Zeltiva Archives Building [Adventure Torc and Hadrian]

[Liminal]

Chashakja returned the kiss, but softly this time. Though the method of attaining it was perhaps regrettable, Chashakja was in this moment much more the desert flower that Torc had wished for than the wild-eyed tiger of moments before.

"The sparkle comes and goes," Chashakja said quietly after the kiss was over. "Not many people in Zeltiva know. Vivienne, and the head of the dance department, and you now. But every now and then, I see one of the sailors I saw then, and it all comes back. Harry's the worst of them, but he's not the only one."

She kicked the ground with her toe. "I ran away from home." She was looking down again now, and it was almost as if she had forgotten where she was, and was simply talking to herself. "The life of the Suli was not the one I wanted. I was fourteen, and in the middle of the night, I left my tent and went to Ahnatep. I didn't really know where I was going; I booked passage on a vessel going home to Zeltiva. There, I changed boats and was on my way to Mura when a fierce storm arose and crippled the ship, meaning that we had to put in at Sunberth to make repairs."

"I left the boat and went into town. I had no money remaining, so when The Shark offered me a job, it seemed like taking it was the thing to do. I didn't have any experience, but I was a quick learner, you might say."

Her hands curled into fists. "I hated it. I hated how it made me feel, how it made me think about myself. But...time went on, and in spite of myself, I came to like it. I loved it. And I hated myself for loving it, and it tore me apart. It was like some kind of intoxicant. I stayed long after the time when I could have left, long after the brand had healed and I was knowledgeable enough to find another place. You know, the only reason I left at all was that there was a fire, and The Shark's place burned down."

More tears fell, but silently. "I came here, I reinvented myself, I started dancing -- art dance, not just the erotic moves I knew. I met Vivienne, and Vivienne for some reason wanted to know me, wanted to be my friend -- not my customer, not my lover, not my owner, but just my friend. And that old me, the part of my life that's burned into my arm, lies dormant. But much as I wish I'd left all of it, every single part of it in Sunberth, I didn't, couldn't, and I carry it with me every day."

Finally, she lifted her head again, this time with determination etched into her jaw. "So that's me. Now you know who I really am. Your friend Hadrian is still inside, and I don't think he'll be leaving with Vivienne, so if you want to go home with him, I won't blame you, I'll never blame you. The smile, the kisses -- those were honest, but they come from a thing that isn't easy to love, and wasn't what you were bargaining for when you lifted me up at the University."

**********

"Nice to meet you," Teresa said to Hadrian. "And thanks."

"Teresa, how's your family?" Vivienne asked.

"Well enough," the young woman replied. "Mother's as busy as ever, and I don't know how she keeps it up, but she does. The guild's very profitable, and she's always fair with the sailors, so I think she'll be Senior Member as long as she cares to be, which will probably be until they have to pry the insignia from her fist at her funeral." She smiled at the joke. "Father's fine, and Grandma Charm seems to still be enjoying her retirement. I saw her some ten days ago, and she said she was still playing with her memoirs. I'll give them all your regards when I see them next, yes?"

"Please do," Vivienne said. Then she looked over at Hadrian. "My friend here's a prospective amateur musician. Any hints for him?"

[Hadrian]

Hadrian chuckled ruefully, knowing full well what he would be getting himself into if he really chose to pursue music, even as an amateur. Everything worthwhile in his life had required effort. Some of the effort had been fun and pleasurable, but it had still required effort.

"I imagine the three rules of music are practice, practice, and practice," he said. "At least, those are the rules of magic... well, and don't light yourself on fire."

All the while, he was wondering in his head if he couldn't get Teresa drunk enough to get him into the Archives. That would surely impress Torc. Or, even better, get him access to the Archives! One mustn't lose sight of the true goal only to impress someone else, after all.

[Torc Ironwood]

As Torc moved his head away from the tender kiss, he allowed his fingertips to trace a gentle line down from Chashakja’s head to her hands. It was a tender and yet intimate gesture, for Torc slowly took Chashakja’s hands within his own. As she spoke Torc rubbed the back of her hands with his rough skinned thumbs. Then as she let go of Torc’s hands and curled them into fists, he simply looked down onto her face, knowing her shame but not judging her. Torc laughed, “Aye Chashajka, you can lead a horse to water, but sometimes he has no idea how to drink. Besides, Hadrian is a big boy and lives on his own, just like me.” Torc smiled wondering how to proceed. What could he say to this woman that knew more about the intimate deals of men and women than he could ever learn. In a way, it was off putting, wanting this woman that had been with so many more men than himself. Part of it was what she had said… she had enjoyed it. Another part was, what if Torc was just another man in the line? As strange as it was, he wanted to be special, especially when it can to the act of being with another person. Torc was no stranger to it himself, but the women had a choice and somehow it had been cleaner. Torc decided to be honest, and to give Chashajka a chance. “Chashajka, I don’t know about love. I mean…,” Torc felt so akward, “Mona was a girl I knew that I felt very deeply for… or I still feel deeply… She married someone else, and never knew of my feelings. So I decided to become a free spirit, and I coupled with other women while thinking of her. I honestly can say that with that first smile, I was thinking of you the whole time instead of Mona.” “Now I want lay down with you… you the desert flower, the girl with the smile, and feel a true tender moment between two people.” Torc raised his hand and cupped her face. “However, I know that you can’t just be that and in order for it to be a shared coupling, you have to be there completely. I guess what I am saying is that I understand. I can understand wanting to not have a choice, to wanting to serve and be the one people seek for a respite against the darkness in their lives. There is power in that, a raw power to be in control of pleasure and being a servant to it.” Torc looked down a moment and then took the mental plunge, “Chashajka, I am worried that I wouldn’t be enough. Not down there…” Torc stumbled again with his words. “I mean with the girl that smiled, I felt that we could share a tender moment that would release us both from ourselves, but I fear that woman that knows of pleasure just looks at me like another in a line. I know that it’s my feeling, not yours.” Awkward silence followed and for a moment Torc wanted his own feelings about the dark haired dancer beside him to be less pure and more animalistic. Torc thought for a moment, “How about this, come back to my place, and if you want we can sit on the roof top holding each other looking at the night sky. I have a blanket for us to sit on, and if nothing happens I can live with that, but for some reason I need someone to hold tonight, and perhaps you do too.”

[Liminal]

Teresa laughed. "No, don't light yourself on fire. Though I knew a fellow where that was half his act -- he lit a violin bow and then played with it. I think he had an assistant working some magic from the crowd so that he didn't burn his hand off, but he never would tell me for sure."

Then she shrugged. "Practice, yes, of course. But repetition itself doesn't make a musician, and neither does a pure theoretical understanding of the theory. A true musician will possess the practice and the theory, of course, but it's not really music until it springs to life in your soul." A slight laugh again. "It sounds silly, I guess, but it's true for all that."

Vivienne nodded quietly in agreement.

*****

Chashakja didn't speak until Torc was completely finished. Indeed, even after that, there was a pause of several seconds before her melodious voice filled it.

"Pleasure, lust, love, the joining of two people -- these are complicated things. Just because a person has experienced a great deal of them doesn't necessarily mean she understands them." Again, she was almost talking to herself more than Torc.

But then she looked him in the eye once more. "I'd like that, I think. It's a long night and a dark one, and my arms feel empty." She took a step closer to Torc, and then took his hand gently in her own.

[Hadrian]

"No, no," he said, not wanting to be misunderstood. "I'm sure that there is an element of... ah, inspiration. The only way I know to learn a thing, though, is to take it apart and analyze it. Learn the rules and the theory. Once I have that foundation, I suppose I can make room for... inspiration. Who knows, though. I spend so much time on magical studies and then anthropological studies with Professor Rochlas... he's visiting from Akvatar... that I suppose the only way I'll be able to spend time on an instrument before graduation is to figure out how it can be put to use with magic. I'm sure there's a way, and then... well, it would be another piece to the puzzle, I suppose."

Suddenly he fell silent, looking away. He had probably said too much, babbled too much, and would bore the ladies. While Torc was probably balls deep in his dancer somewhere, Hadrian was making pathetic attempts to sound halfway intelligent while expressing his thoughts.

"Anyway... Sorry."

[Torc Ironwood]

Torc stood quietly and waited, as her hand gently filled his own, he brought her closer and allowed his left arm to wrap itself around her body. Torc didn’t touch suggestive parts, nor did he act like a pure gentleman, the touch was something akin to warmth and belonging. It was a sense of holding someone for the pure joy of company. As they walked down the street, Torc kept his arm about her, feeling that he wasn’t alone. Is this love? Torc thought. Nay this is comfort, a pure feeling of shared intimacy. In a way Torc, felt sorry that he didn’t love Chashakja, yet in another way this felt more pure and better than his previous feelings for Mona. It was less tense, softer, and more pleasant then the fiery love previous felt. This was simple companionship, something that he never had with Mona, and in a way it made Chashakja more important than Mona. As they entered Torc's small living quarters, he picked up a blanket and they went to the roof. Laying it down, Torc lower himself down and took Chashakja in his arms. As they looked up at the moon, he talked about his dreams and hopes. He talked about his fears and feelings of not belonging to anything. All the time he still felt the warmth of Chashakja in his arms, the smell of her body, and heard her soft voice. In a way it replenished his soul, more than any kind of coupling he had previous. This was the simple joy of finding a friend and a companion. He knew that she was attracted to him, and she knew that he was attracted to her, but this was more powerful in the sense that nothing had to happen besides being held by each other. As the night wore on, and the two began to get sleepy the laid down on the blanket and slowly drifted off. Wrapped in each other arms and the blanket they dream of separate things, but as Torc smiled and dreamed, he pulled Chashakja close to him. It was the first time, in a long time, that he had someone in his arms. (Fade to black.)

[Liminal]

Both Vivienne and Teresa were polite enough, but Hadrian would be able to see the glaze forming over their eyes. They both had academic interests, true, but neither was prepared to deal with the disconnected rush of Hadrian's private intellectual obsessions.

"Ah, yes, that makes sense," Teresa said once Hadrian interrupted himself, though it was more a polite marker than any indication of understanding.

"Well, Hadrian, it's been a pleasure meeting you. I'll see you around the campus sometime, no?" Vivienne kissed Hadrian chastely on the cheek. "Don't light yourself on fire." And with that, she turned to leave.

"Bye, Vivienne." Teresa snapped her lute case closed. Then she looked at Hadrian, a touch of softness on her face. "Better luck next time?"

*****

Chashakja returned Torc's touches, snuggling close to him as the night wore on. She listened carefully, speaking softly when required, saying nothing when it was not.

She too eventually fell asleep, wrapped in Torc's arms, pushing herself close to him as the stars wheeled overhead.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian watched Vivienne leave, then smiled ruefully at Teresa's comment. With a shrug of the shoulders, he accepted that he was simply not the ladies' man that Torc was, but he had long ago come to that conclusion. It was Torc who seemed to think that Hadrian had it in him to attract and hold feminine attention.

"Oh, it's all right. My friend Torc found two dancers and pawned me off on Vivienne. She was fun to talk to, but I'm sure she wasn't truly interested in what I have to say." He laughed a little, sheepishly. "I'll end up married to my work and live vicariously through Torc."

He watched her pack up to leave, his mind drifting back for a moment to where the night began: pondering the forbidden archives. One day he hoped to get in there, and the mental excitement of that idea was more overwhelming than any priapic experience.

"I should probably go before I bore you, too."

[Liminal]

Teresa shrugged. "Suit yourself, Hadrian." As one of her heritage and attractiveness, she had no trouble obtaining the attentions of men when the mood struck her, and though she felt some degree of empathy for him, he hadn't given her any particular reason to try and retain his company. "Have a good evening then."

OOC: All right...both of you can add Vivienne and Chashakja to the list of people you know, and Hadrian can add Teresa too.

Torc: Observation +3, Socialization +4, +2 Interrogation, +1 Dancing

Hadrian: Observation +1, Socialization +2

Let me know if you think I left anything out

Thanks for the thread!