For Altair

[blindingtrust]

Ivy was in the Nexus once more. It had been a few weeks for her since she had last seen Altair in his home reality. She hadn't been in the Nexus proper either for quite some time.

In fact today she was back on her way through the Nexus dressed very casually. Jeans and a t-shirt. Not something she would normally wear but it was a very nice shirt. She was also plopped right under a tree in a thick grove of trees with one of her books in brail and a basket filled with food. Because she knew she would be too busy studying to go get food latter.

Her health had also improved greatly since they had last run into each other. And she was still quite serious about what she had said to him. But now she was seeing how complicated it would be to uh, court him. Especially with a few other people in her life that she was also interested in. Let’s not forget the problem with them being from two very different worlds. So Ivy is feeling very grumpy over the entire situation.

So maybe someone can fix her foul mood? Or at least join her in the Nexus for a while. She'll share her food.

Comments

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr glanced at her in amusement. He couldn't tell if she were embarrassed or vaguely annoyed with his silence. He did know something else though--he was having fun keeping silent.

Still, he couldn't play all day. It wasn't in his nature. He spoke softly when he finally did a moment later. "What're these?"

Altaïr had picked up a small container of various fruits. He was specifically pointing to a small blue fruit. The others he recognized vaguely from stands he had seen in Acre mostly. The Britons tended to love all sorts of sweet fruits, and berries were pretty common. This one he'd never seen before though. The color was off.

He glanced at Ivy and handed her the container, wondering if he should pick out the fruit he was indicating or let her open the box herself.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

"Which one...?" She then thinks about it. Oh he wouldn't know what blueberries are.

"The blue round ones are called bklue berries. They're nice actually. And they riped fairly well. Taste great just to munch on. Some people bake them into pies. Thoes are decent. Just uh, kinda tart tasting to me."

She opens it up and selects one to pop into her mouth. See? It's tasty and she ATE it.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr eyes the fruit warily. Then he picks up one of the other darker colored ones and pops it into his mouth. He delights over the taste in his mouth and his eyes close in pleasure. He'd only had a few of these once in his lifetime.

"I like these," he says, handing her a blackberry.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

She pops it in her mouth and tests it with her tongue then eats it happily. "I like them too. I enjoy most fruit so when I can I buy quite a bit. But because it doesn't keep forever..."

Yeah she has to eat it quickly. "Feel free to enjoy it. Please."

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr nods and takes her up on her offer. He promptly steals all the blackberries and places them in his lap. He pops one in his mouth and his lids seem heavy as they fall half way. He's content.

Other than that, he stays quite and simply watches her with a curious eye.

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

She barely nticed that. But she's eating other peces of fruit. Then fished in the basket to find the crackers she packed.

Ahh salt and fiber. Though she ignores the fact she watching her.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr decided to steal one of those, too. It was an odd little piece of bread, he thought. But the salty taste was interesting, if it reminded him of the sea a bit. It was crunchy and hard, but not hard to chew like the stiff bread from his world. Munched happily on blackberries and crackers for a while.

Then he asked her a question. "Salt is a form of money in some places. How much were these goodies?"

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm. I'm not sure how it would convert in your terms. But I only put a handful from the package. I'd say seventy five cents. And Altair. Don't worry abput it. Honestly. I have mre than enough money of my own to live off comfortably as long as I am careful. And I am." She makes a grumpy noise.

Thugh now she shifts uncomfortably. How to approach this. "Altair. You know how to fight."

This is a statement. Not a question.

[bladeinthecrowd.livejournal.com]

Altaïr blinked blankly at Ivy. He hadn't meant to sound worried for her monetary means, he simply asked a random question. And he had no clue what 'seventy-five cents' were. Before he could ask though, she brought up another topic.

He frowned warily in her direction. "Yes," he responded carefully. "I do."

[blindingtrust.livejournal.com]

Well one day she'll figure out some way to explain. It will be very difficult though. Mostly because she doesn't know everything.

"Oh good." She wonders how to proceed. "There is a practice...in the time and place I come from. A kind of courtship. It's referred to as dating. At one time I was 'dating' a man who is in a similar line of work as the one I am studying for. We...met through the Nexus. I became friends with a friend of his. A young man named Soma Cruz. His life...is complicated. A shadow f the man he could become from an...alternate world began to cause him a great deal of trouble. To fuel his power he used...magic. It turned people into monsters. And he used myself as the unwilling conduct. The knowledge on how to fight and kill them was left in my mind.

I eventually joined others in a...Pilgrimage of sorts to fight that man. To protect the innocent friend who didn't want to become like that other man." Ivy shakes her head. "I can still remember some things. For a while I could see again too. But...Altair. I would like to know how to defend myself again. I can remember enough but...Could you help me? I don't want to use it to kill but to defend myself."

And then she flushes. “I am no longer dating that man. The one who is friends with Mr. Cruz. Just so you know.”