Running into the Past [Meville]

by **Lorelle** on August 25th, 2013, 5:50 am

And she was beginning to think he was going to drop the subject of the little matter of her birthday. Well, she was wrong. Meville apparently decided that bringing her date of birth back up was needed for some untold reason. His question is therefore met with a confused and slightly surprised look from Lorelle. She just stares at him, her eyes shifting colors before they settle on a gold lined in black. She actually isn't all that mad about what he has said. In fact, she laughs. It isn't a giggle or some weird snicker type of laugh, but more of a true laugh that rings with the high notes of how a child might laugh. It is an embarrassing laugh, making Lorelle's eyes turn pink and blood rush to her cheeks as she covers her mouth quickly with her hand in order to gain control. "Sorry," she says, continuing to try to get her laughter under control, "Um, in an answer to your question. Maybe. I am not sure. As long as you don't bring me a starfish."

She gives him a small smile, her laughter finally under control. Inside she feels embarrassed and childish, even though she is only talking to Meville and from what she has seen he seems quite childish in some ways. Well, sometimes anyway. She finds him amusing. No one has made her laugh like she has been doing today in awhile. Well as far as she can remember this is true. Her smile fades as she looks at Meville a little more seriously now. "Starfish sound weird. I think I may have to investigate one for myself, just to see if you are telling the truth," she tells him, a playful gleam in her eyes. She isn't sure if he is telling the truth about these "starfish". They seem like something from a storybook. Something not real but mythical and well, fake. If he has made them up she must give him some sort of award for they do sound truly and utterly repulsive. Course, she will have to see for herself about them as she has to be sure if they are real or not.

"Tell you what, I will find one of these so called starfish and I will tell you if I agree with you when you bring me something that is not a starfish for my birthday," she tells him, wondering if he was even serious with that comment or not. She doesn't really care. If his true colors shine through and he was lying than she may be a little upset, but not to bad. What she said about being nervous about the birthday is true. It is her twentieth. She will officially be an icemaiden in her own culture. Literately someone considered undesirable and hopeless. She lets out a sigh, her eyes traveling to the ground. She has always looked forward to being an icemaiden officially. It means she has been able to get through four years of her mother trying to marry her off. Now though, she sees the younger Vantha's and she has started to feel a little old. Her birthday seems to be the event that will seal it all.

Lorelle's eyes travel up to Meville. They are different colors again as she thinks. The laughter and humor has left her face. She is serious now, thinking about the birthday to come with the next season. She wishes she could blame someone for the reason she isn't married. But she can't and she knows that. She is the only one to blame. While Meville took part in making her mother have to quite with trying to find her a man, it wasn't like she was actively trying to get along with any of them anyway. She sighs again before shrugging. "It doesn't matter if you get me anything for my birthday. What I need is more than anyone could ever get me," she tells him, her voice neutral but also having a small tint of sadness to it, "I don't know what I need or want. Just something. Something to get my mind off of everything here. Actually, I think I need to leave this city. I won't though, I have to many roots here and not enough coin to even think about such a thing." Her eyes travel past Meville, fixating on the fire.

She stares at the flames, wondering if they had thoughts what would they think? Would they wish they could get away from the logs they burn and find a larger target so that growing and spreading would be possible. Would they feel trapped? Confined to the few logs that keep them alive? That is how Lorelle almost feels about Avanthal. At the same time though, she loves it here. This is her home. It always has been. She knows this place and she is comfortable here. Though at the same time it is a bad thing. She knows this place, but it also knows her and to the people here she is almost to the age where she is old and hopeless to the people here. She knows exactly what her mother would say about her current line of thought. She would tell her that she is right and it is all her fault that she hasn't been married off yet and is now starting to regretting her decisions.

Lorelle's eyes look back to Meville. "Do you ever regret anything? Like more than everything else? Do you wish you could go back and change everything?" she asks him, sure that he does, "I really don't know what I am telling you all this. I guess I just feel as though I need to talk to someone and I don't really have anyone. So I guess I must settle for ... what are we exactly? Not friends exactly ... A little less than that, but then more ... It's confusing." Her head begins to spin as she tries to think on how to describe her relationship with Meville. It is so complex that she really has no words when it comes to the matter. It's complicated seems to just about sum it up. She shrugs, looking down at her hands a tick. "Well I guess it really doesn't matter, but still, its weird for me to be talking like this with anyone. Let alone you. No offense to you, its just.. oh gods, you know how it is. You were there, I don't need to try and explain our relationship to you."

She looks back up at him before sitting back on the couch and resting her head on the back of it. She still looks at him, wondering how to continue this line of conversation. "Meville ... Will you do me a favor?" she asks of him, "You do owe me one ..." She doesn't go on, wanting to hear what he has to say in response. She wants him to say yes that he will, but a very small part of her screams no. No, he should say no. Why? So she doesn't have to see him again. No that won't work. She wants him to say yes. She groans mentally, her emotions waring inside her. She waits for him to reply, both sides of her seeming to sit and scream at him what to say as she remains unable to decide which one to go with. Its up to him it seems. All up to him.

by **Meville Brightshade** on August 27th, 2013, 1:30 am

Laughter?

Meville's face was predisposed towards a jovial countenance, so he grinned right along with Lorelle's expectedly unexpected response. His kept his eyes sharp though. His not-so-subtle pounce on her little verbal slip was not meant merely to elicit laughter, though that was certainly an enjoyable bonus. He checked the flickering colors of her eyes, though he understood they changed, he wasn't nearly familiar enough with her to know what each color stood for. Judging by her flushed cheeks and averted gaze, Meville assumed the pinkish tint denoted a sort of embarrassment or slight shame. She had, after all, turned several heads with her pure string of musical laughter.

Well, she wasn't avoiding his advances into her personal life nearly as much as he'd done to her. That was good. The mention of starfish sent a little shiver down Meville's spine, fading his smile into a slight frown as the mental image slowly wrapped its horrible, suction-ridden legs around his brain. "Agreed. No starfish." Gods, he almost regretted bringing them up. At first, it had been a silly little truth to help assuage whatever ill-will he may have appeared to sew, but the terrible little monsters were now at the forefront of his mental imagery. Another shudder tickled through his skin as he shook off the imagined grip of the terrible little feet.

It was completely understandable that Lorelle, at best, doubted his claims to the actuality of starfish. He'd seen them first hand and still doubted they were real. "As long as starfish staying in ocean, I am bring you anything you want." He gave a slightly nervous chuckle, hoping to move the conversation away from the sea-abominations. "Anything in reason." Best not to let her go crazy with his offer. He'd heard plenty of horror stories from the young Vantha men who had promised similar things to their feminine friends, only to find themselves penniless and heartbroken. At least Meville was protected form the latter.

Her eyes switched again, though this time Meville had little idea what the change meant. She wasn't "pink" anymore, though the new color without any sort of clue was just a color to him. She seemed rather lost in thought, of what Meville could only imagine. He took the short interim to breathe a little. Unsurprisingly, he was still feeling a little light headed from their icy escapade. His body clung to its current position, unwilling to shift in anyway like a... Like a starfish. Oh gods, how he hated those things with their tendril-like arms and bumpy, awful bodies. What purpose did they even serve? The little monstrosities were just useless lumps of agonizingly unbearable horror. It was almost as if they were created and placed upon this realm of existence for the sole purpose of being the single-most ghastly creatures Meville had had the displeasure of coming across.

Lorelle spoke again, banishing the sea-abominations for the time being. She sounded a bit like she was rambling, though the tone for such a thing was different enough from Common, Meville had a little difficulty picking up the subtlety of it. At least she'd released him from buying an expensive gift, though he'd never really intended to get anything too flashy in the first place. He still wasn't sure if he was going to get her anything at all to be honest. A vacation to Wind Reach or even somewhere as distant as Endrykas or Syliras was out of the question for the same reasons she'd stated kept her in Avanthal. If that were truly the only thing she wanted-

But he was taking her too literally. It tended to happen when he was a bit weary from constantly translating everything both into and out of his head. Did she want to leave for the sake of leaving, or was she trying to run away? The latter seemed more likely. Their entire outing had been based upon her refusal to deal with her own life. Most likely, now that he thought about it a bit more, her birthday. Why, exactly, he wasn't entirely sure. He knew enough about the Vantha, but nothing particularly terrible happened during their birthdays unless- Unless she were turning twenty. That would be the point at which, assuming she didn't marry, she'd be considered an Icemaiden.

Personally, Meville didn't really see much of a problem with such a brand. It wasn't a curse or anything of the sort. If Lorelle wished it, he was fairly certain she could find a man to marry her even after her initiation into the small collective of Vantha spinsters. If it were a matter of becoming an Maiden, Meville found the whole thing a bit silly, though not entirely trivial. Lorelle seemed deep in thought as she gazed into the fire, her eyes revealing through more than just color that she wrestled with thoughts similar to Meville's own when he found himself alone at the end of the day. She was torn, that was certain. Anything beyond that was too difficult to discern. He frowned slightly, contemplating the woman before him. How very odd that she would open up to him so easily. Perhaps her cold greeting had only carried with a portion of her true opinions regarding their relationship and past.

He almost laughed at how little prepared he was to answer her next question. Did he regret anything? Had she spent a single breath in his place, she would have found the question as absurd as he. His entire life was founded upon regrets. His very birth was an event he'd often wished had never occurred. Yet, somehow, he couldn't give her the "Yes of course I'd change it all!" he felt he should have. He'd managed, adapted. The person he was today, however broken and brittle, was what had come out of the blazing fires of his tempering. If he had the chance to change it all... Meville didn't think he could. Instead, he remained still, allowing Lorelle to continue as his slight frown gave way to a mischievous grin at her stumbling explanation.

"An explanation would actually be rather lovely." He chuckled to himself, letting the unease from her prior line of interrogation fade. His words were directed as more of an introspection than an actual contribution to their dialogue, thus their tones were hushed and fluid. Meville mirrored Lorelle's actions, leaning back into his own portion of the couch as she asked him her final question for the time being.

A favor?

Having absolutely no idea what that favor might entail (and with a "You do owe me" to boot), Meville just shrugged and gave her a slight nod. "Who do you want killing?" Immediately after, his face broke out into a wide grin as loosely folded his fingers into a fist to press against his lips to hold back his chortling mirth. She just seemed so serious about everything. All that aside, he let out a cheerful sigh, allowing his bright blue eyes to shine with a more serious glean. "I do owe you. What kind favor will this being?"

Common | Vani

by **Lorelle** on August 28th, 2013, 5:54 am

Who do I want killed? Seriously?" Lorelle rolls her eyes. She looks at Meville disapprovingly as she watches his face break out into a large grin. Normally she would shove or punch someone acting like he is, but she doesn't. First off, he seems to frail to handle such a thing or at least, he is acting like he is to frail. Second, she just doesn't think it is needed. Not when he asks his next question. "Hm ... Not sure," she says first, wondering if she should ask him or not. She knows exactly what she wants to ask of him, but now she is thinking that maybe she should hold off and ask him at a later date. Or maybe he will pick it up on his own. She isn't sure.

The favor isn't a big one. She isn't going to ask him to take her away from this icy city or tell her his secret that he seems to not want to tell. No it is much more small than that. Something to do with her birthday. Now though, she isn't sure if now is the right time to ask. Maybe she should wait till a later date. Will she see him again before her birthday though? She isn't sure. It seems as though she could see him. It is a possibility. There isn't many places he could be, so she could probably find him if she wanted to. Though, they have lived here for two years since their little "incident" and haven't run into each other till today. So if they run into each other before her birthday is actually kind of hard to predict.

"Okay, well see, I had planned what I was going to ask you, but I have changed my mind," she says, her eyes flickering to a solid black color, "Instead, I will tell you this. I will tell you what the favor is if you find me sometime later this season. Not sure when or where, but sometime. I will tell you then, if you even want to know that is." Thinking about her words a minute, she tilts her head before nodding. Yes, that is what she wanted to say. Her eyes travel back to Meville, passing a window as they do so. She looks back towards the window, seeing that it is much later than she thought it was. "Oh wow, it's late. I should probably go home.." her voice traveling off as her eyes land back upon Meville, the usually lavender silver like color now. "You should probably get home too, nurse that tired body of yours," she smirks, her eyes flickering black again before going back to their neutral state.

"So, do you agree? Time to call it a day and see you some other day when I tell you what the favor is?" she asks him as she stands up. Surprisingly, she hopes he says yes. She wants to see him again. She doesn't know why, but she does. She finds him interesting and humorous. Plus being herself isn't hard when around him, which in itself is another surprising thing about him. She sighs, looking at him and awaiting his answer. It is up to him again. All his decision.

by **Meville Brightshade** on August 28th, 2013, 8:06 pm

For what seemed to be the final turnabout of the day, as Lorelle was so very fond of pulling Meville along down her own respective path of whimsical insanity, it seemed the favor was to wait for another day. Meville wasn't nearly as taken aback at her quick switch from loose-lipped to tight-wad, but rather the very distinctive look in her eye. It was like peering into a freshly frozen pool of water. The words could have carried no meaning by themselves, and Meville still would have gotten the message. She was... Toying with him? Testing him? How very odd to have the tables turned so late in the game.

Though a bit befuddled, Meville couldn't help but beam wide at his multi-faceted companion. She was even quick with the breakaway, something he was fairly apt to do when situations like this one arose. How strange he had thought to underestimate her. Meville wasn't lacking any sort of decorum when it came to being a conversationalist. On the contrary, he followed a very strict social code (though the origins of such etiquette were self-derived). She had, very effectively, piqued his interest through mystery and subterfuge. What a wily little fox of a Vantha.

"You, ma'dame, are a very peculiar sort of woman, you know." He chuckled as she rose, looking rather expectantly at him. There was, to his greater mirth, a hint of something more than just taunting intrigue. He couldn't be sure, but she seemed ever so slightly hopeful he'd take her up upon her offer. Had she known him better, she'd have known she'd already won. That little hint of weakness - for longing was far too strong a word - sparked once more Meville's bright eyes into an impish flicker. "I've thought myself the cat for so long, I find it difficult to comprehend a reversal of roles!"

He sighed, a happy, content sort of thing, and rose to stand beside her. Looking down due to the discrepancy in height, he bit his lower lip while his smile remained in his almost glowing eyes. "When I finding you, this favor must be something... good. Something worth finding, yes?" Meville nodded at her, crossing his arms. "I like surprise. I do not like waiting." He switched to Common, deciding his actual message didn't require Lorelle to fully comprehend it anyway (and he doubted he could state his case in Vani anyway). "The reward must be of an equivalent quality in relation to the time spent achieving it."

He winked, "So if I must wait, you might wait as well. Time must passing, so I find you Fall. Expect or not expect, I will finding you." Laughing, he gave Lorelle a respectful bow as farewell, remembering all too well how rather unpleasant his touch was to her. Once that was done properly, he gave Lorelle a final smile before gathering up his shoes and heading off to return his skates.

It wasn't often he made plans outside of Poetry Days and specific foreigners staying for a visit. Lorelle had become something to look forward too once more, and much like before, he had no idea what to expect. He'd grown since their time together, more than Lorelle could possibly know. He was much more comfortable in the presence of beautiful women and more sure of his Vani (though it was still a work in progress). The next time they met, Meville couldn't predict how it would turn out, but at least he would be conscious the entire time.

Common | Vani

by **Lullaby** on October 5th, 2013, 12:02 pm

Lorelle Snowsong :

Meville Brightshade :

A quiet song to soothe the heart

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.

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Closed Running into the Past [Meville]