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While Athenia suited his sensibilities just fine, there was nothing that drew him to stay there for good. A life among snooty politicians and scholars, while a fascinating premise, did not call to his soul. No, he always sought to return home, once he found the understanding and education that his parents deemed him needing of. Nearly a decade spent under the watchful eye of tutors, professors, and among much older students formed Alastor of Vasiliadon into a learned young man and yet... He felt immature. He battled himself in more cases than one. A life full of being underestimated for his reserved nature, he wondered how he might return home.
Taengea was different, it was full of reverie and intoxicating influences that the young man could, perhaps, find an interest in. Over the years, he'd tasted of wine, gotten drunk and made a fool of himself, but there was so much for him to know about it. It was, perhaps, intimidating. But, before any of that, Alastor searched for himself as a piece of the whole. He walked among the Taengean people, breathed in the scents that whirled about him. From the florist's wares to the pastries of a peddler walking beside him, to the wafting smoke of incense that pulled his attention most of all... He loved it. However, he wasn't particularly willing to delve headlong into it straight away. He kept his distance from the pastry chef carrying goods on a wheeled cart. He abstained from joining in the circles of drunks singing or the women speaking.
In essence, he was a spirit, looking but not partaking. But, in this sort of spectating he felt a sense of completion. People were always more fun from a way's away. They couldn't hurt him, didn't bother him, and overall just ignored him. He could learn about them, study their habits and try to emulate their nature. But, Alastor was reserved, he kept his distant and most of all, he protected himself. People could be dangerous, their intentions could be hostile. They could be bullies or charlatans, seeking after him despite his innate lack of usefulness in general. They could try to lull him into their games and do so purely for the sake of their amusement. Alastor learned this in Athenia best of all, where duplicitous people sought after the facts he'd inadvertently learn about others.
A perfect memory is a double-edged sword.
Never did he think that more than in his last year in Athenia. He kept the thought far from his mind, rebuking it, and intent on focusing on the present. He found a merchant selling wine and decided, in the midst of the negativity that crept into his spirits, that he'd try to loosen his nerves. He had a mission in the Agora today, a reason for not inviting Sara along with him. More than a trinket or some inconsequential gift, he sought to find something significant to give her, something that could sum up the way he felt for her. And yet... the task eluded him.
Instead, his legs took him to a stool, his eyes set on vintages settled in a rack behind a bartop. A wistful sigh escaped his lips as he asked for a cuppa. He stared for a long moment into the goblet he was given, the muddled liquid failing to give him any sort of clarity. He took a long drink, a single line dribbling down his chin. Careful not to let the wine spill onto the fabric of a vermilion chiton, he set it down, blowing a gust of cool air as the burn of the acidic drink set within his throat.
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Jul 26, 2020 5:40:35 GMT
Posted In Just a Taste on Jul 26, 2020 5:40:35 GMT
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Alastor was home.
While Athenia suited his sensibilities just fine, there was nothing that drew him to stay there for good. A life among snooty politicians and scholars, while a fascinating premise, did not call to his soul. No, he always sought to return home, once he found the understanding and education that his parents deemed him needing of. Nearly a decade spent under the watchful eye of tutors, professors, and among much older students formed Alastor of Vasiliadon into a learned young man and yet... He felt immature. He battled himself in more cases than one. A life full of being underestimated for his reserved nature, he wondered how he might return home.
Taengea was different, it was full of reverie and intoxicating influences that the young man could, perhaps, find an interest in. Over the years, he'd tasted of wine, gotten drunk and made a fool of himself, but there was so much for him to know about it. It was, perhaps, intimidating. But, before any of that, Alastor searched for himself as a piece of the whole. He walked among the Taengean people, breathed in the scents that whirled about him. From the florist's wares to the pastries of a peddler walking beside him, to the wafting smoke of incense that pulled his attention most of all... He loved it. However, he wasn't particularly willing to delve headlong into it straight away. He kept his distance from the pastry chef carrying goods on a wheeled cart. He abstained from joining in the circles of drunks singing or the women speaking.
In essence, he was a spirit, looking but not partaking. But, in this sort of spectating he felt a sense of completion. People were always more fun from a way's away. They couldn't hurt him, didn't bother him, and overall just ignored him. He could learn about them, study their habits and try to emulate their nature. But, Alastor was reserved, he kept his distant and most of all, he protected himself. People could be dangerous, their intentions could be hostile. They could be bullies or charlatans, seeking after him despite his innate lack of usefulness in general. They could try to lull him into their games and do so purely for the sake of their amusement. Alastor learned this in Athenia best of all, where duplicitous people sought after the facts he'd inadvertently learn about others.
A perfect memory is a double-edged sword.
Never did he think that more than in his last year in Athenia. He kept the thought far from his mind, rebuking it, and intent on focusing on the present. He found a merchant selling wine and decided, in the midst of the negativity that crept into his spirits, that he'd try to loosen his nerves. He had a mission in the Agora today, a reason for not inviting Sara along with him. More than a trinket or some inconsequential gift, he sought to find something significant to give her, something that could sum up the way he felt for her. And yet... the task eluded him.
Instead, his legs took him to a stool, his eyes set on vintages settled in a rack behind a bartop. A wistful sigh escaped his lips as he asked for a cuppa. He stared for a long moment into the goblet he was given, the muddled liquid failing to give him any sort of clarity. He took a long drink, a single line dribbling down his chin. Careful not to let the wine spill onto the fabric of a vermilion chiton, he set it down, blowing a gust of cool air as the burn of the acidic drink set within his throat.
Alastor was home.
While Athenia suited his sensibilities just fine, there was nothing that drew him to stay there for good. A life among snooty politicians and scholars, while a fascinating premise, did not call to his soul. No, he always sought to return home, once he found the understanding and education that his parents deemed him needing of. Nearly a decade spent under the watchful eye of tutors, professors, and among much older students formed Alastor of Vasiliadon into a learned young man and yet... He felt immature. He battled himself in more cases than one. A life full of being underestimated for his reserved nature, he wondered how he might return home.
Taengea was different, it was full of reverie and intoxicating influences that the young man could, perhaps, find an interest in. Over the years, he'd tasted of wine, gotten drunk and made a fool of himself, but there was so much for him to know about it. It was, perhaps, intimidating. But, before any of that, Alastor searched for himself as a piece of the whole. He walked among the Taengean people, breathed in the scents that whirled about him. From the florist's wares to the pastries of a peddler walking beside him, to the wafting smoke of incense that pulled his attention most of all... He loved it. However, he wasn't particularly willing to delve headlong into it straight away. He kept his distance from the pastry chef carrying goods on a wheeled cart. He abstained from joining in the circles of drunks singing or the women speaking.
In essence, he was a spirit, looking but not partaking. But, in this sort of spectating he felt a sense of completion. People were always more fun from a way's away. They couldn't hurt him, didn't bother him, and overall just ignored him. He could learn about them, study their habits and try to emulate their nature. But, Alastor was reserved, he kept his distant and most of all, he protected himself. People could be dangerous, their intentions could be hostile. They could be bullies or charlatans, seeking after him despite his innate lack of usefulness in general. They could try to lull him into their games and do so purely for the sake of their amusement. Alastor learned this in Athenia best of all, where duplicitous people sought after the facts he'd inadvertently learn about others.
A perfect memory is a double-edged sword.
Never did he think that more than in his last year in Athenia. He kept the thought far from his mind, rebuking it, and intent on focusing on the present. He found a merchant selling wine and decided, in the midst of the negativity that crept into his spirits, that he'd try to loosen his nerves. He had a mission in the Agora today, a reason for not inviting Sara along with him. More than a trinket or some inconsequential gift, he sought to find something significant to give her, something that could sum up the way he felt for her. And yet... the task eluded him.
Instead, his legs took him to a stool, his eyes set on vintages settled in a rack behind a bartop. A wistful sigh escaped his lips as he asked for a cuppa. He stared for a long moment into the goblet he was given, the muddled liquid failing to give him any sort of clarity. He took a long drink, a single line dribbling down his chin. Careful not to let the wine spill onto the fabric of a vermilion chiton, he set it down, blowing a gust of cool air as the burn of the acidic drink set within his throat.
Arete couldn't believe that Tyche had blessed her in this way. Two weeks ago, the girl was stuck in the dreary province of Doralis with little hope of escaping. Now she was living here in the capital with her lover, Nikos of Condos. It was nothing sort of a blessing from the gods and she was not going to waste it. That was why she was wandering through the markets on this fine morning with the goal of doing little else than just enjoying the pleasant fall weather. She never would have been able to do this at home. There had been too much work that had to be done, but now? It seemed to be that Arete would never have to marr her hands with grimy clay ever again. It was nothing sort of wonderful for the twenty-three-year-old.
That didn't mean that her life here in the capital was entirely perfect either. Even though she had more freedom than she had ever experienced before, the girl knew that it couldn't last forever. It wasn't something that Arete liked to think about, but it was a simple truth that was lingering in the back of her mind given her condition. Nikos could swear up and down that Arete would be his queen one day, the girl knew that as long as she was infertile, that would never happen. A King needed heirs, after all. If his Retta couldn't provide them then she never stood a chance of meeting Nikos at the Temple of Hymen. This scared her a bit as she knew that marrying her Niky was the only way she could secure this wonderful life that he had given her without needing to fear the day that her beauty would fade and his attentions would drift elsewhere.
It was a precarious position for her to be in and Arete didn't know what to do. She had heard rumors that a good diet could help, so that's partially why she was here in the agora today. As she wandered through the markets, Arete tried to keep her eyes out for the freshest fruits and meats. Whenever she found something that was to her liking, she did not hesitate to give the vendor his asking price for the good. That alone was a bit thrilling to the girl. All her life she had to haggle with the vendors in Doralis, often being turned away when they had enough of the starving brood with too few coins. Now Arete could pay the full price and more with the allowance that Nikos had given her. She still couldn't believe that he had called the coin purse small as it had more coins than she had ever held before. It was almost incredulous that he thought that the funds to pay for these apples and cheeses she was munching on was small to Nikos. Either way, Arete was glad that she never allowed Nikos to meet her family or see how she lived. There was no way that the young man would have seen her in the same light had he known the truth.
But that was behind her now. She was in the capital now and she would never see her family again. Honestly, good riddance to them. Arete had better things to do, like secure her man and in time, her crown. Nikos was fairly high up in the line of succession after the schism between the two Mikaelidas branches. With only two men standing in the way of the Condos getting the crown, it wasn't that outlandish to think that it might happen. Especially if that so-called Leventi curse was true and poor Theodora couldn't have any boys...
Shaking these thoughts from her mind as they were something that could be dealt with later, Arete glanced around the Agora and was met with a strange sight. Was that a boy at one of the bar tops? She furrowed her eyebrows at the confusing image. This kid looked like he was barely older than thirteen as he sat hunched over the table. Arete might have never known what the standard for being a good mother was as her own had been a terrible woman, but she did now for a fact that boys as young as this one did not sit alone at bars possibly filled with rowdy men. Granted, Arete had no idea that the young man she saw was a bit older than thirteen and maybe she might have corrected herself had she seen him standing. However, without him at his full height and a baby face to match... well it was understandable that she thought that this was a weird sight.
Others might have shrugged their shoulders and moved along. They would think that it was strange, but given that this boy was a stranger, it was not worth getting involved. Not Arete though. As exciting as the market was, the girl had a weak spot for adventures when they seemed to present themselves to the Condos mistress. She was curious as to why a young boy would find himself in a bar and Arete was fairly certain that there could be an interesting story as to how he got there. If nothing else, she knew that most boys his age didn't know what to do when a pretty girl like her approached them. It was so fun to watch the prudish ones try to squirm and avoid looking down. They always failed in the end which made it a good source of cheap entertainment for the moment. Judging by the crisp chiton and nervous demeanor practically radiating off of poor Alastor, he had to be a rather uptight one.
So with her mind resolved to have a bit of fun, Arete sauntered into the bar. She knew that there were probably more than a few eyes on her because so-called respectable ladies that wore dresses, like the light teal one flowing around her, did not frequent these sort of places. Oh well, Arete had never been that sort of girl anyway. She seemed to be ignoring all of them, but that playful smirk creeping onto her face made it clear that she was living for the attention. There were perks to having the Condos funds to clean up, after all. Moving quickly across the room, Arete put the small basket of food, and more scandalously, ingredients for the infamous tea that kept little ones from arriving, at her feet as she climbing onto the barstool next to Alastor.
If he didn't notice her before, he would have now as Arete spoke directly to him, "You're a cutie, aren't you?" A light laugh followed these words that she hoped would confuse him. It was always so amusing to watch young men get flustered when Arete was so forward as girls were not supposed to be that way. Eh, had Arete been that sweet and demure girl that society demanded that she'd be, she never would have wrapped Nikos around her finger like she did. Carefully watching his reaction as this would probably be the only form of entertainment she would have until she returned the Condos manor, the girl kept talking hoping that her casual demeanor would fluster him as well. Normally that confused young men more than anything else as their brains would struggle to gather their wits long enough to keep up the simple conversation like this. "You seem to be a little young for this place... what brings you here?"
She had to bite her lip to keep a the playful smirk back. Arete couldn't wait to see how Alastor reacted to all of this, unknowing that not only was he a bit older than she originally guessed, but he should be resistant to Arete's charms given that he already had another who laid claim to his heart. Ah well, the girl had no shame in making this a test of Alastor's devotion, if he was willing to play along, of course...
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Aug 6, 2020 14:31:29 GMT
Posted In Just a Taste on Aug 6, 2020 14:31:29 GMT
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Arete couldn't believe that Tyche had blessed her in this way. Two weeks ago, the girl was stuck in the dreary province of Doralis with little hope of escaping. Now she was living here in the capital with her lover, Nikos of Condos. It was nothing sort of a blessing from the gods and she was not going to waste it. That was why she was wandering through the markets on this fine morning with the goal of doing little else than just enjoying the pleasant fall weather. She never would have been able to do this at home. There had been too much work that had to be done, but now? It seemed to be that Arete would never have to marr her hands with grimy clay ever again. It was nothing sort of wonderful for the twenty-three-year-old.
That didn't mean that her life here in the capital was entirely perfect either. Even though she had more freedom than she had ever experienced before, the girl knew that it couldn't last forever. It wasn't something that Arete liked to think about, but it was a simple truth that was lingering in the back of her mind given her condition. Nikos could swear up and down that Arete would be his queen one day, the girl knew that as long as she was infertile, that would never happen. A King needed heirs, after all. If his Retta couldn't provide them then she never stood a chance of meeting Nikos at the Temple of Hymen. This scared her a bit as she knew that marrying her Niky was the only way she could secure this wonderful life that he had given her without needing to fear the day that her beauty would fade and his attentions would drift elsewhere.
It was a precarious position for her to be in and Arete didn't know what to do. She had heard rumors that a good diet could help, so that's partially why she was here in the agora today. As she wandered through the markets, Arete tried to keep her eyes out for the freshest fruits and meats. Whenever she found something that was to her liking, she did not hesitate to give the vendor his asking price for the good. That alone was a bit thrilling to the girl. All her life she had to haggle with the vendors in Doralis, often being turned away when they had enough of the starving brood with too few coins. Now Arete could pay the full price and more with the allowance that Nikos had given her. She still couldn't believe that he had called the coin purse small as it had more coins than she had ever held before. It was almost incredulous that he thought that the funds to pay for these apples and cheeses she was munching on was small to Nikos. Either way, Arete was glad that she never allowed Nikos to meet her family or see how she lived. There was no way that the young man would have seen her in the same light had he known the truth.
But that was behind her now. She was in the capital now and she would never see her family again. Honestly, good riddance to them. Arete had better things to do, like secure her man and in time, her crown. Nikos was fairly high up in the line of succession after the schism between the two Mikaelidas branches. With only two men standing in the way of the Condos getting the crown, it wasn't that outlandish to think that it might happen. Especially if that so-called Leventi curse was true and poor Theodora couldn't have any boys...
Shaking these thoughts from her mind as they were something that could be dealt with later, Arete glanced around the Agora and was met with a strange sight. Was that a boy at one of the bar tops? She furrowed her eyebrows at the confusing image. This kid looked like he was barely older than thirteen as he sat hunched over the table. Arete might have never known what the standard for being a good mother was as her own had been a terrible woman, but she did now for a fact that boys as young as this one did not sit alone at bars possibly filled with rowdy men. Granted, Arete had no idea that the young man she saw was a bit older than thirteen and maybe she might have corrected herself had she seen him standing. However, without him at his full height and a baby face to match... well it was understandable that she thought that this was a weird sight.
Others might have shrugged their shoulders and moved along. They would think that it was strange, but given that this boy was a stranger, it was not worth getting involved. Not Arete though. As exciting as the market was, the girl had a weak spot for adventures when they seemed to present themselves to the Condos mistress. She was curious as to why a young boy would find himself in a bar and Arete was fairly certain that there could be an interesting story as to how he got there. If nothing else, she knew that most boys his age didn't know what to do when a pretty girl like her approached them. It was so fun to watch the prudish ones try to squirm and avoid looking down. They always failed in the end which made it a good source of cheap entertainment for the moment. Judging by the crisp chiton and nervous demeanor practically radiating off of poor Alastor, he had to be a rather uptight one.
So with her mind resolved to have a bit of fun, Arete sauntered into the bar. She knew that there were probably more than a few eyes on her because so-called respectable ladies that wore dresses, like the light teal one flowing around her, did not frequent these sort of places. Oh well, Arete had never been that sort of girl anyway. She seemed to be ignoring all of them, but that playful smirk creeping onto her face made it clear that she was living for the attention. There were perks to having the Condos funds to clean up, after all. Moving quickly across the room, Arete put the small basket of food, and more scandalously, ingredients for the infamous tea that kept little ones from arriving, at her feet as she climbing onto the barstool next to Alastor.
If he didn't notice her before, he would have now as Arete spoke directly to him, "You're a cutie, aren't you?" A light laugh followed these words that she hoped would confuse him. It was always so amusing to watch young men get flustered when Arete was so forward as girls were not supposed to be that way. Eh, had Arete been that sweet and demure girl that society demanded that she'd be, she never would have wrapped Nikos around her finger like she did. Carefully watching his reaction as this would probably be the only form of entertainment she would have until she returned the Condos manor, the girl kept talking hoping that her casual demeanor would fluster him as well. Normally that confused young men more than anything else as their brains would struggle to gather their wits long enough to keep up the simple conversation like this. "You seem to be a little young for this place... what brings you here?"
She had to bite her lip to keep a the playful smirk back. Arete couldn't wait to see how Alastor reacted to all of this, unknowing that not only was he a bit older than she originally guessed, but he should be resistant to Arete's charms given that he already had another who laid claim to his heart. Ah well, the girl had no shame in making this a test of Alastor's devotion, if he was willing to play along, of course...
Arete couldn't believe that Tyche had blessed her in this way. Two weeks ago, the girl was stuck in the dreary province of Doralis with little hope of escaping. Now she was living here in the capital with her lover, Nikos of Condos. It was nothing sort of a blessing from the gods and she was not going to waste it. That was why she was wandering through the markets on this fine morning with the goal of doing little else than just enjoying the pleasant fall weather. She never would have been able to do this at home. There had been too much work that had to be done, but now? It seemed to be that Arete would never have to marr her hands with grimy clay ever again. It was nothing sort of wonderful for the twenty-three-year-old.
That didn't mean that her life here in the capital was entirely perfect either. Even though she had more freedom than she had ever experienced before, the girl knew that it couldn't last forever. It wasn't something that Arete liked to think about, but it was a simple truth that was lingering in the back of her mind given her condition. Nikos could swear up and down that Arete would be his queen one day, the girl knew that as long as she was infertile, that would never happen. A King needed heirs, after all. If his Retta couldn't provide them then she never stood a chance of meeting Nikos at the Temple of Hymen. This scared her a bit as she knew that marrying her Niky was the only way she could secure this wonderful life that he had given her without needing to fear the day that her beauty would fade and his attentions would drift elsewhere.
It was a precarious position for her to be in and Arete didn't know what to do. She had heard rumors that a good diet could help, so that's partially why she was here in the agora today. As she wandered through the markets, Arete tried to keep her eyes out for the freshest fruits and meats. Whenever she found something that was to her liking, she did not hesitate to give the vendor his asking price for the good. That alone was a bit thrilling to the girl. All her life she had to haggle with the vendors in Doralis, often being turned away when they had enough of the starving brood with too few coins. Now Arete could pay the full price and more with the allowance that Nikos had given her. She still couldn't believe that he had called the coin purse small as it had more coins than she had ever held before. It was almost incredulous that he thought that the funds to pay for these apples and cheeses she was munching on was small to Nikos. Either way, Arete was glad that she never allowed Nikos to meet her family or see how she lived. There was no way that the young man would have seen her in the same light had he known the truth.
But that was behind her now. She was in the capital now and she would never see her family again. Honestly, good riddance to them. Arete had better things to do, like secure her man and in time, her crown. Nikos was fairly high up in the line of succession after the schism between the two Mikaelidas branches. With only two men standing in the way of the Condos getting the crown, it wasn't that outlandish to think that it might happen. Especially if that so-called Leventi curse was true and poor Theodora couldn't have any boys...
Shaking these thoughts from her mind as they were something that could be dealt with later, Arete glanced around the Agora and was met with a strange sight. Was that a boy at one of the bar tops? She furrowed her eyebrows at the confusing image. This kid looked like he was barely older than thirteen as he sat hunched over the table. Arete might have never known what the standard for being a good mother was as her own had been a terrible woman, but she did now for a fact that boys as young as this one did not sit alone at bars possibly filled with rowdy men. Granted, Arete had no idea that the young man she saw was a bit older than thirteen and maybe she might have corrected herself had she seen him standing. However, without him at his full height and a baby face to match... well it was understandable that she thought that this was a weird sight.
Others might have shrugged their shoulders and moved along. They would think that it was strange, but given that this boy was a stranger, it was not worth getting involved. Not Arete though. As exciting as the market was, the girl had a weak spot for adventures when they seemed to present themselves to the Condos mistress. She was curious as to why a young boy would find himself in a bar and Arete was fairly certain that there could be an interesting story as to how he got there. If nothing else, she knew that most boys his age didn't know what to do when a pretty girl like her approached them. It was so fun to watch the prudish ones try to squirm and avoid looking down. They always failed in the end which made it a good source of cheap entertainment for the moment. Judging by the crisp chiton and nervous demeanor practically radiating off of poor Alastor, he had to be a rather uptight one.
So with her mind resolved to have a bit of fun, Arete sauntered into the bar. She knew that there were probably more than a few eyes on her because so-called respectable ladies that wore dresses, like the light teal one flowing around her, did not frequent these sort of places. Oh well, Arete had never been that sort of girl anyway. She seemed to be ignoring all of them, but that playful smirk creeping onto her face made it clear that she was living for the attention. There were perks to having the Condos funds to clean up, after all. Moving quickly across the room, Arete put the small basket of food, and more scandalously, ingredients for the infamous tea that kept little ones from arriving, at her feet as she climbing onto the barstool next to Alastor.
If he didn't notice her before, he would have now as Arete spoke directly to him, "You're a cutie, aren't you?" A light laugh followed these words that she hoped would confuse him. It was always so amusing to watch young men get flustered when Arete was so forward as girls were not supposed to be that way. Eh, had Arete been that sweet and demure girl that society demanded that she'd be, she never would have wrapped Nikos around her finger like she did. Carefully watching his reaction as this would probably be the only form of entertainment she would have until she returned the Condos manor, the girl kept talking hoping that her casual demeanor would fluster him as well. Normally that confused young men more than anything else as their brains would struggle to gather their wits long enough to keep up the simple conversation like this. "You seem to be a little young for this place... what brings you here?"
She had to bite her lip to keep a the playful smirk back. Arete couldn't wait to see how Alastor reacted to all of this, unknowing that not only was he a bit older than she originally guessed, but he should be resistant to Arete's charms given that he already had another who laid claim to his heart. Ah well, the girl had no shame in making this a test of Alastor's devotion, if he was willing to play along, of course...
"You're a cutie, aren't you?"
Ah, shit.
Alastor couldn't help the immediate shiver that crawled up his spine at the idea of a woman prowling up to him entirely unannounced. The boy immediately felt any sense of relaxation brought along with the wine coming to a half, the distinctive lull that sought to invite him into conversation present even in those five little words. but, words were complicated, particularly spoken from plump lips and followed with a gentle laugh that clearly was some sort of mockery. Women seldom paid attention to Alastor of Vasiliadon. Growing up in the stacks of the scholeio meant that the sort of women he saw on a regular basis were generally older, married women who took up an opportunity given to them by nobility.
In fairness, it was like that for the men, too. Some were young, as he was, but generally not so young, adults seeking the venture of a scholar, lacking the spine or the training to be of use in the arena of greater prestige, the battlefield. He could be prepared for that sort of uninvited conversation, where he held himself at an arm's length, forced a chuckle or two, then paid for his drink and slinked away. Who knew? It could even turn philosophical or theoretical in nature and Alastor could make friends. But with the exception of one girl, the opposite sex proved again and again to be a rough go for the young scholar.
However much he wanted his escape, there was none. It would look cowardly to overtly avoid the woman, and the heckling laughter of complete strangers was among the more humiliating ways to make an exit. Rather than destroying any sort of dignity he had and rumours making their way over to his father or worse yet, Zenatos, he remained anchored in place.
Alastor offered the skeleton of a smile, his teeth just visible in a sort of panicked expression that might've better resembled a grimace. The expression lingered for just a moment before he decided to melt it away with speech. Maybe working his jaw would make the fire in his belly escape out of his mouth.
"Ahhh, yes? Thank you?" he started, and immediately he felt the sensation steepen. He felt stupid, speaking so strangely. He'd talked to several women in his lifetime, including his best friend and the girl he fancied most, at length! And yet, this short exchange seemed to undo him. He detested it, the premise of speaking to this strange, unabashed woman becoming the challenge of his day. Whatever her name was, she was the sphinx, demanding of him the challenge of solving the riddle of her short initiation of conversation.
"You seem to be a little young for this place..."
People always say that... he grumbled internally, quite aware that his youthful features and lack of facial hair made him seem younger than he really was.
Then, Alastor finally looked at the woman properly. He'd seen flashes of her figure, her shoulder, the movement of her lips. But he was too focused on the smaller things that made him shiver, the sound and proximity that he was entirely unused to. Looking at the woman, she was a vision. The young Alastor had seen a great many beauties in his lifetime, mostly from far away where they seldom knew that he existed at all. It was difficult not to stare once he'd taken the proper look, the flame in his stomach turning to ash, smoldering as the nerves in him only seemed to grow steeper.
Why does she have to be pretty?! he wondered, lamenting it all the while before he elected for honesty. He didn't think he could come up with a lie as the distraction waxed further and further. He took a quick sip of his wine before he answered after what seemed an age to him. Though, to Arete, it might've just been a few seconds.
"I've heard a good, strong drink makes the other things in the day a bit easier," he answered.
"What about you?"
Wait, why are you asking her questions??? You're going to keep her around.
Maybe a part of him wanted to. She was very nice to look at, even if she was intrusive and mocking him all the while.
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"You're a cutie, aren't you?"
Ah, shit.
Alastor couldn't help the immediate shiver that crawled up his spine at the idea of a woman prowling up to him entirely unannounced. The boy immediately felt any sense of relaxation brought along with the wine coming to a half, the distinctive lull that sought to invite him into conversation present even in those five little words. but, words were complicated, particularly spoken from plump lips and followed with a gentle laugh that clearly was some sort of mockery. Women seldom paid attention to Alastor of Vasiliadon. Growing up in the stacks of the scholeio meant that the sort of women he saw on a regular basis were generally older, married women who took up an opportunity given to them by nobility.
In fairness, it was like that for the men, too. Some were young, as he was, but generally not so young, adults seeking the venture of a scholar, lacking the spine or the training to be of use in the arena of greater prestige, the battlefield. He could be prepared for that sort of uninvited conversation, where he held himself at an arm's length, forced a chuckle or two, then paid for his drink and slinked away. Who knew? It could even turn philosophical or theoretical in nature and Alastor could make friends. But with the exception of one girl, the opposite sex proved again and again to be a rough go for the young scholar.
However much he wanted his escape, there was none. It would look cowardly to overtly avoid the woman, and the heckling laughter of complete strangers was among the more humiliating ways to make an exit. Rather than destroying any sort of dignity he had and rumours making their way over to his father or worse yet, Zenatos, he remained anchored in place.
Alastor offered the skeleton of a smile, his teeth just visible in a sort of panicked expression that might've better resembled a grimace. The expression lingered for just a moment before he decided to melt it away with speech. Maybe working his jaw would make the fire in his belly escape out of his mouth.
"Ahhh, yes? Thank you?" he started, and immediately he felt the sensation steepen. He felt stupid, speaking so strangely. He'd talked to several women in his lifetime, including his best friend and the girl he fancied most, at length! And yet, this short exchange seemed to undo him. He detested it, the premise of speaking to this strange, unabashed woman becoming the challenge of his day. Whatever her name was, she was the sphinx, demanding of him the challenge of solving the riddle of her short initiation of conversation.
"You seem to be a little young for this place..."
People always say that... he grumbled internally, quite aware that his youthful features and lack of facial hair made him seem younger than he really was.
Then, Alastor finally looked at the woman properly. He'd seen flashes of her figure, her shoulder, the movement of her lips. But he was too focused on the smaller things that made him shiver, the sound and proximity that he was entirely unused to. Looking at the woman, she was a vision. The young Alastor had seen a great many beauties in his lifetime, mostly from far away where they seldom knew that he existed at all. It was difficult not to stare once he'd taken the proper look, the flame in his stomach turning to ash, smoldering as the nerves in him only seemed to grow steeper.
Why does she have to be pretty?! he wondered, lamenting it all the while before he elected for honesty. He didn't think he could come up with a lie as the distraction waxed further and further. He took a quick sip of his wine before he answered after what seemed an age to him. Though, to Arete, it might've just been a few seconds.
"I've heard a good, strong drink makes the other things in the day a bit easier," he answered.
"What about you?"
Wait, why are you asking her questions??? You're going to keep her around.
Maybe a part of him wanted to. She was very nice to look at, even if she was intrusive and mocking him all the while.
"You're a cutie, aren't you?"
Ah, shit.
Alastor couldn't help the immediate shiver that crawled up his spine at the idea of a woman prowling up to him entirely unannounced. The boy immediately felt any sense of relaxation brought along with the wine coming to a half, the distinctive lull that sought to invite him into conversation present even in those five little words. but, words were complicated, particularly spoken from plump lips and followed with a gentle laugh that clearly was some sort of mockery. Women seldom paid attention to Alastor of Vasiliadon. Growing up in the stacks of the scholeio meant that the sort of women he saw on a regular basis were generally older, married women who took up an opportunity given to them by nobility.
In fairness, it was like that for the men, too. Some were young, as he was, but generally not so young, adults seeking the venture of a scholar, lacking the spine or the training to be of use in the arena of greater prestige, the battlefield. He could be prepared for that sort of uninvited conversation, where he held himself at an arm's length, forced a chuckle or two, then paid for his drink and slinked away. Who knew? It could even turn philosophical or theoretical in nature and Alastor could make friends. But with the exception of one girl, the opposite sex proved again and again to be a rough go for the young scholar.
However much he wanted his escape, there was none. It would look cowardly to overtly avoid the woman, and the heckling laughter of complete strangers was among the more humiliating ways to make an exit. Rather than destroying any sort of dignity he had and rumours making their way over to his father or worse yet, Zenatos, he remained anchored in place.
Alastor offered the skeleton of a smile, his teeth just visible in a sort of panicked expression that might've better resembled a grimace. The expression lingered for just a moment before he decided to melt it away with speech. Maybe working his jaw would make the fire in his belly escape out of his mouth.
"Ahhh, yes? Thank you?" he started, and immediately he felt the sensation steepen. He felt stupid, speaking so strangely. He'd talked to several women in his lifetime, including his best friend and the girl he fancied most, at length! And yet, this short exchange seemed to undo him. He detested it, the premise of speaking to this strange, unabashed woman becoming the challenge of his day. Whatever her name was, she was the sphinx, demanding of him the challenge of solving the riddle of her short initiation of conversation.
"You seem to be a little young for this place..."
People always say that... he grumbled internally, quite aware that his youthful features and lack of facial hair made him seem younger than he really was.
Then, Alastor finally looked at the woman properly. He'd seen flashes of her figure, her shoulder, the movement of her lips. But he was too focused on the smaller things that made him shiver, the sound and proximity that he was entirely unused to. Looking at the woman, she was a vision. The young Alastor had seen a great many beauties in his lifetime, mostly from far away where they seldom knew that he existed at all. It was difficult not to stare once he'd taken the proper look, the flame in his stomach turning to ash, smoldering as the nerves in him only seemed to grow steeper.
Why does she have to be pretty?! he wondered, lamenting it all the while before he elected for honesty. He didn't think he could come up with a lie as the distraction waxed further and further. He took a quick sip of his wine before he answered after what seemed an age to him. Though, to Arete, it might've just been a few seconds.
"I've heard a good, strong drink makes the other things in the day a bit easier," he answered.
"What about you?"
Wait, why are you asking her questions??? You're going to keep her around.
Maybe a part of him wanted to. She was very nice to look at, even if she was intrusive and mocking him all the while.
Arete could tell from the moment that poor Alastor glanced over at her that this boy was going to be the most amusing highlight of her day. He was clearly so flustered that it was almost charming in an odd sort of way. Not that she would ever stray from Nikos for someone like this kid or even consider it given that he looked like he was just barely out of the cradle… but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t fair game for a bit of entertainment, now was he?
Arete knew that this couldn’t be something that happened to Alastor every day, which likely factored into how he was reacting.. If her suspicions about him being so young that taverns like this were still a foreign world to the boy in front of her, then there was no way he was prepared for anyone approaching him. Let alone a woman. Arete knew that this action on its own was a bit of an anomaly given that ladies like here were not supposed to frequent places like this. Taverns were supposed dirty, grimy, and unsafe dens of sin where a respectable woman could find herself thrown dishonorably into the gutter come morning. Even though Arete didn’t care too much for those social restrictions, as she didn’t exactly agree with anything that restricted her from having fun, she doubted that this boy had much of a chance to meet others like her. If she had to guess, he still thought that everyone followed the rules like they were supposed to. Well, he would learn quickly enough. The world was a big and scary place. Innocent little lambs didn’t tend to last long.
Even though Arete might be a tad bit overdramatic, she was clearly right in her judgments of Alastor. That much was made clear to the older woman in the flustered way that he responded to her observation. His cheeks were practically as red as two apples as he stumbled his way through a polite response to what she said. Arete couldn’t hold back a laugh at the way he tripped over his own words and seemingly struggled to catch her gaze. Oh this boy was so far out of his depth wasn’t he?
In truth, Arete couldn’t completely lie to herself and not say that she didn’t feel sorry for the kid. He was clearly uncomfortable with this situation and there was some shred of morality telling her that she should leave the kid alone. However, on the other side of that coin, she knew that there would be no fun in leaving the kid be. Alastor was amusing and even though she was thrilled by the prospect of getting to roam the market on her own, there wasn’t likely to be anything nearly half as entertaining as the show in front of her.
That was probably why she didn’t get up and leave him alone, but instead gave him a bit of a wry smile. She didn’t know what necessarily to say as she did not want to be caught up in some boring charade of politeness, so she settled on leaving the air empty as she regarded him. That would likely knock him a bit off-balance as well, making things a bit more amusing for her as she noticed that her eyes were properly roaming over her for the first time. Ah, this is where the real fun was going to begin wasn’t it? Many people didn’t know this, but being the mistress of the heir to Condos wine empire certainly did a body good. Where other girls might be offended by such gazing, she practically relished in it. She could see how the boy was on the verge of going slack-jawed and couldn’t hide her grin at the sight of it. Good gods, men were so easily entertained weren’t they?
After a few moments, Arete decided that the show was over. Sitting up slightly, the girl leaned over towards Alastor, beckoning him to move his ear closer so she could mutter something to him. She didn’t know what it was about this one simple action, but she knew that it could drive some boy’s wild. Niky included, every now and then. If Arete really wanted to make Alastor uncomfortable, this was likely going to be the easiest way for her to do it. If he was anticipating her whispering something at least vaguely interesting in his ear, the boy would be sorely mistaken when Arete finally spoke, encouraging the lad to spend his hard-earned coins on someone who he didn’t even know the name of yet, “You know, it is customary to buy a drink for the girl you’re talking with…”
As Arete settled back in her seat, she knew that this wasn’t the case. Most women, she included, would not be fond if some strange man offered them a drink that they did not order. They had been taught that there was a certain level of danger in this sort of interaction as it would be so easy to keep filling that glass and lower the woman’s inhibitions. However, Alastor clearly posed no threat so she had no qualms about being direct about wanting him to solve the problem of her parched throat. Even if she had horribly misjudged him, she could very easily hold her own as far as she was concerned.
However, this wasn’t even much of a problem in her mind as she regarded the kid and his attempt to look older through his next statement about needing to be hardened for what the day would bring. Arete did not hold back in her quizzical stare at this declaration. Who did this kid think he was kidding? He barely looked a day over sixteen and had none of the body mass that other working kids his age had. He couldn’t possibly have any sort of taxing trials laid out before him when he still had what looked like some baby fluff in his cheeks and that youthful look in his eyes. Quite frankly, it took everything in Arete to not laugh at the poor boy. As tempting as it was, the girl knew that it would not go over well so she held her tongue for the moment. There wasn’t anything that she could do though to hide the smile that crept onto her face.
“Oh really? You don’t seem like the type that would need a drink like this before noon... ” Arete quietly muttered, completely ignoring the question about what she was doing in the bar like this. After all, such inquiries were not interesting to her. It would be far more amusing to keep the attention on Alastor for the moment. That was only solidified as she continued to speak, “It makes me wonder even more about what you’re doing here? What could possibly call for the need to have a strong drink Sir?...” She trailed off at the end, allowing space for Alastor to introduce himself as neither of them had gotten each other’s names. Normally she wouldn’t bother with such a formality, but this boy was so interesting that it left her more curious than she normally would be at this point in a conversation… or maybe it was the distinct lack of alcohol flooding her senses that encouraged her to probe for more information.
Regardless, it seemed to be that the more that the boy said, the more questions he raised… including what on earth Arete was going to have to do to satisfy her curiosity about the boy…
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Aug 15, 2020 17:23:42 GMT
Posted In Just a Taste on Aug 15, 2020 17:23:42 GMT
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Arete could tell from the moment that poor Alastor glanced over at her that this boy was going to be the most amusing highlight of her day. He was clearly so flustered that it was almost charming in an odd sort of way. Not that she would ever stray from Nikos for someone like this kid or even consider it given that he looked like he was just barely out of the cradle… but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t fair game for a bit of entertainment, now was he?
Arete knew that this couldn’t be something that happened to Alastor every day, which likely factored into how he was reacting.. If her suspicions about him being so young that taverns like this were still a foreign world to the boy in front of her, then there was no way he was prepared for anyone approaching him. Let alone a woman. Arete knew that this action on its own was a bit of an anomaly given that ladies like here were not supposed to frequent places like this. Taverns were supposed dirty, grimy, and unsafe dens of sin where a respectable woman could find herself thrown dishonorably into the gutter come morning. Even though Arete didn’t care too much for those social restrictions, as she didn’t exactly agree with anything that restricted her from having fun, she doubted that this boy had much of a chance to meet others like her. If she had to guess, he still thought that everyone followed the rules like they were supposed to. Well, he would learn quickly enough. The world was a big and scary place. Innocent little lambs didn’t tend to last long.
Even though Arete might be a tad bit overdramatic, she was clearly right in her judgments of Alastor. That much was made clear to the older woman in the flustered way that he responded to her observation. His cheeks were practically as red as two apples as he stumbled his way through a polite response to what she said. Arete couldn’t hold back a laugh at the way he tripped over his own words and seemingly struggled to catch her gaze. Oh this boy was so far out of his depth wasn’t he?
In truth, Arete couldn’t completely lie to herself and not say that she didn’t feel sorry for the kid. He was clearly uncomfortable with this situation and there was some shred of morality telling her that she should leave the kid alone. However, on the other side of that coin, she knew that there would be no fun in leaving the kid be. Alastor was amusing and even though she was thrilled by the prospect of getting to roam the market on her own, there wasn’t likely to be anything nearly half as entertaining as the show in front of her.
That was probably why she didn’t get up and leave him alone, but instead gave him a bit of a wry smile. She didn’t know what necessarily to say as she did not want to be caught up in some boring charade of politeness, so she settled on leaving the air empty as she regarded him. That would likely knock him a bit off-balance as well, making things a bit more amusing for her as she noticed that her eyes were properly roaming over her for the first time. Ah, this is where the real fun was going to begin wasn’t it? Many people didn’t know this, but being the mistress of the heir to Condos wine empire certainly did a body good. Where other girls might be offended by such gazing, she practically relished in it. She could see how the boy was on the verge of going slack-jawed and couldn’t hide her grin at the sight of it. Good gods, men were so easily entertained weren’t they?
After a few moments, Arete decided that the show was over. Sitting up slightly, the girl leaned over towards Alastor, beckoning him to move his ear closer so she could mutter something to him. She didn’t know what it was about this one simple action, but she knew that it could drive some boy’s wild. Niky included, every now and then. If Arete really wanted to make Alastor uncomfortable, this was likely going to be the easiest way for her to do it. If he was anticipating her whispering something at least vaguely interesting in his ear, the boy would be sorely mistaken when Arete finally spoke, encouraging the lad to spend his hard-earned coins on someone who he didn’t even know the name of yet, “You know, it is customary to buy a drink for the girl you’re talking with…”
As Arete settled back in her seat, she knew that this wasn’t the case. Most women, she included, would not be fond if some strange man offered them a drink that they did not order. They had been taught that there was a certain level of danger in this sort of interaction as it would be so easy to keep filling that glass and lower the woman’s inhibitions. However, Alastor clearly posed no threat so she had no qualms about being direct about wanting him to solve the problem of her parched throat. Even if she had horribly misjudged him, she could very easily hold her own as far as she was concerned.
However, this wasn’t even much of a problem in her mind as she regarded the kid and his attempt to look older through his next statement about needing to be hardened for what the day would bring. Arete did not hold back in her quizzical stare at this declaration. Who did this kid think he was kidding? He barely looked a day over sixteen and had none of the body mass that other working kids his age had. He couldn’t possibly have any sort of taxing trials laid out before him when he still had what looked like some baby fluff in his cheeks and that youthful look in his eyes. Quite frankly, it took everything in Arete to not laugh at the poor boy. As tempting as it was, the girl knew that it would not go over well so she held her tongue for the moment. There wasn’t anything that she could do though to hide the smile that crept onto her face.
“Oh really? You don’t seem like the type that would need a drink like this before noon... ” Arete quietly muttered, completely ignoring the question about what she was doing in the bar like this. After all, such inquiries were not interesting to her. It would be far more amusing to keep the attention on Alastor for the moment. That was only solidified as she continued to speak, “It makes me wonder even more about what you’re doing here? What could possibly call for the need to have a strong drink Sir?...” She trailed off at the end, allowing space for Alastor to introduce himself as neither of them had gotten each other’s names. Normally she wouldn’t bother with such a formality, but this boy was so interesting that it left her more curious than she normally would be at this point in a conversation… or maybe it was the distinct lack of alcohol flooding her senses that encouraged her to probe for more information.
Regardless, it seemed to be that the more that the boy said, the more questions he raised… including what on earth Arete was going to have to do to satisfy her curiosity about the boy…
Arete could tell from the moment that poor Alastor glanced over at her that this boy was going to be the most amusing highlight of her day. He was clearly so flustered that it was almost charming in an odd sort of way. Not that she would ever stray from Nikos for someone like this kid or even consider it given that he looked like he was just barely out of the cradle… but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t fair game for a bit of entertainment, now was he?
Arete knew that this couldn’t be something that happened to Alastor every day, which likely factored into how he was reacting.. If her suspicions about him being so young that taverns like this were still a foreign world to the boy in front of her, then there was no way he was prepared for anyone approaching him. Let alone a woman. Arete knew that this action on its own was a bit of an anomaly given that ladies like here were not supposed to frequent places like this. Taverns were supposed dirty, grimy, and unsafe dens of sin where a respectable woman could find herself thrown dishonorably into the gutter come morning. Even though Arete didn’t care too much for those social restrictions, as she didn’t exactly agree with anything that restricted her from having fun, she doubted that this boy had much of a chance to meet others like her. If she had to guess, he still thought that everyone followed the rules like they were supposed to. Well, he would learn quickly enough. The world was a big and scary place. Innocent little lambs didn’t tend to last long.
Even though Arete might be a tad bit overdramatic, she was clearly right in her judgments of Alastor. That much was made clear to the older woman in the flustered way that he responded to her observation. His cheeks were practically as red as two apples as he stumbled his way through a polite response to what she said. Arete couldn’t hold back a laugh at the way he tripped over his own words and seemingly struggled to catch her gaze. Oh this boy was so far out of his depth wasn’t he?
In truth, Arete couldn’t completely lie to herself and not say that she didn’t feel sorry for the kid. He was clearly uncomfortable with this situation and there was some shred of morality telling her that she should leave the kid alone. However, on the other side of that coin, she knew that there would be no fun in leaving the kid be. Alastor was amusing and even though she was thrilled by the prospect of getting to roam the market on her own, there wasn’t likely to be anything nearly half as entertaining as the show in front of her.
That was probably why she didn’t get up and leave him alone, but instead gave him a bit of a wry smile. She didn’t know what necessarily to say as she did not want to be caught up in some boring charade of politeness, so she settled on leaving the air empty as she regarded him. That would likely knock him a bit off-balance as well, making things a bit more amusing for her as she noticed that her eyes were properly roaming over her for the first time. Ah, this is where the real fun was going to begin wasn’t it? Many people didn’t know this, but being the mistress of the heir to Condos wine empire certainly did a body good. Where other girls might be offended by such gazing, she practically relished in it. She could see how the boy was on the verge of going slack-jawed and couldn’t hide her grin at the sight of it. Good gods, men were so easily entertained weren’t they?
After a few moments, Arete decided that the show was over. Sitting up slightly, the girl leaned over towards Alastor, beckoning him to move his ear closer so she could mutter something to him. She didn’t know what it was about this one simple action, but she knew that it could drive some boy’s wild. Niky included, every now and then. If Arete really wanted to make Alastor uncomfortable, this was likely going to be the easiest way for her to do it. If he was anticipating her whispering something at least vaguely interesting in his ear, the boy would be sorely mistaken when Arete finally spoke, encouraging the lad to spend his hard-earned coins on someone who he didn’t even know the name of yet, “You know, it is customary to buy a drink for the girl you’re talking with…”
As Arete settled back in her seat, she knew that this wasn’t the case. Most women, she included, would not be fond if some strange man offered them a drink that they did not order. They had been taught that there was a certain level of danger in this sort of interaction as it would be so easy to keep filling that glass and lower the woman’s inhibitions. However, Alastor clearly posed no threat so she had no qualms about being direct about wanting him to solve the problem of her parched throat. Even if she had horribly misjudged him, she could very easily hold her own as far as she was concerned.
However, this wasn’t even much of a problem in her mind as she regarded the kid and his attempt to look older through his next statement about needing to be hardened for what the day would bring. Arete did not hold back in her quizzical stare at this declaration. Who did this kid think he was kidding? He barely looked a day over sixteen and had none of the body mass that other working kids his age had. He couldn’t possibly have any sort of taxing trials laid out before him when he still had what looked like some baby fluff in his cheeks and that youthful look in his eyes. Quite frankly, it took everything in Arete to not laugh at the poor boy. As tempting as it was, the girl knew that it would not go over well so she held her tongue for the moment. There wasn’t anything that she could do though to hide the smile that crept onto her face.
“Oh really? You don’t seem like the type that would need a drink like this before noon... ” Arete quietly muttered, completely ignoring the question about what she was doing in the bar like this. After all, such inquiries were not interesting to her. It would be far more amusing to keep the attention on Alastor for the moment. That was only solidified as she continued to speak, “It makes me wonder even more about what you’re doing here? What could possibly call for the need to have a strong drink Sir?...” She trailed off at the end, allowing space for Alastor to introduce himself as neither of them had gotten each other’s names. Normally she wouldn’t bother with such a formality, but this boy was so interesting that it left her more curious than she normally would be at this point in a conversation… or maybe it was the distinct lack of alcohol flooding her senses that encouraged her to probe for more information.
Regardless, it seemed to be that the more that the boy said, the more questions he raised… including what on earth Arete was going to have to do to satisfy her curiosity about the boy…
The world was a difficult place to adjust to. There were people like Zenatos, content in his role in society and as such, much more suited to talking to people than his little brother was. Then, there were the people far above Alastor and his brother's stations, who lived in their ivory towers and treated the world as nothing more than dust beneath their feet. Alastor didn't chase fortune or fame, but wanted to assert his significance in a world that was hell-bent on crushing his spirits. Alastor wanted to, and had every capability, be useful. To be sought after. He didn't crave attention, but reason to live in a world that didn't need him. The second son of a well-off, but working-class family, his destiny did not speak of starry peaks or lofty titles.
But, he wanted it. He held a vision in his future of being stronger, of being wiser and more capable. The vision was almost a solid form he could touch, his aspirations of mastership, of having a beard like a proper scholar, of living with his whispers being heard by the right people. And he was on his way! Too young to be taken seriously by most, at the very least the now-king of Taengea had his ear. Him being far off in another land waging a senseless war... well that was just a big inconvenience, wasn't it? For the moment, Alastor had his position, a good start to a long career ahead of him and he made the most of it.
But, the doubts did not go away merely because he was making something of himself. Alastor of Vasiliadon was still a nothing, still a boy struggling to live in a world of men. Then, there were bewitching, mocking temptresses like the woman in front of him. Every moment he spent nearby her seemed akin to being face-to-face with a medusa. Tendrils coiled about his legs and his throat, holding him in place. This woman seemed intent on prying open his eyes so as to steal his soul and turn him to stone in front of her. So playful was her mockery.
Then, she beckoned him closer. Why? Why should Alastor pull himself nearer to her so she could speak in his ear? And yet... his position shuffled forward to let her have his ear. The tickle of her breath on his ear and along his jawline sent a shiver down his spine, and she used that copious influence to... demand he buy her a drink?
That seemed... off. Did women really go around asking men to buy them drinks off a couple of words? He'd seen men pull their coins out and buy women drinks if they were trying to have... sex with them. Was this woman a common whore, asking for a drink in the form of a euphemism? She seemed too well-dressed and too coy with her words for that... Alastor wasn't sure what to make of this woman, and when he let on that platitude about drinks making the day go by easier...
It only served to weaken his position as a whole. She clearly didn't believe him. She might've thought him younger than he was, justifying his place on his seat and trying to shoo her off. And part of him was. Her presence was unwarranted... all he was to her was some game, some sadistic diversion and yet... it wasn't in him to grow angry and lash out, to rebuke her and get on with his day.
"You don't seem like the type who needs me to buy them a drink either, but here we are," he muttered, shaking his head as he motioned towards the bartender to give a goblet filled with a similar wine that he was having. It wasn't that he minded so terribly. Alastor lived with his family, for now, and had secured a decent enough job in his short time back from Athenia. It didn't help that having someone around who's words of mockery were, at least, civil.
Alastor had no shortage of memories of incidents that weren't nearly as playful or simple as this one. He'd suffer her presence for as long as it took for him to get what he wanted (a fine buzz) and leave. Or, maybe... she could even serve a purpose. She was, after all, a girl. Maybe she'd help him figure out what he should get for Sara to try to bring them back together? Professed love was no match for the litany of misfortune to come to the younger girl, after all.
"Alastor. And there are woes that even a boy can have, miss..." he trailed off in a similar sort of mockery. Alastor would play her game and see where it took them. He took another sip of his drink, looking down at the counter-top before he looked to the woman once again. Inexorably, his gaze seemed drawn to her. She was very pretty and Alastor was getting more frustrated about it, even as he grew more comfortable with her unwarranted presence.
"I bet you can figure it out from there. You seem... intelligent."
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Sept 11, 2020 21:58:09 GMT
Posted In Just a Taste on Sept 11, 2020 21:58:09 GMT
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The world was a difficult place to adjust to. There were people like Zenatos, content in his role in society and as such, much more suited to talking to people than his little brother was. Then, there were the people far above Alastor and his brother's stations, who lived in their ivory towers and treated the world as nothing more than dust beneath their feet. Alastor didn't chase fortune or fame, but wanted to assert his significance in a world that was hell-bent on crushing his spirits. Alastor wanted to, and had every capability, be useful. To be sought after. He didn't crave attention, but reason to live in a world that didn't need him. The second son of a well-off, but working-class family, his destiny did not speak of starry peaks or lofty titles.
But, he wanted it. He held a vision in his future of being stronger, of being wiser and more capable. The vision was almost a solid form he could touch, his aspirations of mastership, of having a beard like a proper scholar, of living with his whispers being heard by the right people. And he was on his way! Too young to be taken seriously by most, at the very least the now-king of Taengea had his ear. Him being far off in another land waging a senseless war... well that was just a big inconvenience, wasn't it? For the moment, Alastor had his position, a good start to a long career ahead of him and he made the most of it.
But, the doubts did not go away merely because he was making something of himself. Alastor of Vasiliadon was still a nothing, still a boy struggling to live in a world of men. Then, there were bewitching, mocking temptresses like the woman in front of him. Every moment he spent nearby her seemed akin to being face-to-face with a medusa. Tendrils coiled about his legs and his throat, holding him in place. This woman seemed intent on prying open his eyes so as to steal his soul and turn him to stone in front of her. So playful was her mockery.
Then, she beckoned him closer. Why? Why should Alastor pull himself nearer to her so she could speak in his ear? And yet... his position shuffled forward to let her have his ear. The tickle of her breath on his ear and along his jawline sent a shiver down his spine, and she used that copious influence to... demand he buy her a drink?
That seemed... off. Did women really go around asking men to buy them drinks off a couple of words? He'd seen men pull their coins out and buy women drinks if they were trying to have... sex with them. Was this woman a common whore, asking for a drink in the form of a euphemism? She seemed too well-dressed and too coy with her words for that... Alastor wasn't sure what to make of this woman, and when he let on that platitude about drinks making the day go by easier...
It only served to weaken his position as a whole. She clearly didn't believe him. She might've thought him younger than he was, justifying his place on his seat and trying to shoo her off. And part of him was. Her presence was unwarranted... all he was to her was some game, some sadistic diversion and yet... it wasn't in him to grow angry and lash out, to rebuke her and get on with his day.
"You don't seem like the type who needs me to buy them a drink either, but here we are," he muttered, shaking his head as he motioned towards the bartender to give a goblet filled with a similar wine that he was having. It wasn't that he minded so terribly. Alastor lived with his family, for now, and had secured a decent enough job in his short time back from Athenia. It didn't help that having someone around who's words of mockery were, at least, civil.
Alastor had no shortage of memories of incidents that weren't nearly as playful or simple as this one. He'd suffer her presence for as long as it took for him to get what he wanted (a fine buzz) and leave. Or, maybe... she could even serve a purpose. She was, after all, a girl. Maybe she'd help him figure out what he should get for Sara to try to bring them back together? Professed love was no match for the litany of misfortune to come to the younger girl, after all.
"Alastor. And there are woes that even a boy can have, miss..." he trailed off in a similar sort of mockery. Alastor would play her game and see where it took them. He took another sip of his drink, looking down at the counter-top before he looked to the woman once again. Inexorably, his gaze seemed drawn to her. She was very pretty and Alastor was getting more frustrated about it, even as he grew more comfortable with her unwarranted presence.
"I bet you can figure it out from there. You seem... intelligent."
The world was a difficult place to adjust to. There were people like Zenatos, content in his role in society and as such, much more suited to talking to people than his little brother was. Then, there were the people far above Alastor and his brother's stations, who lived in their ivory towers and treated the world as nothing more than dust beneath their feet. Alastor didn't chase fortune or fame, but wanted to assert his significance in a world that was hell-bent on crushing his spirits. Alastor wanted to, and had every capability, be useful. To be sought after. He didn't crave attention, but reason to live in a world that didn't need him. The second son of a well-off, but working-class family, his destiny did not speak of starry peaks or lofty titles.
But, he wanted it. He held a vision in his future of being stronger, of being wiser and more capable. The vision was almost a solid form he could touch, his aspirations of mastership, of having a beard like a proper scholar, of living with his whispers being heard by the right people. And he was on his way! Too young to be taken seriously by most, at the very least the now-king of Taengea had his ear. Him being far off in another land waging a senseless war... well that was just a big inconvenience, wasn't it? For the moment, Alastor had his position, a good start to a long career ahead of him and he made the most of it.
But, the doubts did not go away merely because he was making something of himself. Alastor of Vasiliadon was still a nothing, still a boy struggling to live in a world of men. Then, there were bewitching, mocking temptresses like the woman in front of him. Every moment he spent nearby her seemed akin to being face-to-face with a medusa. Tendrils coiled about his legs and his throat, holding him in place. This woman seemed intent on prying open his eyes so as to steal his soul and turn him to stone in front of her. So playful was her mockery.
Then, she beckoned him closer. Why? Why should Alastor pull himself nearer to her so she could speak in his ear? And yet... his position shuffled forward to let her have his ear. The tickle of her breath on his ear and along his jawline sent a shiver down his spine, and she used that copious influence to... demand he buy her a drink?
That seemed... off. Did women really go around asking men to buy them drinks off a couple of words? He'd seen men pull their coins out and buy women drinks if they were trying to have... sex with them. Was this woman a common whore, asking for a drink in the form of a euphemism? She seemed too well-dressed and too coy with her words for that... Alastor wasn't sure what to make of this woman, and when he let on that platitude about drinks making the day go by easier...
It only served to weaken his position as a whole. She clearly didn't believe him. She might've thought him younger than he was, justifying his place on his seat and trying to shoo her off. And part of him was. Her presence was unwarranted... all he was to her was some game, some sadistic diversion and yet... it wasn't in him to grow angry and lash out, to rebuke her and get on with his day.
"You don't seem like the type who needs me to buy them a drink either, but here we are," he muttered, shaking his head as he motioned towards the bartender to give a goblet filled with a similar wine that he was having. It wasn't that he minded so terribly. Alastor lived with his family, for now, and had secured a decent enough job in his short time back from Athenia. It didn't help that having someone around who's words of mockery were, at least, civil.
Alastor had no shortage of memories of incidents that weren't nearly as playful or simple as this one. He'd suffer her presence for as long as it took for him to get what he wanted (a fine buzz) and leave. Or, maybe... she could even serve a purpose. She was, after all, a girl. Maybe she'd help him figure out what he should get for Sara to try to bring them back together? Professed love was no match for the litany of misfortune to come to the younger girl, after all.
"Alastor. And there are woes that even a boy can have, miss..." he trailed off in a similar sort of mockery. Alastor would play her game and see where it took them. He took another sip of his drink, looking down at the counter-top before he looked to the woman once again. Inexorably, his gaze seemed drawn to her. She was very pretty and Alastor was getting more frustrated about it, even as he grew more comfortable with her unwarranted presence.
"I bet you can figure it out from there. You seem... intelligent."
Shrugging at his commentary, Arete was a bit ruffled by the fact that Alastor seemed to think that he was old enough to make judgments about who and who could not buy themselves a drink. In fact, it took everything within her to suppress an eye roll as his youthful bravado assumed that this was merely a matter who had more coin in their pocket. Clearly, this kid had much to learn about the world if he could not recognize what was the chief form of flirting in establishments like these. Any man or woman who had spent even just one long night in a tavern when the seats were all filled and the drunken chatter was so lively that you practically had to shout in order to be heard knew what Arete was up to. So, the mere fact that her newfound companion who she was badgering drinks out of did not know this custom spoke volumes about his youth and naivety.
Though, in a weird sort of way, Arete had to admit that she really couldn’t truly blame him for not knowing either. This was broad daylight and any respectable woman who cared about their self-worth would never dare be seen in this sort establishment at this hour. Given that Retta was on the cusp of becoming the Queen that Nikos had always promised her that she would be, the young woman supposed that she would soon have to start caring about the standard she set forth. After all, as much as Niky loved her, she knew that there were certain issues that came with making Arete his bride. Things were already precarious enough, it wouldn’t be wise for the Doralisian native to risk jeopardizing things any further lest that be the reason that tips Nikolias over the edge and he outwardly refuses the match. The girl was still fairly shocked that he had not done so yet, given how poor her bloodline was (both literally and figuratively) and that she had not provided any sort of proof that she could provide an heir. There was no rounded belly, no bloodstained sheets, and no empty cups of tea to explain how she and Nikos could be together for so long without running the risk of a bastard.
Not that Alastor cared. That wasn’t even Arete’s point, to begin with anyway. As the barkeep approached with the girl’s drink --finally paid for by the youth at her side-- she was forced to note how unique it was to see a woman demand refreshment like this. Normally the few women who did frequented these taverns at night played coy with the men entranced by the sight of them. Maybe they would give a slight smile here, a quick longing glance there, position themselves as they leaned against the bar just so… all small things that would certainly capture an eager man’s eye, but rarely would they ever go on the prowl as Arete had done. It just wasn’t a normal sight to see as there was always that terrifying undercurrent among women, reminding them what might happen if they broke the rules one too many times. Arete herself was not unfamiliar with it. She knew exactly what it felt like and how strong it could be -- just like every other woman out there. However, she now felt as if she had a reason to ignore it.
Nikos had chosen her. He had plucked her out of the muck and brought her to the capital in order to keep her safe from the threat of war. The girl was firmly under his protection and her lord may now know it, but that also extended to her social life as well. Although she was dressed in the finery of a noble lady, Arete was still very much that poor potter’s daughters and had no connections to the courts. Being caught being these two worlds; looking the part of the upper echelon, but having the social aptitudes of the lower one, Arete had a rare sort of anonymity that most people did not get to experience. She was ignored by practically everyone as nearly everyone recognized her as a member of the social class that they were not a part of, allowing her to slip through the city undetected and act in whatever way she wished as the gossip circuits could not connect her misdeeds to her without her name. It was the perfect scenario for this fun-loving girl and she took full advantage of it, knowing full well that this was a gift that she could not take for granted. After all, as soon as Nikos finally came to his senses and finally put a damn ring on her finger, she probably wouldn’t be so inclined to bar crawl anymore.
Slipping quietly at the drink that he had ordered for her, Arete chose to ignore his first comment, but she nearly choked on the wine in hand with his second phrase. There were woes that even a boy could have. Seriously? Arete had to hold in a bout of laughter as she tried to consider what on earth could have a boy as young as him so mopey and convinced that the only way to take care of his sorrows was to have a drink before noon. What? Did his tutor yell at him? Perhaps his parents took away his allowance? Had his little heart been broke by some girl who told him that their puppy love was real and true? Honestly, after spending the majority of her life nearly starving to death every other month, it seemed almost incredulous that Alastor would have any sort of woes. He was young and judging by his clothes, he had a bit of money. He should be out there enjoying life to the fullest, not stuck up in a bar all sad about things he would forget about in a year or two.
“Arete” She supplied when he asked for her name, but didn’t dwell on it for long as she was fully intent on prying it out of him, one way or the other. Before she even got the chance though, he made a comment about her being intelligent enough to figure out what his troubles were. This caused Arete to narrow her eyes at the boy, unsure at first if he meant his words as a compliment or an insult. Naturally, she assumed that it was the latter and she hoped for his sake that it was not the case. Arete might be friendly enough right now as she was intrigued, but that could quickly change if she felt as if she was being slighted by some kid. That wasn’t going to end well if he was.
However, she elected to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. After all, maybe he was just uncomfortable with the presence of a pretty girl paying attention to him. Arete couldn’t blame him in that regard. What she could do though was try to make Alastor more comfortable -- but, of course, this came with its own caveats as the girl really only knew one way of doing this. Naturally, this demanded that Arete brush her fingers over his thigh. Her touch as gentle at first, barely even there as she just merely tested the waters. The young woman’s eyes were transfixed on Alastor, waiting to see how he would react so she might be emboldened to let them linger a little longer next time. She was fairly certain that he would like it. After all, her Nikos seemed to.
In the brief moment she was figuring out how to up this flirtation game, just to see how far she could push the kid before he cracked, Arete offered him a guess as to what could be troubling him. “Lemme guess, your girlfriend broke your heart?” Her words had a teasing lilt to them, not really thinking that this was the answer, but she knew that he would likely find her earlier guesses to be offensive. Kids didn’t like to be told how young they were and how silly they were being. Her guess was the closest thing that they were likely to get to a so-called adult answer.
Little did Arete know that she was fairly close to the right answer as Alastor was here to prepare himself to find a gift for his girlfriend. This could very easily be a task that Arete could assist him with -- if he didn’t manage to completely piss her off before he could reveal that this was what was troubling him, of course…
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Sept 19, 2020 17:58:41 GMT
Posted In Just a Taste on Sept 19, 2020 17:58:41 GMT
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Shrugging at his commentary, Arete was a bit ruffled by the fact that Alastor seemed to think that he was old enough to make judgments about who and who could not buy themselves a drink. In fact, it took everything within her to suppress an eye roll as his youthful bravado assumed that this was merely a matter who had more coin in their pocket. Clearly, this kid had much to learn about the world if he could not recognize what was the chief form of flirting in establishments like these. Any man or woman who had spent even just one long night in a tavern when the seats were all filled and the drunken chatter was so lively that you practically had to shout in order to be heard knew what Arete was up to. So, the mere fact that her newfound companion who she was badgering drinks out of did not know this custom spoke volumes about his youth and naivety.
Though, in a weird sort of way, Arete had to admit that she really couldn’t truly blame him for not knowing either. This was broad daylight and any respectable woman who cared about their self-worth would never dare be seen in this sort establishment at this hour. Given that Retta was on the cusp of becoming the Queen that Nikos had always promised her that she would be, the young woman supposed that she would soon have to start caring about the standard she set forth. After all, as much as Niky loved her, she knew that there were certain issues that came with making Arete his bride. Things were already precarious enough, it wouldn’t be wise for the Doralisian native to risk jeopardizing things any further lest that be the reason that tips Nikolias over the edge and he outwardly refuses the match. The girl was still fairly shocked that he had not done so yet, given how poor her bloodline was (both literally and figuratively) and that she had not provided any sort of proof that she could provide an heir. There was no rounded belly, no bloodstained sheets, and no empty cups of tea to explain how she and Nikos could be together for so long without running the risk of a bastard.
Not that Alastor cared. That wasn’t even Arete’s point, to begin with anyway. As the barkeep approached with the girl’s drink --finally paid for by the youth at her side-- she was forced to note how unique it was to see a woman demand refreshment like this. Normally the few women who did frequented these taverns at night played coy with the men entranced by the sight of them. Maybe they would give a slight smile here, a quick longing glance there, position themselves as they leaned against the bar just so… all small things that would certainly capture an eager man’s eye, but rarely would they ever go on the prowl as Arete had done. It just wasn’t a normal sight to see as there was always that terrifying undercurrent among women, reminding them what might happen if they broke the rules one too many times. Arete herself was not unfamiliar with it. She knew exactly what it felt like and how strong it could be -- just like every other woman out there. However, she now felt as if she had a reason to ignore it.
Nikos had chosen her. He had plucked her out of the muck and brought her to the capital in order to keep her safe from the threat of war. The girl was firmly under his protection and her lord may now know it, but that also extended to her social life as well. Although she was dressed in the finery of a noble lady, Arete was still very much that poor potter’s daughters and had no connections to the courts. Being caught being these two worlds; looking the part of the upper echelon, but having the social aptitudes of the lower one, Arete had a rare sort of anonymity that most people did not get to experience. She was ignored by practically everyone as nearly everyone recognized her as a member of the social class that they were not a part of, allowing her to slip through the city undetected and act in whatever way she wished as the gossip circuits could not connect her misdeeds to her without her name. It was the perfect scenario for this fun-loving girl and she took full advantage of it, knowing full well that this was a gift that she could not take for granted. After all, as soon as Nikos finally came to his senses and finally put a damn ring on her finger, she probably wouldn’t be so inclined to bar crawl anymore.
Slipping quietly at the drink that he had ordered for her, Arete chose to ignore his first comment, but she nearly choked on the wine in hand with his second phrase. There were woes that even a boy could have. Seriously? Arete had to hold in a bout of laughter as she tried to consider what on earth could have a boy as young as him so mopey and convinced that the only way to take care of his sorrows was to have a drink before noon. What? Did his tutor yell at him? Perhaps his parents took away his allowance? Had his little heart been broke by some girl who told him that their puppy love was real and true? Honestly, after spending the majority of her life nearly starving to death every other month, it seemed almost incredulous that Alastor would have any sort of woes. He was young and judging by his clothes, he had a bit of money. He should be out there enjoying life to the fullest, not stuck up in a bar all sad about things he would forget about in a year or two.
“Arete” She supplied when he asked for her name, but didn’t dwell on it for long as she was fully intent on prying it out of him, one way or the other. Before she even got the chance though, he made a comment about her being intelligent enough to figure out what his troubles were. This caused Arete to narrow her eyes at the boy, unsure at first if he meant his words as a compliment or an insult. Naturally, she assumed that it was the latter and she hoped for his sake that it was not the case. Arete might be friendly enough right now as she was intrigued, but that could quickly change if she felt as if she was being slighted by some kid. That wasn’t going to end well if he was.
However, she elected to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. After all, maybe he was just uncomfortable with the presence of a pretty girl paying attention to him. Arete couldn’t blame him in that regard. What she could do though was try to make Alastor more comfortable -- but, of course, this came with its own caveats as the girl really only knew one way of doing this. Naturally, this demanded that Arete brush her fingers over his thigh. Her touch as gentle at first, barely even there as she just merely tested the waters. The young woman’s eyes were transfixed on Alastor, waiting to see how he would react so she might be emboldened to let them linger a little longer next time. She was fairly certain that he would like it. After all, her Nikos seemed to.
In the brief moment she was figuring out how to up this flirtation game, just to see how far she could push the kid before he cracked, Arete offered him a guess as to what could be troubling him. “Lemme guess, your girlfriend broke your heart?” Her words had a teasing lilt to them, not really thinking that this was the answer, but she knew that he would likely find her earlier guesses to be offensive. Kids didn’t like to be told how young they were and how silly they were being. Her guess was the closest thing that they were likely to get to a so-called adult answer.
Little did Arete know that she was fairly close to the right answer as Alastor was here to prepare himself to find a gift for his girlfriend. This could very easily be a task that Arete could assist him with -- if he didn’t manage to completely piss her off before he could reveal that this was what was troubling him, of course…
Shrugging at his commentary, Arete was a bit ruffled by the fact that Alastor seemed to think that he was old enough to make judgments about who and who could not buy themselves a drink. In fact, it took everything within her to suppress an eye roll as his youthful bravado assumed that this was merely a matter who had more coin in their pocket. Clearly, this kid had much to learn about the world if he could not recognize what was the chief form of flirting in establishments like these. Any man or woman who had spent even just one long night in a tavern when the seats were all filled and the drunken chatter was so lively that you practically had to shout in order to be heard knew what Arete was up to. So, the mere fact that her newfound companion who she was badgering drinks out of did not know this custom spoke volumes about his youth and naivety.
Though, in a weird sort of way, Arete had to admit that she really couldn’t truly blame him for not knowing either. This was broad daylight and any respectable woman who cared about their self-worth would never dare be seen in this sort establishment at this hour. Given that Retta was on the cusp of becoming the Queen that Nikos had always promised her that she would be, the young woman supposed that she would soon have to start caring about the standard she set forth. After all, as much as Niky loved her, she knew that there were certain issues that came with making Arete his bride. Things were already precarious enough, it wouldn’t be wise for the Doralisian native to risk jeopardizing things any further lest that be the reason that tips Nikolias over the edge and he outwardly refuses the match. The girl was still fairly shocked that he had not done so yet, given how poor her bloodline was (both literally and figuratively) and that she had not provided any sort of proof that she could provide an heir. There was no rounded belly, no bloodstained sheets, and no empty cups of tea to explain how she and Nikos could be together for so long without running the risk of a bastard.
Not that Alastor cared. That wasn’t even Arete’s point, to begin with anyway. As the barkeep approached with the girl’s drink --finally paid for by the youth at her side-- she was forced to note how unique it was to see a woman demand refreshment like this. Normally the few women who did frequented these taverns at night played coy with the men entranced by the sight of them. Maybe they would give a slight smile here, a quick longing glance there, position themselves as they leaned against the bar just so… all small things that would certainly capture an eager man’s eye, but rarely would they ever go on the prowl as Arete had done. It just wasn’t a normal sight to see as there was always that terrifying undercurrent among women, reminding them what might happen if they broke the rules one too many times. Arete herself was not unfamiliar with it. She knew exactly what it felt like and how strong it could be -- just like every other woman out there. However, she now felt as if she had a reason to ignore it.
Nikos had chosen her. He had plucked her out of the muck and brought her to the capital in order to keep her safe from the threat of war. The girl was firmly under his protection and her lord may now know it, but that also extended to her social life as well. Although she was dressed in the finery of a noble lady, Arete was still very much that poor potter’s daughters and had no connections to the courts. Being caught being these two worlds; looking the part of the upper echelon, but having the social aptitudes of the lower one, Arete had a rare sort of anonymity that most people did not get to experience. She was ignored by practically everyone as nearly everyone recognized her as a member of the social class that they were not a part of, allowing her to slip through the city undetected and act in whatever way she wished as the gossip circuits could not connect her misdeeds to her without her name. It was the perfect scenario for this fun-loving girl and she took full advantage of it, knowing full well that this was a gift that she could not take for granted. After all, as soon as Nikos finally came to his senses and finally put a damn ring on her finger, she probably wouldn’t be so inclined to bar crawl anymore.
Slipping quietly at the drink that he had ordered for her, Arete chose to ignore his first comment, but she nearly choked on the wine in hand with his second phrase. There were woes that even a boy could have. Seriously? Arete had to hold in a bout of laughter as she tried to consider what on earth could have a boy as young as him so mopey and convinced that the only way to take care of his sorrows was to have a drink before noon. What? Did his tutor yell at him? Perhaps his parents took away his allowance? Had his little heart been broke by some girl who told him that their puppy love was real and true? Honestly, after spending the majority of her life nearly starving to death every other month, it seemed almost incredulous that Alastor would have any sort of woes. He was young and judging by his clothes, he had a bit of money. He should be out there enjoying life to the fullest, not stuck up in a bar all sad about things he would forget about in a year or two.
“Arete” She supplied when he asked for her name, but didn’t dwell on it for long as she was fully intent on prying it out of him, one way or the other. Before she even got the chance though, he made a comment about her being intelligent enough to figure out what his troubles were. This caused Arete to narrow her eyes at the boy, unsure at first if he meant his words as a compliment or an insult. Naturally, she assumed that it was the latter and she hoped for his sake that it was not the case. Arete might be friendly enough right now as she was intrigued, but that could quickly change if she felt as if she was being slighted by some kid. That wasn’t going to end well if he was.
However, she elected to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. After all, maybe he was just uncomfortable with the presence of a pretty girl paying attention to him. Arete couldn’t blame him in that regard. What she could do though was try to make Alastor more comfortable -- but, of course, this came with its own caveats as the girl really only knew one way of doing this. Naturally, this demanded that Arete brush her fingers over his thigh. Her touch as gentle at first, barely even there as she just merely tested the waters. The young woman’s eyes were transfixed on Alastor, waiting to see how he would react so she might be emboldened to let them linger a little longer next time. She was fairly certain that he would like it. After all, her Nikos seemed to.
In the brief moment she was figuring out how to up this flirtation game, just to see how far she could push the kid before he cracked, Arete offered him a guess as to what could be troubling him. “Lemme guess, your girlfriend broke your heart?” Her words had a teasing lilt to them, not really thinking that this was the answer, but she knew that he would likely find her earlier guesses to be offensive. Kids didn’t like to be told how young they were and how silly they were being. Her guess was the closest thing that they were likely to get to a so-called adult answer.
Little did Arete know that she was fairly close to the right answer as Alastor was here to prepare himself to find a gift for his girlfriend. This could very easily be a task that Arete could assist him with -- if he didn’t manage to completely piss her off before he could reveal that this was what was troubling him, of course…
Alastor didn't care who this woman was. He tried to be polite, but her continuous meandering about in his business, her obvious game with his emotions and the way that a deeper part of him didn't want her to go away was... infuriating. She was a beautiful creature, the sort that knew exactly what they were doing and how best to play along with that knowledge. She was a snake, the sort to toy with people for the enjoyment of it.
Alastor had met some of their kind in Athenia, but he'd had an excuse, always. To go study, his scribing duties. But, nowadays his work was more structured, his personal schedule worked around it and he happened, right now, to be particularly disoccupied. Sara was farther and farther away, always, and his means of trying to reach her, both discrete and less so, were ending with nothing. She'd been hit hard, the death of the former king and the ascension of her brother to the throne...
Then, there was a war being fought and the city preparing defenses. The king was absent and there were all sorts of barriers keeping them apart. There was the need to keep feelings between them a secret... All in all, Alastor's return and subsequent admission to Sara served the net purpose of heartache. The wine on his tongue and in his goblet served to try to fog his overly active brain, to get himself to stop reflecting on it and either doing something stupid and irrational or getting too bogged down on it and it reverberating into the other areas of his life.
Sara's not going anywhere... he wanted to convince himself. But, what if someone else fancied her? What if she found someone better? He carried the thought with him even as Arete introduced herself. Half-listened to and let in through one ear and right out the other, it wasn't until she played her cruel little guessing game that he considered her again.
It hit on a mark that he didn't expect. Was Sara his 'girlfriend'? What did that even really mean? Did she break his heart? He was upset, but surely, the circumstances weren't Sara's fault? There were outlying factors! They weren't meeting like they should because the world around them had changed so much, right? This snake, Arete, was lodging doubts within Alastor and he wouldn't let her play these evil mind games with him.
"Shut up. Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about," he said, his eyes narrowing, fingers pressing into the bronze goblet in his hand. He lifted it to his lips, intent on draining it away as he motioned for another. He wanted more, to let these bubbling feelings drown in a deluge of wine. But, could he drink it fast enough? Could he get this creature to leave him alone.
"Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to you?"
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Oct 25, 2020 19:31:41 GMT
Posted In Just a Taste on Oct 25, 2020 19:31:41 GMT
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Alastor didn't care who this woman was. He tried to be polite, but her continuous meandering about in his business, her obvious game with his emotions and the way that a deeper part of him didn't want her to go away was... infuriating. She was a beautiful creature, the sort that knew exactly what they were doing and how best to play along with that knowledge. She was a snake, the sort to toy with people for the enjoyment of it.
Alastor had met some of their kind in Athenia, but he'd had an excuse, always. To go study, his scribing duties. But, nowadays his work was more structured, his personal schedule worked around it and he happened, right now, to be particularly disoccupied. Sara was farther and farther away, always, and his means of trying to reach her, both discrete and less so, were ending with nothing. She'd been hit hard, the death of the former king and the ascension of her brother to the throne...
Then, there was a war being fought and the city preparing defenses. The king was absent and there were all sorts of barriers keeping them apart. There was the need to keep feelings between them a secret... All in all, Alastor's return and subsequent admission to Sara served the net purpose of heartache. The wine on his tongue and in his goblet served to try to fog his overly active brain, to get himself to stop reflecting on it and either doing something stupid and irrational or getting too bogged down on it and it reverberating into the other areas of his life.
Sara's not going anywhere... he wanted to convince himself. But, what if someone else fancied her? What if she found someone better? He carried the thought with him even as Arete introduced herself. Half-listened to and let in through one ear and right out the other, it wasn't until she played her cruel little guessing game that he considered her again.
It hit on a mark that he didn't expect. Was Sara his 'girlfriend'? What did that even really mean? Did she break his heart? He was upset, but surely, the circumstances weren't Sara's fault? There were outlying factors! They weren't meeting like they should because the world around them had changed so much, right? This snake, Arete, was lodging doubts within Alastor and he wouldn't let her play these evil mind games with him.
"Shut up. Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about," he said, his eyes narrowing, fingers pressing into the bronze goblet in his hand. He lifted it to his lips, intent on draining it away as he motioned for another. He wanted more, to let these bubbling feelings drown in a deluge of wine. But, could he drink it fast enough? Could he get this creature to leave him alone.
"Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to you?"
Alastor didn't care who this woman was. He tried to be polite, but her continuous meandering about in his business, her obvious game with his emotions and the way that a deeper part of him didn't want her to go away was... infuriating. She was a beautiful creature, the sort that knew exactly what they were doing and how best to play along with that knowledge. She was a snake, the sort to toy with people for the enjoyment of it.
Alastor had met some of their kind in Athenia, but he'd had an excuse, always. To go study, his scribing duties. But, nowadays his work was more structured, his personal schedule worked around it and he happened, right now, to be particularly disoccupied. Sara was farther and farther away, always, and his means of trying to reach her, both discrete and less so, were ending with nothing. She'd been hit hard, the death of the former king and the ascension of her brother to the throne...
Then, there was a war being fought and the city preparing defenses. The king was absent and there were all sorts of barriers keeping them apart. There was the need to keep feelings between them a secret... All in all, Alastor's return and subsequent admission to Sara served the net purpose of heartache. The wine on his tongue and in his goblet served to try to fog his overly active brain, to get himself to stop reflecting on it and either doing something stupid and irrational or getting too bogged down on it and it reverberating into the other areas of his life.
Sara's not going anywhere... he wanted to convince himself. But, what if someone else fancied her? What if she found someone better? He carried the thought with him even as Arete introduced herself. Half-listened to and let in through one ear and right out the other, it wasn't until she played her cruel little guessing game that he considered her again.
It hit on a mark that he didn't expect. Was Sara his 'girlfriend'? What did that even really mean? Did she break his heart? He was upset, but surely, the circumstances weren't Sara's fault? There were outlying factors! They weren't meeting like they should because the world around them had changed so much, right? This snake, Arete, was lodging doubts within Alastor and he wouldn't let her play these evil mind games with him.
"Shut up. Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about," he said, his eyes narrowing, fingers pressing into the bronze goblet in his hand. He lifted it to his lips, intent on draining it away as he motioned for another. He wanted more, to let these bubbling feelings drown in a deluge of wine. But, could he drink it fast enough? Could he get this creature to leave him alone.
"Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to you?"
When Arete had posed the possibility Alastor had his heart broken by some girl, the older woman had thought that he might respond with some sort of crimson blush or disgusted sneer. What she had not expected what his little outburst that caused her own face to turn into one of displeasure. No one ever talked to her like that. Not now that she was living in the Condos manor and had escaped the confines of Doralis. Who did this Alastor think he was to speak to her like that?
However, she shouldn’t have been so surprised that the kid reacted so poorly to this sort of inquiry of hers. In truth, Arete knew nothing about this kid’s love life. Nor did she really care all that much about the trials and tribulations of his heart. She was just merely continuing her prying into the reason as to why a kid that looked as young as he did was currently drinking his supposed woes away in a tavern during the afternoon. This was behavior Arete would expect from a man that was twice her age plus a few years. Not from some boy who didn’t even look old enough to grow a few hairs on his upper lip. However, if this outburst was anything to go by… it seemed to be that the glorified flute girl seemed to hit right on the mark of what was bothering Alastor. A teasing comment she had thoughtlessly made seemed to be exactly what had brought this strange young man here in the first place.
Knowing this now to be the truth, Arete wasn’t sure if she could be compassionate or if she should laugh at poor Alastor’s plight. Being a hopeless romantic herself, a part of her heart sympathized with the kid. She might be happy in a relationship at the moment, but she still knew all too well what it felt like to be heartbroken by someone you had once thought was the one. After all, Arete had a pretty face and she was far from a pure virgin when she had made her way into Nikos’s bed. The other beds she had been tempted into had come with honeyed words from young boys who couldn’t distinguish between love and lust -- Which in many ways was a lesson that Arete had yet to learn for herself when it came to her relations with the Condos lord. There had been plenty of times when the real nature of love had come to haunt her and leave her upset, sobbing about some boy who no longer mattered to her. A part of her wanted to give this sort of advice to Alastor and let him know that even though whatever was plaguing him would soon pass and there would come a point where she would never even cross his mind.
As touching as this might have been, it was held back on account of the other conflicting feeling that Arete had about this whole subject; sheer apathy to whatever had caused him heartbreak. Having been on the receiving end of rejection plenty of times herself, there was a part of Arete that wanted to scoff at his volatile emotions on the sole account of what did Alastor really know of love? He was a kid. A kid that was too young to spend his days in taverns without getting odd looks from the other patrons who had more experience in this complicated subject than he did. This was likely to be his first heartbreak, the first taste of what it felt like to give your heart away and not having it being treated as preciously as he cared for it. Unless he came from a wealthier family that were keen to arrange marriages at a young age, this was unlikely to be the last one if the kid’s pretty face was anything to go by. These things might hurt now, but if Arete’s assumptions were right, he would soon enough have other heartbreaks that will hurt even more than this. He might even look back at his own temper tantrum in later years and cringe at how much weight he put into one girl. Arete knew that she most certainly did, at least.
Caught between these two warring philosophies Arete ultimately decided to do neither and instead merely glare at the boy as he continued his little fit. Especially after his questions about what she was doing to him. As far as Arete was concerned, she was doing nothing to him -- which was something she was sure to immediately comment on to him in her next statement. “All I’m doing is talking to you. Is that suddenly a crime now?” Her tone was pointed as she spoke, almost challenging the young man to continue with this little temper tantrum of his. Honestly, Arete was not all that surprised that some girl broke his heart if this was how he reacted to some light flirting. He would easily be a bore for anyone who didn’t dream of being some chaste priestess of Athena or Artemis. After all, most girls were romantics at heart and wanted some sort of affection whether it be verbal or physical. If he reacted so poorly to Arete, may the gods have mercy on any girl that he might actually have an interest in!
Electing to ignore his little fit, Arete decided to ignore the warning signs that maybe she shouldn’t push this kid further than she already had by deciding to ask questions about whoever was behind this outburst of his. “Well, now that we’ve gotten to the root of your day drinking, you know there are wiser ways of mending that hurt than trying to find solace in the bottom of the bottle--” She started to say, her tone rather strained as she was fairly offended at the fact that he had told her of all things to ‘shut up’. That was uncalled for as far as Arete was concerned. “-- No matter how hard you look it’s not gonna be there.” In an odd sort of way, Arete was kind of surprised that she was offering this sort of advice instead of just merely walking away. Had anyone else dared to tell her to shut her mouth would have likely been graced with the image of seeing Arete’s long wavy curls as she flounced away, off to tell Nikos about whatever jerkwad had offended her so that her lover might deal with it instead of her. However, there was something that kept Arete in that seat next to him, no matter how much he tried to push her away and how much she was annoyed with him as well. Alastor was just that intriguing, she supposed. After all, messing around with some heartbroken kid was far more interesting than anything else she could have done just wandering around the market like Nikos thought she was doing.
“You know, talking about it actually helps more than you would think...” She quietly mused, not so subtly telling the kid to spill his guts in the name of making the heartache fade a bit quicker. Did talking it out actually help? Arete had her doubts, but she wasn’t going to voice that to the kid who seemed more akin to a scared puppy dog than an actual man. After all, the poor kid was practically shaking like a leaf and making wild accusations against some girl who was just talking with him, and maybe brushed her hand over his leg. His reaction was completely uncalled for in every sense of the word and Arete could tell that it stemmed from some sort of fear. That was highly amusing to her though -- the mere thought that she was even remotely scary. This kid had to be kidding himself, right? She was a mistress of a high ranking lord. An infertile one at that without an ounce of power to her name, but still held lofty dreams of being Queen of all Taengea. Not even the flies would be scared of her. Yet for some reason, this kid was. That was intriguing to Arete and she wanted to know why this was.
But that would require the kid opening up about what was bothering him first, wouldn’t it?
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Oct 30, 2020 3:46:20 GMT
Posted In Just a Taste on Oct 30, 2020 3:46:20 GMT
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When Arete had posed the possibility Alastor had his heart broken by some girl, the older woman had thought that he might respond with some sort of crimson blush or disgusted sneer. What she had not expected what his little outburst that caused her own face to turn into one of displeasure. No one ever talked to her like that. Not now that she was living in the Condos manor and had escaped the confines of Doralis. Who did this Alastor think he was to speak to her like that?
However, she shouldn’t have been so surprised that the kid reacted so poorly to this sort of inquiry of hers. In truth, Arete knew nothing about this kid’s love life. Nor did she really care all that much about the trials and tribulations of his heart. She was just merely continuing her prying into the reason as to why a kid that looked as young as he did was currently drinking his supposed woes away in a tavern during the afternoon. This was behavior Arete would expect from a man that was twice her age plus a few years. Not from some boy who didn’t even look old enough to grow a few hairs on his upper lip. However, if this outburst was anything to go by… it seemed to be that the glorified flute girl seemed to hit right on the mark of what was bothering Alastor. A teasing comment she had thoughtlessly made seemed to be exactly what had brought this strange young man here in the first place.
Knowing this now to be the truth, Arete wasn’t sure if she could be compassionate or if she should laugh at poor Alastor’s plight. Being a hopeless romantic herself, a part of her heart sympathized with the kid. She might be happy in a relationship at the moment, but she still knew all too well what it felt like to be heartbroken by someone you had once thought was the one. After all, Arete had a pretty face and she was far from a pure virgin when she had made her way into Nikos’s bed. The other beds she had been tempted into had come with honeyed words from young boys who couldn’t distinguish between love and lust -- Which in many ways was a lesson that Arete had yet to learn for herself when it came to her relations with the Condos lord. There had been plenty of times when the real nature of love had come to haunt her and leave her upset, sobbing about some boy who no longer mattered to her. A part of her wanted to give this sort of advice to Alastor and let him know that even though whatever was plaguing him would soon pass and there would come a point where she would never even cross his mind.
As touching as this might have been, it was held back on account of the other conflicting feeling that Arete had about this whole subject; sheer apathy to whatever had caused him heartbreak. Having been on the receiving end of rejection plenty of times herself, there was a part of Arete that wanted to scoff at his volatile emotions on the sole account of what did Alastor really know of love? He was a kid. A kid that was too young to spend his days in taverns without getting odd looks from the other patrons who had more experience in this complicated subject than he did. This was likely to be his first heartbreak, the first taste of what it felt like to give your heart away and not having it being treated as preciously as he cared for it. Unless he came from a wealthier family that were keen to arrange marriages at a young age, this was unlikely to be the last one if the kid’s pretty face was anything to go by. These things might hurt now, but if Arete’s assumptions were right, he would soon enough have other heartbreaks that will hurt even more than this. He might even look back at his own temper tantrum in later years and cringe at how much weight he put into one girl. Arete knew that she most certainly did, at least.
Caught between these two warring philosophies Arete ultimately decided to do neither and instead merely glare at the boy as he continued his little fit. Especially after his questions about what she was doing to him. As far as Arete was concerned, she was doing nothing to him -- which was something she was sure to immediately comment on to him in her next statement. “All I’m doing is talking to you. Is that suddenly a crime now?” Her tone was pointed as she spoke, almost challenging the young man to continue with this little temper tantrum of his. Honestly, Arete was not all that surprised that some girl broke his heart if this was how he reacted to some light flirting. He would easily be a bore for anyone who didn’t dream of being some chaste priestess of Athena or Artemis. After all, most girls were romantics at heart and wanted some sort of affection whether it be verbal or physical. If he reacted so poorly to Arete, may the gods have mercy on any girl that he might actually have an interest in!
Electing to ignore his little fit, Arete decided to ignore the warning signs that maybe she shouldn’t push this kid further than she already had by deciding to ask questions about whoever was behind this outburst of his. “Well, now that we’ve gotten to the root of your day drinking, you know there are wiser ways of mending that hurt than trying to find solace in the bottom of the bottle--” She started to say, her tone rather strained as she was fairly offended at the fact that he had told her of all things to ‘shut up’. That was uncalled for as far as Arete was concerned. “-- No matter how hard you look it’s not gonna be there.” In an odd sort of way, Arete was kind of surprised that she was offering this sort of advice instead of just merely walking away. Had anyone else dared to tell her to shut her mouth would have likely been graced with the image of seeing Arete’s long wavy curls as she flounced away, off to tell Nikos about whatever jerkwad had offended her so that her lover might deal with it instead of her. However, there was something that kept Arete in that seat next to him, no matter how much he tried to push her away and how much she was annoyed with him as well. Alastor was just that intriguing, she supposed. After all, messing around with some heartbroken kid was far more interesting than anything else she could have done just wandering around the market like Nikos thought she was doing.
“You know, talking about it actually helps more than you would think...” She quietly mused, not so subtly telling the kid to spill his guts in the name of making the heartache fade a bit quicker. Did talking it out actually help? Arete had her doubts, but she wasn’t going to voice that to the kid who seemed more akin to a scared puppy dog than an actual man. After all, the poor kid was practically shaking like a leaf and making wild accusations against some girl who was just talking with him, and maybe brushed her hand over his leg. His reaction was completely uncalled for in every sense of the word and Arete could tell that it stemmed from some sort of fear. That was highly amusing to her though -- the mere thought that she was even remotely scary. This kid had to be kidding himself, right? She was a mistress of a high ranking lord. An infertile one at that without an ounce of power to her name, but still held lofty dreams of being Queen of all Taengea. Not even the flies would be scared of her. Yet for some reason, this kid was. That was intriguing to Arete and she wanted to know why this was.
But that would require the kid opening up about what was bothering him first, wouldn’t it?
When Arete had posed the possibility Alastor had his heart broken by some girl, the older woman had thought that he might respond with some sort of crimson blush or disgusted sneer. What she had not expected what his little outburst that caused her own face to turn into one of displeasure. No one ever talked to her like that. Not now that she was living in the Condos manor and had escaped the confines of Doralis. Who did this Alastor think he was to speak to her like that?
However, she shouldn’t have been so surprised that the kid reacted so poorly to this sort of inquiry of hers. In truth, Arete knew nothing about this kid’s love life. Nor did she really care all that much about the trials and tribulations of his heart. She was just merely continuing her prying into the reason as to why a kid that looked as young as he did was currently drinking his supposed woes away in a tavern during the afternoon. This was behavior Arete would expect from a man that was twice her age plus a few years. Not from some boy who didn’t even look old enough to grow a few hairs on his upper lip. However, if this outburst was anything to go by… it seemed to be that the glorified flute girl seemed to hit right on the mark of what was bothering Alastor. A teasing comment she had thoughtlessly made seemed to be exactly what had brought this strange young man here in the first place.
Knowing this now to be the truth, Arete wasn’t sure if she could be compassionate or if she should laugh at poor Alastor’s plight. Being a hopeless romantic herself, a part of her heart sympathized with the kid. She might be happy in a relationship at the moment, but she still knew all too well what it felt like to be heartbroken by someone you had once thought was the one. After all, Arete had a pretty face and she was far from a pure virgin when she had made her way into Nikos’s bed. The other beds she had been tempted into had come with honeyed words from young boys who couldn’t distinguish between love and lust -- Which in many ways was a lesson that Arete had yet to learn for herself when it came to her relations with the Condos lord. There had been plenty of times when the real nature of love had come to haunt her and leave her upset, sobbing about some boy who no longer mattered to her. A part of her wanted to give this sort of advice to Alastor and let him know that even though whatever was plaguing him would soon pass and there would come a point where she would never even cross his mind.
As touching as this might have been, it was held back on account of the other conflicting feeling that Arete had about this whole subject; sheer apathy to whatever had caused him heartbreak. Having been on the receiving end of rejection plenty of times herself, there was a part of Arete that wanted to scoff at his volatile emotions on the sole account of what did Alastor really know of love? He was a kid. A kid that was too young to spend his days in taverns without getting odd looks from the other patrons who had more experience in this complicated subject than he did. This was likely to be his first heartbreak, the first taste of what it felt like to give your heart away and not having it being treated as preciously as he cared for it. Unless he came from a wealthier family that were keen to arrange marriages at a young age, this was unlikely to be the last one if the kid’s pretty face was anything to go by. These things might hurt now, but if Arete’s assumptions were right, he would soon enough have other heartbreaks that will hurt even more than this. He might even look back at his own temper tantrum in later years and cringe at how much weight he put into one girl. Arete knew that she most certainly did, at least.
Caught between these two warring philosophies Arete ultimately decided to do neither and instead merely glare at the boy as he continued his little fit. Especially after his questions about what she was doing to him. As far as Arete was concerned, she was doing nothing to him -- which was something she was sure to immediately comment on to him in her next statement. “All I’m doing is talking to you. Is that suddenly a crime now?” Her tone was pointed as she spoke, almost challenging the young man to continue with this little temper tantrum of his. Honestly, Arete was not all that surprised that some girl broke his heart if this was how he reacted to some light flirting. He would easily be a bore for anyone who didn’t dream of being some chaste priestess of Athena or Artemis. After all, most girls were romantics at heart and wanted some sort of affection whether it be verbal or physical. If he reacted so poorly to Arete, may the gods have mercy on any girl that he might actually have an interest in!
Electing to ignore his little fit, Arete decided to ignore the warning signs that maybe she shouldn’t push this kid further than she already had by deciding to ask questions about whoever was behind this outburst of his. “Well, now that we’ve gotten to the root of your day drinking, you know there are wiser ways of mending that hurt than trying to find solace in the bottom of the bottle--” She started to say, her tone rather strained as she was fairly offended at the fact that he had told her of all things to ‘shut up’. That was uncalled for as far as Arete was concerned. “-- No matter how hard you look it’s not gonna be there.” In an odd sort of way, Arete was kind of surprised that she was offering this sort of advice instead of just merely walking away. Had anyone else dared to tell her to shut her mouth would have likely been graced with the image of seeing Arete’s long wavy curls as she flounced away, off to tell Nikos about whatever jerkwad had offended her so that her lover might deal with it instead of her. However, there was something that kept Arete in that seat next to him, no matter how much he tried to push her away and how much she was annoyed with him as well. Alastor was just that intriguing, she supposed. After all, messing around with some heartbroken kid was far more interesting than anything else she could have done just wandering around the market like Nikos thought she was doing.
“You know, talking about it actually helps more than you would think...” She quietly mused, not so subtly telling the kid to spill his guts in the name of making the heartache fade a bit quicker. Did talking it out actually help? Arete had her doubts, but she wasn’t going to voice that to the kid who seemed more akin to a scared puppy dog than an actual man. After all, the poor kid was practically shaking like a leaf and making wild accusations against some girl who was just talking with him, and maybe brushed her hand over his leg. His reaction was completely uncalled for in every sense of the word and Arete could tell that it stemmed from some sort of fear. That was highly amusing to her though -- the mere thought that she was even remotely scary. This kid had to be kidding himself, right? She was a mistress of a high ranking lord. An infertile one at that without an ounce of power to her name, but still held lofty dreams of being Queen of all Taengea. Not even the flies would be scared of her. Yet for some reason, this kid was. That was intriguing to Arete and she wanted to know why this was.
But that would require the kid opening up about what was bothering him first, wouldn’t it?
Alastor spent his formative years buried in books, the trials and tribulations of the heart left by the wayside in favour of the obstacles of academia often only afforded to the nobility or the fabulousdly wealthy. While Alastor was neither of these things, he was a special case. Well aware of the maturity of his faculties, he was better served in the realm of academia than anywhere else. He might've even preferred Athenia and have stayed there... if it weren't for the very girl that caused his stomach to flip and flop in his gut... If it weren't for the vile cretin dredging up those feelings by calling her assumptions out for the world to hear.
It was embarrassing, to be called out like this. She poked at sore wounds, and more than that, she did it with a haughtiness that was presumptuous, as if she held all of these answers and he was so very lucky to be at the receiving end of these questions. She sidled up to him, intent on grabbing a free drink and jabbing at his senses, poking fire into his eyes that threatened to sting with tears. He hated feeling this way. Where just weeks before, he'd held his affections at a distance, promising Sara his safe return but little more... now that these emotions stirred in the air between them... known.
It caused only lament.
The tumultuous rise and fall of Sara's father, the subsequent rise to power of her brother, and then the subsequent regency of the younger by the flames of war brewing between two nations... there was no time for the trivialties of love. For it to be brought up so callously, by sneering lips and a clueless slut...
It was enough to stoke the already irritated wounds into festering. The tantrum, whiel regrettable, was weeks in the making, and this sheetdweller was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Raw and unaccustomed to these heartbreaks, irritability was only a short sends away. If this was what love did to someone... perhaps Alastor was better served avoiding it. And yet...
She was always on his mind.
While beating his way through documents in Chrysto's office, or attempting to discretely tail a subject at the man's behest. Alastor always worked better with multiple lines of thought at the forefront, but this... it was a greedy thing, how the image of Sara, her words... how they snared his attention. He remembered the taste of her lips on his own, and the feverish intent for more that there just never seemed to have the opportunity to grow into something else.
"All I'm doing it talking to you. Is that suddenly a crime?"
She had the audacity to sound mad at him, even though she was very conscious of what she was doing. It was as if she were a banshee, twisting words into piercing shouts that sought to suck his soul away. But, was there a soul left to drain? He felt the hollow anger... at himself, at Sara... at circumstance. He let himself languish in it, intent on drinking it away like his father or his brother did. Both of them adopted the stoic sensibilities of a blacksmith, as rigid and unyielding as the iron they beat into submission. But, Alastor?
I was always cut from a weaker cloth.
Sensitive. Vulnerable. Frail. Naive.
They could call him what they liked, but it always amounted to the same. Less loved than Zenatos, less coddled than Avgi, but given his own opportunities, if not directly ejected straight towards them by force. Alastor often wondered if even his family abandoned him for his weakness, letting him be raised in a foreign land to delve into waxing philosophical with the other sappy nerds.
Whatever.
"Well, now that we've gotten to the root of your day drinking..."
Was she giving him advice? Was her berating and jabbing not evidence enough that she was an untrustworthy shrew, aiming to toy with his emotions for his amusement?
"No matter how hard you look, it's not gonna be there."
Well, that sounded real, at least. Alastor shrugged his shoulders, lifting the goblet to his lips just as he felt this particular venom seep along the periphery of the senses. It was a slow, but... delicious sensation, much different than the cloud of smoke that he was used to dipping his head into and allowing to siphon off his worries and concerns into the nether. No, Alastor felt...
Pleased? He felt giddy, almost, as she continued along, coaxing him to share as if she actually cared about what he had to say. Talking about it... that was a novel idea. Something that minds such as Zenatos' or even Avgi's wouldn't really wrap their heads around. They were nice enough, his siblings, but distant, and most of all... they'd get word to his mother. Utterly unacceptable.
Better to vent to the stranger than my family, I suppose.
He decided it then, but not before he drained the remainder of the goblet and tapped on it loudly to draw the attention of the bartender.
"Top off hers, as well."
He figured, if she was listening, he could let her have some more on his dime.
"It's a mess. I've been back in town a little over a month and a half now. I spent a good while away, becoming the best little nerd a blacksmith's income could buy. Off to Athenia, it'll be good for you, they said. And I could say, for the most part..."
His tongue ran along the back of his mouth, where missing molars still held horrific memories that were better left... unaddressed.
"They were right. Sure. I got to be pretty good. I could talk your ear off about a variety of topics. But, I'll not bore you with that. You asked about my woes? You'll get them, Arete. I've been keen on this girl on this side of the Aegean. Maybe a good couple of years-"
A lie. He'd been fascinated with her since before he left for the university in the first place.
"We finally meet up again when I come back and... she just ghosts me. It got all sappy and romantic and we kissed and walked into the sunset. But... isn't something supposed to happen after? I've not seen her since, and I get it. Her brother's out to war. Her other brother's out in the palace, running the place. She's left in all sorts of conflict and to top it all off, her dad's dead!"
Too much information.
But, she asked for it.
"What do I do, Ms. Love Expert? How do I stop it from hurting even though, I get it. I really do. I want to see her more than anything, but I can't. And it kills me to know that she's suffering out alone and I'm left twiddling my thumbs, waiting for her to reply to my letters?"
Despite the inkling that her opinion wouldn't be helpful, the flood gates had opened and Arete was there for the ride. Alastor did his utmost to ignore the fact that the bartender was now staring at him. Instead, he scowled at his cup before deciding that a bit more wine would serve to take the taste of ash out of his mouth.
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Dec 10, 2020 10:41:47 GMT
Posted In Just a Taste on Dec 10, 2020 10:41:47 GMT
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Alastor spent his formative years buried in books, the trials and tribulations of the heart left by the wayside in favour of the obstacles of academia often only afforded to the nobility or the fabulousdly wealthy. While Alastor was neither of these things, he was a special case. Well aware of the maturity of his faculties, he was better served in the realm of academia than anywhere else. He might've even preferred Athenia and have stayed there... if it weren't for the very girl that caused his stomach to flip and flop in his gut... If it weren't for the vile cretin dredging up those feelings by calling her assumptions out for the world to hear.
It was embarrassing, to be called out like this. She poked at sore wounds, and more than that, she did it with a haughtiness that was presumptuous, as if she held all of these answers and he was so very lucky to be at the receiving end of these questions. She sidled up to him, intent on grabbing a free drink and jabbing at his senses, poking fire into his eyes that threatened to sting with tears. He hated feeling this way. Where just weeks before, he'd held his affections at a distance, promising Sara his safe return but little more... now that these emotions stirred in the air between them... known.
It caused only lament.
The tumultuous rise and fall of Sara's father, the subsequent rise to power of her brother, and then the subsequent regency of the younger by the flames of war brewing between two nations... there was no time for the trivialties of love. For it to be brought up so callously, by sneering lips and a clueless slut...
It was enough to stoke the already irritated wounds into festering. The tantrum, whiel regrettable, was weeks in the making, and this sheetdweller was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Raw and unaccustomed to these heartbreaks, irritability was only a short sends away. If this was what love did to someone... perhaps Alastor was better served avoiding it. And yet...
She was always on his mind.
While beating his way through documents in Chrysto's office, or attempting to discretely tail a subject at the man's behest. Alastor always worked better with multiple lines of thought at the forefront, but this... it was a greedy thing, how the image of Sara, her words... how they snared his attention. He remembered the taste of her lips on his own, and the feverish intent for more that there just never seemed to have the opportunity to grow into something else.
"All I'm doing it talking to you. Is that suddenly a crime?"
She had the audacity to sound mad at him, even though she was very conscious of what she was doing. It was as if she were a banshee, twisting words into piercing shouts that sought to suck his soul away. But, was there a soul left to drain? He felt the hollow anger... at himself, at Sara... at circumstance. He let himself languish in it, intent on drinking it away like his father or his brother did. Both of them adopted the stoic sensibilities of a blacksmith, as rigid and unyielding as the iron they beat into submission. But, Alastor?
I was always cut from a weaker cloth.
Sensitive. Vulnerable. Frail. Naive.
They could call him what they liked, but it always amounted to the same. Less loved than Zenatos, less coddled than Avgi, but given his own opportunities, if not directly ejected straight towards them by force. Alastor often wondered if even his family abandoned him for his weakness, letting him be raised in a foreign land to delve into waxing philosophical with the other sappy nerds.
Whatever.
"Well, now that we've gotten to the root of your day drinking..."
Was she giving him advice? Was her berating and jabbing not evidence enough that she was an untrustworthy shrew, aiming to toy with his emotions for his amusement?
"No matter how hard you look, it's not gonna be there."
Well, that sounded real, at least. Alastor shrugged his shoulders, lifting the goblet to his lips just as he felt this particular venom seep along the periphery of the senses. It was a slow, but... delicious sensation, much different than the cloud of smoke that he was used to dipping his head into and allowing to siphon off his worries and concerns into the nether. No, Alastor felt...
Pleased? He felt giddy, almost, as she continued along, coaxing him to share as if she actually cared about what he had to say. Talking about it... that was a novel idea. Something that minds such as Zenatos' or even Avgi's wouldn't really wrap their heads around. They were nice enough, his siblings, but distant, and most of all... they'd get word to his mother. Utterly unacceptable.
Better to vent to the stranger than my family, I suppose.
He decided it then, but not before he drained the remainder of the goblet and tapped on it loudly to draw the attention of the bartender.
"Top off hers, as well."
He figured, if she was listening, he could let her have some more on his dime.
"It's a mess. I've been back in town a little over a month and a half now. I spent a good while away, becoming the best little nerd a blacksmith's income could buy. Off to Athenia, it'll be good for you, they said. And I could say, for the most part..."
His tongue ran along the back of his mouth, where missing molars still held horrific memories that were better left... unaddressed.
"They were right. Sure. I got to be pretty good. I could talk your ear off about a variety of topics. But, I'll not bore you with that. You asked about my woes? You'll get them, Arete. I've been keen on this girl on this side of the Aegean. Maybe a good couple of years-"
A lie. He'd been fascinated with her since before he left for the university in the first place.
"We finally meet up again when I come back and... she just ghosts me. It got all sappy and romantic and we kissed and walked into the sunset. But... isn't something supposed to happen after? I've not seen her since, and I get it. Her brother's out to war. Her other brother's out in the palace, running the place. She's left in all sorts of conflict and to top it all off, her dad's dead!"
Too much information.
But, she asked for it.
"What do I do, Ms. Love Expert? How do I stop it from hurting even though, I get it. I really do. I want to see her more than anything, but I can't. And it kills me to know that she's suffering out alone and I'm left twiddling my thumbs, waiting for her to reply to my letters?"
Despite the inkling that her opinion wouldn't be helpful, the flood gates had opened and Arete was there for the ride. Alastor did his utmost to ignore the fact that the bartender was now staring at him. Instead, he scowled at his cup before deciding that a bit more wine would serve to take the taste of ash out of his mouth.
Alastor spent his formative years buried in books, the trials and tribulations of the heart left by the wayside in favour of the obstacles of academia often only afforded to the nobility or the fabulousdly wealthy. While Alastor was neither of these things, he was a special case. Well aware of the maturity of his faculties, he was better served in the realm of academia than anywhere else. He might've even preferred Athenia and have stayed there... if it weren't for the very girl that caused his stomach to flip and flop in his gut... If it weren't for the vile cretin dredging up those feelings by calling her assumptions out for the world to hear.
It was embarrassing, to be called out like this. She poked at sore wounds, and more than that, she did it with a haughtiness that was presumptuous, as if she held all of these answers and he was so very lucky to be at the receiving end of these questions. She sidled up to him, intent on grabbing a free drink and jabbing at his senses, poking fire into his eyes that threatened to sting with tears. He hated feeling this way. Where just weeks before, he'd held his affections at a distance, promising Sara his safe return but little more... now that these emotions stirred in the air between them... known.
It caused only lament.
The tumultuous rise and fall of Sara's father, the subsequent rise to power of her brother, and then the subsequent regency of the younger by the flames of war brewing between two nations... there was no time for the trivialties of love. For it to be brought up so callously, by sneering lips and a clueless slut...
It was enough to stoke the already irritated wounds into festering. The tantrum, whiel regrettable, was weeks in the making, and this sheetdweller was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Raw and unaccustomed to these heartbreaks, irritability was only a short sends away. If this was what love did to someone... perhaps Alastor was better served avoiding it. And yet...
She was always on his mind.
While beating his way through documents in Chrysto's office, or attempting to discretely tail a subject at the man's behest. Alastor always worked better with multiple lines of thought at the forefront, but this... it was a greedy thing, how the image of Sara, her words... how they snared his attention. He remembered the taste of her lips on his own, and the feverish intent for more that there just never seemed to have the opportunity to grow into something else.
"All I'm doing it talking to you. Is that suddenly a crime?"
She had the audacity to sound mad at him, even though she was very conscious of what she was doing. It was as if she were a banshee, twisting words into piercing shouts that sought to suck his soul away. But, was there a soul left to drain? He felt the hollow anger... at himself, at Sara... at circumstance. He let himself languish in it, intent on drinking it away like his father or his brother did. Both of them adopted the stoic sensibilities of a blacksmith, as rigid and unyielding as the iron they beat into submission. But, Alastor?
I was always cut from a weaker cloth.
Sensitive. Vulnerable. Frail. Naive.
They could call him what they liked, but it always amounted to the same. Less loved than Zenatos, less coddled than Avgi, but given his own opportunities, if not directly ejected straight towards them by force. Alastor often wondered if even his family abandoned him for his weakness, letting him be raised in a foreign land to delve into waxing philosophical with the other sappy nerds.
Whatever.
"Well, now that we've gotten to the root of your day drinking..."
Was she giving him advice? Was her berating and jabbing not evidence enough that she was an untrustworthy shrew, aiming to toy with his emotions for his amusement?
"No matter how hard you look, it's not gonna be there."
Well, that sounded real, at least. Alastor shrugged his shoulders, lifting the goblet to his lips just as he felt this particular venom seep along the periphery of the senses. It was a slow, but... delicious sensation, much different than the cloud of smoke that he was used to dipping his head into and allowing to siphon off his worries and concerns into the nether. No, Alastor felt...
Pleased? He felt giddy, almost, as she continued along, coaxing him to share as if she actually cared about what he had to say. Talking about it... that was a novel idea. Something that minds such as Zenatos' or even Avgi's wouldn't really wrap their heads around. They were nice enough, his siblings, but distant, and most of all... they'd get word to his mother. Utterly unacceptable.
Better to vent to the stranger than my family, I suppose.
He decided it then, but not before he drained the remainder of the goblet and tapped on it loudly to draw the attention of the bartender.
"Top off hers, as well."
He figured, if she was listening, he could let her have some more on his dime.
"It's a mess. I've been back in town a little over a month and a half now. I spent a good while away, becoming the best little nerd a blacksmith's income could buy. Off to Athenia, it'll be good for you, they said. And I could say, for the most part..."
His tongue ran along the back of his mouth, where missing molars still held horrific memories that were better left... unaddressed.
"They were right. Sure. I got to be pretty good. I could talk your ear off about a variety of topics. But, I'll not bore you with that. You asked about my woes? You'll get them, Arete. I've been keen on this girl on this side of the Aegean. Maybe a good couple of years-"
A lie. He'd been fascinated with her since before he left for the university in the first place.
"We finally meet up again when I come back and... she just ghosts me. It got all sappy and romantic and we kissed and walked into the sunset. But... isn't something supposed to happen after? I've not seen her since, and I get it. Her brother's out to war. Her other brother's out in the palace, running the place. She's left in all sorts of conflict and to top it all off, her dad's dead!"
Too much information.
But, she asked for it.
"What do I do, Ms. Love Expert? How do I stop it from hurting even though, I get it. I really do. I want to see her more than anything, but I can't. And it kills me to know that she's suffering out alone and I'm left twiddling my thumbs, waiting for her to reply to my letters?"
Despite the inkling that her opinion wouldn't be helpful, the flood gates had opened and Arete was there for the ride. Alastor did his utmost to ignore the fact that the bartender was now staring at him. Instead, he scowled at his cup before deciding that a bit more wine would serve to take the taste of ash out of his mouth.
After a heavy moment of silence, Arete was fairly surprised to see the kid actually divulge what was bothering him. It all came pouring out in a quick blur and honestly? Arete was very grateful that the kid had been kind enough to top off her drink before he had started talking as she was going to need it. Badly. He talked about his woes and Arete had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at it all as she already had a pretty good idea what was happening here from what little Alastor had revealed.
“Well, quite frankly, I don’t blame her for ignoring you.” Arete did not bother to hide her blunt attitude towards the situation when she finally spoke. At first glance, this might have seemed like a rather cruel thing for her to do to a lovesick kid who was clearly very upset over the whole affair, but come on. Was this Alastor bloke so blind that he couldn’t see what was happening here? How could the answer not have struck him across the face just as clearly as it did the moment that Alastor mentioned that he had not seen this girl for years and then decided to kiss her during their first reunion? Honestly, Arete knew that men could sometimes be the daftest creatures on the face of the earth, but truly this had to take the cake as far as she was concerned.
“Let me get this right, you left her for years. Moved to a completely different country and during that time her life changes. She’s lost a father. She may lose a brother. Her life is a warzone of grief and fear…” Arete muttered, completely oblivious to the mention of one of her brothers running the palace. Had Alastor been talking to any other Taengean, one that had lived in the capital for more than a week -- they would have likely known about who this mysterious girl was at the mere mention of all these global events that had shaken Taengea to its core. Granted, Arete was aware of these events. She had even celebrated the death of Irakles in private with her lover as it meant that they were one step closer to their own dreams of holding the crown. However, she was completely oblivious to the fact that Irakles had bastard daughters. News like that filtered slowly to the provinces and it was not mentioned enough for Arete to make the instant connection. If Alastor was worried that Arete would level the direct accusation that he had broken poor Sara’s heart, then he could at least take some solace in the fact that this was not going to happen.
But that didn’t mean that Arete was going to spare him from the scathing words that were to come.
“And you spent your first reunion kissing on the beach.” Her words were sharp as the Doralisian took a deep swig from the glass that the bartender had just recently refilled. She could already tell that she was going to need it based on how this conversation was going. Arete could already guess that this mysterious girl’s emotional state was not in the best state for this kind of romantic evening. She was dealing with far too much and Alastor seemed to provide a decent escape at the moment. However, if Arete had to guess? The silence was just the girl’s guilt speaking for her. Her family was crumbling around her and she had gone off gallivanting with a boy. Now Arete might not think anything of doing such a thing as she had abandoned her own family to move here to the capital to live with Nikos -- but if Arete was going to make a snap judgment about who would have this babyfaced young man all heartbroken, his girlfriend was not like Arete. Even though there was nothing wrong with having an evening to one's self, being reminded about the good in the world as a nightmare unfolded around her… that would be hard to remember if her grief was fresh. Daring to smile while the grass had not grown over her father’s grave, while her brother could be skewered by a sand rat at the very moment that it happened… Arete wouldn’t have been surprised if this girl felt as if she was spitting on her family’s corpses.
Plus not to mention both of these lovebirds were young. Arete might have been twenty-three, but she barely had any sort of control over her emotions. There was no way that his lover, being barely out of girlhood could say that she had any sort of handle on how to nurse her broken heart. Alastor might think that the silence was some sort of judgment against him, but really it seemed to be that it was saying more about how to hurt the girl was over everything that had happened while Alastor was gone and she didn’t know how to convey that. Or better yet, she was too afraid to admit to such things. Arete could not say anything for certain as she did not know the girl, but if she was in her shoes, that would be the most likely explanation for such a silence -- unless, of course, Alastor was a terrible kisser and the silence was purposeful for that reason.
However, Arete knew that such an insinuation would not go over well. Alastor was already growing testy and her daring to suggest that it was his fault was unlikely to go over well. So even though it took a great deal of nerve from Arete, the brief pause to down a portion of the glass before her gave her an opportunity to pause and choose her next words carefully, hopefully, bring the kinda sense of perspective that wouldn’t be leaving him crying and curled up into a ball on the floor. “She is most likely feeling guilty for her meeting with you -- but not through anything you have done. The wounds from her losses are likely still fresh and cut very deep within her. Her silence most likely comes from the betrayal she feels for daring to be happy while her father is dead and her brother is likely to die in a war across the sea.” Her words came out as gentle as she could dare to muster them in her slightly inebriated state. She had hope though that at least it would give another perspective to the kid who in all the books that he had read, had still never learned how to read the language of the human heart.
“Her silence is not a slight against you, but I wouldn’t push it with her as that could very easily change. Grief does very funny things to a person. Give her some space, for now, then she’ll come back to you.” Arete mentioned tactfully, really stressing the part about leaving the poor girl alone while she sorted out her feelings. Even though she knew that this kid’s instinct was likely to recommend to him to offer his assistance in this difficult time for her, Arete had little hope of that going well for him. It might come across as pushy and just generally too much for the situation at hand. If he left her be, he would fare better in the end. Especially if he was seventeen and crying in a bar like he was a forty-year-old man whose wife had just died. He might be hurting, but obviously, the other party’s wellbeing was going to have to come first here.
That didn’t mean though that the sight of some kid crying into his goblet didn’t tug at some sort of heartstring within Arete. She might not be some sort of maternal, empathetic creature who went out of her way to care for those who are in a poor mental state -- she was human and she was capable of the slightest smidge of compassion. That was likely why she reached out and at least rubbed the kids back for a moment, silently encouraging him to get all of these emotions out. Alastor might not have been able to see it, but at the same time, Arete threw a certain look at the bartender -- one that spoke of the disbelief they both felt that this was happening at this moment. A kid was crying in a bar because he had failed to take into consideration that his girlfriend would be upset that her dad died. Honestly, it felt like some sort of sick and twisted joke that was missing the horrible punch line. However, it couldn’t be further than that if Arete tried.
Which meant that she had to at least make sure that the kid was alright after such a heavy truth bomb was leveled onto him with almost no warning from some strange girl bumming drinks off of him in a bar.
“Does that make sense?” She asked gently, hoping that the possible reality of this situation was now rattling around his head, forcing him to use enough reason to not make a crappy situation any worse. Though, then again that was entirely up to Alastor and Arete barely knew this kid. She could be completely misjudging this situation and steering the kid in the completely wrong direction… but that was the risk of getting advice from a random stranger in a bar, wasn’t it?
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Jan 1, 2021 23:21:17 GMT
Posted In Just a Taste on Jan 1, 2021 23:21:17 GMT
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After a heavy moment of silence, Arete was fairly surprised to see the kid actually divulge what was bothering him. It all came pouring out in a quick blur and honestly? Arete was very grateful that the kid had been kind enough to top off her drink before he had started talking as she was going to need it. Badly. He talked about his woes and Arete had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at it all as she already had a pretty good idea what was happening here from what little Alastor had revealed.
“Well, quite frankly, I don’t blame her for ignoring you.” Arete did not bother to hide her blunt attitude towards the situation when she finally spoke. At first glance, this might have seemed like a rather cruel thing for her to do to a lovesick kid who was clearly very upset over the whole affair, but come on. Was this Alastor bloke so blind that he couldn’t see what was happening here? How could the answer not have struck him across the face just as clearly as it did the moment that Alastor mentioned that he had not seen this girl for years and then decided to kiss her during their first reunion? Honestly, Arete knew that men could sometimes be the daftest creatures on the face of the earth, but truly this had to take the cake as far as she was concerned.
“Let me get this right, you left her for years. Moved to a completely different country and during that time her life changes. She’s lost a father. She may lose a brother. Her life is a warzone of grief and fear…” Arete muttered, completely oblivious to the mention of one of her brothers running the palace. Had Alastor been talking to any other Taengean, one that had lived in the capital for more than a week -- they would have likely known about who this mysterious girl was at the mere mention of all these global events that had shaken Taengea to its core. Granted, Arete was aware of these events. She had even celebrated the death of Irakles in private with her lover as it meant that they were one step closer to their own dreams of holding the crown. However, she was completely oblivious to the fact that Irakles had bastard daughters. News like that filtered slowly to the provinces and it was not mentioned enough for Arete to make the instant connection. If Alastor was worried that Arete would level the direct accusation that he had broken poor Sara’s heart, then he could at least take some solace in the fact that this was not going to happen.
But that didn’t mean that Arete was going to spare him from the scathing words that were to come.
“And you spent your first reunion kissing on the beach.” Her words were sharp as the Doralisian took a deep swig from the glass that the bartender had just recently refilled. She could already tell that she was going to need it based on how this conversation was going. Arete could already guess that this mysterious girl’s emotional state was not in the best state for this kind of romantic evening. She was dealing with far too much and Alastor seemed to provide a decent escape at the moment. However, if Arete had to guess? The silence was just the girl’s guilt speaking for her. Her family was crumbling around her and she had gone off gallivanting with a boy. Now Arete might not think anything of doing such a thing as she had abandoned her own family to move here to the capital to live with Nikos -- but if Arete was going to make a snap judgment about who would have this babyfaced young man all heartbroken, his girlfriend was not like Arete. Even though there was nothing wrong with having an evening to one's self, being reminded about the good in the world as a nightmare unfolded around her… that would be hard to remember if her grief was fresh. Daring to smile while the grass had not grown over her father’s grave, while her brother could be skewered by a sand rat at the very moment that it happened… Arete wouldn’t have been surprised if this girl felt as if she was spitting on her family’s corpses.
Plus not to mention both of these lovebirds were young. Arete might have been twenty-three, but she barely had any sort of control over her emotions. There was no way that his lover, being barely out of girlhood could say that she had any sort of handle on how to nurse her broken heart. Alastor might think that the silence was some sort of judgment against him, but really it seemed to be that it was saying more about how to hurt the girl was over everything that had happened while Alastor was gone and she didn’t know how to convey that. Or better yet, she was too afraid to admit to such things. Arete could not say anything for certain as she did not know the girl, but if she was in her shoes, that would be the most likely explanation for such a silence -- unless, of course, Alastor was a terrible kisser and the silence was purposeful for that reason.
However, Arete knew that such an insinuation would not go over well. Alastor was already growing testy and her daring to suggest that it was his fault was unlikely to go over well. So even though it took a great deal of nerve from Arete, the brief pause to down a portion of the glass before her gave her an opportunity to pause and choose her next words carefully, hopefully, bring the kinda sense of perspective that wouldn’t be leaving him crying and curled up into a ball on the floor. “She is most likely feeling guilty for her meeting with you -- but not through anything you have done. The wounds from her losses are likely still fresh and cut very deep within her. Her silence most likely comes from the betrayal she feels for daring to be happy while her father is dead and her brother is likely to die in a war across the sea.” Her words came out as gentle as she could dare to muster them in her slightly inebriated state. She had hope though that at least it would give another perspective to the kid who in all the books that he had read, had still never learned how to read the language of the human heart.
“Her silence is not a slight against you, but I wouldn’t push it with her as that could very easily change. Grief does very funny things to a person. Give her some space, for now, then she’ll come back to you.” Arete mentioned tactfully, really stressing the part about leaving the poor girl alone while she sorted out her feelings. Even though she knew that this kid’s instinct was likely to recommend to him to offer his assistance in this difficult time for her, Arete had little hope of that going well for him. It might come across as pushy and just generally too much for the situation at hand. If he left her be, he would fare better in the end. Especially if he was seventeen and crying in a bar like he was a forty-year-old man whose wife had just died. He might be hurting, but obviously, the other party’s wellbeing was going to have to come first here.
That didn’t mean though that the sight of some kid crying into his goblet didn’t tug at some sort of heartstring within Arete. She might not be some sort of maternal, empathetic creature who went out of her way to care for those who are in a poor mental state -- she was human and she was capable of the slightest smidge of compassion. That was likely why she reached out and at least rubbed the kids back for a moment, silently encouraging him to get all of these emotions out. Alastor might not have been able to see it, but at the same time, Arete threw a certain look at the bartender -- one that spoke of the disbelief they both felt that this was happening at this moment. A kid was crying in a bar because he had failed to take into consideration that his girlfriend would be upset that her dad died. Honestly, it felt like some sort of sick and twisted joke that was missing the horrible punch line. However, it couldn’t be further than that if Arete tried.
Which meant that she had to at least make sure that the kid was alright after such a heavy truth bomb was leveled onto him with almost no warning from some strange girl bumming drinks off of him in a bar.
“Does that make sense?” She asked gently, hoping that the possible reality of this situation was now rattling around his head, forcing him to use enough reason to not make a crappy situation any worse. Though, then again that was entirely up to Alastor and Arete barely knew this kid. She could be completely misjudging this situation and steering the kid in the completely wrong direction… but that was the risk of getting advice from a random stranger in a bar, wasn’t it?
After a heavy moment of silence, Arete was fairly surprised to see the kid actually divulge what was bothering him. It all came pouring out in a quick blur and honestly? Arete was very grateful that the kid had been kind enough to top off her drink before he had started talking as she was going to need it. Badly. He talked about his woes and Arete had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at it all as she already had a pretty good idea what was happening here from what little Alastor had revealed.
“Well, quite frankly, I don’t blame her for ignoring you.” Arete did not bother to hide her blunt attitude towards the situation when she finally spoke. At first glance, this might have seemed like a rather cruel thing for her to do to a lovesick kid who was clearly very upset over the whole affair, but come on. Was this Alastor bloke so blind that he couldn’t see what was happening here? How could the answer not have struck him across the face just as clearly as it did the moment that Alastor mentioned that he had not seen this girl for years and then decided to kiss her during their first reunion? Honestly, Arete knew that men could sometimes be the daftest creatures on the face of the earth, but truly this had to take the cake as far as she was concerned.
“Let me get this right, you left her for years. Moved to a completely different country and during that time her life changes. She’s lost a father. She may lose a brother. Her life is a warzone of grief and fear…” Arete muttered, completely oblivious to the mention of one of her brothers running the palace. Had Alastor been talking to any other Taengean, one that had lived in the capital for more than a week -- they would have likely known about who this mysterious girl was at the mere mention of all these global events that had shaken Taengea to its core. Granted, Arete was aware of these events. She had even celebrated the death of Irakles in private with her lover as it meant that they were one step closer to their own dreams of holding the crown. However, she was completely oblivious to the fact that Irakles had bastard daughters. News like that filtered slowly to the provinces and it was not mentioned enough for Arete to make the instant connection. If Alastor was worried that Arete would level the direct accusation that he had broken poor Sara’s heart, then he could at least take some solace in the fact that this was not going to happen.
But that didn’t mean that Arete was going to spare him from the scathing words that were to come.
“And you spent your first reunion kissing on the beach.” Her words were sharp as the Doralisian took a deep swig from the glass that the bartender had just recently refilled. She could already tell that she was going to need it based on how this conversation was going. Arete could already guess that this mysterious girl’s emotional state was not in the best state for this kind of romantic evening. She was dealing with far too much and Alastor seemed to provide a decent escape at the moment. However, if Arete had to guess? The silence was just the girl’s guilt speaking for her. Her family was crumbling around her and she had gone off gallivanting with a boy. Now Arete might not think anything of doing such a thing as she had abandoned her own family to move here to the capital to live with Nikos -- but if Arete was going to make a snap judgment about who would have this babyfaced young man all heartbroken, his girlfriend was not like Arete. Even though there was nothing wrong with having an evening to one's self, being reminded about the good in the world as a nightmare unfolded around her… that would be hard to remember if her grief was fresh. Daring to smile while the grass had not grown over her father’s grave, while her brother could be skewered by a sand rat at the very moment that it happened… Arete wouldn’t have been surprised if this girl felt as if she was spitting on her family’s corpses.
Plus not to mention both of these lovebirds were young. Arete might have been twenty-three, but she barely had any sort of control over her emotions. There was no way that his lover, being barely out of girlhood could say that she had any sort of handle on how to nurse her broken heart. Alastor might think that the silence was some sort of judgment against him, but really it seemed to be that it was saying more about how to hurt the girl was over everything that had happened while Alastor was gone and she didn’t know how to convey that. Or better yet, she was too afraid to admit to such things. Arete could not say anything for certain as she did not know the girl, but if she was in her shoes, that would be the most likely explanation for such a silence -- unless, of course, Alastor was a terrible kisser and the silence was purposeful for that reason.
However, Arete knew that such an insinuation would not go over well. Alastor was already growing testy and her daring to suggest that it was his fault was unlikely to go over well. So even though it took a great deal of nerve from Arete, the brief pause to down a portion of the glass before her gave her an opportunity to pause and choose her next words carefully, hopefully, bring the kinda sense of perspective that wouldn’t be leaving him crying and curled up into a ball on the floor. “She is most likely feeling guilty for her meeting with you -- but not through anything you have done. The wounds from her losses are likely still fresh and cut very deep within her. Her silence most likely comes from the betrayal she feels for daring to be happy while her father is dead and her brother is likely to die in a war across the sea.” Her words came out as gentle as she could dare to muster them in her slightly inebriated state. She had hope though that at least it would give another perspective to the kid who in all the books that he had read, had still never learned how to read the language of the human heart.
“Her silence is not a slight against you, but I wouldn’t push it with her as that could very easily change. Grief does very funny things to a person. Give her some space, for now, then she’ll come back to you.” Arete mentioned tactfully, really stressing the part about leaving the poor girl alone while she sorted out her feelings. Even though she knew that this kid’s instinct was likely to recommend to him to offer his assistance in this difficult time for her, Arete had little hope of that going well for him. It might come across as pushy and just generally too much for the situation at hand. If he left her be, he would fare better in the end. Especially if he was seventeen and crying in a bar like he was a forty-year-old man whose wife had just died. He might be hurting, but obviously, the other party’s wellbeing was going to have to come first here.
That didn’t mean though that the sight of some kid crying into his goblet didn’t tug at some sort of heartstring within Arete. She might not be some sort of maternal, empathetic creature who went out of her way to care for those who are in a poor mental state -- she was human and she was capable of the slightest smidge of compassion. That was likely why she reached out and at least rubbed the kids back for a moment, silently encouraging him to get all of these emotions out. Alastor might not have been able to see it, but at the same time, Arete threw a certain look at the bartender -- one that spoke of the disbelief they both felt that this was happening at this moment. A kid was crying in a bar because he had failed to take into consideration that his girlfriend would be upset that her dad died. Honestly, it felt like some sort of sick and twisted joke that was missing the horrible punch line. However, it couldn’t be further than that if Arete tried.
Which meant that she had to at least make sure that the kid was alright after such a heavy truth bomb was leveled onto him with almost no warning from some strange girl bumming drinks off of him in a bar.
“Does that make sense?” She asked gently, hoping that the possible reality of this situation was now rattling around his head, forcing him to use enough reason to not make a crappy situation any worse. Though, then again that was entirely up to Alastor and Arete barely knew this kid. She could be completely misjudging this situation and steering the kid in the completely wrong direction… but that was the risk of getting advice from a random stranger in a bar, wasn’t it?
"Well, quite frankly, I don't blame her for ignoring you."
I shouldn't have topped off her drink, he began immediately, nearly certain that this Arete woman was going to go on and humiliate him, just as she'd already been doing. Her tone held the antithesis of sympathy, a cruelty in her words that seemed... vindictive. Of course, Alastor understood what was going on in Sara's life. Not from the girl's perspective but from the outlying edges looking in. He knew that she was entitled to grief, losing a father, even if she wasn't formally accepted as the man's daughter. Then, she lived in this epoch of madness, just as he did. Alastor wasn't criticizing Sara for her inattentiveness to him. More so, it was his own frustration at that negligence being necessary.
All of my life, I've been a ghost. With Sara, it seemed like it might be different...
Still, he lamented the return to form. Forced into this admission of truth, Arete didn't hesitate for a moment to berate him for his attitude about it all. When she continued, a narrowed gaze met hers. The details weren't all there. Alastor didn't choose to move to Athenia, nor did he leave her there for the entirety of his stay.
"I came back... a few times. Over the summers when I was a bit younger, especially. But, just a few months before I came back, too..." he grumbled, his words barely audible over the goblet that sloshed wine against his lower lip. He raised it up and took a swig of his own before letting it sit on the bartop. Alastor's gaze never strayed from Arete as she laid down a different perspective.
Would Sara feel guilty about this? From what I understand... Irakles was a vile man, but he was still her father...
Was his presence a burden to her? Was that why everything went down as it did? He deliberated on the sense in this woman's words. Sara did seem to care deeply for Achilleas, as well. Despite the man's sort of blase attitude regarding her to begin with. The toll the war was taking was much more personal for Sara than it was for Alastor, and it made sense that she'd withdraw from people, especially complications.
I'm definitely a complication, he realized, blowing a raspberry as the thought flitted across his mind, just before he tipped the goblet with his teeth and held it by the base, letting more wine slosh into his mouth. Just as he did, Arete's words turned more towards the gentle. Rather than berating him, she reiterated her earlier points, but told it without the bite that left Alastor so bitter and remorseful of the admission to begin with. He nodded as she spoke, then again once she prompted him with her question. put the empty goblet back onto the bartop, waving half-heartedly at the bartender.
"Yeah, I get it... I'll give her more time and grit my teeth. It's just that she's my only friend here, too. Not that I left many behind in Athenia. People... don't seem to get me. Or maybe I just don't get them," he admitted, just as a fresh goblet of wine was set down in front of him.
"This one's on the house, kid. For the girl, too. Ye don't hear a sob story like that every day. Makes me feel better about me own lot," he said, jabbing at Alastor's shoulder before going back to work. The boy grew red as a beet at the telling, hiding his face behind his goblet.
"Thanks..." he breathed back, just before he threw the contents of his cup in Arete's face, lit up a joint and rode away on his motorcycle
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Jan 17, 2021 2:24:06 GMT
Posted In Just a Taste on Jan 17, 2021 2:24:06 GMT
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"Well, quite frankly, I don't blame her for ignoring you."
I shouldn't have topped off her drink, he began immediately, nearly certain that this Arete woman was going to go on and humiliate him, just as she'd already been doing. Her tone held the antithesis of sympathy, a cruelty in her words that seemed... vindictive. Of course, Alastor understood what was going on in Sara's life. Not from the girl's perspective but from the outlying edges looking in. He knew that she was entitled to grief, losing a father, even if she wasn't formally accepted as the man's daughter. Then, she lived in this epoch of madness, just as he did. Alastor wasn't criticizing Sara for her inattentiveness to him. More so, it was his own frustration at that negligence being necessary.
All of my life, I've been a ghost. With Sara, it seemed like it might be different...
Still, he lamented the return to form. Forced into this admission of truth, Arete didn't hesitate for a moment to berate him for his attitude about it all. When she continued, a narrowed gaze met hers. The details weren't all there. Alastor didn't choose to move to Athenia, nor did he leave her there for the entirety of his stay.
"I came back... a few times. Over the summers when I was a bit younger, especially. But, just a few months before I came back, too..." he grumbled, his words barely audible over the goblet that sloshed wine against his lower lip. He raised it up and took a swig of his own before letting it sit on the bartop. Alastor's gaze never strayed from Arete as she laid down a different perspective.
Would Sara feel guilty about this? From what I understand... Irakles was a vile man, but he was still her father...
Was his presence a burden to her? Was that why everything went down as it did? He deliberated on the sense in this woman's words. Sara did seem to care deeply for Achilleas, as well. Despite the man's sort of blase attitude regarding her to begin with. The toll the war was taking was much more personal for Sara than it was for Alastor, and it made sense that she'd withdraw from people, especially complications.
I'm definitely a complication, he realized, blowing a raspberry as the thought flitted across his mind, just before he tipped the goblet with his teeth and held it by the base, letting more wine slosh into his mouth. Just as he did, Arete's words turned more towards the gentle. Rather than berating him, she reiterated her earlier points, but told it without the bite that left Alastor so bitter and remorseful of the admission to begin with. He nodded as she spoke, then again once she prompted him with her question. put the empty goblet back onto the bartop, waving half-heartedly at the bartender.
"Yeah, I get it... I'll give her more time and grit my teeth. It's just that she's my only friend here, too. Not that I left many behind in Athenia. People... don't seem to get me. Or maybe I just don't get them," he admitted, just as a fresh goblet of wine was set down in front of him.
"This one's on the house, kid. For the girl, too. Ye don't hear a sob story like that every day. Makes me feel better about me own lot," he said, jabbing at Alastor's shoulder before going back to work. The boy grew red as a beet at the telling, hiding his face behind his goblet.
"Thanks..." he breathed back, just before he threw the contents of his cup in Arete's face, lit up a joint and rode away on his motorcycle
"Well, quite frankly, I don't blame her for ignoring you."
I shouldn't have topped off her drink, he began immediately, nearly certain that this Arete woman was going to go on and humiliate him, just as she'd already been doing. Her tone held the antithesis of sympathy, a cruelty in her words that seemed... vindictive. Of course, Alastor understood what was going on in Sara's life. Not from the girl's perspective but from the outlying edges looking in. He knew that she was entitled to grief, losing a father, even if she wasn't formally accepted as the man's daughter. Then, she lived in this epoch of madness, just as he did. Alastor wasn't criticizing Sara for her inattentiveness to him. More so, it was his own frustration at that negligence being necessary.
All of my life, I've been a ghost. With Sara, it seemed like it might be different...
Still, he lamented the return to form. Forced into this admission of truth, Arete didn't hesitate for a moment to berate him for his attitude about it all. When she continued, a narrowed gaze met hers. The details weren't all there. Alastor didn't choose to move to Athenia, nor did he leave her there for the entirety of his stay.
"I came back... a few times. Over the summers when I was a bit younger, especially. But, just a few months before I came back, too..." he grumbled, his words barely audible over the goblet that sloshed wine against his lower lip. He raised it up and took a swig of his own before letting it sit on the bartop. Alastor's gaze never strayed from Arete as she laid down a different perspective.
Would Sara feel guilty about this? From what I understand... Irakles was a vile man, but he was still her father...
Was his presence a burden to her? Was that why everything went down as it did? He deliberated on the sense in this woman's words. Sara did seem to care deeply for Achilleas, as well. Despite the man's sort of blase attitude regarding her to begin with. The toll the war was taking was much more personal for Sara than it was for Alastor, and it made sense that she'd withdraw from people, especially complications.
I'm definitely a complication, he realized, blowing a raspberry as the thought flitted across his mind, just before he tipped the goblet with his teeth and held it by the base, letting more wine slosh into his mouth. Just as he did, Arete's words turned more towards the gentle. Rather than berating him, she reiterated her earlier points, but told it without the bite that left Alastor so bitter and remorseful of the admission to begin with. He nodded as she spoke, then again once she prompted him with her question. put the empty goblet back onto the bartop, waving half-heartedly at the bartender.
"Yeah, I get it... I'll give her more time and grit my teeth. It's just that she's my only friend here, too. Not that I left many behind in Athenia. People... don't seem to get me. Or maybe I just don't get them," he admitted, just as a fresh goblet of wine was set down in front of him.
"This one's on the house, kid. For the girl, too. Ye don't hear a sob story like that every day. Makes me feel better about me own lot," he said, jabbing at Alastor's shoulder before going back to work. The boy grew red as a beet at the telling, hiding his face behind his goblet.
"Thanks..." he breathed back, just before he threw the contents of his cup in Arete's face, lit up a joint and rode away on his motorcycle
