Logs:Pragmatism and Love
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| RL Date: 26 April, 2011 |
| Who: Emmeline, Iolene |
| Involves: High Reaches Weyr |
| Type: Log |
| What: Iolene dreams of fairy tales coming true, but is interrupted by a secret Emmeline shares. Io's response is... pragmatic. |
| Where: River, Western Island |
| When: Day 6, Month 8, Turn 25 (Interval 10) |
| Mentions: Devaki/Mentions |
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| Life goes back to normal, the brief excitement of rearranged goods having come to an end eventually: children must be taught, food must be gathered, and the few moments of leisure granted the islanders is a luxury that everyone does receive and can use as they see fit. For Iolene, it's sunbathing on a boulder, in a clearing by the river, strips of fabric placed in strategic places, but leaving as much skin exposed as possible. The summer heat, so in contrast with winter's bitter cold, is being taken full advantage of here by the fishing girl. Lazy. Leisurely. Seeming to be asleep with those languidly shut eyes, but alert, it would seem, to noises as the conversation of the laundry workers nearby seems to tug a smile at her lip corners every so often. It's a lovely afternoon for rest. Speaking of such leisure, Emme happens to be searching about for a way to indulge in her own little bit of free time when she happens upon the sunbathing and relatively immodest Iolene. "Room for one more?" Her tone is hesitant, recalling still the sight of the fisher girl fleeing and in tears not so long ago. Ok, it borders on downright sheepish. It may have been a few days since they've had time to speak, but a night's rest is enough to recalibrate Iolene to equilibrium. It's the voice the girl recognizes first though with a faint smile, her head then lolling on her boulder before those lazy eyes lift. "Always," spares the blonde, "I'm trying to get a little bit of rest in before tonight. Facien and I are going on a midnight hunt. /He/ says," said in a voice that imparts quite a bit of cheerful dubiousness, "The creatures are less suspicious at night, when it's quiet, serene. /I/ just like the adventure." The skinny body wiggles to one side a little, careful in its movements not to jostle the fabric pieces as she makes some more room for Emmeline. "Careful, it's toasty." "Perfect, then." The equally skinny girl climbs up on the boulder and stretches out languidly - she's wearing a swimming shift, as opposed to cloth strips. But for her, this is totally risque. Sad. "If they're less suspicious it's probably because they're -sleeping-" Emme replies a little dryly, folding her hands in front of her to rest on her abdomen. "Careful there, Io. Sounds suspicious if you ask me. Maybe he's hunting for a few gropes instead of night creatures." Is she joking? She must be joking. "And just for clarity." Pause. "I wasn't telling -you- to go away. I was telling the dipshit Xoami to get lost." "Mmmmmmm?" comes the throaty inquiry, that with sudden clarity is followed by a lift of one brow, bemused. "Oh, Emme. You worry too much about those things. I wasn't much help anyway and... I-," Iolene's other eye opens so the full impact of her dark blue gaze can turn to espy Emmeline, "I don't know what came over me. It was just maddening watching those two beat each other for fun! /Fun/! Poor Devaki. Will he be ok, you think? He won't... he'll be able to still...?" There's a note of concern in her latter question, however embarrassedly it attempts to skirt around a delicate question not fit for Holdbred girls' ears. "You're right, I do." Emme admits, her tone laced with exasperation. "But if I hadn't sent you over there to deal with it because I was avoiding Dev, then you wouldn't have... did what you did with your knee. So really, it's my fault and I'm sorry." She blurts out the words as quickly as possible, and then slows down so she can try to stumble through an answer to Io's concern. "I helped him get back to his hut. And when I stopped by later he and Xoami were joking around and whatever. So he's just fine." Of course, then it sinks in what *precisely* is being asked and her face turns about as red as sunburned skin. "I didn't really ask that question. But he was walking just fine the other day. I'm sure... I mean... I..." Oh forget it. The girl just shuts up right there before she sticks her foot in her mouth. Iolene smiles, an impish look that turns her immature features all the more childlike, "You're so funny when you get embarrassed. You're so serious sometimes, but I guess..." The head lolls away, and the smile is cast up to the sky rather than the Emmeline. "I guess it's cause you're older and you have a lot more responsibility than me." Teaching children is a lot more weighty than catching fish, right? A little while later, she thinks to ask wonderingly, "Why are you avoiding Dev? I thought and thought and thought you were just squeamish about all that blood." Emmeline can't help herself; she looks over and sticks out her tongure playfully at Iolene. "Well, when Mom died I had no choice but to take over the teaching. I couldn't let them go without a teacher, and mum had been training me for a few years." But her wistful tone suggests she'd have appreciated a few more turns before taking on that extra weight of responsibility. She's content with the companionable silence there for a moment until her sunbathing friend puts two and two together. "I'm not squeamish about blood. Anyway, I owed him an answer to something, and I didn't want to tell." Thus, avoidance. From her profile, the set of her mouth is visible, from the parting ahhh to it's quickly followed pursed oh. "I couldn't think it was really the blood. If it were true, you'd be running for cover every other day I would think. But I couldn't really think of what else would make you avoid them. Thanks. I was wondering." There is no further press for answers to questions Iolene can't think to even ask. "Do you think there might really be a world out there? That Raum has come from? A real one? Not just the stories the elders tell?" If Emme is wistful for a lost mother, Iolene is wistful for the truth in fairy tales of yore. "You're welcome." There's a smile there, and a look of relief that Iolene doesn't press. Still, her penchant for using an out loud voice instead of keeping things to herself just shines right on through. "If I told you a secret, think you could keep it to yourself?" The question of Raum and his stories, and what the Elders tell them bring back a sense of competence to her voice, and she sounds firm in her response when she answers. "I do believe there's a world out there. But it's as far from being reachable as a dream is, so it's easier to think it's all made up. I don't know why we're here and not there though. That's such a mystery. I wish we could just find out why." Quizzical eyes turn Iolene's face from basking in the warmth of a fleeting summer to find Emmeline once more. For now, the mysteries of Raum and the truth in her beloved fairy tales takes a side seat. She makes no verbal question other than that look as she waits for the teacher to continue. Perhaps speaking so much on a day like this taxing on her reserves. Emmeline takes that as an agreement, where perhaps she shouldn't. But the teacher sits up then, and starts to fiddle a bit with the hair she'd let down from it's usual knot. "I was jealous." she says simply, at first. "I had to admit to him that I was jealous of the idea that he had an interest in someone that wasn't me. How embarassing is that? I'm such an idiot." Were she able to flop back down without knocking herself out, surely she would. Instead, she carefully inspects her fingernails. As if the answer to life's mysteries is contained within them. Unfortunately, the only thing under her fingernails is some soapsand from doing laundry. No great revelations. Silent still, even after Emmeline speaks, Iolene takes in what the other girl says with a puckered brow. "Why would you be jealous though?" Pragmatically spoken, it's punctuated with a slight shake of her head that's the precursor to a sigh where an arm reaches down off the boulder to pat around for a pull over. Once the article of clothing is found, she moves with the athletic grace of a hunter, fluid and swift, somehow managing to throw on the oversized top, at least, without giving Emmeline a visual she probably doesn't really need right now. Then, she sits, fingers pulling down the ends of her top to be half-way decent. "You are," says the typically optimistic girl bluntly, though she reaches out with a fond cuff to the teacher's arm. It turns into a pet along her shoulder. "Well?," expectant and amused, "Did he say you had no cause to be jealous?" Emmeline casts a glance over at Iolene with a 'really?' sort of expression. "Why do people usually feel jealousy." she prompts, hoping that she doesn't /really/ have to explain herself beyond that. And it's fortunate that she can play a good poker face when it's needed, because being flashed Iolene's boobies is something she was not expecting. It trips her up enough to blink in confusion. "You're agreeing I'm an idiot?" Sulk. "Well, no. He wasn't exactly up to speaking yet. He made me tell him on the shuffle back to his hut." You know, when his nuts had just been kicked back inside his body. "We haven't really had that conversation. We probably shouldn't. I mean, whatg am I going to do when he laughs in my face for... well, having an interest in him. Better to just pretend I never said anything, right?" She's clearly expecting agreement here. Iolene, so rarely at a loss for words or thoughts, is just as baffled by Emmeline's secret as the teacher appears to be about Io's naivety. "The elders decide who we marry and if it's proper." This is how things are and have been and, "Does liking someone really make that much of a difference? Doesn't it just," a thin shoulder lifts in a confused little shrug, and the onslaught of rhetorical questions continue, "Complicate things more than it should?" Puzzled by this turn in her friend, the blonde replaces words with action, and slides off the boulder to seek her pants. She doesn't really quit talking though, as muffled as her voice might be as she ducks out of the other teenager's sight. "Dev's awfully popular though," she does concede, "With all the girls so... I'm sure he's used to it. I wouldn't worry." "Uh, yeah. It does complicate things more then it should." Emmeline agrees. That's just common sense right there. "I... right. Yeah. I know." None of this makes her feel any better of course. So while the other blonde is searching for her pants, the teacher just slides down the opposite side of the boulder and heads towards the beach and the open water. By the time Iolene's done and looks back up wondering why Emme's being so quiet allofa sudden, her slight form can be seen splashing into the water. The quiet does concern Iolene enough to peek upwards to find Emmeline halfway to the river, but those pants must be found before other random flashings occur and with a curse under her breath, the blonde hunts a little further up the way. "Stupid wind," mutters the younger of the two women, when her pants are found spread into the side of a tree trunk. But the tree gives her enough cover to wiggle into her pants commando-style and lace the tops tight before she reappears racing towards the river's shore. Her dark blonde hair waves like a flag behind her, but she stops just short of the waters Emme splashes in. "Emme," her head tilts, her lips curve, her eyes sparkle, "He probably won't even remember anyway. I don't think you're the only girl who's ever confessed that to him and he does-," she shrugs both shoulders and lifts her arms to the sky, twirling in place, "Have an affect on people. Grams calls it a dangerous kinda charm. Just, smile? Please? It's sunny. We only get a few months of sunny! You can be all glum and jealous in the winter. It's a better season for it. Promise!" "Iolene, I love you like a sister." Emme begins, her lips pursing together in an effort to reign in what might be a fit of temper. "But I think it better if I spend some time alone right now, ok?" She simply nods in agreement to all the truths laid out for her, and dives back under again; swimming out towards one of the close islands. The ocean is her balm, it would seem. Left on the shore in an odd switcharoo, Iolene stares out at the water and purses her lips. Just sixteen, and suddenly the weight of one person's sadness weighs heavily on the girl's small shoulders. But, it's taken in stride, and shortly, after watching Emme swim out towards the unknowns, Io begins to head back to the encampment, her pensive features lighting up at the first new person she meets and a light, bubbling laugh preceding her steps. |
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