"Jean!" Alain slaps his thigh, and his dog, now nearly fully grown, comes wheeling back around through the small clearing at a sprint, stick in his mouth. Alain's dirty, his arms covered with a fine layer of dark dirt, hands wiped mostly clean with a now dirty handkerchief hanging out of his pocket. He laughs teasingly at Jean as he snatches the stick and starts a game of tug-of-war.
Izira had gotten more of a walk than she had planned, even with the help from the magic of the realm. First going to the site where the village was being worked on and then being pointed in the direction where she might find Alain by one of his many people. She was dressed in a soft charcoal grey dress that was fitted with a black ribbon about the waist and a line of small black buttons up the center of the torso along with black closed-toe heels. Her hair was collected into a bun, the usual rebellious wisps curling to fall against her face and neck - a pen still stuck into it, forgotten. She carefully made her way into the clearing, watching where she was walking in those heels. "Alain?" She called out uncertainly.
"Over here, Izi!" he calls, laughter in his voice. He manages to tug the stick free from Jean, who starts barking, but stops to take chase as soon as Alain releases the stick - sending it flying way off. He turns to smile at Izira, walking her way.
Warmth showed in her smile at seeing Alain and Jean at play. It was hard not to get a contact high of enjoyment in the presence, even if she wasn't already excited about her day. Of course, work came before play and she thought it best to let Alain know that she would be away from the inn in the evening to see the opera. But business could wait a moment, she gave a crooked smirk in Alain's direction - noting the dirt that covered him. "Hard at work or hard at play?"
"You think this dog isn't hard work?" he replies with a grin. Jean returns, but instead of trying to take the stick from him, Alain rubs at his ears a little, so he drops the stick and wanders over to Izira. Snuffling at her and then remembering her. "Just starting my lunch break..." He sighs softly, looking out at the clearing and the mountains that surround them. "God, it's beautiful out here - and Jean loves it."
There was just a grin in return to his first comment. Her eyes traveled from him to the approaching and then sniffing Jean and obviously lowering herself down to give the dog a good rubbing. A soft chuckle at the wonder from him about the land, bringing her eyes back to Alain bust just watching him quietly.
He looks over his shoulder at her - "Had you ever been here before?"
Looking around, "Places like this. A lake... deeper in the mountains, once." whatever memories came along with that comment were a mixture of bitter and sweet.
"I just can't believe it'd gone unnoticed..." His grin returns. "Even I didn't notice a lot of this, my first time through here." He kneels by her to rub at Jean's coat, and smiles over at her again. "If you've come here to work, I'd have to recommend against those heels."
She smiled only a little embarrassed of the heels, if she were here to work?though she wasn't. A shake of her head before speaking, "Actually I came to tell you that I would be out of the inn tonight. I didn't know aside from dinner if anything would be needed before I went out, since you are the man in charge - I came to ask."
"We shouldn't need anything else - but with the lady of the house gone for the evening, we'll have to throw a keg party," he teases. "Where are you going?"
It was a soft shove against his arm for the keg comment, but she brought her hand back to Jean as that was a safer contact. "The opera! There was a ticket enclosed with my mail this morning."
"Huh. Who from?" Alain's become an excellent liar - even with their bond, nothing is betrayed.
"Not sure." She considered it quietly, then wondering if she was foolish for accepting a gift when the giver was unknown she further explained, "I figure it might be from a salesmen or one of the few regulars. A few of them would be likely to do such a thing, giving a gift and then later stepping in with a price. I'm not worried though, I can handle those mugs and a night at the opera is definitely worth the trouble." Another soft chuckle, she looked at him sideways, "Do you think that's foolish of me?"
He considers a moment, and answers, "I don't think you'll have any problems - it's not foolish at all. It could be from the opera house. Businesses give away a lot for free when they're just getting started. Raises awareness, encourages word of mouth..." He then laughs and shakes his head. "Jesus Christ, I've turned into a businessman."
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." She followed with a little wink. Course, it was probably already known to many and that face she didn't point out directly. "I even have a dress picked out for the event."
"Not the one you're wearing?" Alain is, after all, only a male.
Giving a glance down at her dress, "No, not this one. It's the opera after all. I should try to look nice." She grinned. "If you get back to the inn before I go or are still around when I come home you can see it.... if you wanted."
He smiles... but then looks away, as if catching himself. There is a fine frown on his brow, but still he answers, "I should be back to the inn around sunset to talk to the others, then head out. You can show me then if you're still around."
Izira knew she would probably miss him. Ah well. It wasn't like it was anything special, or that he would be overtly impressed with the dress or anything like that. He was Alain... and she.... she was just herself. Aside from the inn and the realm about her, what else did she have to offer? Nothing he would want or need. Her voice softer, "I'm surprised you're not going. You strike me as someone who would enjoy a little more culture from time to time."
"I have a few things to take care of in the city... and as soon as they're done, I'm sleeping." He cracks another smile and bops Jean playfully on the snout to rile him a little and then rub at his ears. "I'll have to go to the opera house another time, when I have less on my plate."
"At that rate you'll never be able to go." It was half a joke and maybe even half a little sad truth. Her hands went towards her lap as he played with Jean.
"Believe it or not, it comes and goes. After the Silver Mark got on its feet, and before I started with Esperance, things were pretty calm... for the most part." He winces just a touch as he remembers the Krysira incident, and his left hip aches with the memory. But that wasn't something he'd planned for much. "Next week, I'll probably be here a little less, and make sure I'm caught up on my work in RhyDin."
"That's unfortunate. I like having you around the inn." And quickly adding, "Your presence seems to liven everyone, that is?the refugees and those working for you."
He catches it, though he plays that he doesn't. He grins. "Then I'll have to make sure and swing by enough to marshal my troops." He looks over at Jean. "I might leave this guy up here, just for a couple of days - you think you can lead them, Jean? Eh?" Jean barks happily.
"He can lead them, but at what?" Petting Jean again, she had a playful smile again.
"At stealing a shovel and leading them on a wild goose chase, apparently." He chuckles, shaking his head, and moves over to a tree to collect his lunch. Which makes Jean suddenly ignore Izira and move over, snuffling at the paper bag. "You'd think he was starving, the way he goes after food..."
Izira followed the two, slower and staying at a distance. "Or his stomach is a bottomless pit. Maybe one of those rare endless stomach breeds."
"Something his owner didn't tell me about Eurasiers." He tosses Jean a bit of jerky to keep him busy for a while - it's nearly as tough as leather. He sprawls out under the tree, rather boyishly, and tugs on an odd little runed tag tied to the string that seals the bag. He tears it, and Izira can probably feel the fire magic at work - hot air fills the bag until Alain unties it, and it releases with a whoosh. "Pretty neat, huh. A few of the diners in town have started working with pyromancers to bring in takeout customers." And he pulls out a bacon cheeseburger, nice and hot.
"Impressive." She took a seat near his feet in the grass, careful with her skirt not to flash him. She inspected it from far away for the three P's. And her stomach made a little growl. Moving a hand over her stomach, "Guess Jean's not the only one starving."
"Steal some fries if you like," he says, nodding towards the bag. Big bite of the burger, though he feels a little bad eating in front of her - but his break will be over soon. The burger does, in fact, have pickles, peppers, and pineapples.
She shook her head, "But thank you for the offer. I will grab something back at the inn." Still sitting by him, she looked off back into the surroundings and just taking them in.
As usual, his eating pace is pretty goshdarned fast. Wait, is that burger gone already? Jean looks on jealously, and Alain folds his arms: "You know it'd make you sick to your stomach." Jean just wags his tail, and Alain tosses him a french fry.
Izira almost thought to ask after Cassie, but couldn't bring the words to her lips to do so. Honestly, she didn't want to hear how wonderful his relationship was going. And she couldn't bring herself to be friend enough to ask anyway. Instead, enjoying the silence and watching the way the breezed moves through and over things.
After giving three more french fries to Jean, his lunch is finished. "I swear, by summertime, this dog is going to be round." He gives Jean another playful swat on the snout, following up as usual with a good rubbing.
Looking back towards Alain, "Only if you stop running him around." Seeing the food finished, she knew he would be leaving and that she should to. Though, she'd willingly give up a night at the opera to stay in the place and talk to him into the night. "I think he will be safe from becoming too round."
"You haven't seen the way 'Lanta feeds him." He grins. "She thinks I haven't seen it, but I have." He crumples up the wrappers and puts them in the brown bag, as well as the remains of the weird rune thingy, and balls it up to throw away back at the site. "You enjoy yourself tonight, and let me know how it goes."
"I will. Enjoy... whatever you have to enjoy today, Alain.", standing and watching him a moment. She was being foolish, a night out was a good idea. It was a chance to meet new people, maybe? A chance to distract her from impossible longings.
"I'll enjoy honest work and, with any luck, a full night of sleep," he replies with a smile.
A nod. "Seems good enough. Take care, Alain." She felt to be lingering an awkward moment before finally turning and making her way back to the inn.
"You too." He watches her thoughtfully for a moment, and then turns his attention to Jean, leading him back to the site.
