Private Tales Graceless and Divine

[Kilien Basmarc]

Ah, autonomy. Kilien lifted his free hand to paw at his beard and rub at the lingering sensation of her hand. In looking back at her, marked by disbelief of her question, his smile persisted.

"Sure," he answered, "you're way more... what's the word you like to use? Interesting."

And pretty, but he'd basically already said that to her once.

As far as infuriating her, his head swayed in a light nod, eyes trailing away in a growing grin of self deprecation, "Yeah I have that effect on people. More than you know. But hey," the fingers of the hand behind her shoulder lightly trilled upon it, "if that's what it takes to get pancakes like those... made with fury instead of love," he sucked at the back of his teeth as though he'd discovered gold, "I'm not gonna complain."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Hard as it was to admit to herself, the fact that Kilien did not avoid her or cower had allowed her to make the beginnings of a connection. She admired such a trait in her peers, but that did not grant them the same care and trust she put into King. There were only a few that were given mercy from her sting, were exempt from true dressing down of their dedication to bettering themselves.

Kilien was someone she could see working with, to an extent.

"Oh, Kilien. You would not like to see me and my true fury." Her lips turned upwards, soft and small, but wry enough to hint it would be a devastating thing to witness. "Or feel it for that matter."

From her bag, the punnet of blueberries that held only less than a handful. Leaning back, she offered him a blueberry before picking one and holding it aloft between thumb and forefinger. "I am glad to hear you enjoyed my cooking either way... I do not do it for many often."

Perhaps at all.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

He could only smile to what he perceived to be veiled threats. It wasn't a look of challenge or disbelief of such things, merely the look of someone who had lived a life under such threats, been victim to follow-through, and survived to live another day. Memory as foggy as it was, he couldn't give any specific scenarios or reasons for why he felt this way, all he knew is that the threat of pain or death did not scare him.

It merely made him that much more adamant at living life how he wanted.

"So you said..." was his easy reply, recalling her similar words spoken in the little cabin as he opened his palm to her offering of the berry.

"I'll make you a deal," juggling the berry lightly in his hand until it rolled up to be pinched between pointer and thumb, he held it up, "if you can catch this in your mouth, I'll nap in the carriage."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Such a challenge, but the idea of him offering to nap in the carriage only made Vittoria chuckle and smile wryly. On a whim, she bumped his offered blueberry with her own that she held in similar fashion.

"Alright then. I suppose we have time to play a game of it. But, if I am to have your blueberry, you may as well have mine."

Innocently, she moved her blueberry towards his hand again for him to take.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

Oh, sharing now was she? This was hitting a level of adorable that he hadn't quite anticipated but he wasn't about to complain about it. With his own little smile he accepted the second berry and withdrew his arm from behind her to adjust his seat and sit sideways. Had to shuffle his foot against the base of the bench across from them for stability as the carriage bumped and jostled along the road.

"Alright, get ready-" he said, waited, then with careful aim with one eye closed he tossed the berry at her.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

As he shifted in his seat, so did Vittoria. Placing the punnet back in her bag, she readied herself with a determination that was serious.

"I do not know if I will be any good at this." The thought made her frown. "I have an odd habit when it comes to eating."

Her teeth. Clean, perfect, strong, there was nothing wrong with them except for the stories she was told as a child.

"I like baring my teeth, you see. Stories of animals baring their teeth, like wolves, is a show of intimidation and reflects aggression. I was taught that baring your teeth is a threat and reminder of what they could do. When I eat, I like to show my teeth ever since the other Initiates were disturbed by how odd it looked, and I liked the power it gave me. When I smile, I do not want to show my teeth. Not unless I am smiling genuinely..."

But as she spoke, Vittoria had readied herself. Kilien tossed the blueberry towards her, and her lips pulled away from her teeth as her mouth opened to catch it... and yet she felt the blueberry bounced off a tooth and fall away from her mouth.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"Oop-" yeah, he kind of thought that would happen. She just went on about her teeth for like a minute and them pearly whites were only gonna get in the way.

"Okay, okay - best two outta three, then," Kil held up the other blueberry, "I get the whole teeth thing but like - you're scaring the berries. So try - aaahhh -" he opened his mouth into a tall oh shape, with barely the caps of his own teeth showing aside from his own elongated canines, "like this. See?" he pointed, "More open."

Waited for her to prepare again, annnnnd tossed!

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Frustration flared easily and quickly when she did not succeed at first, but Kilien was quicker to right the wrongs.

Best of three.

Her mouth was shut tight, refusing to repeat her embarrassment, and as she watched his mouth open in demonstration, she wondered if he chose now to ridicule her. Magic sizzled in her veins, ready for her, but then Kilien kept on speaking, pointing to his mouth and repeating the position best for catching the blueberry.

Wordlessly, she mirrored him, getting a feel for this tactic.

When he tossed the blueberry, Vittoria did it all correctly except for her gnashing teeth catching and crushing the berry.

The juice sprang at his face, but Vittoria grinned after licking the trickle down her lip from the berry. "I did it!"

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

Kilien's face immediately sprang into a look of open shock, his hands in the air. His mouth hung for a moment before stretching into a broad and excitable grin, "You fuckin' did! Yeah!"

Did not even notice the berry juice on his own cheek in his excitement and he motioned for her to give him another berry with one hand while flicking hair from his face with the other, "Okay! Okay. Lucky number three, let's have it."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Excited and on a winner's high, Vittoria does as he says. Leaning down to her bag, punnet of blueberries with just five berries left was offered for him to take.

Vittoria smoothed her hair, tucking the dark tresses behind her ears as she now readies herself.

"Alright, next one Kil!"

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

This is cute. Very cute. Kilien took a wee moment to embrace the cuteness of the young Initiate across from him with his eyes before he rolled his jaw and collected a few more berries from the basket.

"Alllllright..." the berries loosely rolled about in one hand within curled fingers like a collection of dice. With one come to be pinched between thumb and pointer again, he tossed it at her.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

She licked her lips, eyes trained on the blueberry he readied to toss up again. She was quick, her mouth dropping open and her teeth bared as if she were to take a large bite, but the blueberry never made it inside. It bounced off her lip, and in a rush to make sure she did not lose it, her hand reached to catch it.

Almost falling from her seat, Vittoria slowly slid to the carriage floor and sighed. The blueberry was gone, disappearing somewhere beneath the seats.

"We are going to waste the berries if I am to try catching them." Too much into a good mood to truly pout, Vittoria slowly began to pull herself back into the seat beside Kilien. His company was proving to be a surprise, but he was unafraid to give her such challenges.

"Your turn." She declared, a finger tapping his hand holding the rest of the berries.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"Oh-ho-ho!" Kilien laughed as she gave it her all and landed herself on the floor of the carriage.

"A+ for effort," his chuckling continued as he offered her his free hand to help her back on the seat, swaying with the movement of the carriage where he sat while she situated herself again. She'd lost the bet twice now, but he was a good sport and far more interested in keeping things fun, light, copacetic.

Rather than spoil the mood, he grinned and opened his hand for her to take her pick of the remaining berries.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vitorria looked at the berries in hand, plucking a large blueberry and holding it up for them both to inspect. Her eyes shifted focus from the berry to Kilien, and her lips turned upwards at the corners in a small smile.

"How long did it take for you to learn this trick?" She asked, but there was a change in her countenance. So quickly after her question, Vittoria tossed the blueberry straight up into the air between them. It was curious, a dare, an experiment. One she did not know she was doing until the berry had left her grasp. The idea of him leaning closer, to catch that berry, had made Vittoria's expression turn cat-like in her curiosity.

Her question would throw him off, perhaps, but if he truly were clever, it was a test to see how quickly he would take the bait.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

He was nothing if not a focused champion at the art of catching food in his mouth. His people did not waste food and seldom suffered boredom. In prison, his memories reminded him that food had been scarce and that playing with it kept the hunger pangs away for just a little bit longer.

Her question did not distract and his eye followed the berry with the same attentiveness of a dog following the trajectory of a ball. Kilien leaned forward and caught it mere inches away from her face.

"Mm," he chewed, "juicy." Sweet, not tart.

Down the hatch it went.

To her question he offered a facial shrug, "Didn't keep track. It's just something I've always done since I was a kid. Like skipping stones and climbing trees."

Though he hadn't remained so close as to be in her personal space where he'd caught the berry, he was still leaning closer to her now than he had been prior. Kilien gave her a look-over, brow knitting faintly at the idea of her as a little girl, skipping through meadows and wading in the shallows of a stream.

"What did you do for fun as a kid?"

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Her eyes never left his.

Vittoria did not make any move to put more distance between them, curious and adamant not to back down or shy away. That was simply not in her nature to do so, no matter how much this fluttering feeling inside her made her feel whenever Kilien grew closer. The few hours spent together had been surprisingly easy, and she was not sure if that was something she should be bothered by or not.

No matter how many digs into his family tree she could do, Kilien was unfazed by her attempts. To her, that meant he was not weak-willed.

"When I was a child?" She repeated, her head tilting naturally to one side as she pondered. Her eyes watched as his own slowly travelled over her frame before their gazes met once more. "For fun..."

He had meant the childlike innocence she once had. Not the beginnings of a murderous weapon.

"We had ducks in our garden when I was a child. I liked walking them to the pond and watching them walk all together. They liked to chase our dog, Scruffy." Her eyes softened at the memory, but those blue green oceans that made up her eyes watched him still. "I used to think they sounded as if they were laughing at him."

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"Ducks, huh..." what a curiously innocent memory for her. Affecting a ponderous look, he lifted his left arm to prop on the top of the backrest again, stroking at his beard with the same hand.

It wasn't difficult to picture the scene; Kilien had an excellent imagination. Little Vittoria with her hair tied up by a ribbon, dressed quite proper and smart like all Noble girls would be. Skipping along a path of stones through a garden with a small, wiry-haired dog bouncing at her heels.

Back then the world was her oyster and the future her pearl.

"Why did the duck get kicked out of class?"

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Silence took her words as she turned to stare at Kilien and his odd question. Her eyes searched his face when she did not answer immediately, but it became clear that such a question was not asked out of seriousness. In fact, it was a question spoken with the intent that a punchline would come.

Shifting in her seat, turning herself to face him, Vittoria steadied him with furrowed brows as she thought of an answer in her head.

The carriage ride became bumpy at this point, and although it slowed to accommodate the uneven road, the constant light toss here and there had her holding his arm to properly stay in her seat lest she be toppled from it.

"Because... the duck was a waddler."

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

That was a good guess, and he smiled in amusement at it having not expected her to even try at all, but...

"No..." he shook his head and glance around conspiratorially, "it's because he kept quacking jokes."

A broad, smarmy grin pushed across his face.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Amusement flared in her eyes, her lips twitching at the corners as a smile fought to be released.

"You tell horrible jokes, Kilien Basmarc." And yet, Vittoria found it to be charming. That grin he wore made her feel warm, relaxed. They were not side pressing into the other side while seated, keeping themselves their respectable distance as the carriage traveled along the uneven road, but they were close enough that Vittoria knew she was curious what would happen if they were to lean in closer.

But she did not. She did not shy away either. Vittoria was taught to face down anything, and she would not retreat.

"Have you ever courted any one before?"

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"I-" he replied, amused as he produced one more blueberry seemingly out of nowhere to pop it into his mouth, "tell amazing jokes."

This little carriage ride was turning out quite differently from what he'd expected. He was seeing sides of Vittoria that he wondered if anyone else had. Maybe King. Though he had a difficult time picturing King playing catch-the-blueberry with her.

"Courted anyone?" that got a raise of a brow, "bit hard to do in prison and most girls at the Academy want nothing to do with me. Mm - my Rovani blood and the rumor mill pretty much dried up my chances for romance here."

"What about you?"

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

She studied him a moment, still amused by him.

"I killed the only boy that tried to steal a kiss without my permission. That, and my general being turned many prospects away from me." Perhaps that is why many thought her and King were attached. He was the only male to truly survive by her side for years, but their friendship was found on a family values. He was the sibling she deprived of herself at birth. The twin that would have been her equal.

"Odd, is it not? The two of us, hopeless. I am glad to not be part of the heartbreak, I must admit. There was an Initiate that graduated now that was popular with the girls and that ended badly." She mused, looking away now and past his head to the window behind him. Her eyes flickered with the moving scenery, continuing her words. "It is rather fun to observe others make mistakes. Allows one to feel superior to not be troubled by such silly actions."

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

Killed him?

Boy, what an escalation of responses. That must have been some pre-revolution shit the kids were always talking about. Though he wasn't sure that odd was really the right word here. Expected, was more like. He knew how the others of their year acted around her. He'd seen her part the throngs of bodies in the hallways when making her way to her next class. People avoided her and for good reason.

She, like many of the Academy, was dangerous.

For him, it wasn't so much that he saw this fact as a challenge as it simply appealed to his baser level of instincts. Fear had never really been a factor for him among his peers, especially considering the life he'd come from prior to the last two years spent at the Academy.

"You mean that tall guy with the blond hair... whutshisname... Speedy or something." Kilien loosed a low whistle followed by a curt, deep chuckle that reverberated within his chest. Courting three girls at once? In the same Academy? In the same year? Suicidal. There was a reason that sowing one's wild oats was done over great distances - you had to account for the gossip vine's reach.

"As for stealing kisses... there's a right way to do it that don't get you in trouble that he clearly chose to ignore."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

"I find it more interesting to hear about these sorts of things when it is people I do not see everyday. Fascinating, intriguing..."

She trailed off, her attention caught by his words as he mentioned there was a right way to steal kisses. Vitt quirked a brow, pinning him with an almost doubting look. "I cannot remember if you listed thievery in your list of offences, Kilien. How does one go about avoiding consequence?"

It would perhaps broaden her thoughts on the matter, to better prepare her the next time someone tried their luck with her.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

The Academy really was a small little world. Kilien didn't think he found it anymore interesting hearing such gossip about people if he knew them or not. He didn't exactly have much of any friends to speak of to begin with and he'd already experienced the great wide world that existed beyond the boarders of the Academy grounds.

There were far more interesting things out there than who was snogging who behind the herbology shed.

He absolutely had mentioned petty theft, just maybe not using those words. Kilien looked her way with a side-eye, "Can't be giving out all my secrets... besides, I'd much rather my kisses be freely given and willingly received."