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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 24, 2011 21:54:40 GMT -5
"I did say what I meant to say," I shot back, a challenging grin on my face. "How am I supposed to help that you take everything I say as if I want to take you into a dark corner and ravish you?"
I wasn't daft enough to tell her that I would have absolutely no problem doing that.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 24, 2011 22:05:46 GMT -5
"Well, I'm sorry!" I growled. "I can hardly help the fact that my Papa thinks all you adepts are just as you say: perverts with no sense of decency!" I didn't want to cry, but I could feel the tears filling my eyes. "I'm trying to see things differently, but it's...hard...it's very...very hard..."
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 24, 2011 22:35:12 GMT -5
I could hear the tremble in her voice, and I knew what that meant. Before I could even think about it, I'd moved to the bench to sit next to her and rested my arm around her shoulders, pulling her gently to me.
"Adelaide," I said softly, "Have I not treated you decently? Think back over the time we've spent together. Scant as it may be, each time, I have been respectful. Oh I've teased you, of course, but that is my nature and you've given it right back to me... which I love," I said with a kind smile in case she looked up at me while I was talking. "I've simply tried to convey that I like you very much, and that I enjoy spending time with you."
My hand rubbed up and down her arm as I spoke. I tried to soothe her as best I could. It wasn't that I couldn't deal with weeping. It simply hurt to see a woman cry, Adelaide all the more so.
Hm. I would have to reflect on that later.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 25, 2011 4:37:51 GMT -5
I looked up at him as he spoke, eyes searching his face for any trace of deception and finding nothing of the sort.
He spoke the truth, I couldn't contest his words in the least.
"No one's ever said that they enjoy spending time with me," I sniffed. "But...friends say things like that, right?" I took a deep breath, leaning into his touch ever so slightly. "Your friendship...means a lot to me, Remy." I shivered slightly, but it wasn't with the cold, as if my body wished to banish my sorrow with such a physical act.
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 25, 2011 10:04:18 GMT -5
Gazing into her eyes was almost mesmerizing; her eyes were beautiful. Wide and innocent, but still deep. But I paid attention to her words as well, and did not miss the way she leaned against me just a bit. I squeezed just a bit around her shoulders in sort of a half hug, smiling down at her. "Your friendship means a lot to me too, peaches," I said quietly. "And yes, that is something friends say. The beauty of friendships is that you get to speak your mind and trust that you will not be judged for your words."
I felt her shiver, and it was quite a nice day out. Her robes were also quite thick, it seemed, as she had been overheated just a few moments before. "Are you chilled, love?" I asked her, wondering fleetingly if she was getting sick or some such. I hoped not.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 26, 2011 22:45:14 GMT -5
I shook my head. "No, it's not that, I just...." How could I explain this tingly feeling that went from my toes all the way to my head? More importantly, why was I feeling this way? I didn't have the answers to those questions--at least, not ones that I thought would satisfy him.
"I'm fine," I finished, smiling up at him. "You...don't mind having a girl for a friend, do you?"
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 26, 2011 22:54:30 GMT -5
I smiled down at her and shook my head. "Not in the least, Adelaide. Do you mind having a boy for a friend?"
I hoped she wouldn't; she was becoming more and more receptive to my touches, which I was grateful for.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 26, 2011 23:57:07 GMT -5
I shook my head. "There are lots of boys at the temple, and...we acolytes aren't...given as much freedom as noblemen and such, and I think my elders might think that having a friend is...good for me..."
I blushed. "That...sounds so silly now that it isn't confined to my head..."
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 8:57:37 GMT -5
"Peaches, I have yet to hear you say one thing that sounds even remotely silly," I said and squeezed her shoulders once more. "Will I need to talk to your elders to convince them of my sincerity?"
I gazed down at her and noticed how the sunlight shimmered through her beautiful locks and my fingers itched to simply run my fingers through them, but I knew that this was another one of those times that I had to refrain. An adept and an acolyte....
I wonder how hard the gods are laughing, I thought with a wry grin.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 11:24:48 GMT -5
I shook my head. "You want to talk to a bevy of women who beat men and women with floggers for a living to see if they will accept an adept as a friend to one of their acolytes? Are you sure you want to do that?" I grinned, then shrugged. "I should think as long as you keep your hosen where they are supposed to be, you should be fine, but the ladies especially can be...unpredictable..."
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 11:51:56 GMT -5
"I'm willing to talk to them if need be, and do not worry; my breeches will stay firmly fastened when I am in your presence," I said. Besides, the only lady I want is sitting next to me," I added with an authoritative nod.
"Oh wait wait," I amended, suddenly remembering her proclivity for harming male genitalia, "I just meant that I don't want to bed anybody... You know what? Why don't we just forget I said any of this just now," I said nervously.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 13:55:35 GMT -5
"Yes, let's..." I said crisply, turning away from him to gaze up at one of the trees and wonder how many apples it would bear come autumn. Why was he so fixated on bedding me? I imagined it was just the way of adepts to be so...forward, but I could not help but wonder what he saw in me that was desirable.
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 14:15:40 GMT -5
I sighed quietly as she turned away from me and took my arm from her shoulders to rest my elbows on my knees again, the tone of her voice shaming me a bit. I hadn't meant anything untoward, but I also didn't want to offend her. I did want to bed her, yes, but not until we were both ready and not until I was sure she even wanted to. I also didn't want to bed any of the other females at the temple.
"All I was trying to say was that you're the only female from the temple I care about, Adelaide," I said softly. "I'm sorry. I... get flustered around you, it seems. I promise I meant nothing untoward."
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 16:22:41 GMT -5
I scowled at him. "Well, you should say what you mean, then, and then mayhap I wouldn't be so...so...confused!" I turned my attention to the tree again, studying the whorls on it's trunk.
"Remy?" I asked at last. "Can I ask you an...adept type question?"
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 16:43:47 GMT -5
"I will try to be as clear as glass, love," I promised in earnest. My brows rose as she spoke once more, but an earnest smile was on my face as I nodded.
"Of course, you may ask me anything you like," I said happily. "Please do not ever feel that you can't. I would be happy to answer your question to the best of my ability."
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 17:04:45 GMT -5
"Um..." I gazed at my feet, blushing. "Well...I was just wondering...all the other females have...um...bosoms...and..." I felt my cheeks flare up. "How come I don't? Every other D'Angeline woman has one!"
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 17:12:10 GMT -5
My eyes widened a bit at the question. "Well love, everyone's different," I said. I was unsure of how to field this question, as I didn't really have that anatomy. I wondered if it were like men and the sizing of phalluses. Breasts were nice enough, but I'd preferred looking at her legs. Almost every d'Angeline women I saw had most of their breasts on show. They were wonderful to look at, but after awhile one became desensitized.
"Why, did you want a... bigger bosom?" I asked her curiously. "I think you're quite beautiful just how you are, and I'm sure they're lovely." If I were with any other female, any other one at all, I'd have offered to judge them for her, objectively and with no sexual undertones, but I was not ignorant enough to openly ask for a kick to the groin even if my intentions were innocent... relatively.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 17:22:30 GMT -5
I glared at him. "Celine is a year younger than me, and she has a bosom and all the boys flock around her like they're birds and she's full of bird seed! Jacques calls me 'L'Agnace' because L'Agnace is so flat, and Jeanette boasts about all the boys she's kissed!" I kicked idly at the dirt. "I try to be a good acolyte, but sometimes I think the gods are punishing me because I'm...clumsy..."
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 17:47:28 GMT -5
"Well Jacques obviously doesn't know true beauty when he sees it and Jeanette seems rather self-absorbed. As for Celine, ah, well. Boys are silly, love, and they don't realize that the best form of beauty is the form you can't see. Just because a girl has a nice bosom doesn't mean she has a nice soul."
I smiled at her, hoping to show her that I thought she was beautiful whether she had big breasts or not. "Of course, if you want to boast that you kissed an adept, I could help with that. Kidding, kidding," I said hastily, leaning away from her and holding up one hand, shielding my groin with the other.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 18:00:00 GMT -5
I sighed but smiled. "In that case, they'd probably call me the whore..." I shook my head. "It doesn't matter how many boys Jeanette has kissed, if I kissed one she would call me a whore and accuse me of opening my legs for him...it's not...not right..."
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 18:21:17 GMT -5
I snorted. "Well, you can tell her that whether you did or not, you'll never reach the number of men she's probably spread her legs for in one night. It's cruel and malicious, yes, but it will shut her up. You don't deserve to be treated that way," I said with a frown, my brows knitting together. "In fact, I'm willing to bet that you're the least whorish person there, peaches. Don't let them treat you that way."
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 19:27:16 GMT -5
I frowned. "That's probably easy for you to say. They aren't older than you and you have no obligation to be nice to them because of it." I sighed. "There's...only so much my Papa can protect me from. He...is supposed to appear impartial. Do you understand?"
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 19:44:00 GMT -5
I shrugged. "When I was an Initiate, there were adepts that were older than me and I had an obligation to be nice to them but if one of them offended me or was needlessly rude-- as even adepts may sometimes be-- I wasn't afraid to let loose. Everyone has boundaries. It's not about rank, peaches. It's about respect. It goes both ways."
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 20:21:08 GMT -5
I sighed. "I wish they were here so you could tell them that, but even then I doubt they would listen." I kicked a stone with my foot and it rolled into the garden, settling among the soil.
"They tease me about other things too. you know?" I continued. "How I can't seem to remember the words to my prayers or the steps to a ritual. Papa says I belong in the temple, but sometimes...sometimes I think I'm just there because I have nowhere else to go." I looked up at him. "Do you know what that feels like?"
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 20:32:17 GMT -5
"Gods, Adelaide, these people sound absolutely heartless," I said, appalled. "And yes, I do know what it feels like to feel like you're only where you are because you have nowhere else to go. I wouldn't have anywhere if I didn't have Orchis House," I said with my customary grin. "Being an orphan and all. But Orchis is home for me, and the adepts here are my brothers and sisters. We have fights, we have arguments and disagreements and we get angry at each other... But we are never heartless."
I put my arm tentatively around her shoulders once more and squeezed companionably. "You know whenever you need me you can send me a missive, right? And I'll be there as soon as I can? Don't ever feel as if you're alone, love," I said. "I swear you're not."
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 21:43:36 GMT -5
I nodded, sobered. "They're not heartless; they're just...themselves...and the Temple of Kushiel isn't known for its...sense of camaraderie...." I paused. "Well, apart from all being brothers and sisters under Lord Kushiel's gaze, I think that's what Master Auberon always says."
I tried to smile. "Papa isn't really my father. I was abandoned as a baby close to the temple in Kusheth. I came here when I was ten summers old. I...don't understand why someone would do that, abandon a babe, I mean. It....it's not right, but if they hadn't, I would have never met Papa, so...does that mean 'twas ultimately a good thing?"
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 21:47:52 GMT -5
I nodded. "Unfortunately, sometimes bad things have to happen like that. As selfish as it sounds, I'm certainly glad it happened, because we got to meet. But I'll agree with you, it's a horrible thing, and I can say if I ever sire a babe and the mother doesn't want it, I'll take it in myself before I'll abandon it. At the very least, I'd find the babe a home."
I gazed over to the spot where I'd buried the baby bird once more and, for the first time in quite some time, I thought once again of the last two weeks of the baby bird's small life. I hoped I had at least granted it some peace before it had left this world.
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 22:19:16 GMT -5
I took his hand, gently rubbing the back of his palm with my fingers. "You're right, of course. I've...always been taught that the gods have a plan for everyone." I paused. "Well, maybe they don't always have many plans for someone, but they make plans. Hmmm..." I pursed my lips as I thought about the ramifications of my words.
"Do you think the gods ever become bored?" I asked. "I once asked Master Auberon why we do the same rituals year after year, and he said that it was more for our benefit than His, but I suppose I still don't understand it..."
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Post by Rémy nó Orchis on Mar 27, 2011 22:26:25 GMT -5
I smiled at the feel of her exquisitely soft hands rubbing the back of mine, and although the desire was there, it also simply felt good to have her touching me. She was reaching out to me, it seemed, and I was grateful for it. Pushing the desire to the back of my mind, I thought about her question a moment.
"I think what your Master Auberon means by it being for our benefit is so that we, mere mortals with short memories, don't forget our origins and the reasons we have what we have today," I finally said. The gods' memories are long, but ours are not so much. And so we have the rituals done in remembrance. Of course, that's simply my take on it," I said with a shrug and an apologetic grin, speaking in earnest. "I am but a lowly adept and sometimes I simply cannot comprehend their will... all I can do is follow the precept."
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Post by Adelaide nó Nicodeme on Mar 27, 2011 22:42:30 GMT -5
Well, you are a Servant of Naamah, which is like being a priest, of a sort," I said. "And that is similar to what Master Auberon said..." In truth, I didn't know if that was a good sign or an ill omen, I chose to think of it as something good until his actions convinced me otherwise.
I scowled when he mentioned the precept, however. "Papa has made it clear that his daughter is not to follow the precept until she is...five and twenty and married!" I snarled. "Or...whatever other irrational justification he chooses to use to...to...'protect me', he says." I kicked another stone with my foot. "He wants me to become a strong woman, yet he insists on treating me like a girl!"
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