Sandrine nó Orchis
Adept
Orchis House
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
Posts: 776
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Post by Sandrine nó Orchis on Jun 21, 2010 13:56:49 GMT -5
"Ugh. Please don't write to me about Denis. I'll burn that letter," I said, truthfully. "You can write to me about the changing seasons, or how Rochelle is doing, or other important things. Not Denis. Though," I said, considering, "if he does get caught, you have to tell me. I hope that day comes soon."
I rolled my eyes at his coy response. "Oh, honestly," I sighed. "Guy, you have to remember that I have stood in a room where people discussed my 'monetary value' right in front of me, as if I wasn't there..." I blinked suddenly and tilted my head in recognition, a slow smile creeping across my face. "The more different I think we are, Guy, the more similar we appear. Plus, your worth to me can't be measured in coin." I reached to hold his hand, blushing slightly. "There's not near enough coin in Terre d'Ange."
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Post by Guy de Layne on Jun 21, 2010 14:08:52 GMT -5
I laughed at that, "I don't blame you, who wants to hear the goings on of that man?" Then she made me blush a bit, her response to my lack of one to her earlier question making me smile wryly.
"I suppose you're right, but to be honest, I'm not even sure what the going rate is. The Prefect handles all the coin and I just go where I'm told and I get a small stipend for living expenses and such. It's a little embarrassing to admit that I don't even know what I'm worth."
I loved the way it felt when she held my hand, and I softened. "I feel the same, Sandrine. Coin is meaningless when it comes to us... I, I hope you know what you mean to me, despite my profession. The only thing I hold in higher esteem is Elua himself."
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Sandrine nó Orchis
Adept
Orchis House
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
Posts: 776
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Post by Sandrine nó Orchis on Jun 21, 2010 14:41:24 GMT -5
I blushed even harder at his admission. "You don't need the Prefect to tell you what you're worth, Guy. All you have to do is ask me, and I'll tell you. If you ever need to know, just ask me."
I wish I could show you what you mean to me, Guy. I wish I could thank and love you the best way I know how, I wanted to say. But instead I smiled at him. "I think I have an idea of what I mean to you...but honestly, I never get tired of hearing it." I stood, loathe to leave, but the day was getting on and Alexandrine would have my hide anyway when she saw the dirt on the dress. "Do you have a few minutes to walk me back to Orchis?" I asked. "It's not far."
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Post by Guy de Layne on Jun 21, 2010 14:57:20 GMT -5
I smiled, sighing with a deep contentment at being with her, which warred with the melancholy of the whole situation. I wondered why I liked to torment myself with her, like some sort of emotional masochist, but it didn't matter why, I didn't think I could stop myself.
"Of course I do," I answered, finishing my juice and popping a last piece of cheese into my mouth. I realized with a start that we'd eaten the whole plate. "I'm not expected back until this afternoon."
I rose and offered her my arm, remembering the first day I'd met her and walked her home, a day that held a special place in my thoughts now.
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Sandrine nó Orchis
Adept
Orchis House
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
Posts: 776
|
Post by Sandrine nó Orchis on Jun 21, 2010 18:58:25 GMT -5
I smiled and took his arm, opening the door for us. "Hopefully I didn't disturb you too much last night," I said. "It's just...a lot of your life seems kind of distant to me, so I wanted to share it with you."
We walked down the halls, and I looked around, seeing the place in the light for the first time. "I'm...rather ashamed to admit that this is only my second or third time coming here," I said. "There are always excuses not to come. But I have a feeling that my faith isn't something I should neglect."
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Post by Guy de Layne on Jun 22, 2010 20:43:32 GMT -5
"Not at all," I said, "thought it was the first time I've spend any of the Longest Night with an adept." I gave her arm a little squeeze and smiled down at her. "I'm glad to share it with you, Sandrine, everything I can."
As we walked, she seemed to grow introspective, and I smiled as she spoke. "The wonderful thing about Elua is that you can worship him anywhere. Anywhere that the sky meets the earth, he dwells in wait for you." I laughed then, adding, "Now I said like a priest."
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Sandrine nó Orchis
Adept
Orchis House
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
Posts: 776
|
Post by Sandrine nó Orchis on Jun 22, 2010 21:21:47 GMT -5
I blushed at his comment. "I hope it was not too distracting."
When he mentioned worship, I couldn't help but agree."That's a good thing to remember," I said, nodding. "I think it's more making time for worship, being thankful, loving even those who don't love me back." I smiled up at him. I could tease him back. "And you're the most handsome priest in all of Terre d'Ange. So wise, so strong, so pious..." I said, squeezing his arm in return. "I should spend more time learning from you. We should be hermits on some island somewhere, what do you think?"
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Post by Guy de Layne on Jun 22, 2010 23:05:26 GMT -5
"I think I'd find it hard to behave on a deserted island with you," I said dryly, shaking my head with a light laugh. We left the sanctuary behind and the day outside was chill and crisp, but not yet the true cold of winter. I breathed in deeply, smiling down at her as we began the slow trek to Mont Nuit.
"I love the winter air," I said, "It seems cleansing, somehow, don't you think?"
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Sandrine nó Orchis
Adept
Orchis House
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
Posts: 776
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Post by Sandrine nó Orchis on Jun 24, 2010 19:25:00 GMT -5
I rolled my eyes at him. "Of course we wouldn't behave, Guy. That's the point!"
The air was crisp, and I couldn't help but shiver. My shoulders were bare and the dress did not offer much in the way of protection from the elements. I had a shawl at the beginning of the Longest Night, but it was probably left somewhere in the halls of Cereus.
"Refreshing like a cold shower," I said. "I don't like cold weather, much. I prefer the sun and the heat." I shrugged. "Maybe it has to do with my heritage. I think that Jebe-Barkal is very warm most of the year. Usually I dread winter..." I flashed him a smile. "Though this is the nicest Longest Night I can ever remember."
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Post by Guy de Layne on Jun 24, 2010 23:32:49 GMT -5
I laughed, mock grabbing my chest and gasping, "What? Something on which we don't agree? It was bound to happen sooner or later, I suppose." I stopped my antics as we walked along into Night's Doorstep, however, wanting to be alert here.
"All right, joking aside, I can see why you don't like the cold if you don't dress for it." I said, slipping my cloak off and wrapping it around her shoulders. "Here, this should help."
It was early and the streets were mostly deserted, but here and there you could see the odd early bird: women shaking out rugs in their doorways, a tavern owner cleaning up some of the litter from the night before, a merchant hauling goods to the marketplace. "I love the City when it's waking up," I said, smiling at her and secretly hoping that in this she agreed, though I supposed it didn't truly matter either way.
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Sandrine nó Orchis
Adept
Orchis House
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
Posts: 776
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Post by Sandrine nó Orchis on Jun 24, 2010 23:41:31 GMT -5
I giggled and poked him. "You're so silly. Don't tease me or I'll...I'll..." I mock narrowed my eyes at him, then burst into giggles again.
"Thank you!" I said gratefully as he put the cloak around me. "I had a wrap, Guy, but it's probably lost in the bowels of Cereus, a victim to revelry. I normally don't run around with bare shoulders, I promise!"
I looked around and then smiled up at him. "You know, I do too. The early morning is so full of possibilities--the day is laid out like a map before me, and I can choose which way to go." I laughed, shaking my head. "I've never been able to sleep late, because I've always been too excited for the next day. They used to have to post someone outside my door when I was younger to make sure I would stay in my room and sleep." I bit my lip and laughed again. "I also found out that the best time to prank other people was the early morning. Not everyone shares our philosophy."
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Post by Guy de Layne on Jul 1, 2010 22:14:44 GMT -5
I laughed, easily able to imagine her antics. "Yes, I can imagine that people who are not early birds do not enjoy pranks. Though I guess sometimes you can get lucky, isn't that how you met Sophine? I don't suppose you saw her last night, she went to the Palace fete. I've been a little worried about her, with her new young man, have you met him?"
We were nearing Night's Doorstep now and I wondered if this was really a good time to broach the topic, or if there ever was. Sophine would probably be mad that I had asked, but I only had her best interest at heart, she had to understand that, right?
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Sandrine nó Orchis
Adept
Orchis House
A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.
Posts: 776
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Post by Sandrine nó Orchis on Jul 1, 2010 23:10:36 GMT -5
I shook my head. "No, I didn't see her." I sighed and bit my lip. "I didn't even know about a young man. I haven't talked to Sophine in a really long time." I couldn't believe that Guy knew about this person before I did. Wasn't I Sophine's best friend? I felt a wave of jealousy rise up within me, like bile in the back of my throat.
"Have you met him?" I parroted. "Is he nice?" I grinned, somewhat wickedly. "I can keep an eye out, make sure he's good enough..." Suddenly I was thinking of so many ways I could ruin their relationship, how I could say something small to create doubt...
It was horrible, I knew. But I had already lost one friend...I couldn't lose another.
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Post by Guy de Layne on Jul 1, 2010 23:15:33 GMT -5
"No, I've only heard about him, and obliquely, like Sophine doesn't want us to meet. I don't know if it's him she's ashamed of, or me, or if there's something about him she doesn't want me to know. I do know that he's a Shahrizai, and that is worrisome enough. I like to think she has a good head on her shoulders, but I've never seen her like this before, when she's not with him, she's obviously thinking about him. It would be amusing if I weren't worried."
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "I had been hoping that maybe she'd talked to you about him, but if you haven't seen her in some time, I'm sure that's why - she spends as much of her time with him as possible." I frowned slightly and then shook my head. "I think I shall have to put my foot down and meet him at least, just to see what I think offhand."
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