The Stars Are Laughing (Private)

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda looked around the little village they entered with big eyes, looking a tad childish as she gazed. Her pupils still seemed to dominate most of her eyes, despite the fact that she was starting to feel like more herself and not some tripping, giggling moron. She rather liked the small village. The peacefulness of it reminded her of Brom and his farm. She’d have to make sure Julian and Coriander didn’t come here and wreck it. At least not too often. Better not at all. Especially since a resident just happened to know a vampire now.

She looked ahead as Jordan pointed out his home, and she clapped her hands and gasped in delight.

“Ah! It’s so nice! Is it part of the tree?” She asked, grinning and keeping pace with Jordan, about as eager to see the inside of it as he was. It looked like such a homey place! Like a little escape from the shadows she lived in. Actually…the idea of escaping here seemed highly attractive. Veranda smirked a bit to herself, wondering what Jordan’s reaction will be when he came home one day to find her inside. Assuming the inside was what she pictured it to be. She glanced at Jordan as he made his apology, and she eyed him a moment, unsure of how to respond. He was unkind. But it wasn’t like she was unaccustomed to that.

“Perhaps not, but curiosity isn’t exactly a sin either.” She replied finally, shrugging. She hurried up to the door, placing a hand against it. “Now let me in! I want to see the inside!” She said eagerly, smiling back at him, fangs glittering again in the starlight.

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan, body now fully relaxed, let out a relieved sigh. Finally home. He rubbed at the back of his neck as he smiled at Veranda's curiosity.
"I don't think anyone's ever been so excited to see my home," he stated, as his hand gripped the doorknob.
"It's a bit messy, just as a warning."

At first the door did not budge; but the elemental was used to this. He lightly slammed into it with his shoulder and the door cracked open.
Finally, he was home.

He walked inside, the room lit up from the moonlight shining though the windows. It was rather small, but cozy, with animal skins around to keep warm, and weapons littering tabletops. An unlit fireplace settled in the far end of the room, winding stairs right next to it, leading to an open bedroom.
Unusual trinkets also littered the area. Things that did not seem to belong. Old masks, and books. Little figurines and tapestries. Things that clearly did not belong to Jordan.

The man yawned, dropping his things down next to the door in relief. He rubbed at his shoulders, turning to face Veranda.
"Home sweet home," he stated, before walking to the fireplace and beginning to set it up. In his head he began to think of sleeping arrangements, and such.
"Are you hungry at all?" he asked, stacking wood into the pit.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda stepped inside the house after Jordan, looking around curiously. She didn’t need any light to see everything perfectly. There were a lot of weapons that looks fun to toy with, especially some blades. The scent of animals greeted her, with the old scent of blood and the scent of the treatment used to preserve furs. There was also the remnants of a feminine scent in here, some woman who had probably once been here. She stepped over to a table, lifting a mask to eye it. After a moment she placed it on her face, then turned to hop onto the table, sitting where the mask once sat, pushing a few things out of the way.

“Hungry? Why, you plan to offer your neck?” Veranda asked, amused. She picked up a figurine and looked at it, holding it at arm’s length before looking closely at it. How weird. Was this Jordan’s? Was he into collecting weird shit? She looked around the cottage again.

“It isn’t so bad. Cozy. The bit of mess just makes it more homey.” She said, swinging her legs as she gazed about, before looking back to Jordan through the mask.

(Meh, short post...)

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan could hear the rustle of things moving around, and assumed she was making herself comfortable. After all, the room was a right-off. But as long as they made do, he couldn't complain.

Slightly lifting his head up, he thought for a moment. Offer his neck?
He blushed ever so slightly; ahh yes, a vampire. He had forgotten. Perhaps because she had not been at all hostile towards him during their trip to the village. It was odd, forgetting something so relevant like that.
The elemental did not comment.

He continued to shuffle around with the fire, nodding to her remark as he began to light it.
"Even so, I really should tidy up a bit. I'm sure not all of my friends would appreciate having to sit in a messy room any time they came over."
The fire now lit up the room and he stood up, brushing off his knees as he turned to look at Veranda. Whom was holding a figurine, and had a mask on her face.
For a moment he stared blankly, before rubbing at his arm.

"Ahh, please put those things down," he asked, clearly uncomfortable. He looked around, finding one of his chairs and clearing it off, avoiding any more conversation about those things.

[Veranda Kingsford]

“I guess…” Veranda replied, tilting the figurine she held. “If you wanted to impress them.” She added. Once they knew what he was like, why bother cleaning up? It wasn’t like it was disgusting in there. Then again, Veranda wasn’t one to judge about friendships. She only really ever had one, and it was currently in a weird limbo state right now. Caught somewhere between a friendship and a relationship. And she wasn’t sure which way it would lean.

She looked over at Jordan again when he told her to put back the things she was handling. She looked at him as he grew uncomfortable and then walked over to clean off a chair to sit in. She slowly turned the figurine in her hands, looking down at it.

“Why? Are they important?” She asked, slipping off the table. She set the figurine down on the table once more, but kept the mask on her face. She walked over to Jordan, looking up at him, reaching up to touch the mask. “Whose is it?”

[Jordan Hielo]

Are they important; a question he could not answer, continuing to fiddle with the chair. As soon as it was cleaned off he was abiut to sit, when he hears footsteps towards him. Turning, Veranda was right there. The figure no longer with her, but the mask still there. He reached uo gently to remove it from her face, bur flinched ever so slightly. He put his arms down.

"No one importants," the elemental replied, voice weaker than it usually was.
"Its just... fragile is all," he stated, tempted to remove the mask from her face. But could not bring himself to do it.

His face was slightky red from embarrassment; after all, he couldn't bare to throw away the things Myra left behind. Things that she knew would be useless and dead weight on her journey elsewhere.

He could have thrown this stuff out. He had the time to. But he hadn't yet.
And something made Jordan uncomfortable about someone else touching these things that seemdd to hurt him every day.
Slowly he sat down, still staring at Veranda - and more importantly the mask- as he did so.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda watched, noting Jordan’s uncomfortable movements, his flinch as he reached up to remove the mask, as if the mask lashed out at him and hurt him. It probably did it a way. It sparked her curiosity even more. Perhaps she was a sadist, but she considered herself just a predator. When something was in pain predators always came to check it out, right? She eyed him as he made some weak excuse about the things, saying they were fragile. Right…fragile…

She watched him sit, silent, then she reached up, tapping the mask.

“I think…these belonged to a certain someone who broke a certain ice elemental’s heart.” Veranda said. She walked over to the fire, eying it for a while before turning to face Jordan again. “Why not throw them out? Unless you like self torture.” She said, readjusting the mask before walking over to another table, picking up a tapestry, smirking a bit to herself. “I mean…if they aren’t important or belong to anyone…they’re just junk right?” She said, looking back at Jordan, a little smile on her face, fangs glittering. Jordan would get to see a little sliver of what kind of monster Veranda could be in that little smile. And if that smile didn’t unnerve him, perhaps her holding the tapestry while standing so near the fire might. Oh it was so mean of her to tease this man, who was nothing but kind to her, but it was in her nature at this point. Besides, she wanted to see what Jordan would do.

[Jordan Hielo]

He opened his mouth several times, face going red as she neared the fire. As she guessed just why he was so upset that she was touching these objects. In all honesty, he had to admit to himself he didn't know what to do. As cruel as it seemed it would be good for him to get rid of them; and maybe he needed to have someone else to it for him.

But he was too weak in the heart for that.

"Veranda...please, don't," he spoke, standing up. He realized that she was teasing him; perhaps not even that, maybe she really was going to burn Myra's things. That smile of hers sure suggested it.

As odd as it was though, he did not want to be rude to his guest by telling her off.

"Most of this stuff belongs to Myra," he continued, face going slightly redder, standing up and rubbing his arm in more discomfort.
He hated talking about this sort of thing; he wanted to forget. Something that was impossible with the things he surrounded himself with. But Jordan pretended, none the less.

[Veranda Kingsford]

“Ah, Myra is the name.” Veranda said softly, seeming to completely disregard Jordan’s plea and his agony. She looked the tapestry over again, enjoying the colors and the feel of it on her fingers. It was nice. Shame that it was no good for Jordan. She looked thoughtful a moment before looking to Jordan, eying him. His face looked pained, he stood tense, but he looked like he’d break. It really didn’t suit him.

“You’re right…I shouldn’t burn it.” She said, then held the tapestry out to the hunter. Her smile glittered in the firelight again. It almost looked innocent now. “You should.”

It’d probably be therapeutic. A type of catharsis for the broken hearted man. She was somewhat curious as to what exactly happened, but not enough to really bother asking. What did it matter anyways? Break up stories usually all had the same ending result. They would get boring after a while. And they were just sad. Veranda didn’t really need to be exposed to something like that. She had her own problems. And this little back and forth with Jordan right now might be good for him, but it was really just to satisfy her growing inner monster.

[Jordan Hielo]

Jordan stared right back at Veranda, feeling the urge to sit back down again. Perhaps kick her out of his house. But that would be unkind; besides, he still did not know if she would be alright to wander the woods alone.

But in just one split second, his eyes went wide.

"N-no, no, I couldn't..." he mumbled, making his way over to the woman and gently taking the tapestry away from her hands.
"I mean... it's not mine, after all," he tried to reason, "It wouldn't be right of me to destroy someone else's belongings."
A faulty argument, seeing as how now they were sort of his. She had left them behind after all.

"I'll just... wait for her to claim them," he nodded firmly, placing the tapestry on the mantle of the fireplace. He turned back to Veranda; face ever so slightly red with embarrassment. He was practically making a fool of himself. A lovestruck fool.

He considered it however. Taking the tapestry and burning it. But he continued to make excuses for himself not to.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda watched Jordan approach and take the tapestry back. He began reasoning, though it seemed like he was talking to himself more than her. She stepped back as he walked to the fireplace, placing the little treasure on the mantle. After a moment when he finished speaking, Veranda stared before she snorted a laugh.

“Wait for her to claim them?” She asked. “Is that what this is? A hope that she’ll return? I don’t think she will Jordan. And if she does, do you really want her back that badly that you’ll forget how she hurt you?” She asked, stepping up next to him, looking at the tapestry. She ran her fingers down the mask she wore.

“They don’t belong to anyone anymore Jordan,” She said. “Myra left them behind. She forfeited these things. Just as she forfeited any right to hold sway over you. Why do you continue to let her hurt you? It shouldn’t matter anymore.” She turned, taking the mask off and she handed it to him. “So tell yourself that it doesn’t matter anymore and burn them all. You’ll be able to heal once you’ve gotten rid of the weapons that you hurt yourself with.”

[Jordan Hielo]

The elemental took the mask, the side of his mouth twitching in discomfort. He stared down at it, gently running his fingers over it. His eyes became red, but he gulped the lump in his throat down. Jordan wouldn't admit it; but she was right. He wished she wasn't, but she was. Myra wasn't coming back. He was only hurting himself with these things.

With one quick motion the mask was in the fire, covering the room with a soft light. His hands slid into his pockets. Eyes still red. But the elemental managed to smile; more of a smirk.

"I hated that bloody mask anyways," he chuckled, before clasping his hands together.

"We should get your sleeping arrangements in order. I'll be on the couch in here, you can have my bed," he pointed to the winding staircase at the side of the room, "It's up there, I'm just going to grab a few extra blankets and whatnot. It gets chilly in here sometimes."

He turned, beginning to pick up cloths and such, suddenly in a bit of a better mood.

[Veranda Kingsford]

Veranda watched Jordan as he seemed to recede into himself a little, looking like he was making the decision. She waited patiently, wondering if he’d burn the mask or not. She honestly didn’t know which direction he’d go. Whether he’d burn the mask or decide to keep it and torment himself longer. Finally she had her answer though, as he threw the mast into the fireplace. She looked at it, watching the flames lick around at the mask, not quite burning it yet.

She turned back to Jordan as he spoke, giving him a smile. She was glad he chose this route. She should probably stop torturing him for the night now. He turned, beginning to gather up things needed for his sleeping arrangements. She watched a moment before heading towards the stairs.

“You can have most of the blankets from your room if you’d like. I don’t require much.” She said, beginning to climb the stairs. She stumbled a bit, laughed at herself, before continuing to ascend. Oh dear, she needed sleep. Which was nice, since she hardly slept well anymore, if at all. She was looking forward to sleeping the rest of this drug off. She wanted to be back in her right mind again.