Building Bridges [Casey]

[GoblinFae]

Saezer's explosive and cruel parting had hurt Primrose deeply. Instead of moving on and forgetting the unfortunate events the young noblewoman allowed herself to let it linger and affect her.

She had been good to her word and ensured that the woman carpenter had been compensated. However, Primrose had refused to leave the security and solitude of her home. She even went so far as to give up teaching for several weeks.

Nothing her students and servants did could bring her out of her melancholy state. Even Janus' pranks around the house could not bring about her laughter or her rage. Primrose had become a sad, listless shell of her former self.

Locked away in her study, she sat at her desk trying but failing to accomplish anything. The tiny woman sighed, throwing down her quill which bumped against the inkwell. Her hand shot out to catch the pot. Settled once more, her thoughts turned back to previous weeks. 'Wouldn't want that to start all over again. Not that I have any more friends to drive away with my antics.'

The blue-black ink had finally bled its way out of her hair, returning it to its former golden sheen. An idea began to glide and flit about the corner of her mind as Primrose rubbed the oily black liquid between her fingers. 'If the support beam were moved to the right then...' Realization struck her suddenly and she rushed to draw out what she was considering. 'This completely eliminates the need for so many support columns and completely opens up the space. I have to tell Olivia!'

Primrose excitedly surged to her feet, knocking over the chair. "Oh. She probably doesn't want to work with me now after my temper tantrum." Thin shoulders drooped in defeat. 'You can always try. You muss every opportunity you refuse to go after.' Making up her mind, she scooped up her plans albeit a bit more slowly and prepared to leave the name for the first time in nearly a month.

Each step felt both smothering and freeing. She was headed towards another possible rejection but she was also moving away from the last one. Primrose found her steps falter briefly at the door but, she refused to stop now. 'It's too late to become a chicken when I'm this close.' Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and entered. "Oliv-uh, Miss Grey?"

[Casey]

It'd been quite a while since Olivia had seen Primrose. She wasn't aware of any of the drama that happened between her or Saezer, or why Primrose had changed her mind about having her house renovated. At first Olivia wondered if she had said anything offensive, but after weeks of hearing nothing, thoughts of Primrose floated out of her mind.

Over the course of the weeks at her shop, she didn't do anything nearly as extravagant as building a house, but she did have a number of small projects, from building items from scratch, to making minor repairs to tools for the people of Ketra. It was a huge disappointment not to show off the extent of her skills that she knew she had, but Olivia was still happy making small knick-knacks and weapons, and sitting down to share a round of beers with the men of the town at the end of the day.

Currently she was sitting in the back of the store, hunched over a small piece of armor she was making for a bird, of all things, and a piece of jewelry. She was placing a gem or some other kind of stone into a metal casing, forming a ring. Each piece she carved the symbol of her shop so people would recognize that she could also make custom jewelry, and strange items like armor for a bird.

The sound of Prim's voice shook her from the focus of her work. Was that who she thought it was? She hesitantly peeked her head around the edge of the door, and upon spotting Primrose, made a small squeal of excitement and rushed over to greet her. "Primrose! I'm so happy to see you! Have you been well, I hope? I'm sorry for how we left off. I'm so sorry if I said anything to have offended you. Really, I didn't mean any harm." She chatted excitedly, and quickly, happy to see one of the few women she had a connection to in the town.

Olivia's hair was as crazy as ever. Today it looked as though she had rolled out of bed and hadn't bothered brushing it at all. It stuck out wildly in odd directions that seemed to defy gravity, and she had flecks of metal and dirt coating her clothes, and hands, as well as a smudge across one pale, freckled cheek.

[GoblinFae]

"I am well thank you," Primrose said, bowing her head slightly. "I am afraid that it is not you but, I who has done the offending Miss Grey. It is I who has caused harm. I can understand if you no longer desire my patronage. However, I would greatly desire to not only to continue our business but also, in time form a friendship once more. My actions were cruel to you. I let myself be ruled by childish notions. My behavior was unacceptable."

The papers in her hands crinkled loudly as she nervously clenched her hands. Her head remained lowered and she fought to not cry. "This past month has made me realize how foolish I was. All of your hard work and planning, I just destroyed it like it meant nothing. It didn't, not to me at least a-and not because those were plans for my house. Rather because, you made them."

Primrose at last raised her teary gaze to meet Olivia's. "I am very sorry for what I have done. I should never have made it seem like I did not value all of your hard work, the time and energy you put into helping me, indulging me. You are worth more than a thousand of your ilk. I was very blessed to have that honor. If it is not too much to ask, may I have that honor once again? Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? for my cruel and unjust attitude, Miss Grey?"

[Casey]

The teary look in Prim's eyes was deeply saddening. "Oh, Primrose, just call me Olivia, really. Are you okay? What's the matter?" she asked while awkwardly patted Prim on the back. Her auburn brows furrowed in confusion, unable to figure out why Primrose seemed so distraught. It really seemed to be coming from nowhere. "You don't have to be so formal here, you won't find any pretentious snobs here." That crack was more about her brother, and partially about a guy she'd met recently, than anything else. "You're forgiven, although there is no need for it."

The compliment towards Olivia's hard work and worth, practically made her beam with joy, although she tried to stifle her smile so she would give the impression of taking Prim's sadness seriously. "I would be delighted to start a project back up!" she assured Primrose. Honestly, she was just thrilled to have such a huge and inspiring project to work on. It would do wonders for her reputation.

"I can't start right away. I have a couple small things I'm working on, but they shouldn't take me long. Actually, if you can keep a secret... they're for this guy I met. But, I don't know... his situation is complicated, to say the least." Then, realizing she was getting off topic and talking about herself when it wasn't appropriate, she turned her attention back towards Primrose. "I'm so sorry. Ignore me. So what's going on, what have you been up to? I haven't seen you in weeks."

[GoblinFae]

"Oh, nothings wrong with me." Primrose was blatantly trying to shift the topic to something else. "I can understand that of course you have other projects. I do not mind the wait. But, if you are serious about continuing where we left off, I have drawn up some new plans. I hope they meet your approval," she offered, nervously handing over the precious parchments.

Biting her lip, her eyes kept shifting from parchment to Olivia. "Here," she pointed to study, "I moved the support beams. I think if I'm right, it'll up some of the space. We might get to implement all those options we were previously lamenting. All my time at home these past few weeks has certainly paid off. It really left me able to sort some things out."

"Oh, thank you Olivia," Primrose sighed giving the other woman fleeting hug. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you are not cross with me. Things have been very...interesting this past month. My only regret was that I wasted so much time wallowing in self-pity. But, enough about that. The past is the past, let's leave bad blood where it belongs. Now," she said clapping her hands and holding them prayer fashion in front of her lips. "Tell me all about these new projects! I always love hearing about your work. The puzzles you deal with on a daily basis are so fascinating! I wish I could be as creative as you."

[Casey]

Olivia's lips curled slightly into a frown, but she decided not to push the subject. Prim seemed adamant not to discuss whatever was troubling her. So instead, she turned her attention towards the plans Prim drew up. It didn't take long her to become genuinely engrossed in the project that the written up on the parchment in front of them. "Wow, that's a great idea! I could definitely implement that for you," Olivia chirped brightly, inspiration flooding into her builder's mind.

The hug startled her, but she politely squeezed Prim's shoulder and let go. It was hardly the type of affection she was used to receiving from people. It seemed so abashed and pure, this rush of relief that unfurled from Primrose. "Hey, it's okay. It's just water under the bridge between friends, right?" she assured her warmly. Despite her calm exterior, the worry in her grew. Primrose wasn't acting like herself at all, and something really did seem wrong.

"Oh! My new projects!" she squealed distractedly. She ran off towards the back room to grab part of the piece of armor she was working on. Olivia power-walked back into the room, just barely able to keep herself from running with excitement. "It's armor for a bird of all things! Apparently he joins his owner, who's a soldier, on the field of battle. The soldier's name is Vaun..." suddenly, she could feel warmth coursing through her body. She felt uncomfortable and awkward when she thought about Vaun. She liked him, but she wasn't sure what to think of the whole situation. She sighed. "I don't know about him, though. I think I kinda like him, but I'm not sure I can handle his baggage," she explained.

"...I wasted so much time wallowing in self-pity."

The disturbing admittance repeated in her head again. Gah! What was she doing? Stop talking about yourself! Primrose obviously has something bugging her, she needs a friend right now! she thought to herself, frustrated for getting so easily distracted. "Primrose, are you sure you're okay? We could go out and chat about it over an ale. We're friends. You can talk to me if something's up." She gave Prim a small smile, and patted her on the back awkwardly, unsure of what exactly the proper rules and boundaries were. Women weren't exactly her strong suit at this point, but the company of another female who seemed as nice as Primrose was definitely welcomed. She could use a girl around to gab to. That's what girl friends did together, right?

[GoblinFae]

'Friends. I like the sound of that. Do you really mean it Miss Grey? Could you be friends with me?' Her thoughts were quickly put aside though by the other woman's enthusiasm. It please Primrose to no end, how happy and proud Olivia was of her gifts.

"Are you serious," she laughed incredulously. "Armor for a bird? That is ridiculous! I wish I could meet this man, or better yet this bird. This might be quite the challenge for you. But, tell me, how are you going to fit the armor around the wings to allow both movement and protection? I know from my father that was also a trying point for dragon armor. He said that it was never really resolved. His on dragon even refused to wear the armor plates, complaining that they were too heavy and cumbersome for her."

A knowing smile twitched at the corner of the young noble's lips. 'She likes him. He must be quite the man to get her flustered like this. Olivia is far more fearless than I am. This Vaun just better be good to her. I swear to Kia I will not let her affections be played as mine were!'

The returning topic of herself did not please Primrose. The smile on her face faltered slightly before being replaced by a fake one. "Perhaps if you would not be too opposed to the idea, we could have dinner together in my home?" she diverted. "It would give you a chance to see some of the infrastructure a bit better before preceding with the building plans."

Primrose had to bite her tongue to keep from adding that she was lonely and could use the company. 'I really could use a real friend. It has been so long. I can't ruin this too. Ryuu and Saezer were my fault. I'm not going to take the blame in this too. There will be no failure this time around!'

[Casey]

Olivia nodded her head enthusiastically to the offer. "Dinner sounds good," she agreed. The chance to catch up with Primrose sounded nice. She might finally get the opportunity the gossip like a real girl. She loved being a tomboy, but she never got to talk about guys she was interested in without being made fun of right away.

She held out the piece of armor she'd been working on, and explained as best she could what she was doing to make it fit. "Well, I used a light and sturdy steel so it wouldn't weight him down. This is the front. I'll use a strip of leather over the top to make them into one flexible piece. And after measuring him and watching him fly, I decided to give him a lot of room under and around his wing, and then I'll use a small string of leather to tie the bottom corners together so it doesn't flap around wildly. Unfortunately, that means he'll have a weak spot under his wing, but it's better than having his entire body exposed."

Olivia hopped off again towards the back room to retrieve the back portion of the armor. They were both molded well, specifically to the shape of Grimshaw's body, with an empty portion in the metal around the joint of the wing. They weren't connected by a leather strap or string, yet, but the edges were almost completely rounded off and smooth so that no bit of the metal could rub uncomfortably or scratch the bird. The pieces of metal were easily the smallest pieces of armor Olivia had ever seen, let alone worked on.

"Isn't it awesome? I hope Vaun likes my work. I mean, I don't care what he thinks of me personally, but of the shop, and our quality of work. Hopefully he'll spread the word to other people, you know?" Olivia frowned in exasperation. She was pissed on one hand, but Vaun actually seemed like a good guy, handsome, rugged. He was confident, which she liked. But he was conceded, and too attractive, and she couldn't stand the way he disapproved of treating her like an equal, instead of another girl he was trying to woo. She wanted to like him, but in general she didn't really trust him as a man she could get close to on an intimate level. He was one of those guys you had to keep as a friend in order to get the good side of him. At least, that's the impression she got.

"I'll have to tell you what happened over dinner. After you share with me what's going on first, of course," she told Prim, feeling clever with her I'll tell you if you tell me trick.

[GoblinFae]

"It's better than awesome. Olivia you are a goddess. This is fantastic! I have never seen anything like it. You should be commissioned to do dragon armor. I swear, this is better than anything I have seen before. If this Vaun doesn't like it then he's a fool! Any man, or woman, who knows a thing about weapons would know this is the highest caliber craftsmanship. Best be careful, Olivia. Before you know it you are going to have more commissions than you know what to do with!"

The way the other woman spoke of her new client did not escape Primrose's notice. 'Conceded by attractive? Sounds like someone has a crush. This should be interesting. Tell me over dinner? I-well that would be a first. I've never had -girl- time before. I hope I don't embarrass myself.'

Primrose smiled and bowed her head slightly. "I look forward to seeing you tonight. But, until then I must be off. I'm afraid there are a few things I need to take care of in town before I go home. Until then," she bid. Feeling that they had parted on a good note once more, the young noble left happily, waiting eagerly for night to come and hopefully with it, a dinner-guest.

[Casey]

Olivia accepted the compliments with all smiles. She could barely believe the amount of recognition she was getting showered with by Primrose. She took on a slightly bashful look, but remained quiet and proud of herself, rather than shrug off compliments like other people tended to do. "Thank you, Primrose. One can only hope."

She mimicked Primrose's slight bow of her head, and bid her good afternoon. She returned to work, polishing the steel, rounding the edges to perfection, carving the mark of her shop into the armor, and readying the leather straps and strings to be attached to the armor. It was more work than she could accomplish in an afternoon, but she didn't have much more work on it, now.

When night began to saturate the sky in a dark ink, with sparkling stars making their appearance, is when Olivia left the shop. She didn't have time to change clothes, but had the impression that Primrose would not mind. The night was cool, but bearable. The air was still, absent of wind or noise, except for the occasional hoot of an owl. She listened to the crunch of her shoes absently, enjoying the solitary walk.

Again her mind went back to that darn Vaun Costella. She was so ready to vent, but was determined not to let Primrose in on anything until she shared what was wrong with her earlier today that had almost make her cry. With her will feeling strong, and focused on not getting distracted, she found Primrose's house and knocked on the door.

[GoblinFae]

Primrose sat in her kitchen, nervously sipping tea that was meant to calm her but, was doing no such thing. She was no longer sure if inviting Olivia over was the greatest idea after all. Many of the townspeople stayed away from Dragoslav manor because of the rumors of its being haunted. Primrose really had no way of knowing just how superstitious the carpenter was and how much she would believe about her home.

'She isn't going to come, Prim. You are just getting your hopes for nothing. Dinner will be ready in a minute and you can eat. Olivia has better things to do tha-that's the door!' The young noble was up and out of her seat before you had a chance to say hopscotch. She raced to the door, only slowing her steps when Jain sent her surprised look and opened the door.

"Good evening Miss. How may I help you?" the elderly gentleman asked the visitor. Beside the door, Primrose bounced from foot to foot praying that it would be Olivia and dreading it as well. 'Oh I hope it's her. I hope it's her! But, what if she starts asking about Saezer? One breath at a time Prim! You are going to get yourself worked up over nothing!'

[Casey]

Olivia smiled brightly and nodded her head towards Jain. "Good evening. My name is Olivia Grey, I'm here to visit Primrose?" It was times like this was she was thankful her brother had servants helping out around the house. It helped her know how to behave amongst polite company.

Without vocalizing her doubt, she hoped the gentleman at the door would believe she was actually here to see Prim and not just usher her out. Her patched up and dirty clothes were often received with skepticism. Sometimes people around Ketra recognized her name as the local carpenter, or daughter of the local carpenter, depending on who was asked.

"We're having dinner together," she explained further, just in case it helped.

[GoblinFae]

'It's her!' her mind squealed the moment she heard Olivia's voice. "You came!" she cried out. Racing out from behind the door, Primrose nearly knocked Jain over in her excitement. The man had to visibly bite his lip to keep from laughing at his ward's antics. The young noble quickly and enthusiastically embraced the other woman before taking her hand and dragging her inside.

"Come, come. Dinner is nearly ready. You can tell me all about this new patron while I finish helping out in the kitchen. Oh, I hope you don't mind eating in the kitchen. I mean we can use the dining room if you would prefer. I just never use it. We'll use the dining room. Jain, would you mind?" she asked pleadingly. Primrose had been so excited that she rushed everything out, not even waiting to hear what Olivia said in response before continuing on. Her nerves and excitement prevented her from allowing such courtesies.

[Casey]

Olivia's eye widened in surprise at Primrose's entrance, followed by a growing smile. She received the hug with a combination of amusement and awkwardness, and finally let out a laugh as she allowed Prim to drag her through the house. She opened her mouth to answer one question, before closing it again patiently as Prim showered her with questions. When Prim was done, Olivia chuckled and said, "Thank you for dinner, Primrose. I'd be happy to help you cook, if you'd like. Although, I will admit, I don't know as much about cooking as I would like. I can make tea, though!" she chirped optimistically.

It's true that her cooking skills were very limited. Her mother didn't know how to cook at all, nor did her brother. Her father could cook meat, and together, with the help of neighbors, they learned to make stew. Being a noble meant you didn't have to know how to cook. "I'll tell you all about my patron over dinner. In the mean time, however, you can tell me what was bothering you earlier today while you finish up dinner. I'll share if you do," Olivia said with a mischievous wink.

[GoblinFae]

Primrose rolled her eyes playfully as she walked into the kitchen. "Well you can just sit and make yourself comfortable. Jolie will be mad enough that I'm in the kithen let alone a guest as well. If you helped," she shuddered and winked. "Let's just say I would rather live to see a quarter of a century."

The young woman bounced around the room trying to avoid collsions with the elderly woman cooking in the room. "As for sharing," the noble gave Olivia a pointed look, "there is nothing really to share on my end. I mean of course I was upset when I thought that I had ruined not only our business deal but also, especially also, our friendship. I have so little friends and even fewer female friends. I just didn't want to ruin that with my stupidity."

Primrose smiled before turning her back to the other woman and moving to cut some vegtables. "And do I really have to wait until dinner for you to tell me or can you just start now. I'm dying to know," she pled, practically bouncing in place until Jolie took the knife from her.

"Out of me kitchen Primmy. Supper's almost ready, I don't trust you in here any longer." The abashed noble blushed and laughed before motioning Olivia to follow her to the set dining room.

[Casey]

Olivia made a sort of pffft sound of resentful defeat, and took a seat at Primrose's request. She smiled with glittering eyes at the enthusiasm the girl used to cook around the kitchen. She certainly seemed to be feeling much better than she had earlier that day. While her gut told her there was more going on than what Prim had told her, she had no reason to distrust her host, so for the moment she let it slide.

Shuffling into the dining room after Prim, she decided to finally open up. "Well, he's kind of charming, if you're into that kind of thing. But he's got this great bird, who's smart and loyal to no end. But he's the father of an unborn child, and neither of them are committed to each other? Honestly, how am I to believe that nonsense? The woman nearly ripped his head off when she saw us-- I mean, it was just business, of course, but we were having dinner. Over business. Mhm," Olivia fumbled over the words, and strategically left out the part about the drinking game.

[GoblinFae]

The young noble sat back in her chair and listened attentively to what she was being told. Her face reflected nothing of her opinions on the matter. Slowly, at last she nodded her head. "Business of course." Primrose gave a soft smile and sat up to lean forward and rest her elbows on the table.

"Well, in my opinion, which isn't much, I think you like him. And he likes you. But, I don't know the reasoning for his liking, whether it is your personality, your gender, or your talent. You surprise him and intrigue him, I think which makes you something he desires. I mean how many men do you know want armor for their pet bird? He's eccentric. He's charming and he knows what he wants. Right now it seems he wants you, or at least your attention."

Primrose bit the knuckle of her forefinger nervously, fearing she had said too much. "If it is just business then wouldn't that mean his personal life is not of your concern? Perhaps it is too bold of me to say, in which case I ask your forgiveness, but, I think you need to decide what your relationship is with him before your start analizing his with others. We can't understand others if we don't ask and in turn listen. That much I know from experience."

She hung her head in embarrassment as her cheeks flamed slightly. The arrival of dinner thouhg served as an excellent distraction for her. "Ah good! Perfect timing as always. Dig in," she encouraged, as she picked up one of the plates to dish out some potatoes for herself.

[Casey]

Olivia stared at Primrose with enlarged eyes, and mouth partly open in astonishment. The noble talked with such knowledge, insight, and amazing bluntness. Before she could even think of how to respond to Prim's bold speech, a bevvy of food was laid out in front of her. It snapped her out of her shocked gaze, and she smiled politely at the servers. After a ladling a spoonful of stew for herself, she found her voice.

"This looks wonderful," she started politely before forcing herself to continue. She couldn't procrastinate forever. "You clearly know what your talking about. More than I do, that for certain. I also know... that you're right. I need to define our relationship beyond a doubt." Olivia stared at her food for a moment, and once she'd determined what she would do, she looked up cheerfully at Primrose. "Thank you, Prim. And I thought I knew men! You must have some experience," she pointed out with a wink and a chuckle.

"They're hard to read when they won't tell you what's going on, am I right?" She laughed and this and helped herself to more food. "Who's the guy that gave you such insight?" she inquired curiously, happy to hear a tale from her dinner hostess.

[GoblinFae]

The young noble chuckled as she ran a nervous hand through her hair and blushed. "I wouldn't say I have that much knowledge Olivia. Although, thank you for the compliment. I just- my best friend was a boy and I spent a lot of time with him. Boys are simple, straight-forward creatures."

She gave a heavy sigh and shook her head. "Men on the other hand are a completely different story. Coincidentally it was actually Saezer that taught me about listening and asking questions. But, the past is the past. No use dwelling on mistakes when there are always fresh ones to make."

Primrose laughed but even to her ears it sounded flat. She took her time in helping herself to more food and slowly cutting each piece into tiny lady-like bites before consuming them one by one. She felt uncomfortable, not knowing what to say to this strong, independent woman. Olivia threw her off-guard and challenged her, which personally Primrose loved. It was just that it also left the noble feeling insecure and like a child pretending to be an adult. "Would you like another roll?"

[Casey]

Olivia smiled and nodded, accepting the roll politely. She brought it to her lips and nibbled on it while contemplating Primrose's speech. "I haven't seen Saezer in a while," Olivia said pointedly. "Care me tell me what mistake happened that made him scarce?" she asked in a gentle voice. She leaned back in her chair with the roll in hand. Her hair was still messy and huge from work, the top half of her jumpsuit hung around her waist, and a baggy muscle tee hung over her lean, muscular frame. She gave off an air of casual comfort, and her full attention was on Primrose while keeping the atmosphere relaxed.

Ever since Prim had walked into her shop that afternoon, something about her seemed off. Primrose was hiding something inside her, and the sadness is was causing her oozed from every pore. Those pools of deep blue eyes told a story that needed to be heard, and Olivia was just the girl to listen. Everyone needs a friend sometimes, and Olivia hoped to show Primrose that it was okay to show weakness to the right people.