Fallen to You

[Jade1459]

It was a crisp autumn day. Back home the sky would a brilliant jewel blue, impossibly wide and clear above. Trees would be a riot of colours – reds and yellows bleeding into burnt orange and rich browns. Out in the fields, crops were nearly ready to be harvested, and would blanket the ground in waves of gold. And while the sun would still be high and warm in the sky, the breeze and winds would just start to show its winter teeth.

In the city, things were a little different. The sky was still a brilliant blue, but it was made a little smaller with building stretching towards the sun. Trees still turned their colours, bright splashes of colour against the grey and glass. In the streets human traffic replaced the grain fields, bustling humans on the sidewalks and the shifting mass of brake lights in traffic. And while the sun was still high and warm in the sky, the breeze had a soft stink of exhaust. Navigating through the sea of humanity left Owen wishing for something simpler.

The world had changed so much since the last time Owen had walked in the human world. And after a month in the human world he was still finding it difficult to wrap his mind around some of the changes. And while some of the changes were delightful (like the microwave and jeans), others were just confusing (like television and the taste of instant food), and others still were interesting (like computers and the internet). There were, thankfully, things that never really changed (like books and bars).

But Owen had chosen to escape into the human world for a time. As a base born middle son now well past his majority, Owen was faced with deciding how he could serve his family’s needs. He could accept an arranged marriage that his sister would negotiate on his behalf, and as an illegitimate child of a powerful and influential man with no declared heir there were families and women enough to allow him a choice in mates. Or he could join the Temple as a Gate Keeper, guarding the door ways that led into the human world and beyond. Or he could strike out on his own, he was a trained smith and metal worker, though what he could do with such a skill except fashion weapons for the army, he wasn’t sure. Humanity and their world were a third option as well as a place to escape.

Coming around a street corner, Owen tucked his hands into his coat pockets and headed towards the little cafe he had discovered several days after his arrival. The Acoustic Cafe was small and homey without feeling cramped or cheap. While there were other coffee houses closer to where he lived, Owen made the forty minute walk to the little cafe, preferring its atmosphere. It was calm and inviting even when it was busy and bustling.

It was his forth visit to the Acoustic Cafe. Coming through the doors, Owen was glad to see that the cafe wasn’t terribly busy and that it was empty of customers either. A group of five young women were talking and laughing loudly at one table, while a man of middling years frowned at his laptop and tugged his tie askew further into the room. Adjusting the strap of the messenger bag slung over his shoulder, Owen took his place behind a woman talking sharply into her cell phone while placing her order.

Once the woman ahead of him got her order she took her angry one-sided conversation and her paper cup filled with coffee and left. Owen stepped forward and placed his own coffee order, making polite small talk about whether he should get a plate of cookies or a deli sandwich to go with it. It made the woman behind the counter smile and chid him about eating proper food, while the young man working with her laughed. Owen eventually settled on the deli sandwich. He paid for and collected his coffee when the woman promised to bring him the sandwich once he was settled.

Making his way towards an empty table in the middle of the room, further away from the loud young women, closer to the scowling man with rolled sleeves and loosened tie at the back of the room. But just as Owen was level with the table of loud girls, the group had decided to leave in a hurry. Sliding chairs out with no regard for who might be standing behind or around them.

One chair knocked painfully into his knee, causing Owen to stumble back a step. The heel of his foot caught around the leg of another chair behind him and when he shifted his weight to right his balance, he discovered the laces of one of his hiking boots had come loose when his foot suddenly stopped moving. And then gravity took over the rest of the job, pulling down to land on his back. The coffee cup spilled its rich, black content over his chest and shoulder. His elbow upset the table of another young woman while his tail bone made hard contact with the floor right about the same time the back of his head bounced off the edge of a chair.

Owen was left cursing under his breath as the group of young women hardly paused to apologize as they dashed out the door without even glancing over their shoulder.

[98jazzy98]

(Such high expectations. My reply will probably be no more than three paragraphs, if even that. Lordy, lordy, lordy. Time to start.)

The day was a beautiful one, the air had a crispness and the sun held its warmth in the air. One couldn't help but breathing in the fresh air. Noah stood on the steps of the University that she attended. Her class had just ended, giving her the rest of the day off. There was a lengthy report due within the week for one of her classes, and Noah planned to get it done as soon as possible. She wasn't one to procrastinate, as it only led to rushed work. She had very high standards for things like that, and she chose to hand write the essay before she typed it. That way she can revise and change details from the written work while she is typing. It was an easy way to proof read her own work. She had all the information that she needed to write it, as she had spent hours researching the previous day. Now the thing that she needed was a quite environment to set to work.

She frequented the Acoustic Cafe, since it had a home-y vibe to it. All of the staff that worked there were polite, and respected their customers. Noah knew about half of the people that worked there from school. It was considered a college hot spot to locals, but really it was perfect for everyone. The cafe itself was only a twenty minute walk from the University, so Noah decided to go on foot, instead of taking a taxi. Walking through the city was refreshing to Noah, getting to see different people and personalities. She especially liked getting to walk past the dog park. There was always a canine with amazing ability on the equipment that the city provided. Many people take their dogs to this specific dog park to train them for shows, instead of just letting their pets play around. Noah sometimes would just sit on a bench, and watch the skills of both master and beast. It probably takes a lot to train a dog to do such impressive things, Noah mused to herself. When she walked past the dog park today though, it was empty. Rightfully so, though, since it was around noon and most people were working. Noah didn't have to go to work until later in the day, when crowds came to the bar to have a good time.

Noah heard the rapid clacking of heels on the pavement, and she turned her head slightly, to see who was in such a hurry. There was a woman, who seemed in disarray, walking a fast pace down the sidewalk. She barley gave Noah a second glance before she called a taxi that was driving past. It stopped next to the slow walking Noah and the impatient woman. Water that sat pooling by the curb was thrown up by the tires, getting Noah's shoes and the lower part of her pants wet. The woman got in the taxi, and it sped off. Noah heaved a sigh. So, this was how her day was going to go today. Already a classmate of hers at spilled a sport drink on her coat, which was now hanging in Noah's personal locker. She was going to stop back at the school after the Cafe trip, to pick it up. She looked helplessly down at her wet lower half, and decided that nothing could be done about it. She continued walking to the Acoustic Cafe.

Noah rounded the corner and entered, the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit her, teasing her nose with the sweet aroma. Noah breathed in deeply, and went to the counter to order.

"The usual?" Asked the woman working the counter, a smile on her face. Noah nodded, also smiling, and she handed the woman money. In return she got her drink. There was a loud group of women near the table that Noah always sat at, but Noah didn't really mind. They looked as if they would be done soon, so Noah sat at her table anyways. She sat down her steaming drink, and took out her utensils. A fresh notebook sat on the table, with a sharpened pencil. She also had a couple pieces of paper with information, in case she needed to back up her writing with facts. Noah set to work, zeroing in on her paper, no longer paying much attention to anyone else in the Cafe. When she had almost three pages written, a chorus of chairs being scooted back sounded. Then almost seconds later, her table was upset, sending her coffee forward. Completely soaking Noah's front, and her papers. Her jaw dropped, and she looked over to see the culprit on the floor. He also was covered in a dark brew, and he looked like he landed pretty hard. Noah winced and stood. She quickly picked up the papers, hoping that they could be salvaged, and set them on the table next to her. She held out her hand for the man on the floor, "Are you alright?"

(I know it's a lot of rambling, but I didn't want to have a fingernail length post. :P)

[Jade1459]

Wrapping his large callused hand around Noah’s smaller softer one, Owen accepted the offered help. It would have been rude to refuse. Getting a firm grip he let Noah take some of his weight, pulled just enough to not be insulting, though he did lift most of his own weight from the floor.

“Since no one has ever died from embarrassment, I’ll be alright,” he told her once he was standing. And it was the truth. The sharp pain that radiated from his tail bone was quickly fading as the deep bruising healed. When he reached to touch the back of his head to check for bleeding, the throb at the base of his skull was little more than a dull ache. However, seeing the coffee stain on her shirt from when he’d upset her table made him grimace and add, “Though, mortification may prove a more effective means of demise.”

“Are you both okay?” the female employee asked as she approached them. “Look at you both! No burns, I hope? Get yourselves settled and I’ll bring you both some fresh coffee.”

Once the employee had been assured of their relative well being and she quickly cleaned up the spilt coffee from the table. Owen saw the mess of coffee covered pages set on the next table over and jammed his hands into his jean pockets, bowing his head a little. He was embarrassed about his own clumsiness. He hadn’t tripped like that since he’d been a child. Learning how to dance and move unobtrusively through a crowed had been some of his earliest lessons – the first ones being how to eat properly at a table and how to care for, saddle, and ride a horse.

His distraction in figuring out what exactly he was going to do with his life now must have been complete to have forgotten such deeply ingrained lessons. It embarrassed him that he could have caused such destruction with a few misplaced steps so easily.

Once the employee went back to the counter to start making fresh drinks for them, Owen pulled his hands from his pockets and reached for his messenger bag, saying, “I can offer you a clean shirt. And, if you’ll let me, a second cup of coffee to replace the one I tipped over you and your papers.” When he glanced back up from reaching into his bag, he had two neatly folded and rolled t-shirts in his hand.

He was careful to keep his tone polite and his offer clear of any secondary meanings. Women were strange creatures no matter the species. Words or looks that might possibly hold even a shadow of implication that the woman in question couldn’t care for, provide for, or defend herself had left him with more bloody noses and puffy lips then he cared to admit. The last thing he wanted was to get his ears boxed for offering a clean shirt and fresh cup of coffee as an apology.


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(It's all quality over quantity for me *g*)

[98jazzy98]

(Same here, my actual length that I usually give is about half of what I wrote before. About two good sized paragraphs, or several little paragraphs. -.- You use such big words. Also, I'm going to be gone for a week-or-more starting tomorrow. I would tell you on Yahoo!, but it's being dumb to me. 0.o And sorry for the short-ish post. I feel inadequate next to you, ha!)

Noah was surprised at how tall Owen actually was. It wasn't as if he was a giant or anything, but she hadn't really noticed him before he had already been on the floor. He seemed kind enough, and her suspicions were confirmed when he offered her a shirt and a new cup of coffee. "It wasn't as if it was your fault, but since I'm a tad greedy, I'll take you up on the offer." She said, smiling slightly, not really sure how to react. She didn't talk to men very often. She accepted one of the shirt that he held out, and motioned for him to join her at the table she was sitting at. Then she made her way to the bathroom, grimacing slightly from the minor burns she had from her coffee. She didn't blame him for the shower of caffeine that she had gotten, things happen, though she did slightly begrudge those women who left in a flurry.

Noah opened the door to the single bathroom, and she locked the door behind her. When she pulled off her own stained shirt, which just so happened to be white, she saw the tell-tale signs of burns on across her stomach. They weren't serious, and she knew that she would just have to put some salve on them when she got home. If she had any that is. She pulled one of the shirts that he had offered over her head. A pleasant smell hit her nose, and she mentally approved whatever laundry detergent or cologne that he used. She put her own ruined shirt in her bag that she had brought with her, and she walked out to the table again. It was kind of him to offer his shirt, but she knew that she couldn't let him buy her another coffee. It would be rude, at least by her standards. Though, she began to wonder if by refusing him, she would be hurting his pride in some way. She knew a couple of guys from her University who would throw a tizzy over something like that. She didn't know them personally, but from the scenes that they threw during class, she pretty much had them figured out. Noah sat down across from Owen, and grabbed her papers. The ink from the pen had run, so she wasn't able to salvage anything. She ripped out the papers, and threw them away. She hoped that it didn't take long to rewrite what she had already done.

[Jade1459]

Smiling his acceptance of a seat at her table, Owen waited until Noah had disappeared into the only public bathroom before he slipped out of his jacket and pulled his own shirt off. Using the dry ends to quickly wipe off his damp skin, Owen was glad to note the mild burns had already healed. The soft scent of the laundry soap filled his nose with memories of home when he pulled his last clean t-shirt over his head. He was going to need to figure out how the washing machine actually worked before he ran out of the provisions Bliss had packed for him. It would be nice to use the bathing tub for something other than washing his clothing.

Draping his jacket of the back of his chair, Owen settled at the table and pulled out his sketch book and pencils from the messenger bag. Flipping to a fresh page, Owen considered the blank expanse for a moment. One of his good-sisters was expecting to deliver in the early winter. It was traditional to present the baby with a gift, a gift that would represent the giver’s hopes for the child’s future. His eldest sister had asked for his help in creating a suitably feminine shaped dress that was still intimidating and highlighted her military prowess.

When Noah sat back down at the table and began to rewrite her paper, Owen put pencil to paper and began to sketch. The idea was forming in his head and flowing from his hands to the paper. Owen wasn’t used to drawing people or human shapes without a model of some kind. He would need to use his sister as a guide for the more detailed sketches, the ones that would show her exactly what he was going to make for her. But for the moment, he used the woman sitting before him as a guide.

Just quick glances to catch the slope of her neck, the way it curved into her shoulder, the tilt of her chin. He put it to the paper and then began to sketch the shoulders of a chainmail dress and jewellery that he would create to compliment it.

When their fresh coffee arrived shortly after, Owen was flipping to a fresh page, carefully folding the first sketch to the back of the book. He smiled up to the woman as she placed their coffee on the table for them. “You are kind to bring this to us,” he said by way of thanks.

He turned back to his sketches almost immediately. When the female employee had left their table, Owen asked, “Would you lay your hand flat on the table?”


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(I'm sorry this has taken forever to come up, but I figured I'd work on it a little more while you were away. Also, don't feel inadequate! I tend to ramble a lot until I get the feel of my partner's character. Then I usually settle into two or three paragraphs. This is me being nervous and doing the RP equivalent of an info dumping babble, lol)

[98jazzy98]

(It's totally okay, I kind of like how slow paced it is. Of course, I won't be gone for massive amount of time know, so I'll be able to reply a day or two after you do. Thanks for explaining why I shouldn't feel inadequate, it helped somewhat. :P)

____

Noah was immersed in her work, her hand and mind working to a synchronized beat that played in her subconscious. She found that having to rewrite what she had already done was a greater help than she would've imagined. Not only did it help her rethink what she had previously written, but she also got the chance to add in more information that she hadn't remembered before. She could already tell that this paper was going to be better than it would've been, and she had the man sitting across from her to thank for it. The whole notion of it was pretty funny, in her mind. She would have thanked him, but it was too odd of a thing to do. Not to mention how he would look at her if she thanked him, she could already see it in her mind. His face contorted in a look of slight disbelief and criticism. She knew that it wasn't fair to judge him in that way. Considering she had been acquainted with him for only fifteen-or-so short minutes. Also considering that in those fifteen minutes, they had barley shared any conversation. Plus, all he had said to her up to this point had only gone to prove how mature and responsible he was.

When the woman came back with fresh coffee, Noah merely looked up with a grateful smile. She set her coffee on the opposite side of the table from her paper, mainly in wariness. She didn't want her elbow to knock it over, or the table to get upset somehow and have it take a tumble like it's predecessor had. Not long after the woman had left, the man sitting across from her spoke.

"Would you lay your hand flat on the table?" He asked her, causing her eyes to cloud with confusion. Why does he want me to do that? Noah thought curiously. It only took her a moment to realize what he held in his hand. He was sketching her? How long had that been going on?

"Uh, sure." Noah said intelligently, and did as she was told. She tried to crane her neck to see what he had been drawing, thinking that maybe he wasn't drawing her, rather drawing something less specific. Such as a human, or a woman, or a hand. She watched him, noticing how he also seemed to take great care in concentrating on his work, a sign of quality.

[Jade1459]

At her hesitant response to his request, Owen glanced up to see the moment of confused curiosity in Noah’s expression before she smoothed her hand out on the table. He gave her a small smile that he hoped conveyed his appreciation before he bent back over his sketchbook. He would have to remember that this world was not his workshop; he wasn’t master of those around him here.

He worked quickly to draw the details of Noah’s hand. The delicate and graceful lines that took shape on the page weren’t the kind of model he needed to finish the designs he had in mind for his sister. But something else took shape as he traced the lines for her wrist and part of her forearm. She had healer’s hands. Delicately boned and gently formed. Hands meant to ease suffering and stitch the world together through flesh and blood.

Laying his sketchbook flat on the table, Owen began to add in the details. A bold bracelet made from many woven threads of fine metal. The heavy lines only served to emphasize how delicate her hand was. Attached to the bracelet he drew a heptagonal charm with a rune on its face.

He added a thick ring on her thumb – a man’s ring. The lines were heavy and bold; the band itself was simple and smooth. But he stopped himself from adding more. That ring was too much. It said far too much already about the paths his mind was wandering.

“You have a healer’s hands,” he told her. One of his brother’s had attempted to explain to him that saying ‘thank you’ in the human world was not an offense. It was common courtesy. And after several weeks of various people thanking him for various things he’d stopped being offended by the words. But changing a lifetime of habit in just a few weeks simply wasn’t going to happen; instead he acknowledged people’s generosity with compliments or statements of acknowledgement.

[98jazzy98]

Noah sat still while started to sketch. She saw deep concentration on his face, which led her mine to wonder. She took this time to study this stranger more carefully. He was handsome enough, but what caught her attention was his eyes. It was almost as if his eyes were too old, had seen too much, for someone so young. Almost like he was toting around a huge secret of some sort. Noah began to wonder what it was, imagination leading her mind astray. She began to conjure up different ideas in her mind, but non seemed to fit his 'being'. Noah eventually gave up her thought process, and instead continued to try and peak at what it looked like.

Eventually he laid his sketchbook flat on the table, adding what looked to be detail. She was awestruck by his abilities. The first thought in Noah's mind was that there was no way her hand looked like that. It looked to delicate, too regale, almost too feminine. Then he began to add a chunky looking ring to her finger, which seemed to clash with the feminine features of her hand. Noah glanced at her hand, then back at the drawing. It surprised her how closely the sketch looked to her hand. It was almost as if she was seeing it in a new light, Noah stared at the man with slight wonder in her eyes. Who was this person?

"You have a healer's hands." The stranger said, breaking her from her trance. She blinked and looked at him quizzically. How could he know that she was training to be a healer-- a doctor? Noah though with slight panic, could it have been from glancing at her papers? Her mind leading her completely astray from the main point, the reality of the comment. As per usual though, Noah took the would be compliment in a completely different light than what was intended.

"H-How do you know that?" Noah asked, silently cursing herself for stuttering. It was something that she hadn't done since childhood, but suddenly it had reappeared, at least for the time being. Noah hoped that it was just a slip up, not a relapse. Of course, her mind had started to wander from its main purpose again, so she snapped herself back to present time, watching the man's reaction to her question.

[Jade1459]

Noah’s reaction threw Owen through a loop. The look of puzzlement quickly followed by a flash of panic and her question all told him that he had stepped too closely to something. His inability to say thank you to someone had caused a number of reactions so far – from being called ungrateful and rude, to sniffs of disdain and being labeled as simple, but he had yet to cause someone genuine fear of any kind.

It left him reeling. Stumbling a little over himself to explain and sooth.

“I meant no offense,” he said. “It’s just -- ”

Reaching over, Owen brought his hand above Noah’s. He was careful to not actually touch her, but he traced his fingers above the slight spaces between her fingers as he began to explain. Owen watched her face, watching her expression while keeping his voice calm and soothing. “You have delicate bones in your hand. Your fingers are gentle and gracefully formed. The elegant arrangement of bones, tendons, and musculature you have is meant for more than just placid work.” Using his thumb and index finger, he shaped the outer edge of the back of hand as he continued with his explanation. “You have hands meant for delicate work. To stitch and mend flesh and bone, stanch a bleeding wound, and catch falling tears.”

When he reached her wrist, about the same point in his sketch where he’d drawn the bracelet, Owen reversed the path his fingers had traced over her hand. “There is a quiet strength of comfort and safety under the skin. Hands that use knowledge to heal and repair.”

Drawing his hand away from her’s, Owen unintentionally grazed the edge of Noah’s middle finger with his own. The shock that raced from his finger tip up his arm was unexpected and stole his breath for a moment. Fighting to keep the shock and amazement from his eyes he glanced quickly at the table before looking back up. “Your hands show all the ways that women are strong and graceful and dangerous. Bent to preserving life and easing suffering.”


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(I really didn't expect the get a second post out tonight, lol)

[98jazzy98]

(Pfft! Works for me. )

Noah watched him with guarded eyes as he explained his intention to her. She began to understand that this man was indeed more wise than his appearance gave away. Oddly enough, she wasn't fearful as he pointed out her bone structure. It was chilling, the description that he gave, only because it made sense. Of course she had never viewed her hands that way before, but it all made sense. In a way, it subconsciously added to the determination that she had previously to graduate from college with high marks. She began to wonder about this stranger, starting with his name. They had been talking, and not talking, for awhile at the same table, yet she didn't know his name. She was about to ask, until a strange feeling entered her when the man touched her middle finger. It looked as if it had been an accident, but it stole away her breath all the same. She searched his eyes, to see if he had encountered the same reaction, but they held nothing. Noah cleared her throat awkwardly, and cursed herself for thinking like some old romantic.

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment then." She started with a smile, "It's really nice of you to say, and not far from the truth either. I'm training to be a pediatrician for cancer patients currently. I'm Noah, by the way." She added, hoping that offering up her name would cause him to do the same. She held out her hand, in a well known gesture of kindness, for him to shake. The Nancy Drew in Noah began to surface, and she started to wonder what she could figure out about this man. What his occupation was, whether he had/or was attending school, if he had family nearby/or at all, whether or not art was a dream of his/or if it played a more important role in his life, and so on and so forth.