Closed [Reed Park] Tempting Fate (Belinda)

[Reisen Widerspruch]

36th of Spring, 516 AV, 18th bell 24th Chime.

Reisen loved Reed Park, he loved it for the very reason many others did; it was simply beautiful. Back in Syliras he’d been to the Bronze Woods a few times, there it had its own brand of beauty not too unlike that of the swamp. Yet there were vast differences all the same for the traveler to enjoy and not go ‘ Tis a scene I’ve seen time and again, let us not linger’. No, Reed Park was quite different indeed thanks to the variety of animals to be found here that could be freely seen.

The birds that hung to the top of the reeds tweeted and cawed curiously. On the mudlands below various critters crawled in search of food or simply lazed about beneath the sunset sky. For Reisen, who sat the edge of the Boardwalk, it was a very therepuetic thing to see. He always had a liking for animals; much more easier to understand than humans he thought, at least compared to whenever he bothered to try to understand someone.

He had been growing used to Kenash, its people a difficult sort at times. He had nothing against them, he’d seen all sorts in Syliras, Zeltiva, Nyka, and even Sunberth. They were in a sense similar to those of Sunberth in their greed, they want the gold, the prestige. In a sense they matched a stereotype, yet their existed those who didn’t fit the mold much like he.

As he watched an otter scurry about, he gnawed on a bit of dry bread from his rations. Thoughts came to his mind as he pondered about the Dynasts. A group of people he still knew little about yet can be frequently seen amongst the normals in all their extravagance. His boss was a freeborn who didn’t fit the mold at all from what he heard, so if he had have an image one then the Dynast would have to be a complete opposite of Collin Askara who ran the Livery Stables.

The image wasn’t pretty.

He shook the implications from his mind and resumed his focus on the sights of nature before him. If he had to think about it philosophically, which he really didn’t bother too much, he’d say the sight of a majestic scene before him was very much the façade Kenash wore. On the surface it looked all nice and swell, like the perfect place to live. But looking at the bottom of the reef, at the unsightly mud, made it clear that not everything is as it appears.

It all made Kenash a very interesting place and Reisen did like interesting things, and he could see a lot more if he learns just to stay out of trouble long enough that that same impulse to see interesting things would not get him killed.

Ah, that would probably be the easy part really, the hard part would be avoiding people who would drag him into such danger to begin with. Excluding his boss, he imagine such people would be the dynasts themselves, so to keep himself as a nice, useful, long term, visitor he just needed to avoide the rich and wealthy of Kenash! An easy venture in itself since he was the type they’d ignore from their realm of existence!

He sighed contently as a seagull landed near him, breaking off a small crumb from his bread and tossing to the bird who pecked it off the ground. This would be a good day, he was sure.

After all, who could be troublesome enough to drag a layabout like him into trouble?

[Belinda]

The woman had to clear her head. She walked the park she heard so much about and in its simplistic way, it was true. It was interesting to note how something so simple could be more dramatic than constructed drama. Her shoulders relaxed immediately upon walking the boardwalk. The sultry voluptuous Belinda even slowed her booted steps as she walked the boardwalk. The sun played off of her raven hair crisping the ends into jewels of onyx and obsidian. The blue black sheen of the full hair laid down to her waist in a tumble of light waves. She didn’t go anywhere without her rapier these days as the sun glistened off of it as the rapier dangled to the left hip. Two daggers were strapped to each black leather clad thigh.

There was a spot she stopped at not for any particular reason other than it felt like a good spot. Belinda sat on the bench and just stared out into the water, into nature. The woman’s grey eyes just stared at the water as she started to relax till those haunting green eyes was in the water staring back at her again. ‘Petching hell, why cant he leave me be?’ Why couldn’t she forget him? With a heavy sigh she had her elbows on her knees and put her face in her hands to keep from seeing those eyes in the water, yet they were staring at her in her hands. He was everywhere. The woman settled on an anguished expression. They were nice eyes after all despite the stab in the heart every time those green eyes surface. ‘petching sucks’

The girl looked towards Syna and prayed that she wipe the visage of green eyes from her with the rays of light but that was fruitless. This was her doom and her own dilemma. The girl noted a man off to the side feeding the seagulls. It must have been nice to live simple that way. Simple was nice, but it unfortunately eluded a beauty as herself. Her very face doomed to serve those who would have that sort of beauty gracing their arm or side as if a jewel. It grew heavy on the woman at times. It was lonely and soul sucking.

[Reisen Widerspruch]

As much as he liked looking at the animals and feeding them, Reisen had to admit that even he had his limits of looking at the same scene for long periods of time. He needed a change of scenery! A change of venue! A change of sights! He also needed to stop thinking about variations of the same meaning. Picking up the remainder of his food, he stood up, turned around and just as he was about to march towards the other side of the board walk to look at the scenery there…..

…He tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his own face. Mumbling obscenities as his face was flat on the hard wood. He pushed himself up from the ground, his eyes looked briefly down and he frowned. He frowned even further when he felt the warm liquid that was his own blood seep to his lip as it no longer dripped on the boardwalk.

Holding a hand to his unfortunate nose, he mumbled a few more obscenities in a tone as to not be heard by polite company. He wasn’t normally the clumsy sort or so he told himself, so it felt a tad embarrassing to have made such a fall in public like this. He heard Kenash had a vicious rumor mill and he certainly didn’t one to be known as the ‘Freeborn slob who fell fat on his face’.

Of course, he was hardly known here in Kenash and quite frankly it wasn’t that bad. So his concerns as being part of some vicious gossip were remotely unfounded. As he stood back up once more he turned his eyes to see if anyone had saw and noted a very, very, very pretty woman setting on a bench. His embarrassment return and he almost wanted to palm his face if it weren’t for his main hand covering his nose.

He sighed once more mentally, the damage was done so why bother? He might as well resume hi soriginal intent of watching the scenery on the other side. As he began to turn once more his legs tangle into one another and subsequently he tripped again only this time on his side.

This time, a louder obscenity was heard laden with much more annoyance.

[Belinda]

His bottom half was not working with his top half at all. The man was plain looking but not unpleasant to look at. From his clothing he looked like a regular working person. That was actually refreshing in a city of divas and godling want to bes. The raven haired beauty cringed as he face planted into the board walk and covered her mouth to try and stifle a soft sultry chuckle of a easy on the ears velvet tone. The expletives that left his mouth did not desuade her. It just meant he was real and human. That too was refreshing.

The woman got to her feet and walked her way towards the man as her head tilted to the side to look at him to see if he was sick or only his pride was hurt. “Hello, My name is Belinda. Do you need any help?” Though the question was a bit on auto pilot, the dancer inwardly cringed at she probably wouldn’t know what to do. Still the poor man was suffering from a case of clumsies and two left feet. Her own walk was grace incarnate. The hand came out as syna’s light danced along her light coppery skin. “Here let me help you up see how bad it is.”

The woman was stronger than she looked and fairly fit. She stood back rather he took the help or not and looked him up and down to see how he moved. “Nice Park out here. It’s interesting that there is beauty out here amongst such chaos and savagery. “ It was random but it was placed there to sort of see how he would react to more his face and nose or to her question. Perhaps if he responded to her first, his pain wasn’t too bad and he wasn’t in need of immediate medical attention. The woman really didn’t want to run today.

“What brings you way out here?” It was one of those questions someone asks as a conversations starter and it didn’t hurt to be civil. He had nice eyes anyway so why not. It was better than thinking on the green eyes that haunted her.

[Reisen Widerspruch]

The only thing that was truly hurt was simply his pride. Unfortunately the crimson liquid that was his blood decided otherwise as it leaked from his nose as he sat up and answered the woman’s automatic question “Nothing but a bleeding nose along with bleeding pride” He answered with one hand covered a portion of his face. Thankfully the bleeding was light and would have stilled in a chime’s time.

“Ain’t a bad one, miss” He answered as he lowered hand to show the somewhat light bleeding in reply to her request whilst he grabbed with his clean hand and allowed himself to be helped “I’d just need a bit of cloth or something to stop making a mess” He now had a good look at the girl, and he had to admit that she was prettier up close than from a distance, though honesty that’s how things usually go.

She looked more fit than he, and he didn’t mean that in the seductive sense although that was certainly true and definitely not a difficult feat, and carried about an air of grace that a man like Reisen may never achieve. Then he quirked an eyebrow at the statement, not that he disagreed with at, but it was a weird conversation starter nonetheless.

“Well, its certainly an air of beauty and freshness unmarred by man” He answered honestly . Then shrugged his shoulders and gave another honest answer as to why he was here “There’s no reason not to be, there plenty of critters and animals amongst the beautiful wildlife, plenty of places to look at them from”

He then stretched himself and his legs to see if anything else was in harm, thankfully that was not so and he turned to look at Belinda “And before I forget, my name is Reisen. So what brings you here?”

[Belinda]

The raven haired woman chuckled softly as he admitted to bruising his pride. Most men would not and she found it charming in an awkward way. Once she helped him up as she braced herself and hunkered down a little to pull the weight up, he asked for a cloth to clean the mess.

“Oh dear, I am afraid I don’t have one with me.” Belinda’s voice is a velvet rose kind of voice. Its husky, soothing and it had you bending your ear down to hear more. She used it subconsciously anymore. At least his response and the way he moved meant she didn’t have to go running after a healer and getting sweaty. Not that she minded sweat, just not at the moment.

“Reisen is it? Pleasure to meet you then. Belinda. “ The second part of his question had her looking out towards the water a moment or two before she answered. “Trying to stow away memories and readjust priorities I guess. “ The young dancer looked down a moment before lifting her chin. “Life isn’t simple anymore. “ The admittance had more meaning then there was relayed in those simple words.

Things had gotten quickly complicated since she arrived. Her free way of doing things was matched by the Kenashians brutal regard for themselves and life. All she wanted to do was dance and exist, yet her nature keeps pulling her towards certain things. “What do you do around Kenash if you don’t mind me asking?” The half Beshiran asked in a polite way. No reason not to be polite. Her foot went to one side as she relaxed her stance. The coppery skin reflected Syna’s light in its healthy shimmer as the metal on the weapons she had on her. The woman took to keeping weapons on her most of the time now. It was infinitely safer that way.

There was something about this awkward simple man she liked. Those steel grey eyes looked into his own as the envy of his simple nature passed. Not simple as in unintelligent, but simple as his life seemed to be the basics. Work, eat and sleep. It must be nice. That was what she wanted was to eat, sleep, dance, drink a little, and enjoy a bed mate now and again. Yet fate had denied her that simplicity. There was a part of her that raged against fate. Why couldn’t she have that? The little voice in her head gave another answer. ‘Because, you are not simple.’ Her mind raged again as her own self answered that part that was out of sorts with this whole thing. The youngster part of herself was the one that rebelled against anything that told her what to do. Yet here was fate reveling in placing her where she is now, rather she liked it or not.

“You want a drink, Reisen?” She finally offered the simple man in a neutral voice. “It’s horrible to drink alone.” The woman added. Belinda didn’t care if he was married, joined, mated or otherwise accompanied. Even the married needed a moment to live a fantasy which she could provide for a price. Today, she just wanted a drinking partner.