Completed [Traveler's Row - Orphanage] Pleasing the Youth

[Elann]

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She watched as Noah handed saucers out, an interested smile was on her face as she did. While paying attention to the boys that constantly demanded her attention she kept looking back to see how he was handling things. He seemed pleased at the very least, and having that in her mind set her at rest. She paid more attention to the boys now and engages both them and the girls in conversation.

The girls were extremely loud when excited and when Noah was with them it seemed, but as Noah was handing out the saucers they sat there like little angels; or were they waiting to unleash an explosion of questions upon the poor man? She didn't know. She flattened the dress at her chest and smoothed it out, trying to look her best and presentable. This thought process was quickly destroyed by the boys. The boys were always rowdy, expressing themselves with thrown fists and forced words in exclamation. One little boy even got to talking about how one day he was going to climb the castle and stand on the very highest part and lift a sword up in the air. He did so, orating his tale so powerfully and prideful that it made Elann laugh. He had his hand tucked into his shirt and pulled it out to even make his chest seem larger than life and held up his hand as if there were a sword in it.

Another boy tried to trump his story by yelling how he was going to swim across the ocean. That's it. He didn't explain anything further nor describe it, but in his mind that was better than climbing a dumb old castle. Then one little boy blurted out something in such exuberant speech that Elann had no idea what he was even saying. Whatever it was he sure was happy about it. As Aenysa started to dish out food it not only smelled good, but looked good too. When she finally got to Elann's dish, she looked up to Aenysa and shook her head no. With a happy shrug she continued on dishing out food until it was back to Noah and the girls.

The little boy next to her filled his mouth with food and munched on it a bit before asking Elann why she wasn't eating. His mouth of course was full and one of the older boys scolded him to eat with his manners by pounding on the table to get his attention. That seemed like a little misplaced judgment to her and it made her laugh inside. It seems they were taught some form of civility here and Elann smiled and said. "I ate before I came here dear." Her Benshiran accent seemed to almost disappear for a moment as they were very familiar words but then they came back as she said, "And I knew I was to come by the orrphanage today so I filled up full so I would not be hungry when playing with you. But I might have filled up tooo full." she blew up her mouth and puffed out her cheeks. She then nodded assuming that was a good enough answer. She glanced back at Noah and tilted her head to see around the girls that surrounded him to see what he was doing. He wasn't that far away, but she wanted to see clearer.

She looked back to the little boy next to her who had taken another giant spoonful of food into his mouth and he was chewing happily. She gently pet his hair with her fingers only, as her right wrist was hurt and that was the side the boy was on. He seemed to like it and when he was almost done he looked up to Elann and gave her a big grin with pepper and various spices stuck in his teeth. "I like your eyes. They are nice" He then went back to gobbling down his food as though he didn't even say anything. "Thank you" , she sweetly said in response. Now that was a truthful compliment she felt. There was no intent behind it other than to say he thought her eyes were nice.

When all of the boys had finished their meals they began to one by one run and grab toys and play with them, or run outside and play swords. It was fun to watch them all interact and Elann felt that while she could definitely see herself coming back, perhaps it was a good time to go. She didn't know if Noah was secretly dying inside, so she thought it best to find out. She sought an opportunity to pull him aside when most of the kids had either eaten or gone.

"How are you doing? Having fun? Did you want to go soon?" she tilted her head curiously. Her locks of hair all cascaded to one side, releasing a faint scent of powder and henna. She tried to make it clear from her tone that she really wanted to know how he was feeling, however that was very difficult to do in common for her believe it or not.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

The girls seemed thoroughly intrigued by Noah. They pestered the man with questions even as Aenysa circled around with the food in hand. They asked him what he liked to do, he lied and said running instead of flying. They giggled. They asked him if he liked to swim. He did. Then they asked him his age and a truth conflicted the man entirely. In truth this would mark Noah’s eighth year of life come the end of Winter, but what was he going to tell the girls? He couldn’t just come on out and say he was seven… could he? He looked at them, their eyes waiting in shining anticipation. “C’mon, Mister Noah. How old are you?” one of them prodded further.

He waved for the girls at his table to gather in. They leaned in, propped by their hands or another way and listened for his answer. “I’m…” he paused to make sure all their eyes were watching before he continued. “I’m seven,” he said in earnest. They all bursted into high pitched laughter.

“You’re not seven!”

“You’re too big to be seven, silly!”

Comments came from all of them regarding the ridiculousness of the statement. He found it hilarious and laughed along with them, coming to the point where he had to hold his sides from the shuddering. “It’s true, I swear!” he tried to defend himself.

“No way,” another girl commented before being shushed by Aenysa.

“Come girls, eat your fill,” she said, serving the table around him. When she came to him he raised a hand and shook his head.

“No, thank you,” he said. Aenysa smiled and walked away, serving the last table before putting the food back on the large table. The girls wondered why he wasn’t eating and he gave them another lie of an excuse stating that he wasn’t hungry. Honestly, he was starving, his stomach ached for some form of distraction until a real meal could be acquired. Luckily for him one of the girls offered him a piece of her roll and he accepted, trying not to scarf it down like the animal he was but instead chew it thoroughly before swallowing. The taste was horrid on his tongue. There was no meat, only grain and flour. It certainly wasn’t what he was craving at this moment.

The rest of the lunch went by without a hitch. There were various questions from the little girls and those questions were either deflected or answered playfully. There were laughs here and there before his whole table watched as the boys finished their meal and left the room. That signaled to the rest of the room that lunch was over now and the girls soon followed suit. A few of the older ones stayed though in order to help Aenysa put away the dishes and clean them.

In those moments that’s when his eyes fell upon Elann as she approached him. She pulled him aside and asked him about how he felt, tilting her head as she did so. He watched her hair fall to one side and fought the urge to reach out to it. “I’m having fun,” he answered before holding his belly. “But I’m starving so if I or… we could go get food that’d be great.” He looked to her expectantly, wondering what her plans were.

[Elann]

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Elann was utterly at peace in her heart. She couldn't even express how wonderful she felt right now. Standing there with Noah felt naturally more comfortable with him than she had before. She had heard his comment about being seven years old before but she didn't even think about it. She figured they were all playing a game because of their secrecy previously. Now she happily asked him whether they should go and he seemed to think so as well. She nodded and she looked over to Aenysa who was cleaning up. She prepared to say something kind and courteous to the woman, but before a word could even leave her mouth Aenysa had been listening in and said to her, "Planning on leaving?"

Elann showed on her face the sorrow of parting from them and nodded slowly. Aenysa looked briefly to the older girls who were there cleaning and Elann could see the mothering look in her eyes. Surely this part killed her it seemed, and while she was a jolly, happy lady, she wished she could give each child the gift of never having to worry if someone would return or not.

"Yes...we had so much fun but tell the kids we had fun and loved them." a grin spread across her lips as widely as possible for her and she held her hands across her chest. Her left hand (the uninjured one) reached out and patted Noah on the shoulder. "Don't forget your bag." The feeling to cry was welling up inside her like a volcano the more she thought of leaving these children alone. Just the perspective to see loving people come in, love you like they did, then leave again. It broke her heart. Then the one who saw the most was Aenysa, who had to be the most loving of women in the city to do that job. She must have been someone quite special to handle it.

Elann moved to the door with Aenysa as the older girls continued to clean up and said their goodbyes. She waved to them her farewells and then gave Aenysa a parting kiss on the cheek and an embrace. "You are more blessed than you know." she was dying inside and parted from her and moved out the door and onto the patio where she wait for Noah. She returned to the edge of the streets where there tears filled her eyes. Elann wept. "Oh mighty merciful master. Please in all your grace and love for me your servant, pass it to them. Please be with them and watch them." She sniffled at her thoughts and knowing Noah would be down momentarily, she wiped her eyes hard and aired them out by fanning them, taking deep breaths, and tried to clear not only her sinuses but her complexion. When he would come she would try her best to hide it and give him a smile, yet avoid direct eye contact until she felt secure that her eyes would be clear, yet perhaps a little wateriness could be seen from the side despite her best efforts.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah dismissed himself at Elann’s behest when she told him not to forget his bag. He hadn’t planned on it, the muffins he had brought probably crushed in the tickle attack that the girls had brought onto him when they found him. He could hear their laughing in the distance and decided it was coming from outside in the backyard where both girls and boys voices could be heard. He did hear a few in the classroom as he passed by to go up the stairs.

With some agility he bounded the steps two at a time before coming up on the now deserted upper floor. All the children had been preoccupied with other things, playing the backyard or arts and crafts with Aenysa soon be supervising. He took a left from the top step and another left into the double doors that led to the playroom. It was void of children as well and he could spot his bag in the middle of the room looking quite trampled. With large strides he went over to it, picked it up, and turned on his heel to leave the room when a sense of forgetfulness struck him.

He thought on the boy now with the sandy hair. Had he been at lunch with the rest of the kids? Noah couldn’t remember. It seemed he couldn’t remember anything today but made no fuss of it. He travelled out of the room, down the stairs, through the sitting room, and then out the door where he saw Elann a small distance away. “I’m ready,” he said as he came up behind her. He then pivoted and started to walk backwards, hands on the straps of his bag. He looked at the Welcome Home’s building again and felt a small sadness. The children there were without a home and had to worry if people would visit them, people like Elann and Noah.

The Kelvic felt like he made a commitment to the place now that he had visited for the first time. He felt the had to visit them as long as he stayed in Syliras. The frequency of which though, he could not determine. He turned to face the right away again and peered down to Elann, the top of her hair only visible. “Did you have fun?” he asked.

[Elann]

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Elann could hear the thuds of Noah's feet approaching as he took his large strides. He seemed full of life as he spun about to look at the building. She glanced further down to her dress and acted as if she needed to clean it off, giving it a light dusting of the back of her hands. Surprising there was some grass still upon her and she wildly swept the back of her dress as she answered him

"Oh...so much fun." she seemed really excited but still had to fight back some tears from forming again. There was a quiet moment when she was done and ready to go that was slightly awkward. From the moment Noah had known her she was a very communicative person, one to nearly always look you in the eye. She now avoided his though and as they turned to head down the road she shuffled forward with almost drooped shoulders. In that brief moment it could have been deduced easily that something was wrong, but shortly after it she took a deep breath, puffed back up and gave him a smile while still avoiding eye contact as best she could. There was no wetness any longer on her eyes there was no guarantee that her eyes weren't red.

Now that her dress had been cleaned, except some resistant grass in her hair and in the middle of her back, she was ready to go. "Well that was nice. We should do that again sometime." She looked forward at the crowd that had now started to pick up considerably than when they had left the Travelers Row. There was a bit of hesitation to join in the writhing mass of people but they had to eventually right? She moved her hands to rest on her stomach and held her elbows out in front of her briefly as she kicked at a loose stone at her feet. "I'm sure you have to work today or something correct?" She asked and glanced over to his chest, still avoiding.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah fell behind Elann in their walk and looked up into the sky. The winds weren’t frequent today and in that Noah couldn’t help but wonder where Zulrav’s gaze sat today if not on Syliras. Was there a storm elsewhere that Noah could not feel? It was possible for the god had to be everywhere in order to conjure up the storms that ravaged every part of the continent. Still, the Kelvic couldn’t help but feel a little alone without Zulrav’s winds at his back. When one did breeze gentle through the road they were taking, he felt reassured. Perhaps the god had heard his thoughts. He hoped so.

Above the sun was shining through sparse clouds and Noah couldn’t sense any anger in today’s breezes. He looked down to Elann who was walking a tad faster than he. He watched as she smoothed her dress out and wildly flicked at the back of it. The peach thing looked flawless in Noah’s precise eyes, so he wondered what was bothering the girl, if anything. He remained where he was, eventually matching Elann’s speed so that she didn’t creep off too far.

When she did answer him, the chirp in her voice had faded some and she walked now with a sullen strut in her step. Her shoulders drooped now too for a moment before she took a breath to right herself. He furrowed his brow at her mannerisms and caught up to her in too easy strides. She had come to stop now, feet away from the torrent of people that they would eventually have to join if they wished to return home. Yet Noah’s stomach still remained empty, his mind slipped entirely from his muffins. In fact, he wasn’t quite in the mood for them. He wanted a real meal, something to sink his teeth into.

“I think we should,” he said in reply to her suggestion, Then he looked to the crowd again, as they shuffled about. He wondered what were on their agenda for today. Noah looked again to Elann when she mentioned his job and thankfully, he was free for the day and wanted to spend it exploring the city more, if not doing so with his hopeful friend. He wondered if she was trying to pry him away and then he noticed her look to his chest and not his eyes as usual.

He liked that about her, how she managed to keep eye contact on the level that Noah did and this difference bothered him great. He bit his lip in consideration. What was to be done? he wondered, there was something surely wrong with his once happy friend. If she’d allow it, he would placed a hand on her shoulder as if beckoning her to look him in the eyes. “Wanna grab something to eat and drink before we head home? I’m still starving and we could talk about the kids?” he said, hoping that she’d accept. It’d really give him to oppurtunity to ask the questions he had had on his mind all day. “I don’t think the Rearing Stallion is too far away from here.” He waited with baited breath for her answer.

[Elann]

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She seemed happy for a short moment as he said that he wanted to come back. That at least brought a little peace to her heart, but she did find it harder to maintain her smile as long. She glanced to the people wandering by again and then back to his chest. When he placed his hand on her shoulder she took in a deep breath and let her protruding elbows and arms flop down from her subtle love handles, let her stress go, and then brought them up to hug around her waist as was normal for a feeling security.

The saddened girl nodded, in a way, to his inquiry for food and she lifted the shoulder he had his hand on in an adoring way toward her cheek, yet not touching it, as if to say that she appreciated it. She looked up hesitantly and into his eyes, or rather right below them, still not giving full concession to his non-verbal request. It was a strange sight to see a Benshira woman with red in her eyes.

To see Elann cry or even to have seen the past event of her crying, it just seemed like a crime. She seemed to have toughened up a bit since though and yet she could not depart without first giving a quick glance behind her to the orphanage, to almost non-verbally communicate her longing for them and desire to not leave them.

"Ok...lets get some lunch. Lead the way." She shyly smiled, knowing by now that he knew she was crying and a little embarrassed about it. She would walk with him out toward the Rearing Stallion, soon to be assaulted by the gaggle of people ushering too and fro; something she most certainly didn't want to experience right now.


oocTo be continued...

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Sayana]

Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request. If there's anything I may have missed, please PM me and I'll be happy to look into it.

 

Elann

Skills

• Observation: 5
• Writing: 1
• Prayer: 4
• Planning: 2
• Stealth: 1
• Dancing: 2
• Cosmetology: 3
• Socialization: 5
• Flirting: 2
• Endurance: 2
• Interrogation: 5
• Land Navigation: 1
• Intelligence: 2
• Child care: 5
• Rhetoric: 3
• Brawling: 1
• Acting: 4
• Leadership: 4
• Teaching: 2
• Drawing: 1
• Cleaning: 2
• Storytelling: 1

Lores

• Location: The Welcome Home Orphanage
• Flirting: Saying someone is pretty
• Noah: Born in Zeltiva
• Zeltiva: By the ocean
• Aenysa: Caretaker at the Welcome Home
• Noah: Young at heart
• Child care: Scolding a child
• Dancing: Goofy boy dance
• Cosmetology: Removing make up using oil
• Noah in a dress
• The orphans at the Welcome Home

 

Noah

Skills

• Observation: 5
• Cosmetology: 2
• Singing: 1
• Socialization: 5
• Flirting: 3
• Intelligence: 5
• Subterfuge: 2
• Storytelling: 1
• Running: 3
• Stealth: 2
• Tracking: 1
• Acting: 3
• Endurance: 2
• Child care: 3
• Disguise: 2
• Rhetoric: 3
• Persuasion: 1
• Hosting: 1

Lores

• Location: The Welcome Home Orphanage
• Flirting: Saying someone is pretty
• Flirting: Opening a door for someone
• Aenysa: Caretaker at the Welcome Home
• Stealth: Step on the edges of stairs rather than the middle
• Cosmetology: Lip Pomade
• Disguise: Basic female accessories
• Child care: Playing along with child games
• The orphans at the Welcome Home

Comments: Wow, that was a long thread. But very enjoyable too. It was cute seeing how both Elann and Noah interacted with the orphans, and in different ways too. Great job.

Your Grader,

Sayana

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