Eli likes puzzles. (dashdotdash) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-03-31 00:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, brother athelstan, eli |
Who: Eli and Athelstan.
What: Random meetings.
When: Saturday afternoon.
Where: The streets, a coffee shop.
Rating: PG!
Status: Complete.
Athelstan had taken to walking around when he didn’t have class, if only to get more familiar with the area. For his first few months in Orange County, he’d gone basically only to school and gone home. Now he was more comfortable with walking around people-watching. This block had both a bookshop and an outdoor restaurant, and he was enjoying just taking it all in.
Eli was outside of the bookstore, making her way to the restaurant. Since the sun had been burning her so terribly when she went out into it, she was wearing sunblock and carrying a dark black parasol she had purchased. She read her book as she walked, humming a little to herself.
Athelstan wasn’t watching the people coming toward him, however, so when the girl walked into his path, she hit his shoulder. He watched helplessly as her parasol went skittering away, and he immediately dove to retrieve it. “How horribly clumsy of me ... I’m so sorry.”
She tried not to visibly wince when the sun hit her skin. But the man got her parasol back and was handing it over to her. Eli smiled at him, shaking her head. “It was an accident, it is no problem,” she murmured in her curiously accented English.
He noticed the accent, as well as how pretty her eyes were, and blushed. “Still, I really am sorry. I should watch where I’m going, but I am a bit new to all this.” He smiled, looking down. It was rather elegant and old fashioned, a lady carrying a parasol, and yet she was so young. “Could I perhaps buy you a drink to apologise?”
“A soft drink would not be a bad idea,” she smiled. Eli liked his blush, thought the way it went up to his ears was quite handsome. Reaching out to offer him her hand, she looked up at him. “My name is Eli, what’s yours?”
He smiled when she acquiesced. “Good. Good, I’m glad.” She was pretty, but her accent was also interesting. He took her hand, shaking it gingerly, not used to shaking hands with a woman. “My name is Athelstan,” he said after a pause. “It’s very nice to meet you, Eli.”
She smiled brightly. “Noble stone,” she replied. “Your name. That’s what it means.” She’d always been teased for her name in other countries, so she’d gotten a book of names and memorized their meanings and origins. “It’s nice to meet you as well. You’re not from here either.”
He blinked, eventually blossoming over into a smile. “No one’s ever told me that.” It was true; his parents had named him and his sister after Saxon martyrs, but had never gone much into the history or nomenclature. He’d had to do that on his own. “I daresay it suits me. And no, I’m not from here. I’m from Lynemouth. That’s about an hour north of Newcastle.” He got the impression he was talking too much, though, so he just looked down and ushered her into the restaurant. They could sit inside, if the sun bothered her.
“I was born in Stockholm.” She smiled, walking near him but not touching. She’d seen how he seemed to feel a little awkward when she shook his hand. “My father was in the military, so I moved a bit in Europe. I was in Dusseldorf before I moved here. You are religious, like my father.” She didn’t like speaking of her father too often, if only because he’d literally signed away his right to be called as such. The abandonment still rankled.
"How could you tell?" He was curious. Athelstan pulled out a chair for her and went to sit down. "I do consider myself religious, though I don't currently have a church home. And your English is extremely good, if I might say so."
“You were named after a martyr. Nobody would name their child Athelstan in this day and age without being religious.” She smiled as she sat down, crossing her legs daintily at the ankle. “English was spoken in the house, but my father and mother both spoke Swedish and French around me. It’s how they met - my mother’s American, but she was a translator for the Embassy.”
“Ah.” That was rather a giveaway, wasn’t it. He smiled a little back at her. “That must be handy, to know more than one language. I’m restricted to English, I’m afraid. Unless you count some prayers in ancient Saxon and Latin.”
“That counts.” Eli thought to herself. “I know English, Swedish, and French fluently, but German and Italian conversationally.” For a long time she’d thought she’d go into translation like her mother. Maybe linguistics. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Athelstan chuckled. “That’s very impressive. I’d like to learn a language, but it may be a bit late. They say it’s more difficult after a certain age.” He greeted the server as she approached, ordering himself a cup of coffee and waiting for Eli to give her order; it wouldn’t do to speak for her.
“That’s likely why I’m good with the ones I know, I learned them as a child.” She smiled at the waitress, ordering a cup of hot tea. The waitress seemed confused, as if she didn’t know how to make hot tea, and Eli offered to do it herself if she was simply brought the tea bag and the cup of hot water.
Athelstan raised an eyebrow, confiding as the server left, “I really must find a good tea shop. I’m sorry they seem to have a problem.” How hard was hot tea?
“They likely are not used to making tea for customers. I think they only make coffee regularly.” She smiled at him, squeezing her hands together and watching him. “How long have you been here?”
“A few months. Since the beginning of the semester at university.” Athelstan smiled back, looking down. “I’ve had to ease into it a bit. Being in such a large area is very odd for me. You seem more at ease, though, if I might say so.”
“I’ve lived in many cities. And my mother trusts me to be alone. She works at the university now. I’m used to being new in a city. It’s sort of comforting. Anonymity.” Her hot tea arrived, and Eli worked on making her cup, movements precise and exacting.
He watched her with interest. “I wish I had that skill. I was very fond of where I lived, but at the same time, one must learn.” He smiled. “God only gives what we can handle. I do believe that.” Athelstan managed to not go on; he had learned that most people didn’t like it.
“Then you must be very capable.” She smiled at him in turn, her bright blue eyes meeting him. “I don’t disagree. My mother isn’t very religious, but I think that humankind is very adaptable. We must persevere.” She thought it was a bit ironic that she wasn’t very religious, especially since her name meant God.
“Agreed on all counts.” Athelstan took a sip of his coffee, sighing with contentment. “Without adapting, we would never learn.” He smiled. “I think my life has been an exercise in adaptation - but apparently, so has yours. Moving seems like it would be very confusing.”
“I got used to it.” She crossed her legs, leaning back. “There’s nothing to do but continue.” She smiled at him, a little shy. He was the first boy besides Kurt she’d felt very comfortable around.
“It’s true.” What a nice smile she had. He blushed, looking down, trying to calm his unruly face. “What do you like to do for fun? Are you at school now?” He assumed, but everyone’s situation was different. She might be home schooled or she might be at university as well; she might be older than she looked.
Eli noticed his blush, which made her blush in turn. She looked down as well, ducking her head and tucking her hair behind her ears. “I am. Though I may take the test to graduate early. It’s far too easy.”
“That’s impressive.” Athelstan smiled. It really was! He’d had decent marks on his final exams, but nothing that advanced. “I know they say the schools in Scandinavia are very good. Now I’ve seen living proof.”
“Oh, I would not say that. The schools here may simply be very poor.” She blushed even brighter, her pale features going crimson. “But thank you.”
He fell silent after that, not sure what to say without making a fool of himself. Though he couldn’t stop the noise that escaped him when he drank a bit of his coffee too fast. He hadn’t been thinking about how much was in the cup. “Ouch.” God in heaven, would he ever stop being so awkward?
Eli looked up, hand on his in concern. “Are you all right?” Her eyebrows were knit in concern. “Shall I get you some ice?”
He tested his tongue, running it against his lips. “No ... I think it’s all right. Just drank a bit too fast.” Athelstan was beet red. “I’m sorry, I tend to be a bit ... uncoordinated.”
“It’s all right. I will tell you a secret - recently the sun has been hurting me. I wear sunscreen, I carry my parasol, but I’ve started to just ... go out less during the day.” She said it partly so he’d feel less awkward, and partly so he’d not think it rude when she put on large sunglasses.
“Hurting you?” He tended to worry about other people before himself. “That must be difficult. I’m sorry to hear it. I know it’s possible for that kind of thing to develop.” She didn’t necessarily need his pity, but he did feel sorry for her if only because it likely made some things harder. “I hope it hasn’t overly impacted your life.”
“It’s not easy. But it’s a good excuse to not go out to school.” Eli smiled. She’d been about to get him some ice water anyway. Moving to the counter, Eli ordered a cookie and some ice water for Athelstan. When she sat back down, she handed him the water and broke the cookie in half.
He chuckled; if she was as brilliant as she seemed, missing school would not be a problem for her. He watched as she got him some water and then broke the cookie. Athelstan smiled. “It’s very kind of you, Eli. Thank you for your patience with my clumsiness.”
“I am not being patient. It is part of you, and I hope we will be friends. So I accept it.” She smiled at him, nibbling the cookie and sighing. “This is very good.”
“I would like to be friends, too.” Was it really this simple? Athelstan smiled back, still feeling shy.
His words got a happy, earnest smile from Eli. “Truly?”
“Yes, certainly.” Athelstan chuckled. “Your company is very nice. I can only hope you think the same way.”
“Very much. I find people my age discuss only a few things, and they’re not things I have an interest in.” She didn’t understand their music, their desire for physical things, their lusting flesh.
Athelstan shrugged. “Everyone has their interests. Respect should be paramount in any relationship, so I do hope no one’s bothered you.” The idea didn’t sit well with him, that anyone would.
“Oh, no. The other people at school simply think I’m strange.” She bit her lower lip, feeling sheepish. “It’s probably true.”
“Strange is relative.” His tone was stern. “That’s very unkind, if someone has told you that. I don’t - I don’t think you’re very strange.” Athelstan was pink up to his eyeballs, but still. “People don’t understand things which are different from them. Jesus Himself was mocked and insulted by the Romans who didn’t understand, after all.”
“I’m a new person at school. They’re obligated to mock me.” She smiled, shaking her head and looking down. He was making her blush too; maybe it was infectious, like yawning. “I’m not ... comparable to Jesus.”
“Well, there was only one Son of God.” Athelstan smiled, trying to make up for his idiocy and set her at her ease. “I just meant that even the greatest of us suffer when confronted with small minds.” He took a drink of coffee, which had cooled down a bit since he’d burned his tongue.
“Good,” she murmured, still blushing, still feeling like a bit of an idiot. He was just one boy, why was he making her feel so silly?
He looked for something else to speak of, if only because she seemed to be embarrassed. “Do you have any work? I was thinking that a way to get out of the house might be to find a temporary job.”
“I have an apprenticeship at a motorbike shop. It’s quite fun.” Eli’s face lit up. “The man who minds the shop is a bit like a papa to me.” More than her own had been.
“A motorbike shop! Really.” Athelstan frankly wouldn’t have guessed; she seemed too feminine for such things. It reminded him never to judge a book by its cover, he supposed. “I don’t really have any skill like that, unfortunately. I was thinking maybe a library or bookshop might be good for me.”
“There’s quite a few around here, since there are so many universities. I’ll keep my eyes open for you.” Eli smiled at him, swinging her legs a little.
“I would be grateful, Miss Eli.” Athelstan smiled. “I do well when I have to oversee things and keep order, so libraries seem to be right up my proverbial alley. When did you learn to work on motorbikes, may I ask?” He was genuinely interested.
“I”m still working on it. They’re like puzzles, and I like those very much.” She smiled, reaching into the tote bag that doubled as her purse, pulling out an intricate knot puzzle. “I figured that out in a day.”
“So you just walked in, and asked the proprietor to teach you?” Athelstan laughed, looking at her with something approaching admiration. “That’s very courageous.”
“I just walked in and asked what he was doing.” She laughed. She really hadn’t seen it as adventurous. She’d just done it.
“I don’t believe I’d have ever had the nerve.” Athelstan smiled. “The proprietor must be a good sort, as well. I’m sure there are some who’d have told you to get out.”
“He’s very much like a father to me. I feel blessed to have him. My father didn’t contest my mother taking full custody of me. So it is like ... he does not exist at all.” Eli chewed her lower lip absently.
“That sounds like a blessing to me.” Athelstan nodded. Anyone to feel comfortable with, to accept you as you were. He smiled a little. “My parents are quite strict, but they always acted that way out of love. They taught us to love God, but also to be hardworking and to keep pride to a minimum. I’m sure some would think they were monsters, though.” Pride only got in the way, after all.
“How do you feel about them?” Eli didn’t care about the opinion of nebulous strangers. She leaned forward, genuinely interested in his answer.
“About my parents?” Athelstan echoed. He had to think. “I honor them, obviously.” For a religious man, it was obvious. “I do, however, think that they are a bit resistant to change, let’s say.” He chose his words carefully, if only because he’d just met her but didn’t want her to have a poor opinion of him. “We were given the Bible to help us in our lives. But the Bible doesn’t cover every situation, and there are times when I do believe its guidance is ... outdated.” He managed a smile. “Human life has changed and evolved - I know, a strange word to use for most religious people - but it has. Things like same-sex marriage and contraception might formerly have been sins, but now ... I don’t know. I don’t think it’s my place to judge anyone for doing anything. Only God has that power.”
Eli smiled brightly at him. “So you love your parents, you simply think that they’re old-fashioned. You’re a sensible man.”
That made him laugh a little. “I take that as a compliment! So many I meet seem to think I’m old fashioned.”
“You are, perhaps, but that’s got nothing to do with your religious views.” She liked speaking with him. “If you think about it, all major religions have had evolution in some way.” Her pale hands cupped her tea, drawing warmth from them.
“Exactly.” Athelstan nodded, smiling. “To remain relevant, everything must change. It doesn’t have to die.” He could reconcile his relationship with God and his preferences. He decided, on a whim, to let it out. “I find ladies attractive, but at school, I had a relationship with another boy. He was ... wonderful, and it took me a long time to understand that all love is godly. My parents would not agree.”
Eli ducked her head. “I have very vivid dreams that I’m a boy. Very young, but ... very long ago.” She didn’t know why she was telling him. “I was twelve, and because I was the youngest and couldn’t work the fields, I was given to a nobleman in exchange for coin. He chained me until I was nearly starving and - “ She laughed. “If I keep telling you about my dreams, you’ll think I’m mad.”
Even if she was scared they were going to come true.
“God in heaven.” Athelstan shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t think you mad. Dreams can be powerful, and frightening.” He somehow felt honored that she would tell him this. He looked in his coffee cup and was dismayed to find it empty.
“It’s not the worst part. The noble emasculated me and then turned me into a vampire. I dream after that that I sleep for many years.” God, how close she was to showing him her fangs. But then he’d think she was a demon. Curling a little further upon herself, she sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t burden you.”
He shook his head. “No, not at all. It’s not a burden.” Honestly, he always felt sort of honored when people trusted him with their problems. “I only wish I could help you to be rid of the dreams. Nightmares, more like.”
“I hope when you have dreams, they are nicer.” Eli knew that most of the people she’d met and spoken with since moving to Orange County had them. And that they bled into their waking lives.
“I don’t mean any offense, but I sincerely hope I don’t have dreams of that nature.” Athelstan shook his head. It would be horrible. He sighed. “I should probably be off, but if it isn’t rude ... perhaps I could e-mail or telephone you sometime? You’re ... very kind.” And very pretty, but he wasn’t about to be that fresh.
“I hope you don’t either.” She smiled brightly at him, shaking her head. “I’d like it very much if we could speak again.” Standing up, she moved to write her number and email address down, handing them to him with an impulsive kiss on the cheek.
“Good! Er. Good, I’m glad.” She kissed his cheek and he flushed immediately, looking down, but he did smile. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Eli.”
“You as well, Sir Athelstan.” She grinned brightly, amused that a kiss on the cheek could make him so pink. “Call me soon.”
“I’ll be happy to.” He smiled, managing to walk away without stepping on anything or making a further fool of himself. That had to be a victory in itself.