Almalexia. (arithmeticks) wrote in emillion, |
He paused, letting the subsequent thoughts clink and rattle and settle. Suddenly, Rictor wished he hadn’t had quite so much beer (or liquid courage) before strolling over here. It made it difficult: like thinking through a loose haze, his limbs loose and tongue slippery. Moreso than usual around Lex. “Getting your next class license for your birthday, that’d be a good present from Faram. Would be good timing.” Lex easily dismissed his assertion about the current party as ridiculous (she required nothing of the sort), and instead began to consider the darkest of the samples, the one described as “liquid bread”. For this, she endeavored to drink it sip by contemplative sip. “Historical records on the matter would not disprove your theory, I believe,” she added with a shrug. Nevertheless, it remained to be seen how well her admission was received. Judging by the sudden pause in conversation, Lex couldn’t be certain one way or another about the results. She made a thoughtful hum as she continued sipping her beer, affording Rictor patience with his reply. “I’ve prayed for as much,” she admitted. Acquiring this particular class license was one of her primary goals of late, and a great deal of her work and study had been for this particular purpose. She chewed on her beer as she chewed on his reaction, thoughtful and uncertain. Rictor watched her as if she were his own mathematical problem to solve, and he noted the collection of empty glasses spawning steadily in front of her. Lex was already on her fifth. He considered remarking on the near pitch-black ale, but soon quashed the comment; Ric abhorred polite small talk, and wouldn’t skim around the subject of hops and beer and flavour when there was an entire world of more interesting things to discuss. “I’ll spare some prayers for it too,” he said. Meanwhile, another nagging question was starting to prickle at the back of his neck, itching its way down his spine. He quashed that as well. Instead: “Any big plans for the day?” Lex moved a hand to her lips, wiping away a bit of foam from her mouth. The taste of the dark ale seemed to linger on her tongue as she spoke. “Nothing aside from the ordinary,” she replied dismissively. “Certainly nothing similar as this.” The idea of doing anything unusual on the day hadn’t entered her thoughts--likely, she would approach the day as she usually would, with studying for her exams and various daily tasks around the Cathedral. It was a practical plan, albeit a dull one. Setting aside the latest drained glass, she turned her attention away from the samples of beer and to Rictor. Leaning on her elbows, arms crossed, it was obvious she was contemplating something--him, more precisely. Lex wasn’t entirely certain just where this conversation was headed. Somewhere in the last few minutes – between Rictor casually setting up camp beside her, swooping in like king of his own little terrain – then something had shifted, a silence falling between them. They’d done comfortable silences before, but they were usually shattered by Rictor’s innate restlessness; he almost always broke first, twitching to fill in the blanks and keep the flow of words rolling, his mouth running off with itself. Sometimes only to skewer itself on Lex’s wit. This time, however, he managed to clamp it shut. He finally picked up his own tankard and then shifted so he was sitting sideways on the bench, the better to face the mage. Slowly, the man became painfully aware of the hum of noise around them – the sound of conversation emphasised the fact that this little corner had gone quiet. Possibilities and options flitted through his head, all discarded as soon as they materialised. Nothing seemed quite right. “Well,” he finally said. “As mentioned, I’m glad you came.” Beat. A wry smile. “Was it informative?” Lex bit her lip to keep hold of her most immediate response. She hardly felt that was informative at all. The truth of the matter, it seemed, was that the further she continued to humor his presence outside the usual confines of their relation, the less she seemed to understand. It was bothersome, this feeling, and it lingered long after each parting. |