Gargoyles and rain didn't go together. Well, actually they did, but after a couple of centuries spent sitting in the rain, one certainly got tired of doing so. Really, Vex thought bitterly, his first day of vacation-well, actually, he'd been discharged, but given leave of absence sounded so much better- and it rained. Evil, evil rain. It attacked him, eroding away miniscule particles.
Therefore, without bothering to look at the sign that said "Peaches n Cream Brothel", he charged in, mistakenly believing that he had entered an inn. There was no rain in here, he noted gratefully. That was most certainly a good thing.
Then he noticed all the ladies walking around. What was this, an inn catering specifically to the needs of what was thought of as the gentler sex? There were a couple of men around, though. The gargoyle cocked his head, then realized that he had no money for which to pay for bed and board.
Ah...maybe he could work for bed and board. What kind of work did an inn need? Oh! Of course, he could act as guard for all those ladies...After all, they had to be protected from rapists and all! Maybe they knew how to play chess...
He went of in search of the innkeeper, or inkeepess, or whoever was in charge here.
((I hope it is all right if I join...))
A young woman stood at the entrance bar, rubbing a spot on the wooden counter furiously. Long, golden-blonde hair hung about her pale face, but not even as to hide glints of dark, sapphire eyes. The female seemed to be around 18 or 19 years of age, had an air about her that made her seem much older.
A loose but short black shirt hung around her thin shoulders, areas revealing a tattered red tank underneath. Beneath her exposed stomach was a thick metal belt, the tops of a black skirt bearing a single slit just barely peeking over the edge.
The girl seemed to have an air of strong seriousness about her, but it was hinted even in the air around her, and not only her scowling lips. Any person, especially a man, who gave her ANY look was received with a dark, menacing glare. It was a somewhat startling show of such capriciousness for such a figure.
Vex continued his wanderings. The problem was, everyone looked the same. Nobody had the words “I am the owner of this institution� written across their shirt. Not that it really mattered. The gargoyle couldn’t read, anyways, beyond a couple of simple words.
He continued looking for the words, sighing despondently. Being a gargoyle sucked. The innkeeper was probably hiding under his or her bed right now, completely unaware that he was tame.
Then he noticed the lady. She was just standing at this counter spot, waiting for something. He thought for a while, wondering what she was doing. Oh…maybe she was waiting for someone. Like a clever, trained, wonderful gargoyle to be her bodyguard from the evil, wet rapists that waited outside in the rain!
She had this really big-as in gigantic- frown plastered on her face. That had to be because she hadn’t found her clever, trained, wonderful gargoyle bodyguard! He walked up to her, giving a little bow that made his joints ache, and said, “Vexatious, ma’am. I’m just what you need. I spent a couple of centuries guarding a mansion on the top of a distant mountain, and then twenty years in an unvisited ruin. You see, I have the professional expertise necessary to guard you from rapists, burglars, murderers, broken china, and feathers.� His ex-owner had hated broken china, and feared feathers. And since she had a lady, all ladies feared feathers and broken china.
(OOC: I don't mind. Sorry it took so long.)
Dark sapphire eyes glanced at the figure in front of her, the scowl on her lips deepening.
"I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, and have done so for 18 years of my life..." The female replied in a slightly accented voice, straightening up as she spoke. She leaned on her right arm and arched an eyebrow. This motion exposed a black, vine-like tattoo winding its way up the entirety of her arm, giving the girl an even stronger air of mystery.
"And besides..." She added tauntingly. "How do I know that you are not a shady character, yourself? If I have learned anything for this place, it is that men of any sort...Human or not...Cannot be trusted with anything...Especially protection..."
(('Tis nothing...))
The gargoyle scratched his head in confusion. She’d said that she’d need protection, hadn’t she? Wait…no, she hadn’t. His mistake. “Well…� he suggested. “I could get your groceries for you. Or I could deliver rude messages to your fiancé. I could even babysit your cat.�
“Yes,� he nodded sympathetically. “I understand perfectly. It’s really terrible when hired hands don’t perform well. Especially when they don’t try.� He had absolutely no idea that she was talking about him.
The young woman simply rolled her eyes in annoyance, going back to her job of cleaning the counter. Curses could be heard as she muttered them under her breath.
What the hell is with the people in this place?! She mused irately to herself, her frown having returned with a new passion. Brushing back a strand of hair, the blonde glared at the gargoyle.
"What gave you the idea I have a fiance anyway?!"
Vex heard every one of those curses clearly. “Whoa, lady.� He said, wagging a wing expressively, “That ain’t real polite of ya.� At her question, he considered a while. What had given him the idea, anyways?
“Uh…I dunno. So you don’t have one, right? How bout the cat?� Oh yes, Vex was going to get himself a job…somehow.
At the last question, the girl's eyes instantly turned blood red. Sleek, black ears emerged from her head and she bared eerily long fangs. Dagger-like nails had also appeared from her fingertips.
"Nice try...But I AM my cat..." She hissed.
Anyone else would have taken the hint and ran(or flew) as far away as they could. Vex simply scratched his head. "So you need a babysitter?" he asked. "Don't get me wrong, I'm willing, but aren't you a little too old for one?"
"Watch the age concept, buddy...I don't need a babysitter. Now leave me alone before I break your neck." She snapped with an air of arogance in her voice. Whipping around, she began to furiously mix of a drink, glass clattering around her as she did so.
He probably should have taken the hint. Being himself, Vex didn’t even realize that she was asking him not very politely (but at least non-violently) to leave before things got violent and he got hurt. “I don’t think you should do that,� he suggested cautiously, “I don’t know if I can get it replaced.�
Citea simply gave another roll of her eyes. "Do you think that really concerns me?" She retorted haughtily. She obviously could care less about the rather bewildered gargoyle's well-being. Her sharp words were beginning to attract the worried stares of several prim-looking ladies near the bar.
Vex cocked his head. He was getting very confused. Why wouldn't she be concerned? Normally, when people did things to other people's necks, they cared, didn't they? He voiced his confusion, "Why wouldn't you care? Is it because its my neck and not yours? Or what? I don't get it?" For good measure, he scratched his head. People were strange. They were so illogical.
He, of course, did not notice that he and the woman were becoming points of interests for several ladies.
The blonde stopped her scrubbing and rested one hand on the bar, frowning. "You really don't get it, do you? People do not care for me, therefor why should I care for others? It is simply a waste of emotion and energy." She replied icily, running her free hand through her long bangs.
Now that really didn’t make sense. It was completely illogical. Really. Humans, even humans who could turn into mutant kitties, were so unreasonable. He had a great many things to say about her ideals, so he mentally organized himself a list in his head. He was good at that.
After he had organized, reorganized, and revised the list to his satisfaction, Vex told her, “How can you waste emotion? And if you need energy, I can make a very good clam chowder.� He looked up hopefully with what he thought was a reassuring smile, but what came out as an…unpleasant grimace instead. “And I do get it.� He continued in hurt tones. Well, that was pretty much all his list was, except it was slightly out of order and he had a feeling that he had missed something…
But all in all, he was very proud of himself. After all, not every gargoyle could express himself as clearly as he could. Yes, he was very clever. And he had a renewable energy source....whatever that was.
"Ugh...Why do I bother?!" The female muttered to herself, whirling around and beginning to clean off several classes. She was obviously growing more and more perturbed by the word she spoke. "Explaining anything is obviously just another waste..."
"And I do not need a cook, as I do not eat much and, when I do, I am perfectly able to make it myself. I am also capable of keeping my energy at a level where I can function in daily life." She retorted flatly, not even a hint of sympathy in her muttering voice.
"And one question...Why do you find the need to pester me?!... There are obviously plenty of other women here are in need of MUCH more assistance than myself."
The gargoyle cocked his head. She seemed a little disturbed; even he could notice that. “You probably need a therapist.� He advised. Therapists helped with everything, or so he heard.
Vex drooped disappointedly at her next words, but perked up at her last comment. “Great! Can you teach me?� Controlling energy sounded pretty useful, or at least very fun.
He blinked at her next question. Now that was confusing. He knew what pestering meant, but he wasn’t pestering her. He was being perfectly polite, wasn’t he? “I’m not.� He objected. “I’m just talking to you. Unless you don’t like being talked to?� He looked around consideringly. He really couldn’t see much difference. Humans were like sheep; they all looked the same. Only gargoyles were easy to differentiate between, with the extra limbs and horns and stuff like that. “They’re just differently colored.� He objected. That seemed slightly mean of her, to find someone helpless simply because theywere a different color.
"I'm not talking about my life to some idiotic stranger." Citea snapped irately. "I have no desire, nor need to let anyone hear about my feelings."
She arched her eyebrow again at the next comment that met her ears. "Excuse me? Why in the world would you want to wish to learn how to control energy?" She questioned curiously, glancing over her shoulder.
"And you do not have much room to judge me if you cannot even judge the others here...All of these pitiful people are drastically different from me...I can sense it just standing here...Without even looking..." She added, her cleaning of glasses slowing slightly, an almost dazed look overtaking her eyes. "It quite obvious...Some lack strength in their bodies or heart...Others in courage...Some are merely plain and dim-witted...It is rather disgusting..."
Vex scratched his chin thoughtfully. “What if the stranger isn’t idiotic?� he asked. Something about what she said didn’t quite ring true. After all, if she didn’t want other people to know how she felt, then why was she giving him an earful? That sounded a bit racist of her. Just because he was a gargoyle didn’t mean that he wasn’t a person.
“Uh…well…� Actually, Vex had no idea why he wanted to do so; it just sounded fun. “Why would I need a reason?� he asked, bewildered. People did things unreasonable all the time.
“I didn’t say anything about judging you…� he had no intention to judge anyone. Vex didn’t even have any idea how to go about it. The gargoyle blinked as she made clear her disgust. "Um...how so?" He didn't find humans disgusting. Just bewildering.
(OOC: Sorry for the long wait...)
"All therapists are idiotic...They pry into the lives of others when they can barely handle their own...They should mind their own business..." Citea hissed, setting down the glass she was holding and slumping onto a stool behind the counter.
"You need a reason because doing something without reason is pointless." She frowned at him, one eyebrow arching slightly. "Especially if you want ME to teach you. I will not waste my energy...She already wastes it enough..."
"How are they disgusting? Easy. They are mindless and fight without reason. Or with pitiful reasons. They shed each others' blood even when they depend upon one another so readily. They are hypocrites and idiots..." She stated simply, glaring at man, who was obviously drunk and watching her with a grin.
Vex nodded wisely, as though he had understood what she was saying. In reality, of course, he had no clue. Could anyone completely handle their own lives? Maybe prying into other people's business was a way to relieve stress...
Vex stared at her eyebrow in awed fascination. Wow. How did she do that? He'd always thought that those lines above a person's eyes were tattoos. And now, she was moving one of them. If only his employer(or rather, ex-employer), had seen fit to provide him with movable eyebrows. He was so captivated that he didn't hear her rant. "Huh?" he said, still studying the miraculous eyebrow for any sign of movement.
"They don't have minds?" He frowned. "Is a mind the same thing as a brain?" The gargoyle was looking for clarification; he wasn't sure if he had a brain himself. "Do I have a mind?"
"What are you staring at?!" The blonde demanded with a scowl, slamming a pale fist upon the table. Cracks shivered up its surface. "Being watched is highly unnerving, you know..." She snarled dangerously, fangs sliding over her teeth. It was a dangerous thing to make her angry...As several people realized all too late.
"No...Ugh..." She now sighed and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Mindless simply means that they are stupid...They do not think when they act, is all...And no, a 'mind' really is not the same thing as a brain..." She glanced at him. "And how would I know if you have one? I didn't create you!"
“That thing above your eye…� Vex said, still fascinated. Nobody had ever taught him that it was rude to stare. “Oh? Really? It is?� He turned his attention to his words. How had she come to that conclusion? People stared at him all the time, but he never minded. He suddenly noticed the cracks on the table. “Do you own this place?�
“You mean there’s no way of checking?� Vex asked, crestfallen. Dammit. He really wanted to know if he had a mind or not. “Do you think whoever created me would know?� he asked, although the last thing he wanted to do was fly back to the enchantress.
"Never mind...Just don't look at me like that." She retorted sourly, brushing back a strand of hair. "And why would I want to own this cruddy place?!" She asked, not understanding the meaning of his question.
"And there just isn't an easy way of checking...Unless you want someone to dissect you or something...But trust me, that isn't fun or anything..." Citea stared off into space slightly. "And I guess your creator would know...Unless they were cpmletely idiotic..."
"Well..." he looked down at the table doubtfully. "Should you really be making cracks in somebody else's table. Don't humans have this thing about privacy or something?" the enchantress he'd lived with certainly had. Then again...she had been pretty insane...
"How do they dissect me?" Vex asked curiously. Was it even possible to take stone apart? And what did a gargoyle brain look like, anyways? "You mean there's no magicalish way of checking?" he asked sadly. That was inconvenient. From what the woman had told him, dissecting was painful. He didn't like pain.
Citea sighed and rolled her eyes. "If you are so worried about them..." She ran her fingers over the cracks and they mended themselves. "There? Does that satisfy you?" She asked haughtily.
"And how would they dissect you? I have no idea...I don't exactly study that sort of thing, you know..." She muttered with a bored shrug, twirling a strand of her hair around a pale finger. "And there probably is a 'magicalish' way of checking...But I am certainly not going to try and find one...It is not exactly something I would find interesting...Or time-worthy..."
"That's clever," he leaned over, staring at where the cracks had been. He wondered if it would be polite to ask her how she'd done that. Magic users were always really secretive, but surely she wouldn't mind? Besides, she could just not tell him, right? "How did you do that?" he asked, deciding that politeness wasn't really something that he cared about right now. He closed one eye, staring at the spot to search for any sign of the cracks.
"What do you study?" the gargoyle couldn't resist asking. "And what should I study?" He was having problems finding a job. There weren't a lot of employment options available for gargoyles without much work experience. "What is time-worthy?" he asked, confused. How could something be worthy of time?
"Um...I used magic..." The blonde replied dully...As if the answer weren't already obvious. Was the gargoyle really that clueless? Or was he just trying to annoy her? Either way, Citea did not feel like explaining all the nitty-gritty details of healing cracks in wood. It was rather a monotonous process, really.
"And I haven't 'studied' anything for quite a few years now...Not since I was an apprentice...Hmm...I wonder how my apprentices are doing?" She rested her chin in her hands in thought for a moment, then glanced back at him. "What should you study?" She echoed in slight surprise. "I'm not sure...I don't know everything...I may be getting on in years, but I'm not an old maid...Well...Not exactly..." And she sighed as yet another question was posed to her. "And time-worthy is when something does not unnecessarily waste time that could be used to do something else."
Well, yeah…even Vex could understand that much. Still, he decided to let the subject drop. Maybe there really wasn’t a step-by-step process to magic. Well, he wasn’t sure if he was ever going to learn how to do it. Not that he minded. All the magical people that he knew(so far, the count was two) seemed a bit unhinged. He didn’t want to be like them, no mater what.
Vex wondered exactly what an old maid was. How could a maid be old? Wasn’t maid a word for a young woman? An ‘old maid’ would therefore be an oxymoron, right? He decided not to mention that to her. “What did you study?� he asked persistently. Vex had no intention of following in her footsteps; he didn’t want to gain the same attitude that she had. Still, if he knew what she’d studied, then he would know what subjects to avoid. “And where should I study?� He nodded slowly at her next words. “So time-worthy is a good thing?�
Citea arched an eyebrow at Vex. Was he really serious? Asking the very basics of magic?! Of course she knew them...It was just rather useless to try and explain them to someone who either wasn't going to use those basics, or someone who didn't have the talent. In her opinion, the gargoyle seemed to be more of a combination between the two.
"And what did I study? How should I remember? That was a long time ago...I suppose I started with basic magic and worked my up..." She gave another shrug, frowning slightly in that. No that was a question...What truly had she studied? Self-teaching had not been an easy process...Well, technically, she had had a something teacher, but he was only a few years older than herself, so it had still been difficult. "Where should you study? How would I know that? And yes, I suppose something is good if it is time-worthy...If not it is rather pointless, you see?"
The eyebrow was moving again. Vex remembered quickly that she didn't like him staring at it, and when he did, she started ruining property. He didn't want the innkeepess after him; she would probably kill him. Or do something that would make him wish that she'd killed him. Still, it was very rude of her to move that eyebrow when she already knew that he was fascinated by it. It was almost as though she was trying to get him into trouble.
"I guess." Vex nodded slowly. Well, now he knew which subject to avoid. 'Basic Magic'. Was there a type of advanced magic? Oh well, he was just going to study something else. After a moment of serious contemplation, he asked, "Sifting sand from a desert with a tweezer? Is that time-worthy?" It certainly took a long time. He knew from experience. After the third day, he'd left.
"Why in the world would you try and do that?" She let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head. "That is ANYTHING but time-worthy...Unless there was something of great value in that sand...And even then, you should have at least tried to narrow down your search field...A desert is a bit too large." The blonde glanced at him incredulously. "What in the world led your to do that, anyway?!"
The lack of real insight in this strange customer was really starting to wear upon Citea's nerves. She had had an easier time teaching her students...Even in their naive youths. This would certainly be quite the challenge to survive through.