tampered | Log: [Ongoing]

Log: [Ongoing]

When; October 4th
Rating; PG
Characters; Chrno

chrnologic and Fiore

violet_overture
Summary; Rosette and Joshua have been reunited. Sharing tea with the enemy, Chrno and Fiore try to pick up the pieces.
Log;

She noticed, to her continual dismay, that she was still favoring her right ankle. Moving to strain the tea she'd just prepared she was forced to stop halfway, leaning against a nearby table for support.

Fiore had never been the type for outward displays of weakness, and the fact that she still hadn't recovered enough to even feign normality, unnerved her. Pain non-withstanding, she had still risen early that morning to purchase food for her...host, in order to attempt to repay his kindness. For as brash as he'd been, the demon had been willing to take her in when she'd had no place else to turn; an act who's reprecussions still bothered her.

Which is part of what had prompted this little venture in the first place. Fiore's entire life had revolved around caring for Master Joshua, and now that he no longer wanted her there, she was lost. After all, what other purpose could she possibly hope to serve? She'd stumbled out of the mansion having no family and no friends to turn to, barely able to stand, and not the faintest idea where to stay. But the de-

Chrno, had helped her stand. He'd allowed her to stay. He'd found someone to help tend to her injuries. And this was all she could manage in return. Fiore pressed onward, a small frown of concentration tugging at her lips as she forced herself to apply more pressure on her bandaged legs, pouring the now steaming tea into two glasses. She didn't mind waiting for him, but she hoped he'd hurry. It would be a shame to have to prepare fresh tea if this grew too cold.

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Chrno hadn't stayed long at the ball. He hadn't been enjoying it, and Joshua and Rosette were almost impossible to find through the cloud of....whatever that was. And with all the people in the masks, it had been pretty much a lost cause.

He pulled off the costume pieces and left them on a chair in the hall. He'd grab them later.

He remembered what Fiore had said about tea, and wandered into the kitchen. He hoped her ankle wasn't hurting her too badly....

She didn't bother to look up, having already recognized the sound of the other's footfalls. It was strange how easily she had adapted to his presence. "You are just in time. I have finished the tea." Voice soft and subdued, Fiore carried a steaming mug and saucer to the nearby table, placing it next to a cup of cream and dish of sugar and motioning for him to sit.

Without once meeting Chrno's eyes, she passed by him, walking as normally as possible as she headed into the hall. As much as Chrno had done to make her feel at ease, she had too much pride to appear weak in front of him. She leaned over the chair, gathering up the demon's costume and hanging it as she spoke "Did you enjoy yourself at the ball?"

Chrno sat down, confused by the attention. They'd been enemies not too long ago, and now....
Well, now he wasn't sure what to think. But the tea did smell good...

He stirred some sugar into it, leaving the cream out, and let it cool. He hadn't failed to notice that Fiore was still limping, and he followed her into the hallway.

"Hey, you don't have to put that away! I'll do it in a few minutes!" he said, more than a little shocked. "You're still hurt! You should sit down!"

Fiore was startled at the sudden outburst, eyes wide and evident in their confusion. She'd never been reprimanded for doing her job before and for the life of her, could not understand why the demon was making such a fuss. "I do better on my feet, and it is not a dire injury." She answered plainly, still clutching Chrno's clothes.

"Please, allow me to finish here, and I will join you for tea? I do not want it to get cold."
The statement still had the hint of a question, and Fiore hesitated briefly. She'd never asked to dine with someone before, as all the meals she'd prepared were primarily for Master Joshua- her fingers clenched unconsciously in the fabric. It was still an unpleasant thought.

Chrno's face mirrored her confusion. Why the hell wouldn't she just relax and sit down!? That just didn't make sense!

"A broken ankle is a big deal, whether you think so or not!" he said. But....there was something about her manner, and he backed off a little.

"But I guess if you insist.....just.....just don't stand up for too long, okay? And I'll make sure I don't drink all the tea, so you can have some, too, okay?"

Her mouth opened just slightly and she hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Chrno was certainly more...vocal than anyone she'd ever really encountered, and about her wellbeing of all things. Looking up to meet his gaze for the first time, her eyes softened, and the barest hint of a smile tugged at her lips.

Instead, she stopped, draping the cloth over the chair once more and turning back to face the demon. "I've prepared extra, so that we may have an extra cup..." That said, Fiore turned back around, taking delicate steps back towards the kitchen before speaking softly. "But thank you...for concerning yourself with me."

Chrno sighed. There really was no convincing her, was there?

"You don't have to thank me. It's....it's kind of my fault, anyway."

He followed her, keeping a wary eye on her ankle, not wanting anything else to happen to her. He sat back at the table. The tea was cooler now, so he tried it.

"Hey, wow! This is really good!"

[[OOC: s'alright. i was wondering where you'd run off to ^^;]]

She'd had enough experience in the past to know when to argue a point and when to stay silent; and in the face of Chrno's blatent refusal to listen to sense, Fiore kept her mouth shut. She didn't really have the energy to argue further anyway, she'd felt so drained already.

The demon's praise, however didn't fail to bring a smile to her face. It felt good, to know that in some small way she was still able to be useful to someone. "I am pleased you like it." She offered quietly, cradling her own cup of tea between her hands before taking a hesitant sip.

"Were you...able to see her at the party?"

Chrno's face fell a little, his normal smile fading. "Well....maybe. I don't know. I couldn't see anyone's face, you know? And there was this weird stuff in the air. It made people start acting funny, so I just left."

His tone was sad. He wanted to see Rosette more than anything. But at a masked ball? In Joshua's mansion?
What had he been thinking, anyway?

The look on his face evoked a similar feeling herself, and Fiore looked away, eyes downcast. "I am sorry. I know she is very dear to you."

She wasn't sure why, but for some reason, the other's sadness unsettled her. Though her face remained placid and unmoved, her voie implied otherwise. "She remains because she sees the ghost of who her brother was. She does not see Master Joshua for who he is now. Still..."

Fiore looked up with tired, but sympathetic eyes. "At least you had the strength to try. I do not think I will ever be able to face Master Joshua again." Her words were almost inaudible, spoken in a whisper. "I am a traitor."

[ooc: oh god, the insanity will begin xD]

Chrno forced the smile to come back. "It's not your fault, don't be sorry!"

He watched her for a minute. Her face was kind of scary, how it never changed. But her voice had gained a sort of inflection that he hadn't heard there before...

"Joshua isn't the same anymore. I wish she would understand that. I thought.... I thought we fixed all of this, but maybe that was just a dream? I don't know."

He caught her last sentence and his heart skipped a beat.

He heard Aion's voice in his head.
Traitor. Traitor. TRAITOR.

"You're not the only one," he said, without realizing he had spoken.

She had never been particularly skilled at expressing emotionality- but Fiore had always thought it had been for the best. Emotions clouded judgement and could interfere enough to cause severe consequences if one's actions were influenced by them. Again, she had thought it for the best.

But Chrno was challenging that thought process on a daily basis. He had more emotion in a single sentence than she had in her entire being. Fiore couldn't even try to keep up with him without becoming exhausted from the effort.

And yet, she was also able to understand him to some degree. After all, they had both lost those dearest to them. "I think that...I understand why she is doing this. Losing someone close to you and finding them again...you do not want to ever let go. I imagine if I had family, I would not act any differently."

Fiore looked at the tea in her hands, trying to find her reflection in the cup and unable to discern anything recognizable. "If you wish to have her back, I think you must make her realize that Master Joshua is not her brother. She cannot 'save' him this way."

Chrno had to bite his tongue to keep from saying what he was thinking. What the hell did she mean "if she had a family"!? She had had a family, hadn't she? She was Satella's sister!

...But Aion had made her forget all that. He felt his hatred for the other demon flare up inside him. He could never forgive Aion for any of this. Never.

"I know she just wants her brother back, but he's not....he's just not the same now. I want to make her see that. But I'm not sure how."

Fiore had no idea how to offer him comfort, much less advice. Honestly, she wasn't even sure why she'd been encouraging such a thing to begin with.

She was loyal to Master Aion...wasn't she?

She didn't understand. How had everything suddenly changed so much? "I am not certain either. I think she knows that in her head, but not her heart. Perhaps... you should talk to her."

Chrno's eyebrows knitted together. "I want to talk to her! More than anything! But....how can I? Joshua will go nuts the second he sees me!"

He looked down into his mostly-forgotten tea, letting his hair cover most of his face. He felt like he was at a standstill. While he wasn't really sure Joshua could freeze him, he didn't feel like finding out.

Fiore's grip tightened on the cup in her hands, just enough to be noticed. It was something she had considered briefly, but somewhow...saying it aloud seemed a far more daunting task. After all, it would be admitting to some degree of treachery- wouldn't it?

"If...I am taken back by Master Joshua, it would mean that he will focus his attention on Rosette a bit less. If only to make sure I do not betray him again. Even simple times, like when Master Joshua will bathe, given enough time, he may relax enough to allow you time to speak to Rosette in the garden."

She looked up silently, wondering why that awful feeling seemed to fade when she was able to see how such planning could give hope to someone else. "Chrno, you will have to be discreet, and you will not be able to enter the house. I do not know how long it will take, but I will find a way to arrange a meeting for you and her. It means...that you will have to trust my judgement."

[ooc: oh sure thing<3 i'm game for that, just let me know when she's accepted and the log gets posted :D]

A look of worry passed through Chrno's eyes when he saw her hands tighten. He knew what she must be thinking. Thoughts he might have had, once upong a time. She thought she was a traitor - and that was serious business in Aion's eyes.

Because of me. All these problems....because of me...

He looked up at her, his face turning slightly pink. "You....you'd really do that? For me? You could get in a lot of trouble. I don't want you to get hurt again because of me...."

He trailed off. His hands were shaking only slightly less than his words. He really didn't want anyone else to be caught up in this mess. Although, in the end, it was too late for Fiore.

The soft tremor in the other's voice caught her attention, though she said nothing of it. Instead, she finished her tea as calmly as possible before placing the empty cup to the side. Hands clasped delicately in her lap, Fiore looked up at him once more.

"My primary concern is, and always will be, Master Joshua's happiness. During the curse, when he remembered nothing of me and knew only you and Rosette...he smiled in a way I have never seen before."

Somehow, saying the words aloud caused a sort of sinking feeling in her stomach. She'd been thinking about the whole ordeal for quite some time, but admitting to herself that her master really was better off without her...

it didn't matter. It would be for the best of the one she cared for most- as well as for those that cared for him so deeply. Perhaps...asking Dorian would help.

"I will face my judgement when it comes, but this is something I must do. It is my decision Chrno, I simply aks that you assist me by being as quiet about it as possible." A soft sort of almost-smile played on her lips when she spoke.

"Master Joshua can no longer read the thoughts of others, so I will have to earn back his favor though my actions, and words. I ask that you be patient while I find a way for you to see Rosette."

Chrno looked up at her, and smiled. It was a warm enough smile, but it never quite touched his eyes.

"You don't have to be so nice to me, but.... but I really appreciate it! I'm sure Joshua will take you back, anyway. He was just angry, right?"

He finished his tea and set the cup down on the table. He still looked a little sad, but it was normal for him, especially lately.

"I guess....I guess I can wait. It's hard to be patient, but we have all the time in the world, now...."

[ooc; i'm thinking we're pretty much done? unless theres anything else chrno wants to say or...something. other than that, its just about waiting for our aion :D]

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Log: [Ongoing]

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