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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 1, 2010 16:58:51 GMT -5
"Hey, I'd agree with 'em." he admitted to her as they wandered down the stairs to the front doors, Phoenix looking happy to be going back outside. Staying inside for too long made him feel really trapped, even when it was bitingly cold out. "Winter is bitter." he shrugged as they reached the doors, smiling to her faintly. "But I think you'll be alright if you're with me." he winked, "I'll keep you safe from the cold. I've been through it enough times." he clicked open the door without another thought, leading them out into the snow. It crunched under his feet when they walked out, and he inhaled the crisp winter air deeply. "I could get used to this season, I think, if I can stay warm the rest of the time." he chuckled to himself as he shut the door behind them, his coat flapping at his heels from the fresh breeze.
Phoenix was careful as he walked, his hand securely in Rory's just in case she slipped on the ice and went flying. If she fell he'd catch her whether that meant he ended up on his face or not. Handel unfolded before them as they walked and he smiled lightly at the snowy streets. The town was bustling despite the winter and the snow, people shovelling their doorways to clear them and nobles and other people weaving through the streets. Children were playing behind walls and having snowball fights, and Phoenix was reminded vaguely of home and the children there. "It's a busy place." he murmured to her as they walked, the thief seeming surprised at the way they were received by people walking. It seemed that just being with Rory ranked him with the nobles, despite his associations when he went into the town by himself.
They were walking along the streets in no time, Phoenix greeting the odd person in Marmosian (it was a language that he quickly seemed to be getting to grips with, considering that the criminals of Handel reacted a lot better to you when you spoke in their own tongue, instead of speaking Common). They passed a stall or two among the regular shops, and the thief paused at one in particular, an ageing woman smiling out at him. When she spoke in Common it was thick with a Marmosian accent, and by the way she smiled at Phoenix it was obvious that he'd taught her.
"Mornin', Red." she leant against the stall, tilting her head at Rory. "She really is a a beauty. I was wonderin' if I was ever gonna meet this mystery girl you talked about."
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 2, 2010 9:27:43 GMT -5
Rory rolled her eyes at him as he said that he would aggree with them, shaking her head. "I'm not that fragile. I can cope with a little bit of cold." She told him, snuggling up inside her coat. She did, however, smile to herself as he told her that he would protect her from the cold. She wasn't sure how that would work, but somehow it just made her feel safer. It was nice to know that Phoenix was watching out for her, even if he didn't need to. "Winter is pretty, as long as you can shut it out of the house and keep warm." She nodded in agreement, smiling to herself as she stepped outside. The air was freezing, reddening her cheeks with the cold, but her hands were warm enough, one holding onto Phoenix's and the other disappearing up her sleeve.
She was feeling rather excitable now that she was outside, enjoying the crunch of the snow under her boots. She was like a big kid, making an effort to step on the soft snow that no-one else had stood on yet. Handel was pretty in the snow, everything looked clean, like a scene out of a painting. It was still so busy! People flitting about the town, all wrapped up as much as possible. It was nice being outside again, she had almost forgotten how much she missed just wandering around, seeing new things. Anything was better than looking at the same four walls. She found herself smiling as she watched the children playing, that was something that you rarely saw at the palace. Children weren't allowed to just play, they were supposed to study and learn, to be preparing for adulthood.
At first, Rory barely noticed that they had stopped walking, she was too busy looking around, her gaze flickering everywhere, trying to memorise these streets incase she didn't get to come out again for a long while. It wasn't really until the woman started to speak that she realised that they had stopped and turned to look at the stall, and the woman that owned it. She smiled polietly in greeting before glancing to Phoenix. It wasn't really a surprise that he knew people already, it was more of a surprise that he had taught himself Marmosian, and that he had taught this woman common; he had been busy while he had been here, hadn't he? No wonder he hadn't had any time for her...but...he had been talking about her? It was lucky that her cheeks were already red with cold, if not she would have been blushing brightly right then.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 3, 2010 15:16:57 GMT -5
Phoenix cheeks hadn't grown red from the cold just yet; he was used to it by now, but they certainly grew red from the woman's comment, and he laughed weakly. "Yeah, this is Rory." he nodded to her, suddenly bursting into Marmosian and winking dashingly at the woman. "<I'm glad you agree. Told you I wasn't bluffing. How about the usual?>" he asked, tilting his head at the stall, smiling brightly. The woman smiled back and nodded, glancing at Rory.
"<And for your friend?>" she asked, slipping back into her natural tongue.
Phoenix glanced across to Rory, tilting his head. "Why not. Breakfast, Rory?" he offered, while the woman moved to pass them two paper wrapped parcels. The thief dug into the pockets of his coat for the coins, passing them over and smiling.
"<See you later, Aala. Keep the change.>" he murmured to her, the two exchanging a wave as he led Rory away again. "There's a little park around here somewhere. We can sit there and eat if you want to." he suggested to her, as though nothing had happened. You picked up banter very quickly when you spent every day practically in another language, and he wandered through the streets of Handel like he had been there the whole time, not moving too quickly because of the snow and simply because it was a novelty to be walking around with Rory again. He wondered how Chris would take his stealing the Princess for a day.
The small park he had spoken of appeared out of nowhere a few moments later, more children appearing, playing in the snow. A snowman was built in the middle of the park, and Phoenix chuckled to himself. A few of the children recognised him, and he hid the parcels away in his coat, anticipating a snowball fight. "I will defend your honour, Rory." he informed her, sweeping into a roguish bow just as a snowball was launched at them. "<No fair!>" he called in Marmosian, covering Rory so that the snow hit his back and laughing. "Breakfast can wait, I guess." he smirked, "I have to teach some kids a lesson first." he knelt down to scoop up some snow.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 5, 2010 13:13:33 GMT -5
Marmosian? Since when did Phoenix speak Marmosian? And so well too. He must have learnt quickly, unusualy quickly. Then again, when you were surrounded by a language it was easier to pick it up. Phoenix really was rather smart, wasn't she? She had never met anyone that adapted so easily to whatever was thrown at him. Even when he was dragged out of his own country and thrown into a foregin one, he could slot into town life easily. She supposed that all towns must work in similar ways, plus Phoenix was street-smart. He could probably travel to the other side of Syrunn and still merge into daily life without any major problems.
She nodded to Phoenix as he asked if she wanted anything for breakfast, she had fallen back into her three meals a day routine, which wasn't good for when they started traveling again. For now, however, she should make the most of it while she could, soon enough it would be spring and they would be back down to grabbing food when they rememebered.
"<Goodbye, it was nice to meet you.>" Rory smiled to the woman before turning to follow Phoenix away from the stall, that cheerful bounce still in her step. "A park? Sounds nice." She nodded in agreement, smiling as it started to snow lightly, flakes melting in her hair and dusting over her shoulders. It was so picturesque, she was going to have to paint this when she got back home, she just hoped that she would be able to remember it well enough. The snow capped rooves, the children dashing around in the streets, she needed to try and remember it all so that she could transfer it onto a canvas when she got back.
The park was quaint and pretty. It may not have compared to the sprawling palace gardens, but the children playing more than made up for it; what was the point in having beautiful gardens if no-one was allowed to enjoy them? This was far better, even if you couldn't safely enter without being pelted with snowballs. "I think that breakfast will have to wait, we're under attack." Rory giggled, ducking as a snowball soared over his shoulder. "They saw you coming, I should have hidden." She teased, tucking her mittens away in her coat before moving to scoop up a handful of snow. Her hands would have plenty of time to warm up later, and she didn't want to ruin her mittens.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 10, 2010 15:23:59 GMT -5
Phoenix seemed to adapt quickly to places, no matter where he went; he supposed that when you had no choice in the matter and whether you could blend in was the difference between staying alive and safe or not, you picked up the ability to adapt pretty instantly. Marmosia and Handel had been no different to all the other places they'd ended up, if you just looked at it in terms of a city. He wasn't fluent in the language by any means (if they stayed there for any long length of time then undoubtedly he would be), but he knew enough at the moment to get by.
He grinned to her as she joined him in the snowball fight, having to duck around the rest of the snowballs that were being launched in their direction, the thief ending up tugging them to take cover behind a tree. His cheeks were red now from the cold and from running, and a mischievous little glint was in his eyes as he formed another snowball and grinned across at Rory. "Alright. Cover me, I'm goin' out! Avenge my death if they cut me down, Rory!" he told her in mock seriousness, before dashing out from behind the tree to continue their fight.
All thoughts of breakfast and seeing the rest of Handel were completely forgotten as time drew on in the park, Phoenix seeming pretty content to stay in the snow as long as Rory wanted to. The snowball fight had ended well and had turned into Phoenix helping the kids make a fort of some kind - he could tell by the way they were dressed that they were slum kids, hanging around in the park in Handel to play, stay out of their parents' way and hopefully have a noble take pity on them as the day wore on, and ensure they didn't freeze to death when it got dark. With the fort making done, he had swept back to Rory, offered her a roguish bow and his hand, and offered to give her a grand tour of Handel, personally. "I am the Prince of the Fort, you see." he told her pointedly, "I am the person most suitable for the job." he nodded.
He'd shown her as much as he could before it began to get dark and bitterly cold, which wasn't long because of the winter and the weather. But he'd shown her the town square, the library, a number of shops and a few of the people he'd met. The light was dying now, and Phoenix's hands were like ice, the thief walking next to her now with them shoved in his pockets, offering her his arm since he couldn't hold her hand.
"Yeah. So that's Handel." he laughed breathlessly as they crunched back towards Chris's house. He was soaking wet from the snow, and cold, but he was pretty happy, truth be told.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 10, 2010 16:32:41 GMT -5
Rory didn't mind spending the day with the children. In fact, she enjoyed it. She had never had the time to do anything like this before, never had the time to just play. It felt strange at first, as though someone was going to turn up at any minute and tell her that she had to leave, that she had someone to meet or a class to take, but, thankfully, the day was hers to spend as she chose. If she wanted to play in the park all day with the children then that was what she could do. Children were, however, far more resillient to the cold than she was. Her hands stopped working half way through the snowball fight, frozen solid, so she had taken to hiding behind Phoenix and hoping for the best. She decided to take a back seat as he made the fort, sitting on a nearby bench, telling stories to the children who had become bored with the snow.
Leaving the park was surprisingly difficult. In the back of her mind she knew that they had nowhere to go, and that they would still be out in the biting cold while they were safe and warm in Chris's house. It was an awful feeling, but what could she do? She couldn't invite them all back to Chris's house, it wasn't her place. In the end she settled for promising to visit again tomorrow before saying her goodbyes and leaving with Phoenix. Thankfully, the sights in Handel were enough to keep her from brooding over the fate of the children, at least not right now. Seeing the places that she had read about in real life was odd, she had a perculiar feeling that she had seen them before, but that was probably because she had seen so many illustrations in books.
By the time they were heading back home she was exhausted, and cold, but the happiest that she had been since leaving Avalas. She had her mittens to keep her hands warm, and her coat warded off the worst of the cold, but it couldn't keep it all away. She had offered Phoenix her mittens, but he wouldn't accept them, not even for the short walk back to Chris's, so, instead of holding hands, her arm was linked with his. "Handel is so pretty." She smiled brightly to him, sounding enthusiastic even though there was a edge of tiredness to her voice. "Most of it looks just like the illustrations in the books. It was nice seeing everything for myself."
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 10, 2010 16:46:18 GMT -5
"Yeah? I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Phoenix smiled to her as they trailed back up to the house, gazing up at the bright lights and welcoming the warmth that waited for them there. Had he done this back at Cressa he'd be spending all night curled up next to the fire to try and coax the feeling back into his heavy limbs. That was one good thing, at least, about being here in Handel. Although he had no idea what he would have done if Chris hadn't found them. He'd dealt with cold for his whole life, but he had no idea what would happen to Rory if they had been faced with the winter alone. Speaking of which, Phoenix was gearing himself up for getting an earful from Chris any time now.
He pushed the heavy doors open with slight difficulty; they were half frozen and what's more, the thief was having a little trouble with his cold hands. Eventually he got them inside, sighing deeply when the warmth washed over him. "Oh. That's like Heaven." he commented softly, smiling and shaking his damp hair from his face; the snow in it had melted and he was shivering as he hovered in the doorway, closing it behind him to keep in the warmth. Ahh, that was better. "We should go out again. Maybe when it's a little warmer, though." he suggested, looking around cautiously for Chris and leading them to the stairs, fully intending to try and get them upstairs before they got found out.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 10, 2010 17:01:31 GMT -5
The snow would have lost it's novelty quickly if she hadn't been able to escape it. If there were no warm house waiting for her at the end of the day then she wouldn't have been able to cope. Winter was all well and good when you could close the door, pull the curtains closed and shut it out, but, having to live through cold like that all day, every day? She simply wouldn't have survived. If Chris hadn't found them then God knew what would have happened to them this winter. As it was, a wave of warmth fell over her as Phoenix opened the door, the relief in her eyes evident as she stepped out of the cold. Now that was pleasant. Her limbs were still heavy and stiff with cold, but the warmth was already melting the chill away from her cheeks; it wouldn't take too long to warm up, especially once she had changed into dry clothes.
"We should definatly go out again." She agreed with him, though her voice dropped to not much more than a whsiper as they stepped inside. She had been out all day, without a word to Chris about where she was going, she doubted that he would be very happy with her, she had to hope that he would be busy and that they could sneak in without being noticed. Her footsteps were light as she followed Phoenix up the stairs to their rooms, missing out the steps which she knew creaked. When they got to the top she was sure that they had avoided him, that they would be able to lock themselves away in Phoenix's room and that would be them safe. That hope was, however, shattered as she spotted Chris stood at the end of the corridor, not seeming to be in the best of moods.
"Just where have you been?" He questioned, though, one look at their coats and the answer was obvious. "You will catch your death out there! It is freezing, and you are supposed to be ill too, people will get suspicious." He chided, shaking his head and sighing heavily. Phoenix was bad news, how could such an irresponsable man make her happy? He would never understand it.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 10, 2010 17:22:44 GMT -5
Phoenix had almost convinced himself that they were fine and that they had gotten away with it, until he saw Chris at the end of the corridor. He smiled to the noble brightly and waved, as if he didn't have any idea what was going on or what he was talking about. "It's not so cold." he told him, even though he knew it would't make the slightest bit of difference, "And we're still in one piece." he was walking down the corridor now, heading towards their rooms and skirting around Chris, as if to say that he was too cold at the moment to argue. Maybe once he had changed his clothes and gotten a little warmer, he'd be much more willing to talk. Or get lectured, or whatever.
"She will be ill if we don't get dry clothes soon." he pointed out, sweeping past him and lingering by his bedroom door, watching him for a moment or so. "Tell you what. I'll be about ten minutes, and then I'll meet you out here and you can tell me about how much of a bad guy I am, and that I don't deserve to be around Rory. That I don't even deserve to look at her. Okay?" he smirked, winking to Rory and disappearing into his room, clicking the door shut behind him.
The thief was true to his word, and he appeared in dry clothes only a few moments later, stretching his arms above his head. "Alright. All set. Go for it."
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 10, 2010 17:57:22 GMT -5
Both Rory and Chris seemed shocked as Phoenix just...kept walking. Chris was telling him off and he just kept on walking, as though nothing happened. Rory was doing her best not to look too impressed, knowing that would just wind Chris even more. Oh, right now, in her mind, Phoenix was fearless. She would have just stood there, shivering, while they were told off, and then shuffled off to change, but not the thief. She could see Chris glaring at him, trying to hide his shock. He had been expecting an arguement, not for them to just keep on walking. How dare they keep on walking when he was trying to lecture them?
Rory avoided looking at the storyteller, smiling to Phoenix before she disappeared into her room to change into dry clothes, leaving Chris stood out in the corridor waiting for them.
The Princess didn't dare emerge from her room until she heard Phoenix's door open again. She had changed into a light green dress, a thick, cream shawl wrapped around her shoulders to keep her warm. She smiled nervously to Phoenix as she moved to stand by him, before turning her attention to Chris, who looked almost ready to explode.
""How irresponsable are you? Especially you, Aurora. I would have expected better from you." He scowled, folding his arms over his chest. Phoenix was a terrible influence. "You can't expect people not to notice that you have been out. You have been avoiding meeting anyone with your ill excuse but you go out wandering around town? How long do you think it will take before they are suspicious?" He ranted, the princess looking down at the ground to avoid lookng at him. "And what if you do end up ill? Is it not enough that we have Phoenix wandering in and out at all hours without you going with him."
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 10, 2010 18:13:05 GMT -5
Phoenix smiled cheerfully to Rory as she emerged from her bedroom again, brushing his hair out of his face and resting one hand in his pockets, before he turned his attention to Chris. His expression was similar to how he would look when faced with one of the guards in the slums; his stance was relaxed and defiant, and he tilted his head up at the story-teller as if to ask him just what he thought wasting his breath was going to achieve. He looked the complete opposite of Rory, rebellion in his smirk as he blinked up at him. Just because he told him what he was and wasn't supposed to do, and what Rory was and wasn't supposed to do, didn't mean he was going to pay the slightest bit of attention to it. "So she got better. People can be suspicious all they like. A lot of people actually recover when they're ill, y'know." he informed him.
Phoenix was, after all, walking proof of this.
"Hey, you can't lock her up like a bird in a cage. Maybe if you took her out more often then she wouldn't get so stir crazy and do somethin' stupid like go out with me?" he challenged. "Besides that, she's not as fragile as you think she is." he wasn't going to go into the myriad of things that he and the renegade princess had been through over the last month or so, but he could bet that they were a lot worse than staying out in the cold in a city where nobody knew your face. Rory had broken into a prison, after all.
"I suggest we don't talk anymore about this, before I say somethin' you won't like. But I've probably already done that, haven't I?" he grinned, shaking his head. The defiant gaze faded from his eyes, and he reached out to put his hand in Rory's. "It's gonna be a long winter if this keeps up. And I don't plan on staying inside and being responsible, even if you didn't expect that from me in the first place." he gazed up at the noble expectantly. He couldn't very well move without ploughing straight through him, and Chris had witnessed first hand what he could do if he was pissed off. The thief could still remember Chris's nose cracking under his fist.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 10, 2010 18:45:02 GMT -5
Chris looked scandalised as Phoenix responded to him. Everything about him annoyed him to death. His cocky stance, the rebellion in his eyes, everything. Ugh. If it weren't for Rory, he wouldn't have put up with his presence in his house. "Yes, because people who are so sick they can't leave the house obviously recover at the drop of a hat." His voice was heavy with sarcasm. The thief thought that he knew what was best for the Princess? Did he need to remind him that, when he found them she had been falling apart? No, that may be a little out of order. Phoenix may opt for taking low blows, but Chris was above that...for now.
"Yes, because all I obviously want to do is keep her locked up in here, I'm not trying to do what is best for her at all." He rolled his eyes, his gaze focused on Phoenix, seeming to have forgotten that Rory was even there. "Perhaps she isn't as hard wearing as you think that she is. You can go running around the countryside all you want, but the fact remains that she is a Princess, and her well being is worth more than you could ever understand."
Rory's fingers laced with Phoenix's as he put his hand in her's. She was gradually getting more and more annoyed, they were talking about her as though she wasn't even there. "I would agree with Phoenix." She put in, her voice only quiet, but it was clear that she had enough with all of this. "This conversation is over. Move, Chris." She raised her gaze to look at Chris, eyes filled with definance. "Afterall, I am your Princess, so you have to do as I say, don't you?" She pointed out with a calm smile, Chris seeming defeated by this, sighing heavily as he stepped aside.
"All I ask is that you are more careful." He mumbled, but Rory wasn't listening.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 10, 2010 19:18:07 GMT -5
"Maybe what you think is best isn't what Rory wants at all." he fired back at Chris, about to open his mouth to object to him further when he felt Rory's fingers lace with his, something that had never happened before. Then she spoke up, and he couldn't hide the proud smile on his face. He didn't think he'd ever get to hear Rory speak up and stand up for herself, she was too polite. But something must have managed to annoy her, whether it was him, Chris, or a little of the both mixed together. "Considering what we went through before we got here, this is being more careful." he commented softly as they passed him by. It really was going to be an incredibly long winter at this rate. He wasn't going to stop going out, and he wasn't going to stop Rory from being about to go into the town.
Chris was just going to have to deal with it.
The weather was positively bitter over the next month or two, and Phoenix was even feeling the cold in the supposedly untouchable noble house, where it was meant to be warm forever, and ensure that you were always comfortable. He couldn't even set foot outside sometimes, something he'd never done before, even in the slums. Maybe it was the fact that they were in Marmosia which meant that it was a lot colder than he was used to. That was all in the past now, at least.
The sun was beaming as Phoenix walked out of his room as spring was just beginning to finally show its face again. He was dressed in lighter clothes than he had in the winter, but although the sun was bright, it was still pretty chilly. The snow had thawed, however, so he wasn't particularly worried. He smiled as he paused in the corridor to look out of the window. The grass seemed so much greener because he hadn't seen it in so long, and he could hear the sound of the birds chirping outside even from standing just next to the window. He sighed softly, stretching and continuing on down the corridor. He was wary of running into Chris; it was true that he hadn't been out when the snow got really bad, but almost all of Handel had completely ground to a halt at that time.
He didn't speak to the noble much, only when it was absolutely necessary. And then their conversation was clipped and forced, and usually Rory had to be present. It was safe to say that Phoenix wouldn't be so sad when they left the house, which shouldn't be too long from now, actually. Judging by the sight outside the window, he was only waiting for it to warm up a little before he could safely say that there was nothing else in Handel for him... or should he say 'them'. He didn't know if Rory was going to come with him, but he'd offer it to her, of course he would. He didn't actually think he'd be able to cope too well if she didn't come with him. Actually, he was going to think about this later. Bleh.
He had just reached the bottom of the stairs of the house when there was a light tap on the door. The thief lifted a brow, and moved to answer it. He could be trusted to answer the door, at least, Chris never complained about that.
A weather-worn messenger greeted him with a light smile, holding out his hand and offering a creased envelope to Phoenix. The thing looked as though it had been through a lot just to get here. "Is there a Phoenix Garcia here? This is supposed to be delivered to him only." the messenger explained in an Avalan accent, and Phoenix frowned ever so slightly. Why would he get a letter? He couldn't read it. Nobody he knew could write it; they'd have had to pay for someone to write it out for them.
"Thanks." he murmured, taking the envelope and wishing the messenger a good morning, before clicking the door shut. He looked down at the thing. He recognised his name on the front of the envelope; that was the only thing he could read and write, as far as he knew. Ripping it open, he took out the faded letter, instantly reminded of home. The little symbol in ink made him freeze - Layla would have drawn that, it was how they made sense of things that were addressed to them. He couldn't read it, but he knew who it was from. God, how had they gotten money to send this? And how had they gotten money to pay for the spell to FIND him?
He strode back up the stairs excitedly, taking them two at a time and rushing to Rory's door. It was mid-morning, she should just be getting up by now. He knocked at it three times, unable to contain the elation and urgency in his voice.
"Rory? You there? Can you do somethin' for me? I got a letter, I think it's from Layla... can you read it?" he asked hopefully, practically hopping from foot to foot as he waited for her to answer.
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Post by Angel ♥ on Jan 10, 2010 19:46:12 GMT -5
The winter had passed quickly enough for Rory. In comparison to her first month in Handel, it was a breeze. It was surprising how much happier she was just knowing that Phoenix wasn't avoiding her, and being able to go out. Not being trapped in the house did to improve her mood. When the winter was at it's worst, she tended to stay in, unable to brave the bitter cold, not even to see the sights. It even got cold in the house, something that she wasn't at all used to, and it became a choice that she stayed in her room with her books or with her paints. Chris made sure that there was always a fire burning in her room, and with the furs that he had bought her, it was the warmest room in the house. As beautiful as the snow was, there was only so long that you could look at it without becoming bored, without longing for a little colour to break through or for the sun to shine. By the time the snow started to melt and the sun started to shine again, Rory had itchy feet. She felt as though she had stayed in one place for too long. There was a whole world out that just waiting to be discovered, and she was stuck in Handel waiting for the weather to warm up to make it safer to travel. A couple more weeks, that was all it would take, or so she assumed, and they would feel the warmth starting to creep back into the air. She had considered the possibility that Phoenix would leave without her, but hadn't had the confidence to bring up the subject in conversation; she was too scared that he would say he was going alone. They had been spending a considerable ammount of time together through the winter, and it was more often than not that Rory would shuffle across the corridor in the night to sleep in his room with him. But...still, she was unsure. There was no doubt in her mind that she would go with him if he asked, she would go anywhere for him if he asked, but whether he would ask or not was a completly different question. If he didn't ask her to go with him, if he left without her...she didn't know what she would do. She couldn't imagine being here without Phoenix, she couldn't imagine being anywhere without him. The Princess was painting when he knocked on her door, her hair tied back in a high ponytail, whisps of hair left free to fall around her face. She too was dressed in ligher clothes, though she wore a shawl around her shoulders to ward off the chill that lingered in the air. "Come in." She called, smiling to herself as she recognised Phoenix's knock. She rested her paint brush on the bottom of her easle as she moved to open the door, her smile widening as he continued to explain why he was there. "A letter? From Layla? Of course I can read it." She agreed instantly, reaching out to take the letter and unfold it. At first, she too was expecting good news, however, it was clear from her expression as she read the letter that was not the case. Her smile transformed to a frown, a sadness touching to her features, the princess reading the letter twice to double check what it said before looking up at Phoenix, swallowing the lump in her throat. How was she supposed to tell him this? How was she supposed to relay this news to him? He was so excited to recieve and it carried such awful news. "Phoenix...it's not good news." She murmured, her voice only soft now. She was trying to find the right words, something to soften the blow, but she could think of no way, no alteration of words that would make this any easier to swallow. "It's Miles, he...he died this winter. It doesn't say how...I'm so sorry, Phoenix." She held the letter out for him to take, unsure of how to act now, unsure of how he would react.
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Post by Vyncent Schwarz on Jan 10, 2010 20:12:32 GMT -5
Phoenix smiled to her happily as she opened the door, passing her the letter and absently folding the envelope it had come in to slip it into the pocket of his waistcoat, lingering in the doorway as she read the letter. "Thanks." he said gratefully, watching the letter expectantly, as though it would come to life as she started reading it and reveal its secrets and whatnot. His entire attitude shifted as he noticed the frown on her face, the thief instantly becoming edgy and impatient, though he tried to hide it. A frown... and she looked sad, too. Wait, what was going on? He'd assumed the news was good, but from the looks of things, it was almost as though something bad had happened. It was almost as though...
"Phoenix...it's not good news." the words bounced off his skull, and it took him a good few seconds to realise that she was still talking. He felt like he wanted to reach out and take the letter back and put his hand over her mouth, to stop her from talking. No. If it was bad news he didn't want to hear about it. Things had been really looking up lately, he didn't want karma to sneak up on him like it always did and put him in his place.
However, no matter what his expectations had been, what he actually heard was something much worse than anything he could have ever considered.
"It's Miles, he... he died this winter." No. No, because Miles was... he was only a couple of years older than Phoenix. He was... they had been friends for... just no. He was vaguely aware that he'd stopped breathing, his eyes wide with shock as he looked at Rory, but at the same time,he seemed to look straight through her. But... how? He couldn't be... not Miles. Not this.
Eventually he seemed to realise that he hadn't breathed in what seemed like forever, letting out a deep sigh, taking another breath and blinking a few times, shaking away the sting of tears. He wasn't going to do something like that. Crying meant that Miles was actually... that he was...
He didn't take the letter that she offered him. His heart was hammering in his chest and he had grown pale. Phoenix actually looked pretty sick at the moment.
"But... Miles was..." he barely managed the words, his voice strained and threatening to crack. He stopped talking, cleared his throat and rubbed at his eyes. "I think I wanna be on my own for a little while..." he told her, before shaking his head. "Or... no. Do I? I can't think. Just give me a second, I'll be fine..." he trailed off, leaning heavily against the doorframe and brushing his bangs out of his face. He'd... died. He was dead. Oh God.
Phoenix slid down the side of the doorframe to sit hunched against the wall, propping his elbows on his knees and putting his head in his hands. "Miles is gone...?"
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