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Post by Veata Chea on Mar 17, 2010 17:11:30 GMT -5
Veata let her eyes fall close as the tall grasses brushed against her soft skin. Above her small frame the endless blue of the sky pressed on for what seemed like forever. Gentle breezes swayed the tall grasses and played with her raven black locks of hair. Against her pale skin the murky browns and yellows of the ground brought the gaze of any stranger towards her immediately. In this field of nothing she seemed to be the only living creature left to be. It would have been an isolated and almost saddening scene if it were not for the pleased look crossing the young girl’s expression.
Booted footsteps gave a little rise to small clouds of dust as she ran through the fields; not out of fear for life or the necessity of it but for the mere joy of running. In this little word Veata had created for herself, isolated from all others, she found a freedom she hadn’t experienced in years. There was nothing tying her down to any one place, no family to come home to and no loved ones that could be left behind. It was new and exciting with just the slightest bit of bitterness mixed in at the loneliness.
Her laugh danced through the air as the girl gave a small twirl on her heel and fell onto the ground. Rolling onto her stomach atop of the hill, a pleasant smile pressed at her lips as she took in the scenery. There was nothing else in sight, not even another tree but for some odd reason she found this plain much more beautiful that way. She could be such a strange child at times…
A yawn darted through barely parted lips. The warmth of the afternoon and her exhaustion lured the young female into a drowsy state uncommon of her hyper personality. For a few moments she watched the almost fake blue and pure white of the clouds before she found her eyes sliding close.
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Mar 27, 2010 18:00:31 GMT -5
Lovino stretched his shoulders high over his head and yawned up at the bright sun high above him, covered by a small cloud. It was too hot to do any work, he mused thoughtfully, deciding just then to plop down on the ground and take a break.
Man, I wish I had a tomato right now...
Feeling around in his bag hopefully, for the third time in as many minutes, he was left disappointed with no tomatoes. Absently, his fingers brushed a desk of cards held together by thin piece of leather, and he briefly contemplated practicing his magic so he could actually get better at it.
Then the cloud that had momentarily covered the sun moved on, and Lovino closed his eyes and decided to take a nap. He'd intended to scout out the plains for some of the arrows he'd lost in his battle against the horrible flying creature, but lost his motivation after a few minutes. Opening his eyes again, he caught movement from the corner of his vision and stared at the young woman dashing at full speed through the field.
It's too hot for that kind of running... Checking quickly behind her, he saw that she wasn't being chased and wondered what could possibly possess someone to run if they weren't being chased. What a waste of energy... His eyes started to flutter shut again when he saw her plummet to the ground.
Hope she's not hurt... With another yawn, Lovino closed his eyes.
A minute went by, and he opened them again. "Goddammit, if she's hurt, then they might think it was my fault." He didn't clarify who "they" were, or how "they" would know, he just decided mentally that it would really suck if he had to bother with it. And she was pretty enough, he supposed. It's not like he had much else to do, but if she started bothering him, he was going home. Screw the arrows.
Forcing himself to his feet, he marched toward the prone young woman. "Hey, you okay!?" he yelled, nothing like concern coloring his voice. [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Mar 27, 2010 18:22:59 GMT -5
A sharp gasp flew from her lips before Veata could stop the noise from escaping. Her slender hands were pressed against her mouth to hold in any other sign of detection but it was a little too late for that as she rolled onto her knees, hands instinctively flying towards her daggers. The young female had not spent years in a civil war and an apprenticeship that involved designing and utilizing weapons for nothing. She was normally on guard when she was left on her own in a place like this but really, who expected killers and the such to be running around in such a barren place? It didn’t matter that she was a woman all on her own because Veata had honestly thought she was all on her own in the plains.
The soothing cold metal of her hidden daggers pressed against her warm flesh calmed her slight trembles as she stared quietly at the approaching figure. His stride was casual and his tone neutral; this stranger didn’t move with the gait of somebody filled with aggression and malice nor was the glint in his eyes ill. It was enough to convince Veata to allow for her daggers to remain hidden in the folds of her skirt for at least a moment longer. Besides, she'd much rather have her sword in hand than these useless little things.
“I-I’m fine,” she muttered quietly as her small frame shifted into a standing position. Any sleepiness that had gripped at her earlier had quickly fled with the rush of adrenaline that had overtaken her mind and she looked about now with a bright glint to her dark brown eyes. There was a slight tilt to her head as she took the taller male in with an almost hesitant curiosity.
It wasn’t very often that Veata met anybody not like her in terms of physical appearance. This male with his gold eyes and loose locks of brown hair was certainly something different but she supposed that it was common in this land. Granted, she hadn’t been here for very long as the ship had dropped her off only days ago but from the little bit that she had seen, she was the uncommon one here with her dark eyes and hair despite her pale skin.
For a few moments dark brown met gold and then she was turning away shyly, her gaze falling back down to the ground below with only the palest tinge of red to her cheeks.
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Mar 27, 2010 18:43:01 GMT -5
Lovino sighed in relief-- not so much out of happiness that she was unharmed, but because he wouldn't have to bother with it. "Oh, well... good," he muttered, avoiding her eyes. "Because it would be really inconvenient if you weren't."
It was too hot to stand there, and Lovino dropped back down to the grass with a smile. She wasn't bad-looking, he admitted to himself, grinning up at her before patting the ground beside him. "So what brings you out here all by yourself? It's too hot to just go running around for the fun of it." His eyes sparkled. "Did you know I fought a terrible creature out here? Do you have any tomatoes, by chance? You can call me Lovino, by the way."
He kept his face friendly, hoping she wouldn't take him as an enemy. Not that he couldn't take her! --just that he didn't quite feel like exerting the effort. Her hair was surprisingly dark for how pale her skin was, and he had to admit it gave her a slightly exotic air. "So what's your name, anyway? Or should I just call you Beautiful?" [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Mar 27, 2010 19:06:39 GMT -5
Veata shifted uncomfortably, her heart-shaped face turned away but her eyes following his frame as he fell to the ground. Really, she couldn’t understand why it would be inconvenient for him if she was actually harmed in some way. They didn’t know each other at all either so he wouldn’t have been obliged to help her even if she had been hurt. In her country a person only watched out for himself and his family. She had been born in a time of civil war and maybe that was why she knew only that; maybe years ago her people would have acted much like this male but this was the present and his actions were unusual and dangerous in Veata’s mind.
As his hand patted the ground beside him the female felt her body tensing ever so subtly. Trained instinct whispered in her ear to run while she still had the chance but his charming, friendly smile aroused another natural instinct that quelled her fear and nudged her towards him. It was stronger than any intuition that had been instilled in her and was enough to convince the girl to sit herself next to him.
With his words Veata found her curiosity overtaking any sense of danger that existed. Tense shoulders slowly let go of her wariness and a friendly smile pressed at her lips as Veata let her body fall into a relaxed state. This male, Lovino, certainly was an interesting character unlike those she had met before; talkative and charming all at once somehow. “I think I might have some.” Her small grin became a full-grown friendly smile as she tilted her head a little and brought her satchel bag into her lap. “What kind of creature were you fighting out here?” The questioning paused for a moment as she pulled out a bright red tomato that she had bought at the market the other day before coming out here and handed it to Lovino.
Veata tucked a stray lock of her raven black hair behind her ear, pulling her knees in and listening to his deep voice quietly. He certainly wasn’t a shy creature, that was certain, but Veata actually enjoyed it. A little shy herself, she could be open and friendly when given a few moments to grasp her surroundings and to decide if she liked whoever it was that presented himself to her. And this male...well, he seemed like the type that she could get along with just fine.
A bright blush flared up on her pale cheeks at the small tease. Beautiful? Veata certainly didn’t think so and she was fine with that. If this comment proved anything though beyond a doubt it was that Lovino was definitely not a shy person. A person had to be truly bold to make a comment like that so casually to somebody they didn’t know.
“I-I’m Veata,” she muttered shyly as she turned away from him so that he couldn’t see the blush, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mister Lovino.”
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Mar 27, 2010 19:45:37 GMT -5
"Oh, it was terrible, with these nasty big teeth and giant wings... I could barely hold it off!" He neglected to mention that his two companions, the creepy Frog and the Spanish bastard, had done the bulk of the fighting as he gestured expansively in an attempt to demonstrate its size. "And then--" He stopped abruptly, eyes widening as she dropped a tomato in his lap.
"A tomato!" He laughed, eyes sparkling in the sunlight as gently picked it up and felt it with his hands. "A beautiful tomato!" If it hadn't been a pretty young woman, he would have glared and clutched it to his chest, demanding what what he wanted in return, but this... "Signorina, you are donna molto bella!" he exclaimed, slipping into his native Italian, "A goddess!" Pulling one of his many small knives from his pocket, he hummed happily to himself as he sliced the beautiful fruit and offered her a slice as she introduced herself.
"Mister," huh...? Lovino's smile widened as she introduced herself. "So, Signorina Veata, what brings a pretty lady such as yourself out here all alone?" [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Mar 27, 2010 21:19:15 GMT -5
A pleased smile rested on Veata’s lips at Lovino’s reaction to the sharing of her fruit bounty. It certainly hadn’t been what she was expecting but it was appreciated all the same. Just a few moments together and already he seemed to be the perfect person for her to befriend in this strange land; amusing and maybe a little crazy with an interesting character that kept her attention without boring her. Anybody like this Lovino, no matter how little of them Veata knew, was welcome to her company. Add that to the fact that he could apparently fight and you had a formula for one impressed and willingly befriended female.
Her laugh was bright and rang through the silent air as she leaned her head back towards the sky. Despite the embarrassment she had felt at his comments concerning her physical appearance, Veata felt herself quickly becoming comfortable in Lovino’s presence. As mentioned earlier, she was a little shy at first depending on the circumstances but she was the type to quickly relax in the presence of others and to allow for her natural personality to come into play. The female didn’t hide who she was behind masks nor did she ever let hesitation or boundaries stop her from acting as she pleased. It drove her family insane and kept her delighted.
“A goddess, huh?” Another flush rose to her skin but this time it was more out of pleasure than embarrassment. Veata wasn’t often treated in such a manner and she took the time to enjoy it now. She’d never admit it out loud but she was truly enjoying the attention that he was showering upon her with his words. “I don’t know if I would say something like that just because I gave you a tomato.” At his questioning hand she gave a small shake of her head and pressed his hand back towards his own body. Let Lovino enjoy the tomato on his own, she had more in her satchel bag for later anyways.
At his question she gave a small shrug of her shoulders. The bright glint in Veata’s eyes dimmed a little before she forced herself away from the thought of why she was here. She’d come to this country for the very reason that she would never have to think back upon what was left behind often. And as she sat there next to this foreigner she allowed a lie to dance onto the tip of her tongue. “Oh, nothing really. I suppose I just wanted to get out and see a bit more of this world.”
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Mar 28, 2010 17:45:11 GMT -5
Lovino was silent for a moment as he savored the taste of the tomato, at once firm and soft in that peculiar mix of textures that he had grown to love in this particular fruit. She was intriguing, this woman, and he smiled at her adventurous answer. "Oh, really?" Licking the tomato juice off his knife, he spun it quickly before slipping it back inside his jacket. If the signorina didn't want him to share, there was nothing stopping him from biting it like an apple. "Still, a lovely young lady like yourself shouldn't be wandering around in the wilderness by herself."
His eyebrow quirked as he studied her face. She had relaxed considerably since he'd first arrived, and he took that as a good sign she didn't intend him any harm. "You should look into hiring a bodyguard or something. I mean, even as pretty as these plains are, there's lots of dangerous things out here..." His eyes widened as he flushed, realizing that she might take what he said the wrong way, and he hurriedly backpedaled. "I mean, well, I'm not dangerous, but..."
He took a bite of tomato to calm himself and added, "So where are you from, anyway?" [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Mar 28, 2010 18:19:13 GMT -5
Veata couldn’t help herself as she threw her head back and let the amused laugh rise from her throat. She most certainly had never met anybody quite as...interesting as Lovino before and the more time she spent with him, the more she felt herself appreciating the choice to not drive the male off. Most people back home were bland and tasteless in terms of personalities when compared to this Italian. They were boring people that couldn’t understand Veata’s energy or drive in life because they were too busy building walls around their own emotions whereas Lovino...Well, she wasn’t sure what she could say about Lovino other than that she was truly enjoying his company.
The female raised a slender eyebrow and leaned in a little closer, almost playfully towards the male. Her lips were pulled into a teasing grin as she suppressed the urge to tug at a stray lock of his hair and instead tucked a lock of her own hair behind her ear. For a moment she forced away her amused expression to allow an observant cross her features. “Not dangerous, huh?” Veata murmured, “...I dunno, Mister Lovino~. Fighting big bad monsters out here on your own? I have to say you’ve got to be at least a little dangerous to do something like that.” A pause as she pulled back and tilted her head, still fighting to keep an observant expression. “Though...I suppose you’re right. Something as cute as you would remind me only of a bunny so I guess I don’t have to worry too much about being on my own.”
For a few moment she savored whatever his reaction would be to her words before allowing another giggle to press through her lips. Only minutes together and this male with his strangely colored eyes was quickly becoming her favorite person that she had met so far. Lovino was just a ball of entertainment in Veata’s opinion.
As he took another bite of his tomato, Veata allowed herself to finally relax enough to lay back down. Dark brown eyes slid close but flickered open for a moment when his question cut through the drowsy air. Begrudgingly she dragged her body back up before replying to his question, “Cambodia...though we’re probably not a country you’ve heard of before. What about you?”
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Mar 28, 2010 19:08:08 GMT -5
Lovino's eyes sparkled as she stroked his ego, agreeing with everything she said. So, she thinks I'm... dangerous?
Then his mouth dropped open as if he'd been slapped. "W-who's cute like a little bunny? I can be dangerous, goddammit!" he raged, lips sticking out in an almost comical pout. "I'm an awesome warrior and gambler, you know, dammit!" Biting savagely into his tomato, he glared wordlessly as she continued to speak, the taste of his favorite fruit calming him enough to listen.
"Cambodia, huh? Can't say I'm familiar with it..." The tomato had salved his ego for now, but the open wound she'd torn still stung, as evidenced by the traces of angry pout still lining his lips. "Italy. Where all the people are just as awesome as I am. And definitely don't look like bunnies." A fitting retort finally came to mind from earlier. "And besides, you look like... like..." As quickly as it had come to mind, it vanished again, replaced by a frustrated, "Chigi!" [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Mar 28, 2010 19:35:06 GMT -5
Too cute, too cute, too cute for words~! If Veata knew him at least a little better she would have leaned over and given him a small kiss on the cheek long ago for his adorableness. Never in her life had seen someone act so...childishly was perhaps the best word for it. Even the poor children had been reserved in their younger days, especially when compared to Lovino’s behavior. Emotion had been something that could not be afforded by any but those who had the luxury of lazing about at home all day instead of wandering the dangerous streets in her nation.
Veata barely suppressed a casual roll of her eyes as her hand slipped back into her satchel bag. Lovino was clearly irritated and as cute as it was, she was not going to torture and tease him like this for much longer. She enjoyed watching cute, flustered creatures just as much as the next female but that didn’t mean she was overly obsessed with something like that. Boundaries were far and few for her but Veata knew her clear boundaries when it came to teasing others. Perhaps another tomato would quell him, yes?
Her lips fell into a gentle smile as she pulled out the firm fruit and placed it gently into his lap. There was something about her aura now that was almost...almost motherly, like the mother caring and calming a child that was quickly losing his temper. It was a strange analogy but it seemed to fit a bit more than Veata would care to admit out loud. She was nobody’s mother and most certainly not this male’s but...well, she supposed it wouldn’t be all that bad watching after somebody quite this adorable as this older male.
For a moment she raised her eyebrow and stared at the male with a miffed expression before questioning in a curious tone, “A chi-chigi?” She rolled the word about on her tongue before staring into his gold eyes. “What’s a chig-chigi?”
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Mar 28, 2010 20:48:07 GMT -5
Lovino looked at her in slight shock as she offered another tomato, flushing as she took his frustrated yell as an actual creature. If she hadn't offered him a second tomato as an obvious peace-offering, he might have taunted her and called it a horrible monster, but he knew better. She was a woman, after all, and women took things like that seriously... (completely ignoring the fact that he had reacted similarly only a few minutes before).
"It's... nothing, never mind." Lovino happily rubbed the outside of the tomato before setting it carefully in his lap. Quickly changing the subject, he added, "So what have you been up to, recently? Besides running through fields attracting the attention of young Italian men, of course."
As if remembering something, before she could reply he added, "Do you play cards at all? I just so happen to have a deck on me, and there's nothing better than eating a tomato and playing a game or two with a beautiful young woman such as yourself." [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Mar 29, 2010 19:49:39 GMT -5
If Veata had been teetering on the edge of adoring Lovino earlier then she most certainly fell into the abyss of affection for the Italian with his last suggestion. Even as a child she had adored card games no matter what the situation or stakes were and who could honestly blame her? The games had brought her family safety across the borders, food on the nights her stomach had clenched with hunger, and clothes in the times were the heat of the refugee camp had become too much. When they had left the camp behind she had brought her father money to restart their lives and smiles to the face of her brothers with her card game winnings. With all the praise and comforts she had been given, how could Veata do anything but adore card games?
The female could barely suppress the eager nods of her head as she turned her body towards the male with bright eyes. Veata’s lips were pulled into a bright grin and she paused only to shift so that she was resting on her knees rather than her legs. It was a much more comfortable position to be playing cards in compared to laying her legs out and a pose that she was much more customary to compared to her earlier position.
“I would love to play a few games,” her voice chirped, “What kind do you know?”
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Mar 31, 2010 13:48:09 GMT -5
Oh, she's damn cute~ Lovino matched her smile and rummaged around the bottom of his worn knapsack before drawing out the much-used deck. Making sure she could see his movements, he shuffled them several times; perhaps more elaborately than necessary, but hey -- it didn't hurt to show off, especially when there was a beautiful lady to impress. "For you, Signorina Veata." Presenting the deck for her to cut with a flourish, he allowed his hand to linger near hers with a smile he'd practiced to be charming.
"Whatever game the beautiful signorina wants to play, I shall play with her," he added, drawing his legs in and sitting cross-legged to free a space between the two of them. "If by chance you have a game I don't know, I would be more than willing to learn." [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Mar 31, 2010 17:06:46 GMT -5
Eager eyes took in the movements of his hands and for a moment she looked ever like a young pup waiting for a well deserved treat. There was something about the way Veata held herself, with a bright glint in her eyes and an eagerness surrounding her aura, that made the analogy fitting. She wasn’t necessarily always this excited for playing a mere card game but it had been a while since she’d been able to feel the material of the cards between her fingers or the tense rush gripping her as she tested her luck on the next hand. It was almost like meeting with an old friend for Veata…
That very last thought brought an amused smile to her lips because really, that was what cards were to her; old friends that she had lost herself in when the real world just didn’t suit her tastes. Her family and friends found it odd, almost to the point of obsession in their opinions, but Veata had only ever seen it as normal trait. Perhaps others would find it a little odd as well but nobody had as much faith in the cards than she did. They only saw cards as a pastime but for her, they were much more special than that because of the troubles they had stolen her away from.
A warmth flourished through her blood, heating her cheeks at the brush of his hand against her own. Dark brown eyes fell to her lap out of shyness as she cut the deck hastily before turning her face away. Growing up under the protection of her father and the traditions of her people left Veata unused to the touch of any males outside of her family. Stranger or not, Lovino’s touch was the very first to ever press against her own body even if it had only been a brushing of their hands and the result left her a little shy.
“I…I…” she stuttered out quietly, still slightly flushed as her gaze fell anywhere but on Lovino’s form, “…I was taught only one game that you may be familiar with. The man called it Blackjack. Ha-have you heard of it?”
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