Taking a Break

[stelmarisa]

Lotte drew back a little at Iorwerth's cold reply, worrying that she had crossed a line. But the look in his eyes chilled her, and she found herself biting her lip as the silence fell between them. What was it that she could read in his face? This uncertainty made her nervous...

"I'm sorry, Iorwerth." She looked bashful as he questioned her. "I should not have asked - I didn't mean any offence by it. It just seemed that there is something deeper to you than common men. I didn't mean to insult you - it would never have bothered me if it was true." She stumbled over her words a little, trying to smooth over her mistake.

[GoblinFae]

'Fool! Look what you did now.' Iorwerth squeezed the hands still within his own gently. "Hey, don't worry you didn't offend me. Honestly though, I'm as human as the next man," he repeated cryptically. 'Doesn't matter whether you would mind or not. I can't afford to trust you or anyone with that secret. I should leave. I'm getting tired and it's making it difficult to think. Won't be long before I can't stand properly'.

"Forgive me fair lady but I believe I should take my leave of you for now. I am tired and starting to not feel so well. A good night's rest would do me well now." Standing, he once more reclaimed her hands in his own and bowed low over them to kiss them both. "It has been a pleasure fairest Lady Lotte.

[stelmarisa]

Lotte nodded assent, following Iorwerth's lead as he stood up. It seemed as if he was leaving quickly, and in spite of his protestations, she couldn't help but feel that he was in fact offended... and his sudden profession of not feeling well only served to  bolster her fears. She aimed not to show the worry however, fixing her practiced smile onto her face as she gave him her hands.

"Well, then farewell Iorwerth." She curtseyed in return. "It had been my pleasure also."

[GoblinFae]

At the last moment before he pulled away from her Iorwerth leaned back in and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you again Lotte. It has been wonderful spending the day with you. Until next time then." Smiling broadly he fled the room and the entire brothel, not stopping until fresh night air filled his lungs.

A sharp pained whinny came from his right and the "man" hurried over to his other half. Ylli staggered on his feet where he stood. "Forgive me friend, I stayed too long." He ran a soothing hand across the horse's glossy coat, feeling the cold film of sweat on it. "Far too long. Come Ylli, let's get you home."

Tired and truly feeling sick, the pair gradually made their way to the outskirts of town. The longer time spent in each other's presences helped but did not rectify the problem. The moment he was sure they would not be seen Iorwerth returned to his true centaur form and breathed a sigh of relief. While his legs collapsed beneath him, he allowed himself to lay on his side in sweet, tickling grass.

"That was too close. I need to be more careful in the future when I see her again." The thought of Lotte's smiling face made him smile in turn. Staring up at the starry sky he fell asleep dreaming of their next hopeful meeting.

[stelmarisa]

That night Lotte went to sleep feeling confused and curious. She hadn't really understood her interaction with Iorwerth. He had come to the brothel, but seemed entirely uninterested in her services - and while she had invited him as a friend, not a client, it was so unusual that she had been thrown off by his disinterest. She got ready for bed in a haze of thought, barely speaking to the other girls as they chattered and questioned each other about their evenings. Will I see him again? And if I do, in what capacity? Is he just interested in me as a friend... or even as that? Perhaps I scared him off, or perhaps he just lost interest... She had a heavy heart, and a head full of questions.


The next two days were rainy, and she wasn't permitted to leave the house. She spent most of the mornings sitting by the lounge window, gazing out into the wet streets. Iorwerth was on her mind all this time, as she wondered whether he would come by to visit, or even pass by the brothel on his travels. But if he did, she didn't see him. Soon enough, she was called away by her other duties and forced to forget about her new acquaintance, at least for a time...

By the third day, the rain had stopped, and Lotte was sent out on errands. It was early morning, with a pale sun hanging in the air, and she was happy. Her chains were long and loose todays, permitting ease of movement as she went about her jobs. Her hair was pulled back in a blue ribbon that shone in the clean light, and she hummed to herself, half-dancing through the open-air market.

The night before had brought exciting events for her, and these were on her mind as she shopped. Holding up a long length of shimmering pink fabric, she measured it with her hands and looked around for someone to assist her.

[GoblinFae]

Iorwerth had kept himself busy in the days following his first introduction with Lotte. He spent as much of the time as he could in his true form. While it made him skittish in the city, it was much better for his health. Too much time had been spent split in two and now he was paying the price.

Yet, there was much laughter to be heard in his own alcove of the park where children came to listen to the centaur bard tell tales of days long past. As the days became nights though, Iorwerth found himself returning again and again to the brothel. Fear and uncertainty kept him from entering. 'She wouldn't want to see me anyway,' he justified every night as he drew away from the place.

Market day came and with it a bardic centaur in need of business. Clopping along his merry way, he smiled as he greeted several merchants and excited children. Lowering down, he allowed a few youngsters to climb atop his back and carefully navigated the tight streets. A flash of pink out of the corner of his eye had him turning his head to a surprising sight.

'Lotte! Oh no. Oh no! What do I do? She can't know about this.' She shuffled nervously so that his whithers were facing her. 'I can't change here. I'll be caught and killed for sure. Heavens above don't let her see me!' His hooves seemed to peel as loud as bells in his ears as he struggled to get through the massive crowd and as far away from her as possible.

[stelmarisa]

Cheerfully folding up her length of pink silk, Lotte was placing it into the basket on her arm when an unusual sound caught her attention. Of course horses were common in the market place, but this sounded like the clatter of panicked hooves, so fast and irregular were they. She paid for her fabric quickly and turned, her eyes scanning the crowd for the source of the noise. Those eyes grew wide and disbelieving as a section of the crowd parted and she saw before her a huge centaur pushing through the throngs of people.

In an instant her confusion had changed to joy and her face lit up as she recognised the creature. She started taking steps towards the commotion, calling out as loud as she could. "Nessus! Nessus!" She cried out happily, breaking into a half-run as she neared the centaur. Her attempts were thwarted however, when a group of shoppers closed the gap between her and her target. Disappointed, she was about to duck past the obstruction when a voice called her name.

"Lotte?" She turned, startled, to be faced by a majestic black horse, bedecked with shining brass and colourful banners. Atop the stallion was a man, wearing the rich clothes of Connlaoth's nobility who was smiling down at her with a mixture of pleasure and curiosity. Completely distracted from the centaur now, Lotte found herself blushing as she gave the noble a deep curtsey.

"Lord Cardon," head still inclined, she smiled sweetly as she greeted him. "What brings you to the marketplace?"

"I have been out, and this is the quickest way to return home." The noble surveyed the heaving market with some distaste, but smiled as he returned his gaze to Lotte. In an instant he had dismounted from his horse and bowed to her, reaching to kiss her hand.

"Although now, perhaps, I do not want to return so quickly after all." He sighed. "But, return I must. Will you walk with me, Lotte?"

She hesitated before she accepted, glancing around for the centaur, but he was no longer in her sight. Shrugging off the encounter, she accepted Lord Cardon's proffered arm and let him lead her through the marketplace, where the crowds parted for the nobleman and his horse.

[GoblinFae]

'I thought I was a goner for sure!' Iorwerth breathed a sigh of relief and sent the children clambering around him on their way promising to tell them stories another time. 'There is something seriously wrong with this picture,' he mused as he tried to follow Lotte as quietly as possible.

'Who is that with her? What are his intentions? He better not take advantage of her or I'll knock his block off!' The irony of the thought never really came to the centaur as he followed closer and closer.

'Stupid man,' he huffed. "If it had been me I would have let her ride with me rather than force her to walk beside me." He rolled his eyes, not allowing himself to really pay attention to his surroundings. 'I wonder if she thinks this is her ticket out of the brothel though.'

With a crash Iorwerth walked right into a fruit vendor's cart, toppling it and managing to be pinned beneath it. 'Brilliant Iorwerth! No way she didn't see that one.' Praying that no one saw, he transformed as quickly as he could back into human and horse. It was a poor move on his part though as it meant that Ylli was now lying on top of his lower torso and legs, effectively crushing them.

[stelmarisa]

Deep in conversation with the lord, Lotte had no idea that they were being followed. She was concentrating on putting forth her best manners, her prettiest laugh, and her most enchanting words. It was somewhat of an effort to keep up the appearance, she had to admit - especially only days since she had met a man with whom she had never had to act. Well, it looks like he's gone, now, she reminded herself, remembering glumly that he had never returned.

They had only just passed a stall, heaving with lavish-looking fruits, when a loud crash behind them drew Lotte's attention. If she hadn't spun round so quickly she might never have noticed the centaur pinned below the cart - the very centaur that she believed to be Nessus. But then the harried fruit vendor blocked her view as he fussed around his cart, and when she could see again the centaur was gone.

Instead she saw Iorwerth and Ylli, squashed together on the floor. She was blinking in confusion when the lord turned around, curious as to what had got her attention.

"Ah," he smirked. "The lower classes getting themselves into pickles, I see. Come, Lotte, it does not do any good to linger in the market, especially when such chaos is going on." He wrinkled his nose and turned back, continuing on his way. He had to tug at Lotte's arm before she removed her gaze from the entangled pair and turned reluctantly and allowed herself to be led out of the marketplace, and into one of the city's wide streets.

[GoblinFae]

Iorwerth groaned as he finally got Ylli off him. Determined to follow, he was stopped short by the irate merchant. "You idiot! Do you know how much this will cost me? I have mouths to feed! Where's the guard? You should be arrested for such insolence. Guards!"

Gulping, he placed a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. "Sir, I assure you the fault is my own-"
"Damn right it is and you will surely pay for it! I will not stand for this!" The vendor took off quickly in search of the aforementioned authorities.

"No, no wait!" Iorwerth screamed after him. "I'll pay for it. I'll make it up to you, I swear. It was an honest mistake. Give me the chance to correct it. Please!"

The man looked him up and down and sneered. "What can a pathetic bard do for me, sing money into my pockets. You're worthless!"
"Sir, I assure you, my word is good. If I must forever be your indentured slave then I will do it if it means that I have repaid my debts to you."

A smile appeared on the merchant's face as he calculated his odds. "Is that so then? Well in that case, if you clean all this up, tend to my cart for the rest of the day and somehow manage to generate a large amount of revenue I will overlook your indiscretion just this once."

Iorwerth bowed low in thanks. Yet, as the time passed he found himself regretting both his cowardice, his stupidity and his clumsiness. He was not receiving much in the way of money and he had not only deceived his new friend but purposely evaded her. Looking at the meager funds he had earned thus far he made himself a promise. 'If I manage to succeed I will go and visit Lotte tonight. No matter what, I will visit her. I owe her that.'

[stelmarisa]

Lotte walked with the nobleman for a little longer through the broad streets, until he stopped at an intersection. He released her arm fron his and turned to face her, taking one hand in his.
"And now, Lotte, this is where you and I part. My home is not far from here, in the upper district, and you know that you may not venture that far." He said this simply, unquestioning of the status quo that prevented him from being seen with a prostitute, although the words hurt Lotte. Unwilling to show her disappointment though, she nodded and curtseyed, inclining her head to her companion.

"Very well, my Lord. May the rest of your day go happily for you." She paused. "And will we see you tonight?"
"No, Lotte. Not tonight. I have duties and a reputation to uphold, and visiting your... establishment, is not exactly a good use of a lord's time." With that he took leave of her hand and remounted his horse, dropping a coin to the ground as he did so. "For your time."

With that he was gone, trotting up the street away from her. Lotte sighed unhappily as he left, fighting a little internal battle before bending to pick up the coin. It wasn't something that she could afford to pass up, however degrading its delivery.

She returned home with a heavy heart, but not before passing back through the market. This was somewhat of an exercise, as the place was thronged with people. She could barely remember it being so busy before - with all of the stalls heaving and every available path filled with people that seemed intent on getting in her way. Nevertheless, she made it through, and returned home, to start her daily duties.

[GoblinFae]

Lotte's downcast passing back through the market was missed by Iorwerth as he assisted a costumer over a squash discrepancy. 'At this rate I am never getting out of here,' he sighed sadly. 'Not to mention the fact if I somehow manage to do so, there will be no eating this week since I have no money. Stupid, stupid stupid!'

He sighed again as he worked hard to earn the money needed to clear his debt. All around him the noises of the street beat at his ears, making him miss the music he was hoping to make and sing for his tales. Suddenly an idea began to form. Smiling at Ylli and giving him a fond pat he hopped atop the great horse and cleared his throat.

Iorwerth raised his voice in song, singing sweetly of happy things. Everything from the beauty of the day to the food he was selling was mentioned in passing and crowds began to form. In half the time it had taken him to sell what he had earlier he sold everything. He sang as he took money, as he bagged food, as he directed on what to buy, as he haggled over prices.

A disgruntled shout sounded later from the edges of the crowd and after much shoving the fruit vendor made an appearance. "What is the meaning of thi-" The man's eyesbugged out in shock in seeing an empty stall. "What did you do you lying thief? You stole all my-my livelihood."

He looked on the verge of tears as Iorwerth placed a soothing hand on the smaller man's shoulder and handed him a large sack. "Seems you need to close shop for the day. Everything has been sold." The merchant stared at the other in shock before nodding his head.

As Iorwerth collected Ylli and made to leave, he felt a smaller but heavy pouch pressed into his hand. "Many thanks," whispered the man as he bowed out and closed up his cart. It brought a smile to the bard's face not because he had the money which would feed him but because he had brought happiness to another. 'Now to bring a smile to a certain female' he mused with a small skip in his step as he headed for the brothel.

[stelmarisa]

The rest of Lotte's day passed easily, if quietly, without much excitement. The main event of the day was when a young maid returned from errands, full of stories about a singing bard in the marketplace.
"He is atop a horse!" the girl bubbled excitedly, as the rest of the maids gathered around her. "He is selling fruit and singing about it as he does - he has the most busy crowd of all the vendors in the market!" The girls all laughed delightedly, wishing they could have seen this unusual sight. But Lotte stayed quiet, a little smile tugging at her lips. 'A bard on horseback'... it sounded familiar to her.

That night was one that she had free, released from her usual duties for the evening. After she had assisted the rest of the house in their preparations she retired to her room. Her face was clean of makeup, her hair tied up simply, and she wore only simple leggings and a tunic. She was expecting an uneventful evening, and she settled herself down onto her bed.

Before long she had pulled out the cloth she had bought that morning, carefully hemming it.

[GoblinFae]

Iorwerth hesitated as he stood on the doorstep of the brothel. He had no regard for how he would look to an outsider only that he was not sure if she would want to see him. 'It has been days, she might not even want to see me. Besides what if she is entertaining company? That noble could be with her. I could get her into a lot of trouble. No harm in asking though I guess.'

As he went to knock the madam opened the door and stared at him for a moment before rolling her eyes and nodded her head to the stairs. "She's in her room. Don't keep her waiting," she instructed before closing the door after him and leaving him standing there.

Clenching his hands into nervous fists he built up his courage and ran upstairs. Filled with joy he raced up and up until he paused in front of her door, unsure once more. Quietly he knocked on the door with three soft taps. "Lotte?" he called. "It's Iorwerth, can I see you?"

[stelmarisa]

Lotte had finished sewing her hems and was experimentally wrapping the fabric around her hips when she paused. She frowned and tilted her head to the side, trying to listen.

Yes, there it was. Over the muted sounds of conversation from the nearby rooms, she could hear footsteps, rushed footsteps on the stairs. Her face brightened as the steps came closer and closer before stopping outside her room.

"Iorwerth?" she cried out happily, dropping her scissors onto the bed beside her. "Come in, come in!"

[GoblinFae]

The man smiled shyly at being welcomed so happily. "I'm sorry I did not come sooner. I was unwell, but I'm better now. How are you?" Iorwerth had to bite his tongue so as to not say more. There was much he wanted to say and ask that he felt would be inappropriate.

'I saw you at the market. Who were you with? What were you buying? Did you see me? Who is Nessus? Did you miss me? Is it alright that I came? What did you do while I was gone? Is pink your favorite color? You're beautiful. I love your smile. I'm an idiot.' He stood in the doorway nervously, itching to greet her with a kiss to the cheek as was customary but unsure how she would take it coming from him and what her occupation was.

[stelmarisa]

"That's alright." Lotte smiled and unfolded her legs, standing up with a stretch. "I'm sorry that you have been unwell Iorwerth, but I'm glad you're better now. I'm fine, thank you. It's nice to have an evening free - even nicer when a friend comes to visit me." She crossed the room and gave him a little curtsey, then leaned up to kiss his cheek quickly.

Gesturing him into the room she swung the door closed, waving at the bed. "Sit down, please. Make yourself comfortable." She settled down again after moving her sewing out of the way.

[GoblinFae]

It gladdened him that she had dared to kiss him but, it would not shake the jealousy and concern he was feeling. Iorwerth did as she bid and sat on the very edge of the bed, feeling a bit uncomfortable still about their whole relationship. "This is beautiful," he commented, pointing at the fabric.

"What are you going to make it into? A scarf perhaps?" His fingers brushed against hers as he reached for it and he froze at the touch. The nervous smile wobbled on his lips as he blushed and made no move to meet her eye. "Are you sure I am not disturbing you? If it is your day off I would hate to take up your precious time. I would be quite alright leaving, I fully understand the desire for peace and quiet, alone time. Say the word and I shall go. Or say the word and I shall stay. I leave my fate in your delicate and beautiful hands my fair Lotte."

[stelmarisa]

"Thank you." Lotte beamed as he complimented the fabric, running her hand over it. It was a soft silk, made in a beautiful pink that she couldn't wait to wear. Their brief, accidental touch didn't phase her, though she noticed Iorwerth's blush, and hastened to put him at ease.

"Of course you aren't." She spoke softly, warmly. "It is my day off, but I can think of nothing better than to spend the evening with such a thoughtful friend. I would love you to stay." She touched his arm very gently before picking up the folded fabric and shaking it out.

"It is going to be a dress, for myself." Her eyes shone with pleasure, and she held the fabric up against herself in a vague approximation of the pattern. "My own dress, for a change! That I have made. Do you like it?"

[GoblinFae]

"A dress! Well forgive me then, I greatly misunderstood," he chuckled. For a moment he pursed his lips together and stared at the fabric critically. With a sigh, he allowed his features to soften and looked up at Lotte with a friendly smile. "I'm afraid I'm not very good with this sort of thing but I think you would look lovely in it, a shining star burning so bright even the sun will shy away from your brilliance. The color brings out that of your cheeks and compliments your eyes I think."

Iorwerth shrugged in the end though. "I don't really know much though," he mumbled to himself. "It gladdens me though to know that you will be able to do this for yourself. I wish I could help. I would only butcher it though. If you want to continue working on it though, I will gladly keep you company. I'll even do what I do best and talk your ear off." The man winked and slid back on the bed to rest his back against his the wall.