Almalexia. (arithmeticks) wrote in emillion, @ 2013-10-06 18:30:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !log, almalexia lliryn, morgayne falk |
All these words whispered in my ear, tell a story that I cannot bear to hear.
Who: Almalexia Lliryn & Morgayne Falk.
What: Gossip and sweets.
Where: A bakery near the Grande Cathedral.
When: Recently-ish.
Rating: PG.
Status: Complete!
Located conveniently near the Cathedral, this particular bakery had seen Lex as a patron for quite a number of years. As such, the woman behind the counter had long ago learned to anticipate her orders. Spotting the familiar mage at the door immediately, she began at once to reach for a small take out box sitting on the counter. “We haven’t seen you in a while, Almalexia!” Lex tried not to look too embarrassed at the sudden burst of attention afforded to her arrival, but as the woman began reaching for the lemon cookies on display, she found the effort quickly defeated. So she approached the counter quickly, with the hope of completing her transaction before making any more of a scene. Unfortunately, this was not to be. “Good afternoon,” she replied in a much softer tone. “Has the shop been well?” The woman looked up from where she was boxing the cookies, her eyes wide. “By Faram, haven’t you heard the news yet? We were vandalised!” Her statement echoed loudly throughout the store, easily heard by anyone nearby. As a squire who lived in Hellwyrm, Morgayne had little reason to ever leave the guildhall. She slept there, she ate there, she trained there. All in all, she was well provided for, and her daily tasks typically made her too busy to wander far anyway. But every once in awhile, she found herself frequenting a nearby bakery. Sweets (especially pastries) had always been her weakness, a vice she allowed herself with little guilt. After all, she could just add an extra mile, and run the croissants off the next morning. She studied the dessert case intently, comparing names, descriptions, prices. With no real source of income, Morgayne didn’t have much gil to waste on unnecessary goods -- one treat would have to do, then, if only she could decide on which one. But her deliberation was interrupted as she heard the sudden outburst of the woman behind the counter. Vandalised? Well, that was certainly interesting. Her gaze shifted, and she focused her attention on a customer further down the line, by the register. Petite, blonde, and the reason for the other woman’s outburst, or so it seemed. Morgayne studied her for a moment with sharp eyes, before swivelling back to the glass display case. But she was no longer in the mood to weigh the pros and cons of a chocolate muffin against a jam donut. Instead, she kept her ears pricked, eager to eavesdrop on the remainder of the conversation. Lex, meanwhile, leaned over the counter, her eyes slightly widened at the news. Had the disruptions around the city traveled so close to the Cathedral? She couldn’t help but feel disconcerted by the idea that these vandals were yet to be brought to justice. So much for the efforts of the EKP, she thought with a sniff. Her response to the woman, however, was very restrained regardless of her interest. “Oh?” The shopkeep started to tie a string around the box of cookies, but her eyes remained on the young mage. “Why it was the most startling thing, dear,” she confessed with a nod. “My husband was here cleaning after hours, just as he always does, and a group of young men smashed in the back window! And not only that, mind!” Lex took a breath, her own gaze traveling to the back of the store. She wasn’t able to see much from her vantage at the counter, unfortunately, but her imagination certainly began to fill in the details. “There was more?” “Oh, the graffiti. Almalexia, you mustn’t go look. I know how you people must be particularly sensitive to these things.” You people? Lex wondered what the woman meant. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, her gaze traveled around to the other patrons, including another young woman standing near the display case, before quickly darting away. Well, that was the end of that. So Morgayne pried her fingers from the display case, and piped up. “Graffiti, really?” she exclaimed, echoing the shopkeep’s tone and volume. The other patrons around the shop gave her disgruntled looks, which Morgayne cheerfully ignored. She eyed the woman behind the counter with an eager curiosity, only some of which was feigned. Perhaps she would be chided for eavesdropping, but Morgayne didn’t think so. There was a certain look to those who held gossip and were a question away from spilling it, and the shopkeep wore it well. While Lex straightened up her posture and attempted not to seem entirely too embarrassed, the shopkeep failed to look bothered in the slightest. In fact, she seemed to glow under the added attention now afforded to her misfortunes and, after placing the box of cookies carefully on the counter, began gesturing with her hands--as if to draw the attention of both young women at once. “It is absolutely scandalous what these scoundrels will write!” And her face reflected the scandal perfectly, as if the woman was relieving the incident in front of them. “Who would say such a thing about the Church, of all things in Ivalice?” Lex, holding the box in her hands now, tried to interject. “I’m certain it was only--” “Cultists is what it is dear, don’t be coy!” Turning her attention to the unknown girl who had now joined the conversation, or so it seemed, Lex afforded her a look that speculated otherwise. The other woman -- Almalexia, the shopkeep had called her -- seemed skeptical. Rightfully so, in Morgayne’s opinion. She passed along her own look, eyebrows raised and mouth curved into a hint of a smile, before turning back to the shopkeep. There was more to discover. “Ajora,” she murmured, her eyes wide as saucers. “What did they say?” “Oh, I couldn’t possibly,” the woman said, swatting at the air as if she was batting away a number of horrible memories. “It’s all still there of course, we haven’t had the time to clean up all that dreadful paint.” “There have been quite a number of these incidents recently,” Lex said to both women, trying to ground the discussion a bit. “And the graffiti remains similar in most cases. I believe the criminals are not very creative in their dispersal of insults.” “Well, it’s high time someone does something,” the shopkeep replied. “Where’s the EKP when you need them?” Lex left a handful of gil on the counter and took up her box of cookies. She said nothing, but her expression was not one of disagreeance. Turning to the girl who seemed to be next in line, the one who had joined the conversation, she stepped politely to the side. “I don’t mean to keep you waiting. Please, go ahead.” Well, she’d have to go see for herself, then. At any rate, the shopkeep seemed to be far more interested in doing her dramatic retelling than actually giving up the information. Morgayne flashed a smile to the woman in front of her, as a thank you, and turned her attention back to the the dessert case. “Two raspberry tarts, please.” She fished into her pocket to ready the gil. Meanwhile, Lex has similar thoughts. Certainly, after such a colorful retelling of the incident, venturing to the back and taking a glimpse of the vandals’ handiwork would serve to sate her curiosity at the very least. With box of cookies securely in hand, she made her way to the door. |