Little Bits and Pieces (M)

[Paradox]

"Heh. Don't mention it," He smiled at her and moved to stand next to her. He hooked his arm around hers, "Eh...ya don't like this place and I ain't too fond of it no more myself. Let's go outside and find a quiet place to sit and take a break."

They left the tavern and walked leisurely down the street. Zavimaat's eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings and Eve might have felt the muscles in his arm tense up, might have seen his usual cool expression tight with concern. "You know, "he said quietly after awhile, "it's been a long time since I've done something like this. Walked with a girl..er. Other than my cousin," He shook his head, "Heh.  Just makin' conversation."

They found their way to the pier and Zavimaat sat down on the edge, dangling his legs over the water. He patted the spot next to him."Have a seat. "Whether she did or didn't , he turned his gaze towards the sea, watching the sun slowly sinking on the horizon. "I probably should explain myself some. You seem to have some kind of connection with this book and it only seems fair, I guess."

[visualspice]

Eve felt awkward when she caught his smile, only because she realized she wore one of her own and blushed, loweirng her head. But then he drew himself close to her, arm around her shoulder and her green eyes went wide.  ALl she could do is remain awkward and quiet at his side.

As they walked, Eve awkwardly fussed over the strap of the satchel as it hung heavily onto her shoulder.  The book weighed a ton, or so it felt, and she wasn't used to carrying things over her shoulder like this- for she normally had nothing worth keeping or carrying on her person.
It was a temporary distraction from the tenseness she observed from Zavimaat, though on occasion, her eyes would sweep to where his were trained, growing fearful herself as fear tickled within her belly.

Though his next comment was jarring.
SHe lowere dher face, hair falling over her eyes as cheeks turned nearly red as her hair.  She knew partially the term for walking with a girl, though had never the chance to really know it first hand and had to wonder..

Was that what was going on now? Was this courting? THe blush she had remained scarlet at the thought.

At the sound of gulls, Eve finally raised her head and noticed the peer they were approaching and the great, wide expanse of ocean stretching eternally before them with splatterings of colors from the fading sun.
The world could be no more beautiful in that moment, with hot violets and reds cupping the world in it's light.


When Zavimaat mentioned for her to sit, she silently obeyed and let the satchel drop to her side as she sat near to him, legs dangling over the edge.  Her eyes went tot he ocean, still studying it as he spoke, though she was very attentive to what he said ad at the mention of the book, she looked to her bag, then finally raised her eyes curiously to him.

[Paradox]

Zav rubbed the back of his neck, " Alright, so it's like this. I'm kind of a..." He looked over his shoulder at her, wondering what she'd think of him if he told her, " ...a little bit of a..." He leaned in close to her and whispered in her ear, " smuggler. " She might not even know what that meant considering how sheltered she was. "I transport stolen goods across the sea. I'm usually paid by thieves like the Adder brothers ya just met. "

"Anyway, it's like I said. I ain't done business with them punks for quite awhile. Last guy, huh...he was kinda creepy. Tall guy. Wore a mask and spoke all soft and raspy. He was wearin' a black cloak. Couldn't see much of him but he referred to himself as ________.Gave me a box and told me not to open it under any circumstances and to just get it to Serendipity. I was to give it to someone else. I had no idea what was inside. Just take the money and he paid a nice advance. But then I met you and now – I just thought you should know about this guy even if I don't know much. It might be a clue. I dunno. " He shrugged.

ooc: I didn't name the guy personally in case you'd like to make some evil name of sorts! *flail*   

[visualspice]

OOC: Leave his name up to me and he's totally going to be called Mr. Poopy-face XD~

IC:
Eve listened, not entirely understanding, but as he explained, it somewhat made sense. But she had no idea all of the complications around it, except it was obviously bad news.  When he was done speaking, she stared down at the satchel, as if she could see the sacred book through the leather. She let one foot touch the water, a wave lapping at the soles of her feet before she turned back to look at the bleeding sunset.

"It's ok." She said softly, her eyes going distant, just taking in this moment as a memory- a brief moment in life.  Although they were both aching, though Zavimaat obviously more than her, the sunset was undeniable peaceful.
Sighing, she lowered her eyes and stared at the waters still lapping at her feet.

"What do you think will become of us." she wondered out loud.  SHe slowly turned her eyes, examining his bruised and bloodied face with a frown. She knew how much that had to hurt. It happened to her more than once, and she already felt numb tot he pain of her swollen lip and cheeks, a purple bruise already forming.  His face was, most obviously, worse for wear.

[Paradox]

Zavimaat shrugged, " Dunno. Guess we gotta figure out a way to dupe those two thugs first. We could try our luck with running ,but I know these guys. Seen 'em track other guys down. And they're good. Real good." He rubbed his cheek. There was a massive bruise there that could scarcely be seen though it would show up in the next day or two.

"Means we'd need to leave this place, but we'll need some supplies to keep us goin'. To get those supplies, we'll need some money. I need to find a job which was what I was tryin' to tell ya earlier. There are some workers needed on the docks. Doesn't pay much, but it'll be enough to get by. " And he also needed to send a letter to his aunt , explaining the situation. That would need to wait, however.

"So, " he inquired , "how do I look?"

ooc: Shaddup and name Mr. Noname, woman!

[visualspice]

OOC: What's wrong with Mr. Poopy-face? <3

IC:
Eve stared at him, listening intently as he spoke and drew her legs to her chest as they sat at the end of the pier.  A few gulls flew over head, floating across the sunset.

At the mention of a job and money, Eve twisted her lips in thought.  "How do you get a job?" she asked innocently, never having tried such a feat before, but then at his last question she only blinked and studied his face.  It almost appeared as if she was about to touch him, his cheek, which looked more swollen than the other before she frowned and drew her hands away.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, already knowing the answer- though sometimes pain like that only felt like a burning sting- and could almost be ignored.  She pressed her lips together and studied him a moment, a breeze carrying through her hair and sweeping it away from her face.

[Paradox]

He met her gaze . How beautiful her eyes were. At her inquiry as to whether it hurt or not he nodded slightly,  " A little, yeah. I'm just glad they hurt me instead of you." He touched her hand lightly for a moment then let his hand drop down. His cheeks burned slightly and he looked down at his lap where his hands rested.

"Er anyway, the easiest way is to just ask people what sort of jobs are available and who to talk to about that job. Normally you try to apply for a job that happens to be something you can do. Like, say, cleaning. Then you and the person giving you the job make an agreement like maybe he or she wants you to clean their kitchen or something for a couple coins. So you go clean it and they give you the coins if they're happy with your work. "

[visualspice]

OOC: He *would* stare at her eyes! DX

XD

IC:
Eve tried to read his eyes after he mentioned he was glad to be hurt instead of her, and the idea made her blush.  It also made her uncomfortable, as the notion was still very new to her.  SHe was used to being perceived as useless..

but maybe her father was right...
Now she had some value to her because of what happened to her at the temple. She bit her lip when her thoughts returned and avoided his eyes, only half paying attention to what Zavimaat was saying.

The idea of a job made her anxious as she remained, avoiding his eyes.
"I don't know if I could do that." she replied, shuffling uneasily. "Make someone happy."

[Paradox]

ooc:  Well, at least it was her eyes and not her knockers. *snickers*

But enough games! It's time to make her even MORE uncomfortable!

Or maybe not!

ic:

Why was she so down on herself like that? "Sure you could. You could smile more. That would make me happy," He shook his head and shrugged, "Eh. You can't please everyone, you know? The only thing you can do is just, well try. I wasn't suggesting that you get a job though. I was talking about me. I mean, I guess you could get one too if you wanted to but if you're not comfortable with that, I'm not gonna pressure you. "

Not right now. Not until he knew her better, until he understood exactly where she was coming from. Right now she knew far more about him and he'd hardly told her much.

[visualspice]

OOC: AND HE WILL FOREVER KNOW NOTHING XD

IC:

Eve stared at him, her cheeks warming at his comment. He was being far too kind to her. And what had she done to deserve it? And here he wants her to smile? A rarity, though, she almost smiled at the idea, but the flicker left her lips as quickly as it had come.

He was right though. She didn't feel comfortable about it, nor did she exactly understand the concept and frowned as she looked down at her dress.
"You're being so kind to me, but I've done nothing to deserve it." she reminded him, quietly. After all, was it not she who was responsible for all of this? Sure, he mentioned something about smuggling, though she sitll was uncertain as to what that all entailed, but *she* was the one who had the peculiar power..
not to mention the sudden appearance of those creepy spiders in the cave, the storm.. the way he found her....


The more she thought of it, she began to wonder what would have become of her had Zavimaat not have found her out at sea.
She would probably have been dead.

[Paradox]

Zavimaat was watching," Almost had one there. " He smirked, "Heh. Maybe next time?"

" I'm nice to you because I want to be.  I like you, " For all her oddities, even, " but you don't like yourself very much, huh? Probably used to being put down. Well, I say fuck 'em! Shit...you saved my life. That counts for somethin' don't it? "

He stood up, "An' next time someone puts ya down , ya look that son of a bitch in the eyes and you say, "FUCK YOU!" He yelled this a little too loudly that he drew attention of a few passing fishermen who simply stared at the young man as though he'd gone mad. To make things worse, he tilted back his head and proceeded to laugh.


ooc: It never can stay serious for long. >.>

[visualspice]

Eve blushed at his comment and his smirk, almost falling pray to a second smile as she kept her head lowered.  Then he reminded her about his life being saved. She felt awkward about it, not sure how to respond, but the man then proceeded to tell her what she should do. Blinking, she looked up at him, confused as he went about this and that, and flinching as he shouted- the words 'Fuck you' echoing across the waters, as did his laugh.

Her shoulders slowly louder as she blinked again, looking at him and admiring him as he laughed. She wondered if some day she could act like that, but felt self conscious and just remained content to watch him in silence.

[Paradox]

ooc: I think it'll be good to fastforward time a little.

ic:

A few hours later,Zavimaat set the last crate down on boat and wiped the sweat from his brow. 

An old , robust sailor clapped him on the back and tossed him some coins. Zavimaat caught them and counted. Decent pay for decent work, he supposed. He hadn't had an honest job in a long time. He went over to where Eve was and showed her the coins, flashing her a grin, "That wasn't so hard now was it? This should get us a room, maybe a bite to eat. Think you can handle that noisy tavern again? "

He didn't know where else they could go. It was a small town. They were lucky there was even a tavern to begin with!

[visualspice]

Eve found herself alone for a time, but was kept near to Zavimaat so that she could watch. It was interesting to see him work. Lifting the heavy crates and working, wiping the sweat from his brow. SHe drew her knees to her chest, rested her cheek to her knee while red hair spilled across it as she watched him.  When he approached, she studied his face then looked at the coin.  She only simply nodded before rising to her feet and fetching up her satchel.
Even she needed a reprieve from the quiet moments she had just been afforded, and well, if Zavimaat wanted to use the money he earned for such a thing, who was she to reject him? After all,s he had done nothing to help.

As the two began to move towards the tavern, and old man waved at them.
"Abigail! Hey Abigail is that you? Why! I'd say so! You look just like the bean pole your mother had grown up into!" the old man laughed, exposing a smile with some missing teeth and warm brown eyes. He removed his hat as Eve blinked, staring at him curiously  before she looked around.

"I know it's been a while since I've seen you, but I reckon things have gone well?" he blinked, then noted to the man beside her. "And I suppose this is the fiance your mother disapproves of?" The old man gave a laugh, his breath whistling through the gap in his teeth as he patted Zavimaat on the shoulders. "You don't look so bad to me. How are you treating my granddaughter, eh?"


Eve merely turned to Zavimaat, not sure what to make of all of this.

[Paradox]

Zav didn't think too much of the old man waving at them. He assumed the man must have been waving at someone else, but then the old codger walked towards them with a large grin on his face.

"Not another drunk..." He sighed.

The old man was looking directly at Eve with the familiar expression, one that suggested that the two might have known one another. However, when the man addressed her as Abigail, he noted how Eve's expression looked about as confused as he felt.

Zavimaat's mouth hung open and he looked from the old man to Eve, back to the old man and then Eve, then to the old man, " Er.We're not together. Like that." He wasn't about to tell the man anything he didn't know , however. Maybe Eve DID know this man? But it really didn't seem that way. He looked at Eve again," You know him?" 

[visualspice]

"Eh?" The old man raised his shaggy grey eyebrows as Eve shook her head and moved closer to Zavimaat's side.  The old man leaned in closer to study her, then backed away.
"OH, I'm sorry little lady," He removed his hat and bowed his balding head. "I thought you were my little girl's daughter, Abigail." he said with a chuckle. "I didn't mean to offend anyone. I just thought well.. you looked a bit lost." he shrugged his shoulders. "And here, I was thinking that i knew you and here you ain't my Abigail. Sorry about that." He turned his head back towards his cart where his mule was pawing at the ground.

"I guess I'm getting worse eye sight in my old age," the man said with a chuckle.  "I'm just a dillusional old man passing through hoping to sell some wares. It be nigh impossible to have run into her, if you'd be my grand daughter. Again, I am sorry."


Eve only stared at him, not sure how to feel or what to do as she blinked. then lowered her eyes, as if ashamed.
The mule appeared equally unamused.

"Eh? You don't need to look so glum," the old man pointed out, then raised a finger. "But you two just wait right there. Old Roger here has got something you might be able to use."
Going back to his wagon, he began to root around for something.  Eve peered at him curiously. When he returned,he had an old, dusty box in hand, which he brushed off before handing over to them.

"Here, it looks like you might be able to use one." the old man said with a grin.  He held it out, waiting for one of them to take it.  "Think of it as a passing gift from an old senile man."

Eve only stared at it, uncertain as she remained beside Zav.

[Paradox]

"No problem. We were just...confused..." Zavimaat smirked His grandfather hadn't had the best memory either. Maybe if he'd been around today, he might have been mistaking random villagers for being his grandson!

Zav accepted the box from the old coot and looked at it curiously, he then looked at the old man quizzically, "What's this?"


ooc: Shoort!

[visualspice]

"Just go ahead and open it," the man gestured, a twinkle in his eyes.
Eve looked to Zavimat before curiously turning to the box nd helping him open it and peered inside. A metal wind chime rested within. Eve blinked at it curiously, having no idea what it was.

The old man gave a light chuckle.
"Every new house of a married couple ought to have one, eh? I suppose the two of you might have one some day? Or.." he blushed. "Know of someone that might have use for one. But listen to me, an old man rambling away." he waved it off. "You two take care now. I need to be off to the next village."

Eve blinked, and turned to Zavimaat, but then the old man paused and turned back to them.
"Say, what are your real names, if I might ask? Since.." he chuckled. "Well, considering I know now that you're not Abigail, nor you, Charles, her fiance."

[Paradox]

Eve opened the box for him and started at the wind chime, a little at a loss as to why this senile old man thought this would be of any use to them. He held his tongue though. His aunt had taught him to appreciate gifts. After all, this man had no reason to give them anything.

He glance at Eve, wondering what she thought about it. He had no interest in it, though perhaps his aunt and cousin might. At the mention of a house and being married, Zav shook his head.He couldn't see himself being tied down to a single woman let alone owning his own home. He imagined that he'd die at sea fishing til he all wrinkled.

"Thanks. You take care too, " He bid the man a farewell but then the old man asked for their names. "I'm ..." He hesitated, contemplating sharing his identity but what harm would it really do? "Zavimaat and this young lady is Eve. She's kinda shy..."

[visualspice]

The old man chuckled.
"Zavimaat and Eve?" He smiled. "Sounds good together."
The soft noise of the chimes clanging together drew his eyes to Eve, who now held the metal work up as the chimes clanged together, making a light, sweet chaotic sound. Eve stared at them, mesmerized by the noise.

The old man smiled.
"Glad to see she's taking a shine to it." His face lit up, then he eyed the up. "Say, if you don't mind me asking, what are you two young love birds doing in town?" This village didn't have much, perhaps they were travelers and he? Well, he was a bit lonely and could use a bit of chat.

Eve continued to stare at the wind chimes, even as they settled.