Aspel Cassul: When in doubt, Aspel! (weaponry) wrote in emillion, @ 2014-08-30 21:29:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !log, arielle chiaro, aspel cassul |
Just break your plans tonight, put your hand in mine...
Who: Aspel & Ari.
What: Dinner.
Where: Out to dinner.
When: BACKDATED: Aug 28th.
Rating: G.
Status: Complete!
Ari had seemed terribly off. Not that Aspel could particularly blame her after the net conversation they had earlier. It explained a lot though, and while the smith didn’t know how all the pieces fit together, or if she had even anywhere near all of them, she had enough to create some semblance of the picture that may be occurring right now. Losing people in any way, shape, or form was always hard regardless of how ready for it you were, and even more difficult when you hadn’t been prepared at all. True to her word Aspel had rushed through everything she could have that day, cancelled any plans that may have been scheduled, or even beginning to remotely form for the night, and dashed off as soon as the chance was given towards the address Ari had indicated in their conversation earlier that day. Unfortunately, as the smith was prone, she was late. Not terribly so, but - a glance at a shop as she passed by, just seconds from the location - still a good fifteen minutes late. Aspel cursed herself, why had things taken so long? Before turning her gaze forward once again, trying to spot if the other woman was already waiting outside or not. Which she was -- leaning against the wall in a dress rather too fussy for everyday wear, with hair in ringlets and pinned mostly up, she seemed an incongruous sort of figure as she scrolled through notifications on her network device in the nondescript street. At the sound of footsteps, though, she looked up and smiled once she realized Aspel had arrived. “There you are. Tell me you didn’t run -- I only just got out.” Working again felt good, in its way (a testament to her freedom, in a strange way, that she could go where she pleased and hunt for her next job on her own terms), but it meant that aside from her rather spectacular binge the other night, she had to steer clear of wine for a week or two, at least while she got through the half dozen auditions she had scheduled. No drinking meant a return to melancholy unless she could find a proper distraction -- fortunately, Aspel was one of the best. Stepping away from the wall, Ari tilted her head up to give the other woman a light kiss before threading their arms together (comfortable and familiar now, this action) and adding, “I hope you’re hungry, because I skipped lunch in favor of this,” accompanied with a wave of her hand at her rather elaborate hairstyle. “Nothing more than a brisk walk, I assure.” Aspel smiled, something bordering on a grin but not quite there. So what if she had jogged a little? “I would loathe to mess my hair.” Which clearly was a joke as she’d basically dashed from one place to another and while it didn’t look terrible, well… It had been a day, and Aspel’s own tendency to run her fingers through her hair when frustrated, thinking through things, or awkward hadn’t helped. The kiss was automatic, returned without thought or question before falling easily into position - also without thought - and beginning to lead the way. “Hm?” A beat was given as the smith followed the other woman’s indication with her gesture, a second floating by before the connection sunk in. “Ah. It looks lovely.” Shifting, Ari’s hand was raised so that Aspel could place a kiss against it. “My apologies for not being more presentable myself.” With Bram now completely gone there was a fair amount of work to catch up on. Especially, after Aspel had wrestled half of his paperwork away from Drake, and was trying to square things away for yearly trip with Mag as well. That was terribly soon… She really did need to check in on Mag more. “They went well I suspect?” A beat. “The auditions that is.” “Your coiffure, as always, puts mine to shame,” Ari responded with a ready laugh. “Trust when I say this would not have been my first or even fifth choice for going out, but, well, art requires sacrifice as they say. And I think you look lovely -- certainly less absurd than I, I’m certain. You’ll get some odd looks for escorting such a character around tonight. Not that you’ll mind, I suspect.” As they set off, Ari still unaware of the destination, she continued: “I think they went well enough. I have a number this next week, so at least one is bound to work out.” She’d had a rather limited selection in her determination to exclude tragedies but… well. She wasn’t up to another Romulus and Juliana anytime in the near future; beautiful music or not, she preferred laughter to doomed lovers just now. “I suppose seeing how hard everyone else is working, I’ve decided it’s time to do something productive with my time again.” “I assume you mean when it is not over run with grease and soot.” Which well, that was more in the past than it was in current day but… A longing stirred in her chest, and a rumble echoed roughly in her head. Both were quickly shooed away. “A mind reader now, eh?” Aspel couldn’t help the simple tease. “Perhaps that new hair of yours has bestowed magical powers upon you. I would not write it off quite so quick if I were you.” A low hum would be given to Ari’s additional words before Aspel sighed. “My apologies, I have yet to make up my mind between Hana, Saletti, and Takezushi. Did you have preference between the three?” “Mostly in the mood for seafood, is it? I’m open to any of them. We’re a bit underdressed for the first, though I don’t mind if you don’t. Any of the three will suit me.” She grinned and added, “And I’m not reading your mind but rather making an informed guess. How often, after all, have you objected to my company based solely on the manner of my personal style? It is so varied that I can’t imagine you would even notice it half the time, unless I’m mostly undressed, which is a situation to which I know you wouldn’t object.” She gave Aspel a sideways glance and added, “Also, I think I’ve mentioned a few times -- I don’t mind you covered in grease and soot. It isn’t as bad a look for you as you seem to think.” "I thought it may be nice. It is not something we venture toward often." A low, brief chuckle was given towards the observation of dress and the first location named. "I suspect we may indeed be, but considering our respective statuses and mutual general lack of care I believed that would be the least of the issues we may have." There was a beat of consideration over the commentary before Aspel would give a response. "I believe the answer would be never." A soft smile was offered. "The only objection I have ever had to your presence has been when I was in personal disarray." Though another chuckle would be gained. "I do notice shifts in your style, including those which involve a lack of currently engaged wardrobe as well. I just find no reason to comment other than in compliments." The reasoning behind that would be left silent even though it did float briefly through her head - because, to me, you are always beautiful - and with a gentle redirection she started them down the path to Hana. "Is it? I suspect I just have difficulty finding the appeal in soot and grease. Shall you care to enlighten me?" “I suppose,” Ari said thoughtfully, “it is that it is a look utterly without pretense. I am not particularly skilled at that sort of thing, but I can appreciate the confidence of someone who can simply… be.” Certainly she spent far too much time fussing over her appearance most days -- in her line of work, how could she not? -- but there was something about Aspl in her natural element that was appealing. (In the end, she still seemed more at home to Ari’s eyes in sooty smithing gear than in an evening gown, though she was quite adept at fitting in whatever she wore.) “Ah.” There was a warmth to the single utterance as eyes turned down on the other woman next to her side a certain deep tenderness clearly readable. “Is that so?” A beat passed before Aspel’s gaze rose, looking down the street they headed. “I suspect that is one way to approach it.” Not one she had every fully thought about. After a hard days work, who didn’t want a hot meal and a drink they didn’t have to make? Though, maybe it was her years on the road that had tossed care and concern for those things to the wind. “I do miss it.” There was a faint pause, her voice growing a little distance. “Those days were much… Easier than most today.” “You could quit,” Ari blurted out. She hadn’t meant to say it, but she had heard the rumblings, here and there about Aspel and her class and why it should matter (it shouldn’t). The council already seemed a thankless misery, but with that on top of everything else…. “That is,” she said, “if you wanted to simply… smith again. You could. You’re not beholden to the guild or… anyone.” A mental apology to Drake, but it was true, wasn’t it? And in the end, she still believed in chasing happiness over duty. “You’ll probably tell me I’m naive and don’t understand,” she said with a sigh. “I’m terrible at matters of duty generally.” The initial - almost knee jerk reaction - from Ari earned the faintest quirking of a brow and a low ‘Mm’ from Aspel initially. Though the continued explanation and odd semi-imaginary chastising of herself earned a soft, muted, and brief laugh. “I could. It is a job, not a career.” Her career interest, well… That was complicated now wasn’t it? “However, I will not.” A beat. “Not yet.” Another pause. “If I stop now, I would just be running away from all the things the gossip mongers have to say about me and what I should do or be, would I not?” There was a strained smile there, one pained, yet trying, fighting to some degree. “If I can not stand against them, and what they tell me I should be now, how will I ever make a life for myself where in I can be…. Me.” Aspel’s eyes had shifted off, not looking at Ari. “Or open a pathway for others who have no voice. If they can see someone in power stand for right, and not crumble under the weight of the dark, a role, and the pressure of a holy city’s demands, perhaps they can have some hope that their lives, and lights are not completely lost.” Because, after many long nights of mulling things over, Aspel had realized it was not only her life she stood for anymore, but being openly Fell and a Council member in one of the holiest cities of Ivalice, was the beginning of a revolution of changing thought all on its own. As expected, Aspel’s goals and ambitions were both selfless in their way and far loftier than anything Ari would have considered for herself. There was no point in asking why not ignore them when Aspel would see that as backing down as opposed to a sensible step back from unnecessary conflict. Sometimes, it seemed their minds worked along quite different paths. “Well, I am certain you will do what is best for you,” Ari said after a moment of silence. “I didn’t mean to bring up such serious conversation, in any case. It was just an errant thought.” A bit more than that, but it hardly mattered. I think you are better at being yourself than you think would remain unsaid. She thought she understood Aspel well enough by now to form an opinion on this but… then again, the other woman’s personality had always been somewhat mercurial over the core of inherent decency selflessness. There were days when considering her own taste bewildered her. “A happier topic, perhaps?” she offered. “I am certain one will spring to mind presently, or else I can simply make something up.” A soft smile remained, her voice dropping low so that the conversation would remain between herself and Ari. “I had nearly written my resignation a bit ago.” The conversation with Jareth came to mind when she had admitted wanting to quit in her own roundabout way. “However, after a bit more thought I have decided that I would rather leave of my own accord, when I am ready and satisfied with what I have done than feel as though I need to leave, to run away, in shame of what choices I have made.” A pause. “Of who I am. While it is stressful, it is complicated, and troublesome because I have allowed it to bring suffering to me.” A beat. “I have not figured out everything yet, but I have decided that I will step down when I am ready than give into the pressure of this city and the rumormongers cries.” There was another pause, this one a bit more drawn out before pulling Ari’s hand up to press a kiss against it once more. “I do not want to run because things have become a bit more difficult than the norm.” There was strength in those words, and something haunting behind them, a sort of indication that perhaps they applied to a bit more than just the topic at hand. However, the other offer would not be forgotten either, and a more light hearted smile rose. “Make believe could be quite entertaining, no?” Perhaps it was best to simply leave it there, Ari thought. Her own considerations of Aspel’s selflessness and how it often seemed to act to the other woman’s detriment would be kept to herself by now. So she simply smiled at the kiss on her hand and said, “You are speaking, after all, to the woman who made a career of make-believe because she refused to grow out of it; I will always claim it a wonderfully entertaining pastime. It seems, by the way,” she added, “that fairy tales are in vogue this season.” Perhaps directors thought that people could use something familiar, comforting -- and distracting. In most fairy tales, evil was easily vanquished and everyone lived happily ever after. A pretty fiction, but perhaps on the city needed just now. “As long as I do not wind up with naught but an offer to play Greta, it should be an interesting autumn for me. Really, my last heroine was already twelve; I absolutely refuse to go younger,” she added with a bit of a pout. A low chuckle rumbled in her throat. “I would dare say I agree.” An eyebrow raised at the pause, awaiting the additional clarification before a low ‘Ah./ would be given. “An interesting selection for the coming fall and winter, but I suspect it makes a great deal of sense with the holidays on their way.” It was a passive comment, not substantial thought put behind it other than precisely what she’d said. Though, Ari’s next comment caused an eyebrow to be raised words falling from her lips before she’d entirely thought them through. “I would much rather you not, I would loathe to feel a dirty old woman more than I already might. I fear I rob the cradle enough as it is with the age difference we already have.” To which Ari could only roll her eyes and say, “Oh yes, because your age is most terribly advanced and I am but a schoolgirl in pigtails yet -- after all the casting directors must know best. Really now, Aspel, aren’t we past this yet?” The thought came to mention that her parents had made quite a content life for themselves with a significantly larger difference in years between them -- and then the thought went just as rapidly, because that wasn’t at all what Ari was after. (What she was after was still uncertain, but it was not that, surely.) An amused ‘Mm.’ was given. The thoughts of how her body probably had a few more years on it than her actual age was kept quiet. Aspel had known for some time she’d likely die far before most of her friends between being a Sentinel and her years before as a Fell Knight (and again it would seem). The only one who also was likely to fall before their time was Mag with her… Special circumstances. Perhaps that was part of the reasons why they were such good friends. “I was supposedly an adult for most of your time as a schoolgirl. You would have been…. Eight? When I turned eighteen?” Clearly now Aspel was simply prodding at Ari for sheer amusement’s sake alone. Though at the same time, her memories of being eighteen - struggling to prove herself as a rookie knight, still being beaten down no matter how well she did - seemed a whole different universe away from where she stood now - a counselor, an established powerhouse that was a sheer force to be reckoned with even before her secret weapon was brought to light - in Emillion. A glance away from the bard was taken though, to check their location, certainly they were only a block of two from Hana now, and the nearest street sign confirmed this true. “Are you off of wine already, or is that postponed for rehearsal itself?” “Nine,” Ari said with all the dignity she could muster. Well, almost nine. Then, “And unfortunately for me, I’ve more auditions in the coming days, so… for a little while. Perhaps not the worst idea with my recent binge, actually.” She winced, remembering. “My head has only barely recovered from that particular adventure.” A pause. “I hope I didn’t say anything too ridiculous.” She was apparently liable to do that when she was drunk these days. Actually, it was probably best all around if she stayed out of the wine tonight. “You’re helped me home often enough that I’m more than willing to offer to return the favor, if you like.” She grinned. “I am afraid I am not quite up to the task of carrying you, but I’m resourceful.” “Nine.” Aspel repeated, stating the single word clearly for both their ears once more while there remained a fair amount of amusement in her tone. A nod was given accepting Ari’s lack of drinking without a second thought. This was simply what the other woman did. Nothing new. Though, the new inquiry caused Aspel to give pause while she mulled over the night before. “Nothing of particular wording, no.” Though, it had been an oddly nice surprise the way the other woman had acted. The memory left an oddly warm feeling in Aspel’s chest whenever something spiked thought of it again. An eyebrow rose at the offer of assisting seeing Aspel home if she got a bit too blitzed for her own good that eve, before a soft laugh escaped. “Interested in accompanying a blitzed counselor this night?” Amusement never left her tone. “I may accompany her to my bed and take full advantage of her warmth,” Ari said brightly right as they entered the very fine foyer of Hana. If the hostess noticed the rather bold words, only a slight raise of her brows would evidence the fact. “Table for two?” she asked in a perfectly mellifluous voice, giving a surreptitious glance over their mismatched outfits. “Indeed,” Ari said, amused despite herself. Then, to Aspel: “In fact, I do think I would be quite fortunate if the councilor were to drink a fair amount of rice wine this evening. Trust that I will stand watch and ensure nothing too untoward happens.” Aspel almost retorted with something even more daring in public company, but instead turned her attention to the hostess when addressed. A soft smile was given, and a nod of her head, but Ari beat her to the punch with words. “Thank you.” Was all that was offered to the hostess as she seemed to mark something off and then lead them towards seating for two. However, as the walked, the moment for retort would not be lost. “Fortunate, you say?” There wasn’t even a vague attempt at hiding the amusement in her voice. “And how, pray tell, have you found that to be your appropriate word of choice?” It would seem just as she managed to finish her sentence, the hostess was already gesturing them towards a table - Aspel gave another brief ‘thanks’, and shifting moved forward to pull out Ari’s chair without a thought if the other woman would seem to allow. Ari sat, smoothing her hands over her skirt, and as the hostess retreated, said, “It seemed the most apt word for the moment. The good fortune, of course, belonging to both of us in entirely different ways. You get to enjoy your drinks -- and I get to enjoy your company, after you’ve had those drinks.” She smiled brightly and said, “We both win.” And this was exactly what she’d hoped for when she’d asked if Aspel had the evening free -- the easy banter was like a balm upon her underlying sadness. It was still there, but it bothered her a bit less for this while, and really, could she ask for more? |