A Meeting of the Minds (Ha'na, Lillis, Sam)

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

39th Spring, 510 A.V. "I think you'll like Ha'na," he said, still chattering away to Lillis as they walked along toward her little shop, which he hoped was still there. He was still unclear as to what was going on with her, her pottery stall in front of her cottage, and whatever her relationship was with the owner of Mechanical Marvels. But he had been raised to a certain standard of etiquette to which he had mostly reverted after escaping slavery in the anarchist state. Horse had been left behind for this excursion, and so they walked. He had even gotten over her slipping her arm around his without too much embarrassing blushing. No, he had no game. Sam had the naïve quality of seeing the best in everyone, and assuming people he liked would like each other. Perhaps there was something to that, though. In any case, he figured ice breaking activities could involve Lillis reading Ha'na's future or Ha'na showing Lillis her lovely pottery. Perhaps they might even trade. Perhaps they might... but no, he abjured memory of his last night's dream before it could make him start blushing again. "Oh, here we are," he said. Since shop wasn't set up front, he just knocked on the door.

[Lillis]

It had taken a bit of persuasion on Sam's part, convincing her to join him on his little excursion. It wasn't that she was reluctant to make the acquaintance of Ha'na -- on the contrary, she'd heard nothing but lovely things from Sam as regarded the woman in question. But social occasions made her slightly nervous: she never knew what to do with her hands. "Do I..." she paused, canting her head to the side as she walked, in step, with Sam. "Is this dress ok? I just... it's new." And it was red, boy was it red. She hadn't the faintest idea of how that shopkeeper had convinced her to buy something so... red. "I wanted the black one, but..." the shopkeeper had asked her for whom she was in mourning and it made her self-conscious. Upon their arrival, Lillis waited patiently with her arms crossed tightly in front of her. At least this time she'd had the forethought to wear gloves -- black, delicate -- so that she wouldn't be forced to draw awkwardly away if the lady extended her hand.

[Hana]

"One moment, please!" cried out a little voice from behind the door. The woman inside rushed to get her hair covered, wrapping the faded cloth she wore about it haphazardly and tied it into a knot at the back of her head. When she opened the door, it could be seen that over her shoulder the room was basically empty. The soot on her face and dress spoke of the fact that she'd been cleaning the hearth. She rubbed at her nose, but instead of wiping it off, it only made the mess worse. "Oh! Sam! Hello!" She said all of this with wide blue eyes. She smiled shyly at his companion before looking down at the ground nervously, tucking her own hands behind her back. Lillis wasn't the only one that didn't care to shake hands.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

The closest Sam had ever come to understanding couture had been when a girl asked him his opinion on which earrings best suited her, and his answer had merely been a reach backward into his past. He didn't know whether wearing a dress redder than flames was appropriate or not for dropping in on a friend.

"You look beautiful," he assured her. He wasn't much for guile or beguiling, but he knew that she was uncomfortably beautiful, as was Ha'na. He hoped they cancelled each other out.

And, after all, he dressed like the homeless wanderer he was, so she would look a queen next to him anyway.

He beamed as soon as Ha'na opened the door. To his mind, she was beautiful whether in work clothes or a dress like Lillis wore, though he thought dark blue would suit her better. Though the thought of her in bright pink like a girl his age was... never mind.

"Hello, Ha'na. This is my friend Lillis. I wanted to show her your pottery and introduce you to each other, but... it doesn't look like you are selling today."

[Lillis]

In that first instant, all her nervousness melted away and a smile lit her features to sparkling. "Hello," She said plainly. "Sam has told me much about you -- it's lovely to finally make your acquaintance." A spark of remembrance, and she reached into the plain satchel slung over her shoulder, and retrieved a small, glass bottle. "My mother taught me never to drop in on anyone without a little something, so..." She held the bottle out to Ha'na; it rested flat in her open palm. "It's just a little lavender oil. Pour it over some dried flowers and set it in the sun and the entire room will smell like a garden."

[Hana]

“Oh, I have a few pieces left inside that we’ve not taken to the shop, but I am selling back my space to the city tomorrow,” she said, perhaps a touch nervously. But she smiled all the same, and despite the timid hesitation in her voice that was possibly just due to speaking a language she wasn’t completely fluent in, she seemed genuinely happy that they were there to visit her. “Thank you so much, Lillis. You have a beautiful name.” She carefully took the little bottle, forcing herself to expose her branded and inked hand as she did so. At the sight of gloves, she considered why she’d never thought to cover her history from the world. It seemed so easy. But then she was distracted with a tiny smile and another nod. “I do believe Alistair has plans to philter soon, and if my experience proves correct I will greatly be needing this oil. Please. Come in. I have a little bit of wine and food to offer.”

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam smiled happily, beaming like Syna. It did him good to bring people together, connecting people who might not otherwise enjoy each other's acquaintance. He patted the leather bag slung over his shoulder, his smile going proud and his head nodding. "I brought some things just in case. I've picnicked with both of you, so it seemed like a good idea... Mushrooms, nuts, and berries I found out in the woods." Of course, the berries that had looked perfectly safe--birds had been eating them--but had given him diarrhea had promptly been thrown away. And nobody would ever know about that. "Alistair is the man you are living with...?" It was only then he put two and two together, but at least he got four. His dark eyes went wide, and then he smiled knowingly.

[Lillis]

Lillis smiled a broad and unexpected smile at the compliment to her name and thanked their hostess for her kindness before she followed the two of the into the room. Upon entering, she took a moment to allow those storm-sky eyes to rove idly over the expanse of the space, taking in the details, her gloved hands clasped neatly in front of her. The gloves did not hide her history -- indeed, her body was far too marked wit history to be terribly effective at hiding anything -- they simply ensured that she wouldn't have what, to an outsider, looked like a seizing fit during a perfectly pleasant get-together. How embarrassing. No, her history was written plainly on her body and, with the exception of the intricate latticework of scarring up and down her left leg, she took few pains to hide any of it. With her hair drawn back away from her face, the glint of her Chevas mark might catch the light; with her sleeves rolled up, her Gnosis mark and the bed of scar tissue it rested on were also plainly visible. Her skin acted as a document of her history and she looked forward to the days when smile lines would be forever visible on either side of her mouth and out of the corners of her eyes. Her absent musings were cut short when something that even vaguely resembled gossip floated to her ears, and she perked up a bit -- a man she was living with? She resisted the sudden impulse to ask all manner of socially inappropriate questions. Instead, she said: "Don't ever eat the berries Sam brings you."

[Hana]

She gave a soft little smile at the mention of berries, an almost sly glance given to Sam before she just chuckled. It really was a sisterly type of action that she seemed unaware of. She shook her head a little, saying rather teasingly, “Perhaps I ought to double check the mushrooms then? Just in case. Someone told me that they’re quite good cooked in butter. I have a small amount left over from something I cooked recently.” She moved to unpack the little bits of food she’d brought for herself from the basket on her counter. The plates she had left were lined up to put it on. Her eyes lifted up to look at Sam and Lillis. He’d asked about deGrey, and it seemed upon finally realizing this, she softened all the more – a true smile blooming onto her face. It was clear to see she was rather stupid over the man. She nodded, clearing her throat, “Ah, yes. Alistair deGrey… The inventor that owns Mechanical Marvels. We have moved my workshop to his – Our home.”

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Congratulations," he said, voice cast a little softer than before. He offered her his bag of goodies, all of which he had tested previously to make sure they weren't poisonous. Though he didn't know if any of them would react with a release of toxins when cooked in butter; he didn't even know if that was possible. He looked worried for a moment, but then assumed he was just being stupid and shrugged it off. "Perhaps I can meet him sometime?" It was part offer, part request. He had to wonder at how quickly he was making friends in Syliras even though he had come here with the gut-deep knowledge that something or someone was coming for him there to take him away. He could just be imagining things.