[Shooting Star Inn]Look Into My Eyes(Shri)

[Julian]

"Not at all," Julian responded flatly, his voice echoing in the bowl of his wineglass as he took another drink. Not yet an adult? Hm... suddenly he felt very uncomfortable about this. In the low light of the tavern, and over the top of a glass of wine, he hadn't given much thought to her age and appearance, except noting that she was lovely. Was it because she was Konti that he'd not taken close notice, or some more despicable and maliciously unscrupulous scrap of himself that he didn't want to think even existed? Twenty-three was plenty old enough for a human, but if this Konti was still a child... oh damn this diversity. It was a problem in Syliras too. It made everything much more complicated. Almost immediately, Julian's agenda for the girl switched tracks. A child? Gods abound... Julian took a long, sudden drink of his wine. It had been years without alcohol, and an entire evening without anything to eat. He began to feel the pleasant, watery feeling in his head as he pulled the glass away again, then turned to Shri and smiled politely. He noticed for the first time that she looked more relaxed than might be considered appropriate for a public setting. Childish laxness? No, he mustn't start thinking that way if he was going to continue being respectful of who she was. Sexual conquest? No. Enough of an adult mindset to travel across the world and buy a stranger a glass of wine? Certainly. There was some level of respect to be paid to her, and he would force himself to stick to it. Unless... his hypnotic stare had had some effect? Julian turned to examine her again. She was relaxed, smiling blankly... it was hard for him to tell. He didn't have a great deal of experience hypnotizing other people. "Ah," he replied, nearly choking. Some sick part of him still found her lovely, and he tried to bury it. He was not a child anymore, and he should not start thinking like one. "I cannot even imagine hundreds of years. I already feel as though I'm fifty years old, when I've only lived half that long." Which still sometimes felt old. He cleared his throat. "I had a lover once," he said to her as he took another drink of wine. His eyes fell onto his wedding ring, which he still wore for reasons he hadn't quite put together yet. "I lost her last winter, but I feel like in truth she lost me long before that. Love is something I'm not sure I can ever navigate again. It's confusing, painful... more trouble than it's worth. Not that any of my words will dissuade you. I was once starry eyed and passionate as you must be, and pursued women relentlessly. Not always for love, mind you." Julian laughed softly, finishing off his wine. By now the alcohol was firmly rooting itself in his veins. He could feel it coursing through every limb, making his spirits lighter and his arms a little heavier. Hypnotizing the girl hadn't completely left his mind. He might at least try to charm her. After waving his arm again to a passing waiter with his wineglass in hand, he turned to Shri again. "I've gone through my own brand of hell, or so I should think." Julian tilted his head at her. Suggestions would work for now. He was just testing her. If she was young for her kind, then her mind would be more pliable. If she grew to like him more than he preferred, it might be a problem, but that was something he'd deal with if it came to that point. "I cannot imagine the anguish you must have gone through in your years, especially if it has brought you so far from home. Perhaps we're kindred spirits, you and I."

[Shri]

She shouldn't have said that. She shouldn't have said that she was technically not an adult Konti, it had made things awkward between her and Julian. But she still continued to smile blanklessly. Shri could see in his eyes, that Julian was thinking about the fact that she was a child. But she wasn't, atleast she didn't think so. She's 23 years old, too old to be a child. Definately old enough to be an adult, if she was human. But she's a Konti, and not considered an adult one. But she's mature enough, to be considered an adult, right? Shri, distracted with her thoughts, didn't even notice that Julian was speaking. Was that what still made her a child? Was her being distracted of her own thoughts, making her immature? That could possibly not be it. Many people get distracted, but Konti's do they when they are an adult? Is that the difference between child and adult? She even got confused herself, by the age difference of Konti's and Human's. She takes a slow sip of her wine, and get's back into the conversation. "...far from home." What had Julian been talking about? Shri nods her head, pretending that she understands what he had just been saying, and that she was not distracted. She looks down at her hand, that layed there gently on the table.

[Julian]

No, this wasn't right. Even if Julian's intentions were pure, he didn't feel right about tricking some innocent Konti girl with any sort of magic. This was just too strange for him. Being from Syliras, Julian was used to dealing with a medley of races, but he'd never put a lot of stock into worrying about ages. It simply hadn't come up before. Hell, he knew that Dhani (not that he'd have anything to do with one) had to live about a century to see maturity. This was why he maintained a strong preference for other humans like himself. Downing the rest of his wine, a little more quickly than he should have, Julian set down his glass. Gripping the neck of his cello, the musician rose to his feet, then very suddenly wobbled. How many glasses of wine had he drank now? Two? Three? He wasn't sure. At least half a bottle, that was for certain. Swiping a hand over his hair, he turned and grimaced at the girl. "Shri," he opened, his expression a mixture of confusion and frustration over the entire matter. "Look, I... I'm sure you're a very nice girl. I'm just suddenly... suddenly I feel ill. I think I should call it an early night. Thank you for the wine, it's been years since a woman has bought me a drink. I'm going to pay up the rest of my tab for the evening and head upstairs to my room. It's been my pleasure meeting you." Nodding in a rush and smiling briefly, Julian turned away from her and began walking across the floor of the Shooting Star. He hefted the cello in his right arm, which threw off his balance enough that in his drunken state, he couldn't quite keep to a straight line as he made his way forward.

[Ophelia]

Experience Julian: +2 Play Musical Instrument (Cello), +1 Observation, +2 Hypnotism Shri: +2 Observation Lore Julian: Tuning a Cello, Giving into the Temptation of Wine, A Widower's Guilt, The Cosmic Plan, A Change in Agenda, I Had A Lover Once..., Making Excuses Shri: Buying Wine For A Stranger, Explaining Travel Plans, Open Conversation, Proper Table Manners, Not Yet An Adult, The Nature Of Maturity Notes Well, that was an interesting thread, to be sure. Kind of abrupt in the way it ended, but still, good show you two. Shri, I am sorry I could not give you much by way of experience. Also, Julian's hypnotism would have more of an effect on you, so keep that in mind for future threads. Shri, could you please minus 2 kina from your ledger, and Julian, please minus one. Thanks guys, and good job!