True Colors (Lillis & Sam)

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Why?" he asked, pausing mid-chew of his apple half.

Their delicate rapport seized up like prey holding its breath until a predator passes. Generally when people were nice, they wanted something. In his world, girls were raped. In his experience, two boys getting along meant another one got knifed. The world of kept promises and sympathetic tears had died a decade ago.

[Lillis]

She blinked, her eyes wide and round as two saucers. "Why not?" came her lame reply.

Lillis was not a particularly guarded person. She did not spend much energy on obfuscation. She tended to appear the enigma because she spent the vast majority of her time looking into other people, which involved a great deal of brow-furrowing and nose-wrinkling and a sort of brooding silence that people often misconstrued. Truth be told, she'd answer just about any question on any topic, but the questions people were most likely to ask a seer, a fortune teller, was about them and not about her.

True, in her world, women were raped and men were beaten. In her world, slavers killed families and tore lovers apart. But for better or worse that did not seem to color her perspective. For better or worse, Lillis De'Nerys was oddly... trusting.

"Did I come on too strong?" She sighed defeatedly. "I can sometimes come on too strong. Never mind -- just, if you see me, say hello and I'll say hello back and then that will just be... something we do. Or don't do. Up to you."

In order to give him an out, she began to scan the milling crowd for any new potential customers. She even went so far as to spread her deck of tarot cards in an even fan across the tabletop.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Sorry," he muttered, contrite but trying not to seem overly so. He sighed. "It's just been me and Horse for a long time now. I'm new in town and I've already been rolled. Makes me a little... distrustful."

He watched her setting up her cards, a bit curious to see their art.

"Am I, um, killing business? I could go get you something to eat, you know, so you can keep working and I can thank you for the reading. Not payment, but gratitude."

[Lillis]

"The great thing about my job, Sam, is that I can work entirely at my own pace." Two sweet dimples framed her smile and rested her elbows on the table. "The downside is that my pace is on the slowish side. In a word, No. You are not killing business. It's nice having someone to talk to."

She considered him quietly for a moment, and decided that if he was just being polite, then he didn't have to come back, and she wouldn't hold it against him: "Something to eat would be... great. All I've had today is that half an apple."

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Well, if you've only had half an apple to eat today, I think you need more business," he said, sort of admonishing her. "But if you want me to stay..."

He got up and went to Horse, who was being very well-mannered despite the fact that there was little in the way of foliage to graze upon here in the City. Still, he was struggling manfully (stallion-fully?) to crop what little grass was poking through.

Out of Horse's saddlebags, he pulled some of his better rations out to share: rabbit jerky and hazelnuts. Sitting down, he offered them to Lillis.

"This way I don't have to leave. Until you get business."

[Lillis]

She grinned and reached into the pack at her feet to pull out half a bottle of wine, which she placed on the table, her contribution to their modest feast. "A drunkard wanted a reading," she explained, "to ask whether or not he would be able to find the man who stole his purse the evening previous. He traded this for it. I've no idea whatsoever if it's any good."

She uncorked it and held it tentatively under her nose. Satisfied, she sipped -- bitter, but it was wine, nevertheless, and she could taste rosemary and grape underneath the bitter fermentation.

"Have some," she offered, placing the bottle in front of him, before helping herself to the hazelnuts and a bit of jerky. "Thank you for this," she said, munching.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam laughed, charmed. A Drykas by whatever name, he really wasn't meant for the solitary life, but it seemed dead set on having him. He took a swig of the wine, deemed it good enough, and then partook of the food.

"I guess it's not bad to get paid in kind," he said. "Bartering."

[Lillis]

"Not bad at all," she agreed, crossing one leg over the other. "In fact, I never turn down a good offer -- I recently got a beautiful bolt of silk in exchange for a reading. I think it might even be enough to be made into a dress. Just need to find myself a tailor who wants to know what his future holds, and I'll be all set."

She grinned, her body visibly relaxing as she saw that Sam was relaxing as well. She popped a hazelnut into her mouth and chewed contentedly, sipping the wine when she was through. It was nice, this impromptu meal. It felt homey to her some how.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Yeah," he said, looking down at the patched and mismatched collection of homespun and leather that he wore. "I obviously don't know of any good tailors." He smiled sheepishly. "Well, I know where their shops are, but only because I've been exploring the town since I got here. I don't know who's any good or who might want to know the future enough to barter, but I'm sure you'll find someone eventually."

He enjoyed the shared grazing, and he even offered Horse a berry so he wouldn't feel left out. It was difficult to explain the Drykas bond to horses to someone who wasn't of the people, and they rarely went into much detail with outsiders, about the gifts of the gods and the web mages among their Ankals.

[Lillis]

Lillis grinned, and popped a few berries into her mouth before fishing her tarot cards out of her pack. She began to shuffle them in her hands, closing her eyes as she did so.

"Will I find a tailor who will make me a beautiful gown?"

She spread the cards out in front of her and took a moment to pick three, turning them face-up. These cards were Temperance, The Page and the Hierophant. She eyed the spread and grinned.

"I think the cards just told me to make the dress my damn self."