Flashback Stiff Lover

[Verena Lorak]

Stiff Lover
67th of Winter, 509 A.V.

“Verena, you have to smile,” Yvenna said under her breath. A smile was still fixed on her face, yet her tone was not happy in the least. Her only daughter antics had tired her, but she knew there would be no end to it. Unlike Zorane, Verena did not possess a pinch of social grace. The girl stood stiffly, eyes averted, like she couldn’t afford looking at anyone. Her reddish hair was styled into loose curls and the black satin dress hugged the girl’s figure nicely. She was pretty enough, but her manner had scared most eligible men away. Yes, she was still young but it would be a lot of trouble finding a match for her when she grew of age. “Remember that.”

The girl did as she was told, stretching the muscle of her lips and shaping it into a tight smile. It felt awkward and forced, but at least she did what her mother had told her. The buzz of the party around her was giving her a headache. Everyone was talking over the music, trying to get each other’s attention. People kept coming up to her, shaking her hand and congratulating her on turning sixteen. It hardly seemed like something worth congratulating. The growing of age happens to everyone and Verena saw no point to the celebration.

On the other side of the room, she spotted her brother, Zorane, basking in the attention as usual. A loose ring of women laughed at whatever he was saying to them. Not too far for him stood Calisha, her cousin. If someone who did not know better looked upon the two girls, they would have thought it was Calisha who was celebrating her birthday. After all, the girl was soaking in even more attention than Verena thought was possible, standing there with her tanned skin and flawless blue satin dress. She envied her cousin sometimes, how she could talk to everyone so easily, how everyone seemed to like every word that came out of her mouth.

Verena turned away, not wanting to wallow in self-pity. She was unskilled in social matters, it was a fact. It was not as if she was not used to it all her life. Without a word, she left her mother’s side, hastily entering the crowd in order to lose her. The room was too hot, too small. Most people gave her distance, not realizing that she was actually the reason they were all invited to the Whitesnake Plantation.

All she needed was to find the door, or a balcony. She needed air.

[Verena Lorak]

Unfortunately, her leave didn’t entirely go unnoticed. As soon as she slipped through the front doors, a figure stepped in her way. Verena had hoped that she could go without bother, but she should have known better. Her face was recognizable by her family and those who work for them. After all, she often spend her time treating the servants and slaves. Thankfully, it was not one her family, but rather Luca, the head of guards. He was more likely to keep his mouth shut than her relatives. “Where are you going, milady? It’s a party in your honor,” he said in his native tongue.

“I haven’t decided yet,” answered her in stiff Vani. Quickly, she sidestepped him, not eager to answer any more questions. Her dress and her shoes did not exactly allow her to move fast, but Luca did not make another move to stop her. Luca had been employed long enough to know that Verena sometimes likes to take breaks in the most inappropriate moments. Even she herself could not explain why. Parties like this always left her wary and restless. Another reason why she didn’t get along well with most of Kenash’s population - who simply adored festivities.

Some guards nodded at her as she made her way towards the west of the plantation, though she didn’t even seem like she noticed. Truth be told, she didn’t have any particular destination in mind. All she knew was that she was not gong back inside.

Now that she was outside, Verena found herself to be able to breathe a little easier, shaking away all the discomfort of expectant eyes around her. Countless rays of the sun that managed to pierce through the canopy of leaves gave her very little heat. Despite the damp winter air, though, she found it more relaxing than the warmth of bodies inside the building. Her mother would be furious when she found out her daughter had left the party without a word, but she didn’t bother to care.

Suddenly, Uncle Doromer's greenhouse came to her mind. She had spent most of her childhood there, surrounded by plants she did not recognize and her uncle's grousing. There, he had thought of her the things he knew, when he was the best in the family. He had always liked her and Zorane better than anyone else - which means he did not seem compelled to throw pots at them when they visited. Most of her knowledge had started there, the little greenhouse and learning was certainly better than partying.

[Verena Lorak]

A song made her pause on her way, sung in a language she did not understand. But she had heard enough times to know that it was the tongue of the Drykas. A lament it seemed, the notes sorrowful and lilting. It was beautiful and Verena found herself searching for the faint noise. The Whitesnake Plantation was not at all a small place, but Verena relentlessly followed the song. It was almost like everything else did not matter. The wind that whipped her hair, toying with her dress, the dampness inside her shoes. It mattered not as she listened intently.

At last, she found the source of the singing. It was boy, sitting in one the plantation's many gazebos. His voice was deep, yet soft and gentle as he strummed whatever instrument he propped on his thigh. He did not seem much older than she was. His hair was dark and messy, decorated by streaks of blonde. The boy seemed slightly familiar - she must have seen him on the party.

Not wanting to disrupt the song, Verena came closer carefully. She kept her footsteps light and slow, but she had never been stealthy to begin with. The rustle of her long dress must have alerted him, despite his own singing. He seemed flustered when he realized that he had company, but the boy covered it quickly with an easy smile. Verena didn't smile back – she rarely does – and simply took a seat beside him. Even so, she could not stop looking at the boy's slender face and how his smile made heart stutter.

“Why did you stop?” Verena asked flatly, still not looking at him in the eye.

He was slightly taken aback. “Stop what?” He straightened his posture, taking his fingers away from the strings of his instrument. The boy could not help watching the odd girl that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She was a delicate thing, petite and slender.

“Singing,” answered her.

“Because you came here. You ruined my mood,” he replied jokingly. Only half of it was true. The girl’s sudden appearance had surprised him when he had wanted some peace and quiet. After his performance at the party, he was more than eager to get out of the way as a group of girls started to flock his brother – nearly ignoring him completely. He could not go home, so the least he could do was leave the crowd.

To his surprise, the girl stood up abruptly. “If I leave, will you start singing again?” There was nothing in her tone that he could decipher. She had actually taken him seriously – and somehow he found it amusing.

Verena wanted to hear him sing again, so if she had to go, she could listen from afar. It didn’t really matter. Instead of answering her, the boy grinned even wider. “I was just kidding. You can sit back down, honestly. I was just surprised, that’s all.” At his statement, Verena felt her face heating up. She had missed a joke, yet again. Zorane had told her a couple of times about how to spot when someone’s not being serious, but she still could not seem to get it right.

“Caedmon Paille and you are?”

“Verena Lorak,” she replied shortly, not really interested in small talks. “Sing again then.”

[Verena Lorak]

Caedmon smiled with amusement and leaned slightly back. She couldn't understand why he kept doing that. "Well, what if I refuse to? After all, my throat is sore already." He tapped his wooden instrument a few times, in a dramatic gesture of thinking before suddenly saying, "Verena Lorak, aren't you the girl celebrating her birthday? You are not supposed to be out here."

"Why not? I can go wherever I want," the young girl pointed out. Her eyes scanned their surroundings once, still never meeting the boy's eyes. Verena had never quite mastered the art of keeping a proper amount of eye contact, but Caedmon didn't seem to mind. When her eyes dropped to the bench they were sitting on, Verena noticed a small silver ring resting beside him. She picked it up with no hesitation, when most people would've asked for permission. "Yours?"

He shrugged and plucked the little jewelry out of her fingers. His fist closed around it for a moment, before opening it again. "Of the sort. I was planning on giving it to a girl, but then I saw her kissing some Askara. Now, I am not sure what to do with it."

Verena was not asking that, but she knew that people tend to tell more stories than was asked. Zorane told that's just how everyone is. "So? You can still give it to her. It's for her, after all. Why did kissing changed that?"

Much to her surprise, Caedmon burst out laughing. "Well, well, I guess you are as mad as they say you are."

"I am not mad. Not at all," Verena said sharply. It was a sore subject for her. Most things weren't, but she simple despised being called crazy. She couldn't tell what exactly she did wrong and why it was wrong. "In fact, I am quite smarter than most people."

"I'm sure that's true. They say you are going to be a great doctor, especially with that gnosis of yours," he said as he looked pointedly to the white markings just above her chest. Suddenly, he placed the ring on her lap. "I can't give her this anymore because this was supposed to be a show of our commitment. But clearly, she wasn't committed and that means there is no commitment to show." With a deep sigh, Caedmon added, "You should keep it."

Verena finally looked up to him. Interestingly, he had the most peculiar eyes. They were the color of storm clouds, shifting under the sunlight. Dark and strong. For a glimpse of a moment, Verena could imagine why people would want to hold eye contact as they speak. Why wouldn't she look at such curious eyes? "No, I don't want it. We don't have any sort of commitment to each other."

"No, we don't," replied him with a smirk. "But think of it as a token of our newly made friendship. I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot of each other. Besides, today is your birthday. Consider it a gift."

Slowly, she picked up the delicate thing. The ring was molded from pure silver into two intricate wings - obviously skillfully made. It was so small that Verena wondered which finger would fit.

The Paille noticed her pause and pointed to the last finger on her right hand. "It goes here. I didn't want it to be a typical ring."

Following his lead, Verena slipped her finger into the jewelry. It fitted perfectly. "I still want you to sing," she reminded him all of the sudden. His talk had distracted her for a moment, but the Lorak still knew what she wanted.

He grinned and bowed mockingly. "As you wish, my lady." Once again, his deep voice filled her eardrums and a wave of calm filled her chest. It was different than the festive music she usually hear and she definitely liked his better. The noises didn't threaten to overwhelm her, instead it floated lightly in the air around them.

And so, the pair sat there until a guard came running for the girl who was missing her own party.

[Vice]

Plunder and Booty!

Name: Verena Lorak

Secret :

XP:

• 2 Observation
• +2 Rhetoric
• +3 Socialization
• +1 Leadership

Lore:

Forcing Smiles, I don't belong, I hate parties, Remembering the Greenhouse, A Drykas Song, Lore: Caedmon Paille, Request to Sing, Don't Call me Crazy!, Dat Sass: "I am Quite Smarter than Most People"

Notes: A short, sweet little thread. ^.^

If you have questions or concerns regarding your grade, do not hesitate to send me a PM and I will be more than happy to discuss the reasons as to why said grade was received.

Enjoy!