Nairi
Novice
Fey-Touched
Posts: 60
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Post by Nairi on Dec 19, 2006 20:11:30 GMT -5
Nairi missed playing with cats. At one point, he used to live with quite a few of them, in a place nestled in flowing green fields and occupied by people who loved him. When was that, though? And where exactly was it? It was just like this silly "past life" business... nothing more than a joke that danced around the edges of your mind for as long as you were willing to consider it, and then disappearing when you realized how absurd it was. There was never anything else. That was a past life.
"I'm sure you're aware, Kashan, but it isn't winter. I can tell it isn't open for discussion, however. I'll stop." It seemed that he had different plans for the length of fabric now, using it to bait the cat; despite the fact that it occasionally nibbled on his fingers, the two got along just fine. He allowed his hands to idly entertain the feline, as it didn't really take that much concentration... he let his eyes settle on the woman in black instead. "Cute pet... with a cute master. The cat is far less subtle about it's attractiveness, though."
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Kashan
Novice
You Can't Fix a Life.
Posts: 61
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Post by Kashan on Dec 19, 2006 20:36:07 GMT -5
"...I knew you were crazy from the start," Kashan retorted. It was hard to tell but it seemed as if just maybe a faint blush stained her cheeks. Could be a trick of the light. 'He can only say that because he can't see what I really am,' she thought.
She'd been brainwashed, of course--raised to spend so much time hiding in shadow that she no longer recognized light when she saw it, metaphorically speaking. "...I didn't know you were a shameless flirt too."
Kashan was one of those deus--the ones who couldn't see any bit of themselves as cute or attractive in any way. If he saw the parts of her she was hiding, crazy or not, those words wouldn't mean a thing. She was sure of it.
Her shoulders slouched a bit more as if she was making further efforts at hiding.
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Nairi
Novice
Fey-Touched
Posts: 60
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Post by Nairi on Dec 19, 2006 22:49:20 GMT -5
"You can call me crazy if you'd like, but there's no shame in flirting. I was being serious, by the way... even though you seem to think that you can become part of the tree's shadow if you pull that hat down enough. I'm not really sure what you're hiding, but I'm probably the one person in this world you could tell." Using the cloth to lure the small cat into his lap, Nairi grinned when it gave chase and proceeded to subdue the creature with some gentle scritchings. Once it started to settle down, he raised his eyes to her, head tilted.
"It's your lips. You can tell a lot about the face of someone through them. I bet if you took that thing off, I'd be one hundred percent right... which is probably more of a reason for you to keep it on, hm?" He smirked.
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Kashan
Novice
You Can't Fix a Life.
Posts: 61
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Post by Kashan on Dec 19, 2006 22:58:20 GMT -5
The lips pouted again and a pale hand raised as if to pull the hat down further before Kashan realized she'd just almost proved him right about her hiding and lowered it a little awkwardly back to her lap.
"You're wrong," she replied. "For all you know I'm horribly disfigured." She wasn't, technically, but she figured her features made for the next best thing.
She frowned a bit at the cat who seemed to decide Nairi was a new friend--feeling a little jealous that the cat took so easily to someone other than her--but then, cats are fickle creatures.
She looked down and away from Nairi. He made her so uncomfortable. His words made her think things like 'if only he were right about me'.
She certainly didn't seem inclined to tell him, or anyone, anything. She'd grown to used to keeping it a big secret and decided she maybe didn't hate his company and would like to keep him from thinking her a monster for as long as possible.
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Nairi
Novice
Fey-Touched
Posts: 60
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Post by Nairi on Dec 20, 2006 4:07:34 GMT -5
Nairi made a lot of people uncomfortable. It could've been worse. Those that tend to encounter him at night usually flee for their lives, whether or not he starts swinging his sword at ghosts or talking to inanimate objects. Just his presence seemed to be enough, as if there was something naturally unnerving about him. He didn't realize this, of course. He just chalked it up to poor manners or lack of forsight, and he really didn't want Kashan to wind up the same way. Still... he was just so curious...
"For all I know, you could wear that hat to keep from stealing the hearts of anyone that looks at you. Works both ways, you know..." He chuckled and turned the cat over in his lap, rubbing its belly absent-mindedly. "It's just speculation, though. We could talk about it all day, but the fact remains that you aren't going to take it off." Now that Nanai was distracted otherwise, he finally took a moment to put his hair up as intended, tying it off in a simple ponytail. He actually looked a lot less threatening with his gentle features in full view... well, semi-full view, as he couldn't quite get all of it back. "I'm pretty sure there's no way I can convince you to let me look... unless you're the gambling type, that is." He smirked.
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Kashan
Novice
You Can't Fix a Life.
Posts: 61
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Post by Kashan on Dec 20, 2006 9:49:19 GMT -5
"I guarantee that's not the case," Kashan answered dryly, her tone saying the thought of hiding her face because it was so nice was totally preposterous.
She wondered if maybe she shoud use that technique to appear fully human and show him just to sate his curiosity, but it was hot and she wasn't good at it--it drained most of her energy and there was a good chance it would backfire later.
Kashan would have liked to believe he wouldn't run away screaming or something. She would have liked to be that trusting. She wasn't.
"...I'm not the gambling type," she answered. "Any time I gamble I lose, and anyway, you don't have anything I want." At least she didn't think he did. He didn't look like he had anything of interest to the deus mechanic. He didn't look like he owned much that would interest anyone. She kept her head cast mostly downward, sparing only a glance as he tied back his hair--if only she looked so nice under the hat, her life would have been a lot easier. And if that wasn't bad enough...she had a wing cramp. Urgh! She was used to them by now, but even so they sucked in a number of ways worthy of very colorful speech. She bit her lower lip for a moment to keep herself from acting on the instinct to move it. If weird things started shifting under her jacket, he'd definitely notice!
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Nairi
Novice
Fey-Touched
Posts: 60
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Post by Nairi on Dec 20, 2006 11:47:29 GMT -5
That probably would've been a bad idea on Kashan's part. If she took the hat and appeared entirely normal, then Nairi would be suspicious about what she'd been hiding the whole time, and might even go back to thinking that she was some sort of witch. While he was certainly curious, he wasn't at the point that he was going to pounce on her and knock the thing off... not yet, anyway.
"Oh, come on. A simple bet never hurt anyone." He traced his fingers through the fur just below Nanai's jaw, scratching gently. It was nice to have interaction with a living thing that he didn't scare away immediately, and the purring was nice on his ears. "You said you were a mechanic, right? I've got some various things in my pack... and I've got money. Both are probably worth more than your secret, as I get the feeling you're exaggerating about the whole thing... hey, are you alright?" One thin brow perked up, both eyes now watching her. It was nice to have that convenience... hooray for random strips of cloth. "You look... uncomfortable."
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Kashan
Novice
You Can't Fix a Life.
Posts: 61
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Post by Kashan on Dec 20, 2006 13:25:11 GMT -5
He almost had her convinced. She slouched a bit less and tilted her head slightly as if listening. If he had things that might be useful to her then maybe...no no, that was bad, her luck was the WORST. She'd lose and then she'd have to show him and then bye bye company that can speak and walk on two legs.
Oddly her wing cramp came at the right time to distract him, though now she had to think of an excuse. "...my foot fell asleep." She was relieved to come up with that on the spot and made a show of flexing her ankle--couldn't see her toes curling under her boots anyway.
She purposely avoided the topic of gambling because if he got back on topic he might actually convince her.
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Nairi
Novice
Fey-Touched
Posts: 60
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Post by Nairi on Dec 20, 2006 21:53:23 GMT -5
"I hate it when that happens." He seemed to take it as a reasonable enough explanation, returning his attentions to the sprawled-out cat in his lap. Nairi wasn't entirely sure that he believed her, but if he pursued the subject too much, he might forget about the more important issue at hand... getting her to take her hat off.
"If you're willing, you could take your boot off and I could rub it for you." It was quite the brazen thing to say, and he knew she'd object... it showed in his wide smile. "Since I know you aren't going to take that offer, why don't we return to our previous discussion? The hat. Like I said, I've got Ka - it doesn't really do me any good - and it could help whatever you do as a mechanic. I've also got something in my pack that I really think you might be interested in, but... there's only one way to find out."
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Kashan
Novice
You Can't Fix a Life.
Posts: 61
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Post by Kashan on Dec 20, 2006 22:07:39 GMT -5
Kashan stiffened at the offer and frowned at Nairi again for suggesting it with a "No. Thank. You," on the side.
But damn him, he returned to THAT topic. She'd hoped he had maybe a bad memory for conversation and would have lost track of it. Grr. "You're stubborn," she complained a bit. "And quite possibly a follower of Sorth." Ah yes, a follower of the darkness. It wasn't that she believed he was evil--at least he probably wasn't, but damn was he pushing it. He'd gotten her curiosity going! That wasn't good.
She sighed. "Oh fine, but just remember that I warned you. So what are we gambling on?" Damn him.
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Nairi
Novice
Fey-Touched
Posts: 60
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Post by Nairi on Dec 20, 2006 22:28:39 GMT -5
"There's lots of things we could bet on, but I'm not feeling very competitive... and I doubt you are, either. Why don't we just see who fate favors more today?" Nairi flipped open his pack and started to rummage through it, exclaiming softly when he succeeded in finding what he wanted. The deck of cards tossed onto the grass looked brand new - chances were he opened the box just to see what was inside it.
"Not exactly sure where these came from, but they should work alright." He slipped the cards out and shuffled them deftly - for someone who didn't seem sure why he had a deck of cards to begin with, he was certainly capable of handling them. "Why don't we both just name a suit and see which the card on top is? If you name it, you can have my money... or whatever it is I'm hiding in my pack. If I win, you take your hat off. I think I have a lot more to lose than you." He chuckled and set the deck down once he was satisfied, leaning back on his hands. "Hearts for me. They're my favorite."
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Kashan
Novice
You Can't Fix a Life.
Posts: 61
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Post by Kashan on Dec 20, 2006 22:39:59 GMT -5
So he thought, anyway. He had material possessions to lose, she had the first human companion she'd talked to in ages to sacrifice--or so Kashan thought in that melodramatic way she had at times. She sighed a bit, getting a sinking feeling about this. "Spades," she answered. Of course it was spades, they were black and somehow morbid and therefore suited her perfectly. She glanced at Nanai, thinking 'have your fun while you can. It won't last much longer.'
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Nairi
Novice
Fey-Touched
Posts: 60
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Post by Nairi on Dec 20, 2006 22:48:16 GMT -5
Naturally, it was hearts. If you asked Nairi about it, he'd admit to always picking them, not for any particular reason other than he liked them. Of course, he wouldn't mention that the reason he liked them was because a heart always tended to be on top... he set the card down in front of her, raising a brow. So what happened now? Did she want to do best two out of three? Would she run away?
"Well... that's that, I suppose." The young man didn't really know what else to say. It was Kashan's decision, and both he and the cat in his lap were watching and waiting for her to make it.
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Kashan
Novice
You Can't Fix a Life.
Posts: 61
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Post by Kashan on Dec 20, 2006 22:57:28 GMT -5
She may be a bit of a coward, but a bet was a bet and she'd lost. It didn't cross her mind to accuse him of cheating--he had been the one to shuffle the deck, after all, but the thought that he might cheat simply didn't cross her mind.
She frowned and thought 'well, Nanai, looks like playtime is over,' she thought, glancing this way and that to assure that they were alone before lowering the hat. Other than a bit of hat-hair, the side facing Nairi was perfectly normal--for being of unusually pale skin, and for the eye being the deep red color of blood. It was the side away from him that was abnormal--smooth skin moved into patch dragon-like scales over her cheek and jaw, disappearing into her collar. The color of the eye was the same, but the pupil was peculiarly slitted in that same draconic fashion. She didn't turn her head or lift her eyes. If he wanted to see it, he would have to work for it. She'd taken off her hat--that was all the bet required of her. Now she seemed to be hoping her hair would conceal the worst of it.
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Nairi
Novice
Fey-Touched
Posts: 60
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Post by Nairi on Dec 20, 2006 23:08:35 GMT -5
He wasn't about to get up and make her feel like less of a person by inspecting her closely - he had sharp eyes and could see what he wanted to see from here. While Nairi wasn't all that bright about a lot of things, there were some that he knew quite a bit about. He wasn't quite sure how he knew them, but they were there in his head, drifting in his subconscious like all the other stuff he didn't know about.
"That's some interesting decoration you've got there." Kashan had gone to great lengths to hide this from him... he wasn't about to announce her secret to the world over a silly card game. "Almost as if you were trying to look like you had Draconian blood. While I'm sure you're quite stunning without the scales on, I think I prefer you with them... if you don't mind me being so forward." Nairi had been right about her lips - they hinted at extensive beauty. Red eyes and scales didn't bother him much... he'd seen worse out of the corners of his own eyes when he wandered the streets at night, alone. "You can put the hat back on if you like." He hoped he was able to convey his feelings accurately. He was aware of her secret now, but there was no reason to ostracize her for it, simple as it was... and he didn't want to make her feel any more uncomfortable. His tone was soft and a little adoring, all the way through.
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