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+---- Thread: that doesn’t mean what you think it means (/showthread.php?tid=3677)
that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Vervain - 06-16-2020
Torchline was a different kettle of fish compared to the Hollowed Grounds, or even the Greatwood. The Grounds were horrific, giving Vervain the occasional nightmare even now, and the woods were quiet and dark and calm. But here - everything was an excuse for a party, apparently. And hell, Vai wasn’t about to complain.
She sat in the sand before one of the bonfires along the beach, face lit up by the ruddy light, a bottle of something in her hands. Someone played music a ways away, the sound of the guitar gently drifting across the shore. All things considered, this was a pretty sweet way to spend the week of darkness.
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Zephyr - 06-16-2020
Being long-since accustomed to the chaos of LongNight in Torchline and with no experience of other ways to spend a week in the dark, you of course feel right at home walking into the frenzy of the beach. Bright bonfires, loud music, laughter and fighting and the sounds of the sea- it makes you feel alive in a way that you rarely do the rest of the year.
Your feet are bare as you walk through the sand, enjoying the way it feels between your toes, the way your weight distributes across it. There's a myriad of faces old and new, and you look over them in quiet interest, sipping from a flask clasped in your hand. A more empty flask, more's the pity- time to fill it up.
With this intent you draw to a stop in your wanderings, pausing at a fire where a woman sits alone, holding a bottle of you don't care what. [say]"Reckon I could talk ya outta some'a that?"[/say] Still standing, you glance down at her with fire dancing merrily on your dark skin, the left side of your face obscured by shadows so as to hide your scar.
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Vervain - 06-17-2020
The voice drew her out of her daydream, Vai glancing up to see a man with a face half bathed in shadow. She offered him a lopsided smile, leaning back on one hand and raising an eyebrow. [say]”Reckon you could try,”[/say] she said, nodding at the empty spot of sand just beside her as if to invite the stranger to sit himself down. One might consider it a bit worrying, to be approached by a man in the dead of the night without end, but... hell, Vai had lived through way too much to care unless he pulled a knife on her or something.
[say]”Go on then,”[/say] she invited, lifting the bottle but not quite holding it out for him. [say]”I’m all ears. Talk me out of it.”[/say] Because of course she wasn’t about to make it easy - what would be the fun in that? He would have to work for her hard earned alcohol.
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Zephyr - 06-18-2020
Never one to turn down an invitation to sit, you settle into the space in the sand, grunting softly as you distribute weight briefly on your bum right arm. The fire to your back is warm and pleasant; you sigh contentedly, stretching your legs out and pushing your toes into the sand. [say]"Not a bad spot."[/say]
The challenge makes you raise an eyebrow appreciatively, half-turning to look at her, the cursed scar still not quite visible. [say]"Aye, that so? An' here I thought that sharin' was carin'."[/say] Mock-wounded, you shake your head. [say]"S'pose appealin' to your good nature an' generosity isn't gonna work? In which case, what does a lady like you want on a night like this?"[/say]
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Vervain - 06-19-2020
[say]”I thought so too. The music is better than the rowdy singing at some of the other bonfires,”[/say] Vai remarked, smirking as he made himself comfortable. Lifting the bottle to her lips again, he would see that there was still plenty left, even if she was not quite of the same opinion about sharing. [say]”And everything has a price, especially in the dark on the longest night of the year,”[/say] she said, lifting the bottle as if to say cheers.
Her crooked smile should tell him all about her good nature and generosity, but she was at least decent enough to offer her price when he asked for it. [say]”You’re lucky, I’m not a highly strung woman. This lady likes stories. Give me your best tale, and the bottle’s all yours.”[/say]
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Zephyr - 06-19-2020
[say]"Not a reveler, eh?"[/say] Leaning back upon your hands, you turn enough to raise an eyebrow at the woman, watching as she puts the bottle back to her lips. [say]"I don' believe it."[/say] She looks like she's had her share of wild nights, or so you'd like to believe. Or maybe you're wrong- few would peg you for a wilding these days, yet gods know you've cavorted and made a fool of yourself just as well as the best of them.
A story is a cost you would have had no problem paying, in said bygone days. Now you snort, looking back to the revelry. [say]"Once upon a time, there was a grumpy ol' alcoholic who very much wanted a drink."[/say] The lines around your eyes crinkling playfully. [say]"Used't be he knew a good number'a tales, but he got rusty with age. Now it takes some liquor to loosen him up, an' even then he makes no promises."[/say] Turning full-on to face the woman, you shrug as though to say, well?
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Vervain - 06-21-2020
[say]”Oh, I’m plenty a reveller when the mood strikes me. As it happens the mood hasn’t just yet. Maybe I just haven’t found someone worth revelling with.”[/say] She grinned, looking him over as he turned his head, taking in the injury to his face, the way the firelight played in his eyes, the crooked smile. And Vai waited, expectant of a story, absently swirling the booze in the bottle.
And he delivered, she supposed, the huntress breaking into a peal of laughter and shaking her head. [say]”That was abysmal,”[/say] she said, holding out the bottle for him to take. [say]”You owe me a real story, sir. For now though, perhaps you’ve put me in a sharing mood. I’m Vervain, but call me Vai. You live here on the islands?”[/say]
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Zephyr - 06-22-2020
Your (admittedly abysmal, yes) story has both its intended effect of earning you a drink, and an unintended bonus of getting her to laugh. The lines around your eyes deepen in turn, pleasure and firelight brightening your face. [Say]"Live t'serve,"[/say] you rumble, sit-bowing awkwardly before graciously accepting your prize.
You take a polite pull from the bottle as he gives her name, relishing the burn of it on your throat, the way it loosens your nerves. [Say]"Born'n raised. Zeph."[/SAY] Instead of your hand you extend back the bottle, then lean onto your splayed palms once more. [say]"'magine I'm properly in your debt now, Vai."[/say] There's a playful, melodic lilt to your accent. [Say]"How long y'been in Torchline?"[/say]
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Vervain - 06-22-2020
Vai didn’t believe it - that he lived to serve - but the company was enjoyable, and she reached across to take the bottle back and took another sip for herself. [say]”Nice to meet you, Zeph. How come you’re not enjoying the revelling?”[/say] At a nearby bonfire there was a good deal of cheering and singing, though the guitar somewhere behind them stayed as slow and calm as ever. Vai raised an eyebrow at his remark, tucking the bottle into the sand between them.
[say]”I imagine you are,”[/say] she agreed, though he had only really owed her a proper story. Still, debt was debt, and Vai wasn’t about to turn that sort of leverage down. [say]”I’ve only been here about a week. I come from the Greatwood, but someone close to me has recently become Governor of this place. So I came through the portal with my son.”[/say]
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Zephyr - 06-22-2020
Why aren't you enjoying the reveling? You turn to the louder bonfire with a shrug, your expression neutral in the firelight. [say]"Me? I'm an old invalid."[/say] You raise your arm enough for it to catch the light, showing the brace that covers your bicep; she's already seen the newly minted scar. Neither of these are legitimate reasons to avoid the partying, but it's as much an excuse as you feel like giving. Truth be told, you've been to your fair share of these over the years. Sometimes it's nice to sit back and watch others enjoying themselves.
Oh, so she's another friend of the governor. Something sours in your mouth; you'd wanted to go a night without being reminded of that whole situation, but here you are. [say]"Can't say I've had the pleasure of seein' the Greatwood. Maybe someday."[/say] Not that you're super interested, given your encounter with one of its denizens. You're a homebody true and true.
Ah, so she has a son. This, too, squeezes at something in you, though this time it isn't sour. [say]"How old's he?"[/say] Ray would have been 13 this year, cavorting around the bonfires. Probably would have done his first island hop, while you tried to hide your panic. [say]"Off revelin' somewhere?"[/say]
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Vervain - 06-22-2020
Raising an eyebrow, Vai smirked as he revealed the brace on his arm, and she nodded at the bottle again as if to invite him to share in another drink. [say]”I’m sure you’re quite spry when you want to be,”[/say] she said, bouncing her eyebrows at him and leaning back on her hands to watch the bonfire. If she noticed the way his mood soured a bit, she didn’t let it show on her face, and a wistful sort of smile touched to her lips as he mentioned the Greatwood.
[say]”You ought to give it a try, even if it’s just for a week,”[/say] she suggested, glancing back to Zeph. [say]”The sky is just... trees. It’s beautiful, especially in Leafchange.”[/say] The opposite of a homebody, Vai would happily spend her years all over the place, squeezing the best bits from each season.
Then talk turned to her son, and her expression became a mix of proud and sad. [say]”That’s a complicated answer. He’s sixteen, but... not.”[/say] She shrugged. [say]”He wandered off just after he learned to walk, and ended up at a shrine. Something happened and... he just grew up before my eyes. So he’s still little more than a babe in my eyes. But... sixteen.”[/say]
And was he off somewhere causing trouble? [say]”I bloody hope not, though the answer is probably yes,”[/say] she said with a snort. [say]”How about you? Got any rascals?”[/say]
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Zephyr - 06-22-2020
A sky of trees. What a strange idea... but you can't deny that it sounds interesting, like something out of a story you might have told Ray. [say]"Dunno. I'd miss the sun."[/say] A weak protest, made weaker by the follow-up: [say]"But if I had a guide it might be nice."[/say] You raise a brow in return to her, the playful suggestion clear. Not that you expect anything to come of this, but it's nice to pretend sometimes. Pretend you have a future of adventure, pretend you're happy, pretend you could leave your ghosts behind.
Complicated indeed. Fucking insane more like, but then, weird crap happens all the time. You turn to face her head on, eyes widening briefly in surprise before a snort leaves you and you shake your head. [say]"Sounds like some god shit."[/say] Your voice makes it perfectly clear just what you think of gods and their shit. [say]"Shame. Those years... when they're learnin' everythin'. So damn curious. Fuckin' great."[/say] You sound painfully wistful as you look back toward the dark sea, a ghost of a smile erasing some of the age that mars your face.
You might have closed off entirely when the tables turned, but something about Vai puts you at ease. Maybe it's the fact that she's a stranger you'll probably never see again. Things have been so complicated; it feels simple, sitting here, enjoying a drink. Speaking of which: you extend your hand to reclaim the bottle as you answer. [say]"One. Ray. He's... he'd've been thirteen."[/say]
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Vervain - 06-23-2020
[say]”It is very different,”[/say] she agreed, staring up at the black above them, as if the blue sky and the sun might be just beyond it. [say]”Not too bad if you aren’t staying for long, though. And as guides go, I’m not a bad one. I’m a hunter and tracker by trade. Sure we could see the best parts of the Greatwood in a day and have you home by dinner time.”[/say] She winked.
He was right, and it did sound like some god shit; the reminder of it all stole Vai’s smile away, and she sighed an equally wistful sigh, reaching for the bottle to take a deep pull from it. [say]”It’s the second time I’ve missed it,”[/say] she admitted. [say]”Had a daughter before him, but... well, long story short, I wasn’t able to be around for her growing up either.”[/say]
But then it was Zeph’s turn for show and tell, and for all of the sadness in Vai’s story, all of that paled in comparison to his simple use of past tense.
[say]”I’m so sorry,”[/say] she said quietly. [say]”Though I suppose you’ve heard all of that before.”[/say]
RE: that doesn’t mean what you think it means - Zephyr - 06-23-2020
[say]"A hunter, eh?"[/say] You raise an eyebrow, somewhat impressed and curious, but don't push further. You're thinking about giant trees and elevated cities of tiny winged assholes and how many questions Ray would be asking if he were here. [Say]"You plannin' on goin' back? After, I mean."[/say] Is this a permanent move or a strangely timed vacation?
How the fuck does that happen twice? [SAY]"Damn. That's shit."[/say] What more can you say on the matter? It's a shit hand she's been dealt, nothing more or less. You'd like to know the story someday, maybe, but you know better than to pry at old wounds. [Say]"She around now?"[/say]
Speaking of old wounds. You take a drink deep of the bottle, letting silence lapse a moment before releasing it with a sigh. [say]"Yup."[/say] Heard every condolence, every way it can be said. Nothing brings him back. And what more is there to say past that? Yup, your son is dead, yup, it sucks. Yup, your life stopped moving on that day.
More silence. Finally you clear your throat, swallow down the familiar lump. [Say]"What's, ah, what're their names? Yours."[/say] If your voice is a little huskier than before, well, who's to blame you? You're trying, and that's something at least.