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Post by Mael Leblanc on Apr 24, 2010 14:42:24 GMT -5
I sighed. "My mother bought her title, it is not an uncommon practice, but I didn't really understand it at the time. I wonder if...someone resented the fact that she spent good coin for a title instead of being born into nobility." I shrugged. "The soldiers' dress didn't look like any of the private militias I'd seen. I remember the coat of arms they wore--a black shield and a green serpent. You haven't seen anyone dressed in similar garb, have you?" The chances were slim that she had, since Adrien had roamed the streets for weeks seeking men that wore such armor, but I wouldn't give up hope that someone, somewhere, had seen the men responsible for ruining my life.
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on Apr 24, 2010 14:49:19 GMT -5
I shook my head sadly. "No, no I cannot say that I have but... I swear it to you that if I do, I will seek you out and let it be known to you," I promised. "I am terribly sorry for your loss, Mael." And he had lost doubly that day, both his mother and his sight. I clucked my tongue. It was not out of pity, but just sadness at the whole situation, and upon understanding how it felt to lose a loved one, and feel defenseless against it.
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Post by Mael Leblanc on Apr 24, 2010 15:15:52 GMT -5
"Thank you," I said, both for the promise and the condolences. "I just hope that, if you find them, you'll leave them alive long enough for me to finish them off!" The way she spoke, it sounded as if she was familiar with battle.
I was cheered considerably by her words, so I sought to turn the conversation in a different direction. "Could you tell me more about Alba?" I asked. "I cannot read, so histories that are written in books are useless to me, but I am still able to hear and remember things that I am told."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on Apr 25, 2010 6:33:19 GMT -5
He seemed to be in better spirits for the words that I spoke, and I could not help but smile to hve brought some hope to him. He seemed far too sweet, too nice a person to be in such dire straights. Holding his arm, and crossing another lane, I nodded.
"Well Alba," I said with a deep sigh as I closed my eyes and a smile lifted my lips. It was a sad smile of sorts, mixed, malancholy with joy, "it is certainly different from Terre d'Ange. Our villages are not... half as bustling, and we do not carry out business as you do here. And we have tribal wars, you could call them," I said this last part softly. "Have you ever seen someone from Alba before?" I asked.
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Post by Mael Leblanc on Apr 25, 2010 19:26:40 GMT -5
I shook my head. "I don't think so. What I mean is, I'm not certain I would have recognized one of your people if I had seen them." I shrugged. "I see with my hands and my ears now." I paused. "There is a way I could...see you, if you would permit it."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on Apr 25, 2010 19:45:09 GMT -5
I blushed at his words, understanding them now and nodded, then, as if I had not heard him, and felt my cheeks blush more.
"Oh of course though... I fear I am not near as fair as the d'Angeline women," I murmured softly, stopping us. "What is it you have to do?"
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Post by Mael Leblanc on Apr 25, 2010 20:33:53 GMT -5
She was holding my arm, so I slipped out of her grasp and took her hand, feeling my way up to her shoulder.
"Most find this uncomfortable," I said apologetically as my hands made their way up her neck to her cheeks. "You would be surprised what your hands can tell you about someone..." Her skin was smooth, unmarked, as far as I could tell. My fingers traced the creases of her forehead, carefully made their way to her nose and lips. I had expected her to be older, judging by the sound of her voice, but her skin told a different story.
"Tell me, what color are your eyes and hair?" I murmured. "They're all I need to complete the picture I have in my mind, if you would be so kind to describe them for me."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on Apr 26, 2010 11:17:09 GMT -5
I tried not to giggle as his hands made their way to my face, the sensation was different, and though I could see why some people would have an issue with it, I had none. I understood far too well waht it was like to not see... well perhaps to see too much. I kept my face as still as possible as he caressed his fingers over my cheeks, my brow, my lips and my eyes, which I closed for him, so that there would not be any incident there. The absent thought of hoping he did not accidentally put his fingers in my nose made me stiffle a giggle before he pulled away.
"Well actually, I wonder, since your sense of touch must be rather developed, if you can feel the slight raises of these. " I took both of his hands gently up in my own, and turned my back, placing his hands on my shoulders. "My shoulders, do you feel what is there?" I asked him. "And as for the rest of the picture, my locks are a firy red, my eyes... well they shift... they are blue, green, periwinkle, all simultaneously," I explained. I was pretty sure it must have had something to do with the "gift" I had, the way my eyes glittered as they did.
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Post by Mael Leblanc on Apr 26, 2010 13:55:11 GMT -5
She took my hands and placed them on her shoulders, asking if I could feel what was there. I slowly ran my fingers over her skin. Yes, I thought, I could feel something, portions which were slightly raised, as she had said.
"Did it hurt, having this done?" I asked. "It feels very...complicated..."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on Apr 27, 2010 12:00:29 GMT -5
I smiled as he noticed them, my woad, and then turned to face him. "Not really," I explained, "it is a right of passage, you might say. Something in Alban culture... though it does come at a price," I said softly. "Might I ask," I murmured as I stood by his side again, ovffering to take his arm in mine with a gentle touch, "when was the last time you were able to see yourself. How... how long has it been?" I asked softly, hoping I was not being insensitive.
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Post by Mael Leblanc on Apr 27, 2010 14:50:28 GMT -5
I took her arm again as I struggled to remember the last time I had seen my own reflection. The memories of the time before the incident were fragmentary, like so many shards of glass. If I tried, I thought I could catch a glimpse of myself, but did I want that, to face what I had lost?
"Eight years," I said softly. "It's been eight years since I last saw my own reflection."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on May 2, 2010 14:29:08 GMT -5
I almost gasped but kept my lips sealed shut, feeling my heart sink at the sadness in what he said. "Is it possible.. .to do what you did to my face to your own?" I asked, wondering if that might serve as a way for him to figure out how he might look. Then again, perhaps he did not want to know. I felt myself shrinking in the magnitude of his situation, and not knowing how on earth he felt. Though I did know how it felt to lose someone dear, and I knew the opposite of not seeing anything, which was seeing too much.
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Post by Mael Leblanc on May 2, 2010 14:55:15 GMT -5
I ran my fingers down my cheek. "It's possible, but I don't know if I'm...ready...for that yet. I don't have many pleasant memories of being touched." Well, there was Maeve, most recently, and if I delved deep into my memories, I could remember how it felt to be in my mother's arms, warm and safe, but other than those, it was pain, pain, and more pain...
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on May 2, 2010 15:17:50 GMT -5
"Right... of... of course," I stammered, feeling my cheeks heat. "I am sorry," I murmured. Not in a pitying sort of way, but just sorry that I had brought up a subject that could have been hurtful. "If it makes any difference," I said, making a bold move, "I think you are rather beautiful... not... beautiful as women are beautiful.. .but...," I stammered, hoping he would not take offence. I giggled a little nervously but said nothing else.
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Post by Mael Leblanc on May 2, 2010 15:25:57 GMT -5
I felt my cheeks redden. "I don't," I said. "It's hard to find beauty in something that's scarred, especially when the scars are in here." I tapped my heart. "It's fine, though, at least with this blindfold on, no one treats me like a monster."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on May 2, 2010 15:51:23 GMT -5
I faltered in my steps, at his words, but kept walking. "I do not know how you can think yourself otherwise. How you can think yourself a monster! What have you done to warrant yourself such?" I asked with my brows knit together.
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Post by Mael Leblanc on May 2, 2010 16:10:57 GMT -5
I sighed. "I didn't always own a blindfold, but I found that people had a tendency not to gasp and mutter to themselves when I walked by when I wore one. It was like I was some sort of feral animal." I sighed. "I lived on the streets for six years, and I've encountered a lot worse, but sometimes you have to do things to survive. I...never had to kill anyone, but I'd sooner not return to that life." Yet I did, even now, I still fought, every now and then, because the prizes were good and some puffed-up aristocrat always wanted to pit his new toys against fighters like me.
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on May 2, 2010 16:25:32 GMT -5
I flinched a little when he mentioned, falteringly, that he had never had to kill a man, and I wondered what he would think of someone who did. Of a woman who did. I bit my tongue about it though, and listened instead.
"That does not make you a bad person. Circumstances drove you to do what you had to in order to survive, Mael," I murmured, "and regardless of what is behind the blindfold, no one has the right to make you feel uncomfortable in your own skin," I explained, though something told me they would be falling on deaf ears. He was hurt, and not happy with how his life had turned out, but there was always something good to be seen out of something bad. He did not know it, but he was teaching me a grave lesson in humility that I needed to learn. We approached the restaurant and I smiled. "Besides, no one says you need to return to it," I said before I took his arm and guided him into the restaurant, opening the door with my free hand. "We're here, by the way," I added with a smile.
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Post by Mael Leblanc on May 2, 2010 17:22:51 GMT -5
I could tell when we were inside the restaurant by the way the atmosphere radically changed. Now, instead of the clip-clopping of horses' hooves I heard the shouts of men, and I wondered if they were drunk or if it was their custom to be so loud in between mouthfuls of food. I heard the chink of glasses being raised and the cacophony of sound that accompanied falling dishes.
The smells, however, gave me pause. I could smell roasting meat and fragrant herbs, and my mouth began watering in spite of myself. "Something smells delicious," I remarked as my stomach began to rumble in anticipation of being fed. "Whatever it is, I pray it is not a great expense."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on May 5, 2010 12:30:35 GMT -5
As we entered, he looked as though he were assessing teh place, and I watched him breathe in teh aromas, and his countenance became lighter.
"It does smell good, doesn't it," I agreed, "and worry not of the expense. I just awnt you to enjoy yourself," I said wtih a smile. The maitre'd approached us with a smile, though his eyes did llinger when he looked at Mael. For that I was happy he did not see it, for it would have not helped his mood any, I thought. The man's tone held nothing of the lingering look, and within moments we were seated amongst the rest of the patrons in a two person table. There were people behind and in front ofus, and to one side, as we were palced against a wall. With menus on the table, and with me having lead Mael there through the maze of tables and people without hopefully much bumping on his part, I pulled out his seat with one hand and then guided him gently to it, placing his hand on the back of the seat.
"Thank you," I said to the maitre'd, and then to Mael, "what are you in the mood for?"
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Post by Mael Leblanc on May 5, 2010 17:35:56 GMT -5
"Well, I was about to ask if you had any suggestions," I replied, shrugging. "It wouldn't be fair if I made you read me every item on the menu, after all." I grinned. "I would be quite content with whatever you decide to order, I think."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on May 10, 2010 11:09:23 GMT -5
I smiled at his words, though I would not have minded at all with reading every item to him, what he said did make sense. Besides we would end up getting confused, I reckon, before the list was completed. I looked over teh menu, wondering what he might enjoy. "Well... hmm I am not entirely sure this would sound appetizing to you but it is rather good... it is called haggis. I ... do not know if you really want to know what it is... perhaps it is not the best idea afterall," I said, chuckling. "I really am the worst for decisions. Tell me, then, are you feeling very adventurous, slightly adventurous or not adventurous at all?"
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Post by Mael Leblanc on May 10, 2010 11:28:51 GMT -5
I did not mean to laugh at her indecisiveness, but I did. "It must not be a very good dish if you will not tell me what is in it!" I chortled, taking a moment to compose myself before replying to her query.
"Well, since I cannot see, I suppose every meal is an adventure," I reasoned, grinning. "I do not doubt my friends have given me some strange things to eat and told me they were other things. Have you ever dined on a cow's tongue?" I wrinkled my nose. "I think such things would be easier to stomach if I did not know what a cow looked like."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on May 10, 2010 11:42:27 GMT -5
He laughed at my indecision and I could not help but to giggle at it too., giggling also at his anecdote. "True... well what I was going to suggest happens to be pig's stomach... so much like cow's toongue it sounds terrible, but its actually rather good. How about," I murmured, moving along to another item, "wild hare pot pie? I havbe had it here, it is rather good, the hare is tender and succulent," I murmured, "in fact I will probably have that myself," my stomach made a loud nooise, and rumbled, and i hoped he could not hear my hunger. "And they have very nice caraway and flaxseed bread as well, and a nice cider ale. How do those sound to you?"
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Post by Mael Leblanc on May 10, 2010 12:05:55 GMT -5
I nodded, smiling now. "Sounds delicious. Now, was it so hard to come to a decision?" I chuckled. "And I would never have guessed that an animal's stomach would be appetizing, but I suppose someone must like it, or no one would bother making a dish out of it unless they were starving."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on May 16, 2010 13:25:40 GMT -5
I laughed as he chuckled, his smooth and melodious, mine girlish as my cheeks blushed. "No not too hard afterall, thank goodness or we might have ended up wasting away in these very seats before anything was decided upon." I put down my menu and looked upon him, his eyes hidden away from view. "And I am not sure how someone managed to come up with the idea, to tell you the truth. And it is certainly an acquired taste, but one I believe to be wholly Alban," I explained.
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Post by Mael Leblanc on May 16, 2010 18:22:54 GMT -5
"Hmm," I pursed my lips. "At least your cooks are willing to take risks with...acquired tastes. We D'Angelines focus more on aesthetics, which is not such a treat when you are blind, but at least I'll always have blancmange. No one tries to make blancmange look like anything other than what it is--rice, chicken, and almond milk." I shrugged. "It probably doesn't sound like much, but if I spent all my time eating cakes and pastries I'd be out of shape."
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on May 19, 2010 9:26:55 GMT -5
"It sounds rather nice, actually. I have never had it before. Perhaps sometime you can introduce me to it?" I asked with a smile that he could not see but I hoped he could hear in my voice. "Is it your favourite thing to eat?"
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Post by Mael Leblanc on May 19, 2010 9:39:55 GMT -5
I shook my head and grinned. "Custard is my favourite thing to eat, but Adrien always becomes cross when I try to eat it as a main course!" I brought my chair closer to the table. "Do you have a favourite food?" I asked.
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Post by Faolan mab Ceallach on May 20, 2010 20:43:51 GMT -5
I laughed softly. "I say you should have your custard and eat it too," I jested. "I myself... I love roasted wild corn, on the cob, drenched in butter with a touch of sea salt and peppercorn," I said with a grin. "I swear I can smell it cooking miles away. I've gorged myself on nothing but that at times."
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