RP'd between Ash and Varil

The warmth of the unusually hot spring day had Ashira in a sundress, a light cotton cardigan wrapped about her shoulders and sliding to her elbows, a pretty pale blue that seemed to bring out the color of her pale eyes. The dress underneath fluttered about her thighs, pale yellow in the fading sun. She stood rooted in front of the empty store front, staring thoughtfully at the bare windows and the "For Sale" sign.

There wasn't much happening at the time, just people walking on by and going about their business. A sudden flash from within the storefront heralded a loud crash, rumble, and then an awful lot of shouting in an odd language. Silence followed before the door was given a jostle and worked open, Varil stumbling out covered in dust and sputtering.

Ashira's eyes widened for a moment as she took a slow step back, a single hand rising as she reached toward the door in attempt to help the dust covered coughing man. As her fingers wrapped around the door handle she squinted, staring at the figure in front of her. "Varil" What are you doing?"

"Trying not to suffocate." He coughed, brushing himself off as he stepped away from the door. "How long did you say this building's been on the market' It's filthy!"

"I don't know.." she stammered, withdrawing her hand from the door and watching it slide shut. "I just noticed it the other day.....a while?" She reached up, grinning slightly as she ran a finger through the thick coat of dust on his cheek, leaving a streak in its wake. "What are you doing in there?"

He huffed out a breath, stepping further from the shop. "I missed." He replied vaguely, taking a deep breath. He then exhaled through his nose strongly, a powerful gust of air sweeping at his feet and flowing upward to kick and pick up all the dust, leaving him clean, sort of.

"You missed what?" She shook her head, not understanding. She watched curiously as he attempted to clean himself off, most of the dust and soot disappearing save for a few spots. "What is going on"

"The spot, I meant to appear next to you, not inside the shop." He brushed himself off again, then turned to face her.

"That still doesn't answer the question of what you were doing in there. And who cares where you appeared...?"

He stared at her rather flatly, then pointed at the shop. "I teleported, Ashira. My target was right beside you, but I veered off, a flaw in the circle I used, and it sent me into the shop instead."

She stared back at him, arching her brows. "Well someone either doesn't have a good sense of direction or just sucks at magic." She shook her head, turning on a heel to head toward the small candy vendor across the road. "Excuse me for asking."

"A little bit of both." He admitted, turning to stare off to the side. "I forget which way is North a lot." Blinking, Varil skipped off after her. "They need to change the sign on the front though."

"Why?" She shot over her shoulder, exchanging a few coins for a bag of candy. She turned to eye him, reaching her fingers into the small brown paper bag.

"Someone bought it."

For the last week, Ashira had spent all her available time in the shop cleaning it out' which was to say most of the day and night. The shop, closed for months, was covered in dust and dirt and Ashira met more than one creepy creature she had wished to remain unacquainted with.

But even when the spiders were crawling near her, she couldn't help but smile.

This was her shop. All hers; to do with what she pleased.

Tonight was another night that she had lost track of time and it was well past midnight as she stood, looking around the shop. There was not much more to do before she could paint; afterall the last owner had left the shop in good shape just dirty.

She rolled her shoulders, noting the new knots she had been acquiring lately and grabbed the new key before pushing out into the darkness and locking the door behind her. It was not long before she had showered and passed out in bed. An arm was stretched out across the empty bed, sheets tangled about her legs. Her other arm was bent up under the pillow in which her head was buried, nearly face down.

There was a rather loud crack that split the air, followed by a flash of bright light, which left Varil in its wake, standing at the foot of her bed. Again, his palms were rubbing his eyes, which were sore and temporarily dazzled by the flash. "I need to fix that."

The crack caused her to stir but the blinding light that followed had her scrambling. Slender limbs were flying in all directions as she shifted, pulling the covers up about her and drawing the pillow around her to hug it, backing up against the headboard. Her knees were drawn up as a hand slid out toward the nightstand, fumbling around in the dark in attempt to find anything to use as a weapon. What the heck was going on"

Ashira shifted, a hand rubbing quickly at her eyes as the other kept looking for something to use a weapon. The lamp was found, her fingers curling around the base of it as she yanked it off the nightstand and gripped it tightly, seeing a shadowy figure at the foot of her bed but still trying to see through the haze.

"Lamps are meant to provide light, not be brandished as improvised weaponry." Vari quipped, snapping his fingers to send a small surge of energy into the lamp, which made the lightbulb flicker on. "Much better, if I can get the flash to be that bright, then I think I'll be satisfied. I need less diamond dust."

Ashira dropped the lamp as he began speaking, watching as the bulb fluttered on just as it hit the bed. "Varil"!" She nearly squeaked, the annoyance clear in her voice despite the utter confusion on her face. She yanked the blankets up higher toward her chin.

"Yes. That is what my mother named me." He nodded several times, walking around the bed to scoop up the lamp and set it back down on the nightstand. "Can you EVER enter a house like a normal person?" She quipped, grumbling something as she reached a hand up in attempt to smooth her hair down. "It's the middle of the night!"

"I've come in through the door once or twice, I believe." Varil countered lightly, crossing his arms over his chest indignantly.

"Once or twice is not normal. Appearing in someone's room in the middle of the night like that is NOT normal!" her arms fell to her lap, the covers slipping down to rest about her legs. "Honestly."

"Normality is overrated. And this is Rhy'Din. Normality doesn't exist."

"Semblances of it here and there do." She muttered with a sigh, shoulders falling slightly as she was resigned to the fact there was nothing she could do now. "Just because you don't sleep doesn't mean the rest of us don't."

"I do sleep. Just very little." Varil answered. "And I lost track of time, I was working. How are you?"

"Tired." She stared at him.

"Then go to sleep!"

"I WAS asleep." She snapped, waving a hand in the air. "Until you just happened to drop in and scare the...well...scare me!"

"You didn't have to wake up." He countered, he was grinning, too.

"Like I had the choice. It's like a thunderstorm happened in my room." she tipped her head back on the headboard before shifting to look back at him. "I have you to thank for that."

"No. You have the diamond dust and exploding powder to thank. I'm still trying to find more efficient and less flamboyant regeants for the spell."

"Right...." She shook her head, a small smile starting to tip the corners of her lips. "You really do need to work on your timing....and were you even aiming for the apartment this time" Or did you miss?"

"I was aiming for beneath your window. I was going to climb in." He paused. "Missed."

"Oh. Well at least you were aiming outside....and then what was your plan once you were at the window" Still to scare me?"

"Well, I like to think I'm sneaky enough to get in without you waking up." He was an assassin once upon a time, after all.

"Oh that's comforting." she laughed quietly. "What were you going to stare at me as I slept' That's creepy."

"Well. I figure I'd wake you up then. Or go to sleep."

"Oh." She just simply blinked at him, still slightly flabbergasted at his appearance in the middle of the night. She threw the pillow back behind her. "Are you even tired?"

"Not really. I don't think I've been tired for some time now."

She sighed, pushing the covers down and swinging her legs over the side of the mattress. Barefeet hit the cool floor as she stood, grabbing a short robe off the closet door and sliding it over her shoulders. Fingers pulled the tie tightly about her waist, padding softly past him toward the kitchen. A tea kettle was filled and set on the stove as she took a lean against the counter, waiting for it to boil.

Varil blinked a few times, turning to eye her. "What exactly are you doing?" He asked as he followed her down the hall.

"Making tea." She commented, glancing up from the stove to settle those pale eyes on him.

"It's a bit late for tea time, don't you think" Shouldn't you be in bed?" Apparently he could sleep just fine with people talking to him.

"I should, but after being scared awake it's going to take me a minute to fall back to sleep, and seeing as how you said you dont even sleep anymore, I thought tea was a good choice." She reached up, drawing two mugs from the rack over head and dropped a teabag into each one.

"I do sleep." Varil countered, nodding. "You've seen it when staying over. I sleep very well."

"No you don't. you wake up at any noise possible." The kettle began to whistle and she lifted it off the stove to fill the cups with steaming water. Replacing the kettle, she handed one mug to him before grabbing her own and once more slipping past him to head toward the living room.

"Not true!" Again, he was indignant. "When have I woken up?"

"Beats me. I sleep through anything." She laughed, falling onto the couch and drawing her legs up. "Well, almost anything."

She was on her way home from the festivities, having escaped the spotlight of the stage. A smile still graced her lips, the basket of flowers being swung from an arm as she wandered toward her home and away from the glen. The noise of the crowd was fading behind her as she left the party behind.

Countess of Curves.

She laughed quietly to no one but herself. Countess. She had actually been nominated on the May Queen's court. She could not help but wonder just who had voted for her. She felt as if she was still asleep and would wake up any moment.

Every other woman on the May Court was beautiful"and had a date. Ashira's smile quickly turned into a slight frown. Her free hand rose up to curl about the handle of the basket, fingers fidgeting with the weaving. She couldn't help but think of how ridiculous she looked up there all alone among a sea of couples.

Ashira's heels clicked on the cobblestones as she entered the Marketplace, still frowning at the thought as she passed her unopened and almost finished shop.

Candy made everything better.

It was then she had an idea. It was then her frown gave way to a tiny, thoughtful smile as her slow walk nearly turned into a trot. It was late enough as it was, but she was a night owl; and she had four candy baskets to make.

Ashira entered her house in a whirlwhind of movement. If her roommate were here, she'd undoubtedly ask what had happened and if Ash was okay. She was" sortof. But the candy took her mind off her embarrassment and made her think of the fact she was, indeed, on the May Queen's Court.

Her kitchen cabinets were thrown open and the contents emptied. There were small packages of gummy bears, large candy flowers, chocolate cream filled eggs, sour gummies and a host of other candies. Yes, the woman almost seemed to survive on candy; it was its own food group in her mind.

Two hours later there were four candy baskets (which slightly resembled easter baskets) assembled, each bearing a note

"Congratulations on being appointed to the May Court! It is a pleasure to be in your company. ~The Countess of Curves, Ashira"

She smiled at the thought of waking up (or returning home to!) a sweet treat. Of course, she tied two red and two gold balloons to Lili's basket and added a tiny play tiara for her to wear.

http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af240/Spanishteachr/m_blastfrompast.jpg

"Seems you are favored despite your wish to be but a face in the crowd."

The drowsy rich way of Lux's voice came from the bed room even before the roused presence of the Grimalkin was there.

A rest of hip to the door threshold as she offered a severe look to Ashira, her lips pursed in a scowl even as the persian emerald of her eyes flashed with a dangerous light.

"If I knew the bastard of a fool was not going to accompany you to that revelry I would have been your Count."

Word and news would travel fast.

Absently her hands would paw at one of the candy baskets to pluck that sweet addiction of swedish fish from the basket.

A rumbling of breath near to a purr as Lux fixed her intense gaze upon her roomie.

"I think it's about time you move on, Ash my love. Far better to search for a more suitable mate then playing with....boys."

Her smile was almost feral as her fingers smoothed a line absently to the door frame.

"Tonight I believe it is time to remind them what Beltane is truly about. What do you say, Ash' Are you in?"

Oh the mischief and mayhem within that smile, so hard to resist when it was offered by Lux herself.

Dangerous liasions to know the cravings of a restless heart, and Lux was only too willing to accomodate.

Ashira bent down, fingers curling around the strap of her messenger bag which was slipped over a shoulder. She had picked out her paint earlier this morning and now, she was about to put the first coats on the wall. Her keys were plucked from the table near the entryway as she pulled open the door and stepped into the street.

She had hoped to get an early start, but alas, her job had actually beckoned. Apparently Beltane meant loads of messages to be delivered, and that took up most of her morning.

Beltane. Ashira's smile widened slightly at the thought before she rounded the corner, dropping her hands into the pockets of her cotton hoodie. It had been fun and she was slightly disappointed the festivities were over.

Her steps crossed into the marketplace, her eyes rising toward the shop. The windows were now cleaned, the sunlight reflecting off the glass. She could see the empty, yet cleaned!, space inside, just waiting for color. Ashira paused at the candy stall in the street, exchanging money for her usual bag of chocolate covered gummy bears.

"Pretty soon you'll be having your own."

"Yes. I will be." She smiled at the vendor. She had already worked out a deal with him that she would supply his candy for less than he currently was purchasing it. Everything was working out well.

Ashira pushed open the door, propping a rock under it to keep it open and allow the spring air in. She dropped her bag and the candy next to the door before croassing the room and dropping into a squat next to the paint supplies and paint cans.

She had chosen white with accents in various colors like bright bubblegum pink and a shiny blue. The paint can lids were popped off, her smile reappearing at the various colors. Soon, she was covered in drips of paint but laughing to herself as she rolled and painted the first coats.