http://sandmullet.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] sandmullet.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] tampered2008-03-27 09:13 am

LOG; ONGOING;

When; 27 March; Wednesday; (mid-late?) Afternoon!
Rating; G - PG
Characters; Esther {[livejournal.com profile] lefeufollet} & Gaara {[livejournal.com profile] sandmullet}
Summary; One determined nun thought to hit the books re: seeking an exit! Unfortunately for her, the lone productive post on the network caught the eye of a crabby insomniac. Or as Ruxi put it: "Redheaded radicalists running rampant!"
Log;

Learning the trick of the library had been annoying. A verbal explanation of its idiosyncrasies failed to compare to the actual task of navigating the stacks, and even hours later, even with Gaara’s not inconsiderable focus, he would find himself staring at a row of books like America Loves Chocolate!, Calming the Rage Within in Seven Easy Steps, and even Sixty-Nine Ways to Impress Your Lover! And to anticipate convenient books laid out on the subject of escape or dishing the secrets of the city was to be a fool.

In short, it was an irritating task, demanding a considerable amount of patience. But Gaara could be patient for this. … Mostly. With a dismissive grunt, Gaara shut the cover of his current book of perusal a bit harder than necessary, dust leaping from the pages.

“Useless.” Pushing back the chair, he stood to first settle his gourd onto his back, and second to gather a pile of discarded books to return to the shelves before the pile became large enough to obstruct their working space. It wasn’t, necessarily, that he anticipated an attack in a library, but years of assassination attempts had made the ninja disinclined to walk without his effective second skin in a foreign place. As he felt little obligation to keep this library clean, he would have simply shoved them onto another table and left them be, but as he intended to get a few more, killing two men with one fist made enough sense.

He didn’t say I’ll be right back or anything like it as he turned away – he thought that was obvious.

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-03-29 07:34 am (UTC)(link)
Like everything else about the young man, his reply was anything but anticipated--but then again, at least he'd offered one, and it was something with which Esther could use to her advantage somehow, she was sure. If nothing else, it was a piece of information to tuck away and keep in mind; if used correctly, perhaps she could work her way into his good graces by cooking--it seemed to work on most men, after all.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure I have some tongue back at the apartment that I could grill, if you'd like," Esther offered, finally able to pull her hand away from the books and clasp both behind her back. "No gizzard though, unfortunately. And I hope you don't mind green beans...? I need to make sure that my, er, roommate stays healthy."

And she was rambling again. Esther felt a twinge of embarrassment send yet another shade of blush to her cheeks as she played with her fingers behind her back.

"Shall we... go, then?"

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-03-29 09:15 am (UTC)(link)
Esther felt her breath catch for a moment at the boy's expression, almost able to sense something change below the surface, somewhat reminiscent of a certain robotic priest she knew back in her home world. It filled her chest with a deep sort of satisfaction, expanding from within and manifesting in a broad grin on her face, and she nodded to him at his words.

"I'm glad!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands briefly before gathering up her few belongings and rushing to catch up with the other redhead, heels clicking on the ground as she ran. Once they had gotten closer to the apartment complexes, Esther stepped up the pace slightly in order to walk in front of him, turning to look over her shoulder every now and then, and slightly concerned over seeing such a small boy carry something so large on his back.

"If you don't mind my asking," Esther hesitantly began, before pointing at the object, "what is... that?"

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-03-29 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Lip pursing out of curiosity, Esther took a brief pause to step back and examine the surface of the gourd; at a close enough distance, it indeed became evident that it was formed out of tightly packed sand, granules creating an almost sandpaper-like texture that Esther was tempted to touch. She thought better of it soon enough, and ran ahead once more, opening the door to her building and holding it open for the young man.

"It must be quite heavy," Esther remarked, once again stating what was probably the obvious. If nothing else, it helped to fill up the time and the silence, both of which left Esther feeling terribly self-conscious, and distractions were thus all too welcome. "And how strange, to tote a gourd of sand around the City..."

She bit her lower lip thoughtfully, wondering what kind of uses the man might have for such a large quantity of sand, but her mind quickly drew a blank, and she mentally shrugged. There were stranger things in the City, after all--perhaps she didn't need to question everything. She began to climb the stairs, not paying very close attention to whether the man was following--although she was sure that he was--and continuing to ponder regardless. Perhaps he had a fondness for sandboxes...?

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-03-30 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
It was better this way, Esther having her questions answered preemptively, not needing to worry about whether or not she had offended his sensibilities--whatever those happened to be--or had been rude in an off-putting way. Unfortunately, at the same time, it piqued her interest as well, imagination running wild as she tried to figure out just how sand could be used as a weapon. An alternative for mace, perhaps? Fistfuls of sand thrown in an opponent's face could be quite distracting, Esther imagined. Or perhaps the sand was for shoving down one's back, for slipping into one's shoes--putting it anywhere where it was difficult to remove and all the more prone to irritate.

"I guess it's true enough that the City can be quite dangerous," Esther mused quietly, finally reaching the apartment and fumbling for her keys to unlock the door. "Although I'm not sure if I'd be willing to start carrying around a shotgun in order to protect myself--it just seems to be a bit much. Sand, however, would seem much more outwardly innocuous..."

Absentmindedly, Esther pushed the door open and entered, holding it for Gaara as she glanced around the apartment--was Abel home?

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-03-30 07:44 am (UTC)(link)
"A-ah, a shotgun is... well, a weapon which can certainly be used to ward people off, and... I'm not so sure if it'd be wise to elaborate further," Esther mused, looking the redhead up and down again; he couldn't have been any older than herself, and children weren't meant to know what guns were, and instead needed to be sheltered and taken care of. One way in which, perhaps, the way Esther treated him would be immensely different than how she treated Father Tres, on the whole. "Suffice it to say that it usually acts as quite the effective deterrent against attacks."

Seeing the young man remove his shoes, Esther cleared her throat to speak up, ready to tell him that it really wasn't necessary for him to do so, that Esther more often than not wore her heels around the common areas as well--until a vague movement called her attention to the ground, and Esther watched, wide-eyed, as grains of sand flew through the air, and suddenly--

"T-telekinesis?" Esther exclaimed, amazed.

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-03-30 08:35 am (UTC)(link)
With a pout, Esther blinked again before quickly following the boy into the apartment, curiosity not at all satisfied and feeling perhaps rather disappointed at finding out that the movement was not, in fact, accomplished through telekinesis. She'd hoped it was, if for no other reason than the fact that telekinesis seemed like something that could come in handy for her, and perhaps she could practice... after all, the Methuselah had powers that were similar.

She was just about to prod him again, asking more questions--they wouldn't stop pestering her mentally--but she paused as he looked around the room, a quick flush rising to her cheeks.

"A-ah, about the decor, it's not... the Cardinal, she... before she left the City, ah. Well."

It was unclear, really, why Esther even felt compelled to apologize; it wasn't as though she had any reason to make excuses, and people in the City were free to use their fortune however they wanted. But somehow, there was a quality in the man which almost made her feel ashamed of frivolity.

Not exactly something she needed in her life, but she wasn't going to complain.

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-03-30 05:09 pm (UTC)(link)
It was excruciating, maintaining her gaze as the man held his own on her, eyes somehow staring blankly and penetratingly, all at once. Esther wished that he'd say something, anything, or wished at least that she'd find out his name, not that a name meant much in the long run. Once again, she released a breath which she hadn't realized she'd been holding once his gaze broke away, one small hand resting on her chest, where she could feel her heart beating rapidly.

She needed to get acclimated to him soon, lest she lose years of her life over such a small thing.

When he took off his gourd, Esther blinked for a few moments, wondering where she could put it so that it would be the least... suspicious, perhaps, to Abel. After tilting her head, she gestured over to a large armoire which stood relatively close to the couch; hopefully it was tall enough to support the gourd's weight.

"Over there should be fine," she replied, lips tentatively pulling into a shy smile.

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-04-01 02:55 pm (UTC)(link)
This had become a habit of sorts, now, the young man offering directions to her and Esther simply following along, his robotic nature almost rubbing off on her, somehow. It wasn't that she needed to be prodded in order to take the initiative, really, but instead that the boy was simply always two steps ahead of her, and Esther had difficulty stumbling along without worded instructions. That meant, however, that everything was coupled with a distinct sense of frustration, an infant being taught how to walk yet never able to without a guardian's support--it was something she, perhaps, hadn't experienced nearly enough in her life.

But she needed some sort of foresight and felt compelled to at least show in some manner that she wasn't completely oblivious. That she could think on her feet.

How to be a good hostess, how indeed...

"A-ah, yes," she laughed nervously, smoothing down her skirt unconsciously. "I'll... get right on that, sir. If you'd like, you can take a seat on the couch, and... would you like anything to drink? Or to listen to the radio? Or perhaps you've had enough of academia today..."

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-04-03 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
Esther jumped again--it must have been the millionth time since she had met him--and blinked in surprise. It was certainly a kind offer, although Esther required no help in the kitchen, but refusing seemed... out of the question, somehow. A small voice in the back of her head warned that getting so complacent around anyone could prove to be troublesome later, but Esther shook it aside--cooking just this once couldn't hurt, right?

Then again, she never would've suspected Dietrich of anything strange, nor Abel when she had first met him.

But life wasn't meant to be lived while expecting things to go awry.

"O-okay," she smiled, nervously, before turning to her into the kitchen, cheeks flushing radiantly as soon as she'd turned away. "You know how to cook, sir?"

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-04-03 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
For a moment, Esther simply stared, before finally she felt the laugh slip out from between her lips, loud but not overbearing--the Bishop never would have approved, after all--face turning even redder with amusement as she hunched over slightly.

"W-well yes, you apply heat," she giggled, finally straightening and turning around to look at him properly, feeling perhaps a little bad for the sudden outburst. "It's... a little more complicated than that, but I'm sure that with the two of us, we can manage?"

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-04-04 06:59 am (UTC)(link)
It was as though he functioned on some type of program, two and two coming together to make four, and beyond the fact that Esther was tempted to let Gaara know that life didn't always come together so flawlessly--although, somehow his behavior seemed to imply that indeed, Gaara probably knew this was the case--Esther was also incredibly amused, the expression on his face probably his version of a pout.

She couldn't help thinking how nice it was to see that type of expression again without the weight of the world lurking in the background. They were... just cooking. Not fighting, not trying to discern what the meaning of sin was. Just getting ready to grill the tongue.

So maybe her laughter was a little strained. Maybe she was indeed tired.

Unable to hold herself back any longer, Esther rushed ahead to wrap her arms around the young man in a somewhat awkward embrace, not expecting him to do anything in return but just glad for the company, glad to have someone who didn't judge--as far as she could tell--and was finally giving her an excuse to keep her mind off of other things.

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-04-04 07:25 am (UTC)(link)
When the sand entered her range of vision, Esther immediately let out a small yelp, unable to stop her momentum before she hit the wall--not with a great amount of force, but enough so that her cheek scraped rather uncomfortably against the surface of it, almost sandpapery, but slightly more rough. It certainly brought a whole new level to the concept of a personal bubble, and even though Esther was used to precautionary tactics, even though he hadn't really done anything out of line, the surprise was coupled with a large degree of disappointment.

She had gotten too... comfortable.

Immediately backing up, eyes scaling the wall and briefly glancing in the young man's direction before quickly averting, Esther fumbled around for words.

"I-- I just-- sorry," Esther stammered, face flushing with embarrassment--perhaps even humiliation. "I was just... going to hug you, really, but I must've imposed-- I'm sorry, if such things make you feel uncomfortable. I won't... do it again."

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-04-04 08:10 am (UTC)(link)
It there was one thing that Esther always afforded Terrans--although, now that she thought about it, she wasn't even sure if the young man was one--it was trust. Perhaps it had something to do with her upbringing, with believing there to be redeeming qualities in every person, an innocent until proven guilty, and even then sometimes deserving of the benefit of the doubt sort of mentality, but the type of discretion the boy alluded to was less than familiar. What kind of life would it be to doubt every person she came across? To anticipate the worst?

Then again, and Esther began to feel her chest tightening at the thought, how many times had she been hurt thanks to this behavior? Even Dietrich, who she'd known for years, who had been her best friend and confidante-- he'd nearly... nearly killed her. Not to mention the bishop from her very own hometown.

And of course, there was Abel to consider. All the things he'd done... and yet, she couldn't find herself holding it against him when he sat next to her at the dining table, dropping cube after cube of sugar into his cup.

Too trusting, perhaps. A hand rose to grasp at the rosary which hung around her neck, gripping it tightly.

"I..."

She took a slow breath. Slightly wavering.

"I'm sorry. I just thought..."

Belatedly, Esther realized that she didn't really have words prepared to finish the sentence.

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-04-04 08:56 am (UTC)(link)
Esther flinched slightly at the sound of the wood, less out of fear than out of surprise; she didn't really have an attachment to the couch anyway--after all, it was... Caterina's, and even if Esther was staying in the apartment, nothing of the cardinal's felt comfortable enough for her to really use freely--and she'd seen much worse in her time besides, had watched the flow of blood through the air, thrumming with energy, seeping into his body.

The word 'monster' echoed in her mind, lips trembling, almost as though to form it again, memories that she'd tried to forget every single day, but ultimately failed in doing so.

But, death threat aside, she knew he wasn't one, wasn't a monster--Esther had been so desensitized to the idea of people being after her life that it was no longer a factor in humanity; people had their reasons, regardless of whether they were right or wrong.

And he'd changed, after all. Strange, really, how many resemblances he bore to those Esther held dear, and gradually she began to feel a calm within herself at the thought--this was nothing new, in the long run.

"Then I suppose I should simply thank the Lord for having blessed me so," Esther slowly began, words quiet and calm. "Because I've been able to survive like this so far, and tonight I've still been left unharmed."

She paused, looking down at the floor, toe tracing along the grain of the wood.

"You're not a monster, sir--after all, you haven't killed me, right? And there are no monsters here in the City, really, despite how some people continue to take lives. People can be... misguided, but there is always a chance for redemption, and I firmly believe that," she continued, voice slowly growing more firm. "Believe me, I've lived life through a veil of doubt before, where I took firm actions in the name of protecting myself and others, valuing my own life more than my supposed enemy's, and it's... not worth it, in the long run."

[identity profile] lefeufollet.livejournal.com 2008-04-12 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
He had felt threatened, Esther finally gathered, and for a moment she looked at her hands, pale and practically white--but they hadn't always been so untarnished, and slowly but surely there were callouses developing on her index fingers from all the shooting she'd done recently. Oh, her hands had their fair share of experiences, just as Gaara's sand had--it wasn't a bad thing, necessarily, for him to have protected himself against her.

Which wasn't to say that she didn't hope that the two of them could work past such uncertainties, eventually. There were so many familiar traits that she saw in him, his lack of trust, his apparent emotionless state, deep-seated issues brought on probably in early childhood, which had persisted. A history of violence, halted for one reason or another.

She bowed her head slightly, digesting it all, every reaction.

"A pleasure, Mr. Gaara," she stammered, uncertain. "My name is Sister Esther Blanchett, but you can call me Esther. It means 'star.' And... I'd like to cook the tongue, yes."

A slight pause.

"Together with you, of course, should you not mind."