“I think I disagree when you say he wasn’t a mastermind of language. He had very good grasp on the English language, and it was so good that he was able to create words that made sense which would later become real words. If someone wasn’t a master of their language, they wouldn’t be able to make up new words that were so easily understood in the contexts in which they were used.” Maya found that it was interesting having such a debate with Desmond. Most people would take one look at her and fall all over themselves to agree with her if it meant pleasing her. Intelligent debates were hard by which to come, and the jinni discovered she kind of liked it.
“I’m not really much of a writer. I’m better at bringing words to life than creating them in the first place, but I don’t think I’d be confident to test the boundaries of language if I was as talented with a pen as I am with other things.” Maya purposely left it a mystery as to what those other things were. Of course there were the average things like aesthetics and sewing, but there was a hint that she held talents in more… steamy areas of life.
The jinni’s brows furrowed, and a frown turned the corners of her full lips downward as he spoke about loneliness. In reality, Maya wasn’t sure that she did want someone to understand her. What would they think of her if they could see into her soul only to discover it was unlikely that she actually had one? She was a spirit of fire, but though she embodied a soul, she could not honestly believe that she had one. Besides, she quite liked her current popularity status, and all of that could be ruined if someone could honestly see her for whom she truly was. “I do, but I don’t believe it’s attainable.” She lied in passionate yet sad tones, looking away from him.
Maya resumed her blush when his touch moved over her cheek, and she gazed at him bashfully. He delivered an excerpt from “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron. Her fingers moved to touch the back of his hand as he spoke, visibly moved though not so much internally. “You’re very sweet. I don’t know if any guy has been this charming toward me before.” Another lie, but it wouldn’t hurt anything.
The jinni did realize that this man would likely be a good addition to the world of theatre. Alden was a place where everyone had equal opportunities, and that was a damn shame when it came to theatre. It was Maya’s firm opinion that people who couldn’t act should stay off the stage, but if she could recruit people who likely could act, perfectly good roles would go from the people who had no idea how to act to people who were actually good. “You should think about trying out for the plays. Your delivery is wonderful, and you definitely have a face for the stage.”
Maya shook her head. “Obviously, in London they’ve surprised me. I thought they were pretty stuffy people when I was there, but if that’s where you studied, there had to have been at least one historian who was less objective than most tend to be.” She still had no idea of the truth that lay in the secret of his words.
The jinni blinked when he tapped her nose, not expecting him to do it so soon. She chuckled softly, a throaty, sensual sound. “I suppose you’re right, but if you have no inclination what it is, then it may very well be that you’re in denial about its being the present state of the era.”
Maya grinned. “Well, I think with you and I both banding together, we’d make a formidable team. I doubt the more terrifying monsters of the night could harm me.” She didn’t say that she really could care less about the approval of a dead man. Shakespeare was obviously an important person to Desmond, and right now, she wanted to play up his appreciations, not diminish them.
The jinni knew all too well how finicky the spotlight could be, but she had become rather expert at taking advantage of it in ways that only benefited herself. It had not been a blade that would cut her since she was very young. Perhaps there was some truth to Desmond’s earlier words that her mother had helped to shape her into who she was, for without her life experiences, she wouldn’t have ever learned the proper ways of manipulation, but that didn’t mean she had respect for the woman who had born her into the world.