The Stars Are Laughing (Private)

[Veranda Kingsford]

(Reserved for Jordan)

The graveyard had a light mist settled in, just inches above the ground. It wasn’t very thick, so it wasn’t hard to spot the woman who was lying on the ground, her feet propped up on a small headstone, staring up at the sky. Veranda’s arms were sprawled out, her hair likewise, and she seemed to find the stars were glittering more tonight than they ever did. Her head felt fuzzy and dizzy, but in a pleasant way, and she found herself giggling for no reason at all randomly. What the hell was in that man’s blood she drank earlier?

She had spent the entire day out and about after ordering her new blades, chatting with people, occasionally stealing a small trinket only to toss it aside. She didn’t even try anymore, it was such a habit and she found it so difficult to repress. Sometimes she’d be walking and suddenly a jewel was in her hand. She never kept them though. Let the street urchins have them. They’d need it more than she did she supposed. Her food was blood, and she required nothing much to live. She’d live forever after all.

When dusk arrived and people began to head home, she melted into the shadows, switching into hunt mode. She had picked off many criminals since she came to Avaleur, but the pickings were becoming so slim. No would be rapist walking around so much anymore. No murderers to give her a challenge. The only things left were petty criminals and she had no interest in them. Let the guards worry over those men and women. So she began to prey on the innocent. Not that she had any problems doing so. Cori and Julien did that every night. But the innocent were so easy. She supposed easy would be good enough for tonight. She was a tad tired from her exciting day, and the fact that she hadn’t slept in…what…forty-eight hours? Longer than that if you didn’t count the snippets of sleep she got on most nights.

So she wandered the alleyways, sometimes eying those who passed its dangerous and gaping mouth. One man was foolish enough to step inside and approach her, and she snatched him up as easily a hawk snatches a rabbit. The kill was quick and quiet, and she drained his blood in a matter of minutes. She pulled back, wiped her mouth, and walked away. It wasn’t until she had left the alley she started feeling funny. Her head got dizzy, colors began to shift, sounds began to sound warped somehow. It scared her a bit, and she hurried on. By the time she actually made it to the graveyard, she was high out of her mind. She had tripped over the gravestone her feet now rested on, and hadn’t moved since.

What was in that man’s blood? Any person who even looked high or drunk Veranda avoided, and if she did catch someone who seemed sober, she could usually smell the impurity in the blood. Not this time. She smelled nor tasted anything out of the ordinary. And it just snuck up on her! Like a…like a rat!

Veranda suddenly burst into a new fit of giggles, bringing her arms in to clutch her belly. She kicked at the air, and the movement of her legs simply sent her deeper into her hilarity. A rat! Rats don’t sneak! They’re so loud, so loud. Even humans could hear them. Dark little eyes and twitchy noses. They liked the cellar. Like Cori!

Her giggles turned into gales of laughter, picturing Cori in his cellar with beady eyes and whiskers on his face. She rolled on the ground, back and forth like an upturned turtle, curled up.

“I’m an upturned turtle…” She said to the stars, and that sent her into another laughing fit. Tears fell from her eyes as she giggled, and the sound of her laugh sounded strange and warped to her, the mist glowing in some weird way. She’d probably run away from that mist if it weren’t for the fact that she just didn’t feel like it. She only wanted to lay here and laugh at the stars.

[Jordan Hielo]

A man grudgingly slid his feet back and forth as he headed home, eyes drooped, yawns escaping his mouth. A bag on his back, a bit heavy with blades. Along with his bow and a quiver of arrows, just in case. Not like it would do Jordan Hielo any good. He was absolutely beat.

After completing the order of blades given to him, he cleaned up his shop. And realizing that he would need to bring the blades to his customer the next morning, he thought it would be best to take them with him. One bag later, he was out the door. Tired as all hell.

Another yawn, slipping on his feet. He caught himself just in time, and cursed to himself.

More walking. Soon his thoughts wandered. His heart betrayed him.
"I wonder what Myra's doing now..." he muttered to himself, rubbing at his eyes.
The ice elemental was still a bit broken up about his former girlfriend. They ended on nice terms, of course. But it still hurt him. Had he seen a future with her? Perhaps. It was the only serious relationship he ever had.

Jordan shoved his hands into his pockets, grumbling away once more. "Stop it. It's over and done with. Move on."

But it was hard for the man to do.
He tried to think of other things. He wondered how his old friend Scooter was doing. He wondered if his old friend was happy. Jordan also thought of Felicity, wondering what she was up to. Last he thought of his new customer, Veranda.

Interesting woman. Hopefully she keeps business. It'd be nice to have more regular customers.
He had to admit she was attractive. But he also knew she was probably incredibly manipulative. He wouldn't let her trick him with her looks.

He scratched the back of his head as he turned into the graveyard. Usually he would pass, but it was late. He wanted to get home, and the graveyard was a shortcut.

It didn't take very long to spot a woman laying on the ground. Feet up on a tombstone. His first thought was that it was odd. Maybe a bit rude. But more odd than anything. With pursed lips, and narrow eyes, he began walking over.

At that, he spotted his new customer.

Jordan's mouth was slightly ajar as he watched her laugh. She sounded odd. Nothing like how she did earlier. Was this her true personality coming out? It seemed hard to believe. Someone like that wouldn't be able to hold her composure that well, for that long, as she would have had to do in his shop.

"Veranda, is everything alright?" he asked as he stopped a few feet behind her.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda’s giggles had managed to taper off some, until she realized she heard little giggles. She blinked and looked up at the stars, and figured they were laughing as well. The stars were giggling! It was highly contagious, and Veranda’s own laughed picked up in strength again. She giggled and kicked, kicked and giggled, and her stomach began to ache a bit. The ache felt like it was a world away. Veranda felt like she was a world away.

She nearly jumped when a man spoke. She tilted her head back, eyes flaring dangerously a moment, before realizing who stood by her. Why it was her new friend Jordan! The handsome shop keeper looked awfully tired. Somewhere deep down she was disgusted with herself. This man had walked up this close and she hadn’t a clue!

“Jordan! Oh, my newly favorite shopkeeper. How are you on this fine night?” She asked, waving away some mist, which wiggled and wobbled in a funny way. She giggled again and her hand flopped back against the ground.

“Do you hear them? The stars? They’re awfully giggly tonight.” She said, and laughed, fangs glittering in the moonlight. Her pupils were dilated, more than normal for a person in the dark. It was like her irises didn’t even exist, the pupils swallowing the color.

“I seem to have been caught in an unladylike way. Hm…I’m not much of a lady though. I suppose it’d be worse if my pants were off. They are still on aren’t they?” She asked, suddenly groping her hips, making sure her bottoms, which were shorts not pants, were still on. She was satisfied that they were, and she attempted to sit up, failed, and flopped back to the ground. She rubbed her forehead a moment, looking dazed. Her head was feeling much more dizzy than before. God when would this end? It was rather annoying. She wanted to return home soon before the boys came out looking for her to make sure she didn’t fuck up again.

Then it struck her. She couldn’t go home in this condition. Julien and Coriander would be furious! So much so that Cori might just kill her, despite anything Jules said. Not like being in this condition was her fault! Perhaps it was…but she wasn’t sure how she became this way. She sighed, toying with a lock of hair, finding the silky smoothness of it nice, and eyed the sky, seeming to forget Jordan was even there.

[Jordan Hielo]

He opened his mouth numerous times to speak, each time being interrupted by her. He didn't mind. Clearly something was up. He had to assume she was drunk; it was the most plausible situation. Or off her rocker in some way.

After all, Jordan could not hear a thing. Stars, giggling? Yeah. She was drunk. Or high. Or something.

He had to wonder why, though. She seemed like a woman to keep herself entertained all by herself. It didn't seem like she would need anything like that to keep her entertained. But Jordan knew he could be wrong.

The man sighed, rubbing the back of his head, wondering what to do. It wasn't as if he could just take her somewhere to get help. Surely she could escape his grasp if she wanted to. He wouldn't hurt her, especially in a state like this.

This goes way past my duties as a shopkeeper... he thought to himself.
Another sigh escaped his lips, and he dropped his things on the grassy ground of the graveyard. The place always spooked him out, and it made it worse the way Veranda was acting. What was going on?

Jordan being tired made everything worse. Not being at the top of his game, he didn't know what he would do if anything went wrong.

Still, he got down onto both of his knees, and stared into her eyes.

"Do you need any help, Veranda? I could go get someone, or something. What do you need?"
Perhaps she had an idea that he could help with.
She won't get angry if I do what she asks. That way she can get help without me worrying about being on the sharp end of a knife.

He stared for a quick moment, before speaking once more.
"I'm here to help. What happened?"
She might just be normal, but it didn't seem normal to Jordan. Not at all. And he wasn't about to sit back and take a chance that that was normal for her.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda paused, the graveyard seeming very still and silent when her laughs weren’t there to echo around. She eyed Jordan, a merry little glitter in her eyes, as he dropped to his knees and bent over her. It’d be a perfect time to snare a kiss. But there was one big flaw in the situation. Jordan was not Julien. Therefore the idea was quite impossible. Jordan should be happy she was at least that far into the right state of mind. Otherwise their newly budding friendship might take an awkward turn for the worse. When he asked if she needed anything and suggested he go get someone, she spoke without thinking much.

“You could fetch Julien for me.” She said, then frowned and shook her head. “No no, don’t do that. You’d never find the house and if you did you probably wouldn’t ever walk away. They’d kill you.” She said, waving more glowing mist away. Though from Jordan’s point of view there wasn’t even any mist to wave away.

“Ugh…he’ll be so angry if I go home like this!” She said, pouting up at Jordan. Angry perhaps, disappointed, most definitely. Veranda would hate to do that. Then Jordan asked the question she was asking herself in a round about matter. What did happen?

“We-ell…” She said, giggling again. “I had been enjoying my fine little self and caught me a meal. See?” She asked, presenting her hands, which still had blood flecked on the back. “Though…I think my meal was impure somehow. I started feeling funny after I ate him.” She suddenly burst out laughing for no apparent reason, and once she settled down she continued.

“I don’t know what happened…his blood tasted and smelled fine.” She said, wiping her eyes. After a moment of staring blankly up at Jordan she reached up suddenly, wrapping her arms around his neck. “So what’s your next move pretty man?” She asked, then giggled. Giggling was all she could do! And suppressing it was so hard. After a moment or two her arms seemed to turn to jelly and she slowly slid off him, then amused herself by picking leaves and grass from her hair, humming a jolly little tune while she waited for an answer.

[Jordan Hielo]

He listened carefully, having a bit of hope when he heard of Julien. Friend? Boyfriend? Family member? That would be fantastic. Surely they knew how to deal with the situation. All hope was lost, however, when she stated he couldn't find the house. He was about to say that he might be able to... then she said they'd probably kill him.
He was not very up for dying tonight, so he let her continue speaking. No way was he going near her house. Especially if he would be angry with his... whatever she was to him, coming home like that.

With a bit of unease, Jordan fiddled the bottom of his shirt as he listened to what had happened. She was capable of killing... no, she was capable of murder. For food. Which, in his mind was not as different as him killing animals for food and clothing.
It still made him uneasy. Made him feel a little less stable around her.

He wondered how she could have not scented or tasted a difference in the person's blood, however. He did not know much of her species, but he knew that their senses were excellent. Was she not accustomed to it yet? Did she just stop caring, and forget to check before she dug in?

Dug in. It nearly sent shivers down his spines, especially as he looked down at her hands of blood.

In one sudden movement, however, she was close. Very close. Arms wrapped around his neck, he went a deep shade of red. His entire head and neck, red as a tomato. He wasn't exactly used to a woman he didn't know being that close. Jordan kept his hands to each side of her without touching her, just in case she fell. He didn't exactly know what to do.

What was his next move? He ignored the pretty boy part, she really was off her rocker. He thought, as she slid off of him and played with her hair once more. What was he going to do?

He snapped his fingers together.

"Alright, we've got a few options..." he started off. Then realized he didn't really have many. Jordan did not want to leave her alone, or with anyone else for that matter. His first suggestion was an inn. There would be too many people. The clinic was also a bad idea, in his opinion. Again, too many people. More people unable to defend themselves for that matter. Even an abandoned building would leave her for too long. Homeless might wander in.

With a sigh, he ruffled his hand through his hair in a bit of frustration. He was not used to dealing with situations such as these.

"How about...alright, I think it'd be best if you came with me. Slept at my house. I can keep an eye on you, see if you get any more symptoms. If you stay like this, you can stay til you feel better," he hoped that would be until morning. He really did.
"If not, well, we'll have to get you to the clinic. Unless you have any other ideas, I'd really like to make sure you're kept safe. And in my head, my home is safest."

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda regarded Jordan as he spoke, mentioning a few options. He was in his right mind. He’d think of plenty! But a silence seemed to ensue after he spoke those words, signifying that he did not, in fact, have a few options to consider. She watched as he became a tad frustrated, and her smile widened a bit. She had that effect on men. It was a miracle Julien hadn’t lost his mind dealing with her. If Jordan thought she was difficult now, he’d fall apart before. Now, she at least had half her shit together. Before, in Merovech, she was a complete walking mess. Nothing but trouble. And it only got worse when she woke up for the first time as a vampire, and terribly hungry.

Finally Jordan came up with a solution. Veranda’s eyes widened a bit and she giggled. Go home with Jordan? How fun…

“Oh, Jordan. You’re so kind. I do hope you’re prepared to actually take on that responsibility. If Julien ever found out I went home with another man he’d probably be in a rage.” She said, giggling again. She managed to sit up then, using Jordan as a means of assistance.

“But don’t you worry. I’ll protect you from him. Well, he is stronger and has this nasty ability of getting into your head, but he wouldn’t dare harm someone I considered a friend.” She said, then tilted her head. “Would that make me stronger in that regard? Hm…” She shrugged, tried to stand, failed, and fell back on her butt. She laughed, then paused, eyes wide.

“Oh look!” She said, pointing to the sky. “A falling star!” And there actually was one for Jordan to see. Though from Veranda’s perspective it looked like a rainbow trailed after the star. And the star seemed to be singing as it plunged its way into the abyss of the sky. After a long moment her smile slowly faded.

“Perhaps he wouldn’t come looking for me.” She said softly. She looked a tad sad then, and she attempted to stand up once more. This time she managed to gain her feet, though she had to use Jordan again to do so. She ran a hand through her hair, dislodging any leaves and grass still stuck to it, before looking around.

“Ah! I’m in the graveyard! I wondered what I tripped over.” She said, laughing a bit before she gave a slow spin, enjoying the dizzy feeling as it intensified. She swayed a moment, but managed to catch herself before she toppled over.

[Jordan Hielo]

The girl was off her rock. Jordan knew it was in her best interest to make sure she stayed safe; it was the right thing to do. But this Julien man- he realized now that it was her boyfriend- Jordan wondered if he seemed as bad as she said.

At the very least it seemed she had power over him. At least Jordan was safe. For now.
Jordan wasn't about to turn his back on her just because her boyfriend would get pissed with him, or try to hurt him. No, he wasn't afraid of that. He could only assume it was a vampire too. Surely he could hold a vampire off?

He turned his head up as the star passed by their heads. He had to smile a bit. The elemental had never seen one before. And it was a rather pleasant sight, especially on such a stressful night as this.

His head turned back to her, and he looked on in surprise. Then, a sad face of his own was plastered in his eyes.
Perhaps he wouldn't come looking for me.
That got to Jordan. A broken heart himself, he did not know how to speak to her. Were they having issues? He himself hoped everything would get better.

No one deserves a heartbreak.
He was about to speak, before she stood up. He followed suit.

Jordan rushed his hands out as she nearly fell, and breathed a sigh of relief when she did not fall. He didn't even need to try and catch her.
Maybe they're not actually fighting... she seems to have forgotten about it quick. Maybe it's just the stuff in the man's blood.
That reminded the ice elemental, as he pulled out a rough rag he used to clean his hands out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Clean off your hands, and we'll head out. And I'm sure Julien is worried sick, but we've got to keep you safe. He'll see you in the morning, and everything will be fine."
He hoped, at least. He prayed for her life, and his own.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda paused when Jordan handed her a rag. She took it before regarding her own blood speckled hands. She giggled when looking, seeing a smiling face on her right hand. There was a dog on the other. Oh, she could make a fun game out of this! But alas, Jordan demanded she wipe her hands clean. Literally, since figuratively it was impossible. She complied, the mist having kept the blood moist enough to make quick work of the job. Her hands were spotless in one minute. She handed the rag back to Jordan, the rag having developed a face with its new stains and winking at her.

“Oh please, with how distant he’s been lately, I doubt he’s noticed I’ve been gone all day. Coriander probably knows but he wouldn’t care.” She said, swaying on her feet. “Julien would search for me in the morning anywho…hehe…who…” She trailed off, thinking about owls. “He’s a night walker. IF he decided to search he’d have done it when the sun set. Since I don’t see him, he either isn’t looking or hasn’t found me.” She said. Though there was no reason why he couldn’t. Julien could easily track Veranda. All the years of knowing each other he tracked her rather easily.

“Let’s goooo…” Veranda said, taking hold of Jordan’s wrist and tugging him along. She seemed to be more stable on her feet now. “I want to get out of here before the dead start talking. The stars would find that awfully funny.” She said, giggling.

[Jordan Hielo]

The side of his lips twitched once more. Hearing about this relationship was making him feel worse about his own.
The elemental had to wonder if she would have been saying so much if she weren't like this. Probably not. He himself could see him talking about his personal life with a stranger if he was drunk, but not when sober. Why would Veranda be any different?

She really was out of her mind at that moment. More than likely she would regret one thing she said, perhaps. He just hoped he wouldn't be punished for it. Would he hit a lady? More than likely, no.

Suddenly he was nearly tripping over his own feet as she grabbed his wrist and dragged him along. He managed to grab his bag and gear as they passed it by, and he slung it all onto his shoulder.
He walked along beside her, as she of course did not know where he lived. Or so he could hope. The thought of a girl like this knowing where he lived was not surprising. But it was unsettling.

"So, Veranda, is there anything else I can do for you? Figure I could get you something at the infirmary, or..." he couldn't think of any way to help except a glass of water and a warm bed for the night. He wasn't exactly good at this.

He coughed out a tickle in his throat, rubbing the back of his neck as he awaited to be released from her grasp.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda walked along, her steps slowing down to a more normal pace. Not because she realized she was nearly dragging Jordan, which she didn’t, but because there was the most interesting and shiny pebble on the ground. She paused to gaze at it, marveling at its shimmer and for a second she thought she heard it speak with a deep voice. God what was in that man she killed!? And how had he been able to act perfectly normal? She wondered if it was a drug that only worked on things that drank blood. This made her picture mosquitoes that were high and buzzing in crazy loops, and she laughed.

“Oh I don’t need anything.” She said. She supposed she could admit she had this urge to kill something but that might scare the poor man away. Besides…killing would take such an effort. It took all the motivation she had to walk. In fact she wanted to sit back down now…

She swayed, paused, managed to gain her feet, and giggled before she nearly fell again, though she ran into Jordan, using the man as a means of standing for a moment. She looked up into his eyes, completely disregarding personal space as she was inches from his face.

“Did you ever get my blades done? When did I order those? It seems like forever.” She said, looking thoughtful for a moment before looking back up at the stars. They continued to giggle, and they shone down in rainbow colors. They were so pretty! She wished she could view life like this all the time! The world would be a better place, at least in her head. And that was where it mattered after all. That was where most of her problems stemmed from.

[Jordan Hielo]

Didn't women usually like their own personal space? Jordan was pretty sure they did. Even men did, to a certain extent. But Veranda surely was carefree in this situation, as she stared up into his eyes.

He was slightly uncomfortable, letting the woman lean up against him like that. He was sure it was mostly for support. The rest, if not for support, was because of her state of mind.
Jordan prayed she wouldn't regret the way she was acting in the morning.

"Ahh, yes" he muffled an answer, as his head was cocked slightly away from her face as she stared up into the sky.
He really was in an awkward position.
"They're all done, ready to use. Suppose you'll get them tomorrow. You did order them earlier today, though."

He couldn't help but smile a bit. That encounter had been rather fun. Definitely a different kind of customer. Not to mention her statement of it feeling like it had happened forever ago.

Jordan couldn't think of a time where he had been as intoxicated as Veranda that very moment. But she had to be very off her rocker if she felt like that afternoon had been forever ago.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda gave a little clap of her hands when Jordan confirmed that her blades were finished.

“Fantastic! I can’t wait to try them out.” She said, not specifying on what though. Maybe a tree to start with. Then maybe her following meal. Who knew? Certainly not her! She turned, moving a tad too fast, and nearly stumbled.

“Alright. On to your house then. Since you insist on taking me home.” She teased, giggling and winking at him before she stepped forward. She paused, head tilting a moment, face going blank, before turning back to him.

“Where do you live again? I think you told me but…well I forgot. I can’t seem to remember things so easy tonight.” She said, giving him a small smile which made her look charming, but Julien would recognize it as a very rare embarrassed smile.

[Jordan Hielo]

How many times would she be flirting with him tonight? It seemed like flirting at least. Giggling, winking, touching. But he had his face going red when she said 'taking me home'. How far would she go with these remarks?

Jordan could only imagine 'Julian' seeing or hearing this. He really didn't want to get in trouble, but he wanted to help Veranda out more.

He sighed, but smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

"It's quite alright. I live in Riverbed, just on the outskirts of Avaleur's forest. In the pine woods. It might take us a bit, but we'll get there. Perhaps half an hour at most."
He wasn't sure about time, but that didn't really matter. They had to get back eventually.

Jordan began walking once more towards Veranda, to keep moving.
"And where do you usually reside Veranda?"

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda looked at Jordan, the dizzy feeling slowly subsiding. Was the effect of the drug finally beginning to run its course? Good! As funny as giggly as she was, the real inner Veranda was quite horrified at not being in her right mind. This was dangerously close to being drunk, and the only reason she hadn’t gone off to slaughter any one and sink into those enraged feeling was simply because of laziness on the drugs part.

“Woodsman? Should have guessed, with you being a hunter and all.” She said as he walked up, and she allowed herself to be led out of the graveyard. Not like she knew where she was going. He mentioned how long it would take. She was capable of inhuman speed, but in her state she’d slam face first into a tree. The imagery made her laugh a bit.

“Where do I live? In the woods somewhere too. In some old, haunted looking abandoned, ramshackle house. Cori has a partiality to creepy that Jules and I have to abide by. I think it is too obvious in my opinion but not like Cori cares much for what I say.” She said, babbling a bit. Perhaps saying far too much, but she was hardly able to walk, let alone think correctly. Let’s hope Jordan wouldn’t grab a mob anytime soon.

[Jordan Hielo]

She was a total stranger to him, and yet it seemed as if her daily life was unfolding in front of him. Her past was still hidden, but he wondered how long it would be til she started saying things about that as well.

Perhaps it was best for him to ask very bland questions from now on.

As curious as he was about Julian and Coriander, and especially Veranda herself, he steered the conversation in an entirely different route.
"So do you like living in Avaleur then?" he asked with a smile, one of his hands handing by his side, ready to catch her if she fell. He didn't want her to wake up the next morning with a bruise on her cheek; who knew if she would take it out on him?

Despite the dangers, the hunter still wanted to make sure she was safe. He had to wonder if his own moral compass was interfering with the situation.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda paused when Jordan switched the conversation over to something else. She gave it some thought, as best as she could anyways.

“I guess. I haven’t really given the town or area much consideration since I have been focusing more on readjusting myself. But it isn’t bad. A lot like Merovech actually. Except guards here actually care about their people.” She said. This may have posed a problem if she were still human. But since she wasn’t and her need of money and food wasn’t that great, it seemed like a lot of worries were lifted from her shoulders.

“How about you? Do you like it here? You seem to be hiding some kind of misery, so don’t go on about how magical it is here.” She said, pointing at him before staggering a bit. She caught herself and continued walking, pushing a lock of hair from her face.

[Jordan Hielo]

It was rather nice to here a simple but nice thing about the city. After all it was true; he had only ever met Roland in relations to authority, but he was an excellent person. So Jordan assumed everyone was like that.

He was about to ask another bland question, when he was interrupted. A frown touched his lips, and one side twitched. He rubbed at the back of his neck uncomfortably.
Was it really that obvious?
Jordan shook his head and sighed.

He didn't exactly know how to answer this.

"Well, I... it's not Avaleur. Avaleur's wonderful to me, really. Good people, lots of wilderness. Really, I love it."
He bit his lip, uncomfortable. She'd probably forget about this all in the morning. Admitting it to her wouldn't hurt, would it?

"I'm just not used to heartbreaks is all. After I get over it I'll be fine."

Simple and sweet, he thought. Perhaps they would move the conversation away from his love life and misery now that it was blunt. He hoped.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda tilted her head as Jordan mentioned how he liked Avaleur, that it was a good place. She didn’t think it was the town. More like the people. Or person. Jordan spoke of a heartbreak, and Veranda looked up at the night sky thoughtfully. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. He must have cared deeply for the person who broke his heart. Veranda never suffered like that, not from a man she loved, a man like Julian…

She paused, stopping in the street, fingers touching her lips. Love? Really? She pushed the thoughts away. Regardless, she didn’t know about that kind of heartbreak, but she knew plenty of wounds. Of pain.

“Just be careful about how you tend that heartbreak Jordan. Wounds can fester…” She said softly, looking down at the ground. She took a breath and continued walking, looking back to him with a perkiness that was false, but she was trying.

“How long have you lived here in Avaleur anyways? You might have told me once.” She said, Jordan’s hopes coming true.

[Jordan Hielo]

He winced slightly. Wounds can fester- that was true. He had only had one other heartbreak before, and knew it all too well. But this time was different. This time it was worse.

Jordan's head turned to Veranda once more, his face slightly broken unlike the happiness he had on before. And her happy voice was now softer. As if she knew this all too well, like him.

It went away quickly, and it seemed a facade was on her face. Perhaps it was real, but after that it seemed hard to believe her perkiness was genuine. But it was possible.

Jordan put on a fake smile, feeling worse than before after admitting his troubles.
Isn't talking about your troubles supposed to help? he asked himself.

"I've lived here for a few years. Two or three maybe?" he relaxed a bit as the conversation steered another direction. He hoped it would not turn back anytime soon. "And yourself?"