02-11-2015, 08:24 AM
Their meal arrived at a snap of fingers. But Aurora barely noticed. He was enthralling. She wasn't sure why, but he just was. She watched him eat a piece of bread before looking down and seeing what he had ordered. Pan-seared duck breast with blueberry sauce atop a bed of bok choy, wild mushrooms, pancetta, and shallots. Served with a side of roasted potatoes seasoned with rosemary and thyme. Her stomach rumbled.
The command to eat was lost upon Aurora as the smell overwhelmed her. She'd never had duck before. She hadn't had oysters before either. She still didn't like them, but he made everything better with a glance at her. Aurora couldn't help the smile that spread on her lips as she tried everything on her plate.
She grinned playfully at him. "Then ask away, I'm apparently an open book."
It wasn't the analogy she was thinking and it made her blush, he was definitely playing her like he played his cello. Aurora was not taken aback by it, she was enjoying the attention, and he was fine company.
The food was delicious, the conversation was enlightening, and the company was extraordinary. He was more than Aurora could have imagined. He saw beauty in everything. They spoke about a lot of things. He pulled out things from her that she hadn't possibly thought about. He seemed to grow irritated when she spoke about her brother, how he ignored her, how they were drifting. Almost mad at Nox for being the jerk that he is. It was just Nox and you took him with a grain of salt, he wasn't that bad. He loved her, she knew that but he was caught in that tangled web that Aria wove around him.
He even managed to pull out of her some of the issues with the Atharim, though she didn't actually say the name. How they were treating their people. She didn't give him exact details, but she let him know she didn't agree with their methods. He seemed very interested in her. They spoke very little about him. It was a foreign concept for Aurora, to talk about herself.
No one was ever that interested in her. And why would they be with her brother always around, his charismatic self pulling in all the attention. It wasn't until this moment that she realized how much she had resented her brother for being who he was. It hadn't mattered when they didn't have a home, it was all they had, he didn't have long to make lasting impressions. Now they were in one place, and he was shining too brightly and she was getting lost in his shadow. That aggravated her more now then ever.
By the time dinner was finished Aurora was still enthralled with her company, and his attention upon her and her alone. He made her feel special. She hadn't even minded when he paid the bill. He held her coat for her as she shrugged her arms through the holes and pulled it up around her shoulders. He leaned in and whispered. "Feel like a walk?"
Aurora smiled as her body shivered at his closeness and the words that tickled her ear. "I've no place else to be."
They walked out into the mid-afternoon. The chill was still in the air but walking after that meal seemed to warm them up. This time it was his turn to talk, about places he'd seen: The Plaza de Espana in Seville with its collonaded walkways and bridged paths opening up onto its massive square filled with vendors and shop keepers and performers; The Country Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como in northern Italy, a finger of land wearing a studded palace gem jutting out into the placid silver lake, the majestic Alps in the distance; Riding the Black Forest Railway in the mountains of Germany over bridges and through tunnels wending its way leisurely through that story book setting of the Brothers Grimm. And so many more. He seemed to have been everywhere and took great pleasure in the beauty and adventure he'd experienced. She could almost picture it.
They found themselves on the riverwalk at dusk, street lamps lighting the walkways and vendors and shops, families and couples milling about in the quietly beautiful night. Up ahead on a bench lounged a young man with a pad in his hands, cigarette hanging from his mouth. From the cut and purposeful mismatch of his dress, tousle of his hair, and careless attitude, he had the look of a student. As they passed him, her new friend making sure to be between her and the youth, the young man called out, "Excuse me!"
They both turned and his voice became hard. "What do you want?"
The tone rolled off the young man as if it had meant nothing and he pulled a drag on his cigarette.
"A word. Just a word from you." At their puzzled looks, he went on. "Look, I could just ask you for money. But instead, I'll ask you for a word. And then write you a poem." He seemed relaxed, as if he'd done this many times. "If it means something to you, if it adds something to your life, then you can give me what you want." Her friend looked down at her, a smile now on his face. But his words were directed to the youth.
"'Angel'."
His eyes lingered on hers.
The youth snickered, "'Angel'?" At his suddenly irritated look the youth put his hands up. "Ok, ok. 'Angel' it is." He sat down and ran his fingers through his hair as he began to write, to look at other sheets.
They walked to one of the trees nearby to lean against them as they waited. "'Angel' fits my mood."
The command to eat was lost upon Aurora as the smell overwhelmed her. She'd never had duck before. She hadn't had oysters before either. She still didn't like them, but he made everything better with a glance at her. Aurora couldn't help the smile that spread on her lips as she tried everything on her plate.
She grinned playfully at him. "Then ask away, I'm apparently an open book."
It wasn't the analogy she was thinking and it made her blush, he was definitely playing her like he played his cello. Aurora was not taken aback by it, she was enjoying the attention, and he was fine company.
The food was delicious, the conversation was enlightening, and the company was extraordinary. He was more than Aurora could have imagined. He saw beauty in everything. They spoke about a lot of things. He pulled out things from her that she hadn't possibly thought about. He seemed to grow irritated when she spoke about her brother, how he ignored her, how they were drifting. Almost mad at Nox for being the jerk that he is. It was just Nox and you took him with a grain of salt, he wasn't that bad. He loved her, she knew that but he was caught in that tangled web that Aria wove around him.
He even managed to pull out of her some of the issues with the Atharim, though she didn't actually say the name. How they were treating their people. She didn't give him exact details, but she let him know she didn't agree with their methods. He seemed very interested in her. They spoke very little about him. It was a foreign concept for Aurora, to talk about herself.
No one was ever that interested in her. And why would they be with her brother always around, his charismatic self pulling in all the attention. It wasn't until this moment that she realized how much she had resented her brother for being who he was. It hadn't mattered when they didn't have a home, it was all they had, he didn't have long to make lasting impressions. Now they were in one place, and he was shining too brightly and she was getting lost in his shadow. That aggravated her more now then ever.
By the time dinner was finished Aurora was still enthralled with her company, and his attention upon her and her alone. He made her feel special. She hadn't even minded when he paid the bill. He held her coat for her as she shrugged her arms through the holes and pulled it up around her shoulders. He leaned in and whispered. "Feel like a walk?"
Aurora smiled as her body shivered at his closeness and the words that tickled her ear. "I've no place else to be."
They walked out into the mid-afternoon. The chill was still in the air but walking after that meal seemed to warm them up. This time it was his turn to talk, about places he'd seen: The Plaza de Espana in Seville with its collonaded walkways and bridged paths opening up onto its massive square filled with vendors and shop keepers and performers; The Country Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como in northern Italy, a finger of land wearing a studded palace gem jutting out into the placid silver lake, the majestic Alps in the distance; Riding the Black Forest Railway in the mountains of Germany over bridges and through tunnels wending its way leisurely through that story book setting of the Brothers Grimm. And so many more. He seemed to have been everywhere and took great pleasure in the beauty and adventure he'd experienced. She could almost picture it.
They found themselves on the riverwalk at dusk, street lamps lighting the walkways and vendors and shops, families and couples milling about in the quietly beautiful night. Up ahead on a bench lounged a young man with a pad in his hands, cigarette hanging from his mouth. From the cut and purposeful mismatch of his dress, tousle of his hair, and careless attitude, he had the look of a student. As they passed him, her new friend making sure to be between her and the youth, the young man called out, "Excuse me!"
They both turned and his voice became hard. "What do you want?"
The tone rolled off the young man as if it had meant nothing and he pulled a drag on his cigarette.
"A word. Just a word from you." At their puzzled looks, he went on. "Look, I could just ask you for money. But instead, I'll ask you for a word. And then write you a poem." He seemed relaxed, as if he'd done this many times. "If it means something to you, if it adds something to your life, then you can give me what you want." Her friend looked down at her, a smile now on his face. But his words were directed to the youth.
"'Angel'."
His eyes lingered on hers.
The youth snickered, "'Angel'?" At his suddenly irritated look the youth put his hands up. "Ok, ok. 'Angel' it is." He sat down and ran his fingers through his hair as he began to write, to look at other sheets.
They walked to one of the trees nearby to lean against them as they waited. "'Angel' fits my mood."