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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 10:08:56 GMT -5
Spring had arrived in weather, truly, if not officially, and I found even the sweet gardens of Jasmine too closed for such a day. After a short stop at the Dowaynes office to let her know I'd be out, I left the House and made my way back to Mont Nuit, intent on doing simply nothing. The celebration of our future Queens coronation was coming up, though I didn't have the will to begin thinking on it all yet.
Munching on the last of a handful of candied almonds bought from a street vendor, I made my way down the street with an easy gait, watching the people mill about me with unfeigned interest.
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 10:12:56 GMT -5
Longest Night had come and gone, but Xaurora was so busy that I hardly had time to see her. Moody and lonely, I made my way out one afternoon to try and distract myself from missing her.
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 10:16:18 GMT -5
A flash of auburn hair caught my eye; though her hair shone, it was the expression on her face that held my attention. Stopping alongside a random doorway, I waited as she walked up, leanin against the frame with an outward ease.
"Are you alright..?" I asked, the expression on my face that of concern.
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 10:20:36 GMT -5
I looked up at the handsome man leaning against the doorframe. "Fine, thank you," I said. "What made you think...is there something on my face or..." I raised a hand ot my cheek in embarassment.
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 10:31:57 GMT -5
Giving her a smile, I shook my head. "You looked sad is all, and a face so pretty shouldn't look that way." I glanced down the street before looking back. "Are you going somewhere in paticular?"
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 10:35:18 GMT -5
"Oh," I said, shaking my head. "I was just thinking about something...I'm not going anywhere, no."
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 10:38:19 GMT -5
I nodded, looking at her quietly. "Well, if you want to be alone with your thoughts I shall leave you be." It wasn't in me to press where one wasn't wanted, and I wasn't quite sure what to make of this forlorn lady. "I'm Troy no Jasmine, by the way."
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 10:40:59 GMT -5
I smiled at him, he was kind enough and I figured I should put on a happy face. "It's nice to meet you, Troy, I'm Maeve no Heliotrope." I tiled my head. "You don't have to leave me alone, it would be nice to have company."
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 10:43:14 GMT -5
"It's nice to meet you in turn, miss Maeve." I returned her smile with one of my own before turning to walk the way she had been going, my arm offered out to her out of habit. "Continue walking, then? Or would you prefer to go inside somewhere?"
The day was beautiful, but she needed cheering and as such I would simply follow her lead.
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 10:52:26 GMT -5
Taking his arm, I said, "Why don't we go to a garden? The weather is so lovely"
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 10:58:18 GMT -5
I nearly laughed - I'd escaped to Mont Nuit from Jasmines gardens, but if that's what she wanted than that was what she would get. She was tall enough that I didn't have far to smile at her, and I started off, keeping my pace easy enough that she wouldn't have to walk quickly to keep up.
"One of the nice things about the City of Elua is the abundance of gardens," I commented, looking about us. "Though none but the Palace's own match those of the Houses. Would you prefer to find one in the City, or go to Jasmine or Heliotrope?" It mattered little to me in the end. I just cared to see a smile on her rather than sadness.
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 11:09:47 GMT -5
"I thought we could go to one of the public ones," I said, "unless there's a temple you prefer. I came down here to be away from my house."
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 11:12:07 GMT -5
I shook my head. "It matters little to me. I'd just prefer seeing a smile on your face rather than a frown." Smiling at her, I turned us around a corner, heading towards a bright little garden where flowers were blooming already. "How long have you been at Heliotrope?" I asked, attempting to begin a semblance of conversation.
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 11:26:25 GMT -5
"My whole life," I said. "I was left there as an infant. How long have you been at Jasmine?"
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 11:30:50 GMT -5
"For ten years," I said, watching the garden as it drew closer. "My parents gave me unto Jasmines care when I was ten, and I don't regret it." There was no pain in my voice, no resentment, just simply acceptance.
"Here we are," I said as we turned into the garden, the smell of early-spring flowers perfuming the air.
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 11:42:26 GMT -5
"Do you miss home?" I asked him.
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 11:43:24 GMT -5
I shook my head. "Not really. Jasmine is my home, and I'm happy where I'm at."
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 11:55:18 GMT -5
I nodded. "I don't have anywhere else to miss," I said. "I wonder sometimes if I have missed out my having nothing to compare my life to."
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 12:02:56 GMT -5
I shook my head and released her arm gently before bending over to pluck an early stalk of yellow rocket from the ground. "There's levels to ones life. Just think of it as a level not missed, but one you don't have to spend time missing. I almost would rather have come here from the beginning; I haven't seen my family since they gave me unto Jasmine." And my childhood was filled with adults and children alike staring at me as if I were a puzzle they could not solve, or a wild animal that was tamed in their midst. I didn't understand it then, but I do now. Was I full d'Angeline or only half? Truly, my mother was the only who knew, and she was never adament in her denial of an affair.
Shrugging lightly, I handed the stalk to Maeve, covered in yellow that was brilliant next to the vivid green of the slender leaves. It suited her eyes, golden as they were.
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 12:15:11 GMT -5
"Thank you," I said, accepting the flower. "It's lovely."
"Elua, that's terrible, about your family not seeing you. If I had a child, I don't think I would ever let it disappear like that."
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 12:18:09 GMT -5
"I think they did it for my own good," I said. "I simply accepted it then and adjusted to life at Jasmine, and I'm fortunate to be where I am."
Glancing to her, I watched the sun beat down around her. "What of you? Are you happy with Heliotrope?"
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 12:21:11 GMT -5
"I was," I said. "But of late I find myself yearning for more, and I am discontented."
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 12:23:34 GMT -5
Ah, I thought. A piece of the puzzle.
"Has your marque been made?" I had small doubt that it was, though I didn't wish to offend her by assuming it was or was not. "It's a troublesome place to be, stuck in a spot you don't truly wish to be in and having little option for anything other."
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 12:30:02 GMT -5
"Not yet," I said, "but until recently, I thought I would be content to stay at Heliotrope forever."
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 12:40:46 GMT -5
I wasn't about to pry, though I was unsure if she wanted to continue speaking of it or not. Instead of questioning her further, I moved over to sit upon a bench, stretching my legs out infront of me.
"Sometimes what you think will get you through life ends up not being enough. Here's hoping you find that something that brings a smile back to your face."
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 12:43:55 GMT -5
"Well, I did find her," I said. "But she seems to have forgotten all about me."
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 15:43:38 GMT -5
A lovers twist. I should have known.
Looking at her quietly for a moment, I watched as she remained sullen, saddened and upset. "I don't think she has," I said softly, leaning my elbows down on my thighs while still peering up at her. "Hearts become confused even in the best of times. Have you tried contacting her?"
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 15:47:58 GMT -5
"I've written," I said, "but all she writes back is how busy she is. I don't want to take her away from anything."
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Post by Troy nó Jasmine on Apr 24, 2007 16:09:04 GMT -5
"Perhaps she is busy then," I said, feeling mildly awkward in the position. The last thing I wanted was to be involved with gossip, or to offend someone, though I wanted to help if I could. Avoiding her gaze, I clasped my hands together, studying them.
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Post by Maeve nó Heliotrope on Apr 24, 2007 16:10:32 GMT -5
I shook my head violently. "I'm sorry, I must be making you feel terribly uncomfortable," I said. "We can talk about something else; I don't want to come off as a terrible bore."
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