Lugard - Center of Town

You stand in what seems to be the center of the city, or at least one of the many centers of the city, with a large diamond shaped fountain of polished carved granite near the center of the square. To the east several well paved streets branch off, leading to a prosperous section of Lugard, while several dark streets can be seen off to the west.[ Exits: e s ]

It is well after dark in the center of Lugard, and fairly cold. The full moon keeps the center of the town fairly illuminated, aided by two street-lamps at either end of the square.

Kasim Akylia is sitting on the rim of the fountain, looking like a normal citizen. Armor and weapons are not on his person, but packed onto the back of his riderless mount. To cover his blue underclothes, he wears a bright white tunic and a bright white wool doublet over it, blue thick gloves on both hands.

Fayth moves toward the fountain, stopping just under one of the street-lamps. She lifts her head, allowing her face to peek out from beneath her hood. For a moment, she simply stands there, watching Kasim. Her arms are folded tightly under her breasts, and her cloak is wrapped closely around her, though she does not appear to be cold.

Kasim bends low and takes a drink of the chilled water, splashing some on his face afterwards. He pats the burdened horse's neck, a signal allowing it to begin to rapidly drink water. Kasim busies himself with checking various things on his saddle, ensuring that all of his belongings are accounted for. He appears to be oblivious to the world around him.

Sighing softly, almost inaudibly, Fayth moves toward the fountain. Her steps are slow and hesitant, but quiet...taking care not to startle the poor horse. When she finally manages to get within a few feet of Kasim, she clears her throat softly and starts to speak. Unfortunately, she can manage nothing more than a croak which she quickly attempts to disguise as a cough. (Fayth)

Kasim doesn't turn around at the noise, but something in his stance changes slightly as the quiet footsteps draw closer. His rummaging becomes more focused as his right hand tightens on the grip of his thin longsword and he eases the blade out of its scabard slightly, the steel gleaming in the cold moonlit air. "You are very unwise if you have come to pick a fight. I'd suggest you turn around and return to your home until we both look back on this night with regret. If we're both capable of looking back, that is." His voice is cold and emotionless, as if he's discussing the weather.

Fayth can't help but smile slightly at the irony, and it seems as if Kasim's response has eliminated any uncertainty she may have originally felt. She chuckles quietly, placing her hands prominently on her hips. "I sincerely doubt that I would have traveled all this way simply to pick a fight. Now, fight we just might do, but I assure you that was not my intent when I chose to come here."

Kasim turns suddenly at the sound of the voice, recognition immediately dawning on his face. It takes another two seconds for him to release the sword, however, and turn full around to face Fayth. "I'm sorry, I mistook you for a bandit. You'd've been the third." He looks around the square, as if checking as if it were empty. "How'd you find me?"

"Only the third? Must have been a slow couple of days for you." Fayth also looks around the square before shrugging. "You know us silly old ladies. We have our ways." As annoying as possbile, she does not elaborate further. Instead, she moves to the fountain, cupping her hands into the water and drinking deeply. Wiping her hands on her skirt when finished, she raises an eyebrow at Kasim. "Been here long?" (Fayth)

Kasim narrows his eyes slightly, watching Fayth suspiciously. "Only just arrived. Which is why I wonder how you knew that I would be here. It's almost as though you were waiting for me." He steps aside as she walks to the fountain and takes her drink, remaining patient even as he slips out of the Void.

"...I wasn't -spying- on you, if that's what you think. At least, not technically. And I -did- tell you I would be coming for you." Dusting off a portion of the edge of the fountain, Fayth perches gingerly, then looks up at Kasim. "You seem surprised. Not expecting me so soon?" (Fayth)

Kasim mutters. "I wasnt' expecting you, period. You did tell me you were coming, but you never said that I would be watched. How did you find me?" He seems wary to sit or further talk without being reassured, and stands near to his mount.

Fayth rolls her eyes. "That ring I gave you allowed me to track you. If you feel that what I did was sneaky, then I apologize. That wasn't how it was intended. I simply needed to hurry and get my things in order before I could come after you, and I knew that if I didn't do it, you'd get too far away, and I wouldn't be able to find you." She narrows her eyes and frowns slightly. "You have a habit of disappearing, you know."

Kasim looks down at the ring, which is being worn on his right ring finger. "I should have known that it wouldn't just have been a friendly partying gift. Something to remember you by?" He waits a moment before finally sitting down on the edge of the fountain. "I do have a habit of disappearing, when I want to. But you're pretty skilled in it, as well."

Suddenly seeming to be a bit nervous, Fayth seems to find her shoes to be fascinating. "You should know by now that when an Ae...when a woman gives you something, it's never just a simple gift." Unconsciously plucking at her skirt, she shrugs. "Besides. I'm also very adept at appearing. When I want to." (Fayth)

Kasim frowns. "So I should assume that when my best friend gives me a gift, there's an ulterior motive. I'll be sure to pack that away for future reference." The tone of his voice is a small mixture of hurt and anger, but very subtle. "And it's also good to know that you appear when you want to, which would imply to me that you haven't wanted to for quite some time."

Fayth sighs. "Ahh, yes. This is going about as well as I expected." She crosses her arms and stares straight ahead, assuming the perfect picture of serenity. "I have been trying to find the right time to give you that gift for a very long time, Kasim. YEARS, in fact. Unfortunately, events moved out of my control, and I felt that giving the gift to you -now- was necessary, rather than appropriate." Her own voice just about completely devoid of emotion, she hesitates only slightly before continuing. "And your assumptions are incorrect."

Kasim looks at up at Fayth with the eyebrow of his green eye arched. "I'm sure that all those years we spent together must have made it very inconvenient to give it to me. And if my assumptions are so incorrect, then please be so kind as to correct me. Because I'm at a loss. You hunted me down to tell me that your gift was false?"

Fayth doesn't blink, cringe, or even so much as twitch as a foul curse suddenly erupts from her lips. "I wasn't saying that giving it to you was inconvenient, I was simply waiting for the perfect opportunity! I didn't know when that would be, and I still don't, but I've given it to you. It's done. I wanted it to be a special gift from me to you, that you would cherish forever, but I've obviously ruined that. I didn't hunt you down to tell you that my gift was false." She turns to look at Kasim, then, and her eyes narrow dangerously. "To be perfectly honest with you, Kasim, I wasn't going to tell you at all. The gift had meaning. I simply used it to serve another purpose, as well."

Kasim looks down at his bare hand, and at the ring. He looks up at Fayth slowly, and says, "I'm sorry, Fayth. Thank you very much for the gift." He seems very sincere in his apology and he searches her face for a response.

"Is it really so difficult for you to believe that I simply wanted to..." Fayth continues to stare, her chest moving up and down in an angry rhythm. Ever so slowly, it begins to slow down, until finally it maintains a more steady pace. She shrugs, then, and sighs. "Whatever. You are probably the most difficult person I have ever met, you know that, right? Do you do that on purpose?" (Fayth)

Kasim reaches out and attempts to take her hand softly. "Well," he begins, smiling ever so softly, "I learned from the best." He moves a little closer to her, trying to catch her eyes.

Fayth now seems to be struggling with her emotions, as first her anger is replaced by a brief expression of amusement, then finally confusion. She raises an eyebrow at him, allowing him to take her hand. "If that's your idea of a compliment, I haven't trained you properly."

Kasim squeezes her hand softly once she allows him to take it, his eyes pleading. "Please, Fayth. I'm sorry. You know I love you more than anything else." He says it as a statement, as plain as the weather. "Please, could we move past this stupid disagreement?"

Fayth shrugs again, as that seems to be her response to just about everything lately. She smiles gently, and even manages a playful wink. "Of course. I've already forgotten it. I didn't come this far just to argue with you, either, you know."

Kasim continues to hold hands as he tries to maintain eye contact. The silence is deafening for a few moments as he sits there, unsure of what to say. Finally, he asks tentatively, "What did you come out here for, then?" He takes a short breath as he asks, as if nervous for the answer.

Her face growing very serious, Fayth takes a moment to simply gaze into Kasim's eyes. "I could tell you that I don't know, but I don't think that would be fair to you. The simple answer would be that I came out here to...well...be with you. The short of it is that I'm unhappy without you. It just seems that the logical answer to that problem would be to stop being...umm...without you..." She exhales loudly. "...so here I am. The real reason is much more complicated than that, of course, but that's what I've come up with so far."

Kasim sighs quietly, almost with relief. "That's good enough for me, hon. I don't need to know any more than that." He finally relaxes and suddenly leans over to plant a soft kiss on Fayth's cheek. "Don't worry about any other reasons, all I needed to know was that first one. Where would you like to go?"

Fayth lifts her hand to lightly trace the spot on her cheek with her finger. "That depends on where you are headed, I suppose. I don't care where we go, or how long it takes to get there." She looks up at him and smiles, the first real smile she's shared with anyone in a very long time. "As long as you don't mind having me tag along."

Kasim nods and returns the smile, warmth spreading across his cold face. "I can't think of anything else that I'd like more, then to have you come with me. What about your Warder? Will he be coming?" There is a touch of apprehension in his voice as he asks the last question, waiting anxiously for the answer.

Fayth abruptly turns away, and in a cold, flat voice reminiscent of the one used by Kasim during their previous conversation, she mutters, "I have no warder." She surreptitiously wipes an eye, before turning back, her face once again devoid of emotion.

Kasim arches an eyebrow, but says nothing. "What happened? Is he ok?" He waits a little bit, then adds, "Are you ok?" He moves closer, concern heavy in his voice as he presses for more information. "It's all right to cry, you know."

Fayth stares straight ahead as she speaks...and as if she's told the story a hundred times before, she speaks mechanically, without any inflection whatsoever. "He has been unhappy with the way things have been going for some time now. Unhappy is not the right word. Bored would describe his feelings to a greater extent. He has gone back home...back north where the fighting is heavier, and he will feel more useful." Her voice returns to normal as she comes back to herself, and she gazes at Kasim again. "Apparently I do not keep him entertained. And it's not all right to cry. Not for him."

Kasim grits his teeth fiercely, and stands abruptly, letting go of her hand gently. "Where, north? What country was he from?" Kasim begins to unlace his doublet wearily, pulls the strings off as he removes the jacket and places it on the rim of the fountain. He reaches for the breastplate on his horse's back, taking it off the saddle.

Fayth raises an eyebrow and watches Kasim moving about. "Arafel. Why? You're not planning on going up there, are you?" She shakes her head and closes her eyes briefly when he reaches for the breastplate. "He left quite some time ago, Kasim. There's no point in getting upset. Nothing can be done, now." She smiles at him, a sad sort of quirk of the lips. "You're too late."

Kasim pauses, turning to look at her, confusion on his face. "A long time ago... how come you never told me?" His voice softens as he speaks, and it is obvious that he is attempting to be as delicate as possible. "Did he... die?"

"He left me ages ago, and it only took me about two years to let him go completely..." Fayth sighs loudly, and dips a hand in the fountain to play with the water a moment. "I didn't tell you, because...well...how do you start a conversation like that? Besides. Most of my time was spent either in my own tent, working with the other yellows, or aimlessly wandering around the forest. I didn't really have much time for other people. Selfish, I know, but...well..." She trails off, shrugging her shoulders yet again for good measure. (Fayth)

Kasim drops the breastplate and he walks to Fayth quickly, the forgotten armor ringing loudly against the cobblestone of the square. He sits next to her and wraps her in a tight embrace, whispering quietly as he does so. "You did know that you always could have come to me if you had needed to, right? Any time, any where, and I would have been there for you." He continues to hug her, as much for himself as for her.

Fayth lets one choking sob escape before composing herself. She does allow herself to lean into the embrace, however, burying her face in the comfort of Kasim's arms, and taking a moment to breathe him in. As a result, her voice is muffled, but still quite audible. "Of course I knew. You've always been there for me. But I felt like I just didn't have that right, you know? Not this time. Not about this."

Kasim holds her and breathes in her scent deeply before releasing his hold, gently running his fingers threw her hair to keep it out of her face. "That's not true. It doesn't matter what's bothering, Fayth. I always want you to come to me, no matter what. Please remember that--no matter what, ok?" He leans back from the hug to look her in the eyes and receive her response.

Fayth lifts a hand to cup his cheek, and offers a small yet tender smile. "You are the most difficult man I know, yet you have always been good to me. You've treated me so well, and I just don't deserve it. I'll remember. I'll never forget again." Her eyes narrow and she does her very best to look as determined as possible. "No matter what."

Kasim nods and keeps eye contact for a few more moments, making sure the message set in. "Good, then. Let's find somewhere to stay tonight, and we can talk more in the morning."