Exchanging Stories For Soup

[Lixue]

Lixue had the good grace to look embarrassed after the verbal scolding. Red the shade of someone's ears after being out in the cold, crept up her thin neck and blossomed on her pale cheeks. Lixue had to force herself to keep from squirming. It was better to show the man that what he had said had indeed affected her, but she would not allow the topic to become an obsession. Ignoring how her face felt hot, she dipped her head respectfully after Coren had finished. The message had been received, if albeit awkwardly; do not ask about the arts or the Skyglow hold. To keep from shoving her foot further in her own mouth, Lixue took another bite of her sandwich and chewed slowly. Curiosity gnawed at her, practically begging Lixue to question why Coren did not want to talk of his home. Lixue's helpful nature ached to be put to use. To quell the urge, she had to mentally shove it away. If he wanted to tell her, which she doubted he would since they had only just met, Coren would tell her. Switching her mental topic to his eyes, Lixue recalled she had observed the quick change of eye color between fresh green and intimidating yellow. A mental note was made of this, so in the future Lixue would be able to tell the mood change easier and avoid certain topics, or confront them like an Icewatch officer with a criminal. Smiling sweetly, just in case Coren had assumed Lixue was hurt by his harsh wordings, she denied his question. "I probably have been, but I cannot," a pause as she rummaged through her vocabulary for the right word, "...reminder?" The lyrical word did not roll of her tongue right, but Lixue was unsure on the wording and gave a light laugh. "I really hope I did not just say something inappropriate!" Green eyes glittering with humor and blush gone, Lixue relaxed against the chair back. Idly, her right hand slid down to her knee to massage it through the fabric. A throbbing had taken residence and, by gently digging her fingertips in circles around the kneecap, the pain was eased slightly. The walk back to her hold was going to be torturous and slow. The way the conversation was going currently, Lixue doubted she would be at the Luminary Commons long enough for her tense muscles to relax and the pain to ebb away. "Do you go to the library often?"

[Coren]

Coren ignored the embarrased blush and the slight discomfort of lixue after he had scolded the young woman as if she had been a little girl. As far as he was concerned that subject had been dropped and whatever had come from it didn't need to be brought up at all. He patiently waited once more for a reply of Lixue to his question,caring not the least about the slightly awkward silence that was now resting in between the two of them. When she finally swallowed her mouthful of sandwich and answered in slightly broken vani. Coren nodded before speaking up in the same kind tone he had used before, acting as if the chiding about art and the skyglow hold hadn't happened. “In this sentence the word is remember.” Coren said in slow and clear vani. “And no You didn't say anything inappropriate. Well unless one of the persons around here has a irrational hatred of people mispronouncing the vani language. But I highly doubt that.” Coren said back in the same kind tone ha had been using, though a small hint of humor was easily audible in it. “And yes I go to the library quite often. Every single day in fact, I work there as one of the librarians after all.” Coren said with a bit of laughter at the end of the sentence. Most people usually looked at him with a bit off surprise when he told them he worked there. Not a lot of vantha read a lot, most preferred to hear a lively tale then read it in a dusty tome. Not that he could really blame them for it though, if entertainement was your goal hearing it from a vantha storyteller usually better then reading it from a book.

[Lixue]

Coren seemed to be an average teacher; one who neither stood out nor came off as pompous and know it all. Lixue eagerly lapped up the language lesson. Rolling the word off of her tongue several times to perfect the pronunciation, her nose crinkled in thought. Just to make sure she was using the correct tense and word, she questioned, "such as… Remember to watch where I step while in the Luminary Commons, there are people everywhere?" An almost inaudible laugh was exhaled from Lixue at Coren's joke. The Vani may not have seen very many visitors because of the harsh climate, but when they did, the Vani enjoyed telling, and teaching, others their stories. Idly, Lixue caught the tail end of the conversation next to her. "...she is having her baby in the spring, ya know? I heard her stomach was large enough for twins, even. Last pregnancy though… Lina lost the baby." The woman muttered something else and Lixue struggled to translate it quickly. Using her memory of what could happen to a child during the maternity or birth, she narrowed it down to 'miscarriage'. The woman was still talking. "The midwife has her bed-rest for now. It might be because her ankles are the size of an Icewatch Bear but it is more likely because Lina did not quit moving last pregnancy." A pause and the lady opposite her murmured something Lixue's ears did not catch. "Her husband? He is a nice person, dramatic. Worried sick over this child." The person sitting next to her began speaking more rapidly in Vani and Lixue quit trying to translate the conversation after that. Listening to Coren speak of working at the library, surprise flittered through Lixue's eyes, yet they did not change color. Within a chime, however, the emotion was gone and in a thoughtful expression had taken their place. Slowly, her gaze studied him. Coren did not come off as a bookworm, nor a librarian. He did come off as somewhat awkward, wearing all of the clothing, including the mask. Remembering how he did not enjoy speaking of the artistic hold, Lixue wondered if he did not fit in in the hold. In that case, the library was fitting. Conversing with people was necessary, but he could lose himself among the books instead of following in the hold's footsteps. Or, perhaps Coren simply enjoyed learning and the library was the best place for it? Either way, it was not of Lixue's business. Leaning forwards and cupping her chin in one hand, she smiled. "I've only been to the library a handful of times. Is it still full of those musty books?" Teasing, laughing. "What do you do the library?"

[Tabarnac]

XP Award! Lixue XP Award: Socializing +5; Interrogation +2 Coren XP Award: Socializing +5 Additional Notes: I hate giving out Socialization as a skill, but that’s what you all are doing. Hopefully it has led to other goodness. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep writing!