Closed Ah But It's Cold Outside

[Theodore Muzenni]

4th of Winter, 514

The ravosala shuddered slightly as it rounded a small bend, forcing Theo to steady himself with an outstretched hand. Behind him the ravosalaman used his trademark stick to push off another wall, chuckling softly at the display.
Glad to see someone is enjoying themselves. Turning to further study the man, Theo shivered slightly, bringing the cold to the forefront of his mind. It was an odd thing, to be cold in Ravok, but the thoughts were quickly shoved aside. Someone else would deal with the problem, no doubt. Water lapped gently against the small boat as it glided through the canals and, having lost interest in the ravosalaman, Theo let himself relax.

Barely five chimes later the ravosala crawled to a stop. Reaching into his pocket, Theo flicked the ravosalaman a few coins, which were snatched deftly from the air. With a smile, Theo let his djed coat his tongue and pool behind his eyes.
"You've done well, my friend." The words were laced with hypnotic suggestion. Not much, of course, but hopefully enough that the praise would be remembered.
"Thank you, sir," the ravosalaman replied as Theo stepped onto the appropriate, adjacent platform. Dismissing the thanks unecesssary with a wave of his hand, Theo reached out silently with his power:
Satisfaction
A small smile tugged at the ravosalaman's lips as he pushed back into the waterway, and Theo watched him go. By now, the feeling he'd encouraged would have faded, but the improved mood it helped create? He suspected that would last a bit longer.

It wasn't long before Café Fleurs came into view.
It never ceases to amaze me how green this place is. The shop was practically engulfed in plants, none of which Theo could identify. Some were decorative, some were edible, and some were even poisonous; at least, that's what people said. The plants, while lovely, were not why Theo visited Café Fleurs-
Though that's not entirely true, I think. Boldly, he pushed his way into the café, a small bell on the door announcing his arrival.

Theo inhaled deeply as he removed his hat, tucking it carefully under his arm. An array of pleasant aromas clotted the air, and the building did an excellent job at keeping the cold at bay.
Now this is much better, I think.
The register was unmanned, which could have meant any number of things. A few quick steps across the room put Theo face-to-face with a pair of translucent doors. Beyond them lay the seating area, an enclosed garden nestled beneath a canopy of vines. Fortunately the place didn't seem too busy, and most of the tables were unoccupied. Theo took a seat towards the back of the room, in one of its corners, resting his hat and cane across the table.

It was barely a chime before Azalea - the owner's Niece - approached Theo, wearing the same cheerful smile she always did. Theo smiled at the woman as he manoeuvred his djed into position.
"Good morning Theo! Shall I get you your usual today?"
"Azalea, my dear it is always a pleasure. It really is good of you to always provide me with such prompt service, I think. Yes, some green tea would be splendid."
"Won't be a chime," and with that, the woman hurried back towards the main building. Theo let his djed disperse, which was accompanied by a slight, irritating pressure at the back of his head. Even small applications of hypnotism would add up when used too frequently, but maintaining his positive reinforcement of Azalea was worth it.
I do so hate having to wait too long for my tea, after all.

[Lyrial]

4th of Winter, 514

The sharp bite of annoyance accompanied Lyrial as she walked, her fingers unconsciously rubbing at the vibrant smudges of red and green ink swirled across the side of her right hand. Truthfully she had no one but herself to blame, her impatience having pushed her to continue even when she’d known she needed to take a break. Absolute concentration and muscle control where needed whilst she worked and it had only taken a split second of inattention for her hand to fall, brushing against the newly applied ink of the parchment she had been agonisingly close to finishing. With an unattractive smear marring the otherwise flowing lines of script the parchment was now fit only as kindling for the fire.

"Idiot", a sigh followed the muttered imprecation that fell from her lips, her frustration at her own stupidity intensified not just at the thought of a mornings work wasted but the waste of the coloured inks that were not the cheapest materials to acquire. Get a grip on yourself, sarcastic and acerbic, the mental admonishment was enough to clear the film that had clouded the deep blue of her irises, up until this moment oblivious in any real manner to the paths that her feet were unerringly following. With a start of surprise Lyrial realised she had managed to make her way from the outskirts of the docks all the way to the merchants ring, a childhood spent darting across the thin canals and paths that wound between the buildings having allowed her to find a walkable route through the labyrinth of platforms.

A small frown of concentration flickered across her face as she tried to think of where she could go that might make her relax and soothe the edges of her temper. The slight breeze coming from the lake sent shivers across her slender frame, nudging her mind towards images of warmth, a small café she had only visited a handful of times before. Managing to catch the attention of one of the passing ravosala the journey to Fleurs was accomplished in a smooth glide, leaving her free to enjoy the familiar sights of the city that she loved.

The café truly was one of the sights to see, a small smile lighting Lyrial’s eyes as she walked towards the building covered with a lush display of a dizzying number of flora. Barren of plant life as the majority of Ravok naturally was, it fascinated her even more to see such a collection, though she had no hope of identifying even a quarter of what Darnel had managed to coax into flourishing. Though if rumour were to be believed she was better off not looking too closely at some of what was growing next to their more edible cousins.

As soon as she crossed the threshold she could feel the warmth of the air start to ease the tension of her muscles, eyes closing in a moment of appreciation as the mingled scents of brewing tea and baking pastries enveloped her. That’s better, this is exactly what I need today. The café seemed quiet, with only a few patrons to be found beyond the translucent doors that led to the seating area, something which suited her more than a chattering crowd at that particular moment. Gracefully winding her way through the small tables and chairs, she slipped into a seat towards the back of the room, angled so that she’d be able to see most of the canopied garden.

It seemed only moments before the server approached, a woman named Azalea if she was remembering right from an earlier visit.
"And what can I get for you today? We’ve got some fresh pastries coming out of the oven in a few chimes.".
"Just a firweed tea for now, please." Though her tone was neutrally friendly, Lyrial didn’t encourage any further conversation, though she sensed that Azalea would be only too happy to rest her feet for a good chat. It was something she’d come to accept about herself as each winter passed, she would never be easy with making connections, or even idle small talk, too uncomfortable to reveal herself unless she knew someone well.
"Of course, it won’t take long.".

Settling back into the chair as soon as Azalea had moved towards the kitchens, Lyrial allowed her gaze to play around the garden. Seemingly fascinated with tracing the interlacing vines that grew down the stone walls of the building, she was really more interested in the various patrons dotted around the space. One of her favourite games as a child had been to weave stories around the figure of a stranger that caught her attention on the street, something she still did as an adult, almost without thinking, her curiosity too active to be content to merely sit.

[Theodore Muzenni]

Ribbons of steam flowed gracefully from Theo's partially-drained cup, and a lingering warmth settled in the pit of his stomach, prompting a genuine smile from the man.
Darnel does not charge enough for his tea, I think. Having satisfied his thirst, Theo's attention began to drift lazily across the garden, bypassing the collection of exotic flora, and instead settling on the other occupants. One pair, in particular, attracted his interest. Neither of them would ever be considered beautiful; his ears were too big and her face was too narrow, but the way they blushed when their eyes accidentally met was proof enough of their feelings for one-another. Clumsy in their youth, they was clearly in love.

This is my queue, I think. Inhaling deeply, Theo ignored the throbbing behind his eyes the new influx of djed undoubtedly reignited. Using his gaze to direct it, Theo pushed his influence over the couple.
Some confidence to start us off... and a pinch of courage... that's right, you can do this... but sooner would be better than later, I think: impatience. Refusing to be ignored any longer, the throbbing in Theo's head exploded as he released the magic. Several stabs of agony pounded against the inside of his skull before subsiding to a sore, but tolerable, headache.

They were too far away, I think, Theo thought as he took another sip of his tea. Those few moments of intense pain had forced him to turn away from the couple or risk exposure. Consequently, Theo was unable to watch the immediate effects of his hypnotism. This bothered him very little in the grand scheme of things.
That must be it: the distance. Instead, the hypnotist took to pondering his limitations. If anything else, it served to distract him from his headache, which he suspected wasn't going to fade any time soon.

As he grew bored with that particular subject, habit inspired Theo to keep scanning the room. A delighted giggle could be heard from the direction of the couple-
Well, that answers that question. Smug in his apparent success, Theo almost didn't notice the woman with the deep, blue eyes. It took no small amount of willpower to prevent his head from snapping back to face her.
Was she watching me? He couldn't quite be sure, which was more concerning than knowing either way. What, if anything, had she seen? The hypnotist found himself wanting to find out. Finishing the rest of his tea in a mighty swallow, Theo silently counted out five ticks before turning back towards her and flashing his most charming smile.

[Lyrial]

She wasn’t sure what it was that first attracted her attention to the seated figure in the corner, up until now her roving gaze having been drawn towards the more lively tables in the middle of the garden. There was …. something, something she couldn’t quite put into words, even in the privacy of her own mind. Curling slender fingers around the by now subtle warmth of the cup in front of her, she slowly raised it to her lips, the unobtrusive movement allowing her to sweep her eyes across the corner table once more.

The cane and hat neatly placed upon the tabletop where something of an oddity; taken on their own they were nothing too remarkable, affectations she’d often seen employed by the supposed noble class of the city. Allowing her gaze to blur and drift slightly once more, she pondered the idea, rejecting it almost as soon as it had formed. The self-styled nobility of the city were in reality those who had rather more than most and weren’t shy of flaunting the fact publically, and that she realised was what struck her senses as wrong, his clothing far too simple, devoid of any of the colour or embellishments she would have expected for one of those peacocks.

Her attention snagged next on the lovers sat only a few tables away. No, not lovers, she corrected herself, but they’d like to be. A sweep of colour defined the womans cheeks, the mans hand clenched as if to stop himself reaching across to take her hand. Lyrial’s lips twisted into a small smile as she watched, her imagination not needed to supply any details to this particular tableau; from her vantage point their feelings seemed stamped across their youthful features, but each were obviously too unsure of the others feelings to move this dance along, their murmured conversation punctuated by long silences as they studiously avoided looking at each other. Both seemingly too shy to take any initiative it would likely take a long time before their relationship progressed any further.

Tangling her fingers gently in the long braid that swept down her shoulder, Lyrial idly twined the ebony strands around her fingers as she wondered how she could best capture their simple story between the pages of her journal. About to move on, she found herself almost unwillingly flicking her eyes towards the corner of the garden once more, and found her attention arrested by the look of concentration on the mans face, his eyes locked with absolute focus on the same pair she had been watching only a chime ago. Following his gaze, she saw with surprise the youths head bend towards his companion as he whispered something into her ear, their hands now interlocked upon the table. As they drew away from each other, a delighted giggle drifted across the air, their eyes unexpectedly locked with each others as their conversation became rather more animated.

Wrenching her head back towards the corner, she was fractionally too late, his own head already having turned sharply away, robbing her of the chance to read his expression. Did he …, wait, no, he can’t have been responsible, that doesn’t happen. Arguing with herself was unlikely to be helpful but curiosity had always been Lyrial’s private vice, and this puzzle was too intriguing to leave unsolved. Even though her imagination could well have supplied her with at least ten possible explanations, each one more outlandish than the last, she didn’t want just another story for her collection.

Her head tilted fractionally as she studied his profile, her eyes now openly tracing over his features as he turned his attention back to his tea. She would usually never be this brazen, but her mind was racing too fast as she tried to sort through what had just happened. She couldn’t even truly say that she had seen anything, she had nothing but suspicions, ones that were only heightened as another giggle and soft sigh drifted over from the couples table.
Without warning his head turned back towards her and she found herself in the path of a dazzling smile. That smile undoubtedly held charm, and when coupled with his handsome, if unremarkable, features she was sure it usually garnered a similar response from the recipient. Lyrial, however, had never been one to do what was expected of her, and that trait held true in this instant.

Face impassive, she simply stared back, a slightly frosty edge to the gaze she trained on his face. She wanted answers, or at least a little more information, but with nothing but an amorphous feeling she was hardly going to get them, and without any skill to charm strangers into conversation she was a loss of how to proceed.

[Theodore Muzenni]

Theo did not think himself a careless man, but recent events suggested he should reconsider that evaluation. Blue eyes bore steadily into his own, and behind them sat a problem. A problem with dark hair and distracting legs, but a problem nonetheless.
The question then is how to best deal with her. Tilting his head slightly, Theo replaced the smile with a softer, more thoughtful expression. Given enough time, he was confident he could devise a subtle solution. Unfortunately time was not a luxury the hypnotist could afford, so he decided to go on the offensive.

Turning away from the woman as if to dismiss her, Theo stood. He moved with a deliberate lack of haste, as if he were completely unconcerned with the situation. The vest he was wearing had crinkled slightly at some point, and he took his time straightening it out, blatantly ignoring his little problem while he did so. Gathering his possessions and tucking in his chair, Theo took two big steps towards the exit, letting his cane click loudly against the ground as he did so.
By Rhysol I hope this works. Turning his next step into a pivot left Theo once again facing the woman, and he approached her table in a few casual steps, trying to appear an non-threatening as possible while he did so.

Using hypnotism would have been too risky at that point, and the throbbing in Theo's head agreed with the sentiment.
"Excuse me, miss? Why were you staring at me just now?" Slouching slightly and wearing a playful grin, Theo focused his attention on the woman. Her answer would be irrelevant, he decided. Regardless of how she tried to respond, he would interrupt with:
"It's rude to stare at people, you know?" It was important to keep his tone playful, he decided. Nothing serious was going on here, nothing strange; It was all just a little game.

[Lyrial]

She was oddly disappointed when the man turned his head away and began to gather his belongings. Frowning slightly, Lyrial played her fingers along the edge of her cup, feeling as though she’d just been dismissed, and not liking the feeling one bit. Staring into the shallow pool that was all that remained of her tea, she tried once again to sort through what she’d seen, or should that be imagined? She was conscious she did have the tendency to let her imagination run away from her, and she really couldn’t say she’d seen him do anything more nefarious than look at the couple, a crime she’d been guilty of herself.

Making a sharp sound of annoyance in her throat, she pushed the cup away, and tried to wrench her thoughts under control. Maybe some food would help, given she hadn’t eaten all morning; as she looked over the menu she could hear the staccato click of a cane as the man made his way out of the café.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she glanced up once more to find that rather than seeing his figure pushing through the doors as she’d expected he was instead only a couple of steps from her own table.

"Excuse me, miss? Why were you staring at me just now?"

For a beat Lyrial was at a loss, her instinct was to be blunt as usual, but how exactly was she going to phrase that? I saw you looking at those people, and now they’re acting out of character based on the few chimes I spent watching them myself, so clearly you must have done something even though I didn’t see anything. Even to herself she sounded like a raving lunatic. Mentally rolling her eyes and wondering how she’d gotten herself into this predicament, Lyrial decided some version of the truth was probably the only way out now. With a small shrug she kept her tone matter of fact, “I like watching people, it’s …" she broke off as he spoke again, before she’d managed more than a handful of words.

“It’s rude to stare at people, you know?”

But clearly not rude to interrupt when someone else was speaking. “Is it?” One eyebrow arched elegantly as she continued, "I suppose that depends on whether or not you care what the other person thinks, don't you agree?”. Her right forefinger beat a slow tattoo on the wooden table as she mused over her own words, because she was genuinely curious to know what this stranger thought, a very unusual feeling. The playful tone of his words seemed to suggest he wasn’t too concerned about being stared at, and he didn’t seem threatening in any way, but she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that there was something to be uncovered, which meant she needed to keep him talking.

Shifting forward slightly in her chair she offered a slight teasing smile, deciding to consign subtlety to the bottom of the lake; “Besides it seems I’m not the only one whose manners could use some improvement, unless you’re planning on offering an apology to the couple a few tables over?”

[Theodore Muzenni]

"I suppose that depends on whether or not you care what the other person thinks, don't you agree?" By answering his question with another question, the woman made one thing abundantly clear to Theo:
This may take a while, I think. Under normal circumstances, Theo actually enjoyed discussions that were philosophical in nature. These were not normal circumstances however, and he found himself disappointed that she wasn't more... well, stupid. He would humour her, Theo decided. Conversation was just the distraction she needed, really.

A distinct tapping focused Theo's attention towards the wooden table his new acquaintance had decided to use as a makeshift drum and, more importantly, her hands. Ink stains. Unless of course she bruised green, they were definitely ink stains. Was she a clerk, perhaps? Or a scribe? Maybe she was a student at The Institute of Higher Learning.
She's surprisingly confident for a bookworm. Every detail he noticed about the woman gave him no answers, only questions.
“Besides it seems I'm not the only one whose manners could use some improvement, unless you’re planning on offering an apology to the couple a few tables over?” Her thoughtful expression had been replaced by a playful, almost goading smile. She'd shimmied forward on her seat. Eagerness, perhaps? Theo had suspected the conversation would eventual be swung towards the couple, so that was hardly a shock.
Though I find myself regretting getting involved with those two, I think.

"Typically speaking my dear, when posed with a question one will provide an answer, not another question. Of course, we can't really expect much in the way of social elegance from a starer, now can we?" Without missing a beat Theo gave his answer, slowly making his way around the table as he did so. Upon reaching the seat opposite the woman, he slipped into it with an obvious nonchalance, neatly resting his belongings on the tabletop as he did so.
"Furthermore, I'm sorry to have to inform you that I never apologise. It doesn't agree with my skin, you see?" Theo continued, his tone decidedly too earnest. He reached down for a drink of tea, then frowned slightly as he remembered that his cup was both empty and stranded on his old table.
"But I am letting myself get sidetracked, I think. You still haven't answered the question, my dear. Why exactly were you staring at me? Your reluctance to answer only makes me more curious, I think." Raising an eyebrow much like she had, Theo maintained eye contact and stretched out his arm, giving a slight wave in the hopes of attracting Azalea's attention.
I am going to need another cup of tea.

OOC :

I am loving this. If you decide to have Azalea return to the table, feel free to take control of Theo if it helps move things along. He'd likely cut off/ignore Lyrial to talk with her and say something like:

"Azalea my dear, I don't suppose I could trouble you for another cup?"
then,
"Thank you my dear." In response to whatever she says.

[Lyrial]

Even as the words left her mouth, Lyrial couldn’t help but wonder if she’d made a mistake. Afterall there was nothing to stop him simply leaving the café, as she’d assumed he had intended to do only a chime ago. Simply because she had been blunt with her question didn’t mean that she would receive the same candour in return. Noticing the drift of his gaze, she flattened her hand upon the table, concealing the worst of the stains against the grain of the wood.

"Typically speaking my dear, when posed with a question one will provide an answer, not another question. Of course, we can't really expect much in the way of social elegance from a starer, now can we? Furthermore, I'm sorry to have to inform you that I never apologise. It doesn't agree with my skin, you see?"

She was hard pressed to suppress the laughter that threatened to burst out at his first question. As he made his way around to the seat opposite her, she tried in vain to flatten the lips that curved upwards and maintain her thoughtful expression. Did he really expect her to chastise her like a child, or was the acerbic comment meant to shame her in some way?

In truth she was highly tempted to answer with another question, just to see what response it would provoke, but she decided to keep the conversation on an even keel for now. "How fortunate that unlike some I have few pretentions to social elegance then". Whilst she kept her tone studiously bland, there was a subtle inflection to the word pretentious that hinted at her true feelings. Earnest as his own voice was, the effect was a little too pronounced, leaving Lyrial with the impression that he was being just as careful in choosing his words as she was. "It is a shame that you never apologise, the two pertinent words are clearly in your vocabulary though. Who knows maybe one day you’ll be able to use them in a more, shall we say, typical, fashion".

She felt as if she was being studied as he asked again why she had been staring, his gaze unwavering even as he gave a slight wave of his arm. Eyes shifting to just over his shoulder she could see Azalea instantly putting down the tray of pastries she was holding and hurrying over from the kitchen as soon as she noticed the signal. Hmm, must be a frequent visitor I suppose.

Arranging her features into a quizzical expression she pursed her lips as though considering carefully, "That’s not quite how I recall it, I seem to remember trying to answer before I was rudely interrupted".

"What can I get for you Theo?"
This time Lyrial wasn’t the least bit surprised as Theo simply turned away to answer the waitress, as though she hadn’t been speaking. Though she was oddly enjoying the verbal sparring match, his rude behaviour was starting to grate on her nerves. Still, thanks to Azalea, she at least had a name, a small amount of information, but progress nonetheless.
“Azalea my dear, I don’t suppose I could trouble you for another cup?”
"Coming right up".
"Thankyou my dear".
Giving a small nod of her head when Azalea glanced her way, Lyrial waited for the waitress to leave before continuing to speak. If I’m lucky maybe he’ll be able to keep his mouth shut for a few seconds this time.

"Simple curiosity, nothing more". True enough, as far as the statement went. "Obviously another trait we share".

[Theodore Muzenni]

As Azalea turned her back to the table, Theo took a lingering glance at her figure. There was no real desire in his gaze, though he hoped a slightly arched eyebrow might make it seem that way.
I doubt this will get much of a rise out of her, but there's no harm in trying, I think. With an air of reluctance, Theo steered his attention back towards the woman, though in many ways it had never really left her. He decided to try staring at her lips while she spoke, watching them form the words before they were carried to his ears, keeping his expression thoughtful as he did so.

"My dear, I'm afraid you've misunderstood: I asked for an explanation, not an excuse. You are aware of the difference, yes?" The words themselves were condescending, but Theo kept his tone pleasantly neutral as he responded to the woman's words.
We are simply going around in circles at this point, he thought dryly. The exchange of guarded provocations would inevitably lead to a slip of the tongue by one of them. A mutual interrogation, of sorts. Theo wasn't trying to find out what the woman knew, however. He was was trying to find out what she didn't know, and he was growing ever more confident that she was oblivious to the specifics of his odd behaviour.
No sense in teasing me for information she already knows, I think.

Holding up his hand to forestall a reply, Theo rose steadily to his feet.
"Hold that thought, my dear. Nature calls." Not the most elegant excuse to leave a table, but he assumed his incoming order of tea would forestall any suspician. "I look forward to continuing this conversation." Again, Theo offered a smile and made his way into the front of the store. Darnel was busying himself brewing tea, and Azalea was at the register. Theo reached into his pocket to search for coins, and Azalea likely guessed at his intent.
"Oh Theo, but what about your tea?" She sounded disappointed.
"Unfortunately my dear, I've been reminded of some pressing business I must attend to, so I won't be able to stay. The tea is for the woman I was with. My treat, of course." Four silver marks were piled neatly by the register, and Azalea accepted the explanation with a smile.
"Come back soon, you hear?"
"Of course. Darnel brews the best tea in the city, I think." Upon hearing the praise, the older man gave a nod in thanks before returning focus to his work. Having settled his debt with the store, Theo simply walked out the front door. A small piece of him wondered how the woman would react when she realised he wasn't coming back, but he pushed the thought away with a smile.
It's simple curiosity, nothing more.