|
Post by Anna Lehmann on Mar 15, 2010 12:59:24 GMT -5
Anna couldn't help but smile at his charm, whether it was intended or not; he was such a nice person to be around. Though he wasn't from Narnia, he seemed to fit into this beautiful, peaceful (or at least on the surface) wonderland.
When he spoke, however, the wonderland crashed around her. For a moment, she stopped walking entirely, only to be pulled into a much slower gate by the fact that she had indeed promised him lunch and she did not intent to break her word. His comments stung though, especially after how kind he was acting not a moment before.
'...They don't do much except try to pick sides. Like they can't even think for themselves. They align themselves with whatever side has the most power. They can't even stand up for themselves there...'
She was used to being down-talked; during her 'travels' back in Europe she'd come to the conclusion that most non-Germans believed all Germans to be nothing more than power-hungry sheep...and they certainly weren't afraid to let you know that. But Damien? He was, after all, saying practically the exact same thing, only applied to every human. Sure, that may just be how things were in his homeworld, but it didn't make it any less unpleasant to hear.
Anna didn't notice the brief silence at all as she stared at nothing, walking out of shear mechanics as the past enthusiasm had sunk rather quickly. His change of tone, though, did manage to catch her attention and she looked up, offering a slight smile at his apology. "It is alright. That is what you are used to. I can imagine it is a hard idea to change." She quickened her step until she closed the short distance that had grown between them and fell in step with him again, not wanting to seem rude. She was curious still, despite herself; he had mentioned elves, and had spoken of humans as 'they'...did that mean he was actually an elf? She wanted to ask, but at the same time, a change of subject seemed like a much better idea. "So...um...how long have you been in Narnia?" Well, no one said it had to be a very good subject. Besides, things to talk about almost always had a way of evading one when they were needed the most.
|
|
|
Post by Damien Gilreed on Mar 22, 2010 18:07:59 GMT -5
Damien cursed himself for his runaway tongue. He glanced over to Anna feeling self-conscious now. He wondered what she truly thought of him. It was odd. He never felt much remorse for humans before. Why was she so different? He looked back to Anna and watched her a minute. It was because she reminded him so much of Lalaith. It was the center of his softness toward her.
“Not long.” Damien answered ignoring the thoughts in his head. “Maybe a month now. I’d like to say I miss Runia but that would be a lie.”
The conversation began to grow dry and Damien believed it was his fault. He swallowed and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword (a sword he rarely used). He stopped walking and turned swiftly in Anna’s direction. He held out his hand over the ground and murmured a few words in a foreign tongue. After a moment the ground moved and a bush of white and red roses bloomed. They grew until they reached Damien’s waste. It separated the two of them.
He smiled and reached into the plant plucking three red roses and three white. The thorns didn’t bother him; in fact there were no thorns at all. The rose bushes shrunk back into the ground and out of sight. Damien handed the flowers Anna.
“I’m sorry if I offended you in anyway.” He apologized in a charming voice. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Damien had to remember that most of these initial feelings were remnants of what he felt for Lalaith. She was so much like his wife it was stark surprise and Damien thought that she had even been reborn into Anna. He swallowed hoping that Anna accepted the flowers.
|
|
|
Post by Anna Lehmann on Mar 24, 2010 22:01:07 GMT -5
Though Damien's tone didn't sound all that sad or any other sort of emotion one may expect when he spoke of Runia, Anna couldn't help but feel bad for him. She knew full well what it was like not to miss one's homeworld, as she had absolutely no desire to return to her own either, but still...and just the way he worded it: 'I'd like to say I miss Runia...'. She watched him half a moment before speaking quietly. "I am sorry...for whatever happened in Runia to make you not want to return... Hopefully things can be better for you here perhaps..." She fell silent, not sure what else to say, or if it was even her place to say anything else. If nothing else, she was glad he had agreed to stay with her for a little while. Perhaps she could help him find a new life here, a life worth missing should it disappear. Not that she wanted him to leave, certainly not. There was just something about him - or everything, rather - that was so warm and inviting. She'd be more than happy if he decided to stay with her forever. The unbidden thought took her by surprise and her face went a little red as she tried to force her mind off that particular embarrassing, and confusing, topic.
Fortunately, that effort was made both quite easy and exceedingly difficult when, out of the blue, Damien stopped and turned to her in one fluid movement. She stopped short, completely confused. "Damien?" Whatever she had been planning on asking was quickly lost, however, as he spoke some odd words with his hand over the ground. Anna had never seen anything of the sort and instinctively took a step back, a chill running down her spine. What was he doing? She didn't even get the chance to ask though, had she had the ability to in the first place, as the ground itself began to move and...sprout? She let out a gasp as a bush that had definitely not been there a minute ago grew ten times faster than seemed possible. And Damien was acting as though this was a perfectly normal occurrence.
Before she could quite grasp the idea that a rosebush had just sprung out of the ground as a few strange-sounding words, it was already shrinking just as fast as it had grown: one foot, half a foot, hardly taller than the grass…and it was gone. She stared at the ground where it had been a moment before looking up at Damien with confusion and more than a little awe. The fact that, as she just then realized, he was holding out the most flawless red and white roses for her, coupled with the talent he seemed to have for such natural, honest charm, made her seriously start to wonder if this was a dream. “How-…? Damien, they are beautiful…” She carefully took the roses, almost afraid they would shrink into nothing but memory like the bush had. “I know you did not mean any offense. To be honest, I cannot actually see you on purpose offending anyone. You are the kindest person I have ever met, Damien. It just…brought back a few memories is all; certainly not your fault.” She smiled at him. “Really. I would not trade your company for the world.” She sincerely hoped she wasn’t blushing, though had a feeling she was…
|
|
|
Post by Damien Gilreed on Apr 25, 2010 10:49:35 GMT -5
Damien felt a smile play on the corner of his lips. He looked at Anna and sighed. He debated telling her why he had left Runia. Talking about Lalaith and Ilina only made Damien angry and depressed. For the first time in a long time Damine felt happy and that was because he was around Anna. There was a part of him that didn’t want to ruin that feeling. He tried to keep the smile the best he could.
“What’s done is done. You can’t change the past. No matter how hard you try or would like to.” He drew in a breath and let it out.
Seeing the look on Anna’s face at his use of magic made Damien chuckle. He wasn’t used to seeing people who had never seen magic in use before. In Runia even the humans were accustomed to seeing magic. It was again a nice change of pace. Anan was a curious person and Damien counted himself lucky to happen upon her. Or well, lucky to have her happen upon him. The longer he stared at Anna the more Damien began to picture Lalaith’s face in her place. When he caught his minds trickery Damien adverted his eyes toward the ground clearing his throat.
“Tha-thank you Anna.” He replied to her words of kindness. Damien slowly got the courage to look up again and into her face. “If we’re being honest right now, I wouldn’t trade you for anyone in the world.”
Damien smiled at her but as what he said replied in his mind the smile slowly faded. He quickly tried to rephrase what he had said, his face turning hot. “I mean, your company. I wouldn’t trade your company.” Damien stopped and bit his tongue. “So, how about that lunch, eh?”
|
|
|
Post by Anna Lehmann on May 6, 2010 10:43:54 GMT -5
Anna had to smile at his slightly bumbling adorableness. She could gladly spend all day with him. “Of course,” she added with a barely-concealed laugh. In all honestly, she wouldn’t trade him for anyone either: he was just such a unique, caring sort of person. The type someone might be blessed enough to meet once in a million years. “But yes, lunch. I imagine you are very hungry.” She shifted the flowers he’d given her to one hand and took his hand with her free one. “This way. It’s not far.”
And indeed it really wasn’t. It couldn’t have been more than an hour before the curling smoke of chimneys swam into view, then the outer building through the thinning trees. The trees finally fell back completely to reveal a small village, maybe two main roads and a series of alleyways large. People were going about their business everywhere, not giving the pair a second glance. Anna was a usual sight, and if the stranger was a travelling merchant, as many guessed, then that was no news either.
Anna turned down the village’s only intersection along one of the busy dirt roads spattered here and there with stalls selling this or that. She approached a large boarding house, two stories with windows wherever they could be crammed it seemed, and went inside. Just inside was a large common room with wood table and, on the other side, a hallway to some rooms and a stairwell to the second story. “I stay upstairs…” She didn’t even notice she was still holding his hand as she led the way across the empty common room and up the stairs to the narrow hallway lined with doors. She stopped at the door numbered ‘18’ and finally let go of Damien’s hand so she could dig in her dress pocket and pull out a small copper key. Anna pushed it into the keyhole and twisted it until it clicked, then pushed the door open and stepped aside a little self-consciously so he could go inside… if he still wanted to. “Here we are…” she said meekly.
The room was small, lit only by a single similarly small window. The only furnishings were a table with two chairs, a small counter with a cabinet underneath and a small pantry attached to the wall above, a short set of drawers, and a rather spindly-looking bed. Everything spoke blaringly of the impoverished life she existed in, from the near emptiness seen through the cracked door of the pantry to the sparse tattered covers on the bed.
Anna bit her lip slight, feeling more than a little embarrassed. What if he thought down on her for this? No, why would he? But she still couldn’t shake the fear. He was such a kind person; she didn’t want to lose his company just because of this. “Sorry, I know it’s not really fit for having a guest over… You can have a seat if you like and I’ll fix something…” Though, now that she thought of it, she had no idea what that would be.
|
|
|
Post by Damien Gilreed on Jun 17, 2010 8:31:39 GMT -5
Entering the village Damien mused at how it reminded him of a human village back in Runia. It was strange how some things never changed from world to world. He stole a glance over at Anna. It was haunting how much she looked like Lalaith, maybe she was reborn into this girl standing next to him. Damien sighed and smiled at the house they approached. It wasn’t exactly like the ones in Runia but the idea was still the same.
He smiled and stepped past Anna to walk inside. It was quaint and almost perfectly suited for Anna. At least that was Damien’s opinion. There were aspects of the house that Damien found appealing but some parts disturbed him slightly. Like the bed, Damien didn’t like the thought that those tattered scraps were all Anna had to cover with at night. His brow furrowed for a second with his back to her.
Fixing his expression he pivoted back to Anna and gave her a crooked grin. “I think it’s lovely.” He took a seat and continued to look around the place. “So I assume you live alone here, since you are not originally from this world either.” He cleared his throat and settled his eyes back on her. “Thank you again for taking in someone like me. I’m not exactly liked where I come from, but I think I already mentioned that. I still can’t get over your kindness to a complete stranger. Forgive me if I seem forward but, you fascinate me Anna. You’re certainly very special.”
|
|