I Know You're There (Vala)

[Fois]

The Chiet appeared to be totally submissive. No talking back or even eye contact. Fois couldn’t make out any real emotion in the barely audible response. Her somewhat calm voice and the content of the answer were slightly irritating to the Endal. It sounded as if it was his own fault for having her stalk him or whatever that was what she had been doing. ”What kind of answer is that?” Fois didn’t sound angry, but rather his tone had a mixture of boredom and small annoyance. ”I don’t care at all how you did and didn’t want to make me feel or what you think of how I feel, or even how you would describe your actions now. My question was simple and I want a straightforward answer, not your useless apologies. You’ll get a chance to apologize when I’ll ask you to." Endal paused for a brief moment before adding: "Though, on the bright side, you at least seem to have learned something.” Fois turned his gaze away from the Chiet to somewhere far away in the library. His right hand fingers started yet another silly game, this time tapping on the table in a variety of strange silent rhythms as if it was an instrument of some sort. This faint tune lacked any real melody for any listeners to follow and gave away that the Endal was no musician. ”If you’re not going to look at me when I speak to you, there’s no reason for you to stop from putting away that book. I don’t need you answering me with your head bowed down as if you were some Dek. Have some respect.” Fois smiled at the thought that just arrived to his mind: ”Not your favourite kind, from what I know.” The Endal waited for the girl to place the book back from where he had taken in. Fois wasn’t watching her, so he didn’t know when exactly she was finished. He motioned with his left hand, indicating that he wanted her to come closer. Endal also couldn’t tell if the Chiet was looking at him when he did that, but in his mind it was her responsibility to notice the sign. His fingers ceased playing the meaningless little game. "What’s your name, Chiet?” Only the Fois turned his eyes to the girl again. ”And what do you want from me?” OOCYeah, don’t you dare making me wait for your replies when I always respond in a blink of an eye! Also, Fois doesn’t seem to allow me to make him act nice towards Vala, unless you count this nice, so she probably has to deal with it, or, I don't know, do something. Though he is kinda nice-ish… Maybe...

[Vala]

I WANT YOU TO DIE. I want you to burn in eternal fires. I want ants to devour you from your innards out. I want your eyeballs to melt, turning into acid, burning your stupid stupid face! I want you to suffer! Vala kept her eyes down, and nodded. It was pathetic really, how passive she was being. At least he didn't sound angry any more, she thought, mostly just Endal-ish (Pushy and overbearing). She wished he was nicer - it was a silly and irrational wish, but she made it all the same; it was like wishing for world peace, or for the weird aunt to stop pinching your cheeks at family gatherings - it was never going to happen, but you closed your eyes and prayed your darndest anyway. It was embarrassing for her, well it would have been if she was mentally present enough to care, that she had been headed the wrong way. Instead, she let her body control her, as she followed Fois's condescending guidance. Her ears twitched at the sound of dek, but her brain chose to overlook that particular dig for the moment. It was far too preoccupied going through all the mineral compounds associated with colors in glass… With the book in its rightful position, Vala began making her way back to the reception desk, which unfortunately put her on a path through the same space where Fois was currently occupying. In a pinch, Vala could have determined another route, but autopilot was telling her it was the most efficient way, and she just frankly didn't expect him to acknowledge her pathetic existence anymore. So when Fois actually did speak to her, she was basically startled out of her wave of compliancy, into a more annoyed and petty glum. She vaguely remembered telling him her name when they first met, but its not like she expected him to have cared enough, even though, it still stung her a little. Her voice came out high and a little nasal. She crossed her arms over her chest and angled her body a little away from Fois, looking at him from the corner of her eye. Did he really have to bring up the caste thing up every other chime? Honestly - it was getting old. "My name is Vala, sir." What did she want?... Well she wouldn't digress back into that thinking -it would only mean he won. "I just wanted to know your name, sir" It was an easy enough question, impertinent, but straightforward enough to hopefully get him off her back.

[Fois]

A slight grin adorned Fois’s face, his lips splitting up and allowing a sight of some of his teeth. Vala’s question amused him not because of what it asked, but rather of how simple and unexpected it was. Of course, whatever she would have said was bound to be surprising, because the Endal didn’t know what to anticipate from the girl. That was the reason he had asked, after all. ”A very peculiar way of approaching the matter, Vala,” the way he pronounced her name sounded as if it was a word to describe her, almost the same way he had phonated the word “Chiet”, along with whatever negative meaning that could have been attached to it. ”That’s really all? My name? That’s why you were hiding there? That’s why you’re standing here like a trapped animal? Just to know my name?” Each new question had even more faked surprise behind it than the last one until the final one didn’t leave any illusions that Endal believed her, at least judging by the way it sounded. A short laugh escaped Fois. It was louder than the words he spoke and might have been picked up as above norm by the librarian, who had spent her days enforcing the rule of silence in the Enclave. ”Y’know what I remember about you?” The manner in which he spoke changed once again. This time it sounded almost as if Fois was talking to someone he liked and was having an honest conversation. It was definitely not because he felt being friendly to the Chiet, but rather because Endal was beginning to enjoy the situation. His eyes wandered across Vala’s face, or at least part of the face that he could see. It’s no wonder he had confused her with a Yasi last time. Her childishly delicate features combined with the shades in the tunnels that night had hardly made her look like a woman. And when Vala had finally been brought somewhere lighter, bruises on her face masked how she truly looked. Now Fois could clearly see that she was pretty, even as a Chiet. ”I remember that you’re a sneaky liar.” Fois smoothly stood up, turned around and sat down on the table. He put his left foot on the chair that he had just been sitting on and rested his left elbow on his knee, thus leaning a bit to that side. Endal was now positioned in such way so that he would be facing Vala. ”I remember that you’re insolent. I remember that you’re bold. I remember that you act foolishly and strange. But here you stand, barely having the courage to look at me and say you just want to know my name.” Fois leaned back a little. ”The name’s Fois (Seleer),” his tone was all serious now. When he pronounced his name, the last letter of his given name and the first one of his Wind Eagle’s merged together almost making it sound as one word, and only the emphases clarified what was what. ”Anything else you wanted from me?”

[Vala]

It gave her shivers just hearing her name upon his lips; her eyes darted to the side, to a nearby shelf of books, to a particularly sharp looking hard cover, while the thought of jamming it down the Endal’s throat just happened to cross her mind. The ‘passing’ thought actually helped her block out the following sarcastic comments that continued to spurt from Fois’ hateful mouth. She was brought out of her reverie when he started to laugh; Vala couldn’t help rolling her eyes, her librarian shushing sense tingling like crazy. Oooo, calling her a liar. Did he really think Vala cared anymore? Well she did, but still, she wished he would do the Endal thing and just get bored already. Still trying to angle away from Fois, edging a little further away, Vala coughed, choking on her own saliva, when he actually took the effort to face her. She was so surprised she almost missed hearing his name. Thankfully the shock was enough to keep her silent, preventing her from stuttering like an idiot when he asked what else she wanted from him; she managed to gawk silently instead. It wasn’t that she wanted anything from him. It was more like she needed a friend, today more than any day; it was just her luck have come across Fois of all people. Her mind spun, giving her a splitting headache. Do I walk away? Do I stay? Do I walk away? Do I stay? Do I walk away… To any rational creature with a scrap of common sense, walking away would have been the only rational option, staying shouldn’t even have been considered, let alone debated. So why was Vala thinking about staying and talking to the Endal that obviously had a strong dislike for her? She had no idea. Several theories include she hates herself, she was bored, but mostly, most likely, it’s because she unconsciously hated herself. She slowly re-angled herself to face Fois, straight in the face, almost defiantly. Still too oblivious to be consciously aware of what she knew and how she knew, Vala still understood, subconsciously, from Fois' obvious verbal cues that he was disgusted by everything about her. And just like that, she was caught with a sudden bout of verbal diarrhea. “I want to know... Why do you hate chiet so much?” Her voice still quavered with a submissive timbre, enough to prevent herself sounding impertinent.

[Fois]

Fois enjoyed Vala’s surprise caused by him turning to her, and her confusion that followed his question. Suddenly the girl’s attitude appeared to have changed when she turned to face him, but it turned out to have been only a shadow of how she acted more than half a season ago, because her voice still sounded almost as weak and uncertain as before. Fois found Vala’s question a little bit puzzling, but mostly foolish and inane. In any case, it did not wipe the smug smile of his face. Endal decided that this conversation wasn’t going anywhere, not that he wanted it to, yet he still chose to answer the Chiet. ”I don’t hate the Chiet,” Fois began slowly and clearly in a voice that would have been suitable for a patient teacher. ”I treat them appropriately, based on how they behave, what they do and who they are. You’re merely a tiny step above the Dek, yet it seems that you have an unreasonably high degree of self-importance. And while working at the Enclave, of all places!” His smile disappeared and the tone suddenly turned slightly more hostile. ”Books do not feed our people – food does. It’s not reading, but talent and skill that help us to survive and satisfy our most essential needs.” Fois stood up and walked towards Vala. His rather tall for an Inarta body towered over the girl’s small frame when he approached her. He would then attempt to grab the Chiet by her hair at the back of the head, and, if successful, would recline her head and lean closer before speaking. If Vala managed to avoid him, Fois would carry on as if nothing had happened, except for a brief smile of amusement on his face. ”Know your place, Chiet,” he spoke quietly. ”And if you want to get respect, earn it. Become someone useful – make me proud that I let you live that night.” If Fois had been holding Vala by her hair, he would have now released her. For a few more moments his eyes were still examining the girl’s face, before Endal turned away from her. Without saying anything more, Fois passed by the Chiet and walked towards the exit. He was leaving satisfied, feeling that he would now finally be able to forget the embarrassing story of that one winter night.

[Flicker]

Fois XP: Book Throwing 1, Intimidation 1, Observation 3, Lore: Layout of the Wind Reach Enclave, Basic Blacksmith Equipment, Bluffing Shadows that May or May Not Be Occupied, Seleer = Right & Fois = Wrong, Bluff Failure, Attacking Shadows that May or May Not Be Occupied, Taking Pity after Justifiably Being a Jerk, Physically Intimidating a Small, Chiet Librarian Girl Vala XP: Calligraphy 1, Stalking 3, Record Keeping 1, Observation 2 Calling a Bluff? No, Being Stubborn Occupiable Shadows of the Enclave Books Hurt when thrown at your head Gathering what little authority is to be had Caught spying Finding one's place. Comments: Fois, Endal reads funny without the in front of it when referring to Fois. Well done, both of you! This was an enjoyable read and I think you both did well at caste dynamics here.