lovely..."
Tag: Ev
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Post by Evelie on Jan 21, 2011 15:03:48 GMT -5
Evie couldn’t hide her grin at his curses. It shouldn’t have been funny, she supposed, but for some reason it was amusing. He’d have had to realize what he’d gotten himself into at some point, since he clearly hadn’t thought it through.
As he laughed, Ev cocked her head a little, curious. She wondered what his old name had been, before becoming a dragonrider. It didn’t seem something she could ask about - after all, he’d kept D’vin after his dragon’s death, instead of going back to his old name. As she debated whether or not to ask, something else he had said caught her attention.
“How old are you?” she asked, realizing for the first time that she had no idea how old he was or even the slightest idea what he looked like. Not that it particularly mattered, but it would be nice to know.
Tag D’vin
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Post by Darvin on Jan 22, 2011 4:41:46 GMT -5
"I, ahm," he paused, briefly, uncertainly, stalling for time. He glanced around, quickly, then stood hastily, to help the Drudge place down the plates of bread and fruit, two small, earthenware cups, and a bowl of warm, steaming meat. Finally, reluctantly, he sat down, blushing heartily. The blush carried slightly into his voice, "Well, ahm, you see... I Impressed Regolth at fifteen turns, and that was, uh..." He paused, thinking for a moment, and then winced at the math, "... That was about thirty, thirty-one turns ago. I guess I... Never really stopped to count." He gave a nervous chuckle, and his hands clenched, uncertainly. "So... Forty-six, about." His voice was quieter, almost as if softening his voice lessened the impact of his words.
He bit his lip, waiting for her response. He realized, abruptly, between this, and the other topic, his appetite had quite suddenly vanished.
Butterflies milled thoughtfully in his gut, flying dainty patterns back and forth.
Tag: Ev
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Post by Evelie on Jan 22, 2011 18:00:36 GMT -5
That he was taking so long to nervously answer so simple a question made her suspect he was older. She thought his uncertainty was cute.
Even so, she was still surprised. “Oh.”
She slowly moved her hands forward to find the mug she could smell sitting in front of her, pulling it to her carefully. With great care, she lifted it and took a cautious sip of the hot liquid. Twenty Turns her senior. She turned the thought over in her mind a few times and was glad to realize she didn’t care. She was fond of him.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a friend who was much older than me,” she reflected with a warm smile.
Tag D’vin
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Post by Darvin on Jan 23, 2011 1:06:40 GMT -5
He laughed, but it came out awkward, starting, and then stopping abruptly, a moment later. He cleared his throat, feigning a cough, and sipped gratefully at his Klah - Actually coughing, this time, when he realized quite how hot it was. He set down the mug, and then finally gave another laugh, this one softer, but more genuine, "... I... Guess I didn't really... Think of that..." His voice trailed off. The surprise in her voice didn't say enough! Was it a good thing? A bad thing?
He looked over at her, abruptly realizing that she couldn't see the embarassment on his face, so he didn't have to worry about her recognizing his expression. He saw the smile and... Smiled in return.
"... It's not too big of a difference, is it?" He asked, softly. He abruptly felt like a teenager, again.
Tag: Ev
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Post by Evelie on Jan 23, 2011 16:44:43 GMT -5
Bemused, she took another sip of her klah before answering. “I don’t think so. Maybe it’s because I can’t see you, but I don’t care how old you are, D’vin.”
Very carefully, she set the mug down in front of her, sliding it a little off to the side to lessen the chance of her accidentally knocking it over. “You’ve been very kind to me and even though I don’t know you very well, yet, I find I’m -” she hesitated, blushing a little as she brought her hands together before admitting, “- becoming fond of you.”
Tag D’vin
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Post by Darvin on Jan 23, 2011 16:55:03 GMT -5
He gently placed a hand atop both of hers, "And I, of you... We have, however, only just met. I wonder, would you mind if I came to see you, again, tomorrow? I could watch the children for you, while you sing your lessons, if you would like? I am... Most curious to hear you sing." He was glad that she could not see him; The blush suffusing his face, he was sure, must give off a visible glow.
He felt like a child, sitting here, butterflies in his stomach, holding a pretty girl's hand.
Ah, to be young again!
He almost smiled. And then one tiny thought plucked at the back of his head.
Lord Holder.
Shards, he thought, to himself, quietly.
Tag: Ev
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Post by Evelie on Jan 23, 2011 22:14:48 GMT -5
Sing?
She laughed, “I would love for you to come see me, but I’m afraid the only singing you will hear will be that of children. Unfortunately, I was not gifted with much of a voice. Oh, I can get by,” she amended, “but I was trained as an instrumentalist.”
One of her hands held onto his as the other found its way back to the table. It didn’t take much searching for her to find the plate of fruit. “I haven’t quite found a way to make use of my training, beyond entertaining children.”
She took a small bite of what she discovered was a pear, finishing with a small nonchalant shrug, “Perhaps I haven’t been trying hard enough.”
Tag D’vin
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Post by Darvin on Jan 23, 2011 22:42:41 GMT -5
He chuckled, quietly, "Ah! Instruments, then. I'd love to hear you play. Though," he seemed to ponder, a moment, "I'm not averse to singing, either, if you would ever like to practice. Perhaps you could even teach me to play something?" He seemed to think on this.
"One way or another, entertaining children isn't such a bad thing. They're certainly very entertaining to watch, in turn." He chewed on an apple, arms crossed, just watching her, curiously, taking in her expressions and gestures as she spoke.
And abruptly realizing how lovely she was. It completely consumed his thoughts, for a few, long moments.
Tag: Ev
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